It’s been nearly two years since my last post about Fallout 76; and it’s been about that long since I played the game in earnest. I’ve popped in here and there, most notably to play through The Pitt expansion with my other half, but I’ve yet to check out the game’s newest content with any of my roster, multiplayer maven Amelya, one-handed wildcard Bianca, heavy gunner Gwendolyn, or stealthy rifleman Darlene. My fifth character slot remained open for catchall tryouts, like testing Fallout Worlds in different ways when it was new. It had most recently been taken up by my housewife-with-a-shotgun Claire, but I had deleted her at some point for…some reason that I can’t quite remember. Returning to Fallout 76 had been gnawing at the back of my mind for a few weeks. Playing Starfield again might have had something to do with it; missing the apocalyptic wilds of West Virginia might have been another reason. And, there’s all its new content to play, too.

If there was one thing that had kept the game at arm’s length, it was that age-old conflict between running old characters or starting a new one. As primarily a role player, I’m almost always thinking about new characters I could create in various games. This is especially true in Fallout games, where, for me, approaching well-tread content with a new mindset makes all the difference during replays. Add to that a desire to branch out from my familiar builds, and the itch to create something new becomes pretty strong. I had started something new at some point with my shotgunner, and that was what I really wanted to revisit – a shotgun build. Shotguns are both notoriously overpowered and chaotic in Fallout games, and they are the one weapon I’ve never tried to master. So, that became the challenge: to play Fallout 76 from the beginning with nothing but a shotgun build in mind.

Enter, Karla. That’s “Karla with a ‘K’.” She had practically grown up saying that to everyone in Vault 76, if only to distinguish herself from to two other Carlas (with a “C”) in the vault. Karla was a loner and a bit of a troublemaker, having entered the vault at 12-years-old with her over-achieving older brother and distant mother. She didn’t have many friends before the bombs fells, and she found it nearly impossible to connect with other kids of her age in the vault. Her real family didn’t pay her much attention, even when she lashed out in school and was reprimanded. As an adult, Karla turned fully inward and became invisible. Her lack of self-motivation kept her in unfulfilling jobs, and she spent most days in a haze of depression. It was no shock to her that she slept through Vault 76’s opening on Reclamation Day; and further, that no one came to get her for either the celebration or the grand exit.  What in the world would she make of herself in Appalachian wilds?

With Karla ready to go, one other question had to be answered: how would I play? That’s to say, (1) would I jump in as a fresh newbie, as the game now offers the opportunity to exit Vault 76 as a “seasoned” level-20, with a particular build (to be chosen) in tow; and (2) in what order would I tackle the game’s story content? First, I’d be a newbie, because I like the feeling of progression and wanted to maintain control over my perks from the get-go. Second, I’d approach the story in as nerdly a way as possible – by tracking and completing quests per release cycle. For this, I even typed out all the game’s quests in chronological release order, from the original ones available at launch to the newest ones in the latest update, Skyline Valley.

I realize that “methodical” is not often a word applied to playing games, but again, with this new, systematic approach to questing, and a new outlook on where things are headed for Karla, Fallout 76 “feels” new, and it’s kind of working. Yes, everything about Fallout 76’s bones is extremely familiar, but its external world has changed. If just a few hours in, I can see that there are more (NPC) settlers and settlements now. It looks like the Responders have been rebuilt and have expanded beyond Flatwoods. Once-regular enemies in certain spots are now different enemies, or there are more or less of them. I’ve come across stray raiders where there weren’t any before (maybe they are expanding their settlements, too?) and more scavengers. Fallout 76 seems more alive than ever! As for methodical questing, its working out fine, too – Karla has worked through most of the original main quests and several related side quests. The Wastelanders expansion changed access to the original quest line, but only a small diversion into that expansion’s content, which is easily put on hold, is required to start it.

It’s also worth noting that no longer does one exit the vault with meager supplies. It wasn’t until I encountered my first enemy not far from Vault 76 that I noticed I had a (Level 1) weapon with lots of the proper ammo. It was certainly very handy. And once I was safe, I checked my Pip-Boy to find more surprises. I had been equipped with a full set of (Level 1) leather armor, and I had a bunch of supplies, too, from stimpacks to food. Boy howdy! As nifty as it was to feel like I was ready to tackle the wasteland, it also brought about an odd sense of disappointment. I’ve never played the game as a survivalist, but not having to immediately scrounge for a weapon and crafting material just felt off. Like I had cheated the system or something. In hindsight, maybe I should have offloaded my “extra” supplies at the donation box outside the vault (players donating supplies in various spots, such as railroad stations, is a longtime practice; the donation boxes now make for more “official” drop spots, I guess), but I instead moved most to my own stashbox. I mean, supplies are supplies, after all.

All in all, Fallout 76 is so far a welcome return. I’ve devoted many hours to many games, but something about this one just hits differently. It’s a space that’s comfortable; one that I like to inhabit and make my own for a few hours at a time. While I look forward to seeing everything that’s new, my plan for Karla is to progress slowly, with intent and a good shotgun, and to stop and smell the irradiated roses… from a distance, or at least until she finds a good gas mask.

All images, including lede, were captured by author during PS5 gameplay of Fallout 76 © Bethesda Game Studios, Bethesda Game Studios Austin (2018-2024).