The Dangerous Pastimes event was added to Fallout 76 with the Skyline Valley update. It’s a brutal new public event that I encountered as soon as I entered the new region of the map you’re directed to in the update’s questline.
Dangerous Pastimes has a recommended player level of 50, but I tackled it at half that and had no trouble at all. Of course, I did this alongside a group of higher-level players who were all keen to be at the event and take the spills it has to offer. If you’re a lower-level player, you could easily still take it on and beat it with a group, but it’s worth knowing what to do at each step to maximize the loot you’ll get from it.
How to complete the Dangerous Pastimes public event in Fallout 76
Below, I’ve outlined each step you must work through to complete the Dangerous Pastimes public event in Fallout 76. If you’re unsure of what to do, check out each section below, and you should find your objective. To start the event, head to the location marked on the map and speak to the intercom. You must pick the option that says ‘Start Event’ if you want to join the group and take it on.
Step 1: Gather and install Harvester Parts
The first task in the event requires you to wait for the machine to scan for parts. Once it has, Harvester Parts, shown above, will spawn around the location. You need to collect 40 of these as a group and install them in the machine by interacting with it.
This took a little bit of time because you must rely on everyone collecting and installing parts while also killing the enemies, including The Lost, who swarm you while you search. Get a few shots on any enemies you see because it guarantees you more loot.
Step 2: Charge the harvester
The next stage of this public event requires you to charge the harvester. To do that, you’ve got to kill The Lost, a new enemy type with the Skyline Valley update, who will spawn and attack from every side of the location. There’s a meter you need to fill here, and killing the largest enemies that spawn first will help fill it up faster. But just keep killing every enemy you see and you’ll complete the step in no time at all.
Step 3: Destroy the Thunder Crab
You’ll have to fight a boss once the meter has been filled and the harvester charged. This boss is a Thunder Crab, a gigantic mutant hermit crab that uses a bus as its shell and wants you dead. As you might imagine, this fight is more of a war of attrition.
Keep shooting and attacking in any way you can, and you’ll kill this thing eventually. We killed it before the other mobs around it, and they respawned immediately, so focus on the boss if you’re on its last sliver of health. This will complete the Dangerous Pastimes event and should net you a tonne of great loot.
I picked up a load of Caps, ammo, and an incredibly powerful grenade launcher I can’t use for a few levels yet from my first event. I also nabbed a powerful pistol from a random Lost enemy earlier in the event. The most important thing is to shoot everything for your chance and the most loot possible.