New seasonal content has come to Fallout 76 in the way of "Rip Daring and the Cryptid Hunt," a pulp-themed update with offbeat heroes and a folklore focus. Overcoming the challenges of a rough 2018 launch, Bethesda has grown its live-service game by offering gamers an online route into the Fallout universe. If the past few years have proven anything, it's that Fallout 76 can succeed by adopting more of the IP's original hallmarks. Branching quests, allies, and hidden curiosities have all contributed to the spin-off's comeback, but have also received slightly less attention in recent seasons while the team prioritizes replayable events over larger, standalone stories.
These developments are not entirely lacking, as Fallout 76's Season 12 provides new locations and rewards for those interested in its selection of hunting challenges. Simply put, player retention is a concern for most live-service projects, so Bethesda and co-developer Double Eleven would be wise to keep the content cycle fresh in this manner. Regardless, some fans could be let down when there is an expectation for seasonal content that reflects the franchise's RPG roots.
Questing For Cryptid Lore in Fallout 76
Season 12 highlights mutants as enemy types formed from the wasteland's harshest elements - such as FEV exposure following the Great War. The creatures found across Fallout 76's West Virginian setting all have mysterious origins, letting fans discover the fiction through dangerous-yet-fascinating detours. Its most fearsome mutants reference Appalachian folklore -- hence the cryptid moniker -- and players have seen hints of these creatures during various side quests and in-game events. That trend continues throughout the latest seasonal calendar, though it does leave some room for further exploration.
Before the Great War in the Fallout timeline, the government conducted top-secret programs among the American populace. One location in Fallout 76's Savage Divide region, known as Sugar Grove, was a naval surveillance facility that tracked cryptid sightings with mixed results. In the same region, creatures like the snallygaster were eventually linked to FEV research, acting as yet another example of disturbing experiments in Fallout. Cryptids remained elusive even to high-ranking military personnel, but Season 12 had the chance to really immerse players in this premise if it focused on questing instead of combat encounters.
Why Fallout 76 Needs More Self-Contained Stories
By design, Fallout 76 is a prequel with closer ties to the pre-war era which has many tales left to tell. Much of its post-launch content is either level-scaled or self-contained, thus making quests accessible to newcomers. Considering those factors, it's apparent that Fallout 76 is now well-suited for story expansions despite later updates favoring community-based systems and Daily Ops additions. The mythology of Fallout, as it's presented in Season 12, is mainly a vehicle for action when it might have been an interesting premise for paranormal detective work - with a twist of mad science.
Season 12: Rip Daring and the Cryptid Hunt may not entertain players' imaginations as much as Steel Reign or Wastelanders, but gamers can find a lot to appreciate in the game itself. The cryptids' backstories are not altogether clear, nor should they be, as that sense of mystery ir appeal. Nonetheless, their reappearance might have been better utilized in a classic RPG-style quest line where the lore takes center stage. Very few would question the hard-earned popularity of Fallout 76, though the game still has the potential to grow far beyond its current multiplayer ambitions.
Fallout 76 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
