Todd Howard showcased Fallout 76 at E3 exclaiming that "It just works." Three years later we'll see just how true that is. We'll be diving into an in-depth review allowing the reader to draw their conclusions. 

Released October 23, 2018, it sold over 30,000 copies in the first month. According to Steam, in April 2020 over 15,000 were playing and December 2021 has dropped to just past 6,000. 

Fallout 76: Story

I hear dead people.

Overview

Twenty-five years after the bombs dropped and the world is a wasteland. It's full of radiation, and monstrous creatures that give you diseases, radiation damage, and nightmares but you must survive.  

As a vault dweller from Vault 76, you must uncover what happened to the overseer through holotapes. The main story was a little shorter than expected, but still a decent storyline.

It was difficult to keep interested when it was first released because the quest consisted of following dead people's voices recorded on holotapes. However, if you are a fan of lore then you may enjoy this.

Fallout 76: Game Play 

 Nothing to call home about  

Character 

You can customize your character at any time. Hairstyles and makeup are limited and have yet to be updated since the game was released. Most customization options are the same as Fallout 4. You will also see outfits from Fallout 4 such as the red dress Magnolia wears singing.

Unique Effects

You can have numerous builds for any type of weapon you like. The ability to have mutations helps give your character a boost for health, speed, and more. Mutations cause negative effects, but you can balance them out.

Some mutations can make you invisible when you standstill. Another popular one is the Healing Factor Serum, which regenerates health rapidly. 

Crafting

You can compose food. Some recipes give special boosts.  For example, Cranberry Relish will boost how much experience you get by ten percent. You can craft weapons and armor, though modifying them is more prevalent.

Legendary 

If you get legendary weapons or armor you don't like you can turn them into machines outside of train stations. You get script in return to spend on randomized legendary. 

They increased the number of legendary scripts available. This allows for more room in your stash box. You can buy random legendary weapons and armor frequently to find exactly what you want.

Map

There is a massive map to explore in this open world. Whitesprings is a hotspot for selling and buying. Players can also sell items at their camps using vending machines.

In-game vendors have a low cap count for serious players. It resets every 24 hours, but your stash box will get full rapidly. 

Activities 

It's the bomb

Annual events are something every vault dweller enjoys. Fasnacht Day is an event in which you can get a chance at a rare mask and plans for your camp. Escort quests can be fun! Meat Week is another fun event that brings the server together. You gather prime meat and bring it to a cookout. Rewards are unique to the events.

There are Daily Events such as Surface to Air. You battle scorched and scorchbeast. Completing events give you rewards like plans for weapons and armor. Petty supplies are included at the end of events too.

The most notable events are activated by launching a nuke on the location. Yes, launching a nuke! Don't be at ground zero!

Fallout 76: Combat

Levels/Skills

Fifty is the max level you can receive S.P.E.C.I.A.L attributes, but there is no max level. There are level 1,000 players.

Perk cards help to enhance your weapons of choice, increase health, damage resistance, and more. You get cards as you level up. Cards can be scrapped to get points that are used to get legendary cards.

 Whether you're a stealthy sniper or a berserker with a club there is a build for you.

They have it available to have multiple builds that can be interchanged. It helps make switching between quests and events go smoother.

PvP

PvP is only available if both parties agree. One of the few games that require consent to PvP. If someone hits you, they can't damage you, unless you retaliate. Then PvP is on. It's hard to find PvP in Fallout 76. If you are into that just play COD.

Fallout 76: Quest 

Fallout 76 had a rough start that kept going downhill.

The main adventure was underwhelming when the game first launched. Lacking NPCs and running on holotapes was limiting.The expansion Wastelanders gives you the NPCs and incentives you've been missing. You will continue the Overseer quest in Wastelanders. There are two factions. You can build a reputation with each one to get the items you want. Then you have to side with the Raiders or Settlers. One interesting aspect is Seasons. It is a board game that lets you earn prizes when completing daily/weekly tasks. 

The end of each board is a unique power armor that only the committed players obtain. It's a way to show off nonchalantly. Every ten weeks there is a new board. Occasionally it is extended. This helps keep the game interesting. Learn more here: https://fallout.bethesda.net/en/seasons

Daily Ops is part of the daily task you must complete and it changes every day. One day it's super mutants that explode on death, the next day it's robots that ignore armor. It's intense at times. It rewards you with supplies, legendary items, ammo, and depending on how well you did you get a chance to get rare plans.

Fallout 76: Graphics

          Frog legs have never been so hard to come by.

The graphics are disappointing compared to other open-world games. It is the same as Fallout 4. You can get good pictures in the game. It has its beauty and flaws. However, you walk by a tree or bush too slowly and you'll get Minecraft vibes.

Fighting too many enemies at once can crash your game. Which means you lose experience and loot.

A graphics overhaul would make this game drastically better. It's still not the worst graphics out there. Fallout 4 was mind-blowing in its time. There should have been more evolution in this department. 

Fallout 76: Developer 

It's no secret Bethesda has bugs almost to a catastrophic scale. It has since gotten a lot better. Developers are listening to players more than they used to. Patches are released frequently as well as added content.

Sometimes major issues like endless load screens or hard crashes get ignored for minor problems. It's almost like your house is on fire and someone starts washing the dishes.

If you run into any issues in the game you should just pull a fingernail off. Getting anything solved fairly with Bethesda is a nightmare. 

Fallout 76: Price

The price ranges from $8.00 to $60 depending on how much content you want or which platform you'll be using. This is only online so factor in the Playstation Plus and Xbox Live subscriptions. 

If you have Xbox Game Pass then you can play this with the membership.

You can buy Atoms which allows you to get camp items, skins, and minor boosts. I wouldn't say it's a pay to win. You can earn Atoms in the game and they add up if you play a lot. 

It is expensive to buy Atoms, so try your best to earn them through the game. Working on the Seasons is a practical way to get them. You will feel prompted to spend money at one point or another.

Final Verdict:

7/10

Pros

• Incredible online community 
• Effortlessly team up 
• Over 150 hours of gameplay 
• Outstanding replayability  
• Periodic updates

Cons

• Only online 
• Venders have limited caps
• Stash box amount
• Buggy
• Hair/face customization 

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