Bethesda shared the first real details for the online multiplayer features in Fallout 76 at this year’s QuakeCon.
For the sake of brevity, we’ve compiled all the new details into a handy bullet list for you to skim through:
- VATS is in the game, but it’s in real time. Also, you cannot target body parts until you have the perk required. Putting more points into the Perception S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stat will improve this.
- Each level up grants you a single point to put into your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats, and with each point put into a stat you can assign them to perks, much like previous games. However, you can swap perks out to fit whatever scenario you run into.
- The level cap for attaining S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stat points is 50, however you can keep getting new perks after that.
- PVP isn’t possible until you reach level 5.
- PVP combat is opt-in, meaning one player has to shoot another player first (with lower damage to start) – with the other player returning fire as the go-ahead to enable PVP. Once enabled, full damage is turned on, and winning a PVP battle will get you some caps and experience points based on your levels.
- If you go around killing people without them opting in for PVP, you’ll be branded a “wanted murderer.” These kills will garner no caps or experience. Other players are encouraged to hunt down wanted murderers, as they’ll be marked on the map.
- PVP damage is normalized between players, with game director Todd Howard noting a low-level player could take down a high-level, decked out player – pending the situation obviously.
- When you die, you can respawn near your body or back at Vault 76 for free. You can also respawn in other locations by using caps. Distant locations will cost more caps.
- Upon dying, you keep all your equipment and caps. However, the “junk” material, which is used in your C.A.M.P.’s to build things and equipment, will be dropped. You can return to your body to retrieve this, however you might have to fight for it.
- You can ignore or block other players on a map, preventing them from interacting with you. You can also flag yourself as a pacifist if you don’t want to deal with PVP mechanics at all.
- Furthermore, if you want to only play with close friends you trust, there will be private servers.
- There will be mods. While mods will be difficult to implement, Howard noted they’re 100% committed to making them work.
- Inon Zur is returning to do the musical score. There’s also plans for radio stations, and even more licensed music. You can also craft musical instruments. There will also be team chat, as well as location-based public chat (which you can mute as well).
- You can get noticeable mutations at certain levels of radiation poisoning, with an example given for a mutation called the “Bird Bomb,” which increases your jump height while decreasing your strength.
- There’s an in-game photo mode that can be used with friends, enemies, and basically anyone.
- When nukes are set off, C.A.M.P.’s are destroyed, higher level enemies appear, and the loot across the map changes. Should you lose your C.A.M.P., you can safeguard losing your creations by creating a “blueprint” of a building you like, so you can build a replica later. Blueprints also enable players to move their base easily across the map.
That’s about it really, if you want to listen in on the panel where the new details were discussed, you can find that below:
Fallout 76 is launching on November 14th across Windows PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. A playable beta for the game is planned for sometime in October.