Microsoft recently added several games from Bethesda to the Xbox Game Pass, including Fallout 76. If you haven’t tried the survival MMO yet, you should do so now – the Game Pass is just one of the reasons.
What is Fallout 76? In the latest installment of the Fallout series from Bethesda, you play together with other players in the vast wasteland of Appalachia, West Virginia. As one of the first vault dwellers to emerge into the post-apocalyptic world, you are tasked with rebuilding.
Meanwhile, the story has progressed and many humans (NPCs) have returned to Appalachia, so you are now working on rebuilding society. The legendary Brotherhood of Steel has been helping you since the current update “Steel Dawn”.
Fallout 76 emphasizes survival elements such as hunger and thirst, allows you to build your own bases (“C.A.M.P.s”), and offers a large world full of various enemies and bosses. In the open world, in dungeons and events, you can acquire weapons, armor, and legendary items to improve yourself.
As a survival MMO, Fallout 76 primarily focuses on the multiplayer aspect. You are meant to face the dangers of the world together with friends and strangers. However, you can also face the wasteland alone if you wish. Here are 5 reasons why you should definitely give it a try.
In most survival games, you start completely naked and are expected to build a base from scratch, search for resources and food, and defend yourself against dangers. Upon death, you often lose everything. This thrill appeals to many survival fans.
Fallout 76 takes a somewhat easier approach. You don’t lose everything and don’t start completely naked, but are already equipped with basic knowledge, supplies, and gear, making the entry a bit easier.
1. Fallout 76 is now cheap on Game Pass
On March 11, Microsoft and Bethesda added 20 new games to the Xbox Game Pass, including Fallout 76. This gives you the opportunity to play the survival MMO without paying the full price. Instead, the Game Pass costs per month:
- €9.99 for either PC or Xbox
- €12.99 for Game Pass Ultimate for PC and Xbox including cloud for Android devices
At the moment, you can get into Fallout 76 at a very low price, especially if you just want to try it for a month. If you enjoy the game, you can purchase it afterward. If you enjoy the other games in the Game Pass, you can keep the subscription.
Owners of an Xbox Series X have another advantage. Fallout 76 is getting an upgrade to 60 FPS, instead of the usual 30 FPS. Once you activate the FPS boost in the settings, you can play Fallout 76 more fluidly on the next-gen console.
By the way: According to Todd Howard, Fallout 76 is even one of the most played games on Xbox. So you should have no trouble finding players.
2. One of the most important stories is just beginning
The last major update in 2020, the “Steel Dawn” (eng. “Steel Dawn”) was released on November 24. This brought the legendary Brotherhood of Steel, which has now established a base in Appalachia.
The Brotherhood is present in all Fallout games and is one of the most important factions in the Fallout universe. It even received its own game, which, however, does not belong to the official canon of the series.
Fallout 76 takes place chronologically before all other installments in the series, so the Brotherhood is not yet the powerful organization you may know from Fallout 4. This puts you in a unique position to experience how the Paladins and Knights slowly grow in power.
Since the update is still current, you now have the chance to be there from the beginning and experience even more of the Brotherhood’s story in upcoming updates. It is not yet possible to gain reputation with them – future features may change that.
3. Fallout 76 has developed really well
If you haven’t read anything about Fallout 76 since its release, you might remember the game as a total flop. The survival MMO had a rocky start with many bugs and poor reviews.
Even the head Todd Howard has apologized multiple times for the state of the game and recently said during the Game Pass presentation: “There’s little we [with Fallout 76] haven’t messed up” (via YouTube).
However, the developers have taken the years 2019 and 2020 to significantly improve and polish Fallout 76:
- With Wastelanders, the NPCs returned. This removed one of the biggest criticisms, as the world seemed dead and bland without them.
- Over the updates, bugs were fixed and performance improved, although some players still claim that this remains a flaw.
- New features like the ammunition converter addressed the specific problems of active players.
- “One Wasteland” brought the ability to play with friends anytime and anywhere and keeps all content fresh.
Since its release, so much has changed in Fallout 76 that the game has little in common with its bug-ridden launch state. You can find out more about it in our special: Fallout 76 developed really well in 2020 – What’s next?
4. New content and features are coming soon
Bethesda has already confirmed that the new update “Locked and Loaded” will be released on April 27, 2021. This will finally bring the skill loadouts that players have long wanted and have been promised for a long time.
With skill loadouts, you can create builds and switch them at the press of a button, so you have the right perks and S.P.E.C.I.A.L. values at hand for every situation. You can find the list of all perks and the list of all legendary perks in Fallout 76 for your overview on MeinMMO.
Additionally, with C.A.M.P. places, you have the option to build up to three bases. While you can only have one of them active at a time, the others will be saved where you built them. This way, you can switch as you like. In a new video, the developers explain what the new features look like and how they work:
The changes are already on the test server of Fallout 76, and you can check them out. Alternatively, you can use the time to prepare for the upcoming update by collecting any missing perks or C.A.M.P. items.
5. The community is uniquely friendly
One of the biggest advantages of Fallout 76, especially for new players, is the game’s community. It is generally regarded as extremely friendly. Aaron Greenberg, the Head of Games Marketing at Xbox, even describes it as “one of the most substantial gaming communities out there” (via YouTube).
If you need help with anything in the game, you can rest assured that you will receive it. Higher-level players often visit the starting area and distribute water, food, and even weapons to newcomers.
Through public groups, you can easily join other players and level up, build, or complete events together. And if you ever get stuck somewhere, you will find support outside the game as well – for example, in the subreddit or in our Facebook group for Fallout 76.
All of this makes Fallout 76 one of the best survival games available right now, and especially with the Game Pass offer, it’s worth giving the game a chance.
If you enjoy the genre but are still not convinced by Fallout 76, you can find in our list the 25 best survival games of 2021 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
