Steel Dawn

Steel Dawn is the sixth major update for Fallout 76, following One Wasteland For All. It features the return of the Brotherhood of Steel to Appalachia, and is the first chapter in a two-part Brotherhood storyline. It was released on November 24, 2020 on all platforms. It was followed by the Locked & Loaded update, and its direct sequel update Steel Reign was released July 7, 2021.

Plot
The Brotherhood of Steel's First Expeditionary Force, led by Paladin Leila Rahmani, finally arrives in Appalachia after just over three months trekking across the country on foot. Sent by High Elder Roger Maxson, the First Expeditionary Force seeks to re-establish the Brotherhood's presence in Appalachia, and to provide assistance to the people living there. As the Vault Dwellers assist or deter the Brotherhood in their goals, the realities of the returning faction, and how it will interact with others, will become much more apparent.

Development
Plans were first made for Steel Dawn's story in 2019, and the story went through several iterations. As part of their "writers' room" set-up for creating stories, the design team at Bethesda Game Studios Austin wrote many intricate backstories and attributes to be reflected by the characters in Steel Dawn.

Music
The soundtrack for Steel Dawn was composed by Inon Zur and was released for sale and streaming on February 4, 2021.

Features

 * Hunger and thirst changes - Replacement of debuffs with tiered buffs.
 * Shelters - Instanced C.A.M.P. interiors with separate build budgets and fewer building restrictions.
 * Backpack flair - New cosmetic attachment slot for backpacks (does not retroactively apply slot).
 * Season 3: The Scribe of Avalon released December 15.

Allies

 * Solomon Hardy
 * Yasmin Chowdhury

Creatures

 * Scorched
 * Scorched Enclave scientist
 * Scorched Enclave officer
 * Scorched Enclave chief

Robots and computers

 * Eyebot
 * Atlas security
 * Robobrain
 * Atlas security
 * Protectron
 * Atlas security

Factions

 * Brotherhood First Expeditionary Force
 * Appalachian Brotherhood of Steel
 * New (Appalachian) Brotherhooda
 * Enclave Research and Development Division
 * Blood Eagles
 * Treehouse Villagersb
 * Brotherhood Bandits
 * a The formal name for the post-rebellion Brotherhood has not yet been defined and should not be treated as definitive.
 * b The formal name for the residents of Treehouse Village has not yet been defined and should not be treated as definitive.

Locations

 * Dagger's throne room
 * Fort Atlas
 * ATLAS substructure
 * Foundation supply room
 * Enclave research facility
 * Makeshift vault
 * Orwell Orchards bomb shelter
 * Putnam residence
 * Shelters Claim Center
 * The Crater war room
 * The Retreat

Armor and clothing

 * Armor
 * Cave diving suit
 * Brotherhood recon armor
 * Swamp camo hazmat suit
 * Clothing
 * Communist commander outfit
 * Communist commander hat
 * Jaguar pant suit
 * Tulip sky blue pant suit
 * American tank helmet
 * K.D. Inkwell outfit
 * Backpack
 * K.D. Inkwell's Chronotron backpack
 * Backpack flair
 * Red Rocket backpack flair
 * Armor Ace helmet backpack flair

Consumables

 * Headhunter's headcheese
 * Mirelurk boil
 * Radstag Redemption
 * Perfect bubblegum

Plans and recipes

 * Plans

The following notes were added to the game as part of the Wastelanders update, however in Steel Dawn, picking up these notes unlocks crafting of the associated food item.
 * Recipes
 * Headhunter's headcheese (note)
 * Larry's lowcountry mirelurk boil
 * Frank's Fine Radstag Dedemption

Paint schemes

 * Power armor
 * X-01 Scorched paint
 * Clandestine Service T-65 paint
 * Guild of Antiquities power armor paint (all except raider)
 * Vertiguard power armor
 * Vertiguard jet pack


 * Weapon skins
 * K.D. Inkwell's quill paint (Baton)
 * Presidential paint (Gauss rifle)
 * Screaming Eagle wood paint (Handmade rifle)
 * Settler's special paint (10mm pistol)
 * Sportsman paint (Pump action shotgun)

World objects

 * C.A.M.P. objects

Behind the scenes
Initially, Steel Dawn and Steel Reign were a single DLC. Due to the belief that a single DLC wasn't enough, the DLC was split into Steel Dawn and Steel Reign. Steel Dawn was to be followed by Fractured Steel. However, in September 2020, it was decided that the Fractured Steel story and quests would instead be merged into Steel Dawn to give players a more complete story and experience. Three parts were discussed at one point, but was limited to two parts.