Of all of the new cryptid enemies which appear in Fallout 76, the Mothman is probably the most mysterious. The enigmatic monster can appear at random as you wander the wastes of West Virginia, but you can also trigger specific encounters. While the Fallout 76 Mothman can vary between passive and aggressive, there is one way to ensure a friendly encounter.
How to Find the Friendly Fallout 76 Mothman
As you travel around West Virginia, you may find yourself being watched by the Fallout 76 Mothman. However, the chance of encountering the Mothman this way is very low. There is, however, at least one way in which you can both trigger an encounter with the Mothman yourself, and also ensure that the encounter is a friendly one. To do this, you’ll need to head to Landview Lighthouse. This location can be found east of Vault 76, in the Forest region. Before triggering the Mothman encounter, head up into the Lighthouse to find a Bobblehead on one of the windowsills.
When you arrive at Landview Lighthouse, wait until night. Here is where you’ll be able to start a special location event, which is called “The Path to Enlightenment”; to participate, you need to start killing the fireflies which spawn around the Lighthouse during the night. You and any friends you bring along need to kill 50 in total and collect their fluid. This fluid can be used to activate the lighthouse. All in all, the event is relatively simple and can be done quite quickly.
When you activate the Lighthouse at the end of the event, it will summon a version of the Mothman called the “Wise Mothman”; this version is a friendly instance of the cryptid. Approach and interact with the Wise Mothman and you will gain a buff called “Wisdom of the Mothman,” for one hour. The buff grants you a +5% experience gain boost. Thanks to the Lighthouse’s location close to Vault 76, this is a quick and useful event to do early on as you advance through the game’s earlier levels.