Cletus Brimstone is one of those enemies in Fallout 76 that catches you off guard the first time you meet him. He looks like a regular cult boss at first, but once you actually fight him, you realize he’s way tougher and has a couple of tricks that can ruin your day if you aren’t paying attention. After running into him a few times, here’s a clear and easy breakdown of where he spawns, how he behaves, and what you can do to take him down without wasting a ton of resources.
Where to Find Cletus Brimstone
Cletus is tied to the Cultist events and activities in the Forest and Savage Divide regions. The most reliable spot to find him is during the Moonshine Jamboree event, but he can also show up during certain random encounters where cultists are involved. If you’re specifically hunting him, I recommend fast-traveling between locations that often spawn cultist groups, like the area around the Tyler County Fairgrounds, Mosstown, and certain cliffside shrines scattered through the Divide.
He doesn’t have a guaranteed spawn outside of events, but running a loop through these areas usually pays off. If you’re the kind of player who likes tracking down every miniboss at least once, he’s worth adding to your route. I’ve had some luck finding him right after server resets, so hopping worlds isn’t a bad idea if you’re in a hurry.
What Makes Cletus Brimstone Dangerous
Cletus isn’t just a tanky enemy; he also comes with two annoying mechanics. First, he loves throwing out fire damage. Even if you think your armor can handle it, the constant chip damage adds up fast, especially when his cultist buddies are shooting from every direction. Second, he can stack debuffs on you that slow you down, which makes backing away or repositioning harder than usual.
He usually appears with several cultists, and ignoring them can get messy quickly. The trick is to keep moving, break their line of sight, and force Cletus into spots where he can’t block you off or trap you with fire.
If you're collecting Fallout 76 items, fighting Cletus is worth the time because he drops some surprisingly useful loot for a miniboss. I’ve gotten several rare weapon rolls and crafting parts that ended up being perfect for my melee builds.
Best Gear and Builds for the Fight
You don’t need a meta build to beat Cletus, but a few loadouts make the fight much easier. Automatic rifles, shotguns, or any weapon with strong stagger potential work great for interrupting his attacks. Energy weapons can also shred him if you’ve invested in the right perks.
For armor, anything with decent fire resistance saves you headaches. If you have Unyielding or Overeaters gear, bring it. As for perks, Fireproof is a lifesaver because it cuts down the damage from explosions and fire attacks, which is exactly what Cletus relies on.
Players who prefer melee can fight him up close, but it’s a little riskier. If you go that route, carry some healing supplies and try circling him so he can’t hit you with his full combo. It’s doable, just not as smooth as fighting him at mid-range.
How to Beat Him Easily
The fastest way to kill Cletus is to separate him from the cultists that spawn with him. Pick off the weaker enemies first, then back away and force Cletus to follow you into open ground. This helps you control the fight rather than getting cornered.
Once you’re fighting him alone, the rest is just dodging his fire bursts and keeping steady damage on him. If you’re using VATS, aim for the head whenever possible. If you’re manual aiming, hitting him center-mass works fine because he has a pretty generous hitbox.
I also recommend carrying some basic chems or food buffs. You don’t need anything fancy; even a simple damage boost lets you melt through his health faster. And since a lot of players like to buy Fallout 76 items cheap, it’s worth mentioning that you don’t need rare consumables for this fight. Stick to easy, everyday buffs and save your expensive stuff for tougher bosses.
A Few Tips From Experience
After fighting Cletus multiple times, I noticed he becomes way less scary when you keep moving. Standing still even for a moment pretty much guarantees you’ll get blasted with fire or swarmed by cultists. Using obstacles as cover helps a lot, especially trees, rocks, or building corners. Don’t rush the fight unless you’re running a high-damage build; it’s better to stay safe and chip away than try to burst him down and get punished.
If you’re farming him for loot, swapping worlds is totally fine. Most players do it anyway when hunting specific minibosses. It’s also worth checking if anyone on your server is already doing Moonshine Jamboree. If they are, jump in—Cletus pops up fairly often during that event, and the whole thing goes faster with more players around.
And because players sometimes mention stores like U4GM when talking about gearing up, it’s worth saying that you really don’t need anything special to beat Cletus. Most of the gear you get through regular exploration or events is more than enough. As long as your build isn’t extremely under-leveled, you’ll be fine.
Cletus Brimstone isn’t the toughest enemy in the game, but he’s definitely one of the more interesting cultist bosses to fight. His mix of fire attacks, tanky health, and annoying debuffs turns him into a solid challenge, especially for newer players who haven’t dealt with a lot of miniboss mechanics yet.
If you take your time, use terrain to your advantage, and make sure you aren’t getting swarmed, the fight becomes pretty straightforward. And since he can drop some great loot, he’s worth hunting down when you’re working on improving your gear or just want a fun fight to break up the usual event routine.