Fallout 76

Fallout 76 is a post-apocalyptic multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the 11th installment, following Fallout: Wasteland Warfare. The story is set in Appalachian region of West Virginia.

Release
The game was released on Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 14, 2018. In 2022, it was announced that developer Double Eleven would be co-developing the game. New content is planned through 2027.

Story
The player takes the role of a Vault Dweller from Vault 76 as they attempt to reunite with their missing overseer. On their journey, the dweller discovers how Appalachia has been devastated by the fallout, and crosses paths with different factions with conflicting ideas on how to revitalize or conquer Appalachia.

Setting
The events of Fallout 76 originally began on October 23, 2102, 25 years after the Great War, where the player leaves the vault during an event called Reclamation Day. The game timeline progressed to 2103 with the Wastelanders update, and to 2104 with the Steel Reign update.

Gameplay
Gameplay includes a combat system that allows for both first and third person view and features the ability to use weapon iron sights. Random encounters return. One player can have up to five characters under the same account. Each server has its own weather and time of day with occasional verdant seasons for better harvest yields. Due to its multiplayer nature, it is not possible to manually save, and progress is saved automatically.

Players can now fast travel from indoors and with enemies nearby as long as they are not attacked within fifteen seconds. The inventory now has a tab for newly obtained items. Armor and apparel, as well as food and aid, are now distinct categories. The menu now differentiates between main and side quests. Quest markers now show the names of objectives. The player can use a semi-transparent menu HUD instead of the Pip-Boy. The player has the option to see floating damage numbers. With the Night of the Moth update, the keyring and ability to quickly loot all enemies within a certain radius was implemented.

Character creation
Characters are created in Vault 76 via a user interface similar to Fallout 4. Their appearance and name can be customized.

After completing the initial release from the vault (level 2), players gain a point and need to build their SPECIAL attributes. The seven categories are each presented to the player in the form of perk cards. Players can then build on those SPECIALs by adding additional cards (perks) to them.

Leveling and Perk Cards
Players have to spend a varying number of points on cards, dependent on the initial value. Cards of the same type can be combined with an additional point cost to create a higher ranked version of that initial card, max rank depends on the card. The value of the card is shown in the upper left corner. Players gain a SPECIAL point on level up until level 50 which they can assign to a SPECIAL stat of their choosing. After level 50, players are still able to pick a perk card but no longer receive SPECIAL points. From level 25 onward, punch card machines can be utilized for different SPECIAL Loadouts. They allow for re-distribution of SPECIAL points and for changing the currently active loadout.

On top of players assigning cards to their character to enhance their own build, there are also cards available to enhance the current statistics of their team as a whole, most of which fall under Charisma. There are few solo-player Charisma cards, as the majority are designed for team play. Another way players can support their team is by sharing perk cards. Players can only share one perk card, the rank of the card they can share is based on the Charisma SPECIAL stat. For every three points of Charisma, one perk card point can be shared.

Initially, players receive a Perk Card Pack every two levels up to level ten. This is a random selection of four cards that the player can swap out with their current cards. After level ten, players receive the card packs every five levels. These packs can occasionally include a card that is higher in value than normal, increasing a stat or ability more than it would otherwise. Legendary perks unlock after level 50 and allow the player to equip certain perk cards and rank up their effects using perk coins.

Multiplayer
While the game is meant to be played with others, solo play is possible, either by avoiding interactions with other players or by using a private server via Fallout 1st, the game's subscription service. Most of the quests can be solved solo, with only a few events requiring to team up with others. The game is run on multiple servers, with each having a maximum capacity of 24 players, who can team up into squads with a maximum of four people. Interaction with other player characters is done via the emote wheel and voice chat.

Combat and equipment
V.A.T.S. now functions in real-time instead of freezing or slowing enemy actions. The ability to target body parts in V.A.T.S. now requires a perk card. V.A.T.S. can now be used in mid-air.

Weapons and armor have durability and will need to be repaired occasionally. They now have level requirements with the max level cap at 50. Some equipment known as legendary equipment have modifiers called "legendary effects" which each star by its name indicating the amount of legendary effects it has. Using modules, players can "roll" a weapon for different effects in a process known as legendary crafting.

Events and nukes
Nukes can be used following the completion of the main quest, I Am Become Death. To launch a nuke, a player must visit one of the three main missile silos; Site Alpha, Site Bravo or Site Charlie, all of which have identical layouts. After a series of small tasks, the player can launch a nuke using a nuclear keycard and a launch code, the latter of which changes weekly. When utilized, the resulting nuclear blast zone is highly radioactive, and while it holds valuable resources and high level enemies, entering it requires a high Radiation Resistance. Any C.A.M.P. caught in a blast zone will be destroyed. Except for a protected part of the Forest starting region, nukes can be launched at any target.

A variety of different Events take place on an ongoing basis in each server. Two specific events, A Colossal Problem and Scorched Earth, require one player in the server to nuke either Monongah Mine or the area around fissure site Prime in the southeastern Cranberry Bog. The first allows to fight Earle Williams, while the second results in an encounter with a Scorchbeast Queen, both of which are considered "end-game bosses". Daily Ops are events in which up to four players race against time to complete objectives in one of many maps. For players to assist each other in an instanced mission, they require the team leader to enter a location first. Other members of the team can assist the team leader in their instance, although they will not progress on their own character. Members can listen to the team leader's dialogue with NPCs.

NPCs and quests
Quests at launch were received through holotape recordings, terminals and notes. Robots were also utilized to deliver stages of quest lines and for bartering.

The Wastelanders update introduced living human NPCs with to Appalachia who now give quests. Players can see their full dialogue responses, and conversations have SPECIAL checks. Most NPCs can not be killed or harmed by the player. They can not be pickpocketed and they do not react to the player looting items in their vicinity. Nuking an area with NPCs will result in them wearing hazmat suits.

Survival elements
Death does not result in loss of progression; instead, the player will merely drop all their junk items on-hand. Players can retrieve their junk left behind in a bag, indicated by a map icon, and other players may steal it. On occasion, the player will be downed instead of being killed right away, in which case another player can use a stimpak to revive them. The player can sleep in beds to restore their health, but sleeping does not advance time.

Appalachia has a railway connecting various train stations which can help supply the player. There are 13 lookout towers where the player can examine the landscape at the top which will add new locations to the world map.

Initially, food and drinks were important to help survive as starving would result in continual HP damage while being dehydrated would limit the maximum AP. This was later patched out, so that being more well-fed will grant more max HP and disease resistance, while being hydrated will boost AP regeneration and disease resistance.

Every player has their own instanced stashbox. Stashboxes have the same contents no matter where they are accessed. Fallout 1st players have access to a scrapbox, which allows them to place unlimited amounts of components in it.

Diseases act as temporary debuffs, and can be acquired by various means; by being submerged underwater without protective headwear, sleeping on the ground, or by fighting diseased enemies. While diseases do not last longer than an hour, they can be removed prematurely by using antibiotics, disease cure or a Sympto-Matic.

Mutations can be developed by players, either by being exposed to radiation, or by using a special serum. They are an important gameplay mechanic, and each mutation gives both advantages and disadvantages. They may be removed by RadAway, unless the second rank of the Starched Genes perk is equipped. Their effects can be temporarily suppressed by taking Rad-X.

Players loot junk items from the world, and scrap them into raw components, with which they can craft a variety of items, ranging from weapons, ammunition, armor, furniture, to consumables such as food and medicine. Raw components are also required to repair weapons and armor, as they gradually deteriorate, with higher quality equipment requiring rarer components. Certain items also require plans or recipes in order to be crafted. In addition, it is possible to harvest ore from mineral deposits, which can then be smelted at a chemistry station.

Backpacks can be used to increase carry weight. A plan for small backpacks can be found exploring Morgantown Airport. A larger backpack involves the completion of the side quest The Order of the Tadpole.

Faction reputation
The Raiders at The Crater and Settlers in Foundation are factions introduced with the Wastelanders update. A reputation mechanic allows the player to slowly improve their standing with either faction. Certain decisions in quests can increase the reputation with a faction, and daily quests available in each faction's settlement guarantee that the reputation with both can be maxed out. The benefit of a high reputation lies in having access to more plans at a faction's trader.

CAMPs and Allies
The Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform, or C.A.M.P. for short, is a feature that allows players to construct their own dwellings. It can be moved to another location in exchange for caps. It also allows for players on a private team to build non-Atomic Shop objects at their teammate's C.A.M.P., even when the owner has not learned the plan for the object built. Teammates can also freely use furniture and appliances at each other's camp, as long as they are not locked. It is also possible to build vending machines, where a player can sell their items to other players. C.A.M.P.s can be attacked by hostile creatures or other players, and destroyed parts of a C.A.M.P. can be repaired.

While initially only one C.A.M.P. per character was allowed, a free second slot was made available with the One Wasteland For All update, which also introduced Shelters. Shelters have less strict building restrictions when it comes to placing items, as they are interior locations and not part of the actual game world, even though some items cannot be built inside them. Additional C.A.M.P. slots and shelter variants can be purchased from the Atomic Shop.

Workshops are temporary C.A.M.P.s, and each workshop has a predefined amount of resource deposits available, which can be harvested by building mineral extractors. Just like shelters, certain items are prohibited from being built at a workshop. Control over a workshop is lost, if the player leaves a server. Much like settlements in Fallout 4, C.A.M.P.s, shelters, and workshops all have a budget limiting the number of items that can be built. Each buildable item has its own value contributing to the budget.

Allies are found throughout Appalachia, each one having a specific method to unlock. A specific piece of furniture has to be placed in a C.A.M.P. for the ally to appear, and only one ally can be active at any given time. Some allies can be obtained through seasonal scoreboards or by purchasing their plan after maxing Foundation's reputation.

Allies may offer unique temporary bonuses; for example, speaking with Maul temporarily raises Strength. Certain bonuses, such as Lover's Embrace, may only be accessed after meeting a personal reputation criteria. With the exception of Daphne and Maul, the player can customize their ally's outfit and headwear.

PvP
Player versus player (PvP) combat does not become available until the player character is level 5, and PvP is only available to players if they have Pacifist Mode turned off in the game's settings. Player characters invite other characters to duel by attacking, though these attacks do not deal any damage. Before patch 7.5, they dealt nominal damage. If the player being attacked fires back, the damage being inflicted between the two players is regulated, but only if there is a large level gap between them. Players who are close to the same level inflict full damage with no restrictions. Player characters who are severely different in level have their damage placed on a curve with the higher level player doing less damage than they normally would at their level, while the lower level player does more.

If the opposing player responds but then dies, they can seek revenge. If they kill the initial instigating player, they receive double the rewards. Killers can collect any junk their target drops. If a player continues to attack another player and that player has not responded, but eventually is killed by the instigating player, the offender will have a bounty placed on their head and are wanted. They receive no loot or experience for killing the opposing player. The now-hunted player is visible to all others on the map, indicated by a red star. They also cannot see anybody else on the map. Killing the marked player results in rewards.

Fallout Worlds
Fallout Worlds allows players to play in a rotating Public World for free, which offers a unique customized setting. Fallout 1st subscribers have access to Custom Worlds, allowing them to choose the individual settings. No character progress carries over into the main adventure mode.

Private Worlds is a mode where players with the Fallout 1st subscription can play on their own private server. It was released on October 23, 2019, along with patch 14. The server holds up to eight players and has better server stability than Adventure mode servers. Any progress made on the server is not saved, such as taking a workshop, farming junk spots, killing enemies, etc. If the server host leaves and no other players within the server have a Fallout 1st subscription, remaining players have a 30-minute grace period to leave before the server shuts down. However, if a player other than the original server host has a Fallout 1st subscription, the server will not shut down.

Expeditions
Expeditions allow players to visit locations outside of Appalachia with repeatable mission-based content, new NPCs and quests. The first in the series is Expeditions: The Pitt. To access an Expedition, players will need to head to the Whitespring Resort.

Removed

 * Survival mode was a more competitive way to play that was separate from the main game, had fewer PvP restrictions, higher stakes for PvP combat and a permanent XP bonus. It was released in a beta form as part of the Wild Appalachia update with patch 7.5 on March 26, 2019. There was also a scoreboard system, as well as new weekly challenges that had legendary rewards. Survival mode was removed on October 1, 2019.
 * Vault raids were introduced alongside Nuclear Winter. They were removed April 14, 2020.
 * Nuclear Winter was a battle royale mode that debuted on June 10, 2019. It was removed in late 2021.

Seasons and Scoreboards


Seasons last for roughly three months, and with each season, a new scoreboard is added to Fallout 76. Daily and weekly challenges, such as obtaining purified water, defeating mole miners or visiting a teammate's shelter, can be completed in order to gain SCORE, which is automatically used to rank up and progress on the scoreboard. Each rank increases the amount of S.C.O.R.E. required to reach the next rank. Rewards can be claimed directly from scoreboard, and are usually only available for the duration of a season. With recent updates, Bethesda has started to make certain items of past seasons available via plans, which can be bought in exchange for gold bullion from certain traders.

Currencies
Fallout 76 uses four major currencies, including Caps, gold bullion, legendary scrip, and Atoms. Caps are most frequently used for the majority of transactions with vendors and other players. They are awarded for completing quests, can be found in stashes and other containers, or on defeated enemies.

Gold bullion is obtained by exchanging Treasury Notes, and is used to buy plans that are rare or unobtainable otherwise. Vendors accepting gold bullion are Minerva, Regs at Vault 79, Samuel at Foundation and Mortimer at the Crater. Legendary scrip is obtained from completing daily quests, or by exchanging legendary weapons and armor at a legendary exchange machine. Scrip can be used to buy random weapons and armor parts, as well as crafting components such as legendary modules, from Purveyor Murmrgh at the Rusty Pick.

Atoms can be obtained through different methods; by completing lifetime challenges, by ranking up S.C.O.R.E. on the scoreboard during a season, or by purchasing them using real-world money (100 Atoms are akin to US$1.) Most challenges are tied to the account rather than a created character; for example, collecting 760 wood only grants Atoms once, collecting the same amount with another character does nothing. However, this also means that progression can be shared between characters. Completing a scoreboard will net the player 500 Atoms, and additional 100 Atoms for each 10th rank after rank 100.

Atomic Shop
Atoms can be used in the Atomic Shop for a variety of items. They include purely cosmetic effects in form of skins or paints for weapons and armors, furniture and other object for C.A.M.P. decoration, or emotes. The contents of the Atomic Shop are updated every 7 days, with certain bundles being available for as long as 14 days or returning to the shop after removal. An item, such as a nuclear keycard or a repair kit, is available for free every 24 hours.

Story
The game is set in Appalachia, consisting of six distinct regions: the Forest, Ash Heap, Toxic Valley to the west, the Savage Divide in the center, and the Mire and Cranberry Bog in the east. Pre-War cities are explorable, including Point Pleasant, Charleston, Welch, Beckley, Lewisburg, Summersville, Sutton, Clarksburg, Morgantown, Flatwoods, and Harpers Ferry.

Original questline
Vault 76 is a control vault, designed without an experiment. Manufactured by the Vault-Tec Corporation, Vault 76 was designed to commemorate the Tricentennial, 300 years after the nation's founding. The player characters, the Vault Dwellers, some of the best and brightest of America, survived the nuclear blasts during the Great War on October 23, 2077 and 25 years later on Reclamation Day, the inhabitants leave the vault to rebuild Appalachia. The Overseer left the vault before the rest of the inhabitants.

The Vault Dwellers learn about the Scorched Plague, a virus transforming survivors into Scorched, and the emergence of mutated bats known as Scorchbeasts that spread the virus from the air. The player character is given the task of tracking down the overseer, following her footsteps. In the process, the player character is introduced to different factions, locations, and initiatives.

They first become familiar with the defunct Responders led by Maria Chavez, a humanitarian relief effort formed after the War but dissolved in 2096. With the research efforts of a Responder named Claire Hudson, the player character vaccinates themselves in an old medical center. Hudson's message sends the player character to become part of the Fire Breathers, once led by Melody Larkin, and they learn about Hank Madigan, a Fire Breather seeking to eradicate the Scorched.

Searching Hank's trail, the player character meets a robot named Rose at the Top of the World; Hank's body is trapped in a cage, having been killed by raiders. Rose's personality and voice is based on a raider woman named Rosalynn Jeffries. Rosalynn's boyfriend, David Thorpe, would later design the robot after her. David was lied to about Rosalynn being killed by the Responders; he used a mini nuke to avenge her by destroying the Summersville Dam dam on Christmas morning. This caused Summersville Lake to catastrophically flood Charleston, killing Rosalynn, and over one thousand other survivors and Responder members in what would be known as the Christmas Flood. Rose requests the player character to find an old Raider stash. After seeing they can be trusted, Rose helps them obtain Hank's uplink, a device that can locate Scorched, but it was broken by Raiders.

To help repair the device, Rose sends the player character to the bunker of Abigayle "Abbie" Singh, who was developing the project. The player character becomes familiar with an anarchist group Abbie was part of, the Free States, who distrusted Vault-Tec and, apprehensive about the United States' government's ties to the corporation, decided to build their own bunkers instead in the Mire. Abbie survived the War in her family's bunker and learned about the Scorched threat which took over Harpers Ferry in 2086. Her deceased father built a defense detection system against them, although its sensors were damaged by the swampland humidity. Although Abbie took over and quit the project out of difficulty, the player character is able to bring it to fruition after finding the access codes located in a terminal owned by Sam Blackwell, another Free States member.



Although Scorched can become detected, the player character still requires weapons to fight against them and the scorchbeasts. Abbie's message informs about the Appalachian Brotherhood of Steel. The player character heads to Fort Defiance, previously known as Allegheny Asylum, and learns the Brotherhood in Appalachia was led by Elizabeth Taggerdy, which was adapted from the Taggerdy's Thunder unit due to Elizabeth's close ties with Roger Maxson, whom she communicated with over a radio transmitter from California. Elizabeth pleaded with Maxson to grant her team permission to use nuclear weapons against the scorchbeasts but was forbidden by him because he found the concept of using nuclear weapons, even to help fight the scorchbeasts, to be too morally abhorrent after their world was destroyed by nukes.

Searching for her, the player character finds out the fate of the Brotherhood in a cavern after the group attempted Operation Touchdown. It turns out that nuclear strikes are essential to defeating the scorchbeasts. The player character attempts to fulfill the overseer's desire to secure one of the missile silos in the region in order to launch a nuclear weapon to fight the scorchbeasts spreading the plague, protecting humanity by preventing the plague from spreading beyond the boundaries of Appalachia.

After doing more investigation into Sam Blackwell, as Taggerdy's notes suggested he could be the key to unlocking the nuclear silos, the player character learns of a bunker under The Whitespring Resort and goes there in hopes of finding survivors. There, they discover the bunker was used by the Enclave, the remnants of the United States government. They encounter the Enclave's AI, MODUS, and also discover the scorchbeasts are a bioweapon unleashed by Enclave leader Thomas Eckhart in 2086 in order to overcome DEFCON. With MODUS' assistance, the player character launches a nuke, inviting other vault dwellers to fight against the scorchbeasts and their virus. However, the overseer has left behind a frustrated holotape for the vault dwellers who chose to launch nukes for any purpose other than destroying the scorchbeasts.

Wastelanders
Wastelanders was a major content overhaul to Fallout 76, featuring human NPCs. Wastelanders begins on October 23, 2103. In order to begin the Wastelanders storyline, the player finds Isela Mejia and Lacey Drummond outside Vault 76 when they first leave, who are disappointed they are having difficulties locating a rumored treasure. Afterward, the player is directed to The Wayward bar, where they encounter a woman, Duchess, being held at gunpoint by Batter.

After a series of events, the Vault Dweller reunites with their overseer at her house, who has returned due to her curiosity of the new people arriving in Appalachia. Efforts are now underway to distribute the vaccine against the Scorched Plague. The overseer then asks the Vault Dwellers to assist with revitalizing the economy with a gold-based currency, hoping it will bring humanity together. The Vault Dweller and the overseer learn about Vault 79, the site of the rumored treasure, and discover the vault may hold the country's gold reserves.



The Vault Dweller meets two new groups that have settled in Appalachia; the Raiders at Crater led by a woman named Meg Groberg, and the Settlers at Foundation led by a man named Paige. The Vault Dweller can learn more about the people within each faction and the struggles they face. However, the Vault Dweller must eventually choose which of the two factions to raid the vault with. Regardless of the faction, a socially isolated Ghoul (Penelope Hornwright or Lucky Lou) will, after an abduction, help break into the vault and try to find a home in the faction where they can be accepted in spite of their biology.

Steel Dawn and Steel Reign
Steel Dawn and Steel Reign are a story revolving around a recent Brotherhood of Steel expedition arriving from California, the Brotherhood First Expeditionary Force, who were sent to re-establish contact with the original Appalachian Brotherhood. For this update, the year advances to 2104.

This questline focuses on two members with conflicting ideals about where the Brotherhood should go; Knight Daniel Shin and Paladin Leila Rahmani, as well as the Scribe Odessa Valdez who acts as a mediator between the two. The story also focuses on some youth involved with the Brotherhood, such as young brothers named Colin Putnam and Marty Putnam who wish to join the Brotherhood to better humanity, an inexperienced member who lacks self-confidence named Erika Hewsen, as well as a young woman who blames the Brotherhood for her family's demise named Marcia Leone. To begin the Brotherhood questline, the player must be at least level 20 and will need to visit Fort Atlas and speak to Russell Dorsey.

Development
The project was headed by executive producer Todd Howard and directed by Jeff Gardiner and Chris Mayer. The game was produced by Kay Gilmore, with Emil Pagliarulo and Mark Tucker as designers. Ferret Baudoin, who previously worked on Van Buren and Fallout 4 served as lead quest designer.

Development commenced shortly before the release of Fallout 4, at Bethesda Game Studios Austin in Austin, Texas. Utilizing the Creation Engine previously used on the single player game Fallout 4, the developers experienced difficulty modifying the engine to handle multiple players. Whether or not the game should have human non-player characters was a debate in the developer team.

According to Marc Tardif in June 2019, content containing living human characters was initially "not even on [the] radar" for Bethesda, and community feedback was the driving force behind the development of the update. However, lead designer Ferret Baudoin stated in August 2020 that, from the beginning of development, some developers disagreed with the idea of excluding human NPCs in the base game. Despite this, there were a number of logistical issues that prevented human NPCs from appearing at launch, as it would have further complicated an already difficult technical process. Baudoin said that it was actually on the radar "from a very early point."

Previous to the Wastelanders update, Fallout 76 had more voice lines than any previous game in the series, and was the first Bethesda game to use tools for automatic bounced lights. Pete Hines commented that the developers and writers were mindful of the series' existing story elements when making decisions on the ongoing narrative.

The game was officially unveiled at E3 2018. On September 15 and 16 in Point Pleasant, Bethesda collaborated with the annual Mothman Festival. Bethesda also held an early access event for influencers, promoters, and media outlets at the Greenbrier. At QuakeCon 2018, Todd Howard provided information on NPCs, the perk system, and plans for continuous updates.

Mods are currently not officially supported by Bethesda as they were in Fallout 4, although in August 2020, Jeff Gardiner mentioned that the team is working on an official mod support system.

Music and Voice


The soundtrack of Fallout 76 was composed by Inon Zur, who created the soundtracks for the previous Fallout games. The base soundtrack was originally around three hours in length, and with updates increased to four hours.

Voice director Kal-El Bogdanove stated the voice talent listened to videos of Governor Jim Justice as reference for replicating West Virginian accents. For the Wastelanders update, Bethesda Softworks exceeded their original budget for voice actors.

Updates and Seasons
Updates in Fallout 76 are different from the add-ons of previous games. With the online nature of the game, add-ons function as a series of updates spanning a certain period of time featuring new content. All of this content is free and is incorporated into the game.

Reception
Fallout 76 received a Metacritic metascore of 52/100 on PC, 49/100 on Xbox One, and 53/100 on PS4 in 2018. The Wastelanders update received a 69/100 for PC in 2020.

Behind the scenes

 * According to Todd Howard, Appalachia's map is four times the size of Fallout 4. Howard stated the environment has more detail than Fallout 4 and would utilize an open-world environment.
 * Howard described Fallout 76 as a "softcore survival game."
 * At E3 2019, Todd Howard commented on the launch of 76, mentioning it should have had a longer beta test, which is one of his biggest regrets about the game's development. He appreciated the continuing constructive criticism from fans to help make 76 a better game.
 * Tim Cain, the original creator of the Fallout series, mentioned he was disheartened by people who used his work on Fallout and Fallout 2 to put down 76. Leonard Boyarsky of Interplay and Obsidian mentioned, "Making games is very hard. No one sets out to make a bad game. People spend years of their lives..." and, "To have those games come out and not do well is a crushing experience."
 * After the game's release, one of the game's quality assurance testers, Sara Matthews, passed away. The character Sara Matthews in Steel Dawn was named after her, and a tribute to Matthews was included in the update's credits, reading "In memory of our friend, Sara Matthews."

Series connections
The game delves deeper into the story elements of previous Fallout games, such as Fallout's Forced Evolutionary Virus, the Brotherhood of Steel and Roger Maxson, whose voice is heard for the first time. The Enclave introduced in Fallout 2 is expanded upon, alongside the G.E.C.K. The Pitt from Fallout 3 is explored in the Expeditions: The Pitt update. Mr. House from Fallout: New Vegas is mentioned in a terminal and the Ultra-Luxe casino is mentioned as being the location of a shootout. Connections with Fallout 4 include Hubris Comics, Elliot Manfield, the Mistress of Mystery's actress Shannon Rivers, and a Nuka-World collaboration called Nuka-World on Tour.

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