Is Fallout 76 Worth Playing in 2023?

The Fallout franchise is one of Bethesda's most remarkable releases. From the iconic Fallout: New Vegas to the strategic and more laidback Fallout Shelter, this game series has amassed quite an impressive and loyal fanbase. Its latest addition, Fallout 76, also garnered the attention of fans, and not exactly for good reasons. Upon its launch in 2018, Fallout 76 was hit with several bad reviews due to its numerous bugs and glitches. But after years of constant updates and improvements, did Fallout 76 become an enjoyable game? Let's review some factors to decide.

An Ever-Improving Game

Although it may still have some recurring bugs and errors, Fallout 76 has improved a LOT compared to its initial launch in 2018. Some things that players should not look over are its several updates and additional content. For instance, the Wild Appalachia update in 2019 introduced as series of new quests and crafting systems.

Additionally, the 2020 Wastelanders update brought back a key factor in other Fallout games: non-playable characters (NPCs). This update included a new questline, as well as new factions, events, and features. There are also more updates that introduce more content, rewards, and even maps!

Crafting and C.A.M.P. Building

Crafting is an aspect that made the game more enjoyable or even rewarding for players. Although some players, especially low-levelled ones, may find gathering and scrapping of weapons and armor pieces to acquire upgrades tedious, there is a sense of accomplishment in unlocking creatable gear. Aside from unlocking weapons, armor, and upgrades, C.A.M.P. building has been a favorite for players who enjoy making and improving the appearance and functionalities of their base.

If you have the building kit, patience, and creativity to make an eye-catching C.A.M.P., try giving your base a unique aesthetic! Players who visit your home will definitely give you a thumbs up for your creativity. Moreover, you can also consider updating your shelter and give it a unique style.

PvE and PvP

Fallout 76 players, for the most part, will find themselves teaming up with others to survive the harsh Appalachian wasteland in a Player versus Environment (PvE) set-up. Players often team up when joining public events that offer different rewards and lots of XP for levelling up and unlocking new perks. Aside from public events, players join together in challenging daily ops and expeditions. These two are similar to dungeon quests, and finishing their respective objectives will grant players various rewards.

As for Player versus Player (PvP), Fallout 76 had a battle royale update in 2019 called Nuclear Winter. On this game mode, up to 52 players in teams of four can fight each other to claim their sport as the overseer of Vault 51. Although this mode does not exist in the game anymore, PvP in public lobbies can still happen if at least two players agreed to fight each other to the death when attacks from both or all sides occur. Players can also hunt down wanted players to claim their bounty price and engage in a (usually) quick PvP. Moreover, claiming workshops owned by others will force players to engage in fights. Unless, they enter a different public map and claim unowned workshops.

Wholesome and Helpful Community

Most players may find some mainstream games toxic or not worth playing due to extremely competitive players and griefers. You may have even encountered some games where you find yourself rage quitting due to how annoyed you were with other players. However, these are pretty rare in Fallout 76.

Low-level players may find themselves being approached by high-levelled ones. If you're a newbie and this happens to you, don't run! Chances are these high-level players will give you some items to help you survive the wasteland. They may give you some weapons, ammo, notes, stimpaks, or other stuff to get through the early game hell. Because of this unspoken tradition, Bethesda even added a donation box in front of Vault 76, where new players spawn. These newbie players can take items from the box as they start their adventure in the Appalachian wasteland.

Conclusion

Fallout 76 had an infamous launch. The game received a negative first impression due to numerous bugs, glitches, and errors that annoyed players. But thanks to the developers' continuous efforts to improve the game and launch more and better updates, Fallout 76 became an enjoyable game to play. Sure, it could use some more fixes here and there, but it is far from a bad game as it used to be on its launch.