Thanks to hands-on previews and information revealed by Bethesda itself, many of fans' most-asked Fallout 76 questions have been answered this week. This includes how VATS will work in an online multiplayer environment, and what it looks like when somebody sets off a nuclear bomb. Another pressing question, which has also been answered, is what the game's microtransactions will be like.

Speaking to Microsoft's Major Nelson, Bethesda's vice president of marketing and PR, Pete Hines, shed more light on the game's microtransactions and what they're used for. Hines said that Fallout 76's premium currency is called "Atoms," explaining that these will be rewarded to players as they play the game. "We throw [Atoms] at you all the time" said Hines, with there being Atom rewards for leaving the vault and rewards for the first time players kill a creature or harvest a plant. In a brief gameplay clip, the challenge to "collect wild plants and fungi" is completed after picking up a rhododendron, rewarding the player with 20 Atoms.

Hines was also keen to stress that Atoms can only be purchased to buy cosmetic things, such as new outfits and skins, rather than items that affect gameplay. It is also revealed that Fallout 76's Xbox One version of Fallout 76 will include 500 Atoms, and that is whether players pre-order the game or if they have purchased it after launch. The video does not make it clear how much Atoms will cost to unlock otherwise.

Bethesda has already confirmed that Perk Cards, which are used to improve skills, would not be purchasable with real money. The company said that these could only be earned through leveling up. As such, the news that Atoms can't be used to acquire gameplay boosts either will be music to fans' ears.

Games have come under fire recently because of their business models, being lambasted for featuring so-called "pay to win" microtransactions and random item loot boxes. The inclusion of these models has led to major backlash online and at least one game, Star Wars Battlefront 2, is believed to have lost a significant number of sales because of it. It's unclear whether Bethesda has tweaked the Fallout 76 business model to avoid similar fury and potential loss of sales, or if this was always the plan. Either way, though, it's a decision that many will likely be glad that Bethesda has made.

Fallout 76 is set to launch on November 14, 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Source: Xbox – YouTube