Fallout 76 – A Look Back at 2019

With just a few days left in this year, we get this article on Bethesda’s official website that shares a summary of all the major updates, events and improvements their multiplayer survival RPG Fallout 76 received over the course of 2019, and then follows that up with some holiday greetings. Check it out:

Somehow, 2019 is nearly over, and it was an amazingly busy year in Appalachia. As many of us take time for the holidays, we wanted to take a minute with you to look back on the adventures we had together, and how thankful we are that you continue to take this journey with us.

It goes without saying that we had some rocky times this year, but the entire BGS team, working closely with you, not only addressed thousands of issues, but added meaningful improvements to quality of life. At the end of 2019, Fallout 76 is bigger, more stable, and more fun than ever before. We’re really proud of how far we’ve come together, and how you, the community, have taken this game and truly made it your own, creating amazing subplots, characters, and bizarre and hilarious adventures of your own devise.

More importantly though, we’ve loved adventuring with you through the tons of new content added to the game this year, from marching in Fasnacht Parades to hunting Appalachia’s wildest beasts, and even, facing off in Battle Royale to become Overseer of Vault 51.

2019 was just the beginning, and our biggest update is still yet to come. But before we get to Wastelanders, and all of the new stories and characters it will offer, we wanted to take a stroll down memory lane, looking back at some of the things that have been added to 76 this year.

SPRING

In March, Wild Appalachia brought a series of huge additions to the game. The Wasted on Nukashine questline, with everyone’s favorite tipsy robot, Biv, let us all brew and distill our own tasty and volatile concoctions from our C.A.M.P.s. The Fasnacht Parade had us all making sausages, partying in the streets, and marching for masks while the Lying Lowe quest sent us out into the treacherous wilds of Appalachia to solve a mystery surrounding the dreaded Sheepsquatch.

We also became fledgling members of the Pioneer Scouts, earning badges and, eventually, a backpack that gave us the added carry capacity we’d all be waiting for. The Order of the Tadpole quest will still get you started on your Scouting journey if you haven’t yet taken the plunge. The Bucket List quest gave us a functional in-game camera, helping us chronicle our adventures and fill photobooks with beautiful landscapes and memories with friends (and foes). Meanwhile, quests like Project Paradise and Waste Management presented new challenges in our never-ending hunt for even more loot.

SUMMER

That was all in Spring, but the pace didn’t let up after that. This summer, renowned BBQ aficionado, Grahm, kicked off his Meat Week Seasonal Event. Grahm’s cookout was so popular, we had to do it twice, bringing the meaty festival back during the six-week-long Project Clean Appalachia. Along the way, we also discovered a radio signal leading us to Vault 94 to take on three treacherous Vault Missions in exchange for exclusive sets of Power Armor.

And then there was Nuclear Winter, the biggest update since the launch of the game and a major new competitive mode. Yes, it was Battle Royale, but it was Battle Royale as only Fallout could do it, with Power Armor, C.A.M.P. building, and more. We all dropped in with 51 other “Candidates” to prove ourselves worthy of the role of Overseer of Vault 51. If you haven’t tried it yet, jump in! Each new match challenges you to rank up, unlock new and exclusive Perks, deploy a C.A.M.P., and even launch nukes in an intense last-team-standing fight-to-the-death.

Since its addition, Nuclear Winter has grown as well. We’ve added the new Morgantown map, the Choose Your Perks system, Color-Coded Item Rarities, and the ability to vote on maps. There have also been a handful of Nuclear Winter-specific challenges, which offer exclusive cosmetic rewards to the most dedicated Overseer Candidates, including Morgantown Challenges, Halloween challenges, and Christmas challenges.

FALL/WINTER

The truth is that this Fall, we all thought we’d be playing Wastelanders together, making new friends and enemies with NPCs. It was a difficult decision to delay to 2020, but it was the right one for the game, and for everyone who plays. We’ll have a better, more polished game next year as a result, one that will take us on new adventures together.

Meanwhile though, we’ve still enjoyed seasonal events and challenges, like the Mischief Night Halloween event, as well as the holiday events and challenges that we will enjoy together to end the year, like the Holiday Scorched Event, Nightmare Preceding Christmas, and Christmas Challenges. The end of 2019 is just as packed as the first 11 months.

QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENTS

2019 also saw a ton of quality of life adjustments, including the addition of player vending machines, the Legendary Vendor, display cases for your C.A.M.P., and those backpacks that increase carry weight.

We’ve also made quite a few updates based on some of your top requests for the game, like adding the ability to rename items, in-game challenge tracking, reducing budget costs for common C.A.M.P. objects, a variety of improvements for combat, introducing legendary Scorchbeasts, and completely overhauling the event system to create new Public Events, among others.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We’ve enjoyed going back through all of the fun content and other additions that have made 2019 a busy, and fun year in Appalachia. Fallout 76 has grown and improved so much this year, and will only continue to grow in 2020 as our biggest update ever, Wastelanders, launches (for free!). And, we have much more planned even beyond Wastelanders!

Thanks once again to everyone who plays with us for your continued support. We look forward to adventuring alongside you next year. Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and from us to all of you, all of the best wishes in the year to come.