I jumped back intoFallout 76just as the Amazon show was taking over the world, andfound myself swiftly overwhelmedby an existing save file that struggled to explain what I missed, what I should do, and precisely what had changed since I last played in 2020.
That isn’t the game’s fault, live-service titles shift and change dramatically in a single year, let alone several, and I was expecting Fallout 76 to roll out the red carpet when I hadn’t bothered to give it the time of day for almost half a decade. But now the franchise has burst back into the zeitgeist, Skyline Valley has an opportunity to change that reputation as it turns this once maligned online experience into something far more palatable.
Appalachia Is Growing For The First Time Ever
Bethesda must have heard my complaints, since it invited me to its London offices to take a good hard look at the Skyline Valley update. By that, I mean I played it for a few hours while sipping a lukewarm Nuka Cola. While I didn’t walk away a diehard fan of Fallout 76, it was a meaningful excursion into how the game has evolved since its inception, and why Skyline Valley represents a fundamental shift in its life.
Skyline Valley is the first major content update for Fallout 76 that will expand the open world. Despite launching dozens of major updates throughout the past six years, Bethesda has had them take place all in the same open world. While new interior locations and set dressing will help pave over existing landmarks and environments, it’s impressive that just one world kept this game ticking over for so long. We were dropped outside a random location in the cloudy radioactive hills of Skyline Valley with an overpowered character and encouraged to explore.
Some of the locations I found in Skyline Valley ranged from abandoned electrical stations to more humble wooden huts that used to house more adventurous citizens
I was struck by how atmospheric this new area is from the outset, and how it’s designed to feel oppressive and daunting despite folding into the existing map, tucked away towards the bottom with a dozen or so new points of interest to discover. But I had little to fear thanks to my overpowered inventory that could obliterate the majority of enemies I came across. So off I went, dipping into new locations without the context of what exactly they would represent in the actual update, or what quests I might embark upon. Which is a big part of the problem. Fallout and its open worlds rely desperately on the context of your exploration and exactly what you are doing and why. Without that, it felt a little empty.
I was assured there would be plenty to dig into once the update is live, including a new race of intelligent feral ghouls known as ‘The Lost’ who have taken shelter in Vault 63. We’ll soon get to know their leader, what they stand for, and whether we want to stand with them. My only first-hand experience of The Lost was fighting a bunch of them, so chances are they will be a new enemy faction that will begin to populate the entirety of Appalachia. It appears to be a cool, natural way of growing an open world which, since its inception, remains largely static, but I fear that Skyline Valley won’t split the difference enough to feel truly worthwhile.
For example, I had a hard time telling when I was leaving the expanded parts of the map behind and returning to the base game, all because everything largely has the same old colour palette and design conventions. By deciding to incorporate this new section of the world into the existing map, Bethesda has inadvertently pigeonholed itself, but also means that it can only mix things up further from here. If anything, Skyline Valley represents a bold vision for Fallout 76 that it will continue to build on in the years to come.
Does Skyline Valley Change The Fallout 76 Gameplay Formula?
Not really. Aside from a handful of new activities, including an arena where you can team up with other players to fight against a variety of deadly robots, it appears you will still be doing quests, building outposts with friends, and performing instanced missions to gain experience and unlock cool new loot and items. For seasoned players, this will be more than enough, as the addition of new quests to complete and characters to meet will more than carry you over to the next update. The map expansion will also appease the hardcore cohort, who I know have been itching for Fallout 76 to change things up, even if it won’t convert me much.
If you’re a returning player, I would bite the bullet and make a new character, but make use of the option to start at Level 20, so you’re closer to all the fun stuff.
But there is one big addition on the way, albeit not part of Skyline Valley. Ghouls will become a playable late game race in 2025, allowing players to become one of the radioactive fellows once they hit Level 50 and unlock an entirely new questline. Ghouls will have distinct abilities that take advantage of radiation instead of being hindered by it, with your new look making it clear to other players you have earned your stripes. However, not making them playable out the gate for new players feels like a missed opportunity.
Fallout 76 is easily the game’s most ambitious update yet, and I hope its initial map expansion leads to more and more imaginative takes on Appalachia that has already proven it isn’t afraid to embrace the ridiculous side of this universe. I want things to go further, not just in world design, but quests, gameplay mechanics, characters, and what kind of game Fallout 76 really is beneath the surface. With any luck, that future is coming.
Fallout 76
WHERE TO PLAY
Taking the Fallout series into the MMO space, Fallout 76 is a prequel to the mainline games. You’ll have to traverse the massive open world of Appalachia to build bases, survive, and grow stronger.
