Fallout friends, the wait is over.

The all too upsetting failure of the 2018 release of Fallout 76, Bethesda’s attempt at a new direction in the 23-year-old franchise, totally missed the mark in meeting its fans deep need and love for human NPC’s and meaningful lore. But with the new DLC I will be informing you of all the new Wastelander goodies and possible reasons that might bring Fallout 76 out of the nuke zone of unfortunate failure and into the post-apocalyptic genre spotlight.

Bethesda learned the hard way that once you fill a mold it is very hard to change that mold especially once it is set in concrete. But fear not NPC lovers. Due to popular and often harsh demand, Fallout 76 is reverting back to original styles from its previous single player games such as NPC story progression and decision-based dialogue. But not without leaving its footprint in the non-NPC player only MMORP genre. (Is that even a sub-genre? Should we add cross-dressing and cannibalistic to it?)

THE RAIDERS ARE COMING! THE RAIDER ARE COMING! Hide your wife find your kids, bury Jimmy and the rest of the bodies, run for the hills, bake a cake whatever you gotta do just get ready!!!!

Keeping one hand on Fallout 76s intent to change from single player to MMO, Bethesda’s other hand is bringing back some of the original ideas from the Fallout franchise that made it so popular and beloved among the RPG community. New NPC neighbors and factions governed by the industrious Settlers and territorial Raiders will be popping up all over Appalachia and they are as hungry and thirsty as you are but I don’t think they will be negotiating under the nicest terms.

Is Bethesda setting itself up for more failure or will this be the breakthrough they need to get themselves out of fire? And does Bethesda really even care about fulfilling the needs of their concrete fans or are they just doing what they love? The suspense is killing me.

Me dying from suspense.

Release Information

Wastelanders is 76s third expansion set for release April 14th having been pushed pack from its previous announced release of April 7th because Bethesda staff is now working from home due to Covid 19 pandemic. Albeit, it will be very interesting to see how Bethesda staff will be handling in-game development, support and server maintenance while working from home during this hard time.

The nearly 60gb massive DLC will be free to game owners of all platforms and will also coincide with a Fallout 76 release on Steam. by offering the add-on for free it seems Bethesda is doing its best to bring back disappointed fans and keep this game alive. I repeat this will be a massive DLC which will make scavenging Appalachia a totally different experience in my opinion and Bethesda is just throwing it out there with no charge.

Bethesda do you wanna snuggle or something? And then maybe a foot rub? Because I'd be cool with that.

New Locations

The question everyone is asking about the new locations is are these going to be all new, never before seen areas, structures and buildings or will there just be recycled story content-filled locations with new quests generated by new NPCs. Surely Bethesda would not be delivering more hopeful sour broken dreams into their possibly redeemed fans mouths. Would they?

The Appalchia is getting a thorough nip-tucking facelift.

Fear not hopeful Fallout fans there will be all new locations and areas to explore in addition to fresh-faces on new NPCs giving you the low down for each area. Some places you already know will be under remodeling yet still offering new areas to explore like the inside of the Crashed Space Station. Others will be altogether new areas such as Watoga Underground and Spruce Knob Cavern.

The beloved Raiders' Crater hideout inside the old Crashed Space Station.

In a bizarre yet believable style I am sure that will be unique to Fallout, these shiny new NPC’s will be uncovering these areas to you throughout story progression. Such as the house on Anchor Farm was boarded up with no possible entry but the trailer shows NPC’s walking around it drooling story content indicating that the house will be open to traffic letting you explore the inside.

And remember the dangerous trek you made all the way to bum-crap northern Egypt to that mysterious Crashed Space Station where bum-crap nothing else was? It’s going to be gutted and revamped into a human NPC raider hideout led by Meg who is coming back to Appalachia to take what is rightfully hers with her blood thirsty gang of Raiders. Defending the Appalachian territory they so savagely fought for while rising up from the ashes of the Great War, the Raiders have a right to claim and I bet they are willing to wage war against anyone standing in their way, industrious Settlers and 76ers alike.

Ya'll seen Jimmy?

Not much is known about Bethesda’s other coveted locations Watoga Underground and Spruce Knob Cavern other than what is revealed on the developer’s website. Watoga Underground was once a thriving automated vehicle service and parking garage underneath well…Watoga. And Spruce Knob Cavern will become the Settlers Foundation where the Settlers seeking refuge from Scorchbeasts are plotting they’re construction plans to further civilize the Appalachia.

I will be beefing up my armor and ammunition pronto and hightailing it giddy as a school girl riding a goat to the Space Station to make up for lost time with the raiders. I just always thought there was so much potential for this place and wanted to spend more time there but all it ever had to offer was curiosity of how the space station crashed, who the space station belonged to and a space suit inside a locker of an airlock.

I’m really looking forward to rediscovering this location and will be putting on my white hat when interacting with the Raiders here, doing my best to influence them away from well, hanging bodies from ceilings.

Jimmy? Ain't no Jimmy here.

NPC’s and Factions

The hills are alive Fallout fans but not with the sound of music but of construction bulldozers operated by industrious Settler and wasted Raiders shooting anything that moves for target practice. Complete with branching dialogue, a new main quest, faction rep system, assisted allied C.A.M.P. upgrades, and both Raider and Settler DLC bundles, these new neighbors are ready to come over for that pot-luck dinner you’ve been dying to send out invites to. (Does this Responders outfit make me look fat?)

Seems to me that not just one but an arsenal of aces are hidden underneath the sleeve of Bethesda who stated, “One of our main goals with this update isn’t just to add NPCs to push your story forward but to help Appalachia feel much more alive now that people are making their way back into the area. You will not only encounter new faces during the main story, but throughout the game in new encounters, in combat, encampments, and even as they go about their daily lives. We believe Appalachia will feel much livelier when Wastelanders launches next year, and we can’t wait to see what you think.”

Is there anything on the concrete fan complaint list Bethesda is not addressing in this extreme overhaul? That list is getting smaller and smaller.

Duchess and Mort at the lush Wayward Inn.

New players will jump right into the new main quest Wayward Souls as soon as they climb out of the vault. A year has passed since the vault originally opened and your pip boy will now show the year to be 2103. Upon jumping out of the vault you will be directed to the Wayward, a bar ran by Duchess and her friendly bar-back ghoul Mort, who’s voice is done by the one and only Jason Mewes from Jay and Silent Bob.

The friendly and helpful Mort spends a lot of time running up his tab at the bar when he’s not exploring the nearby forest and figuring out new ways to optimize C.A.M.P. He’ll be available to give his expert advice on the surrounding area, help with setting up C.A.M.P. (I think he will go into somewhat of a live NPC tutorial mode uhhh guy, which is cool, look out Vault Boy you may have some competition) and hopefully pound a few Old Possums with you after a hard day’s work.

 I already feel a bond growing between me and this warm fuzzy dude.

The one and only Jason Mewes plays the vicious yet friendly Mort.

You will often have the opportunity to make allies with both Raiders and Settlers. However, beware of the raider faction Blood Eagles who will agro no matter how loyal you are with the Raiders. I’m sure they will make for good power-leveling opportunities and ranking up exp much like the scorched and super mutants already provide.

The rank system will allow you to join either faction but rest assure it will take some quest grinding and proving yourself, gaining reputation to the faction before they take you in. As you gain reputation and complete faction’s quests and dailies you will have the option to bring them home where they will interact with and help defend your CAMP. You can even romance these new lucky sexy Wastleland allies.

Also new items will unlock in CAMP like a functional bar complete with a cozy human ally bartender.  As if pouring you a stiff one wasn’t enough, CAMP allies will waste no time in bussing some caps on those annoying mole rats that keeping digging their way up through the ground into your base. They will even back you up on that banjo you been needing for your bluegrass band so you can have yourself a good ole fashioned human NPC campfire hootenany. Grab your partner by the hand, turn em round and round again. HEE-HAW!

Anyone up for a ho-down hootenany moonshinin hee-haw?!

Branching Dialogue, Decision Based Plot and New Quests

Like Fallout 3, an extensive dialogue system is returning providing a full list of responses in each conversation much to the dismay of Fallout 4. Each conversation response will result in different plot turns in the story. And don’t worry all the branches in your story will be unique to your instance giving you a more personalized story that your friends will notice when they hop into your world. This should make popping in and out of your friend’s worlds a little more interesting and engaging.

 And Bethesda is pulling yet another ace out of their sleeve by introducing a team instance system called team only interior. This will be preventing each instance’s resources, enemy xp and loot drops from depleting because too many players are in looting in the same area. 

In reference to the team only interior system in instances Fallout 76, lead designer Ferret Baudin says in the Wastelanders preview panel cap, “(team only interior) Instances were a huge step for us because one of the things that allows us to do is make it to where we’re telling a tailored story to the person that’s entering it. Before when you would go into these places who knows what state it would be in. People could’ve cleared out the entire dungeon, there could literally be nothing left for you to do and so that’s kind of a hit or miss experience. And also, there’s no way that we could really react to you, like your decisions, your choices. (team only interior) Instances make it to where we can cumulatively step-by-step keep track of what you’ve chosen and then it’s reflected as you’re going on.  And also, you will not get an empty dungeon, you get an experience that will be full of life tailored to you going in there.”

The team only interior system will be a big game changer for 76 and a solid foundation to which the developers can build upon major online multiplayer elements. This maybe, and I said maybe now…just maybe, will get this game out of the fire and into the MMORPG spotlight I think it deserves.

New Enemies

In the new enemies department we have the Wendigo Colossus which is an upgraded perhaps soul harboring Wendigo but definitely a giant with long legs that towers over you. I’m sure it will still make you want to run like hell but with 10 times the fear that the original wendigos already do.  That’s always good for the urinary tract.

Are you into getting your soul eaten and possibly manifested into a head on a Giant Windigo? Sweet me too. 

New weapons and Armor

Some new weapons and even power armors will also be added. The compound bow will now be available and a new type of plasma gun called the plasma caster. And a power armor known as the Secret Service Power Armor.

Events

Two new events also will be in 76s circulation. The event Riding Shotgun will take place in underground tunnels where Brahmin cargo routes will need protection delivering goods from Blood Eagles.  Hidden supply caches will be scattered throughout the tunnels with possible higher tier loot rewards.  No doubt to get the best rewards, loot, rep, ex and caps this will take some good team planning to succesfully complete these operations.

The other is Radiation Rumble and you will need a (how did you guess it?) good radiation resistant power armor or hazmat suit. Also potentially providing good rewards loot, xp and caps you will be defending scavengers as they mine valuable underground ore. Keep all the scavengers alive and I’m sure you will receive better rewards.

The toxic glowing Radtiation Rumble event is sure to give everyone cheap legendary loot thrills and itchy trigger finger relief.

Closing Comments and Opinion

I commend Fallout 76 for branching out and trying something new both by switching from single player to online multiplayer and by leaving out human NPC in its story progression. I honestly think it took a lot of balls coming out of the gate with both these changes yet unfortunately they did fail horribly yet Bethesda steps back up to the plate bringing back core elements that made Fallout so popular as well as innovative changes such as team only interior.

 To me this big mistake in 76s initial release seems like an awesome predecessor to what the future of the Appalachian wastleland will become. Somehow this predecessor era although dark and upsetting for Bethesda and fans alike has given you the player a role forever in the awesome and extensive history of Fallout. (Please Bethesda my tag is Hordaine and I would like to be a human NPC in Fallout.)

And so through this new direction in Fallout lore and game structure they are able to pull it off and satisfy old fans and even make new ones how much more of a success will that be? A great success that’s how much.

With the industrious and hardworking Settlers on the scene I think there will be more advanced civilization development, plenty of new locations, structure and buildings popping up all over the Wastleland. That is very exciting to me. And the Raiders with the interest of keeping what is rightfully theirs will give this Wasteland development and civilization an interesting and ruthless political twist sure to please any post-apocalyptic gaming fan.

So seven six vaulter tell me, what impact will you have on the Appalachian Wasteland?

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