The open-world MMO Fallout 76 has had a kind of two-tier society for a long time. Veterans possessed overly powerful weapons that newer players could not obtain. The latest patch radically solves the problem but also introduces new bugs into the game.
After a release met with much criticism and a difficult time for Fallout 76, the developers stuck with it and continued to improve the MMO. Content was added, balancing was adjusted, and the world became more vibrant.
However, especially in terms of balancing, Fallout 76 has had a problem for years due to so-called “legacy items.” These are items that can no longer be obtained in the game. If you had them in your inventory, you were allowed to keep the items – and they were sometimes overly strong.
For players with certain legacy items, it was not a problem to clear difficult PvE events that were real challenges for “normal” players. Not to mention the issues with PvP balancing. “Annihilation” would probably be an appropriate word.
But with the latest patch, fairness is finally supposed to return to the apocalyptic wasteland, although it does not come without new bugs.
Currently, the Nuka-World tour is underway in Fallout 76. You can watch a trailer for it here:
“The game is currently better than ever before”
What happens to the legacy items? In the patch notes for the update, the developers explain that they are removing the “illegal” mods. Only weapon mods that can currently actually be equipped will remain in the game.
Every mod that is currently unavailable will be removed without replacement. You can find the corresponding paragraph in the patch notes in the spoiler box:
Legacy Items
Even though our game is set in a post-apocalyptic world, this world should still be fair, fun, and inviting for everyone. While you indulged in your exploration and building instincts, we have been working on a new system that ensures behind the scenes that disallowed combinations of expansions are removed, violating our EULA. This is to ensure that each individual player uses or trades the same items and that no one is unfairly advantaged.
With today’s update, we are implementing a system to remove unauthorized weapon expansions that cannot be obtained in the game. Most players will notice no change in their existing weapons. However, players who possess a weapon with a mod that cannot be equipped in the intended way may notice a decrease in the damage of that weapon and the absence of the mod.
You can find the complete patch notes on bethesda.net.
What do players think of the new update? The mood in the Fallout 76 subreddit is quite positive after the update. A relatively large thread with almost 500 comments and 670 upvotes is titled: “The game is currently better than ever before” (via reddit.com).
Not only are the legacy adjustments praised, but other minor changes are also highlighted.
Even players who have lost their legacy items do not necessarily view the changes critically. The removal of the items is sometimes referred to as “Legacygate” and leads some players to find Fallout 76 immediately more varied again.
As User NiceButOdd on reddit writes: “At first, I hated that I lost my legacy items yesterday. My reflex was to tell my friends that I would quit. A little later, I backtracked and wanted to at least see how it would play after legacy gate. […] I’m actually enjoying the game more now because I realized I was bored because everything was too easy.”
The latest adjustments have changed the game in a way that positively influences many players. Sometimes, such changes are more valuable than new content. This is evident especially in Fallout 76.
What new problems have arisen in the game? However, there are also negative reports. For example, a power armor ability that reduces weight is reportedly broken. Some players have logged into Fallout 76 and are unable to move as a result.
Furthermore, the plasma gatling gun is said to only fire 17 shots, although the ammunition reserve is at 500. This makes the rapid-fire weapon practically useless.
Overall, however, it was a strong update for Fallout 76 that made the MMO better and fairer.
If you are fans of the apocalypse setting of Fallout, then take a closer look at the following list: The 10 best post-apocalyptic games 2023 for PlayStation, PC, and Xbox
