Fallout 76 will soon allow players to build underground bases, according to an announcement from Bethesda. This feature represents the first of a number of changes in the game's upcoming Steel Dawn update.
In spite of poor reception at launch, Fallout 76 has evolved considerably over the last two years. For one, the game has fleshed out its single-player experience through updates like the Wastelanders expansion, creating a deeper story. It's also added a range of multiplayer modes that give people new ways to cooperate and compete. Alongside these updates, the game has given each player more freedom to build their home base (known in-universe as a CAMP) how they see fit.
The Steel Dawn update will allow players to build an underground CAMP expansion, known as a CAMP Shelter. The Shelters will first be available on Fallout 76's newly-revived Public Test Servers. Player feedback will presumably influence the actual Shelter designs that Bethesda integrates into the Steel Dawn update. There will apparently be three shelter types, with players allowed to put one of each in their CAMPs. Each Shelter will have a building budget separate from the main CAMP or the other Shelters, letting players get creative easily. Best of all, the test servers will not require players to use materials when decorating, making the decoration process quick and easy.
Granted, players who utilize the Public Test Servers will have plenty to do outside of the Shelters. Shortly after adding the Shelters, Bethesda will task users with playtesting Steel Dawn quests and other upcoming content. Especially given that the update will add content relating to the controversial Brotherhood of Steel, players will have plenty to anticipate on the test servers.
Fallout 76 fans will no doubt be excited by the new building features. Creative players have crafted incredible CAMPs filled with puzzles and other gimmicks, and adding more space will lead to more possibilities. Building underground spaces is also consistent with the game's story, creating new role-playing possibilities. It would only make sense for player characters to create underground spaces, given they have lived in an underground vault for most of their lives.
Still, Public Test Server players may need to brace themselves for a glitchy experience. Fallout 76 has never fully removed its bugs - indeed, a major bug interrupted an official QuakeCon 2020 stream - and playtesting the Shelters will surely expose a few more. Of course, this kind of testing is a necessary part of eliminating bugs. By the time the Steel Dawn update officially drops, the Shelter design process will hopefully be easy and glitch-free.
Fallout 76 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Bethesda