Surviving a post-apocalyptic landscape is hard enough but Fallout 4 survival mode challenges even the most skilled players and is the best way to experience the game. Fallout is a series of RPG/action games that take place centuries after a nuclear attack has devastated the world. Players are cast into this hellish, retro-futuristic landscape and must overcome hostile survivors, mutated creatures and ghouls while deciding whether to help others or only look out for themselves.
Bethesda Softworks (The Elder Scrolls) took over the series from 2008's Fallout 3, a huge, open-world title that allowed players to go wherever they wished. Fallout 4 later managed to exceed it in both scope and scale, and while the game was sometimes let down by glitches and assorted bugs, it proved to be another epic timesink for fans of the series.
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For franchise experts, the standard game modes won't prove to be much of a challenge and they'll soon be swimming in ammo and stimpaks. That's where Fallout 4 survival mode comes in. This difficulty level strips away comforts like fast travel and quick saves and forces players to engage with the post-apocalypse in a whole new way. It also brings the intensity of the game to a new level.
In Fallout 4 survival mode, hunger, thirst and even a proper sleep cycle become hugely important and players need to plan ahead, and the game can only be saved when players go to sleep. Diseases also come into the picture, so eating contaminated food or water will cause the Sole Survivor to become sick and require antibiotics, and stimpaks heal over time instead of right away. Fallout 4 survival mode alters combat in a big way also. Enemies can deliver far more damage, though the Sole Survivor can also dish out significant damage too. Weight restrictions limit the number of weapons and ammunition players can carry, so they'll have to measure the benefits of engaging enemies or hope they have enough supplies in case of a surprise attack.
Basically, Fallout 4 survival mode gives players a taste of what life in a post-nuclear hellscape would be like. The Sole Survivor faces constant hunger and thirst and every enemy attack is a challenge. This difficulty level makes players earn each victory, challenging them to use their wits as well as their firepower. This also feels like the way Fallout 4 was meant to be played and there's a certain exhilaration with just barely scraping by.
Fallout 4 survival mode won't be for everyone, especially those who aren't prepared to invest a significant amount of hours into beating it. For those players who do, however, it's the most rewarding way to play the game.