Steel Dawn

Steel Dawn (formerly known as Fractured Steel) 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.

Steel Dawn was originally set to be released on December 1, 2020, though Bethesda Game Studios decided to release it a week early, on November 24, following an unintended patch that released it for Xbox players. As such, the team decided to roll out the update for all players as a holiday surprise.

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.

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 Scoreboard: The Scribe of Avalon (releases December 15).

Allies

 * Solomon Hardy
 * Yasmin Chowdhury

Creatures

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

Robots and computers

 * 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 Power armor
 * Cave diving suit
 * Brotherhood recon armor
 * Swamp camo hazmat suit

Clothing

Backpack Backpack flair
 * K.D. Inkwell backpack
 * BOS tactical field pack

Weapons
Weapon skins
 * Presidential paint (Gauss rifle)
 * K.D. Inkwell's Quill paint (Baton)

Consumables

 * Headhunter's headcheese
 * Mirelurk boil
 * Radstag redemption

C.A.M.P. objects

 * Emmet Mountain Disposal signs (6?)
 * Modular mainframe
 * Vault-Tec night stand
 * Vault catwalks
 * BOS scouting tower
 * Metal shelves
 * Potted trees
 * Defense barricades
 * Poodle sleeping bag
 * Neon open sign
 * + whatever objects are listed in plans above.

Shelters-only
 * Core vault wall
 * Core vault wall - half
 * Vault power bank
 * (Vault-Tec) Railing (5)
 * (Vault-Tec) Railing (4)
 * (Vault-Tec) Welcome mat (4)
 * Shelter: Vault utility room entrance
 * Shelter: Vault atrium
 * Shelter: Vault lobby
 * Shelter: Vault-Tec living quarters