Fallout 76: Top Tips On How To Increase Carry Weight, Inventory Space

by Sameed Khan · Published December 16, 2018 · Updated December 19, 2018

One of the first major challenges the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout 76 poses is, as series veterans may have expected, inventory management. You’re going to be spending a lot of time gathering resources – almost as much as you spend shooting baddies – and before you know it, you’ll have exceeded your carry weight limit. When that happens, the game applies an “Overencumbered” debuff to your character, which causes running to consume Action Points and prevents you from sprinting or fast-traveling until you lighten your load. An old RPG trope, this mechanic is to discourage players from hording items, forcing them to choose what they could do without. That, of course, doesn’t mean that there aren’t ways to add more space to your character’s virtual pockets.

In what follows, we will explore some tips and tricks to keep your pockets nice and spacious in Fallout 76.

Equip Perks That Increase Or Alter Carry Weight

The first solution that comes to mind is to equip perk cards that alter carry weight. You’ll find most of these in the Strength category, with perk cards available for adding a fixed amount of carry weight to your total as well as to reduce the weight of certain kinds of items or weapons. You’ve likely already equipped one of these, but you may be wondering what others can help ease your character’s burden. Here is every perk card that can help add space to your inventory (and stash) without you having to drop items.

The Pack Rat and Strong Back perks – both under the Strength attribute – are popular early picks while whether or not you opt for any of the rest may depend on your intended build. Note that each point added in the Strength attribute (up to a maximum of 15) will also permanently increase carry weight by 5.

Strength

Strong Back: Adds fixed carry weight.
Bandolier: Reduces weight of ballistic weapon ammo.
Batteries Included: Reduces weight of energy weapon ammo.
Bear Arms: Reduces weight of Heavy Guns.
Martial Artist: Reduces melee weapon weights.
Ordinance Express: Reduces weight of explosives (grenades/mines).
Pack Rat: Reduces weight of all junk items.
Sturdy Frame: Reduces weight of all armor except Power Armor.
Traveling Pharmacy: Reduces weight of all Chems.

Intelligence

Portable Power: Reduces weight of Power Armor chassis and parts.

Agility

Packin’ Light: Reduces weight of all pistols.
Thru-Hiker: Reduces weight of food and drink.

Equip Pocketed / Lighter Build Armor

Many enemies – usually higher-level ones or area bosses (the ones with a crown icon beside their name) – will drop armor pieces, some of which may have the “Pocketed” mod. This mod can increase carry weight by a minimum of 5 per armor piece equipped. You can, of course, scrap armor pieces or pick up plans to unlock the Pocketed mod and apply it to unmodded armor yourself. Later in the game, you will be able to use a better version of this mod called the “Deep Pocketed” mod, which adds double the carry weight per armor piece.

Armor mods like Lighter Build or Weightless, which reduce the weight of the armor piece itself, may give you similar results, though not as favorable in all cases.

Equip Power Armor

You will find several Power Armor chassis strewn across the vast open world of Fallout 76, free for the taking. The chassis alone, when equipped, adds 10 Strength to your character, effectively increasing carry weight by 50. Players can add the Calibrated Shocks mod to Power Armor leg pieces to increase carry weight by 50 per modded leg piece, but that option isn’t likely to become available until much later in the game.

The Excavator Power Armor, on the other hand, is likely to be the first full Power Armor set that most players don, and fortunately, it is one specifically designed to increase carry weight. It becomes available at Level 25 through the “Miner Miracles” quest. Wearing all of the pieces in the Excavator set will grant you an additional 100 carry weight.

The Excavator Power Armor – we had two Vault Boys point right at it so you don’t miss it.

Note that you will need to keep yourself stocked up on Fusion Cores if you want to continue using your Power Armor, though you needn’t have your entire supply of cores on your person at all times. Each Fusion Core weighs 3 units; walking around with 15 of them will defeat the purpose of using the Power Armor for a supply run. Keep only enough cores in your inventory to last you through the next couple of missions (three or four will usually suffice), and drop the rest in your Stash.

Eat Food Items That Add Carry Weight

Meat from certain creatures, when cooked (at a Cooking Station) and consumed, can add temporary buffs to your character that increase your carry weight by up to 20. Keep an eye out for the creatures mentioned in the list below, hunt them down, and loot their bodies for the meat. While you’re at it, maybe make a mental note of where you spotted them to return later for another hunt.

Grilled Radstag (Radstag Doe) adds 20 carry weight for 30 minutes
Ribeye Steak (Brahman) adds 20 carry weight for 30 minutes
Deathclaw Steak (Deathclaw) adds 2 strength (10 carry weight) for 30 minutes
Roasted Ant (Ant) adds 10 carry weight for 30 minutes

Note that the effects of cooked meat will not stack, even if different kinds of meat are consumed, but they can be combined with the effects of alcohol. Almost all alcoholic drinks add 1 Strength (5 carry weight) on consumption, while Whiskey adds 2 Strength (10 carry weight). Consuming a Grilled Radstag and and Whiskey together, for example, will add a total of 30 carry weight to your character.

Be careful not to consume alcoholic drinks back to back as that increases the chance of being slapped with an Alcohol Addiction debuff, which lasts for a long period of time or until an Addictol is consumed.

Or Take These Chems

Buffs added by food items also stack with any afforded by chems, though we wouldn’t advise consuming such chems unless you absolutely need to, as they are difficult to come by, especially early in the game. Additionally, their benefits are generally limited in comparison to the aforementioned food items, only last a few minutes, and with back-to-back consumption, can increase the chances of contracting an addiction debuff, which reduces certain S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes for long periods of time or until you consume an Addictol.

Buffout adds 2 Strength (10 carry weight) for 5 minutes
Bufftats adds 3 Strength (15 carry weight) for 5 minutes
Psychobuff adds 3 Strength (15 carry weight) for 3 minutes
X-cell adds 2 Strength (10 carry weight) for 2 minutes

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