A ridiculous number of hands-on previews for Bethesda’s Broken Steel DLC hit the web earlier today, so we thought we’d round them all up into one neat little newsbit.
The first is at UGO:
Broken Steel also increases the level cap from 20 to 30, meaning you’ll be getting 5 more perks and a bunch more skill points before you hit max level. New perks have been added, including one called “Puppies!” which allows you to pick up a new Dogmeat if your original Dogmeat manages to bite the dust. The amount of experience required to hit the higher levels increases exponentially, so don’t think you’ll be hitting 30 anytime soon. That’s good news for those of us that are eager to get in more Fallout time (since we’ll be waiting ’til 2010 for Fallout: New Vegas fun).
The second is at G4:
Unlike the earlier expansions (Anchorage) and (The Pitt,) this new expansion is largely set in the wasteland, with the bulk of the side missions tasking you with getting water out to people in such places as Megaton. But the main mission which Bethesda says will take most gamers slightly longer than the main mission in the second DLC, (The Pitt) is a bit more involved, with you helping the Brotherhood Of Steel to build a Tesla Cannon, a weapon they need to defend themselves against The Enclave.
The third is at Games Radar:
The story then picks up two weeks after ‘Take it Back!’. You’ll get side quests from Aqua Pura – who have taken on the task of distributing water to the Wasteland – but the new main quest focuses on locating and destroying an Enclave stronghold. Before you can launch an assault on the Enclave, you’ll have to construct a new super powerful weapon called the Tesla Cannon. It can shoot down Enclave helicopters with one shot. Nice.
The fourth is at Kotaku:
The main quest sends you to an old power plant to find the parts for the Tesla Canon.
The new area is packed with new enemies, including a super mutant overlord, a feral ghoul reaver and an Enclave hellfire trooper; new weapons, like the Tesla Canon and a projectile flame thrower; new achievements and even new perks. Hines only detailed one of the perks though, called Puppies! If you pick the Puppies! Perk when Dogmeat dies he gets reincarnated automatically as a puppy, which you can go to certain areas to add back to your group.
The fifth is at Edge Online:
With the raising of the level cap comes a wedge of new perks. The only one they’re talking about at the moment is Puppies! Whether there’s actually an exclamation mark there has yet to be seen, but the way Hines beams the word implies there might be anywhere up to three. It’s a perk that allows you to pick up a replacement Dogmeat from the entrance to Vault 101, should he get ripped into actual dogmeat by one of the tough security guards in Broken Steel’s new areas. In Broken Steel, death is no longer a life-changing obstacle.
The sixth is at Shacknews:
We got a look at a few new enemies on the way. The Feral Ghoul Reaver is a heavily armored ghoul, with more hit points and the ability to throw grenades. As for the Enclave, Hellfire Troopers carry the aforementioned Incinerator weapon, while the Overlord supermutant uses a fancy tri-laser. Players will begin seeing new enemies after reaching level 18, and Hines noted that gaining the top level of 30 will take a good amount of effort.
The seventh is at Play.tm:
Journeying through the subway Hines takes us to an Airfield, where we tackle rooftop snipers with some of the DLC’s new weaponry, which really does pack quite a punch. In the subway itself we encounter Overlord-style bosses and spiteful Feral Ghoul Reavers, and while some of these new foes won’t appear unless you’re over a level 18, one perk subsequently offered is the ability to reincarnate Dogmeat; your canine pal returning to a specific spot in the game world, if he has previously perished.
The eighth is at PC Format:
It’s got a few new features: your canine companion Dogmeat can now respawn, and the level cap is raised from 20 to 30. We were also shown a brief runthrough of a new setting, under the White House. It’s looking good, and anyone who was a fan of the original game is sure to be happy. We’ll be having a more in-depth look in the next issue.
The ninth is at VideoGamer:
One of the really irritating things about the water purifier dilemma was that it wasn’t strictly a difficult decision. Most players reach the end of Fallout 3 whilst accompanied by a friendly mutant named Fawkes a companion who just so happens to be radiation-proof. Bizarrely, Mr Fawkes would refuse to help you out, making some lame excuse about (not interfering with your destiny) – when he said this to me, I immediately unloaded a shotgun into his face. Once Broken Steel is installed, he’ll suddenly be more than happy to oblige. In fact there are three companions who’ll be able to input the all-important code for you, and if you go in to the chamber yourself you’ll still be able to survive. The only situation in which you’ll still die is if you sit around doing nothing, and now there’s very little reason to do so.
The tenth is at TeamXbox:
If you revisit the Jefferson Memorial, you’ll find Scribe Bigsley and a bunch of neophyte scribes working hard on trying to solve the problem of delivering the newly fresh water around the wastelands. Scribe Bigsley will have a few mini-quests for you to play with, but this is not your main quest.
The eleventh is at GameDaily:
Broken Steel will unlock a new area called Adams Air Force base, where you start with a crate of supplies and your orders. The specific tasks weren’t identified during the demo, but it will involve avoiding heavy incoming fire while strategically taking out soldiers, turrets and enemy helicopters. In another part of the expansion, players will also be able to check out the Presidential Metro Tunnel that runs underneath the White House.
And the twelfth is at Eurogamer:
…from even the most cursory of developer-led guided tours, this latest DLC already feels more substantial and relevant than either The Pitt or Operation: Anchorage. It’s not quite as elaborate an expansion as Oblivion’s Shivering Isles, but in many ways it’s something more important. By rectifying the problems many people had with Fallout 3’s original ending, Broken Steel won’t just expand on the game’s world – it will reopen the doors for those who never got to see everything the first time around.
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