For several weeks now, the first season with a Season Pass and new rewards has been running in Fallout 76 . Many players are diving back into the post-apocalyptic adventure – including MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus. And he feels more comfortable in Appalachia right now than he has in a long time.
Fallout 76 has been my passion since its release in November 2018, but like many players, I had a slump in between. Although I never completely stopped playing, there were often several weeks between my sessions.
However, for the past few days, I have been having as much fun with the survival game as I haven’t had since the beginning. I owe this to the new Season 1, which was launched with Update 20 on June 30, 2020.
The season is even more enjoyable for me than the Wastelanders update, for which I already said at the time: This is Fallout 76, as it should have been. With Season 1, I log in as much as possible every day to at least complete my daily quests, and I often end up spending another two or three hours in Appalachia.
Season Pass, new features, and finally something to do
What makes Season 1 so good? Despite some criticism, the free Season Pass “The Legendary Race” has become a cool idea that rewards playing in Fallout 76 repeatedly. Moreover, absolutely crazy tasks are not necessary. Many of the challenges can easily be completed just by playing.
In total, there are over 100 rewards in the tiers, ranging from aids like lunch boxes and scrap to skins and brand new C.A.M.P. items that make the game more enjoyable.
Thanks to the revamp of public events, many locations in Appalachia can now be reached faster and, above all, cheaper. When a public event appears, I can teleport there for free.
This saves time and caps and allows me to quickly team up with other players for events, even if I’m actually doing something else. I definitely won’t miss a quick round of Uranium Fever or even a Queen of the Burned Beasts!
Here’s the best part: In my opinion, the absolute best feature of Season 1 is the public teams. These are teams that any player can create and that follow a specific theme, such as hunting, completing events, or even roleplaying.
If you’re looking for companions and just want to do something, you can simply join and participate at any time. The teams entice with strong bonuses, like up to double experience points for events or up to +4 on a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute.
This not only makes leveling the character easier, but it’s also a good tip for leveling the Season Pass faster. This way, I get the rewards even faster and can even catch up if I couldn’t complete the challenges for a day.
It’s also particularly cool that many players share their perks with the group. This not only usually benefits all players in the group but can also lead to learning entirely different playstyles.
For example, there was a time when I received the perk “Stabilized” from a team member, which strengthens heavy weapons when wearing a Power Armor.
Previously, I had played a mix of rifles and heavy weapons, but with “Stabilized” I tried out a minigun for the first time. I liked the perk so much that I reshaped my entire build to be able to play with it.
Not despite, but because of Wastelanders good
Is Season 1 better than Wastelanders? It’s hard to say. The Wastelanders update has completely changed Fallout 76 and I don’t believe Season 1 would have become so good if it hadn’t been built on Wastelanders.
The great thing about Season 1 is not only that I can play better with other players and experience adventures together. It’s also cool that while traveling around and completing tasks, I encounter NPCs that have settled somewhere.
For example, during the task to hack a terminal, I came across a wannabe soldier in Camp McClintock, who immediately recognized me as a real army member because of my training there and admired me.
Elsewhere, I discovered a settler who was watching the Raider camp from a cliff near Crater. These are cool interactions and little stories hidden in Appalachia that, among other things, detail the conflict of the two new factions. The whole world simply becomes more alive, and it’s great to explore it a second time. I keep discovering new things.
Can it all get even better? I am quite sure that it will. I said earlier this year that 2020 will be the big year for Fallout 76. And the more I see of the current developments, the more convinced I am of that.
In the next major update – probably Update 21 on August 4 – the ammunition converter will receive an overhaul. The community has frequently and loudly requested this feature, and I think it’s great too – it’s just that the implementation still needs improvement. That should improve significantly soon.
Moreover, there are already hints of a new legendary faction in the game. Encrypted radio signals indicate the return of the Brotherhood of Steel. For me personally, this will certainly be the highlight of the year in Fallout 76, perhaps even of the whole game, because I’ve loved the Brotherhood and their damn cool armor since I first experienced Fallout. Ad Victoriam, brothers and sisters!
