The disappointment of many fans after the release of Fallout 76 in November 2018 was great. Much bigger than the disappointment was the list of bugs, problems and wishes of the players for the new Fallout. Bethesda responded by delivering new content that was well received by players. But players actually want something much bigger: more life in the world of Appalachia itself.
Steel rule and the new features
On July 7th, 2021, the big update »Rule of Steel« was released, which not only tells the story of the Brotherhood of Steel, but also introduces many new features. Players have been waiting a long time for some of the features, such as the ability to craft legendary weapons and armor. There is also now legendary power armor and some legendary effects have been revised and new ones added.
The biggest criticism relates to the length of the new story: It is good, but it is too short and does not offer enough. On Many players think Reddit thinks sothat releasing both expansions in one major update would have done the game better than releasing them in two parts. The Reddit user GeneralSoviet writes about the two extensions:
“[…] it would have been better if Steel Dawn and Steel Reign weren’t separate parts. Story was pretty good, it got my attention and I was enjoying a proper Vault mission. […] No power armor backstory was a huge disappointment. I really don’t know why that’s even the case. “
Fallout 76 takes place before any other installment in the Fallout series, and the Brotherhood of Steel is still very young in the story itself. The desire to learn more about the motivations of the Brotherhood and their iconic armor is obvious.
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What players can expect in Fallout 76 in the future
With the update in winter 2021, new challenges in the endgame should follow, about which we already reported as part of the Fallout 76 roadmap. On Reddit, however, many players want even more, and in particular major changes and updates. In one much noticed thread writes Aurora_Vorealis:
“If Bethesda manages to bring some new, incoherent quests and events to otherwise dead places, it would not only make fans happy or even bring them back, but it would breathe new life into the world of Appalachia.”
Many users agree with the statement and would like new content in Appalachia itself. ScottishShitposter97 underlines the post by Aurora_Vorealis and adds:
“What annoys me is that we KNOW them [Bethesda] are capable of great story content. Far Harbor was (in my opinion) a masterpiece, excellent location, great story, real selection, an all-round fun time. If they only devoted the right resources to this game, they would have both community satisfaction and profit. “
Vernon_Sort comments in the same thread:
“The thing is, while there is nothing new to grind and nothing is really challenging on the gear […] Any new events or quests just provide fun for few playthroughs. After that, they become pointless waste of time. That same old (and pretty damn ungrateful) gameplay loop is what it should change. “
The community hopes that such changes will occur with the autumn and winter updates. With Wild Appalachia, Bethesda has already proven that the typical Fallout atmosphere is possible even without NPCs: In a series of quests, players learned how to brew alcohol and schnapps, the building system was improved and seasonal events were introduced. Even without an expansion of the map, players in Fallout 76 could experience what Fallout is all about: The exploration of an open world, combined with a great story and the typical role-playing experience.
How big the new world will be, which will appear as Expeditions 2022 with “The Pitt”, is currently not known. It is known that the players will leave Appalachia for the first time. A first teaser on the new content suggests that the new region can be reached via Vertibird. And it looks like aliens are waiting for us in the new region:
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Fallout 76: The Pitt teaser trailer shows region outside of Appalachia
The first expedition is called “The Pitt” and will certainly bring back memories of Fallout 3 for some players: The Pitt was the second add-on for Fallout 3 and took players to an industrial raider town located in the remains of Pittsburgh . In reality, the distance between West Virginia and Pittsburg is about 300 kilometers – there will certainly not be such a large map expansion for Fallout 76. Since Vertibirds can be seen in the first teaser trailer for the free expansion, there will very likely be a fast travel function that players can use to get to the new area.
This is what the author thinks:
After two years, Fallout 76 is a really good MMO in the Fallout universe that offers a lot of variety. However, there are some places that seem empty, abandoned and not fully thought out. As a new player there is a lot to discover and with One Wasteland everyone, regardless of level, can play together.The Brotherhood of Steel was introduced as part of a new main quest that solo players can easily complete. However, the story is too short and the division into two chapters also tarnishes the picture. Fallout 76 leaves a lot of potential here. A publication as a completely new main quest would have had a much stronger influence in my opinion.
For me it is clear: Fallout 76 doesn’t need more new content, but a game changer. No Man’s Sky has already shown that this can work: Over the years, it has not only been provided with new content, but has also undergone a graphic change and been given a functioning multiplayer mode. Bethesda will have the financial means for such a change at the latest after the purchase by Microsoft.
I very much hope that Fallout 76 performs the “No Man’s Sky Move” and thereby achieves what many Fallout 76 players want: more variety and changes. And ideally, this will also bring back previously disappointed players.
