Fallout 76 Takes Players To An Online-Only West Virginian Wasteland
Bethesda unveiled a new Fallout game at E3 called Fallout 76, and unlike every previous iteration in the popular franchise, it's strictly an online game centered around a multiplayer experience. That's not to say that players who prefer a solo experience will not be able to hop in and complete quests on their own—that will still be possible, though as Bethesda mentioned at E3, "The easiest way to survive in the wasteland is to team up and build together."
Fallout 76 takes gamers to near the beginning of the post-apocalyptic world. The year is 2102, otherwise known as Reclamation Day, and it's only been 25 years since the bombs fell. Much of the open world is still intact, at least compared to other titles in the series where the landscape is decidedly more desolate. It is an "untamed wasteland," and according to Bethesda, Fallout 76 figures to be the largest, most dynamic world ever created in the Fallout universe.
Of course, the biggest news is the multiplayer aspect. Every surviving human you meet in Fallout 76 is a real person, not an NPC. You can team up with others and build anywhere in the hills of West Virginia, or be a lone gun and try to survive all on your own. Oh ,and there are nuclear weapons you and your fellow survivors can get your hands on.
"Go it alone or with fellow survivors to unlock access to the ultimate weapon—nuclear missiles. This destruction also creates a high-level zone with rare and valuable resources. Do you protect or unleash the power of the atom? The choice is yours," Bethesda says.
The game takes place in one of the most beautiful states in the US. Landscapes range from the forests of Appalachia to the noxious crimson expanses of the Cranberry Bog. There are six regions to explore, each with its own risks and rewards. Fallout 76 also features brand new graphics, lighting, and landscape technology. New creatures are part of the package as well, including mutant dogs and some kind of giant, flying monster.
Introducing the Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform - or C.A.M.P.
— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) June 11, 2018
Build where you want and move it where you want. It's the perfect way to make an impromptu home for you and your friends. #Fallout76 #BE3 pic.twitter.com/6P1j50A1FP
Bethesda is bringing back Fallout's settlement system to Fallout 76, with tweaks for the multiplayer experience. When you build a house, you are not committing to that parcel, as was the case in Fallout 4. "You can build wherever you want. And you can pack up and move that wherever you want," Director of Bethesda Game Studios Todd Howard said.
Comparisons to Rust are inevitable, though according to Howard, Fallout 76 doesn't deliver a hardcore survival experience. It's more "softcore survival," he says. We'll get to find out for ourselves after summer—Fallout 76 is due to arrive November 14, 2018, on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
