A Fallout 76 Review

Hey everyone! So shout out to a friend of mine who wants to remain anon for letting me try out Fallout 76 for a while before I buy! Note this is not a sponsored review and will also be spoiler free!

To begin, I played for about 2 hours, reaching level 6 and honestly, upon starting, the game is a reworked skin of Fallout 4 with a much more vibrant coloration. I saw this as a break even as the graphics are nothing stellar, common of Bethesda games in this game engine, but still satisfying nonetheless. The most graphically notable features are the amount of dense foliage available, similar to that of modded Fallout 4. On the more negative end, while the game runs well it currently has a locked frame rate and a locked FOV. Also, it seems to have a rather short render distance and becomes quickly unfocused at range.

As for exploration, they say the map is four times the size of that in Fallout 4 but the map feels to be around the same size as the base map, but with fewer bodies of water and far more forestry, understandable due to the location. As you may or may not be aware Vault 76 is in ‘Appalachia’ aka West Virginia providing it with a foundation for a great area for a survivalist’s story.

Speaking of the story, it seems very Fallout 3. If you haven’t played Fallout 3, essentially it’s there and it provides you general direction, but when you reach a certain point 7 out of 10 players will likely break off to explore. To be honest there are about two or three truly memorable Fallout 3 non-DLC story moments. Doing what felt right in true RPG fashion I broke off to test the building and exploration. I unlocked the CAMP tutorial mission at about an hour fifteen in and spent the remainder of my second-hour gathering resources and building my CAMP.

Building is very much the same as Fallout 4 with only the interface really having changed to something that seems more streamlined for controllers rather than mouse and keyboard. The system maintains the old rotation and snap systems for building and has added in additional mechanics so stairs and doors must snap to a platform and cannot be free placed. Your CAMP provides you with a small, yet sizeable enough space for building and holding an area. In this area, you may build your house, crafting stations, defenses, and other things. My favorite new building mechanic is being able to make a blueprint of a built structure for ease of building at your next CAMP.

Gathering is simple enough. Wood logs in the forest can be scavenged for wood scraps used in building and resources do return after a brief while so you do not have to venture further and further to build. Plants and animals are common and easy to come across, dirty water can be collected at just about any source. Resource management can quickly become an issue if you don’t plan on the various things you may need, so look ahead!

The weapon and armor crafting is simple enough, though you need to explore to find plans for weapon upgrades and other weapons. There are a number of early game craftable and repairable weapons of which I enjoy. Melee combat is satisfying and moderately necessary as bullets have weight and can be hard to come by early on. I regularly carried 90 .38 rounds but would run out after a drawn-out fight with the games various enemies. VATS is now interesting as it acts in real-time and so many shots can be taken before coming out. Sometimes it seems more reliable to just do the old aim and shoot.

In the way of enemies, the game provides various wildlife and other classic baddies. Super Mutants, Raiders, mole rats, mutant hounds, feral ghouls, and other favorites. New to the family though, is The Scorched. Semi-sentient ghoul-like creatures who maintained knowledge enough to use firearms and have general call-outs to allies, they seem to be the heart of what the game’s story may be. They are deadly, common, and often work in groups, or attempt to ambush. They have a little less mobility than feral ghouls but attack like raiders, quickly and somewhat without cohesion. The most notable enemies added though are other players.

As for players, there were two others in my world, both of which I designated ‘strangers’. The game allows for three States of being with other players. Strangers who can trade and interact, enemies who attack on site, and allies who cannot damage each other and work together to survive. PvP is off until level 5 at which it becomes locked on. If I am honest given the movement of the game, if you wander along the initial quest for a brief time you will quickly reach level 5 likely making this level requirement somewhat irrelevant. Also, players are all always visible on the map as well as their current level so you can try to wander away if needed. Currently, the game has only launched with public servers of what I believe are 8-12 player games, though we have been told that private servers will be coming.

As for perks the game is taking strides to make survival remain difficult as you continue. When you level up you allocate a point into a SPECIAL and that point can then be used to slot perk cards to enhance your abilities. Perk cards are granted by packs provided every so many levels. I enjoy the new system, it requires more planning and they can be changed on the fly as long as you have what you need in your back pocket.

Now while I conclude here I want to note something to you all. Specifically to those of you who are coming into Fallout 76 looking for a wide and immersive story. There are no human NPCs. There are no real characters to immerse you. There are characters referenced and holotapes of their journeys to be found, but you are alone. The other people in your game are your characters and in this game, it is up to you to challenge yourself and build your own story. This game is perfect for people looking for a free roam Dungeons and Dragons style survival adventure where you provide the backstory and build the narrative. So to you story writers, creators, and those with wild imaginations, allow them to run free. This is your story, your adventure, your time.

To you who are searching for your next story-driven adventure, fear not as there are plenty of titles now available, Red Dead Redemption 2, a new DLC for Destiny 2 in December, the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and others. But, just maybe, take a pass on this for now. While I do recommend this game and fully believe it will only get better as time continues to go on and it grows, it does not have the pre-written story you’re looking for.

All in all, the game is fun and it is an experience. The bit I look forward to the most is not only seeing where Bethesda takes it, but where this community takes it. What stories they write and, eventually, what mods are developed.

 

Written By SurelyNotNoah