A Colossal Problem (2024)

Event: A Colossal Problem is a public event inFallout 76, introduced in the Legendary Run update.

Walkthrough[]

Stage 1[]

The 30-minute event timer starts as soon as a nuke is launched with Monongah Mine in its blast radius. For five minutes after the event appears on the map, players can join the event and are subsequently teleported into the mine's interior. From there, the players make their way to the arena entrance and prepare for the fight as the five minute timer counts down.

It is possible to repair, modify, or craft equipment using workbenches at the entrance and in the large cavern after the tunnels. Several notes and a holotape can be found and a total of three wendigo spawns can be killed and looted.

Once the preparation stage timer elapses, the rubble on the right-hand side of the large cavern will collapse, allowing further descent into the mine. At this time, players outside the instance (not part of the event) will be unable to join, as the map marker is removed. They will have to wait until the mine is nuked again to trigger the event once more.

Stage 2[]

Once the initial five-minute timer is up, the one-way entrance to the cavern below will open. On the far side of the cavern is Earle Williams, who has transformed into a wendigo colossus and will immediately engage in combat once either attacked or a player gets close enough to trigger him to take notice and turn hostile from the feast he was enjoying before being disturbed. Earle has high damage resistance and a large health pool. Upon being reduced to half health for the first time, he will mutate, regaining all hit points, as with all legendary enemies.

The group must fight Earle while simultaneously killing off waves of wendigo spawns that Earle attracts with his calls. Additional threats include Earle's ranged screech attack that causes the Uncontrollable Fear effect and environmental hazards in the form of burning embers that fall from the ceiling, causing 25 fire damage for 3 seconds and the acid from leaking barrels around the arena. Also beware of the still-active drilling machine sticking out of the wall near the exit tunnel. Contact with the spinning drill bit is instantly fatal.

Stage 3[]

After Earle has been defeated, the mine will start collapsing, giving a two-minute window to make the escape. Earle can be looted before heading up the sloped tunnel marked by an "EXIT" sign and warning lights, killing or running past any wendigo spawns and Protectron auto-miners on the way out and bypassing a couple of bodies that can be looted as well. Exiting the mine will conclude the quest, awarding experience, and loot. If Something Sentimental is still an active quest, Earle's pocket watch will be lootable from his remains, allowing the quest to progress further.

Should time run out and Earle is still alive, the quest fails and players are teleported to the Monongah Mine exterior, but this will not result in rewards. Dying during the fight results in respawning in the large cavern with the previously blocked mine shaft, dropping down again to rejoin the fight in short order.

Rewards[]

Quest stages[]

Notes[]

• Standing inside the hazard area will stack the burning effect upon itself and a maximum of five hazards can exist simultaneously. Each tick of damage is calculated separately, meaning each hit will deal 25 fire damage no matter how many simultaneous active effects.
• If a player is standing beneath the vertical mine shaft as Earle is defeated, falling debris will instantly kill the player.
• If a player dies during stage 3, they will be teleported to the entrance of the mine.
• Drinking Liquid Courage will temporarily render the user immune to Earle's Uncontrollable Fear effect, but only has a duration of four minutes.
• Earle will summon wendigo spawn as he becomes progressively damaged. If Earle is ignored, the wendigo will stop appearing.
• The wendigo spawn will swarm and stagger players, even those wearing power armor. They may drop low quantities of ammunition based on the weapon currently equipped. If a melee or no weapon is equipped, the ammunition is randomized.
• Recommended teams of at least eight high-level and properly equipped players. The instance is limited to 8 players. Additional players will be fighting Earle in their own instance.

Behind the scenes[]

• Victoria McCreary was the main quest designer for the event.^[1]
• Although the event was added to the game's files with the Wastelanders update, it was ultimately not activated until August 18, 2020, by patch 1.3.3.31, following further testing on the Public Test Server.^[2] It was originally slated to be included with patch 20, then patch 21, but was delayed both times to allow for polishing and internal testing.^[3]
• The quest was initially bugged to be only accessible for PC players, as the hotfix had only been applied on that platform. It was later made available on all platforms.

Bugs[]

• Entering a suit of power armor right as the screen fades to black following the event will allow the player to remain in Monongah Mine indefinitely.^[patched]
• Earle can fall under the map if he walks towards a space he won't fit. ^[verified]

Gallery[]

References[]