Fallout 76 B.E.T.A. - My Thoughts

I've been very excited for the release of a new Fallout game. I've loved the series ever since I first played Fallout: New Vegas. Although many of the mechanics feel similar to Fallout 4, Fallout 76 is a much different game. The idea of being connected to an always-online world has left many fans with mixed feelings. Playing the B.E.T.A. has even had me question canceling my pre-order. 

The Story

From my experience, I cannot tell you if Fallout 76 will have a good story or not. In the previous Fallout games, I always have enjoyed the story though interactions with NPCs. I know I probably have missed out on a large part of the story and Fallout lore by not listening to various audio logs and not reading note and terminal entries. With the limited amount of time I have to play, I always would rather explore new places and meet new characters. In Fallout 76 they have done away with human NPCs. From the quest's I've played there is still a variety of locations to explore and interesting tasks to complete, but one thing is certain: Any quest involving a human character leads you to a corpse and an audio log. Only time will tell if I will be willing to invest in Fallout 76's story by listening to audio logs and reading terminal entries. 

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Multiplayer

I enjoyed teaming up with other players during the B.E.T.A. Compared to followers in the previous games, having real people helping you along your journey has been a good experience. Followers in the previous games were not bad, but they were just mindlessly following you wherever you go. Real players aren't always as helpful, but it does make things more interesting and you really appreciate when they have your back or help you find some good loot.

I didn't participate in much player vs player combat, but my opinion is it should be avoided. In order to initiate PvP combat, both players must attack each other. Until both players have hit each other, you can only do minimal damage. During the battle, there is no limit on how many stimpaks someone can use. This is the reason I avoid PvP; I don't want to waste precious stimpaks just to kill some random player. 

Other Features

The Perk card system in the game is interesting and so far I have liked it. I may talk about it more in the future once I am further into the game and have more perks to discuss. 

Character creation is very similar to Fallout 4 and allows you to customize your character with much detail. The new photo system is very nice, but not very useful when you are on a quest with enemies around. 

The atomic shop allows you to purchase clothes, emotes, and other customizations. I have not looked into this feature yet, but it does seem very pricey. During my whole time playing the B.E.T.A. I probably made enough currency to buy 1-2 items from the shop. 

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