It’s Officially The End Of An Era For Fallout

Fallout has been a staple in the RPG genre since the very first game released back in 1997. It has served as one of the few truly exceptional and immersive apocalyptic open-world experiences, a surprisingly rare breed of games considering just how compelling the setting often is. More importantly, the Fallout series has consistently delivered engaging adventures, albeit ones filled with a plethora of delightful bugs that have, more or less, become an expected feature.

However, it is changing, both with the introduction of the TV show and the numerous upcoming Fallout projects looming on the horizon. Crucially, one Fallout game in particular is completely altering how things are done, ushering in a new and potentially divisive era for the title that is sure to ruffle a few feathers and disappoint some. For many, this will feel like an entirely different era for Fallout, especially for those who’ve relied on the feature that is being cut.

The game in question is Fallout 76, which, as of now, is changing in a fundamental way. Speaking with Insider Gaming, the game’s creative director, Jon Rush, explained that there will likely be no more Expeditions coming to Fallout 76. Expeditions have served as a key feature since the first one, The Pitt, released back in 2022. They saw players venture out to locations beyond the main map where they’d engage with a whole new suite of quests and activities.

However, Rush and his team believe that they inherently conflict with the core gameplay loop established in the base Appalachia map. Rush explained that the Expeditions, of which there are currently two, feel too repetitive, largely owing to players not really needing to go there beyond a handful of unique activities. As they are not connected seamlessly to Fallout 76’s main map, players must actively choose to visit them, which takes away from much of the fun the base map provides. Rush stated:

The issue with Expeditions is it’s fun content, it’s solid content, but there are some foundational issues with it that make people not want to continue engaging, right? You go in, you do these set things, and you get this, you go in, do you these set things, and you get this… Repeat, repeat, repeat.

However, this isn’t to say that the current Expeditions won’t be supported. Rush and his team have plans to continue supporting Expeditions with new content, although they don’t currently know exactly what that will look like. They plan to fix the foundational issues plaguing the mode currently, likely through a steady stream of new missions or activities that are cycled in and out. Of course, there’s also so much more new content coming to Fallout 76 as well, so the end of Expeditions does not mean the end of the game itself.

Still, it is a rather huge change for Fallout 76, as these Expeditions provided players with a way of visiting locations within the Fallout universe that perhaps didn’t warrant an entire game, but were nevertheless worthy of exploring. Fortunately, while this era may be ending, a new one is beginning, with the team putting a greater emphasis on adding new locations to the existing base map. This should lead to a more cohesive experience that doesn’t pull players away from the core gameplay loop, something that will likely continue to make Fallout 76 a worthwhile multiplayer experience for everyone.