Fallout 76 The Slasher Guide: Weekly Schedule, Rewards and the Pint-Sized Slasher

Fallout 76 The Slasher has been live since September 15, 2026, and it doesn't start at a map marker. It starts in your Pip-Boy: tune in to the Breaking News radio station and follow the broadcasts from there. Bethesda releases the story in weekly chunks instead of all at once, and as of October 11 the event is in its fourth week, running alongside Mischief Night. In Bethesda's words, the legendary name of the Pint-Sized Slasher has been taken up by a murderous lunatic and his cadre of fanatics.

This guide separates what Bethesda's official update notes from September 15 actually say from what comes out of the August 18 announcement or datamined test server files. On the rewards, that gap is bigger than most previews suggest.

📻 How Fallout 76 The Slasher starts

There's no quest giver to walk to and no marker that shows you the way in. Bethesda's update notes simply tell you to listen to the Breaking News channel in your Pip-Boy if you want to take part.

A second station joins it: The Debunker. According to the notes, it keeps you posted on what's happening in the world and tells you what to do next. In practice: radio on, listen to the broadcast, and the next step shows up in your quest log.

Bethesda doesn't name a fixed event area. The update describes chaos all over Appalachia: masked corpses, the cult and the graves are spread across the whole map instead of one region. If you're waiting for an event zone like the one in Mothman Equinox, you'll wait forever.

🗓️ The weekly schedule through November

The staggered rollout is official. The update notes ask you to come back every week to catch the latest developments in the Slasher story. A week-by-week chart, however, was never published by Bethesda.

The table below follows the overview by the fan site Nuka Knights (as of October 8, 2026) and is not confirmed by Bethesda. The week count from September 15 is ours. The quest names match the community-run fallout.wiki, which pulls them from the game files:

Older schedules are out of date: for Mischief Night (October 6 to 20) and Spooky Scorched (October 20 to November 3), Nuka Knights' current overview matches Bethesda's official community calendar. Earlier datamined schedules put both a week later and had Head Hunts starting only on November 10.

The same calendar also lists a Slasher-themed C.A.M.P. contest from October 2 to 26.

🩸 The rewards: announcement vs. what shipped

This is the most important point of the whole update, and most previews skip it. The August 18 announcement promised "a unique Power Armor set as well as a new instrument of murder, the 'Super Slasher.'"

Only half of that shows up in the official update notes from September 15:

So here's what you actually get in Fallout 76 The Slasher right now: the update notes don't list a new Power Armor model. The Blood Moon paint is a skin for armor you already own, and it belongs to the season, not to the event.

Datamining points in the same direction. According to FalloutBuilds, the "Power Armor" is a Pint-Sized Slasher Power Armor paint set: the helmet paint comes from the final quest Blood Will Have Blood, the arm, leg, torso and jetpack paints from Head Hunts. According to Nuka Knights' current overview, Head Hunts start on October 20. If you're playing for the Power Armor, plan for a paint set, not a new frame.

🔪 The Super Slasher and Bleed Damage

The Super Slasher is officially confirmed and sits in the update notes' table of unique weapons with the effect Bleed Damage. Bethesda doesn't name a drop source.

Datamined, not confirmed: test server data puts the drop chance at about five percent for the player who used the Wanted Poster during a Head Hunt. There's also a new 4-star legendary effect called Severing, which reportedly gives +50% damage against bleeding enemies. Where it drops is unclear: Nuka Knights lists the effect but names no source, and a reader comment there points to Pint-Sized Phantom loot. Bethesda hasn't published either the drop chance or the effect.

The two fit together: a weapon that causes bleeding plus an effect that hits bleeding targets harder. If you're reworking your melee build, our Fallout 76 best weapons tier list helps you rank it, and the full list of fixed effects is in our overview of all 83 unique weapons.

👹 Pint-Sized Phantoms and Infestations

The new enemies are a cult of fanatics called the Pint-Sized Phantoms. Bethesda describes them as a cult causing trouble all over Appalachia and as murderers in clown masks who overrun settlements. They're not a boss in one spot. They pop up across the map, in variants like the Pint-Sized Phantom Trespasser or the Uninvited Pint-Sized Phantom.

According to Nuka Knights, they have been tied into Infestations since September 29, with the Pint-Sized Phantom Trespasser as the Infestation boss. The same update changed two things there that you'll notice right away:

• Infestation bosses have less health. Shorter fights, more runs per hour.
• Infestations are no longer marked with a green circle on the map. The notes describe a dark fog instead. If you're looking for the old marker, you won't find it, and that's a common reason players think there are no Infestations up.

Both changes are in the official update notes. According to datamining, the Phantoms show up near Gauley Mine and the RobCo Research Center during this phase.

🌕 Season 26 and Legacy Seasons

The Slasher launched alongside Season 26: Beware the Blood Moon. The same update added Legacy Seasons, a feature that lets you work through an older season next to the current one. The first returning season is Armor Ace and the Power Patrol in Cold Steel.

The update notes name four season rewards. Their English item names, as listed by season guides, are:

• Batty Skirt
• Blood Moon Power Armor Paint
• Creepy Cultist Well
• Blood Moon Weather Control Station

You earn the season points through S.C.O.R.E. challenges as usual. Once your build is set, the Gleaming Depths raid is the place to put it to work.

⏱️ What the event really costs you

The weekly format is easy to underestimate. To see the whole story, log in at least once every week until Head Hunts start. Bethesda hasn't said whether missed weeks can be made up later.

These times are our estimates based on similar seasonal activities, not Bethesda figures. What matters is not the playtime but showing up regularly.

💡 What to do right now

• Turn on the radio. Without the Breaking News channel in your Pip-Boy, nothing happens. That's the most common reason players can't find the event.
• Log in every week. One evening per week is enough, but it has to happen.
• Don't count on a new Power Armor. Based on everything known, it's a paint set tied to Head Hunts (from October 20), not a new model.
• Go fishing. Seasonal fall fish have been in since September 22. According to the update notes, Captain Raymond has a note with clues about where to catch them.
• Stop looking for the green circle. Infestations look different on the map now.

❓ FAQ about Fallout 76 The Slasher

How does Fallout 76 The Slasher start?

Through your Pip-Boy. Tune in to the Breaking News radio station and listen to the broadcast, then the next step appears. The Debunker station keeps you updated on what's happening. There's no quest giver or map marker to walk to.

Where does the event take place?

All over Appalachia. Bethesda doesn't name an event zone: corpses, Pint-Sized Phantoms and graves are spread across the map. There's no separate region like in Mothman Equinox.

Is there really a new Power Armor?

The August 18 announcement promised a unique Power Armor set. The official update notes from September 15 don't list one, and datamining only shows a Pint-Sized Slasher paint set that you finish through Head Hunts (from October 20, according to Nuka Knights). As of October 11, 2026, a standalone armor model is not confirmed.

What does the Super Slasher do?

It's in the update notes' unique weapons table with the effect Bleed Damage. Bethesda gives no drop source or drop chance. The five percent going around comes from test server datamining and is unconfirmed.

Can I catch up on missed weeks?

There's no official statement. Bethesda only says to come back every week. To be safe, assume missed parts are gone and log in weekly.

How long does the event run?

Bethesda hasn't named an end date. According to Nuka Knights' current overview, Head Hunts start on October 20, 2026 as the end of the Slasher season; older datamined schedules had November 10. Nuka Knights doesn't give an end date either.

As of October 11, 2026 (Update 1.7.26.13, Season 26: Beware the Blood Moon). Checked against Bethesda's official update notes for "The Slasher" from September 15, 2026, the announcement from August 18, 2026 and Bethesda's official community calendar for fall 2026. Quest and enemy names follow fallout.wiki, a community wiki built from the game files. Dates were cross-checked on October 11, 2026 against Nuka Knights' Slasher event overview (as of October 8, 2026).

Clearly marked as datamining and not confirmed by Bethesda: the week-by-week dates, the five percent drop chance, the Severing effect and its source, the Power Armor paint set and the total run time. Season reward names were cross-checked with community season guides. Start coordinates, level requirements and a full reward list are left out because no reliable source exists.