Bethesda is looking to improve the new-player experience with its upcoming Patch 11 in Fallout 76, due out by the end of July at the latest. The following points are all tied with the unifying theme of inviting new players into the game and then providing a smooth transition out into the vast open world once finished with the initial vault content.
To begin with, low-level characters will have an economic advantage at the start relative to older players. All characters under level 25 will now need to pay fewer caps, which is the in-game currency, when fast travelling, which is sure to add up quickly. Secondly, players under level 15 will have a higher resistance to diseases, making it easy to venture forth, whereas now players are highly susceptible to disease and death when first leaving the vault. Overall, this should give new players a far higher rate of survival.
Another change that is meant to focus on the same idea of survival is that all food and drink acquired will now last 50% longer before spoiling. This means that when finding a cache of goods out in the wasteland, less of it will be lost past its expiration date, leaving more caps in a character's pockets to spend on the important things in life, which in this game, are bigger guns and more ammunition. In addition, food and drinks will no longer lose condition after fast traveling, further stretching that food budget.
As for other quality of life improvements, many items are receiving an overhaul to their item descriptions, which may not mean much to veterans who know about every item in the game, but new players will now have an easier time evaluating items they find or wish to craft. As of the patch, legendary items will now display all of their attributes, as opposed to only the first, and this new information will extend to crafting as well.
Power Armor is also seeing some improvement in a few ways. As of the patch, players will be able to activate Stealth Boys while wearing their Power Armor. There is also a new “Enable Power Armor HUD” option within the Display settings which will give players greater choice over how they view the game.
After much player feedback, there is now a “Scrap All Junk” feature being added to Workbenches that will not automatically scrap bulk components that are within a character’s inventory. This should alleviate much frustration in the future.
Lastly, there are several not-yet announced quality of life improvements coming to the C.A.M.P. from building errors to Pioneer Scout Challenges. These will be announced closer to the patch and will likely continue to roll out on a regular basis until everything feels right.
Now might be a great time to jump into Fallout 76. It may have taken nine months since its initial release date, but Patch 11 is making everything look as it should.
Fallout 76 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.