I'll admit it: for months I treated my melee character like a mistake. You'd jog into a fight, line up a big swing, and someone with a fixer would erase the whole mob before your hammer even landed. After the January 20 patch, though, I pulled All Rise back out and it finally clicked. If you're returning to the grind and stocking up on basics like cheap fallout 76 ammo for your sidearm, it's worth taking a second look at that old super sledge too, because it's not the same weapon anymore.

What actually changed on All Rise

The healing is the headline, and it's not a tiny bump. The old version's +10 HP per hit barely mattered once things got messy. Now it's +50 HP per hit, and you feel it straight away. I tested it in West Tek, where you usually get punished for playing up close. Instead of panicking and spamming stims, you start trading hits like you mean it. Swing, connect, watch your bar climb. The rhythm is different, and it makes melee feel less like a dare and more like a plan.

Why the new rolls fit full-health play

The default effects lean into that sustain loop. Juggernaut's loves you being topped off, and with the new healing you're sitting at high health most of the time anyway. So the damage bonus is basically "always on" without you babysitting your HP. Steady sounds boring on paper, but it helps in the places where melee usually feels bad: when VATS decides you're punching air, or when a target shifts and your swing slides past. It's not perfect, but it's enough to make the weapon feel reliable.

How it changes your perk and fight choices

The fun part is what you can stop worrying about. You don't need to micromanage rads like a Bloodied build, and you can build for clean, stubborn durability. Start with Incisor, because armor is still armor. Add defense like Ricochet if you like shrugging off bullets while you close distance. Then play like a bruiser: pick a lane, commit, and keep moving from target to target. You'll still get out-ranged in open spaces, sure, but indoors and in events with tight spawns, you become the person holding the line.

Loot, time, and getting back to the fun

A lot of the patch notes were the usual maintenance stuff—C.A.M.P. oddities, quest hiccups, little annoyances—but this one weapon buff changes how a whole playstyle feels. If you're missing pieces for a melee setup or just don't want to spend your night hopping vendors, some folks use u4gm to grab items and currency fast, then jump straight into events with a build that works.