Bethesda After a feverish 24 hours of speculation (will it be a remaster? Will Obsidian be returning? Will it be Fallout 5? ), Bethesda have finally confirmed what the next instalment in the Fallout franchise will be. Debuting a teaser trailer, the company announced Fallout 76 (yeah, get your "how have I missed 72 sequels?!" jokes in now) in the most trollish way possible. Though, if anything, the official reveal has only left fans even more confused. Thankfully, although the teaser trailer kept things purposefully vague by promising a major blowout at E3, details have trickled out detailing what the spinoff is actually going to be, how it's going to play, and even what the general plot is going to be. Courtesy of a few reports from anonymous developers currently working on the game, as well as a couple who have worked on the project over the past four years or so, gameplay and plot details have finally been revealed, and they certainly point towards 76 going in a radical new direction for the franchise. The old Fallout adage is that "war never changes", but that doesn't seem to be the case with Bethesda's latest.<doc-sep>Fallout 76 is the newest entry in Bethesda's post-apocalyptic role-playing franchise and set to be one of this year's biggest releases. Although its surprise reveal raised countless questions, its full E3 unveiling has broken down what makes it such an ambitious title. Here we wrap up everything we know about Fallout 76, all of the updates its recieved, and what new things might be coming. If you're a fan of Fallout 76, make sure you pop in on occasion to see what information we have for you. While Fallout 76 embraces existing lore of the wider franchise, there's one big difference – a focus on multiplayer. Despite retaining the role-playing elements that defined earlier titles, Fallout 76's formula is reworked as a shared-world online experience. Within the world, players will embark on quests, build settlements, and survive in the wasteland, with mechanics comparable to Rust, DayZ, and other online survival games. Embracing the recent "games-as-a-service" trend, the game will see regular free content updates supported by microtransactions. VPN Deals: Lifetime license for $16, monthly plans at $1 & more Under the hood, Fallout 76 inherits mechanics from Fallout 4, originally prototyped as its multiplayer mode before becoming a standalone project. Bethesda Game Studios' Austin team was tasked with integrating Quake netcode into the Fallout engine and rebuilding a the single-player franchise around multiple heroes. The project also saw new rendering, lighting, and landscape technologies introduced, reportedly allowing for 16 times the detail of previous games. More updates coming Fallout 76 Welcome home, vault dwellers, it's reclamation day. Introducing a multiplayer online game for the Fallout series, Fallout 76. Emerge from a vault in the decaying wastelands of Appalachia, West Virginia, and try your best to survive. This game is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox, and PC. $17 at Amazon $24.72 at Walmart Bethesda took to the stage at E3 2019 to announce a 52-player battle royale mode coming to Fallout 76 along with a new free update called Wastelanders, which is set to bring back human NPCs and add new quests. No matter your thoughts on how Fallout 76 initially launched, you can't say that Bethesda isn't working hard to get its fans back. May 21, 2019 — Fallout 76 gets a new area We’re releasing #Fallout76 Wild Appalachia Patch 9.5 today, which includes the Project Paradise event and a number of bug fixes. Read the Patch Notes here: https://t.co/hghyCsK4ih pic.twitter.com/3MXY8WXkmE — Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) May 21, 2019 There have been tons of new updates to Fallout 76 since its initial release. On May 21 Patch 9.5 dropped and it brought a whole new area and event quest called Project Paradise. Here you can explore the basement of Arktos Pharma for a new dungeon-esque quest with other players around the world. In a previous patch, Bethesda also released a few small areas to the map that revolve around Vault Tech University and the introduction to Nukashine. Completing this quest unlocks a new crafting table called a Brewing Station for you to be able to ferment your own beers, wines, and mixed drinks! Aside from all this, there have been a number of general improvements to Fallout 76. Vending Machines that players can build on their C.A.M.P.S. This allows players to sell their unwanted goods at better prices than bots will buy them. "Unknown" messages now appear next to the Recipies and Plans you don't know. You don't need to take a chance of buying a blueprint you think you didn't have, you'll know before you pick it up! Cash boxes now hold 800 pounds of gear Legendary Exchange Machines buy your unwanted Legendary items in exchange for a new currency called Legendary Scripts. Legendary Scripts can be traded to The Purveyor for other Legendary items in exchange. Finally, the most exciting update is the Survival Mode server that's currently in beta. This is a PVP (player vs player) based server with stronger mobs, better loot, 20% increase in experience gained, and a leaderboard on the start menu for who can get the most kills and survive the longest. There is no passive mode available for this server and that makes it the easiest way to experience a horrendous apocalypse. You're not just fighting against mobs and the occasionally PVP player, everyone is out to get you. Fallout 76 setting: Take me home, country roads Fallout 76 takes place in post-war West Virginia, with players assuming the roles of "Vault 76" members. Although vaults were pitched as shelters to American citizens, Vault-Tec and the U.S. government mostly used them to perform immoral experiments on select groups of the population. Among the tests was exposure to viruses, drugs, and cloning, with data gathered under the "Societal Preservation Program." Vault 76 was one of seventeen control vaults which didn't house experiments, instead used as a baseline for comparing other data. Opened in honor of America's 300th anniversary, the preselected inhabitants were patriotic and among the best for rebuilding the country. These survivors will explore, build settlements, craft upgrades, and fend of hostiles through their journey. Vault 76 was designed to open 20 years after the "Great War" began, which falls 200 years prior to the events of Fallout 4. The earliest existing Fallout game was set in 2161, so we'll receive our freshest look at the world over half a century prior to previous installments. The consequences of recent nuclear fallout will be more prominent, making for vastly different geometry and world contents. The world of Fallout 76 is supposedly four times the size of Fallout 4, packing varied terrain across six distinct regions. These house wetlands, mountains, toxic wastelands, and other biomes, each with their own atmospheres. Settlements and cities are spread across this landscape, alongside crazier landmarks like missile silos and crashed space stations. A dynamic weather system also spans the map which seamlessly changes conditions on the fly. Fallout 76 map breakdown: Size, regions, locations, and more Similar variety can be seen in West Virginia's inhabitants, with strong radiation causing crazier creatures than before. The Grafton Monster, Flatwoods Monster, Mothman, and other legends of local folklore have been reimagined as creations of the remaining fallout. Fallout 76 also abandons human non-player characters (NPCs) for its barren wasteland, instead populating its world with unpredictable human players. New factions like the intelligent, gun-wielding "Scorched" ghouls fill the gap in combat that raiders once occupied, though allies and foes will much less defined. Fallout 76 weapons, crafting, and mods explained Fallout 76 complete weapons list (so far) Fallout 76 gameplay: What goes up must come down With Vault 76's focus on rebuilding the world together, this plays a major role in core gameplay. Capitalizing on base building mechanics first introduced with Fallout 4, crafting and design have an even larger presence in the sequel. Players have the ability to build wherever and whenever assuming they have the resources to do so. Using the Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform (C.A.M.P.) it's easy to craft structures, weapons, and gadgets, and establish a home in the wasteland. Walls, doors, stairs, turrets, traps, defenses and lights are all among the confirmed categories to furnish and protect your outpost. And with the return of weapon degradation, you'll need to maintain your arsenal throughout your journey. Fallout 76 also features increased destructibility improving upon the mostly static world of previous Fallout titles. Structures are now much less permanent and can be destroyed by players and creatures. Structures can also be disassembled and moved to new locations as you progress across West Virginia. For the first time in the series, nuclear warheads bring a new level of destruction to the world too. Previous Fallout titles explored what remained after the bombs fell, though Fallout 76 takes place in an era when active nuclear missile sites still remain. Launch codes can be found scattered across the world, which unleash widespread havoc if activated. Not only will this change the world and gameplay, the subsequent nuclear fallout unearths rare limited-time materials. How to launch nukes in Fallout 76 Fallout 76 progression: You're still special As with previous Fallout games, perks make their return under the iconic S.P.E.C.I.A.L. ruleset. S.P.E.C.I.A.L.<doc-sep>With a canon as long and rich as Fallout’s, every detail in a trailer is something to be picked over for clues in the coming game. Today’s Fallout 76 teaser is littered with visual detail, most of it homages to items and memories from earlier games in the series. Best as we can tell, this is the important stuff in the 85-second spot. The time The first detail everyone spots is the date and time on the Pip-Boy, a model so old it still uses vacuum tubes: Oct. 27, 2102, 6:34 a.m. That would make this the earliest setting for a Fallout game — a time at which there should be few survivor settlements on the surface, and when what’s left of those who didn’t get underground probably won’t be nice. Related The Fallout timeline For Fallout fans who know the game’s complicated timeline, this is about three months before The Master begins creating super mutants, and all that started out in California, anyway. So, for consistency’s sake, who knows if we’ll be seeing that menace in this game, or something different but just as bad. The poster The Vault’s number is clearly a reference to the American Revolution, but it also has spread some confusion as to when this is set. Just to be clear, Vault 76 opened in 2076 — that point is referenced by the news reader in the prologue to Fallout 4 (a flashback to 2077 and the day the bombs dropped). But it is a commemorative designation for America’s tricentennial. There’s a little more information cobbled together about Vault 76 from various references, which date to 2008’s Fallout 3. (See this post for more.) The duty The picture sweeps around the dwelling, apparently a family unit, filled with all kinds of nods to Fallout staples like the Mysterious Stranger, the Unstoppables and Nuka-Cola. It also passes a television set. The screen apparently is replaying the dedication ceremony when Vault 76 was entered and closed. “For when the fighting has stopped, and the fallout has settled, you must rebuild,” says an important-sounding figure. Vault 76 is referenced as a “control vault.” Control vaults were the baseline against which Vault-Tec measured the results of its other experiments. At any rate, that part of the Fallout story appears to be over, and players will explore an obliterated surface and try to survive on it. Note that, next to the Vault-Boy figurine on the TV table, is a figurine of Codsworth, the loyal domestic servant (and traveling companion) introduced in Fallout 4. The trophy case When the 4K version of the trailer is enhanced, it divulges some interesting (and humorous) text. There are six awards in the case. The funny ones are “Best Hair,” “Cleanest Toilet,” and “Excellence in Bravery: In recognition of the canned mystery meat experiment. You volunteered to eat when no one else would. We are proud of you and glad you are not dead.” The others indicate the player character may be someone who grew up in Vault 76 (as would the presence of Jangles the Moon Monkey on the child-size bed, and the Giddyup Buttercup behind the washing machine). One is for the Annual Vault Halloween Costume Contest. The other two read: Performance Award, Vault Hall Monitor: In recognition of loyal and dedicated service towards the order and safety of our community. Outstanding Achievement Award: In appreciation for your commitment and dedication to our isolation program. Sacrificing many so some can live. This suggests that in the player character’s backstory, they may be related to Vault-Tec staff. Reclamation Day This culminates in something called Reclamation Day. Before we get to that, notice how everything is in good shape inside and around Vault 76. As well it should be — this is only 25 years after Oct. 23, 2077, the date of the nuclear apocalypse during The Great War. In the main hall we get a glimpse of a Vault in a near-original state. There have been other well-preserved Vaults in past games, but they’ve all been dark and mechanical. Note the small soccer field below. This was actually, as best as it could be, a functional place where people tried to get on with their lives underground. But the fact that no one is in sight suggests everyone has gone back to the surface. Vault Boy is on a poster celebrating against a backdrop of tall pine trees. That, plus the choice of song (a cover of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads”) indicates Fallout 76 will have a rural flair, regardless of which Virginia it’s set in. The closing Nothing much to see here, other than another good look at the new/old Pip-Boy, which still has all the standard equipment: VDU, geiger counter, radio, speaker. Still, in Fallout 76 we’ll be getting the fourth different model of the venerable device. Update: An eagle-eyed reader spotted the make and model number of the Pip-Boy in a closeup of the final scene, which we found and enhanced here. So it’s a Pip-Boy Model 2000 Mark 6, which is a variant on the Model 2000 that appeared in Fallout and Fallout 2. Technically, this would be the first wearable model; the original was a handheld. Also, check out the pompadour on Vault Boy. Definitely not the same hairdo as his usual tousled style.<doc-sep>
After nearly 24 hours of teasing on its official livestream, Bethesda revealed the next installment in its post-apocalyptic series with Fallout 76. Set for release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, the next game looks to focus a lot more on life within the insular inner-worlds of Vaults, and what comes after. Though the trailer was a satisfying teaser for what's the come, there's still a lot we want to know--so here's a more detailed breakdown of what Fallout 76 is all about, and we want to see at E3 2018. What We Know So Far In Fallout 76, players will take on the role of a Vault Dweller in the underground bunker known as Vault 76. Set before even the original Fallout--as shown from a clock and calendar in the trailer--Fallout 76 will focus on the efforts of the citizens as they try to survive in an increasingly hostile world 20 years after the nuclear-apocalypse. Focusing on a retro-futuristic style--the aesthetic and tone of a far-future from the perspective of the past--Fallout 76 shows off a more cheerful approach to it, which will likely shatter once the Vault Dweller opens the door to the outside world. According to Fallout lore, Vault 76--referenced in Fallout 3 and 4--was one of Vault-Tech's few control vaults. While all Vaults functioned as advertised for all its inhabitants, the control vaults were designed to open its doors for the purpose of repopulation after a set period of time. By and large, the Vaults were poorly designed or were set up to fail, and the few control vaults in existence were successful in their mission--bringing humanity back out into the irradiated landscape. While we're not quite sure what sort of game 76 will be, it is fair to say that it will focus on the efforts of the Vault Dwellers as they try to survive in an unfamiliar and hostile world. What's Confirmed For E3 Though all we got from the reveal was the quick trailer, Bethesda was quick to state that we'll see much more of the game at its E3 2018 Showcase on June 10th--which looks to be the publisher's longest show. In recent years, the publisher has revealed a great number of titles, which includes Fallout 4, Prey, and Wolfenstein II--and they plan to keep that up for this year's show. With Rage 2, Fallout 76, and the long-teased Prey DLC, this year's show will likely give us a very substantial look at what's to come with the next Fallout game. What We Want To See "When the fighting has stopped, and the fallout has settled, you must rebuild." While Fallout 76 looks similar to Fallout 4 graphically, the trailer seems to indicate that this will not be a traditional single-player experience. With rumors of the game having an online element to it, Bethesda looks to be trying a different approach with this one. Because of this, we'd want to see Bethesda devote as much time as possible revealing what's to come with Fallout 76. During the E3 2015 showing for Fallout 4, Todd Howard spent over half an hour explaining the ins and outs of the game, while showcasing the highlights of what set Fallout 4 apart from the others. A similar approach to this for Fallout 76 would not only set expectations, but also show that this game will standout from the other titles. To put it simply, we want to see exactly the type of game Fallout 76 will be. While it's fair to say that some familiar Fallout moments of action and interactions will be present, it's important for us to see footage of the game in-action, along with showcasing just how different this game will be. But above all, a release date for Fallout 76 is also a must. And given Bethesda's track record, there's a strong chance that we'll be playing this game much sooner than we think. Further Reading