When I was last here, a little over four years ago, the answer was: not much.
At launch,Fallout 76cast players into a lifeless world, and tasked them with making their own fun.
It was a place populated by ghosts and audio tapes.
I shelved my level 23 character, and left it at that.
Fallout 76, of course, had a famously messy launch.
In the years since then, however, there have been concerted efforts to fix the game’s problems.
For this reason, now seems as good a time as any to check on its progress.
That, and I keep seeing posts about how the game ‘is good now’.
Time to test the theory.
The two women on the hill point me towards a dive bar called The Wayward.
It seems silly to get so excited about this, but I am.
It’s these sort of ludicrous interactions that motivate me to keep exploring.
The impact of adding humans to Fallout 76 really cannot be understated.
Everything feels so much more vibrant now that communities have moved into Appalachia’s towns.
The new main questline has another function, which is to push me around the map.
Fallout 76 previously felt a bit unstructured.
The Wayward questline has tangible consequences, allowing you to pick the outcome and side with a faction.
Importantly, it’s enough to keep me engaged and moving through Fallout 76’s world.
But as my confidence grows and I become more curious, I start poking my head into player camps.
That’s changed pretty dramatically now, and the player vending machines are at the heart of this.
Like a thrift shop in Camden.
More importantly, the teams are able to create an instant connection between players.
Later, a level 400 teammate visits my camp, and buys some of my tatty low-level items.
Unusually for a multiplayer game, there’s a true spirit of kindness to be found in this community.
This sensation of grinding hard, and not making a whole lot of progress, seemseerily familiar.
Many of the quests start asking me to fetch things from distant corners of the map.
Getting pieces to snap together can be tricky, while building on bumpy terrain can make things difficult.
It is nigh impossible to build anything that doesn’t resemble a box.
After spending 20 hours in the wasteland, I take a step back and admire my camp.
It looks truly awful.
I imagine how long it will take to build something nice, and sink into despair.
There’s still a slight feeling of being nudged towards Fallout 1st and the Atom Shop.
I realise that I’ve inadvertently designed my character as the wasteland version of Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
And this gives me an idea.
I decide to set up my camp as a ‘designer’ clothes store.
This role-playing element of Fallout 76 is perhaps where the game still shines brightest.
Perhaps Fallout 76 is truly at its best when you make it your own.
So where does that leave Fallout 76 in the year 2023?
Appalachia no longer feels like a graveyard.
Yet all these home improvements can only do so much when the house is built on shaky foundations.
And if you find a way to put a creative spin on your adventures through the post-apocalypse… well.
See you in a few hundred hours.
you could find plenty more pieces like it in ourState of the Game hub.
