Helvetia

Helvetia is a town in the Forest region of Appalachia. It is currently inhabited by the Scorched.
==Background==
Settled by German and Swiss immigrants following the Civil War in 1869, Helvetia was a village of professionals and craftsmen, including musicians, cheesemakers, stonemasons, doctors and teachers. With additional immigration from Switzerland and areas of the United States, Helvetia's population rose to 308 by 1875, specializing in arts, crafts and agriculture.Happy Fasnacht!Helvetia placardFallout 76 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide p. 51: HELVETIA"Settled by Swiss and German immigrants after the Civil War, Helvetia was known for its Fasnacht festival, where grotesque masks were worn by revelers. Perhaps this headgear can be found when an Event of the same name is active? Check the settlement along Pickens Road for scavengable items. The church shows signs of cultist (and chem addict) activity. The post office front door is locked (1), but you can climb up the metal lean-to and through the upper balcony door. The other structures have a variety of odd and helpful junk items to gather." 
Helvetia maintained its unique Swiss and German-American culture, including art and holidays. Key among these was the Fasnacht Day celebration, burning an effigy of Old Man Winter after a parade known in West Virginia for its colorful and unique masks. The town invested in Protectron robots to reduce the workload associated with the parade, the robots also serving as a popular tourist attraction.Fasnacht robots
The town remained inhabited for some time following the Great War, although the situation among the locals was said to be "on the brink." When a Horizon Airlines jet crashed in the valley to the east, the locals journeyed there to assess the situation and look for survivors.Airplane crash The citizens used the plane wreckage to build a new settlement which subsequently became known as Horizon's Rest.Horizon's Rest armory Afterwards, the town was abandoned completely, with a scout for a raider group known as the Reavers finding the town empty of both people and supplies.Reaver scout Scorched can be found roaming the streets, and the Cult of the Mothman also once used the town church as a shrine, leaving behind a Mothman effigy within.
==Layout==
Helvetia is small and compact, bordered by the mountains on the north and the south, and a river running through the middle. The town was once a tourist destination and features German/Swiss themed buildings to showcase the town's heritage. There is a church, store/post office, bookstore, museum, Cheese Haus, The Honey Haus, Freyja's Haus Restaurant and a few other unmarked buildings which can all be explored.
The two main roads are Pickens Road, entering Helvetia from the west and terminating in the east, over the river, at the Helvetia-Adolph Road passing through the town on a north-south axis. Helvetia also hosts the seasonal Fasnacht Day. When this event takes place, Helvetia is decorated accordingly with balloons, streamers, confetti, lanterns and flags bearing the Swiss flag design, and more, and the Master of Ceremonies Mister Handy floats about, waiting to lead the Fasnacht parade once all the Protectron marchers are gathered.
The northern side of the town includes the church in the west, with a chemistry station and a voting station on the first floor, Mothman effigy in place of the altar and a weapons workbench in the attic. Directly east of it is a small unmarked museum with a sleeping bag and a bookstore slightly to the north. The Cheese Haus and the locked Honey Haus lie in the east. Just by the road are the town hall with a banjo and a piano for those inclined to gain the Well Tuned bonus and the hotel. On the other side of the road is the post office, with a locked safe behind the counter and wooden maintenance and storage shed with a weapons workbench.
The eastern part of Helvetia, just over the river, contains Freyja's Haus Restaurant, the stage where the Fasnacht seasonal event begins, a house and the school haus to the southeast. The church has been converted into a Mothman shrine. The key to the post office is sitting on an interior desk and can be taken from a broken window.
During Fasnacht, several different masks can be acquired, including a Fasnacht man mask, an owl mask, a jester mask and a skull mask. Later updates to the game granted access to a larger pool of Fasnacht masks to obtain each subsequent time the event was available. The town also has several crafting stations including a cooking station in the Cheese Haus and a water pump next to the building. There is also a chemistry station just inside the entrance and on the top floor of the church. There is a weapons workbench on the upper floor of the church and a second one in a small shack across from the vote-counting station. A third one is behind a building south of the restaurant. The town is also decorated thoroughly with flags, paper lanterns, streamers, confetti and balloons.
==Notable loot==
* Checklist - Note, in Freyja's Haus Restaurant, in the kitchen.
* German books (2) - Note, at the bookstore.
* Responder outposts - Note, at the Cheese Haus.
* Harvest - Note, sitting on the lectern in the church.
* Airplane crash - Note, in a dresser in an upstairs bedroom of the house on the west side of the bridge to Freyja's Haus Restaurant.
* Fasnacht robots (2) - Note, found in The Honey Haus across the small bridge to the left of the Freyja's Haus Restaurant, inside a broken glass display case next to three bits of honey. It can also be found in the Cheese Haus.
* Happy Fasnacht! - Note, inside one of the homes in Helvetia, at Freyja's Haus Restaurant.
* Helvetia Protectron updates - Holotape, in a small shack, to the left of the post office building across from the vote-counting station.
* Reaver scout - Note, found stuck to the leg of an impaled corpse to the immediate northeast of Helvetia, on the right of the road along the river.
* Fasnacht beverage report - Note, north side, in the museum. Obtainable during Fasnacht Day.
* Fasnacht residue analysis - Notes, north side, in the museum. Three different results were obtainable during Fasnacht Day.
* Helvetia post office key - On the desk in the office. The post office can be accessed through the locked front doors or by climbing the building. Unlocks post office's locked room.
* Honey Haus key - Under a flower pot on a barrel by the western door. Unlocks the Honey Haus.
* Civil War era suit and Civil War era top hat - Inside the museum on display, and a second top hat to the left of a sleeping bag, on the ground.
* Two potential weapon mod plans:
** Inside the small shack near the post office, on the right, near a weapons workbench.
** Behind the building south of the restaurant on the other side of the road, to the left of a weapons workbench, on top of a wooden crate.
* Two potential workshop plans:
** On the front counter inside the Cheese Haus, near an ammo box.
** Inside the hotel, on a short table near the entrance.
* Three potential weapon mods:
** Inside the small shack near the post office, on the right, near a weapons workbench.
** Behind the building south of the restaurant on the other side of the road, to the left of a weapons workbench, on top of a wooden crate.
** Inside the church next to the left of a weapons workbench on the second floor, on a table.
* Two potential recipes:
** Inside Freyja's Haus Restaurant, on the kitchen counter.
** Inside the locked gift shop near the small shack, near the front counter, within a broken display case on the ground.
* Large quantity of wood - Around 40 wood piles, behind Freyja's Haus Restaurant and throughout the town.
==Notes==
The cut holotape Leaving Helvetia indicates that the approach of the Reavers raider gang was the reason for Helvetia's abandonment. Other holotapes implemented in-game (namely Reaver scout and Airplane crash) allude to this story but do not state it outright.
==Behind the scenes==
Helvetia is based on the real world town of the same name in Randolph County, West Virginia. Lead artist Nathan Purkeypile visited Helvetia while scouting out West Virginia for the game.Nate Purkeypile on Twitter: "Looks fun! I had a blast on our research trip. I'm curious just how many people end up at all these smaller places because of 76. Helvetia is still one of my favorites. That place is great."
==Bugs==
 An "immortal" level 1 Scorched can sometimes be found in the shop here. This Scorched will, upon detecting the player, attack without moving from the upper level, dealing unavoidable, invisible damage. The Scorched will also be unkillable, regenerating health, and always retaining a minimum of one health.
==Gallery==
F76 Helvetia 1.png|Panoramic
F76 Helvetia Honey Haus.png|Honey Haus
F76 Helvetia Honey Haus Int.png
FO76 060921 Locations 46.png
FO76 060921 Locations 45.png
FO76 060921 Locations 59.png
FO76 060921 Locations 26.png
FO76 060921 Locations 25.png
FO76 2 Helvetia 8.png
FO76 060921 Locations 37.png
F76 Helvetia Main Crossing.png|Pickens Road/Helvetia-Adolph Road crossing
FO76 060921 Locations 63.png
FO76 060921 Locations 60.png
F76 Helvetia Post Office.png|Post office
F76 Helvetia School.png|
FO76 060921 Locations 62.png
F76 Helvetia Town Hall.png|Town Hall
F76 Helvetia Blue Haus.png|
F76 Helvetia Bookstore.png|Bookstore
FO76 060921 Locations 85.png
FO76 060921 Locations 79.png
FO76_Locations_Forest_11.png|Waysign
FO76 060921 Locations 65.png
FO76 060921 Locations 82.png
FO76 060921 Locations 72.png
F76 Helvetia Cheese Haus.png|Cheese Haus
F76 Helvetia Church.png|Church
FO76 Helvetia church Fasnacht.png|Church during Fasnacht
F76 Helvetia Church Int.png|Interior
Fo76 Harvest.png|Harvest
Fo76 airplane crash.png|Airplane crash
Sutton01.png|Altar in Helvetia church
Sutton02.png|Close up of the bloodstained altar
Sutton03.png|Close up of an upper portion
F76 Helvetia Freyas Haus.png|Freyja's Haus Restaurant
F76 Helvetia Freyas Haus Int.png
Helvetia plaque.png|Plaque describing the town
FO76 060921 Locations 74.png
Helvetia-Adolph Road-Fallout76.jpg|Intersection of Helvetia-Adolph Road and Pickens Road
FO76 060921 Locations 70.png
FO76 060921 Locations 69.png
FO76 Helvetia (bonfire for the burning of Old Man Winter).jpg|Effigy bonfire
FO76 Helvetia (Checklist).png|Checklist
CH Fasnacht robots.jpg|Fasnacht robots note in the Cheese Haus
FO76 Helvetia Honey Haus Fasnacht robots.png|Fasnacht robots note in the Honey Haus
FO76 Helvetia (German books 01).png|German books (first location)
FO76 Helvetia (German books 02).png|German books (second location)
FO76 Helvetia (Responder outposts).png|Responder outposts
FO76 Locations Forest 3.png|Intersection of State Route 89
FO76 Helv museum interior 2.png|Museum interior
FO76 060921 Locations 83.png
FO76_Helvetia_Topdown.png
Helvetia Mothman Shrine.png|Mothman shrine
Helvetia emblem.png|Helvetia emblem
FO76 Helvetia placard.png|Historical marker
FO76 Helvetia signage.png|Directional signs
==References==
Non-game
 
es:Helvetia
ru:Гельвеция
zh:赫爾維蒂婭