Following an updated roadmap for the future of Fallout 76 over the course of the next few months, and leading up to the Steel Dawn update that is planning to drop late this year, Bethesda has announced a return of a popular feature. A Public Test Server (PTS), which was first announced for Fallout 76 around this same time last year, will be returning with the primary focus being to roll out early builds of Steel Dawn in order for players to playtest.
The original rollout of the PTS came ahead of Fallout 76's massive Wastelanders expansion that brought NPCs and a whole new set of quests to the game. Naturally, with so much changing about the game with the update, bugs, glitches, and overall disappointing features were going to be on the table, with players giving feedback through PTS enhancing the process and final product significantly.
The return of these Public Test Servers is expected to come next week, with the major intent of the testing to be as a way for players to get their first look at the upcoming Steel Dawn update. Most of the Steel Dawn content won't be available at the PTS launch, but new NPCs and quests will be arriving to Fallout 76 over a series of updates leading up to the full update. However, since much of this content is still in development, a lot of this will be from early and unfinished builds, including having some NPCs sporting "robovoices" when they first arrive.
Another major focus of the Public Test Servers is the inclusion a series of updates coming to the C.A.M.P. features, including new sizes, layouts, and styles. This is what the PTS will initially launch with, giving participating players the chance to build new shelters with no material requirements in order to give them unlimited access to the new tools available. So, while there won't be much new content to try out, next week will introduce a number of more minor adjustments to Fallout 76 that can easily enhance gameplay for most players.
Considering the game's poorly received release, due majorly to bugs and glitches, letting players into the testing process through Public Test Servers has previously been a huge boon to player perception. A number of updates, from Fallout 76's One-Wasteland update to the massive Wastelanders expansion, have done a lot to improve the gameplay experience. So, letting players be a part of the testing process through PTS is a great way to keep player interest rising in the game.
Fallout 76 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Bethesda.net