The launch of Fallout 76 was a disaster.
From unforgivable bugs and data breaches to Collector’s Edition items that were the very definition of the word “false advertising,” the once-lauded series went from controversy to controversy after launching its first MMO. Fallout 76 was dead when it arrived, according to most.
But four years later, vault dwellers are still showing up, to everyone’s surprise. And not only do they still play actively and obsessively, they do some extremely weird things, from black markets, Shakespearean troops, and full-time courier services to roleplaying with cannibals and trap camp serial killers. I wanted to get to the bottom of why fallout diehards are not only still playing the game they once ridiculed, but why their 76 obsession is taking the MMO further than was ever intended. This is the inside story of the weird and wonderful fans who are still playing Fallout 76.
Typically, an IGN Inside Story is available both as a video documentary and as a written article. But on this occasion, I firmly believe that the video documentary format is the best way to experience this story. And that’s exactly what we did: This Inside Story is just a video.
I would appreciate if you watch the full video, hear the voices of the Fallout community, and follow my journey into the wasteland. I’ve met some fascinating people and our adventures together cannot be expressed in written words. That being said, if you’re still not sure, here’s some info on the weird and wonderful Fallout 76 fans I’ve met who were kind enough to show me a whole new side of the nuclear apocalypse. Hopefully these details will tempt you to check it out.
The Legacy Gun Hunter
Matt Wills is a veteran gun hunter and dealer. Not sure what one of these is? In the video, Matt shows me some of his impressive (and very deadly) collection of prized possessions, explains what legacy weapons are, how they came to be, and how Fallout 76 fans started a black market arms trade overseen by volunteers. It’s an underground world that introduced me to our next character…
The Wasteland Courier
Prissela plays Fallout 76 solely to act as a courier for other players, making sure risky and risky trades go smoothly. She is qualified, trained and even has a Trustpilot style rating. Behind Prissela’s duties is an emotional story about how she got into this “career” due to unfortunate events in the real world, which you can learn all about in the video documentary.
The Theater Director
Northern Harvest is the director of a Shakespearean production company called The Wasteland Theater Company. He shares his stories about the troupe’s history and conception and kindly invites me to audition for their upcoming production of Shakespeare’s classic comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The cannibal cultist
Darth Nick is a founding member of the notorious cannibal clan EATT (Establishment of Appalachian Taste Testers) from Fallout 76. Darth Nick introduces me to the world of RPG cannibals in Fallout 76, shows me their hidden lairs and invites me to participate in their incredibly strange initiation process to participate.
The builder of the trap camp
Jeepin Jeeper is Darth Nick’s cannibal brother-in-arms, but he has a penchant for more than virtual meat. His specialty is designing and building elaborate trap camps, horror house-like buildings designed to lure in unsuspecting players/victims for a one-way visit. I get an invite to one of his favorites and it’s not going well for me…
The Fallout Podcaster
Kenneth Vigue is the founder of CHAD: A Fallout 76 Podcast, a long-running audio drama chronicling the miserable (and hilarious) life of a wasteland survivor. But Kenneth isn’t just a podcaster; He is also the creator of Fallout For Hope, a fan-made charity that not only helps other wastelands in real-life needs, but also a charity for children’s cancer research, all through Fallout 76’s vehicle.
This is just a little taste of my Appalachian adventures. I hope it was enough to convince you to check out the full documentation. But if you’re still unsure, why not check out the trailer?
Dale Driver is IGN’s UK Video Lead and would like to thank Matt Purslow, Katie Laurence, Will Batchelor, Danielle Jones and all the amazing Fallout 76 players who helped and contributed to this. consequences Dale on Twitter.
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