Following its disastrous release in 2018, one marked with server and technical issues as well as numerous marketing gaffs like the Power Armor special edition, Fallout 76 has largely managed to turn around its negative perception. Thanks in large part to the continued support from Bethesda, many of the major issues that plagued the game at launch have been corrected and even improved. Part of that can be attributed to the Game Pass service where Fallout 76 has become a big hit since it was added.
In addition to patches and updates, numerous content expansions have been added to the game like Wasterlanders. This free update finally addressed one of the game's biggest criticisms surrounding the lack of human NPCs. In addition to new storylines, Wastelanders proved to be just the beginning as Bethesda has continued adding new content drops including Steel Dawn and a new switch to a seasonal model for updates.
While the Fallout 76 player base is currently adventuring through the Scribe of Avalon season, Bethesda is already getting ready to launch its next big update called Locked & Loaded. It looks to be a fairly robust offering including major changes to the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Loadout system and C.A.M.P. slots. So here's everything fans need to know ahead of the Locked & Loaded update on April 27.
Public Test Server Returns
For those who can't wait to try out the latest content, Bethesda announced a bit of good news alongside the Locked & Loaded update. Namely, the PTS server has recently come online again for PC players through Bethesda.net. The Public Test Servers were originally added to the game for select individuals to test upcoming content, though they were not constantly available. Seasonal content was typically not included in these tests, so with the PTS servers back online, its clear that this update is going to be bigger than recent seasonal additions.
Naturally, having the PTS servers available more than a month in advance should no doubt help make the Locked & Loaded content be even more stable at launch. In addition, players who help playtest and report bugs on the test servers will unlock a special PTS-themed Pennant that can be added to the player's C.A.M.P. in the live version. Players will only need to log in to the PTS server for an hour to unlock the special pennant from their account profile.
C.A.M.P. Slots
The first major component to the Locked and Loaded update are C.A.M.P. slots. Bethesda describes this feature as giving players more options for camp sites, giving them a bigger budget to make more than one C.A.M.P. location, helping to open new fast travel points. Even though players can only have one C.A.M.P. location active at a time, each made spot will be saved and can be configured or switched to active at anytime.
While multiple C.A.M.P. locations will be possible inside of the Locked & Loaded update, only the designated active site will be present in game to prevent overcrowding. However, additional C.A.M.P. creations are stored in memory and visible from the player's map or the C.A.M.P. slots widget. Selecting the icon will bring up a menu to rename the site, changing your icon, as well as an Activate Camp option.
Obviously, this opens up a lot of creative and tactical options for players as not only can C.A.M.P. locations be made to help reduce travel time through fast traveling, but bases no longer need to be destroyed in order to create a new one. Players are already likely coming up with specific themed C.A.M.P. locations with the newly added freedom to create more than one. Players can also set up utility C.A.M.P. spots in certain locations, giving them quick access to materials or features rather than having to travel back to a home base and then back to the original location.
From a narrative standpoint, it also drives the point home of Fallout 76's original idea that players were tasked with rebuilding Appalachia. With many more C.A.M.P. spots being able to be created, the world should feel more alive with structures and buildings filling in the empty locations.
Vending Machine and Display Case Changes
For the aspiring merchants in Fallout 76, Bethesda is making a few changes to Vending Machines that are placed inside of C.A.M.P. sites. Now, regardless of how many Vending Machines are added or where they're located, the list of items for sale is now the same across them all. Placing an item in a vending machine makes it available through all of them at the price set when it was first added by the player. Thankfully, this prevents players from having to reassign the items they want to sell every time they set up a new C.A.M.P. In addition, the studio also increased the list size, giving players more spaces to sell items.
In terms of Display Cases, these remain unique to each individual C.A.M.P. to allow players to show off various items at specific locations. Shelters were also updated to allow players to build and add Vending Machines and Display Cases. Better yet, Vending Machines retain the items for sale from C.A.M.P. sites while Display Cases in Shelters will allow players to assign different items from any display cases placed in various C.A.M.P. locations.
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Loadouts
The other major component to this update is the idea of S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Loadouts which are intended to encourage players to experiment with different play styles. Through this feature, players can fully respec their character perks and the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. traits they've unlocked. Different builds can also be edited and saved, allowing for swapping between them quickly and easily.
To facilitate this change, the old Move a Point system is getting scrapped and replaced by a Punch Card machine found at various locations in the game world, other player's C.A.M.P. sites, or placed directly inside of the individual's C.A.M.P. site after level 25 when the recipe is unlocked. Interact with the machine to edit and save various loadouts as well as the assigned perks. For many players, the best news is that using the Punch Card machine is free and loadouts can be swapped as many times as the player wants.
It is worth noting that scrapping a perk card will remove it from all loadouts where it is currently assigned. In addition, Legendary Perks work differently as well. Bethesda confirms that Legendary Perks are meant to feel like a permanent decision for the character, so they can't be moved or changed.
Not only does this new system making changing character's much faster and easier than the old Move a Point system, but it also gives players a whole new level of freedom to try out different gameplay and combat styles than they likely would have attempted through the old system before.
Fallout 76 is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.