Fallout 76 has received six major updates since its release in 2018. The latest update, Steel Dawn, brings The Brotherhood of Steel to the post-apocalyptic Appalachia. So much was packed into this update and players will find an entirely new story to explore.
With the update launching a week early, players were excited to jump into the game and see what's new. There are certain things to be excited about in the game, but fans will also notice this particular dawn isn't all that bright.
10 BEST: Cool New Items
The game has some fantastic new items and weapons for players to use with the latest update. Things like The Oathbreaker, Brotherhood Recon Armor, and The Fact Finder all add a bit of new spice to the game. With fun new cosmetic options and paint possibilities, players can now roam with a brand new sense of style.
9 WORST: Mind-Numbing Grinding
The largest complaint of players so far is just how horrible grinding for the new items in the game can be. Plans for the new armor only drop from daily ops where are currently bugged out for many players. Players can also only craft non-legendary versions so will be stuck grinding even further if they want the best gear the new update has to offer. Simply put, the Secret Service plans are far easier to get so most players will just keep using that old content instead of torturing themselves on the grind.
8 BEST: Exploring The Brotherhood Of Steel
The Brotherhood of Steel has been a part of the franchise since its first installment. They have been a fascinating part of the series bringing a unique flavor to the story of the games. Heck, there was even an entire game called Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel that focused on the faction.
While the story has brought on some controversy, players have still enjoyed seeing how this faction interacts in a new environment like the Appalachian Wasteland. The world of Fallout 76 has felt strange without this classic faction found somewhere within it.
7 WORST: Pathetic Amounts Of Content
The lore of Fallout games has always been a huge part of the experience. Players were excited to see a new look at one of their favorite factions from the game, The Brotherhood of Steel, in the latest update. In the end, the content barely scrapes three hours of gameplay (for players that go slow and take their time).
Fans being able to get through the storyline in under a day have been disappointed and likely aren't staying to grind for the rare items the update brought. It's not like they'll need strong equipment if the next update is likely to go as quickly as this one.
6 BEST: Buildable Shelters
Players love making their own places to settle. From custom CAMPS to settlements players have been excitedly making new homes since it was made possible in Fallout 4. Players now have the ability to essentially make custom vaults thanks to the latest update with one space being free (though quite small) while the others are much larger and take real-world currency to purchase. Players are sure to have fun building up these new spaces.
5 WORST:Â They Are Horribly Expensive
The most expensive shelter that can be purchased in the game costs as much as the entirety of Fallout 76 when the game was recently on sale. The game has been criticized for breaking promises about microtransactions before and these extremely high prices are likely to put the game under further scrutiny. It feels almost predatory taking a long-awaited feature to customize a vault and putting it behind such a large paywall.
4 BEST: Fun Random Encounters
Fallout has had crazy random encounters over the years so it comes as no surprise a few more were added in this latest update. Twelve random encounters have been found so far with data miners also discovering three more that seem to be cut from the game.
One of the more hilarious encounters comes from the Brotherhood of Zeal. This blatant ripoff trying to pretend to be the real faction is almost comically terrible at doing so. With terrible power armor and grimy clothes, Barnaby, Barry, and Buck aren't likely to find too much luck tricking players into donating to their cause.
3 WORST:Â Barely Any Players
It's never a good sign when a game that requires a large number of players to get the most out of it barely has enough to keep it going. Old School Runescape pulls in an average of over 100,000 players online daily. The statistics show Fallout 76 isn't able to pull in over 7000 players recently. Numbers this low after a major update does not bode well for the game's future.
2 BEST: Two Updates In One
There was originally going to be a separate Fractured Steel update as well as the Steel Dawn update, but Bethesda decided to combine them into one package for players. It's hard to deny this creates a good value and allows players to have even more content to dig into all at once.
1 WORST:Â Horribly Buggy
Everyone knows the jokes about Bethesda making buggy games. This latest update is so buggy that it is almost a joke itself. Many paid for items, like the floors and walkways used for the new vaults, are broken and do not work correctly for many players. Accounts have been suddenly banned for no reason, there is a strange distress signal broadcasted in the new hideouts, and daily ops have bugs where they won't always respawn.
Fans have to wonder if the update could have gotten a last bit of polish had it not released so early. If this is the kind of quality players can now expect from the game, even with extra paid content, the game will likely be struggling until its eventual demise.