Nuclear Winter

Nuclear Winter was a 52-player battle royale gameplay mode in Fallout 76. It was first released as part of the Nuclear Winter update on June 10, 2019, coinciding with a free trial week of the game. It was initially released in a "sneak peek" form before transitioning to permanent beta status.

Nuclear Winter was disabled on September 8, 2021. Nuclear Winter players were reimbursed via perk coins relative to their Overseer rank and Overseer tickets, and many of the Nuclear Winter-exclusive rewards were implemented into Adventure mode.

Vaulted Content
^ Click the banner for all removed content from the game mode ^

Gameplay
In a battle royale where the last team standing wins, players attempted to claim their spot as the overseer of Vault 51. Teams of up to four were formed from up to 52 players. Players voted for which map was played in the pre-game Vault 51 lobby. Individuals then chose their spawn point on the map, only visible to fellow team members. Just before deploying to the battlefield, all enemy spawn points were revealed. A ring of fire slowly closed in on the combatants. Everything outside the ring of fire gradually took damage, including creatures, vehicles, and player characters.

Exclusive perks were used in a new perk card system for the game mode. A maximum of seven cards could be equipped at once. The S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats of player characters were carried in from Adventure mode and limit perk choices. Instead of the usual leveling system, overseer ranks were used to progress and unlock new content. As access was gained to new vault rooms, holotapes, and terminals, the story of Vault 51's original dwellers was revealed. Near the end of a match, an extra crispy scorchbeast would spawn, posing a threat to the final survivors.

Features
Nuclear Winter mode differed from other game modes:
 * Player characters only had one life and did not respawn.
 * Any player character could attack and deal damage to any other player character, excluding teammates.
 * Items and currencies from other game modes were not carried over. Performance-based XP and caps for use in Adventure mode were awarded through Nuclear Winter mode.
 * Weapons, armor, and supplies were found in crates and containers around the battlefield.
 * Armor came in complete sets that include arm, chest, and leg protection.
 * Bobbleheads and magazines were used automatically when picked up and last until the end of the round. Only one bobblehead and one magazine could be used at a time. Newly acquired bobbleheads and magazines overwrote existing buffs.
 * Experience Points earned went toward overseer ranks to unlock rewards.
 * Only Nuclear Winter-specific perk cards could be equipped.
 * Player characters dropped most weapons, armor, and supplies upon death.
 * At the end of every match or upon the player character's death, a scoreboard showed how much progress the player character made.
 * Workbenches (cooking, armor, weapon, chemistry, tinker, brewing) could not be used.
 * A C.A.M.P. could be used to construct a base or other structures. Construction material requirements were disabled for Nuclear Winter. C.A.M.P. blueprints made in Adventure mode carried over.
 * Enemy player characters who recently fired a weapon appeared with a red arrow overhead.
 * Hostile creatures were marked with a red diamond both overhead and on the compass.
 * Consumption of food and water was not necessary.
 * Chem addiction and disease were not active.
 * Emote icons were only seen by teammates, though animations and sounds still played.
 * Players started the match with clothing and skins from the Atomic Shop, but could not bring any normal cosmetics from Adventure mode.

Rewards
Instead of using the levels achieved in Adventure mode, Nuclear Winter used overseer ranks as a leveling system. Experience Points were gained by competing in battle royale matches, and, as the player progressed, they were able to access more areas of Vault 51, revealing the vault's story in the process. In addition, they also received various cosmetic rewards with each new overseer rank, including player icons and armor skins. XP and caps were also given to the player character in Adventure mode after the completion of a match.

Rewards were earned at the end of each match or upon a player's death. An interface displayed the player's performance and statistics for the match. Alongside each statistic was the total XP gained based on performance.
 * End-of-match rewards

Behind the scenes
The game mode's sneak peek was originally set to end on June 17, 2019, but it was extended following an announcement on June 14. Nuclear Winter later transitioned into its current beta stage. From its first release until patch 13, Nuclear Winter's map was centered around the town of Flatwoods, alongside Sutton, the New River Gorge Bridge, Camp McClintock and Helvetia, among other locations. After patch 13, a new map was added, adding in the urban setting of Morgantown, with Monongah, Grafton Steel, Grafton Dam, Eastern Regional Penitentiary and other areas in play.

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