Fallout 76became an icon and cautionary tale with its release in 2018. The long-awaited multiplayer entry in Bethesda’s storiedFalloutseries would have been hard-pressed to deliver everything fans expected by translating a single-player wonderland into theMMO format. However, game-destroying glitches and a bevy of similar difficulties awaited early adoptees to complicate matters.
Four years later, revitalized by new Seasons patches and a bevy of NPCs and factions,Fallout 76has become a much more strong and robust product. It’s more than likelyFalloutfans will see much of its story and lore appear in future releases likeFallout 5, and there are some key details that should carry forward.Spoilers forFallout 76ahead.
RELATED:Fallout 76: 10 Facts You Never Knew About The Scorched
Appalachia and the FalloutTimeline
Fallout 76may be the most recent release in the series, but itfalls earliest on the chronologicalFallouttimeline, just 25 years after the bombs fell. This gives it an outsized impact on future games in the series. Literally anything in the multiplayer title could have echoes down the line.
Still, there are some elements that seem destined for future titles. WhileFallout 76is built upon the successful factions and stories introduced in earlier titles by Interplay and Bethesda, its own unique additions are more than the foundations from existingFalloutfavorites.
Fallout 76’s Nuclear Warfare and Scorched
Players exit Vault 76 unaware of the nefarious tactics of Vault-Tec and its experimental divisions. Following in the footsteps of the Vault’s Overseer, they quickly learn of local threats such as the Scorched, and the true purpose of their Vault. Joining up with the local Enclave, the player gains access to hidden nuclear bunkers to launch their own local nuclear strike and put an end to the Scorched threat.
While the Scorched represent a uniquely West Virginian menace, unlikely to spread far beyond the region, their presence and use of large-scale nuclear bombardment could carry into future titles. Tracking down keys, entering secret codes held by special enemies, and fighting past bunker security may become a regular occurrence inFallout 5. Doubly so if those games offer any sort of player versus player or multiplayer component, even though Bethesda Game Studios directorTodd Howard has confirmed that isn’t a planned focus for theFalloutseries.
Wastelanders and the Secret Service
With a few notable exceptions, the early Reclamation Day events were a bit of a bust because Appalachia was devoid of interesting NPCs, a crucial element of anyFalloutgame. Robots, terminals, and logs developed quests, and many players quickly lost interest after launching their first nuke. The Wastelanders expansion changed that, bringing NPCs back to West Virginia and putting the player in the role of mediator, or antagonist, as two major camps of settlers and raiders vied for regional control.
While these elements are nothing new, and the currentraider situation inFallout 76leaves a bit to be desired, Wastelanders brought with it the Secret Service. The Secret Service and its currency could well pop up again in other locations, hoarding more national treasures. The expansion also reintroduced “us versus them” factions and hard, but not irreversible, choices. It remains to be seen if that’s a legacy of the multiplayer game or if this kind of softer, mutable resolution might become a staple going forward.
Steel Dawn and Steel Reign in Fallout 76
AsFallout 76’sAppalachia developed, it could not escape the Brotherhood of Steel. The Crater’s Raiders and Foundation’s Settlers found themselves negotiating with a new power in the region, and once again the Vault Dweller was in the middle of the action. This time, choices are irreversible and dictate the future of the Order in West Virginia.
The Brotherhood of Steel expansions represent one of the few times that player decisions may echo into the future. Only one of the two potential endings of this two-part storyline can become canon. Whether the player ends up a loyal brotherhood member or the first Knight-Errant of a potentially rogue faction may be less important than which philosophy the Brotherhood adopts in this region, and whether that rogue faction gains power in future titles.
RELATED:Fallout 76 Contains Major Brotherhood of Steel Plot Hole
Responders and the Pitt
The Responders were first introduced following Reclamation Day. This pack of do-gooders tried to civilize the area, but was promptly disbanded by the raiders, super mutants, and Scorched in the region. Their corpses and broken camps littered the landscape, but a new set of Responders set up at the Whitesprings Golf Resort with the Pitt update. Armed with a Vertibird transport, they aimed to extend a reach outside Appalachia proper, includingPittsburgh’s eponymous City of Steel.
The Responders were one of the earliest factions introduced, but their tale was a sad one. Free of NPC survivors, computer trials and recorded logs were all that remained of this group until the recent resurgence. This is the firstFallout 76faction to have real legs outside the immediate area, and the only original group likely to be featured in future titles likeFallout 5. Because they’re growing so early in theFalloutfranchise timeline, they may well exist in large numbers later on.
War Never Changes
Fallout 76fans who stuck it out to today’s more coherent plots and immersive activities are likely to see their choices crop up in laterFalloutgames. New players willing to give the four-year-old multiplayer game a chance might well find something to like in its revamped, expanded version too. It may not giveFinal Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborna run for its money, but it continues to improve without requiring a complete reboot. Those who were put off initially may still want to check out the story and lore, if just to stay ahead of its potential effect onFallout 5and other future titles.
Fallout 76is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
