Fallout 76 - 2020 Roadmap

Today the 2020 roadmap for Fallout 76 has been released. The roadmap outlines future content coming to Fallout 76 this year including the introduction of Seasons, a major rebalancing of combat and rewards for Dwellers of all levels, C.A.M.P. Shelters, Legendary Perks, plus the start of a yearlong Brotherhood of Steel story arc and more.

76 Seasons Introducing 76 Seasons! Seasons bring a new account-wide progression system to Fallout 76 that overhauls the current Challenge system and helps players rake in lots of new rewards along the way. Seasons will be available to all players and offer a unified progression path to unlock dozens of new and unique rewards from Power Armor paints and C.A.M.P. items to Atoms, Legendary Scrip, Perk Packs, and so much more.

In place of the old Challenge system that rewarded Atoms for completing Daily and Weekly Challenges, players will instead earn a new currency: S.C.O.R.E. points. These points will advance players in their Seasonal progression on the road to unlocking some incredible rewards. The result is a more engaging, flexible, and fun experience for all types of players. While Seasons are still subject to change based on internal playtests and player feedback, here's a bit more on how Seasons currently work:

Players will see a new option on the Main Menu that will take them to a uniquely Fallout-themed seasonal progression screen. During Season 1, this will be a Captain Cosmos-themed boardgame!

All players begin at the first space on the board -- Rank 1 out of 100. Advancing along the board involves acquiring a new type of currency, S.C.O.R.E., obtainable through the revamped Challenge system and other in-game activities.

Challenges will be less complicated and easier to complete, typically involving activities players would complete by playing Fallout 76 as they normally would.

Rewards are handed out at every rank, with bigger rewards the more you advance and at specific milestones (Rank 25, 50, 76, etc).

Players will have the option to spend 150 Atoms to skip ranks after the first two weeks of a Season. After two weeks, players can move ahead in ranks by spending Atoms as a means for those late to a Season a chance to catch up.

Seasons will run for 10 weeks with a two-week break between the end of one season the start of the next.

The inaugural Season kicks off with Patch 20 this Summer!

More information.

Players will have the option to spend 150 Atoms to skip ranks after the first two weeks of a Season. After two weeks, players can move ahead in ranks by spending Atoms as a means for those late to a Season a chance to catch up.

You can't make this shit up… It just works

Originally Posted by fatknacker50
Players will have the option to spend 150 Atoms to skip ranks after the first two weeks of a Season. After two weeks, players can move ahead in ranks by spending Atoms as a means for those late to a Season a chance to catch up.

You can't make this shit up… It just works

I never blame companies too much for allowing players to spend real money to make progression easier because they wouldn't do it if players didn't spend the money, and second, it doesn't affect me at all as a player who would rather, you know, play the game. Of course, this generally applies to single player games as that's what I play…. maybe in this case it would be irritating. I doubt it, though. As long as I'm having fun I don't care what other people do.

Fallout 76 is having a free weekend, and I'm thinking about downloading it. It might simply rule it out completely as a game I want to play, but what the heck, there's no cost to finding out except my time.

I installed it today as soon as I saw the free weekend announcement. I haven't played it yet, but I'll be jumping in tonight.

Can it now be played solo on your own shard or do you have to pay for that?

These Season ranks are for trivial cosmetic rewards - like a new potted plant for your CAMP. Nothing I'm interested in, even for free.

It's a new standard in MMOs - give people a tiny little something every few minutes or hours to give them a reason to play. Sort of like a backdrop minimal effort on top of the real meat - which would be the storyline content and new systems/mechanics in this case.

Used to just be daily gifts in most MMOs - but now the monetization suits have decided on "Seasons" - for whatever reason. Most likely because, in that way, they can monetize it more efficiently with Season passes and other ways to rank up faster or get more trivial, minimal effort loot.

Not that people who don't know or play the game would understand without a little effort

Anyway, I'm underwhelmed by this roadmap. Last year was much more impressive, I think.

I'm also a little pissed that they've concluded that people don't enjoy PvP - because their PvP implementation was crap. They promised a new take on Survival mode - but I suspect it's all but abandoned.

That said, I'm going in again once the Legendary Perks are out. I've been looking forward to those quite a bit. Also, I like that they're focusing on the storyline - and the "One Appalachia" update is sure to make the overall co-op experience a lot smoother.

I always liked the game, but it's nice to see more people recognizing what it is - instead of drowning in the ignorance bandwagon. It's 79% on Steam - which I definitely didn't expect with the massive amounts of initial hate-bombing. It was mostly negative for quite a while - with endless amounts of 0.1 hours reviews.

Be warned, though. It's still essentially the same game - with plenty of clunky stuff and the odd performance issue remaining. I doubt they'll get rid of that ever.

Originally Posted by Darkheart
Can it now be played solo on your own shard or do you have to pay for that?

If you want them to host your private server and game, you need a Fallout 1st subscription.

This almost makes me feel good about my purchase. It is nice that they are putting in further work. Other players in this game are fine, they tend to work together. Except when they don't. I just wish there were more radio stations. I liked the Beach Boys song the first time, but not so much the twenty fifth time.

Originally Posted by JFarrell71
I never blame companies too much for allowing players to spend real money to make progression easier because they wouldn't do it if players didn't spend the money

I don't, either. What they want to do is to maximize the amount of dollars they get, and enough players have low enough standards and/or a loose enough wallet to allow practically anything.
It's just a good business decision.

What they can be blamed for is that nonsensical PR, trying to tell people straight lies about what is in the game and why things are the way they are.

Originally Posted by JFarrell71
it doesn't affect me at all as a player who would rather, you know, play the game. Of course, this generally applies to single player games as that's what I play…. maybe in this case it would be irritating. I doubt it, though.

That's where you are entirely wrong.
Games like these are not designed to be their best possible version (I mean, this one wasn't designed to be good at all, more like randomly cobbled together, but that's besides the point…) - which would be a version without any kind of MTX, without super grindy progression, etc.
But as soon as these elements are a given, they are integrated into the design process from the get-go. In other words, games like these are almost all designed around the store so they can make as much cash as possible.
I hope I don't have to tell you why this would come at a cost to the underlying game mechanics…

Even if some designers might try to make the best game without their MTX, they are always there, in the back of the head, like a dark, looming cloud.
At best, you can get a game that doesn't suck because it only sports cosmetic MTX - that is, if you don't care about cosmetics. If you do, the game will be designed to make you pull your wallet out and not to maximize your fun.

Love to try it, but unfortunately, the game stupidly thinks I have a controller attached (running through Steam), and yet I don't. I even tried attaching a controller, which works with every other game that supports controllers, but no dice. It wants "A" or "B", but neither the A or B buttons (or any button, for that matter) on the controller works, and of course pressing A or B on the keyboard does nothing.

I've posted this problem in various place but no responses that worked.

I should add that it logs me in successfully.

If I wanted to take part in a game with seasons, leagues, ladders, or episodes, I would simply play Path of Exile. It's free and it has vastly more content added each "season" than most paid games.

And its combat is more satisfying than anything rooted in Gamebryo.

I really can't believe people are paying $100+ a year for a subscription service for a game so devoid of substance. That still has no mod support.

I really can't believe people are paying $100+ a year for a subscription service for a game so devoid of substance. That still has no mod support.

Coming from someone who must have paid a subscription for years to access PUBLIC EverQuest servers, that's a particularly ironic statement. I can't imagine a game with less distinct and interesting content if I tried. Let's not even get into the combat of that game.

Thank you for that

Path of Exile uses a generous F2P system, I'll grant you that. It's also a completely different type of game that's utterly void of meaningful exploration and content beyond repetitive random levels and endless combat.

Also, (non-UI/convenience) mods for an online game, really? That'd work just great for balance, wouldn't it

That said, there's mod support - it's just not official.

A very desperate comparison, if you ask me.

FO76 has the largest world of all the Beth games - and it's four times the size of FO4. Anyone claiming that's not substantial is either a fool or a liar.

Anyway, while I'm not interested in paying for a private server - it seems reasonable that you pay for that privilege - and they give you a reasonable amount of cash to use in the shop as well.

Contrary to popular belief - it's not exactly cheap giving hundreds of thousands of players their own session on an isolated server. In fact, that could get prohibitively expensive if a majority opted to do that.

My only problem with it is that it doesn't exactly mirror what they originally said about being able to host your own servers at one point.

They should have been clearer about that - and I would have been fine. Might even have considered it, if only for the crafting bag

Anyway, just found it extra amusing to hear this particular variation of ignorant on-principle bashing of a computer game you don't understand or play.

Are you by any chance an employee of Bethesda or EA or maybe working for a company affiliated to them? Genuine question, really.

You seem to be totally incapable to pass over any critic of EA or Bethesda without generating a wall of words with few smileys here and there to show you are "cool" when actually you are not.
It irks you and it shows.

Originally Posted by GlimpseDart
Also, (non-UI/convenience) mods for an online game, really? That'd work just great for balance, wouldn't it

Private servers are [now] a thing, Dart. Oh how I've missed your convoluted ramblings!

Is this worth even trying? I'm not even sure I want to downlaod for the free weekend

Originally Posted by Kos
Are you by any chance an employee of Bethesda or EA or maybe working for a company affiliated to them? Genuine question, really.

You seem to be totally incapable to pass over any critic of EA or Bethesda without generating a wall of words with few smileys here and there to show you are "cool" when actually you are not.
It irks you and it shows.

EA and Bethesda are easy targets due to all the shit they actually do fuck up, and therefore also attract a lot of flimsy or downright inaccurate criticism. Just the nature of the beast. I don't know Dart, but my guess is that this irks him, much like it does me, and neither of us are in any way affiliated with those companies. You don't have to look far to see several criticisms of Fallout 76 from him.

Originally Posted by rune_74
Is this worth even trying? I'm not even sure I want to downlaod for the free weekend

Yes, it is.

Originally Posted by JFarrell71
EA and Bethesda are easy targets due to all the shit they actually do fuck up

Like Fallout 76.

Ok, sorry, cheap shot, I know.

Originally Posted by JDR13
I installed it today as soon as I saw the free weekend announcement. I haven't played it yet, but I'll be jumping in tonight.

This probably goes without saying (it's Fallout 76, a Bethesda game, fer chrissakes): Just be warned that even this far into its life, it's full of some pretty fundamental bugs.
I still get occasional disconnects due to "Server not responding", and given that there are no game saves and no guarantee that you'll even reconnect to the same server, that can be pretty annoying. Lots of instances of mission progress lost.
(You'd think that they'd have learnt something from the ESO team, where I have no issues)

I only returned to it due to the Wastelanders stuff. That adds lots of questy stuff, and makes the world seem a lot more interesting, but be warned the original core game loop is still there and easy to get burned out on.

BTW, unless you want to use a microphone , there is no way to communicate with strangers outside of silly emotes. I've gave up on teaming up with randos for that reason; too frustrating.

I've played for about an hour. One first impression: sunlight through fog is freaking blinding. 80% of my screen is stark white.