The survival MMO Fallout 76 is now two years old. A lot has happened during this time. MeinMMO has summarized for you, in a clear way, what happens in the story.
Why the whole story now? Fallout 76 was released on November 14, 2018. A lot has changed in the game over the two years. Not only has the gameplay evolved, but the story has also grown. Overall, Fallout 76 has a rich history that new players can easily miss.
However, that would be a shame because the lore of Fallout is unique, and the story of Fallout 76 tells the origins of the entire series. The MMO takes place before all other parts and thus lays the foundation.
If you missed the story or want to start fresh with Fallout 76, we have summarized everything that has happened so far in this article for you.
The Great War and the End of the World – Backstory of Fallout 76
Before Fallout can even begin, a brief look back at the origins. Why is the world of Fallout a post-apocalypse, and what destroyed this world?
The short version is: In Fallout 76, there were never transistors, or at least they were never used and developed on a large scale. As a result, many achievements, such as digitization, never occurred, and people increasingly relied on nuclear power. However, this also led to tensions.
Conflicts between communist China and capitalist USA grew until they finally culminated on October 23, 2077, “Bombs Drop Day”, in the Great War – which involved several impacts of nuclear warheads that burned the entire world.
The war lasted only a few hours, and afterwards, life as it was known was largely extinguished. In the USA, where Fallout takes place, some people were able to seek refuge in bunkers, the so-called Vaults.
From the ruins emerged new parallel governments such as the New California Republic or the Free States, as well as alliances like the Steel Brotherhood and the Raiders. Radiation also caused large parts of the flora and fauna and many humans to mutate.
Fresh out of the Vault – A New Beginning
This is the story of the beginning: At the start of Fallout 76, your task is to find a vaccine for the Scorched plague. It is spread by the gigantic Scorched beasts and causes humans to mutate into Scorched.
The disease causes people to burn from the inside out, until they inevitably die and end up as statues of coal and ash. The pain drives them insane and leads them to perceive themselves as a kind of unity with all Scorched.
This plague has already wiped out all life in Appalachia and is responsible for the fact that the people who were there before you have all died.
On your journey through Appalachia, you will follow the clues of your Overseer and the traces of various factions that have already lost the fight against the plague to ultimately find a cure.
Where does the plague come from? Towards the end of the story, you can glean from several records of the Enclave where the disease actually comes from. The Enclave is a secret society consisting of many politicians and important figures of the US government who want to regain power after the war.
The president of the Enclave in Appalachia, Thomas Eckhart, experimented with radiation and the FEV (“Forced Evolutionary Virus”). This is the virus from which Super Mutants emerged and resulted from a former US government experiment to create super soldiers. In the process, some bats mutated into the giant Scorched beasts, which went out of control and spread the plague.
This is your role: You play as a resident of Vault 76, one of the experts chosen by Vault-Tec and the government to be the first humans to restore order in the wasteland.
On October 23, 2102 – exactly 25 years after the bombs fell – the doors of the Vault opened for “Reclamation Day.” Your simple task is to make Appalachia livable again, a large area in the U.S. state of West Virginia.
The Overseer, who led Vault 76, has already departed before you because you overslept. You follow her trail and complete numerous tasks for her, leading you through the wasteland of Appalachia.
The most important characters in the main story:
- The Overseer – You follow her trail through the wasteland
- MODUS – The AI controls the Enclave and ensures that you can drop atomic bombs
- Paladin Taggerdy – The deceased leader of the Steel Brotherhood in Appalachia
- Maria Chavez – One of the founders and the leader of the Responders
Wastelanders – The Return of the Humans
This is the new story: Wastelanders continues the story a year later. You have found a vaccine and are now distributing it to the people who are returning to Appalachia. To finally defeat the plague, all humans must be vaccinated. However, the newcomers initially resist.
Since they do not trust you, they do not want the vaccination, and you must earn their trust first. This takes a while and ultimately results in you being able to gain more and more reputation with them.
Ultimately, however, you can convince them and reach the actual goal of your operation: the founding of a new government. To do this, you are searching for the gold reserves of the USA, which are said to be hidden in Appalachia.
Throughout the story, you will come across Vault 79, a government bunker where gold bars are stored and guarded by agents. You help the remaining agents and now have access to the gold bars, with which you can establish a new currency and thus a new civilization.
How does this change the world? You ensure that there is once again something with which people can trade and that has a fixed value. The gold bars are meant to replace bottle caps, which traditionally serve as currency in Fallout.
According to the Overseer, such a currency is the foundation of America, and you ensure that you can re-establish a government that manages the devastated wasteland. You need the gold to back the corresponding currency with a value. However, the story ends here for now, as you are still working on implementing the new currency and government.
These are the most important characters:
- Paige – Leader of the Settlers in Foundation
- Meg Groberg – Leader of the Raiders in Crater
- The Overseer – Your boss who is leading the reconstruction
- Derek “AC” Garrison – Leader of the Secret Service in Vault 79
- Duchess – Owner of the Wayward, responsible for your first quests in Wastelanders
The Steel Dawn and the Future of Appalachia
This is what happened recently: In One Wasteland, the Steel Brotherhood has begun to gather supplies to establish a base. You also complete missions (“daily operations”) to help the Brotherhood and prove yourself as a member.
The entire story between acquiring the gold bars and the next update revolves around preparing for the arrival.
What comes next? After the Brotherhood was wiped out in Appalachia, the main base in California sent out an expedition. This will eventually arrive after some difficulties with the new update Steel Dawn on December 1.
Thus, the story moves into the next round and opens the chapter of one of the most well-known factions of the Fallout universe. What exactly the Brotherhood is planning, we do not know yet. But I am sure: the Steel Brotherhood is the best thing that can happen to Fallout 76.
In the interview with MeinMMO, Project Lead Jeff Gardiner and Lead Quest Designer Brianna Schneider already revealed that the story will continue in the future. Steel Dawn will thus only be the beginning of the big story about the Brotherhood.
Is that all?
We have tried to explain the lore of Fallout 76 as briefly and easily as possible. The actual story is even more intricate and tells many more stories than are presented here.
Fallout 76 thrives on exploration and discovering the small stories hidden in the world. Every place has a background, and you can learn what happened there before you arrived at most locations.
If you want a little insight into the stories that await you in the main story and beyond, take a look at the 5 most beautiful quests that Fallout 76 has to offer.
