Fallout 76 release date revealed as November 14 – and there’s a beta coming
The next entry in the Fallout series looks closer to the traditional Fallout experience than many had feared
FAllOUT 76 will be an online RPG, set in a world four times larger than Fallout 4.
It looks to be very similar in concept to previous Fallout games -- you will play as a survivor from Vault 76, sent into the wasteland on a mission, doing quests, gathering loot and levelling up.
However, the experience will be fundamentally different, as the version of post-apocalyptic of West Virginia you venture into will be occupied by other players. Co-op play is strongly encouraged, though solo play will be possible according to Bethesda Studios' Todd Howard.
This wasteland has "very few rules", and as well as being significantly larger than other Fallout games it will be rendered in 16 times as much detail.
However, not all other players will be friendly in this gorgeously-realised world. Killing other players will be possible through many means, but it looks like this will put a bounty on your head to limit the trouble you can cause.
The game will be "softcore survival" according to Howard, with no progress being lost upon death. You will be in a world shared with a dozen or so other players at any given time so that the wasteland doesn't feel too crowded.
You will be able to build structures wherever in your version of the wasteland you feel like it, either on your own or with friends.
Those structures also look likely be be destructible as the wasteland will be littered with nuclear missile silos that, according to the gameplay snippets shown off so far, can be freely targeted by players and wreak havoc wherever they land.
You'll need launch codes to be able to launch the missiles from their silos, though -- and this is where it seems co-op play will really come in. Bits of the codes drop rarely in the wasteland, but you can combine your fragments with other players to dramatically speed up the process.
Unlike previous Fallout games, the wasteland will be split into six distinct zones, making it much more like a traditional massively multiplayer experience like Destiny or World of Warcraft. These zones will each have their own look and feel, unique enemies and landscapes.
Those enemies will feature a host of new creatures never before seen in Fallout games, including several inspired specifically by the folklore and myths of West Virginia.
These range from oversized toads to truck-sized behemoths and almost dragon-like flying beasts.
Howard also revealed a few other key bits of info about the game. It will have an open beta to help iron out the bugs -- of which there will be many -- and come in an absurd-looking collector's edition that comes with a glow-in-the-dark map and a power armor helmet. In the US , but UK pricing is yet to be confirmed. The standard edition .
The game will be available on November 14, with the beta some time before that.
Anyone will be able to sign up for the beta -- register for an account at , and wait for further instructions.