On Tuesday, Bethesda Game Studios began cryptically teasing a new something related to the long-running Fallout franchise. After a 24 hour stream telling us to “Please Stand By” and a lot of speculation, they finally unveiled Fallout 76, an all new game centered around the titular Vault 76. The short teaser we got didn’t tell us much, but there are clues in it that, when combined with information divulged by other sources and a little guesswork, can lead us to some interesting conclusions.
Let’s start with what we know for sure from the trailer. The scene starts with a close up on what is soon revealed as an arm-mounted variant of the Pip-Boy 2000, the Pip-Boy 2000 Plus, the device of choice for the protagonists of Fallout 1, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics. On the front panel of the device, there is a set of scrolling numbers showing the date, which reveals the trailer to be set on October 27, 2102, and an alarm set to 6:34 a.m. As the camera pans around the room, Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver plays. We see a number of objects scattered about; a party hat, a red party cup, a worn backpack on a bed, a mini-nuke, toys, books, and a poster hailing Vault 76 as “the official vault of the tricentennial.” Next, we cut to an entertainment center.
On the television above it, a broadcast plays showing a speech given to commemorate the completion of Vault 76. On the shelves below are a number of toys (including a Vault-Tec bobblehead), and some magazines. A bit later, we see the atrium of Vault 76; there are party supplies scattered all across the vault’s deserted atrium, and a banner showing Vault Boy surrounded by a forest proclaiming “celebrate Reclamation Day.” Based on how much trash is strewn about, it’s clear that the vault dwellers here had their party and left. But where? What is Reclamation Day? The voice over on the television earlier and in the shot that follows (by the illustrious Ron Perlman, voice of the series’ famous intro monologues since day one) gives us a hint. “When the fighting has stopped, and the fallout has settled, you must rebuild. In Vault 76, our future begins,” he states, as our protagonist gears up with their Pip-Boy to set out into the wastes.
That teaser on its own gives us little to go on at first glance. Luckily, Kotaku gave us a good idea of what to expect via an article published soon after the unveiling. In the article, news editor Jason Schreier relayed information gathered from 3 sources within Bethesda Game Studios. First and foremost, these sources claim that Fallout 76 is an “online survival RPG that’s heavily inspired by games like DayZ and Rust.” Originally, the sources claim, the game was prototyped as a multiplayer version of Fallout 4, but then evolved into what we see today. The settlement system will be a prominent feature, in addition to other survival mechanics. Rest assured though, that does not mean story and quests are out. Though this is an “experimental new entry” in the series, it sounds as though many staples of the franchise will be making a return, and it will still be a Bethesda Game Studios game at heart.
So, what does this all tell us? Well, narratively that it is a prequel to the rest of the series, save for Fallout 4’s pre-war introduction. This opens up a whole slew of story possibilities; the infancy of certain powerful factions like the Enclave or the Brotherhood of Steel, a more harsh world that has had less time to rebuild, and characters we have only heard about in vague lore snippets. The song choice for the trailer may clue us in to a location, as John Denver sings “West Virginia, mountain momma, take me home.” Vault 76 was listed in Fallout 3 as a “D.C. area vault,” so this would presumably be in the easternmost part of the state. Mechanically, there is quite a bit that the revelation of a survival game influence can clue us in to. The plethora of junk strewn about signals the return of Fallout 4’s crafting system, in which every item in the world is assigned some resource that it would grant players when gathered. This would make perfect sense, as between the voice over and the Reclamation Day banner, the trailer heavily hints at a goal of repopulating the surface. I’d expect a large focus on the settlement system in this game, though a number of refinements to it can probably be expected. The wastes will undoubtedly be more hostile than we’ve ever seen due to the time period, with radiation levels having had less time to dispel and safe places like cities not being established yet, so unlike Fallout 4 building settlements will probably be a necessity.
One tiny detail that stood out to me was the backpack on the bed. Carry weight in Fallout games has always been a bit of a maligned mechanic, though there are a number of community created mods designed to tie weight limits to backpacks and other containers. Introducing a mechanic like this into Fallout 76 would allow players to upgrade their carry weight but not have to dump points into their strength stat. And speaking of stats, in case you were concerned about the survival nature of the game meaning a non-RPG experience, Jason’s reporting alongside the presence of both a S.P.E.C.I.A.L.-boosting Vault Boy bobblehead and the stacks of stat-augmenting magazines on the entertainment center should put your mind at ease. These systems will most likely make a return alongside character customization and other RPG related aspects, though probably more focused on survival related mechanics like crafting and food and water consumption.
Now for some educated guesswork. One point of concern among many Fallout fans has been comparisons to Rust and other survival games, specifically the PVP nature of these games being a part of Fallout 76. In Rust, bases are temporary and can be destroyed by other players at any time of day, even when you’ve logged off. This has put in many minds thoughts of using the settlement system to build a nice town only for it to be levelled by an unfriendly player. However, if I had to guess, multiplayer in Fallout 76 will be limited to co-op with only players of your choosing. In Rust, you aren’t trying to repopulate an area, you are simply trying to survive. You only need one base, and the huge world means that there is room for everyone to have one. If Fallout 76 follows the template of settlement mode in Fallout 4, then each player will have a number of settlements connected by trade routes, which would drastically limit the number of players that could fit in one instance. And I’m no network engineer, but the less players in each instance, the more individual instances that need to be hosted by Bethesda on their end, which would seem like quite a lot of bandwidth. Drop in/drop out co-op limits this, as well as removes the need to be worried about your settlements being attacked and destroyed when offline, something that would turn any sort of narrative progression into a Sisyphean task. The hostile nature of PVP multiplayer would make thematic sense for a Fallout game, but from a design standpoint I cannot see it working in the style of a Rust or an A.R.K. I wouldn’t be shocked, however to see a plethora of cooperative-based quests and activities, such as powerful bosses or group dungeons, as this kind of content would pair nicely with the theme of coming together to rebuild.
Fallout 76’s reveal is being met with concern in the Fallout community over the online nature of the game. After close examination, however, I would say that those fears should be eased. This appears to be a spin-off of Fallout 4 that, while focused heavily on survival and an added multiplayer mode, will not be too far off from what fans enjoyed about that game. For my money, I’d expect to explore the wastes of West Virginia, build settlements, keep them running, and run quests with friends in a game that feels markedly similar to Fallout 4, though with a greater emphasis on minute-to-minute survival. Maybe travelling the wastes won’t be as easy as in Fallout 4, with greater player fragility and bodily needs such as sleep, food, and water. You might solely be focused on building settlements and completing quests related to the rebuilding effort, essentially giving you a role in shaping the West Virginia wastes. On these journeys, some friends might join you and assist in building shelter for your citizens. Fallout 76 may be all of these things, or it may be none. And if it is none, then all the better. This is a surprising announcement from Bethesda Game Studios, one they seem to be quite excited about, given the unique nature of the announcement of a “making of” documentary by Noclip. Expect them to keep the surprises coming when we finally see the game at their showcase on June 10 at 6:30 PT/9:30 ET at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
