Fallout 76 was a catastrophe when it launched back in 2018: a bland, buggy mess full of microtransactions, no NPCs, and very little notable content.
Two years and many patches later, it’s considered something of a comeback kid. The vast majority of the bugs and glitches have been fixed, the wasteland is now populated by voiced NPCs, matchmaking has been improved, and quests feel more meaningful.
Don’t get me wrong, Fallout 76 hasn’t magically transformed into a must-play title, but at least it’s now not an outright embarrassment and player feedback has been addressed. This week, Bethesda is hoping to lure in some new players, and the game is now free to play until the 25th.
The game is currently in the ‘The Unstoppables vs The Diabolicals’ season, which sees the world get some superhero/villain-themed costumes and quests. A bunch of Halloween content is also here in the form of the Spooky Scorched event, which allows players to hunt down legendary items, buff-granting candy, and grants the ability to play trick or treat on other players’ camps.
Also of note to anyone trying this out is the recent launch of ‘Fallout Worlds’. This is akin to Fortnite‘s creative mode and allows players to create their own hand-crafted levels, with quests, special settings, and modifiers. There are already some fun creations on there, so be sure to check it out.
Sadly, it could be a long time before we get a ‘proper’ sequel in Fallout 5. Bethesda is currently hard at work on sci-fi adventure Starfield and then will leap into full development of the hugely anticipated The Elder Scrolls VI. Even so, there are rumors of a Fallout: New Vegas remaster in the works, so it might not be too long until we can step back into the nuclear wasteland.
In the meantime, give Fallout 76 a whirl while it’s free. It’s honestly not that bad now.
