A Fallout 76 critter has been leading players to treasure

(Image credit: Bethesda)

If you're traipsing through the West Virginian wasteland in Fallout 76, be nice to the radstags—some of them might lead you to treasure.

Players have been spotting a new kind of mutant deer, the 'observant' radstag, and those with the self control to not shoot it have been getting some wee rewards. It's one of the survival MMO's new random encounters, and if you follow it for a stretch it will end up finding some hidden loot that you can then pilfer.

In a post in the Fallout 76 subreddit, community managers confirmed that the friendly critter will lead you to a "small treasure" and that it's not just a fluke, resulting in a lot of players feeling guilty for bashing the poor thing's brains in—it's a brutal world.

The Fallout 76 Wastelanders update has flung loads of NPCs into the sandbox, livening the place up and finally making it feel like a Fallout game, but these dead-eyed settlers and bandits aren't the only things making the wasteland feel more dynamic. I've yet to spot an observant radstag myself, but I've still found plenty of other diversions and random encounters. I'm actually enjoying myself, something I probably wouldn't have predicted last year.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.