Fallout 76 has released new screenshots of the upcoming major Wastelanders update in a blog post. In these, they show for the first time the two largest factions: the Settlers and the Raiders. You can join both, and there is already information available about each.
What are these factions? The Settlers and the Raiders will both appear as factions in the Wastelanders update of Fallout 76. As a player, you can join both factions and decide whether to work for them or even play them against each other.
Raiders and Settlers are only the largest factions in the game, as mentioned in the blog post. To introduce Wastelanders, more eccentric characters were introduced – such as the Cult of the Mothman.
What can I do with the factions? The NPCs of the factions offer you tasks to complete for them. Doing so will earn you a reputation with them. There is still no information available about specific rewards.
It is, however, already known that there will be a kind of companion system similar to the predecessors. Fallout 76 will therefore play a bit more like Fallout 3. Furthermore, you can even romance the NPCs because it will be possible to fall in love.
New Screenshots of Settlers and Raiders
These are the Settlers: The Settlers are a group of humans seeking refuge after the Great War. They have heard that the inhabitants of Vault 76 (you, the players) have made Appalachia habitable again.
Now, led by the Settler Paige, they are building the new settlement Foundation in Spruce Knobs. Foundation will be a completely revamped new area in Appalachia.
The Settlers are skilled craftsmen and capable of building a decent town. However, they have no idea about combat, which is why they hire you to provide protection.
These are the Raiders: The Raiders are a gang of outlaws who originally claimed Appalachia for themselves. Driven back by dangers, they now return after hearing that others want to occupy their “homeland”.
The Raiders’ base is located in the north of Appalachia, at the space station. Here, under the leadership of their leader Meg, they set up their large camp and name it “Crater”.
Like Foundation, Crater is also a new and revamped area. However, you will not be welcome at first if you want to explore there.
The Raiders are a bunch of rough characters and are not known for warmly welcoming strangers. If you want to get involved with them, you first need to ensure they are friendly towards you.
Wastelanders and the Future of Fallout 76
Why the factions are so important: With Raiders and Settlers, NPCs are finally coming into the game that players have wanted since the release of Fallout 76. The absence of NPCs has always been one of the biggest points of criticism.
Previously, Bethesda could excite players with pictures of the first NPCs that you will encounter. Shortly thereafter, some screenshots made the community go crazy about cars as a feature.
Apparently, the demand for the update is high, and it could help to attract more players back to Fallout 76. To ensure that the update is good, Bethesda has invited players to test Wastelanders.
500 players have already been invited, and soon more will be allowed to participate in the test. If Wastelanders is as good as it sounds, 2020 could be a big success:
Update February 4: Bethesda has finally announced the release date for the Wastelanders update. It will be released in April along with the release on Steam.
