A Look At Fallout 76

At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) a while back, Bethesda announced a new addition to the Fallout franchise: Fallout 76. With the beta coming out soon and the game’s release shortly afterwards, it’s time to examine what we know about Fallout 76 before it’s release on November 14th.

Background

October 23rd, 2077 marks the very date that the nuclear bombs dropped worldwide. The radiation from the bombs continues to plague the world years after the bombings. In past entries, we have seen various locations such as Washington D.C., Massachusetts, and Nevada. Fallout 76 has a new and different location being used.

Set in the wasteland of West Virginia 25 years after the bombs dropped. The wasteland is called “Appalachia,” just like the ruins of Boston was called the “Commonwealth.” The wasteland is also home to several hidden yet active nuclear warheads, but we will get to that later. Appalachia is home to numerous creatures that have been horribly mutated by the radiation exposure. There is also the inclusion of some West Virginian lore and stories, such as the Mothman, the Grafton Monster, and the Flatwoods Monster. The Snallygaster, another creature in the game, is also a creature based on folklore, but that folklore is primarily for Maryland, not West Virginia. The residents of the vault will have to become accustomed to these new creatures and monsters as well as the other problems in the wasteland in order to survive.

Based on previous entries in the Fallout universe and information we have about the game so far, here is what we know about Vault 76. Yet another nuclear bomb vault built by Vault-Tec before The Great War, Vault 76 is home to some of America’s best and brightest. The vault is supposed to open its doors 20 years after the bombs dropped and send the residents out into the wasteland on “Reclamation Day,” but that didn’t happen exactly. Instead, the vault opened 25 years after the bombs were dropped during the events of The Great War.

Online Capabilities

Fallout 76 is structured as an online game, meaning online gameplay is a must. The game has features that allow the player to work in a team of up to four survivors total (the player and three other players). Teams are not necessary to gameplay but are a very useful asset in certain ways, but for those seeking to play without teams and other people online, Bethesda plans to have private servers later on in the game.

Efforts have been taken by Bethesda to avoid griefing and other forms of conflict online. Griefing was a major problem critics had when the game was announced. For those who don’t know, griefer is the term used to describe people who harass and annoys other player, particularly in online games, through various methods and means. Notably killing other players without repercussions or wasting a player’s time.

Perks and Cards

A returning feature is the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stat chart. S.P.E.C.I.A.L. is an acronym for the seven defining traits of your character: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck. Once you level up, the player can choose to raise a single S.P.E.C.I.A.L. by one point. From there, players can then choose from three of a stat-associated perk card. Perk cards are given to the player throughout the game. From levels one to ten, you will receive a pack of perk cards every two levels. After that, you will receive a perk card pack every five levels. Perk cards can also be upgraded and upgrading the cards allows for increased bonuses and abilities. However, since there is a set number of perk card slots, only a few can be activated at once, so player will need to take that into account and plan accordingly.

The B.E.T.A.

The B.E.T.A., which Bethesda cleverly made an acronym from as a joke, is set to launch on October 23rd for Xbox One and October 30th for Playstation 4. The acronym stands for “Break-It Early Test Application” and it’s a joke that is poking fun at how Bethesda games are infamously buggy and glitchy.

The B.E.T.A. is only accessible to those who have preordered the game. If you did so digitally, then you will get a code to download the B.E.T.A., if you ordered online, you should receive codes for the B.E.T.A. through an email, and you should get an email or go to the store directly for a code if that was your order method.

The B.E.T.A. will only be open for a few hours (allegedly 4-8 hours) every day upon the aforementioned release dates. Your progress in the B.E.T.A. will transfer over to the full game.

Gameplay and Features

In Fallout 76, in order to add to the difficulty and challenge, things have been adapted and modified. Things are a little different from previous games and some things have even been borrowed from previous games as well.

This game sees the return of the weapon and armor conditioning system that was used in Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas. Under this system, your gear will degrade over time before eventually breaking and becoming useless. As something degrades, it’s value, both in terms of caps and damage dealt/resistance will diminish as well. Due to this feature returning, repairing has also returned. Repair and conditioning will go hand in hand as the game goes on.

Another returning feature is the settlement feature from Fallout 4 but with a twist. The building is a little different. Players will create a campsite for themselves, cleverly called the “C.A.M.P. System”. Using the C.A.M.P. System, players will be able to create a base anywhere they choose. If playing online with friends, the player can collaborate with their allies to make a base for everyone. As in Fallout 4, there will be junk that you can pick up to use to create new items in your camp and modify weapons and armor.

In Fallout 4’s survival mode, ammunition had weight and that is also the case in Fallout 76. Ammunition has weight, although it appears as though it is not a very high weight. This is done likely to prevent players from stockpiling tons of ammunition and also to prompt players to prioritize what they will take with them when investigating the wasteland.

Additionally, some medical supplies, namely stimpaks, which had no weight in most of the previous games (stimpaks had weight in survival mode of Fallout 4), have weight in Fallout 76. Stimpaks also have variants and work differently than they have in past game.

Upon dying, players will not lose their caps or other loot. The only thing they “lose” is the junk they have picked up. If you return to where you have died, you will find those items in a bag on the ground.

When in a group or team, even if not working together on the same quest or objective, the rewards are still shared amongst the group members. This can prove especially useful to players early on.

The last noteworthy item is the inclusion of active nuclear warheads. These warheads are hidden but it is possible for players to find them and the codes needed to fully activate them. Upon activation, players can determine where to launch the nuclear warhead. The warhead impacts the area and causes the area to change, increasing the radiation level. The game is set up to provide better loot in these areas after the impact, but as a result, stronger creatures will also be present in those areas.

Well, there you have it. What is your opinion on the game and will you be getting it when it releases on November 14th?