Fans of Fallout 76, assuming there are still some out there, would no doubt have been overjoyed at the announcement that private servers were coming to the game. That is until they discovered that Bethesda wants players to pay $12.99 a month or $99.99 a year for a subscription, named Fallout 1st, in order to access them. The backlash against the service has been huge and now, thanks to an oversight at Bethesda, disgruntled fans have a prominent platform to fight back on.
An eagle-eyed critic of the service noticed that Bethesda failed to register the domain falloutfirst.com and has taken advantage of this. They are now using the domain to rename and rip apart the subscription service, which they refer to as Fallout F**k YOU First.
(If that link is broken, use this archived link)
Utilizing their best NSFW vocabulary, the website systematically tears down each and every aspect of the subscription service, one by one.
It begins by looking at the core feature of private worlds, mentioning how this feature is something that many fans considered a staple of the game. Currently, there is no way to play solo in a private world, despite previous Fallout games having solo options. All players have to be always online in the multiplayer world, with all the difficulties that can bring.
Paying for such an integral feature has upset many gamers and yet somehow Bethesda has managed to make the subscription service even worse, by offering extra rewards which are either worthless or deemed pay to win mechanics.
Game-changing features include the Scrapbox, which features unlimited storage. There's also the equally valuable Survival Tent, which acts as a fast travel point complete with stash, sleeping bag and everything you need to fulfill your basic needs. Both of these are potentially game-altering mechanics that are now paid for with real money. Finally, you are offered currency for the shop, which has already come under fire for its pay to win mechanics. The package is rounded out with the pretty worthless icons and emotes as well as a ranger armor outfit.
The takedown is both humorous and brutal. Summarised by this closing paragraph:
"As with everything we do for Fallout 76, we will continue to think of our bleeding bottom line first, ignore your feedback and improve the pay to win services over the months and years to come, so please shut the f**k up and just take it! - Your "friends" at Bethesda"You can read the full takedown over on the Fallout First website.
Source: Mitten Squad