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Fallout 76 isn't far off, and still major questions loom, but we've tapped the mind of our resident Fallout expert, Kosta "Toadovsky" Andreadis for a breakdown of what you need to know!
Announced a few months ago and due for release later this year, Fallout 76 from Bethesda Game Studios is the first entry in the series to immediately raise as many questions as it answers. The teaser trailer and title alone had people speculating and questioning everything from the setting, location, time-period, to what style of game would it be. An RPG like Fallout 4 or something new and different? At the game’s full reveal at E3 2018, Bethesda’s Todd Howard took the stage to announce that for the first time in the series Fallout was going multiplayer. While adding that all the stuff we love about the series would be included too.
In many ways Fallout 76 is shaping up to become the most interesting game in the series to date...
No doubt it was a lot to take in, while raising several (thousand) questions about how it would all work. In many ways Fallout 76 is shaping up to become the most interesting game in the series to date – so we’ve compiled everything you need to know about it in an up-to-date F.A.C.T. (Fallout 76 Answers you Can Trust) sheet. Gathering all the information we could find, including several bits of info from post-show interviews and other sources.
Setting and Story
In terms of timeline Fallout 76 is a prequel to every release in the series so far, and is set in the year 2102 – almost 200 years before the events of Fallout 4. The reason as to “why?” comes down to Vault 76, which is where the game begins. As a Control Vault, created without any of the weird Vault-Tec experiments we’ve come to expect, Vault 76 was designed to open 20 years after the bombs fell. With the sole purpose of its survivors heading back outside to rebuild the world. Located in West Virginia, Vault 76 leads to the largest open-world ever seen in a Bethesda title, with a map-size four-times that of Fallout 4’s Commonwealth. Being given the task of heading out into the world to rebuild, this will serve as the foundation for Fallout 76’s story – one that will include traditional quests from NPC factions or the Overseer in addition to exploration and discovery.
Multiplayer in a Shared World
As depicted in a brief gameplay demonstration at E3, players will awake alone and probably hung over after a rowdy Vault 76 Reclamation Day celebration in Fallout 76. With everyone already gone, this leads to other players in the always-online Fallout doing the exact same thing – waking up in Vault 76. And so all other humans you come across while exploring West Virginia will be other real-world survivors of Vault 76. Or more specifically, other players. Fallout 76’s co-op and competitive side is more “shared world” than “MMO”, as human encounters will be treated as special -- with Bethesda noting that a current build caters for about 32 players in the same instance. Considering the huge post-apocalyptic location of West Virginia, the experience will retain the feeling of exploring alone while giving players the option to team-up and tackle various challenges.
To PvP or Not to PvP
Encounters with other players in Fallout 76 will carry a sense of mystery, as players try to figure out who’s friendly or hostile. But, given that some people will prefer to play cooperatively Bethesda has confirmed that there will be an option or way to opt-out of PvP. But even for those that choose to explore with that added sense of danger there won’t be a huge penalty for dying. Without the option to simply reload an earlier save, due to the online nature of Fallout 76, players will most likely respawn at a nearby location.
The introduction of survival elements where players would get hungry, tired, and even become addicted to the sweet taste of Nuka Cola, added a new layer to the traditional Fallout experience...
Survival Elements
Introduced in a post-launch patch for Fallout 4, the introduction of survival elements where players would get hungry, tired, and even become addicted to the sweet taste of Nuka Cola, added a new layer to the traditional Fallout experience. Fallout 76 will feature some of these elements, but Bethesda has confirmed that it will be more “softcore survival” than punishing players at every turn. As a co-op title where you can set up shop to sell items to other players or even open-up a bar, this renewed sense of fun means that players can expect to find hundreds of food recipes and other crafting opportunities to create their own Vault 76 survivor identity. In addition to worrying about radiation and where to sleep.
Questing and Progression
West Virginia in Fallout 76 will be divided into six distinct regions offering increasing levels of challenge and danger. From wetlands to mountains and towns, to industrial regions; each location will feature its own look and feel and even dynamic weather. As a Fallout game we can expect to find new stories and quests that lead out into the unknown with confirmation that a band of talking ghouls will play a role in the story, in addition to robots and the Vault 76 Overseer. With such a huge world to explore, traditional levelling returns with experience offering players more power and abilities – and the return of S.P.E.C.I A.L. or Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck stats. A redesigned ‘Perk Card’ system will make its debut in Fallout 76, with players equipping a limited number of Perk Cards to build their character’s ability deck.
A Nuclear Endgame
With a huge world to explore, there will be locations and sections only available to those at a higher level. One of the endgame features designed to encourage player interaction and a general sense of insanity comes with the ability to find nuclear codes that can then be used to set off strategic nuclear strikes at various missile sites. This means targeting any location on the map, be it a town, a quiet forest, or another player’s campsite – levelling both it and the surrounding location. This ability to make a permanent nuclear alteration to the map is something we haven’t seen in an online game before, and in Fallout 76 visiting these radiation post-nuke zones will reward players with rare crafting materials.
New Time-Period, New Enemies
As a prequel Fallout 76 is set during the very year, 2012, that the Super Mutants were created. So as of now either the angry green giants will be in the game or not. Also, without decades of survivors creating new settlements or becoming disillusioned to the point where they become Raiders, several new mutant and monstrous threats will be found roaming West Virginia – many of which based on local wildlife and lore. From creatures with glowing eyes that stalk the woods at night to giant flying bats, Fallout 76 will offer both familiar threats along the lines of ghouls and robots plus a whole slew of new ones too.
Of Settlements and Campsites
Creating a settlement for survivors was one of the coolest new features to come from Fallout 4, and with an experience described as rebuilding the world the feature is making a return in Fallout 76. But instead of specific sites where you can build, the new C.A.M.P (Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform) system allows players to build anywhere and then pack it all up to take on the go and place anywhere they want. Which not only caters to the larger overall size of the map but also the online nature of Fallout 76. And in those rare instances where you join a server and another player has built where your C.A.M.P was last seen - well, it’ll be ready to deploy in your inventory anywhere else. This new approach also plays into the idea of pop-up shops, restaurants, trading outposts, and other potential settlements.
Fast Travel and V.A.T.S.
With a world four-times the size of Fallout 4 it only makes sense that the fast travel system seen in the last few Bethesda Game Studios RPGs will be making its way into Fallout 76. But, as a system where you can quickly travel to any point of interest on a map isn’t something that we’ve seen in an MMO before – it’s worth noting. And adds more weight to the idea that Fallout 76 being a shared world along the lines of something like Sea of Thieves than the endless stream of adventures found in The Elder Scrolls Online. And in keeping with the spirit of Fallout the pause anywhere and select your target V.A.T.S combat is also making a return. But in real-time.
MOD Support
One of the enduring legacies of a typical Bethesda Game Studios RPG has been with the support the studio provides fans to create their own content and modifications post-launch. The Creation Kit mod tools supplied after the release of both Skyrim and Fallout 4 is one of the key reasons why both titles continue to see huge player counts each week – years after their initial releases. The sheer number of mods ranging from complete expansion-size overhauls filled with new locations, characters, and quests, to the more subtler add-ons that fine-tune existing mechanics or squash a few bugs, is not something Bethesda takes for granted. So even though Fallout 76 is an online experience, where connecting to a dedicated server will be a requirement on day one – the studio still plans to support mods. For an online experience the way this would work would be to either provide an offline mode or simply give players the ability to create and manage their own mod-powered Fallout 76 servers.
Post-Launch Content Plans
Post-launch content for a Bethesda Game Studios RPG is par for the course. Ever since the release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, way back in 2006, a new expansion or DLC pack for Fallout 76 is to be expected. How this will work for an always-online Fallout though, will be a little different. Due to the server-based nature of the experience all post-launch content will be free as to ensure all Vault 76 survivors are at the same level. Also, with a live experience and world that can change according to events, we can also expect Bethesda to branch out from the normal story or item-based updates to play into the new setting and time-period of post-apocalyptic West Virginia. Thinking more along the lines of limited-time seasonal events, or challenges – Bethesda has plans to support Fallout 76 for years to come.
Just when you thought it would be impossible for Bethesda to top the perfection that was the life-size Pip Boy from the Collector’s Edition release of Fallout 4, comes the Fallout 76 Power Armor Edition...
Collector’s Edition
Just when you thought it would be impossible for Bethesda to top the perfection that was the life-size Pip Boy from the Collector’s Edition release of Fallout 4, comes the Fallout 76 Power Armor Edition. Where a full-scale T-51 Power Armor helmet packed with LED lighting and voice-modulator will be included alongside a large glow-in-the-dark map equipped with 24 mini Fallout figurines so you can play Wasteland General or Wasteland Cartographer as you explore the world of Fallout 76.
Release Date, Platforms, and Beta
Fallout 76 launches for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on November 14, 2018. And for the first time for the series, due to the online nature of Fallout 76, Bethesda is planning on conducting a beta - which it’s calling a B.E.T.A. (Break-it Early Test Application). Scheduled to kick off in October, access is guaranteed if you pre-order and will arrive first on the Xbox One platform.
For Red Bull Flugtag in Sydney this year, Bethesda has entered a Fallout 76 themed craft ‘Scorchbeast’ to take flight on November 10, you can preview it here.
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