The Fallout series, even from its more hardcore roots preceding Bethesda at the helm, has never really needed to trouble itself too much with balance. Of course, the game needed to be challenging enough to spur the player onward in terms of progression, but it has always hosted a wild selection of perks, weapons, and other pieces of kit that could range from completely and utterly pointless to entirely game breaking in terms of utility and power.

But by placing the gaming experience of other players on the line with multiplayer exclusive Fallout 76, Bethesda now absolutely has to consider mechanical balance in ways that have never been necessary with any Fallout title it has published to date. This naturally brings the question of whether or not the Fallout spirit is compatible with the online experience to the table.

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At a glance, it wouldn't appear that much has changed. In fact, it all looks pretty much like you're just playing Fallout 4, except with other, actual people in place of familiar and beloved NPCs. There are some modified core mechanics, such as VATS working in unimpeded real-time and PVP damage experiencing a harsh reduction until both players have reciprocated hostilities, but all in all most things appear to have carried over intact, including a host of classic items seemingly unchanged from their former versions in Fallout 4. But now that they exist in a multiplayer environment, are all of our old favorites still the best? Are all of the typically useless items still perfectly and legitimately useless?

Updated October 18, 2022, by Gabrielle Huston: Are you a Fallout 76 fan? Then you're in luck! We've reviewed the best items in the game to ensure that you'll always have the advantage. Read on!

20 Black Diamond

Fallout 76 - Black Diamond

The ski sword is a new implement of melee mayhem debuting in Fallout 76, and it's a pleasantly strong one to boot. The Black Diamond is a unique variant obtained through the line of Raider quests offered by Rose at the Top of the World, in the Savage Divide.

Packing solid damage, a built-in modification, and a bonus to your strength, the Black Diamond is a solid bet if you're looking for a melee weapon to carry you through the end game. Just be mindful of the fact that it is a leveled weapon, so keep an eye on what level you are when you meet Rose.

19 Psycho & Overdrive

Fallout 76 - Overdrive

Do you want to do more damage? Is that even a question that we have to ask? Of course, you want to do more damage. It's one of the biggest determining factors in character efficacy here.

If the answer's "yes," and it should be, you need a few doses of Psycho and Overdrive to carry around. Both are equally effective, with Psycho offering a defense bonus and Overdrive kicking you some extra critical hit juice. Worried about addiction? Well, don't, since Addictol is a thing. But we'll get to that one later.

18 Ultracite Power Armor

Fallout 76 - Ultracite Power Armor

Well, what would this list be without at least one set of awesome, overpowered power armor? The Ultracite armor is awarded as you wrap up the Brotherhood of Steel quest line with "Belly of the Beast" at Fort Defiance, and it's definitely one remarkable piece of work.

Boasting better defensive statistics than most power armor available in the game, this one's an absolute no-brainer, not to mention the absolutely slick design. One sure way to gain modification and crafting plans for this beautiful set is to participate in "Scorched Earth" whenever someone triggers the event on your server. Just make sure to get in a few good hits on the Scorchbeast Queen!

17 Handmade Rifle

Fallout 76 - Handmade Rifle

The handmade rifle has undergone a change or two since its Nuka World days, the most welcome of which is the switch to plentiful 5.56mm ammunition. Apart from that, the handmade is essentially a better, cooler-looking version of the assault rifle.

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It's accurate, it's damaging, and it's modular. It can essentially do whatever you want to do with your build, so long as it involves a rifle. The drop rate can be a little slim, so, unless you're farming for legendaries, your best bet is going to be buying the crafting plan from a Free States vendor.

16 Super Stimpaks

fallout 76 super stimpak

What is there to say, really? You're simply not going down if you're carrying around a pile of these babies. They restore a pretty massive chunk of health, compounded by the first aid perk if you decided to run with it.

However, they're understandably expensive to craft. The recipe itself can also be a little slippery to get your hands on, dropping off of higher level event and daily quests at a fairly low rate. But it's absolutely worth the trouble.

15 Gauss Rifle

Fallout 76 - Gauss Rifle

Making a triumphant (if buggy) return from the previous titles is this fan favorite and sniper's delight. It features mechanics that should be familiar and comfortable for Fallout 4 players, with a charging shot that gets stronger the longer you hold the trigger down.

It can be a bit dodgy in VATS, and players have reported a damage bug affecting the weapon. However, it chews through high-level baddies in fine fashion, and that's more than good enough for us.

14 Shishkebab

Fallout 76 - Shishkebab

Everyone's favorite flaming sword still maintains a respectable place on the food chain, as it still kicks out ridiculous amounts of combined energy and physical damage. This one's available for levels 35 and up. While it can be looted as a rare drop, you're probably better off picking through Brotherhood and Free States vendors to find your own.

All in all, it's the same weapon you knew. It's still an epic flaming sword. It still cooks as well as it cuts, and this time you get to look really cool in front of all your friends instead of a bunch of NPCs that can't properly articulate how amazing you are. It's mostly the sword that's amazing, if we're being honest. But get credit wherever you can.

13 Scorchbeast Edibles

Fallout 76 - Scorchbeast Edibles

Nothing says "dinner" like the various organs of a massive, irradiated behemoth that wants to eat yours first. Or something like that. Anyway, on top of restoring massive amounts of health, most of the edibles you can pull off of a Scorchbeast provide incredible bonuses upon consumption.

RELATED: Fallout: Toughest Enemies In The Series, Ranked

While each of the different consumable bits provide hefty bonuses, you can combine the lot of them into a stew, provided you grab the recipe as a random quest reward. Altogether it heals you for 250 HP, and provides bonuses to luck, endurance, agility, and intelligence. Talk about a superfood!

12 Protective Lining (Clothing Mod)

Fallout 76 - Protective Lining

Turning aesthetic value into statistical bonuses is always a plus, and that's just what you get with the protective lining modification. You can put this guy into your underarmor to get some defensive perks. Not to mention pretty considerable, always-on bonuses to strength and endurance.

You'll need to dig up the recipe that applies to your chosen garment, usually via questing, and the crafting itself will require purple flux - a rare crafting material processed from the nuked flora found in a nuclear blast zone.

11 Plasma Grenade

Fallout 76 - Plasma Grenade

The plasma grenade is both plentiful and terrifyingly strong. Instead of neatly splitting its damage between energy and physical, it just does an incredible amount of damage on both sides of the fence.

If you're having trouble with a particular enemy that's blocking your path in a room or corridor, a few of these are sure to make them a little more docile to your presence... if by "docile" you mean no longer breathing or moving, anyway. Plasma Grenades aren't hard to find, either; just dig through explosives crates as you go and you're sure to find a handful.

10 Nuka Cherry

Fallout 76 - Nuka Cherry

This might be an unlikely candidate for an overpowered item, but a quick 100 HP in healing along with some AP is a completely underrated package. It's even preferable to stimpacks in more circumstances than you'd think.

They're also pretty plentiful, sitting on tabletops and desks all across Appalachia and found by twos and threes tucked away inside of Nuka-Cola machines. As an added bonus, you get a shiny new bottlecap every time you decide to glug one down. It's the small things, right?

9 The Dragon

Fallout 76 - The Dragon

The Dragon is arguably the most powerful rifle in the game. It's a quadruple-barrel black powder rifle. We'll allow a moment for the sheer awesome factor of that to sink in before continuing.

RELATED: Fallout 76: The Strangest Unarmed Weapons, Ranked

We'd really like to find something this thing won't drop in one shot, barring Scorchbeasts and Mirelurk Queens. But even then... Oh, and you can find further legendary variants of it. So shoot for a double shot for maximum entertainment. It's a bit slippery to get your hands on with several reported drop locations, but one solid bet is to check out Grahm's stock whenever you get the chance.

8 Fat Man (MIRV)

Fallout 76 - Fat Man (MIRV)

Is the MIRV practical? Well, no. Not really. Mini-nukes are incredibly heavy to lug around, especially in addition to the launcher. But nothing says "I'd really prefer you didn't exist" better than dropping a pile of the things on top of someone and watching multiple miniature mushroom clouds erupt from the blast zone.

If that just so happens to sound like your idea of a good time, you'll either need to modify a Fat Man with the MIRV launcher or happen to find one dropped with the modification attached. We detailed an easy way to find a Fat Man in another article, which we'll link right here for your convenience.

7 Auto Grenade Launcher

Fallout 76 - Auto Grenade Launcher

If you picked up the .50 cal heavy machine gun and thought to yourself, "This is nice, but I really need more explosions," then Bethesda kept you in mind with this one. Because that's essentially just what it is.

It's ludicrous, completely over the top, and really fun. In that sense it embodies what you really want to get out of a Fallout game. The Auto Grenade Launcher is a high level drop, so one idea is to set out after Scorchbeasts.

6 All Rise

Fallout 76 - All Rise

Sometimes, you really just need to go whack something with a massive, rocket-powered sledgehammer. And there's just no substitute when it comes to scratching that itch. Enter: All Rise, the punny Super Sledge that's sure to satisfy all your hammer-whacking needs.

If a unique Super Sledge is your cup of tea, seek out the city of Watoga in the southeastern portion of the map and complete the quest "Mayor For A Day." That's a high level quest in a high level area though, so come equipped and prepared for a bumpy ride.

5 Nuka-Cola Quantum

Fallout 76 - Nuka-Cola Quantum 2

Yes, the absolute king of Nuka-Cola products maintains its throne. Completely ludicrous HP restoration? Check. Double that for AP restoration? Double check.

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If you're heading into a long, dicey fight and you feel like the Stimpaks aren't going to cut it, then the Quantum is the next best thing to have on your hotbar. It's probably even better, honestly. All you need to do is keep an eye on the plentiful Nuka-Cola machines dotting the world; the bright blue glow isn't hard to spot.

4 Addictol

Fallout 76 - Addictol

While this may be an unexpected entry, remember that Addictol pretty much enables you to use as many chems as you want, almost completely obliterating the only downside that comes along with using them.

And if the idea of somebody dosed up to the eyeballs on Med-X, Psycho and Buffout chasing you around should be a little scary. So long as you've got some on hand, feel absolutely free to stock yourself up on Psycho and Med-X to reap the ample benefits, as a simple application of Addictol will leave you completely addiction free at the end of the day.

3 Med-X

Fallout 76 - Med-X

Speaking of Med-X, it's on the list. It's a hearty 25% damage reduction available with just the click of a button, and this stuff is available by the pound almost anywhere you can find chem containers and first aid boxes.

If the sharp damage reduction in unrequited PVP actions isn't enough of a gut punch for would-be raiders and bandits, just pop in a dose of this stuff to ensure that very little, if anything is gonna get through well enough to even slightly agitate you.

2 Lever Action Rifle

Fallout 76 - Lever Action Rifle

The hunting rifle is nice for your rifleman build, but it's going to get tired eventually. Thankfully there's a weapon with less recoil, a faster rate of fire, higher damage, and utilizing the equally plentiful .45 cartridge.

And that would be the lever action rifle. Sure, it's a little "wild west," but you loved New Vegas so you should be able to vibe with this selection. You are locked to a five round "magazine" however, so mind the frequent reloads.

1 Tesla Rifle

Fallout 76 - Tesla Rifle

If you've ever wanted a shotgun that fires off bolts of lightning instead of buckshot, then you've dreamed of having the Tesla Rifle. This is one damaging marvel of modern technology, to say the very least.

The arcing bolt of electricity that is flung out with every trigger pull can get kind of wild, as it will jump from one target to the other, making it a wonderfully versatile solution when it comes to dealing with horded enemies such as ghouls or scorched. Just be a bit careful of non-hostile targets in the area though, as it won't discriminate.

NEXT: Fallout: Best Random Encounters In The Series