Bethesda's Fallout 76 had very few redeeming factors in the eyes of critics, though many loved how creatively West Virginia folklore was incorporated into the Fallout series' newest wasteland. The wide amount of cryptids that the game incorporates were done in incredibly unique ways that are friendly to the lore of Fallout while still being faithful to the folklore of the area. Out of all of the cryptids, from Wendigos to the Flatwoods Monster, none were quite as daunting as the Mothman.
Players have a random chance to stumble upon Mothman while exploring the West Virginia wasteland. The encounter itself is pretty eerie, as players will see Mothman's bright red eyes staring at them from a distance. Mothman won't actually attack the player with this standard encounter unless the player attacks first. Otherwise, Mothman will fly away if the player gets too close. This encounter alone would be creepy enough, though that's not where this legend ends.
Mothman is a real part of Appalachian folklore who's said to be a half-man, half-moth creature that appears as an omen of doom. Mothman was first supposedly seen around the Point Pleasent area in West Virginia, with the first reported sighting of him in 1966 being fairly similar to the random encounter in Fallout 76. Some notable features reported in the first sighting are the large, glowing red eyes and the creature's impressive wingspan.
Much like the city in Fallout 76, the real Point Pleasent is fairly dedicated to the myth of Mothman, though they treat the creature more like a town mascot. In Fallout 76, however, the fascination with Mothman is far more religious and even spawned a cult during the pre-war times. The Cult of the Mothman is a fairly prominent group in the game, as evident by the numerous shrines surrounding the area around post-war Point Pleasent.
Supposedly, one follower of the Cult of the Mothman was able to summon the creature and receive knowledge of the future from the creature. After receiving a warning of a great flood, the Cult of the Mothman took the roofs in an attempt to survive the incoming disaster. While a flood did technically happen, it was instead a flood of nuclear fallout that washed over the area. The Cult of the Mothman mostly perished to the radiation, though some members managed to survive.
The Cult of the Mothman would quickly grow their numbers and become one of the most prominent groups in the Appalachian wasteland. Players can find their main bases of operation at Clancy Manor, the Lucky Hole Mine and Point Pleasent. Each of the Cult locations can also, on rare occasions, host a Mothman. Strangely enough, the cult's presence at Lucky Hole Mine connects Mothman to one of the other deity-like creatures in the game, known as the Interloper.
The Interloper is connected to the ongoing series of Dunwich Borers easter eggs in Fallout games that reference H.P Lovecraft's works, so it may not be much of a stretch to call Mothman some kind of eldritch entity. However, that's more speculation than anything. There's certainly an eldritch undertone to Mothman and the Cult of the Mothman, especially when some of the variants that players can encounter are considered. Not all of the Mothmen in the wasteland are as passive as the normal variety.
The Stalking Mothman takes a deeper interest in the player and will follow them at a distance unless approached. Vengeful, Glowing and Scorched Mothmen are far more hostile than the other variants, attacking the player on sight and having a chance to appear instead of the normal variety. Encountering a Mothman can only happen at night and can happen at numerous set locations around the map.
Whether or not Mothman actually has any kind of supernatural powers in Fallout 76 is somewhat ambiguous, though the Wise Mothman variety can give the player a small EXP boost. It certainly appears as though the Cult of the Mothman believes the creature is more than just a mutated moth, and the creature's apparent connection to the Interloper may back this up. Either way, Mothman's presence in Fallout 76 is certainly one of the strangest wasteland creatures that roam West Virginia.