War. War never changes. But the variety of activities you can enjoy in Fallout 76 certainly does. And its new update, Infestation, pits you against familiar enemies with a whole new approach: you'll have to find them before you jump into action. Once you or your teammates find the source of the infection, you can immediately jump into the fray and fend off massive attacks organized by the enemy factions that call Appalachia home.
I caught up with Fallout 76 developers Jon Rush and Bill LaCoste at Summer Game Fest to discuss Infestations, new pet features, and if we can expect more classic songs from past games in future updates.
Solving the FOMO infestation
Since Infestations debuted on June 2nd, one thing has become abundantly clear: bosses die too quickly. In fact, when Jon Rush and Bill LaCoste sat down to give us a preview of Infestations via the PTS ahead of release day, Rush struggled to get to the location before the boss left and the event ended early.
When asked if there's boss boost data that's too easy for a few high-level players to take out immediately, Rush replied without pause, “I don't even need the data. Just watching people play [was enough].”
However, these observations surprised both Rush and LaCoste, as their experiences during internal testing were quite different. “When we were playtesting, we had problems with it,” says Rush. “We saw things like the Mole Miner boss holding on to the back of the bus with a rocket launcher. Meanwhile we're being bombarded by more Mole Miners. That was tough.”
While the initial player experience may not reflect the crash of Rush and the LaCoste Mole Miner, the team felt that Infestations was in a good place. But that didn't stop them from admitting that Infestation bosses need a HP fix, which is already well underway behind the scenes.
The team's goal is to slow down the event so more people can participate and enjoy themselves, rather than chasing after FOMO if they don't make it to the boss in time to pick up the dropped loot. “The intent of this experience should be to kick back, drink a nice, cool Nuka Cola. But right now it's people shooting Americans and running in circles,” adds Rush.
Luckily, you can look forward to putting down the coffee and energy drinks soon, with the team planning to tweak HP and other changes coming in Update 69, which is due for release in late July, about six or seven weeks after Infestation debuts.
New Horizons for pets, weapons and radio
Along with the Infestations update, a new Deathclaw Pet Bundle is coming to Fallout 76 with news of a bright future for pets. Currently, pets are limited in your camp, but Rush teased that the limits may drop by the end of the year. “Imagine your pet following you around Appalachia wherever you are. You can tell them to sit, stay. You can name them, tell them to guard, attack – you can level them up.”
If you've been dying to have more adventures with a pet like Dogmeat or Rex from the previous Fallout games, then your moment is finally here. “That's something that I and the community have been persecution Jon,” LaCoste adds with a sneer, glancing at Rush. “Shit on it, Bill,” Rush quipped like a well-rehearsed comedy duo.
While we'll have to wait for more details on the upcoming roaming pet feature, LaCoste and Rush offered another small update on the unique, named legendary weapons. If your collection of unique weapons is still taking up space in your storage, don't give up just yet.
“Those named one-offs that are gathering dust are going to be really valuable,” Rush says. While the team can't elaborate yet, patient renegades and collectors can look forward to a blessing for these weapons later in the year.
There's one last question before we wrap up: Does the team plan to add new Fallout music to the in-game radio? “Yes, we have. [We’ve] People are looking at it right now,” Rush responds. While we're staying mum on the details, longtime players may start to be wary of the wider variety of tracks they can enjoy while you're mowing down Mirelurks and slicing through Super Mutants.
Whether you've been playing since release or looking for a reason to jump in, a healthy amount of content has been added to Appalachia this year. And if you're still not satisfied, LaCoste and Rush want you to keep your voices heard on Discord and Reddit — because Fallout 76 is always changing.
Fallout 76: Where to find Honey Beasts
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