Fallout 76 and How Bethesda Was “A Little Afraid” of Multiplayer

There seem to be a lot of misconceptions going around about Fallout 76 and what the online game will actually bring to the table. The knee jerk reaction to hearing the word “online” wasn’t helped by sites jumping the gun before Bethesda even shared their reveal essentially telling people they wouldn’t like it and compared it to a not-so-popular online survival title, Rust. Still, Todd Howard and crew are on the path of clarification, including how it’s not a “survival game.” But that doesn’t mean the new direction for the team wasn’t scary, and the director himself recently opened up about how nerve-wracking this move actually was.

Howard recently sat down with The Guardian to talk about the upcoming adventure in the Wasteland and how this idea took years and years to build up the confidence to actually set it in motion. “We had the idea, and for a while now we’ve been thinking we should try it. We are sometimes afraid of doing it, as much as our fans are afraid of us doing it. But we’ve got to try new things.”

This isn’t like The Elder Scrolls Online, it’s not meant to be a massive MMORPG experience. In fact, the game is to a much smaller scale than many realise. Howard also addressed concerns that this was the “new direction” for the franchise, once again reiterating that Fallout 76 is, in fact, a spin off. “We want to be careful with our fans and other people who ask, ‘Is this what Fallout is for ever now?’” he said. “It’s clearly not. It’s definitely its own thing.”

To learn even more about the upcoming game, you can check out our ‘Everything We Know’ wrap up right here. For a snippet of it, check out three of the most common misconceptions that are running rampant about the newest Fallout:

First misconception: It’ll be a player on player slaughter-fest, infested servers like The Elder Scrolls Online and other massive MMOs.

The title itself will have various biomes for players to enjoy. With such a small player server size for such a monumental map size, it’s pretty gentle as far as survival is concerned. As we have have mentioned in the past, it’s a lot harder to obtain nuke codes than people think, and it’s a lot harder to find other players simply to gun them down.

Second misconception: BUT MY LOOT THOUGH!

Unlike similar games, Kotaku quoted it as “Rust-like,” death doesn’t mean the end of your gear. Unlike ARK, dying won’t mean waking up alone and naked somewhere. You don’t lose your gear and you don’t lose your progress.

Third misconception: I can’t REALLY play solo.

Yes, you can! Though the game does always run online because of the dynamic server influx and environmental changes, Bethesda’s Pete Hines has already confirmed that private servers will be available post launch. That means you can play solo or play with pre-approved friends. This is all about your player experience, and Bethesda wants to stay true to that.

Whether you decide to explore this dangerous and exciting new world alone or with friends, your adventures will take you across the land of West Virginia, and indeed, it was revealed that real West Virginia folklore inspired certain monsters and quests in the game. There will be six distinct regions, each with its own aesthetic, opportunities, and risks.

There’s nothing wrong with a little boundary pushing, and Bethesda has more than proven that they known how to weave a good tale. To stay in the know for all things Bethesda, you can check out our community hub right here.

Fallout 76 drops on November 14th for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.