Wastelanders

Wastelanders is the third add-on for Fallout 76.

The expansion is slated to be massive, fundamentally changing the wasteland with living humans returning to Appalachia.

Development
Initially, content containing living human characters was "not even on [the] radar" for Bethesda, and community feedback was the driving force behind the development of the add-on, according to Marc Tardif.

Wastelanders had a private test server session for community members invited or opting into the event to test an early version of the add-on. This feature was announced by Bethesda on January 10, 2020, with an initial test date of January 17 before being delayed on that day. The invites were eventually sent on January 20 and access was given the same day.

An official trailer, released on February 4, announced Wastelanders' release date of April 7. Amid the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, Bethesda's offices began working at home, and the add-on was delayed until April 14.

Plot
Set in 2103, one year after the opening of Vault 76 and the eradication of the Scorched Plague, new survivors begin flocking to Appalachia in search of a rumored treasure. As settlers and raiders alike scramble to find it, the residents of Vault 76 must choose sides in the brewing conflict.

Players can embark on a new main quest of choice and consequence, interact with characters and their unique stories, discover the faction settlements of Crater and Foundation, and collect powerful new weapons and armor.

Characters
Living human NPCs will be added to the game:

Creatures

 * Brahmin
 * Blue Ridge brahmin
 * Floater
 * Chomper
 * Flamer
 * Freezer
 * Mongrel
 * Blood Eagle mongrel
 * Wendigo
 * Wendigo colossus

Factions

 * Blood Eagles
 * Blue Ridge Caravan Company
 * Cult of the Mothman
 * Secret Service
 * Raiders
 * Gourmands
 * Settlers

Locations

 * Crater
 * Foundation
 * Boarding house
 * Founder's Hall
 * Sunny's store
 * Grafton Pawn Shop
 * Vault 79
 * The Wayward
 * Watoga Underground
 * Unnamed Cult of the Mothman church at Kanawha County Cemetery
 * Unnamed raider base at Ohio River Adventures
 * Unnamed Blood Eagle base at Rollins work camp
 * Unnamed Blood Eagle base at Widow's Perch

Weapons

 * Gauss pistol
 * Gauss shotgun
 * Gauss minigun
 * Plasma caster
 * Compound bow
 * Dynamite
 * Gauntlet

Armor and clothing

 * Black vest and slacks
 * Secret Service power armor

Miscellaneous items

 * Gold pan
 * Package for Sam Blackwell
 * Package for Quinn Carter
 * Package for Calvin van Lowe
 * Package for Madeleine de Silva
 * Package for Sheriff Darcy
 * Mysterious map fragments

Consumables

 * Duchess's Dram

Plans

 * Plan: Crane treasure hunting sign
 * Plan: Farmable tiles

Settlement objects

 * Beckett's bar
 * Farmable tiles

Features

 * Full dialogue system, including additions of player character dialogue to preexisting NPC conversations, such as those with Rose and MODUS.
 * Instancing on various locations, new and old.
 * Faction reputation systems
 * New random encounters
 * Allies
 * Reworked quest system
 * Backpack vanity updates