The Ultimate Guide to Fallout 76 JUNK Farming

Welcome, Vault Dwellers! If you’re diving deep into the world of Fallout 76 and want to master the art of junk farming, you’ve come to the right place. This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know—from setting up your camp in the best spots, building an efficient junk farm setup, to the smartest ways to gather, craft, and sell junk for maximum caps. Whether you’re aiming to become a top-tier junk dealer or just want to fill your scrap box with minimal effort, this guide has you covered.

Choosing the Perfect Camp Location for Junk Farming

One of the first steps to efficient junk farming is deciding where to place your camp. I personally love setting up in the forest area because it’s quieter and you won’t have to deal with as many enemies constantly attacking and destroying your camp.

What you’re looking for are junk piles—these allow you to place an extractor that automatically collects one piece of junk every three minutes and can hold up to 25 items. In the forest alone, there are nine great junk pile spots, excluding any Workshops. Here are some of the top locations:

• Near the Gorge Junkyard:

  Underneath a bridge on the side of the road, right in the middle of the map. This spot is perfect for easy access.

• Aaronholdt Homestead:

  Located at the top of the map, this is a great spot if you want to build a small farm alongside your junk setup.

• Between Tyler County Fairgrounds and Anchor Farm:

  Close to a Raider camp full of safes, making it ideal for farming technical data.

• West of Vault 76:

  My personal favorite. This location has both a wood pile and junk pile, so you can place two extractors and maximize your junk collection.

• Route 88:

  A flat piece of land with a junk pile on the side of the road, perfect for easy setup.

• Southwest by the water:

  This spot allows you to place water purifiers and earn daily caps by selling purified water to robot vendors.

• Near Point Pleasant:

  On a hill overlooking the town, offering a secluded camp with a junk pile right beneath a large electrical tower.

• Black Mountain Ordinance Works:

  Two spots along the river on the northwest and southwest sides.

  
  

Choose whichever spot suits your playstyle and start setting up your camp!

Essential Camp Items for Maximum Junk Production

Besides the junk extractor, your camp should be equipped with several key items to keep the junk flowing in while you’re out exploring Appalachia.

• Collectrons:

  These helpful robots find new junk items for you every five minutes. My favorite is the

  Junkyard Dog Collectron

  from the Atomic Shop. After finishing the main storyline, you can also buy the plan for the Fetch Collectron from Samuel at Foundation, which performs the same function.

• Fertilizer Producers:

  The Chicken and Brahman Pen produce raw fertilizer, which sells for about one cap each. You can buy the plans for these at Foundation and White Spring Mall, respectively.

• Firewood Pile:

  Produces wood scraps worth 1 to 3 caps each. Get the plan from Crater using Gold Bullion from Mortimer, a robot vendor.

• Atomic Shop Resource Generators:

  These include the Butterfly Sanctuary (produces waste acid worth 3-5 caps), Treep Collector (produces adhesive worth 6-9 caps), and Cement Truck (produces concrete scraps worth 1-2 caps).

• Camp Ally - Adelaide:

  She doesn’t produce resources but gives a valuable buff against robots, which is handy for Silo runs. The plan is available from Samuel at Foundation.

  
  

With these additions, your camp will be a well-oiled junk production machine, collecting resources passively while you explore, fight, and complete quests.

Crafting Junk: Supercharge Your Farming with Adhesive and Cutting Fluid

Crafting junk is a powerful way to increase your resource stockpile. One of the best materials to craft is vegetable starch, which scraps into adhesive—a highly valuable resource.

To make vegetable starch, cook mutfruit, corn, and tatos with purified water. But to really boost your output:

• Equip the Green Thumb perk card to double your crop yield.

• Use Turbo Fert Fertilizer Grenades to instantly regrow crops. You can craft these grenades yourself once you get the plan for the Turbo Fertilizer Collector from Samuel at Foundation.

• Equip the Super Duper perk card, which increases the chance of crafting extra items every time you make something.

This method yields adhesive worth 6 to 9 caps each, a great way to increase your caps while farming.

Another useful crafted junk item is cutting fluid, which scraps into waste oil that sells for 5 to 8 caps each. This is made from steel, bone, and acid—three junk types that don’t sell well individually. The plan for cutting fluid drops from mutated party packs, which you get by completing mutated events with three or more Fallout First members.

Optimizing Your Build for Junk Farming

When it comes to farming junk efficiently, your build matters. Weapons that create valuable junk upon killing enemies can significantly boost your earnings.

• Plasma Weapons:

  Killing enemies with plasma weapons sometimes creates nuclear waste, which sells for about 10 caps each. My go-to is the Plasma Caster, a heavy weapon with plans available from Regs (for 750 Gold Bullion) or Minerva.

• Gatling Plasma:

  Another heavy weapon option with a good chance of dropping from boss enemies. You can also buy the plan from Modus.

• Commando Build:

  If you prefer this style, the plasma gun (either the Enclave version or the regular) is a solid choice for generating nuclear waste.

To carry all this junk, you’ll want to lighten your load. Visit Foundation and buy the Scrap Rat Backpack Mod from Samuel, which helps you carry more junk without being weighed down.

For armor, I usually wear Overseer Secret Service Armor but always keep a set of Chinese Stealth Armor handy. The stealth armor is perfect for sneaking around workshops during takeovers. If you need the plan, Samuel or Manura can sell it to you.

Workshops: How to Use Them to Your Advantage

Appalachia has 21 workshops that you can take over, but they’re generally slow and risky places to farm junk because they’re PvP zones, even if you have pacifist mode on.

However, there’s a smart way to use workshops on public servers without getting overwhelmed:

1. Pick just one workshop to claim as soon as you log into the game.

2. My favorites are Charleston Landfill (copper, aluminum, steel), Federal Disposal Field (acid, oil, nuclear waste), and Gorge Junkyard (junk, concrete, titanium, wood).

3. Claim the workshop, place down a Fast Travel mat, then leave.

4. Ignore the defense alerts until you get a notice to retake it.

5. Return to the workshop, quickly defeat one round of enemies, and set up your resource generators and extractors.

6. Wear Chinese Stealth Armor, crouch, and avoid teaming up to stay hidden from other players while building.

I usually add missile turrets and spotlights for extra defense, but that’s more for peace of mind than necessity. Then, I check back occasionally to collect the resources and stash them.

Events and Locations for High-Value Junk

Participating in public events that start in nuked locations is another excellent way to farm valuable junk. Events like Colossal Problem, Scorched Earth, Seismic Activity, and Neurological Warfare reward you with Stable Flux, which sells for 75 to 200 caps each.

You can also craft Stable Flux by collecting hardened mass, glowing mass, high radiation fluids, and 10 nuke flora. Hardened mass sells for 15-20 caps, glowing mass 50-65 caps, and high radiation fluids 15-50 caps. Just remember to pick the flora last, as they spoil quickly.

Always loot thoroughly during events. For example, the Blackwater Mine during the Uranium Fever event is a goldmine for acid and oil.

Other great locations for specific junk include:

• Camp McClintock

  Springs and ballistic fiber from clipboards, ammo bags, and military duct tape.

• White Spring in The Refuge:

  Desk fans, microscopes, medical equipment upstairs; telephones in the mall; soap in the spa.

• Unnamed location in Cranberry Bog:

  A mix of junk with friendly Protectrons.

• Woga High School & Morgantown High School:

  Plastic, aluminum, and rubber.

• Eastern Regional Penitentiary:

  Lead and steel from weights and can chimes.

• Clancy Manor:

  Crystal, cork, and copper from decanters and cooking pots.

• Abandoned Bog Town (tallest building top floor):

  Gears and screws from typewriters and desk fans.

• Sites Alpha, Bravo, Charlie:

  Lead, gears, and screws.

• Sugar Grove:

  Desk fans, clipboards, pencils, and telephones.

  
  

Treasure Maps: The Best Way to Farm Junk Fast

Finally, here’s my secret weapon: treasure maps. These are by far the fastest and easiest way to farm junk in Fallout 76. Stock up on treasure maps and use them all at once, but be careful not to exceed your max weight (your carry weight plus 1500). Anything you pick up beyond that will be lost.

Before scrapping weapons and armor, equip the Scrapper perk card to maximize your junk yield. If you have the Guns and Bullets 5 perk, you’ll get even more junk from scrapping.

Rare Junk to Keep and Crafting Recipes

Not all junk is meant to be scrapped immediately. Some rare items are valuable for crafting or quests:

• Colossus Vocal Sack:

  Drops after completing Colossal Problem and killing Earl Williams. Use it to craft Liquid Courage, which grants immunity to Earl’s scream attack during your next fight. The recipe drops from Biv Biv’s daily quest.

• High Voltage Hefe

  A great use for nuclear waste, recipe also from Biv Biv.

• Ballistic Bock:

  Uses gunpowder, recipe from Biv Biv.

• Bug Parts:

  Think twice before scrapping these, as you’ll need them to complete the quest “Stings and Things.”

  
  

Setting Up Your Vendor: How to Sell Junk Smartly

When selling junk, don’t bulk items. Bulk selling doesn’t save space and forces players to do math, which nobody wants. Selling junk individually makes your vendor’s inventory look fuller and more inviting to buyers.

I always place my vendor outside with a stash box and a scrap box nearby. This setup tells players that my camp isn’t a trap and encourages them to browse and buy.

Wondering how much to sell junk for? I’ve created a detailed price list that I use as a guide for setting prices to maximize your caps. You can find it here. Feel free to use it to figure out what you think junk is worth in your game economy.

Conclusion

Junk farming in Fallout 76 can be an incredibly rewarding and profitable activity if done right. From choosing the perfect camp location and setting up resource generators to crafting valuable junk and using treasure maps, every step counts towards maximizing your caps and resource stockpile.

Remember to keep an eye out for rare junk that can unlock powerful crafting recipes and complete important quests. And when it comes to selling, make it easy for buyers by pricing your junk smartly and avoiding bulk sales.

With this ultimate guide, you’re now equipped to become a junk farming master in Fallout 76. Happy farming, Vault Dwellers!