Update: Fallout 76 will have no NPCs, only players, but will support mods eventually.
It may have been a poorly kept secret, but Fallout 76 has now been confirmed as a multiplayer title by publisher Bethesda. The game was initially revealed in a shock announcement, following a long tease via a Twitch stream. Although many suggested at the time that it would be a multiplayer-focused title, the extend to which it would be multiplayer remained a mystery.
This marked a major change in how Fallout games could be played. The titles had always been a solitary experience, with a pure single player focus that steered away from multiplayer modes. Although there had been flirtations with multiplayer in the core series over the years, with Fallout Online standing as a cancelled example, this had never come to fruition until Fallout 76 came along.
Related: Fallout 76 Trailer: A Prequel 4 Times Bigger Than Any Other Fallout
This new game, however, is going to be a purely online experience. Speaking during E3 2018, game director Todd Howard stated that the game is going to be "entirely online," with 100% dedicated servers that will support the game for "years to come." Below is a look at the game in action, courtesy of the E3 2018 press conference.
This online focus also pulls into the main function of the game. Apparently, all of the vault survivors will be human beings - other players who are taking part in the game, rather than NPCs to be interacted with. This is a major shake-up of how things operate in the Fallout series, and could lead to some seriously interesting gameplay sections, particularly given that at least some of the game revolves around finding nuclear weapons to use on the unsuspecting game map.
This time around, Bethesda is going all out with the details of the game world. The rendering technology used allows Fallout 76 to have sixteen times the detail, including the ability to view distant weather systems across the map. This will allow Bethesda to really dive into the details of West Virginia, with a game world that includes six different regions and incorporates elements of West Virginia folklore alongside a variety of new Fallout creatures as a whole, including what looks like at the very least a reference to the legend of Mothman.
Gamers may be chomping at the bit to test this game out, but will have to wait until November 14, 2018 to do so. That is, unless they get involved in the beta testing, or as Bethesda puts it, the "Break It Early Test Application." It certainly may be a good choice to get involved in the beta. After all, what better way to check and see if that Power Armor Special Edition set is worth it.