Fallout 76 may have had a rough start, but even in 2023, it's still going strong. At the moment, Fallout 76 is still due to receive a couple more years of continued support. While the final state of Fallout 76 is still out of grasp for the time being, the foundations for a future update may be hidden in plain sight.
Given the patterns that most of Fallout 76's recent updates have followed, the future points towards an original faction getting the spotlight. There are many factions in Fallout 76, though a few stand out above the rest due to their relevance to Fallout 76's main storyline and canon in the universe. The other factions are more like background characters, but plenty of Fallout 76's content updates have been changing that. There have even been updates focused on returning factions from past Fallout games added to Fallout 76, yet one faction still has yet to make a reappearance.
The History of the Free States in Fallout 76, and Their Possible Return to Appalachia
Fallout 76 updates have a habit of continuing the legacies and missions of the post-apocalyptic factions that are presumed to have died out. At launch, Fallout 76 didn't have any NPCs besides the robot vendors. It was quite a desolate wasteland at first, but there are plenty of organized survivor groups to encounter nowadays.
Fallout 76's recent updates have namely reintroduced the Responders as well as the Brotherhood of Steel, who were both previously thought to have perished due to Fallout's Scorched plague in Appalachia. Given this trend with Fallout 76's updates, one faction, in particular, may soon see a return to Appalachia.
The Free States faction played a massive role in Appalachia's history both before and after the nuclear apocalypse, but they aren't around anymore in Fallout 76. The Free States' survivalist ideals drove them to create personal underground bunkers where they initially endured the nuclear war. After emerging from their shelters, the Free States faction continued their fight with government-military powers.
Appalachia's Brotherhood of Steel chapter in Fallout became natural enemies with the Free States until both factions had to put their feud on hold to combat the Scorchbeast threat. Both Factions seemingly perished by the plague that Scorchbeasts brought on. Meanwhile, another Brotherhood of Steel chapter has since moved to Appalachia and continued the organization's efforts. While the Free States was mostly a local organization, Appalachia may not have heard the last of them yet.
Some of Fallout 76's community have speculated that the Free States remnants have gone back into hiding sometime around Vault 76's Reclamation Day in the Fallout games' story timeline. This theory could very well be true given a few tendencies of the Free States.
It wouldn't take any particular member to regroup the Free States' remaining survivors, so anyone who survived could ultimately step up to the task at hand. Also, since the Free States members originally used their shelters to survive the nuclear war, perhaps the war with the Scorched once again drove the survivors back into hiding.
If the Free States are indeed alive, they have likely spent the recent years preparing for an offensive with the Brotherhood of Steel that occupy Appalachia. The clash between the Free States and the Brotherhood of Steel ultimately boils down to the same struggles between Skyrim's Stormcloaks and Imperials.
The Free States vow to keep Appalachia independent and self-sufficient, like Skyrim's native Stormcloaks. On the other hand, the Brotherhood of Steel and similar pre-apocalypse militant groups aimed to turn Appalachia into another cog in a governmental machine, similar to the Imperials’ mission. The Appalachian Free States and Brotherhood of Steel in Fallout 76 are ultimately still on the verge of a battle that may finally end their war.
Fallout 76 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
