Fallout 76 – Wastelanders Dialogue System Preview

The Wastelanders expansion for Fallout 76 will liven the survival RPG up with a bunch of human NPCs on April 7, 2020. Along with all these new NPCs we’ll also be getting a new dialogue system, and the latest development update for the game shares a preview of this system. It also reminds us to tune into the upcoming Bethesda Game Days livestreams. Here’s more on that:

FLEX YOUR SOCIAL SKILLS IN WASTELANDERS

For the last year, you’ve been working to rebuild America and beat back the Scorched plague with very limited human contact. Now, the time has come to brush up on your Charisma. People are about to return to Appalachia in droves, and you’re going to need to rely on your conversational prowess if you want to get to know your new neighbors.

Whether you want to learn about what life is like outside of Appalachia, warn others about the dangers you’ve encountered since you left the Vault, or just make a few new friends, the dialogue system coming with the Wastelanders update is going to play a crucial role as you navigate this next chapter in your survival story.

CHOOSE YOUR WORDS WISELY

Whenever you’re chatting up your favorite Ally, a Faction leader, or one of the many other characters you will meet during your adventures, you will be able to choose from a variety of response options. The words you employ during your conversations with others can, at times, be even more powerful than your favorite weapons. The decisions you make may help you forge alliances, find an alternate way to get something done, or even have an impact on your reputation with the Settlers or the Raiders.

The new faces in town aren’t the only ones who are interested in having discussions with you. We’ve also revisited some of our existing NPCs, like Rose, MODUS, and others to outfit them with dialogue. While the quests they send you on will be the same as they are in the base game, we hope that your interactions with them along the way will feel more flavorful and fun than before.

Don’t forget, as a Vault Dweller, you’re S.P.E.C.I.A.L.! Depending on how you’ve allocated points into your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes, you will sometimes find you can pull off conversational feats that others cannot. For example, , you may be able to convince someone to give you a weapon, find solutions to problems more quickly, or know just what to say to ease tensions during a tough moment.

TAKE CONTROL OF THE CONVERSATION

As part of the dialogue system, we’ve also added a few controls that can help you make the most out of your conversations with other characters. You can keep track of everything that’s said using the new History option at the bottom of the screen. This can be toggled on or off to show up to eight rows of dialogue subtitles at any given time. If you’re replaying a conversation, or just want to get to your responses more quickly, you can Skip each of an NPC’s individual lines to help speed things along. Finally, you can adjust the camera angle during your conversations whenever you’d like to get a better view of the person you’re speaking with.

JOIN US FOR BETHESDA GAME DAYS

Last week, we previewed what you can expect from the two Fallout 76 panels we will be hosting from Bethesda Game Days this weekend in Boston. As a quick recap, members of the dev team are taking to the stage at 2:00 p.m. ET tomorrow, February 28, for an in-depth discussion about the upcoming Wastelanders update. On Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET, we’re excited to team up with the cast of the CHAD: A Fallout 76 Story Podcast as they bring you a brand new episode live, for the first time ever.

WHERE TO WATCH LIVE

Head to our Bethesda Game Days 2020 article on Bethesda.net to get complete details about the event. If you can’t make it to Boston, be sure to tune in on your platform of choice: Twitch, Mixer, YouTube, or Facebook Live.