Fallout 76: How to Avoid PvP

We recently got our hands on the upcoming Fallout 76 game and taking to the Wasteland with friends [...]

By Liana 'LiLi' Ruppert

We recently got our hands on the upcoming Fallout 76 game and taking to the Wasteland with friends - with the developers - was an interesting experience. That being said, we learned a lot more about how this multiplayer game is more conscientious than the rest.

When the game was first announced during E3, many heard the term "multiplayer" and instantly became worried. Since the series has always been about tactics and a stunning story, many long-time fans became concerned that what makes Fallout the game it is would be lost. Not only that, but the idea that "griefing" would be rampant really put a damper on the excitement for many. Luckily, Bethesda is very committed to absolutely slaughtering griefers.

Interested in avoiding PvP as well as how to deal with it when confronted? Here's what we learned:

  • Passive
  • Murderer
  • Private Servers
  • The absolute last resort

Passive Mode

In an effort to prevent Grieving, especially early on, the team also implemented what's called "Passive Mode." This makes it to where a player at level 5 or lower won't accidentally fire at another player. Friendly fire happens, so this mode helps prevent that while lower level players learn the ropes of West Virginia.

Once the level for Passive Mode is surpassed, the team still has safe guards in place for those that don't willingly engage in PvP. You can learn more about that in the video at the top of the article from earlier this year.

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Murderer

If an enemy player kills someone that did not want to engage in combat, they then become a "wanted murderer" and now get no rewards, no XP, no caps - NOTHING. There is literally nothing to gain from doing that. There will also be a bounty put on that players head, one that comes directly out of the "wanted's" bottle cap stash. The hunted also can't see other players on the map any longer, essentially making their 'fair game' to everyone on the server.

In other words: Justice.

I got to see this in action when a developer decided to have a little fun with us low-leveled noobs. It was all in good fun and really gave us all a chance to see how this mechanic worked in action. We could very clearly see him anywhere on the map, but he couldn't see us. We may have been lower level, but get enough of a mob together and even a level 70 can go down. Hard.

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Private Servers

Don't want to deal with at all - not even a chance encounter? No worries, Bethesda has already confirmed that Private Servers are on the way.

We already knew that Bethesda had plans for private servers but now we know they are confirmed to be a priority for those absolutely uninterested in online play. Even better, these private servers will allow for mod support to make that RPG experience even crazier, we can already see all of the Thomas the Tank additions to the Wasteland. It's the rule of modding, you can't fight it - it's science.

Bethesda has said time and time again that they were going to offer private servers post-launch. This will allow players to lock in their own server, only allowing players in via invite. This means if you want to play by yourself, you can - or with a hand-selected group of gamers of your own choosing.

It's not offline play, but it is a way to control who you run into in the game.

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Last Resort: Log

When speaking with the developers, they did give us a last-ditch option but they mentioned "Obviously we don't want you to do this all the time, but sometimes it's nice to have a way out." This way out comes in the form of quickly logging out of the game and then hopping back on.

With thousands upon thousands of servers, the chances of you logging back into the same server is slim to none. Obviously don't do this all the time but there are extenuating circumstances sometimes. Like a coming nuke. Nukes = bad, nukes = run.

We've got tons of Fallout 76 coverage pouring in! To stay up to date on the latest news, check out our full community hub right here to stay in the know 24/7! As for the game itself, the next entry into the Fallout series debuts on November 14th on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

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