Today, on December 10th, after a short server downtime, Update 16 was launched in Fallout 76. This update includes a ton of events, some new content, and a free Christmas bot.
What kind of update is this? Update 16 was partially announced in advance by the developers. It brings a free trial phase for Fallout 76 and events to earn rewards.
How large is the update? Depending on which platform you are playing, you will need to download different amounts. The size is
- about 3 GB on PC.
- about 8 GB on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Patch Notes for Update 16 – Free Bot and More
What’s included in the update: Update 16 largely revolves around Christmas. Accordingly, there are numerous new contents related to the holiday season:
- Holiday-Scorched are roaming in Appalachia and dropping gifts you can pick up (December 12-26).
- With gift wrap, you can wrap gifts for other players.
- Private worlds via the Fallout 1st subscription can now be set to “Team Only”.
- On December 12, the Halloween challenges for Nuclear Winter are returning (until December 17).
- On December 18, the Christmas challenges for Nuclear Winter will start (until January 7).
- The maps Morgantown and Forest are returning to Nuclear Winter.
The challenges reward you with exclusive cosmetics, such as a glowing skeleton costume. Furthermore, you can vote on which map to play before each match in Nuclear Winter.
How to secure the free bot: In addition to the new events, the “Santatron” is available for free in the Atom Shop until December 31. Grab him during this time and you can build and use him repeatedly afterward.
The bot passively collects items for you, like most Protectron units in the C.A.M.P. It rewards you occasionally with candies, toys, or gifts. You can find the items in its collection container.
In the gifts from the Santatron as well as from the Scorched, there can be rare items such as blueprints. They come in different qualities.
What else will change? Some further changes tweak Nuclear Winter, the challenges, and fix dozens of bugs. The full patch notes in German can be found on the official homepage.
Free2Play Phase and Additional Events in Fallout 76
How to play Fallout 76 for free: In Update 16, a “free trial” event will take place in Fallout 76 from December 12 to 16. During this time, you can test the full game without paying. However, you will need a subscription to PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold on PS4 and Xbox One.
At the same time, you will also earn double experience points, allowing you to level up even faster. You can find tips for leveling up faster in our guide.
Since the Halloween challenges in Nuclear Winter and the Scorched event will also start on December 12, you will have plenty of activities to jump into as a new player.
We have some tips for you here for an easier start:
