Bethesda has given us our first look at the next installment in the nuclear-wilderness franchise.
Fallout 76 will take place in West Virginia, a map 4 TIMES the size of Fallout 4; fans have already begun to question this figure in fears of it being empty but if we know anything about Bethesda they’ll fill it up with enough mutated creatures to make a sequel to Splice.
The game is confirmed to have multiplayer, allowing you to play against dozens of others on one of the many dedicated servers hosted by Bethesda themselves. Venture out in the wasteland alone or with friends and form a settlement using a C.A.M.P machine which can be used to move your base across the map which is mostly untouched (judging by the trailer) by nuclear fallout.
Speaking of nuclear objects, sites are located containing functional nuclear bombs at your disposal, providing you have collected a certain number of keys. You can use these bombs to unleash hell on your enemies albeit enemies or other players. What’s more, after releasing said nuke on said person/place, feel free to explore what remains of the area and finish off any unwanted lifeforms. As a vault dweller of vault 76, your ultimate goal is to reassemble desolate America. Will you go at it alone? How about with a team of your most trusted friends? What about a group of strangers? The way you play is up to you.
Fallout 76 is taking a brave step in regards to multiplayer as players have been hesitant about the feature ruining the feel of Fallout and when Todd Howard announced the game will feature fully incorporated online multiplayer, to say a few eyebrows were raised is an understatement. Fans voiced their concerns on Reddit, Steam and Bethesda forums in hopes of Howard letting players explore West Virginia alone.
On Monday, Todd took part in an interview:
In short, NPC’s will be absent with the exclusion of robots (Todd told Keighly “there are still robots and terminals and holotapes”) meaning memorable characters are out of the question; something fans have relished in past games. To add more insult to injury, Todd confirmed you cannot play offline but on the contrary, Howard expressed interest in allowing mods into Fallout 76, claiming “we love mods and so we are 100% committed to doing that in 76 as well, we will not be able to do that at launch though” explaining they want to play the launch safe as the radical shift in gameplay is “new for us” (us being Bethesda). Howard claimed you will have your own private world where players will be able to mod to their heart’s content.
Let’s talk prices; Fallout 76 is offering up a standard edition for the expected price of $59.99. The Tricentennial edition (aka the deluxe edition) will set you back $79.99, offering Tricentennial Power Armor Customization for the T-51, T-45, T-60, and X-01 Power Armors. Tricentennial Weapon Customization for the 10MM Pistol, Hatchet, and Laser Rifle. Spectacularly Handsome Vault Boy Mascot Head. Patriotic Uncle Sam Outfit. Celebratory Vault Boy Saluting Emote. First-Class Tricentennial Workshop Posters. Tricentennial Commemorative Photo Frame.
The final version is known as the power armor edition and costs a whopping $199.99 giving you access to a wearable T-51 Power Armor Helmet complete with a voice modulator, a working LED headlamp and a V.A.T.S. sound feature. Also included is a West Tek canvas carrying bag, glow in the dark world map with 24 figures from the world of Fallout 76, a Tricentennial Steelbook celebrating 300 years since America’s freedom PLUS all content from the aforementioned Tricentennial Edition.
Oh, and it also comes with the game itself.
We can expect to find out more about Fallout 76 on the 14th when Todd Howard is joined with Danny o’ Dwyer to debut Noclip’s section of their Bethesda documentary about the upcoming game. In the meantime, I highly recommend you check out the first stretch of the documentary which unveils a look at Bethesda and the history of how their games came to be.
While Fallout 4 didn’t fall short in sales, it has been marked as ‘the worst Fallout game’ by hardcore fans as it gave very little dialogue choice and was full of bugs, something Bethesda has gained a reputation of having in their games. Fallout 76 is undoubtedly a major shift in the franchise and although fans have already begun to tear it up online, this post-apoc West Virginia RPG could be the underdog that wins people’s hearts. besides, it’s a Bethesda game that has been worked on by the majority of their staff. What do you think of Fallout 76? Yay or nay? Let me know in the comments.
Fallout 76 is out November 14th, 2018 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.