Image Credit:
With Thanks to SugarBombsRADS
This guide is broken up into the following sections:
The Mothman Equinox Event walk-through and rewards
Hunt for the Cultist High Priest mini-event and rewards
Full rewards checklist
Event Lore
The Mothman Equinox starts on the hour, every hour at Point Pleasant in The Forest region.
The event has been temporarily added to the Public Event list and a notification will appear in the top left-hand corner, as well as in the World Activity tab in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen.
You do not "need" any particular items or equipment for this event however the following is recommended to make the event a little bit easier:
Jetpack torso mod
Marsupial mutation
Speed Demon mutation
Damage output buffs such as food, chems, and alcohol
Turn off all unrelated event and quest map markers in your pip-boy
There will be daily and weekly score challenges that will require the event to be completed successfully.
If for some reason you end up being the only one at the event or are running in a poor team then keep in mind that the event can still achieve the completed successfully status with only 1 pyre remaining.
The Mothman Equinox Event Walk-Through
You have 4 minutes to speak to Interpreter Clarence to start the event. Interpreter Clarence is located on the rooftop of the Mothman Museum on the right-hand side of the roof.
Once you have spoken to Interpreter Clarence, you will need to listen to his instructions which will tell you how to "prepare" for the ritual.
Step 1)
Destroy the vines of containment from around each pyre. These can be destroyed by shooting at them or hitting them with a melee weapon.
You must destroy the vines first to unlock the next stage of the event.
There are three pyres in total.
One can be found close to the entrance of Point Pleasant. Near the water's edge, where the shrine and Mothman eggs are normally found.
Waterside Pyre:
The second pyre is further up, along the same road, under the bridge that leads out of Appalachia.
Bridge Pyre:
The third pyre is inside the church located on the Eastern side of the town.
Church Pyre:
Bird's eye view map of pyre locations:
Once the vines have been destroyed, the event will move on to the next stage.
Step 2)
Destroy 10x Totems of Warding
Unlocked once the vines of containment have been destroyed from around the bridge pyre.
The Totems are mostly found on the rooftops of the town and a random one in the cemetery next to the church. They will be highlighted in a purple/red colour to make them easier to spot.
These can be destroyed by shooting at them or hitting them with a melee weapon however a ranged weapon is recommended.
It is recommended to destroy the Totems of Warding first.
Collect and deposit 15x Albino radstag blood into the blood troughs.
Unlocked once the vines of containment have been destroyed from around the waterside pyre.
Albino radstags will spawn throughout Point Pleasant during the event. Kill them and loot their bodies for their radstag blood. The albino radstags will also be marked with a map marker on your HUD.
You will need to deposit the blood into the blood troughs found around the town. They can be identified by the cultist statues and orange backdrop.
It is recommended to collect and deposit the albino radstag blood after you have destroyed the Totems of Warding.
Kill 6x Cultist Prophets.
Unlocked once the vines of containment have been destroyed from around the church pyre.
These enemies will be marked with the usual red health bar as well as a map marker on your HUD. They are not to be confused with the Wise Mothman observer NPC's.
Place your Perfect Mothman eggs into the Cradle of the Pretenders
This is an unmarked optional objective that will unlock a hidden easter egg.
The perfect Mothman eggs can only be placed in the cradle during step 1 and step 2 of the event.
The Cradle can be found against the wall, behind the Mothman statue.
Map of blood troughs, pyres, and totems of warding:
Map key:
Blood drop = Blood trough
Skull = Totem of Warding
Fire = Pyre/Firepit
Open book = Tome/lore book locations
Mothman throne = Event start and end location
Mothman eggs = Cradle of the Pretender's location
Once the tasks have been completed, the event will move on to the next stage.
Step 3)
Light the pyres
To light the pyres, you just need to go up to the pyre and interact with it by pressing A.
Now is also the time to "pick your pyre". Whatever pyre you choose to light will be the pyre that you will need to defend during the next stage of the event. It is recommended that you stick with that pyre for the entire week of the event so you can get used to the enemy spawn point locations and general surroundings.
Step 4)
Defend the ritual pyres.
This part of the event is hard and the event can fail very quickly if you aren't paying attention.
A minimum of 2 players defending each pyre is recommended as the enemies have a larger HP bar and they do a lot more damage than normal enemies.
The enemies will glow the same purple/red colour as the Totems of Warding and each wave will consist of:
Cultist prophets
Deathclaws
Vengeful Mothman
Mothman hatchlings
There are 3 waves of enemies in total.
The first wave will attack the church pyre.
The second wave will attack the church and the bridge pyre.
The third wave will attack the church, bridge, and waterside pyre.
Step 5)
Once you have finished defending the pyres, you will need to go back to the rooftop of the Mothman Museum and "perform merriment" which is literally emoting 30 times. Both atom shop and standard emotes count towards the 30.
This step is not mandatory and does not affect the success or failure of the event. It does however make the event end quicker and grants additional XP and caps at the end.
Step 6)
If the event is successful then the Wise Mothman will spawn on the rooftop.
When you walk up to the Mothman, there will be no interaction option. Press A while hovering your cursor over him, and you will be rewarded with a buff of 15% XP for 60 minutes.
Rewards for the Mothman Equinox Event
As of the 29th of March 2024, the Mothman Equinox rewards are bugged.
How the bug is happening: If the event is completed successfully, it assigns a random reward to the player, but if you have already learned the plan/reward, you receive nothing, instead of an alternative reward.
Learning the plans reduces your chances of obtaining any rewards, so it's advised to wait until the event is over on the calendar before reading any plans.
However, most of the plans are tradeable so you can swap the duplicates for rewards that you don't have.
Gilpo Data Mining Discord 28/03/2024
In layman's terms, if you learn a plan that you don't know, then it can be several successful events later before another reward drops for you. Further on this bug, apparel won't drop for you unless you learn all the plans from the event first, which is advised against.
Downloadable copy here.
Rewards
Apparel: Cultist Adept Hood
Release Date: 2021
Tradeable
Plan: Cultist Adept Hood
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stops dropping once learned.
Apparel: Cultist Adept Robe
Release Date: 2021
Tradeable
Plan: Cultist Adept Robes
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stops dropping once learned.
Apparel: Cultist Enlightened Hood
Release Date: 2021
Tradeable
Plan: Cultist Enlightened Hood
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stops dropping once learned.
Apparel: Cultist Enlightened Robe
Release Date: 2021
Tradeable
Plan: Cultist Enlightened Robes
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Apparel: Cultist Eventide Hood
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable
Plan: Cultist Eventide Hood
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Apparel: Cultist Eventide Robe
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable
Plan: Cultist Eventide Robes
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Apparel: Cultist Incarnate Helmet
Release Date: 2021
Tradeable
Plan: Cultist Incarnate Helmet
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Apparel: Cultist Neophyte Hood
Release Date: 2021
Tradeable
Plan: Cultist Neophyte Hood
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Apparel: Cultist Neophyte Robe
Release Date: 2021
Tradeable
Plan: Cultist Neophyte Robes
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Chainsaw Skeptikill Paint
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable
Plan: Cultist Backpack
Release Date: 2021
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Dried Wildflower Bouquet
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Enlightened Lantern
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Fluttering Moths
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Fuzzy Enlightened Plushie
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Fuzzy Mothman Plushie
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Honeycomb Paper Blue Mothman
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Honeycomb Paper Brown Mothman
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Honeycomb Paper Green Mothman
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Honeycomb Paper Mothman Globe
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Honeycomb Paper Red Mothman
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Mothman Bug Zapper
Release Date: 2024
Non-tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Mothman Cultist Incense
Release Date: 2024
Non-tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Mothman Equinox Souvenir Beer Stein
Release Date: 2021
Non-tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Sacred Mothman Tome
Release Date: 2024
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Plan: Wise Mothman Throne
Release Date: 2021
Tradeable/Stop dropping once learned.
Hunt for the Cultist High Priest
Embark on a mission to track and eliminate the Cultist High Priests, seizing their backpacks in true Wastelander fashion.
These Cultist High Priests, devout followers of the Vengeful Mothman, are formidable adversaries. They appear as legendary enemies and upon defeat, reward you with a legendary weapon or armor piece ranging from 1 to 3 stars, alongside a Cultist High Priest pack containing valuable loot.
Unlike adversaries from previous events, these cultists don't use sound cues to announce their presence. Instead, they can be recognized by their distinctive attire and the use of their mind-control spells (illustrated below).
More often than not, the first hint of a Cultist High Priest's presence is their mind-control spell's effect on nearby enemies, enveloping them in a distinct purple/red haze. This spell turns affected enemies into allies of the Priest, who will then turn against you, reminiscent of the mind control abilities wielded by the Flatwoods Monster.
Cultist High Priests can be found in the same locations as Treasure Hunter mole miners, which is everywhere.
Cultist High Priest Pack
This item drops from the High Priests only. The backpacks can not be purchased from vendors nor will they appear in your collectron's inventory.
The Cultist High Priest Pack can be found under the "Aid" tab in your pip boy. Hover over it and press A to open it.
Cultist High Priest Pack Rewards
Alcohol - 2.38%
Cultist Elder Helmet - 25%
Cultist Elder Clothes - 25%
Grenades - 2.56%
Mothman Eggs - 100%
Mentats - 100%
Psycho - 100%
Perfect Mothman Eggs - 5%
Purified Water - 3.70%
Stimpaks - 21%
Sugar Bombs w/Rads - 2.38%
The loot bag does not drop contextual ammo, scrip, legendary modules, or any other type of currency.
Cultist Elder Hood
Release Date: 2021
Tradeable
Cultist Elder Robe
Release Date: 2021
Tradeable
Perfect Mothman eggs
Release Date: 2021
Non-tradeable
Image credit: Coffee88
The Perfect Mothman Egg is a 2 part Easter Egg added into the game by the developers.
Place the Perfect Mothman Eggs into the Cradle of the Pretenders during stage 1 and stage 2 of the hourly event and a hidden Easter Egg will be unlocked at the waterside pyre near the end of the event.
Outside of the Mothman Equinox event, these perfect eggs have no role or use and will spoil after some time.
Event Lore
Some interesting lore about the event has been added to the game. This lore can come from various sources as listed below.
NPC's
Interpreter Clarence - found on the rooftop of the Mothman museum.
Wise Charles the forewarned - found on the rooftop of the Mothman museum.
Observer Errol - found next to the church pyre.
Observer Johanna - found next to the waterside pyre.
Observer Marlon - found next to the bridge pyre.
Tomes
These tomes can be found inside the church at Point Pleasant, behind the church pyre, in the display cases.
Unlocking these tomes does not reward you with anything in particular. It simply unlocks lore about the event and about the Wise Mothman Cultists.
The tomes will unlock in order, upon repeated successful completion of the Mothman Equinox event.
Catechism of Wise Hilary the Scourge
Unlocked after 1 successful event completion.
Sayings of Interpreter Alicia
Unlocked after 3 successful event completions.
Exodus of the Enlightened
Unlocked after 6 successful event completions.
Observations, vol XXVII
Unlocked after 10 successful event completions.
On the Thesis of Doctor Wallace
Unlocked after 15 successful event completions.
False Gods of Appalachia
Unlocked after 21 successful event completions.
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