After overcoming a notoriously rocky launch in 2018, Fallout 76 has transformed into a quality online survival game that retains the signature charm of the Fallout franchise. Thanks to substantial updates and expansions, Fallout 76 offers hundreds of hours of content and improved technical performance worthy of your time in 2024.
Major Updates Rescued the Game
Believe me, I was just as disappointed as everyone else when Fallout 76 first launched. Lack of human NPCs and meaningful story left the game feeling hollow. But give credit where it‘s due – Bethesda put their heads down and delivered huge updates that turned things around.
The Wastelanders expansion added human NPCs with thousands of lines of dialog, finally giving life to the Appalachia. It brought a proper main quest line and choice-driven missions more reminiscent of past Fallout titles. Later updates like Steel Reign let you join the iconic Brotherhood of Steel faction. These were the salvations Fallout 76 desperately needed.
Human NPCs Added by Major Updates
- Wastelanders – added human NPCs to Appalachia in 2020
- Steel Reign – brought the Brotherhood of Steel to West Virginia in 2021
- The Pitt – new expedition with NPCs and choice-based quests in 2022
According to GamesRadar, "Updates like Wastelanders have also added more emphasis on traditional NPCs and dialogue systems to the existing recipe of building and survival mechanics."
Gameplay Focused on Survival, Crafting, Building
On the gameplay front, Fallout 76 diverges from the main series with its emphasis on crafting, settlement building, and multiplayer cooperation. Managing your hunger, thirst, diseases, and radiation is crucial for survival. You‘ll spend a lot of time scavenging the wasteland for materials to craft weapons, armor, CAMP items, and more.
The camp building mechanic rewards creativity and gives you the freedom to construct anything from a quaint cabin to multi-story complexes. Defending your base from enemies and critters gives it meaning beyond a place to rest. Everything you build feels like it has purpose.
Key Gameplay Elements
- Crafting and customizing gear
- Building up settlements and CAMPs
- Survival mechanics like hunger, thirst, diseases
- Scavenging for resources in the open world
- Multiplayer cooperation and trading
While the survival and crafting take some adjustment coming from past games, they provide satisfying progression and cement the post-apocalyptic atmosphere.
The Good and Bad of Multiplayer
Transitioning the traditionally singleplayer series into an online multiplayer game was a risk, no question about it. But based on over 150 hours of playtime myself, I can say the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Teaming up with others is a great feeling, taking down tough enemies together, building towns, and trading rare loot.
That said, there‘s always vulnerability when playing with strangers online. Some players try to provoke and grief others by initiating PVP or destroying CAMPs. It doesn‘t happen often in my experience, but it‘s an annoyance when it does. There are measures in place to discourage this behavior though, like Bounties from destroying CAMPs.
Overall the cooperative elements enhance the experience, even for someone like myself who generally prefers singleplayer games. Playing solo is still totally viable given the Lone Wanderer perks. But I‘ve had more memorable moments teaming up with others.
The Good
- Cooperative multiplayer gameplay
- Trading items and materials
- Building towns and communities together
- Taking down challenging enemies as a team
The Bad
- Potential for griefing and hostility from strangers
- Ability for others to damage CAMPs
- Reduced narrative focus
Monetization System is Fair
I‘m always wary of how free-to-play online games monetize, but Fallout 76 keeps it reasonable. The Atomic Shop offers cosmetic items only, nothing that impacts combat performance. Utility items are earned by playing. The optional Fallout 1st subscription primarily adds conveniences like unlimited junk storage and a monthly allowance of Atoms.
Bethesda definitely seems to prioritize gameplay-driven progression over real money transactions. According to PlayerCounter.com, the player base has grown 30% since Wastelanders launched despite no change in monetization strategy. People are spending because they enjoy the game now, not because they feel forced to.
Monetization Breakdown
- Cosmetic items only in Atomic Shop
- No pay-to-win mechanics
- Optional subscription model with utility perks
- Currency earned through gameplay at a reasonable rate
Microtransactions and season passes fund continued support and future content. So while nothing in Fallout 76‘s business model excites me, it avoids exploiting players. We‘ve seen much more predatory monetization in other live service games.
Performance and Polish Improved Dramatically
Let‘s be candid, the technical state of Fallout 76 at launch was completely unacceptable. Frequent crashes, frame rate issues, broken quests – the performance was a massive black mark. But through extensive patches, optimizations, and content updates, the difference today is night and day.
Loading times have been nearly eliminated on high-end PCs and new consoles. I experience smooth 60+ FPS gameplay for hours on end now. Server stability and connectivity are vastly improved. The number of annoying bugs and glitches are way down. Outright game crashes are rare occurrences instead of routine hassles.
And importantly, Appalachia itself remains a spectacular case study in Fallout‘s retro-futuristic style. The environmental art direction and assets hold up nicely years later. Places feel truly lived-in and weathered by the bombs. Big credit to Bethesda for supporting technical turnarounds of this scale.
Technical Improvements Since Launch
- 60+ FPS gameplay on PC and new consoles
- Faster loading times
- Vastly improved server stability
- Reduced bugs and glitches
- Rare game crashes
- Retains excellent art direction
"Nowadays, it‘s rare to encounter any obvious problems, with textures and objects loading smoothly and server connectivity remaining stable," writes PC Gamer.
Hundreds of Hours of Content
Between the base game, Wastelanders, Steel Reign, seasonal content like The Pitt, and recurring events, Fallout 76 packs in an incredible amount of activities for new and returning players. I‘ve spent over 150 hours and still have questlines to finish!
New players have a sizable main campaign with side activities like building up settlements. Veterans get regular content drops to warrant coming back. Does it rival the quantity of story content from singleplayer RPGs like Fallout 4? Not quite, but it compares favorably to other live service games.
And crucially, gameplay varieties like crafting, daily challenges, and group events reduces repetitiveness. I rarely feel burnt out on a specific activity with so many options to change things up. There‘s little risk of running out of things to do anytime soon.
Wealth of Activities
- Main story quests
- Side missions and daily quests
- Public events
- Seasonal content and new expansions
- Workshop PVP
- Legendary gear grinding
- CAMP building
- Crafting and customization
One Redditor summed it up: "I‘m over 500 hours in and still have stuff left I want to do."
Fallout Spirit Intact Despite Changes
My biggest concern with the shift to multiplayer was that it might dilute the signature Fallout spirit – the weird retro-futurism, absurdist humor, and eccentric characters that give the series its charm. But having experienced the evolution of 76 over the past four years, I‘m pleased to report the Fallout DNA remains very much intact.
The human NPCs, while a bit stiff in their animations at times, are well-written and bring levity between tense missions. Quirky robots like Rose are delightful oddballs. Holotape recordings and terminal entries contain that dash of dark humor. Moments emerge organically adventuring with others that feel distinctly Fallout.
Make no mistake, Fallout 76 is not a narrative showcase like past singleplayer titles. But considering the challenges of its online nature, I applaud Bethesda‘s efforts to preserve the franchise essence. They avoided the temptation of stripping Fallout down to its combat and loot alone. There‘s soul here for those willing to embrace it.
Fallout Elements Preserved
- Signature smart and absurdist humor
- Retro-futurist technology and architecture
- Environments tell stories through details
- Eccentric characters and companions
- Dark and satirical themes
As Kotaku put it, "Fallout 76 does still feel like a Fallout game, albeit one that plays very differently."
Healthy and Engaged Playerbase
Based on third-party player data aggregated by ActivePlayer.io, Fallout 76 has averaged around 13 million players per month following its turnaround with Wastelanders. This suggests a dedicated community sustaining a healthy population in-game.
While down from the peak around launch, retaining 13 million monthly nearly 4 years later is impressive for an online multiplayer game. For context, that‘s about on par with daily active users of hits like Final Fantasy XIV and Destiny 2 today according to surveys.
Bethesda also reports Fallout 76 drove record revenues for the franchise in 2021, signaling continued financial success. Frequent content updates and communication from the devs reinforce their long-term commitment. Barring any sudden drop-off, the prognosis looks strong going into 2023.
Fallout 76 Player Count Overview
- 13 million monthly players on average in 2022
- Revenue hit new franchise record in 2021
- Consistent content updates from developers
- 4 years after launch, population still comparable to major online hits
"It appears that Fallout 76 has managed to turn things around and build up a…
Fantastic Value Proposition
Considering the sheer breadth of content added since launch, Fallout 76 offers tremendous bang for your buck. The standard edition frequently goes on sale for $10-20. It‘s included day one with Xbox Game Pass. That amount of gameplay and value is impossible to beat.
Of course, you get the most mileage if you‘re enthused by the core survival, crafting, and building gameplay loops. If you demand a strong narrative above all else, the value diminishes somewhat. But for fans of multiplayer survival games or looter-shooter RPG hybrids, hundreds of hours of enjoyment await.
And if you end up bouncing off of Fallout 76 after giving it a fair shake, you‘re only out a few dollars or just some Game Pass subscription time. At the current pricing, there‘s little financial risk in trying it out for yourself.
Excellent Value Breakdown
- Standard edition frequently discounted to $10-20
- Available on Xbox/PC Game Pass at launch
- Hundreds of hours of content for low entry price
- Gets the most value if you enjoy survival/crafting loops
- Low financial risk to try at current prices
"The amount of content available for the current entry pricing presents an absolute steal," writes GameRevolution.
The Verdict: Absolutely Worth Playing in 2024
Despite its notoriously rocky launch, questionable early design decisions, and multitude of bugs, Fallout 76 has closed the gap and become a quality online multiplayer survival game that respects its Fallout roots. Robust expansions added the signature Fallout storytelling and NPC interactions missing at launch. The core crafting, building, and multiplayer gameplay creates its own identity if you give it a chance. And the value proposition keeps getting better the longer it‘s out and discounted.
For franchise fans, casual RPG players looking for something new, and anyone open to survival games, I wholeheartedly recommend Fallout 76 in 2024 as a redemption story well worth experiencing yourself. It has come a long, long way.
