Highlights

  • Bethesda needs to prioritize improving melee combat in the next Fallout game.
  • Melee combat issues have persisted in Fallout games, creating frustration for players who enjoy running melee builds.
  • Fallout 5 should consider implementing more weapon-specific combos and a consistent parry mechanic to deepen hand-to-hand combat.

Whenever the next Fallout is released, it will hopefully serve as a major step forward for the series. There are a number of ways that Bethesda can improve and build upon the Fallout formula, many of which boil down to a matter of preference, but combat stands out as a clear problem area for both fans and critics of the franchise.

Although it's seen improvement in games like Starfield, Bethesda's approach to combat has always been a cut below many other leading shooters and RPGs. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as players are typically drawn to Bethesda RPGs for their world-building, well-written quests and lore, and atmosphere, rather than their exhilarating gunplay and hand-to-hand fighting mechanics. That said, it's hard not to imagine how much better a game like Fallout 4 could be if the combat was a little bit deeper and more refined. Specifically, while shooting mechanics in Bethesda games have been gradually improved with each release, melee combat remains mostly unchanged, much to the chagrin of players who prefer to run a melee build.

The astronaut from Starfield promo art with a power armor helmet from Fallout 76
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Bethesda Should Hone In On Melee Combat Problems in Fallout 5

The Problems With Fallout's Melee Combat

The Fallout franchise has never had amazing combat, but many gamers have been able to look past this thanks to solid RPG systems and combat features like VATS that make weak real-time mechanics irrelevant, if only for a moment. However, shallow and clunky combat can also be frustrating and underwhelming, especially for those looking to experiment with different gear and character builds. With melee weapons and unarmed combat having a number of practical advantages for those looking to take an unconventional route, it's a shame that the franchise has never managed to make these approaches as fun as they could be.

These melee combat problems apply to the contemporary Fallout games, not the turn-based CRPGs from Interplay.

Melee combat in Fallout games is mostly stat-focused, with player input having little to no impact on the outcome of fights. Stat boosts, high-end gear, and buffs are what determine melee efficacy in Fallout, not skill, as melee gameplay often comes down to simply mashing the attack button or leveraging VATS until an enemy is defeated. Fallout 3 and its successors all feature blocks and heavy attacks, and New Vegas added some additional, minor tweaks, but these inclusions do little to help the overall feeling that melee is laborious and rather shallow, especially at lower character levels.

How Fallout 5 Can Improve the Series' Melee Combat

Fallout 5 should deepen and expand the series' melee combat. The changes wouldn't necessarily need to be transformative, as things like more enemy reactivity and more weapon-specific combos would go a long way toward making real-time melee more enjoyable, rather than something overly reliant on Fallout's VATS. Fallout 4 features a satisfying counter system, which can stun enemy NPCs, so perhaps building on this framework by fleshing out a consistent and weighty parry mechanic would also help improve melee combat, raising its skill ceiling while making hand-to-hand fighting more engaging and expressive.

Bethesda's RPGs are often ambitious when it comes to world-building and role-playing options, but actual gameplay seems to take a back seat much of the time. Indeed, while visuals, quality of life, and scope are considerably expanded and iterated upon with each release, combat mechanics mostly only see incremental improvement. Whether Fallout 5 is dramatically different from the rest of the Fallout series remains to be seen, but making some noticeable and meaningful changes to melee combat would likely make for a more flexible, satisfying, and rewarding overall gameplay experience.