TL;DR: Minerva is Fallout 76's traveling plan vendor, appearing at four Appalachian locations on a 24-sale rotation with a 25% discount on all Gold Bullion vendor prices. She is not currently in Appalachia (as of October 15, 2026). Her next visit is Foundation on October 19–21 (Sale #5: Gauss Minigun, Thorn Armor set, Gauss Pistol barrel mods). For T-65 Power Armor — the best single-session value in the full cycle — wait for Sale #9 at Foundation (November 23–25).
Who Is Minerva?
Minerva is a Blue Ridge Caravan merchant added in the Steel Reign update (fallout.wiki). Unlike the permanent Gold Bullion vendors (Regs at Vault 79, Mortimer at The Crater, Samuel at Foundation), Minerva travels between four Appalachian locations on a fixed rotation and only stays for 3 to 5 days per visit.
Every item she sells costs 25% less Gold Bullion than the same plan from a permanent vendor. On high-ticket plans like the T-65 Power Armor set (6,900 GB from Regs), that is a savings of 1,725 Gold Bullion — roughly three full days of capped Daily Quest farming. See our Fallout 76 Gold Bullion farming guide for the fastest daily routes.
There are no quest, reputation, or level requirements to buy any of her plans (fallout.wiki). Minerva does not maintain a camp between visits — when her window ends, she disappears entirely with no marker or workaround.
Minerva's Four Locations
Minerva rotates between these four stops in order:
- Foundation — Sons of Rust settlement, Savage Divide
- The Crater — Raider main base, eastern Appalachia
- Fort Atlas — Brotherhood of Steel headquarters, Savage Divide
- The Whitespring Resort — The Forest region (Big Sale weeks only)
The Whitespring Resort appears on the cycle only during Big Sale weeks. Regular cycles run Foundation → Crater → Fort Atlas, then the fourth week swings to Whitespring for the combined Big Sale.
How Minerva's Schedule Works
Minerva runs on a 24-sale cycle that repeats continuously. Each sale number corresponds to a fixed inventory list. The weekly pattern:
- Regular weeks: Monday noon through Wednesday noon (U.S. Eastern), one location
- Minerva's Big Sale week: Thursday noon through Monday noon (U.S. Eastern), The Whitespring Resort
Big Sales (#4, #8, #12, #16, #20, #24) combine the inventories of the three preceding regular lists. If you missed Lists #5, #6, and #7, Big Sale #8 at Whitespring carries all three combined.
The schedule dates below are sourced from the fallout.wiki Minerva's Emporium schedule table. Dates can shift if Bethesda pushes a mid-cycle patch.
Upcoming Minerva Dates (October–November 2026)
| Sale | Location | Dates | Highlight Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| #5 | Foundation | Oct 19–21 | Gauss Minigun, Thorn Armor (full set), Gauss Pistol mods |
| #6 | The Crater | Oct 26–28 | Plasma Caster, T-65 mods (Jet Pack, Calibrated Shocks) |
| #7 | Fort Atlas | Nov 2–4 | Brotherhood Recon Armor (full set), Gauss Shotgun |
| #8 — Big Sale | Whitespring Resort | Nov 12–16 | Combined inventory from Lists #5, #6, #7 |
| #9 | Foundation | Nov 23–25 | T-65 PA full set, Crusader Pistol, Plasma Caster mods |
Minerva is not in Appalachia from October 15 through October 18. Sale #5 opens Monday, October 19.
Sale #5 — What to Buy at Foundation (October 19–21)
Sale #5 is the strongest weapon-and-unique-armor visit in the current stretch. Key plans:
Gauss Minigun (weapon plan) One of the best heavy weapons for non-Power-Armor builds — high per-shot energy damage and full compatibility with the Heavy Gunner perk tree. Regular price from Regs: 750 Gold Bullion. Minerva price: approximately 563 Gold Bullion. If you are building a heavy gunner outside of Power Armor, this is the visit to catch. See our Fallout 76 heavy gunner build guide for full perk setup.
Thorn Armor (full set — 5 pieces) Thorn Armor damages melee attackers on hit — effective on high-defense builds that want to punish enemies in close range. The full five-piece set is available from Regs at standard price (approximately 4,000 Gold Bullion total across all five pieces). Buying through Minerva during Sale #5 cuts that to approximately 3,000 GB — saving around 1,000 Gold Bullion.
Gauss Pistol barrel mods (3 variants) Aligned Short Barrel, Drum Magazine, and Refined Receiver for players who already own the Gauss Pistol plan. The weapon itself is available from Regs at 250 GB (Minerva price: ~188 GB) or from Sale #2/18. These mods complete the build at a discount.
Secret Service Underarmor mods Protective Lining and Shielded Lining for the SS Underarmor base plan. SS Underarmor is the best stat-bearing underarmor in the game for non-Ghoul builds; these lining plans push it from cosmetic to combat-meaningful. The base underarmor plan (from Regs at 650 GB, Minerva ~488 GB) is not in Sale #5, but if you already have it, this visit completes the underarmor.
What Sale #5 does not have: SS Armor piece plans, T-65 Power Armor, or Plasma Caster weapon plan. If Power Armor is the priority, wait for Sale #9 in November.
Best Minerva Purchases by Goal
For new endgame players (Level 50–150)
Secret Service Armor — Sale #1 or #17 SS Armor is the strongest non-Power-Armor set in the game. Standard pricing: Chest 1,250 GB, each limb 750 GB. Full five-piece set (chest + 4 limbs): 4,250 GB from Regs → ~3,190 GB from Minerva, saving over 1,060 GB. Adding the SS Helmet (1,650 GB standard → ~1,238 GB from Minerva) brings the full six-piece set to approximately 5,900 GB at Regs versus ~4,425 GB from Minerva.
Chinese Stealth Armor + Helmet — Sale #3 or #19 The defining piece for stealth-VATS builds. Standard price: armor 4,000 GB + helmet 1,650 GB = 5,650 GB total. From Minerva: approximately 4,238 GB — saving around 1,412 GB versus Regs. It is expensive, but for dedicated stealth builds there is no substitute. See our Fallout 76 stealth build guide for full context.
For Power Armor builds
T-65 Power Armor full set — Sale #9 (Foundation, November 23–25) T-65 is the top PA set for resistances and raw tanking. The full six-piece set (Helm, Chest, both Arms, both Legs) is available in a single Sale #9 visit. Regular price: ~6,900 GB from Regs. Minerva price: approximately 5,175 Gold Bullion — a saving of 1,725 GB.
That 1,725 GB gap is roughly 4–5 days of capped Gold Bullion farming. If you are building a Power Armor character, Sale #9 at Foundation on November 23–25 is the highest-value window in the entire Minerva cycle.
T-65 mods — List #6 (The Crater, October 26–28) Calibrated Shocks (750 GB standard), Rusty Knuckles (250 GB standard), and Jet Pack (2,000 GB standard) for T-65 are available the following week. The Jet Pack alone is 2,000 GB from Regs; Minerva sells it at ~1,500 GB. Buying the full T-65 set at List #9 then the mods at List #6 (next cycle) completes a fully modded T-65 build through Minerva alone. See our Fallout 76 power armor build guide for the recommended mod priority.
For weapon-focused builds
Plasma Caster — Sale #6 (The Crater, October 26–28) Heavy energy weapon that pairs effectively with Unyielding armor stacks for non-PA builds. Regular price: 750 GB from Regs. Minerva price: ~563 GB. Our Fallout 76 plasma caster build guide covers the full perk setup.
Crusader Pistol — Sale #9 (Foundation, November 23–25) The Crusader Pistol also drops from Daily Ops (see our Daily Ops farming guide), but Minerva is the only guaranteed, schedulable source. Useful for pistol and explosive-pistol builds.
Gold Bullion Savings Reference
| Plan | Regular Price (Regs) | Minerva Price (~25% off) |
|---|---|---|
| SS Armor 5-piece set (chest + 4 limbs) | 4,250 GB | ~3,190 GB |
| SS Armor full set with Helmet | 5,900 GB | ~4,425 GB |
| Chinese Stealth Armor + Helmet | 5,650 GB | ~4,238 GB |
| T-65 PA full set (6 pieces) | 6,900 GB | ~5,175 GB |
| T-65 Jet Pack mod | 2,000 GB | ~1,500 GB |
| Crusader Pistol | 2,000 GB | ~1,500 GB |
| T-65 Calibrated Shocks | 750 GB | ~563 GB |
| Gauss Minigun | 750 GB | ~563 GB |
| Plasma Caster | 750 GB | ~563 GB |
| Gauss Pistol | 250 GB | ~188 GB |
Regular prices sourced from permanent Gold Bullion vendors (Regs, Mortimer, Samuel). Minerva's discounted prices are confirmed by the community as 75% of standard vendor price.
Understanding Minerva's Big Sale
Every fourth cycle, Minerva visits The Whitespring Resort for five days (Thursday through Monday) with a combined inventory pulling from the three preceding regular lists.
Upcoming Big Sales:
- Big Sale #8 — Whitespring Resort, November 12–16, 2026 (includes Lists #5, #6, #7 inventory)
- Big Sale #12 — (late December 2026, per fallout.wiki schedule table)
Minerva's Big Sale does not apply an additional discount on top of the standard 25% — the savings are the same as any other Minerva visit. The advantage is the 5-day window and the combined inventory, which significantly increases the odds of finding the specific plan you need.
If your schedule makes the 3-day regular windows difficult to catch, the Big Sale is the most flexible option in the cycle.
Need a Gold Bullion boost or other Fallout 76 services while you wait for the next Minerva window?
FAQ
Is Minerva in Fallout 76 right now? No. As of October 15, 2026, Minerva is not in Appalachia. Her next appearance is Foundation, starting October 19, 2026.
Where does Minerva spawn? Minerva visits four locations: Foundation (Savage Divide), The Crater (eastern Appalachia), Fort Atlas (Savage Divide), and The Whitespring Resort (The Forest). She appears at one location per sale window.
How long does Minerva stay? Regular windows run Monday noon through Wednesday noon (U.S. Eastern, 3 days). Minerva's Big Sale runs Thursday noon through Monday noon (5 days) at The Whitespring Resort.
Does Minerva always have the same plans? No. She cycles through 24 fixed inventory lists. Each list number repeats on the same cycle. Big Sales (#4, #8, #12, #16, #20, #24) combine the inventory of the three preceding regular lists.
Is Minerva worth the wait for new players? Yes — if the plan you need is in her upcoming inventory, the 25% discount is meaningful at every price tier and significant on high-cost endgame plans. Building a Gold Bullion stockpile while waiting for the right Minerva sale window is the most efficient path to endgame gear.
Can I track Minerva's exact schedule? The fallout.wiki Minerva's Emporium page maintains a schedule table with confirmed upcoming dates. falloutbuilds.com also tracks the rotation with inventory list details.
Will Minerva be at Whitespring for the November Big Sale? Yes — Big Sale #8 at Whitespring Resort runs November 12–16, 2026 per the fallout.wiki schedule table and combines the inventory from Lists #5, #6, and #7.
