It"s no secret that Bethesda"s multiplayer venture Fallout 76 didn"t have the best of launches, with the game happening to come out with a myriad of issues, followed up by various controversies that even breached into the real world. And now, 100 days following the launch, Bethesda is continuing to hammer away at the game, today revealing its 2019 roadmap.
The company acknowledged the problematic launch in its announcement and added that its "fully dedicated to making [Fallout 76] the best it can be - and even more so, a platform for endless Fallout adventures for years to come." According to the studio, server stability had improved by over 300% over the past few months, and players have been investing an average of four hours of playtime per day.
Moving onto the roadmap, there are three major seasons of free content planned for the game in 2019, the first which is Wild Appalachia. This specific line up of updates will begin dropping on March 12 and continue on for several weeks. Here"s what is included:
- New Quests: Shear Terror! – Uncover the ‘encryptid’ secrets of Appalachia in a new series of quests and encounters to separate monsters from myths.
- New Quests: Ever Upwards – Journey to the deepest reaches of the woods with new stories for the legendary Pioneer Scouts. Earn merit badges, climb the ranks, and earn a customizable backpack for increased utility.
- New Features: Legendary Vendor and Scrapping – Locate the mysterious Purveyor to exchange and scrap your unwanted legendary items for new legendary gear. For every star rating on a legendary item you scrap, increase your chances to get the legendary weapon or armor of your dreams.
- New Features: C.A.M.P. Decorating, Player Vending, Functional Camera – Use items from your stash to decorate your C.A.M.P. Build vending machines and flag items for sale. Simply set your prices and walk away to continue your adventures in Appalachia, being sure to capture all your favorite memories using the new functional camera. The vending machines do all the work, you just need to count the caps.
- New Features: Brewing and Distilling – Go on a new quest to discover the secrets of the forbidden brew Nukashine and bring the party back to your C.A.M.P with new brewing and distilling systems and recipes.
- New Seasonal Event: Fasnacht Parade – Chase away Old Man Winter and quicken the coming of spring with the ancient festival of Fasnacht! Join the celebration and complete this new limited-time event to earn unique rewards in the form of festive Fasnacht Masks.
- New Game Mode: Survival – This all-new game mode brings a higher-stakes PvP experience with fewer restrictions, increased rewards, and new challenges plus all the original content of Adventure Mode.
Beyond that is the Nuclear Winter season, which is slated for summer 2019. Bethesda didn"t reveal as much information about this content drop as next month"s, but it will carry a new game mode titled "Nuclear Winter," add new Vault raids, and a new prestige system.
The final season is planned to arrive in fall 2019, coming with the title Wastelanders. Bethesda said this season will be its "biggest and most ambitious update" for Fallout 76, carrying a new main questline, events, factions, features, and more.
We will have to wait and see if fan perception towards the game will alter as these updates come along this year. In any case, it doesn"t appear that Bethesda is planning to halt support for the title anytime soon.