At QuakeCon 2018, Bethesda shared more information about Fallout 76's perk cards system. The game's perk cards will be available through card packs, the company explained. As such, some Fallout fans were worried that the perk system in Fallout 76 would be pay to win and would follow in the footsteps of other games that offer gameplay-affecting items via loot boxes and card packs.

In a tweet published to the official Fallout Twitter account, Bethesda was quick to confirm that Fallout 76 players would not be able to pay for perk cards. The tweet explains that players will receive a perk card pack every other level until level 10 and then a perk card pack every five levels after. Packs will "solely" be earned through leveling up, notes Bethesda, extinguishing concerns that players will be able to pay to get more card packs and therefore gain an advantage over other players. Bethesda's Pete Hines also tweeted that "you just get [perk cards] when you level up."

It's understandable why so many Fallout fans have raised the issue. Bethesda has already confirmed that the game will feature microtransactions. Although these will be cosmetic-only and all purchasable cosmetics can be earned through gameplay, Bethesda wouldn't be the first gaming company to change its mind regarding microtransaction implementation. Thus, some are skeptical.

There's also the fact that Fallout 76's perk card packs follow a long debate about randomized loot boxes and card packs similar to this. For example, the backlash against Star Wars Battlefront 2's loot boxes was so severe that publisher EA was forced to remove the business model just days before the game launched. Fans of the game had been angry at the suggestion that players could get ahead just by spending more money to unlock loot boxes with gameplay-affecting items.

Many have also questioned whether randomized content packs constitute gambling. Like a slot machine, players are able to deposit money with no guarantee of getting a decent quality pull. Some countries have even introduced laws banning loot boxes because of this.

As Fallout 76's perk card packs cannot be purchased with real money, the game is likely to avoid being drawn into the pay to win conversation. However, some may raise issue with the randomness of the packs and how these could encourage addictive behaviors in players. There's still some time until the game is released though, meaning that Bethesda will have ample opportunity to address these concerns and any other worries people have about the game.

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