Summary
- Fallout 76 has redeemed itself and reached record player numbers in 2024 thanks to major updates and a committed fanbase.
- The multiplayer aspect of the game is solo-friendly and PvP is optional, allowing players to play alone or engage in diverse community groups.
- The game's endgame offers a unique and endlessly replayable experience, with multiple free content updates, raid bosses, and the freedom to choose how to play and complete quests.
Players who have avoided Fallout 76 because of the negativity surrounding its launch may want to reconsider trying the game in its current state. Seemingly, Fallout 76 has redeemed itself as of 2024, recently reaching record player numbers thanks to several major updates and a committed fanbase.
Arguably, 2024 is the best time to play Fallout 76 for the first time, mostly because of the recent changes to the new-player experience, but also because there’s a massive amount of overall content available in the game by now. There are also plenty of reasons why existing players should stick around for 2024. Not to mention, there is a lot more set to come to Fallout 76 in the years after as well.
Fallout 76’s Multiplayer Is Solo-Friendly and PvP Is Optional
When Fallout 76 was first released there were no human NPCs in the game, only other players, so naturally this inspired players to create relationships that eventually developed into a wide variety of community groups. While NPCs have been added to help populate the game since then, several diverse community groups have persisted across all platforms that the game is on, most of which are both active and inclusive to newcomers. These include small-scale roleplaying groups, a player network of “Couriers” that provide in-game services, as well as groups that do live in-game performances in Fallout 76, and many other unique groups.
At the same time, Fallout 76 can fully be played solo for the traditional Fallout experience, except with the condition of requiring an internet connection. For players who want to play the game this way, an active Fallout 1st subscription will give players access to a private server where players can play alone or invite up to seven other players.
A Fallout 1st subscription will give players access to many exclusive features, but it’s not required to play Fallout 76.
There used to be dedicated PvP game modes in Fallout 76, which even included a battle-royale activity, but most of these have been removed from the game by now, allegedly due to a lack of player support. PvP still lives on through duels, Workshops, and trap CAMPs, but players can entirely avoid these scenarios. So, ultimately, PvP is a rare and optional occurrence in Fallout 76.
Fallout 76’s Endgame Is Its Biggest Strength
While the other recent Fallout games are still highly recommended, Fallout 76 incorporates a unique multiplayer spin on the traditional experience, on top of all the latest developments from the franchise. These are mostly small QOL features, but over time these seemingly small features have amounted to a noticeably different experience than any other available game in the franchise. Additionally, unlike its linear predecessors, Fallout 76 offers an endless endgame loop, as well as multiple existing and upcoming free content updates.
Players ultimately have the freedom to choose how they want to play Fallout 76’s endgame, including whether to complete the main story and sidequests. For completionists, this means collecting rare items and every reward from the Seasonal Events and Scoreboards. Otherwise, many players dedicate themselves to creating impressive CAMPs in Fallout 76, roleplaying, or exploration.
Scoreboards are Fallout 76’s version of a time-limited Battle Pass, including free rewards as well as premium rewards for Fallout 1st subscribers.
There are also raid bosses in Fallout 76 that an entire server can participate in, which are also considered the endgame experience. Specifically, there are currently three bosses that can be summoned by targeting a specific location on the map with a nuke: the Wendigo Colossus, the Scorchbeast Queen, and the Ultracite Titan. These raid boss events are infinitely repeatable, but there is a three-hour timer before players can relaunch any of the three nukes, which is why many players dedicate themselves to other activities in the meantime. With so much to do now and the player base being larger than ever, Fallout 76 is worth playing.
Fallout 76
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 54 /100 Critics Rec: 9%
WHERE TO PLAY
Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Skyrim and Fallout 4, welcome you to Fallout 76. Twenty-five years after the bombs fell, you and your fellow Vault Dwellers—chosen from the nation’s best and brightest – emerge into post-nuclear America on Reclamation Day, 2102. Play solo or join together as you explore, quest, build, and triumph against the wasteland’s greatest threats. Explore a vast wasteland, devastated by nuclear war, in this open-world multiplayer addition to the Fallout story. Experience the largest, most dynamic world ever created in the legendary Fallout universe. Expand southward to Skyline Valley – a brand-new region of Appalachia. Investigate the cause of the electric storm circling overhead and unveil the mystery around Vault 63 and its dwellers, including a shocking new Ghoul type – The Lost.
