Fallout 4: What New Players Need To Know For The Next-Gen Update

Quick Links

• What Is Fallout 4 About?

• Is There DLC For Fallout 4?

• What Is The Creation Club?

• Why Is The Fallout Fanbase So Conflicted About Fallout 4?

• What Do The New Updates Bring?

It’s awesome seeing so much excitement directed toward the Fallout series again. Lately, it’s been a dry stretch for the franchise with the only thing to look forward to is more content for Fallout 76. While Fallout 76 is much better now than at its release, there’s still a negative stigma attached to it that has kept many at bay. Thankfully, Prime Video’s Fallout is here to save the day!

Prime Video’s Fallout has brought renewed attention to the Fallout series with the added benefit of being canon to the games. Fallout 76 has seen some of its best playerbase numbers to date while a game like Fallout 4 has become a popular entry point for new Fallout fans. Naturally, Bethesda Softworks foresaw a rise in interest thanks to the show, so they’ve prepped a current-gen update for Fallout 4. For new Fallout fans planning on exploring the Commonwealth for the first time, what is there to know before starting Fallout 4?

What Is Fallout 4 About?

Close

Fallout Timeline

Year(s) Set In

The Great War

2077

Fallout 76

2102 – 2104

Fallout 1

2161

Fallout 2

2241

Fallout 3

2277

Fallout: New Vegas

2281

Fallout 4

2287

Prime Video’s Fallout

2296

Fallout Series

Related

The Timeline of Prime Video’s Fallout, Explained

Fallout takes place hundreds of years after a nuclear war, ranging from an American-Chinese conflict to a vault dweller’s first trip to the surface.

Originally released in 2015, Fallout 4 is set in the post-apocalyptic Boston and the surrounding Massachusetts area in 2287. Timeline-wise, Fallout 4 is set 185 years after the start of Fallout 76, nine years before Prime Video’s Fallout, and 210 years after The Great War.

Players play the role of the “Sole Survivor,” a Vault Dweller from the era of The Great War who was cryogenically frozen in Vault 111. Their slumber wasn’t peaceful as they awoke at some point to witness the murder of their spouse and the kidnapping of their infant child. When fully awake, the Sole Survivor sets out to find those responsible for the murder of their spouse and reunite with their missing child.

Along the way, the Sole Survivor meets warring factions such as The Railroad and the Brotherhood of Steel. The Commonwealth is also the home of the elusive The Institute, a science-based organization that has remained hidden. The Institute is the creator of the Synth – synthetic humanoid beings that, over time, have become almost identical to humans. Each of the factions has its own philosophy of what to do with the Synths, and it’s ultimately up to the Sole Survivor to aid one to victory.

Is There DLC For Fallout 4?

DLC

Function

Metacritic Score

Automatron

Story Expansion

69

Wasteland Workshop

Workshop Materials

50

Far Harbor

Story Expansion

75

Contraptions Workshop

Workshop Materials

N/A

Vault-Tec Workshop

Workshop Materials

60

Nuka-World

Story Expansion

74

High-Texture Resolution Pack

Improved Visuals

N/A

Vault Boy in front of locations from Fallout 3: Point Lookout

Related

Fallout 3’s Creepiest DLC Is Also Its Best

Point Lookout features everything that players loved about Fallout 3, but its atmospheric horror makes it unlike anything else in the series.

Fallout 4 has seven main DLCs, however only three of them are meaningful story expansions. The first story expansion in Fallout 4 is Automatron. Automatron sees the Commonwealth under attack by hoards of robots. The Sole Survivor needs to get to the bottom of it and find The Mechanist, who is responsible. In the process, the Sole Survivor can find robotic parts and build and mod their own robots.

In Far Harbor, players travel to Mount Desert Island in Maine along with the amazing Detective Nick Valentine in search of a runaway mechanic, Kasumi Nakano. In the process, the Sole Survivor is caught up in a different clash of factions between the citizens of Far Harbor, the cult Children of the Atom, and the Synth-refuge Arcadia. Far Harbor is far and away the deepest and most expansive Fallout 4 DLC.

Nuka-World takes place in an overrun Nuka Cola theme park, now run by Raiders who take joy in playing sick games. The Sole Survivor manages to become the Overboss of these Raiders and must juggle three different Raider cliques, each having the ultimate goal of taking over the Commonwealth. The Sole Survivor can actually send out Raiders to take over Commonwealth settlements or get supplies, which is cool for players who prefer to bend the rules or live without them.

The Wasteland Workshop, Contraptions Workshop, and Vault-Tec Workshop all provide additional Workshop supplies to players with far more options when building up settlements. The Vault-Tec Workshop gives players access to Vault 88, which they can modify as they please. The High-Texture Resolution Pack is just that — more textures. It may be a little redundant now with the new upgrade.

What Is The Creation Club?

What can be purchased through the Creation Club?

• Quests
• Cosmetics
• Dogs
• Building Locations
• Weapons
• Workshop Materials

Fallout’ Ghoul

Related

Fallout: What are Ghouls?

Prime Video’s Fallout has introduced many to the wild world of Fallout, which is full of mutated creatures, but what are Ghouls in Fallout?

Creation Club is the Bethesda-approved platform for players to create and apply mods to Fallout 4. This is especially fantastic for console players who don’t typically have access to mods in any game. This content often comes in the form of quests, cosmetics, weapons, adoptable dogs, settlement locations, and Workshop materials. Even more Creation Club items will be made available with the upcoming update. For any trophy and achievement hunters, rest assured that none of these Creation Club items will disable them.

The caveat to all of this is that these mods need to be purchased with credits that would need to be acquired with real-life money. Some of that money does go to the creators of the mod, so it at least rewards them for their hard work. For PlayStation 4 players, proceed with caution as there’s a devastating “0kb” bug that can render a save file moot. No word on whether that will be fixed with the new update or if it will affect the PlayStation 5 version.

Why Is The Fallout Fanbase So Conflicted About Fallout 4?

Fallout 4 on Metacritic

Score

Critic Reviews

87/100

User Reviews

6.9/10

Harsh realities of replaying Fallout 4 list

Related

7 Harsh Realities Of Replaying Fallout 4

While making many controversial changes to the franchise, Fallout 4 is still beloved by many. However, there are some elements that haven’t aged well.

Fallout 4 was generally well-received by critics and players, but the Fallout fanbase overall is mixed. Most appreciate the visual bump up compared to Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas and praise it for being more polished than its predecessors with far less frequent bugs. Fans also enjoyed the Workshop feature, which has carried over into the C.A.M.P. feature in Fallout 76.

The main issues Fallout fans have with Fallout 4 are its lack of RPG elements and its story. Fallout 4 doesn’t utilize the same dialog system as previous Fallout games and Fallout 76. There aren’t any skill checks, which incorporate players’ stats to provide unique dialog options and ways to progress a quest. Fallout 4’s dialog option is more simplistic. This results in the Sole Survivor, who is voiced, responding in a way the player didn’t intend to. When making a dialog choice, the player rarely ever knows what will actually be said until the Sole Survivor says it, which is bizarre.

As for the story, it’s rather predictable with few genuine surprises. The factions in Fallout 4 are nowhere near as compelling as Fallout: New Vegas, leaving some players conflicted on who to choose in the end not because of philosophical reasons, but simply because they don’t really like any of them.

Of course, none of this should deter someone from making Fallout 4 their first Fallout game. It’s a great entry point and a good way to ease new Fallout fans into the immersive world of Fallout. Much of Fallout 4’s criticisms often come from the perspective of long-time fans whereas a new fan can appreciate Fallout 4 without taking away their eventual enjoyment of other Fallout games as they proceed through the series.

What Do The New Updates Bring?

Close

Notable changes with the Fallout 4 update:

• Native PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S apps.
• Free upgrade.
• Performance and Quality modes with higher resolution and 60 fps.
• Steam Deck verified.
• New Creation Club content.
• Stability improvements and bug fixes.

Fallout 4 the 5 Best Companions

Related

Every Fallout 4 Companion, Ranked

With several characters to choose from, having the right companion is crucial to surviving the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout 4.

On April 25, Fallout 4 will be receiving its first update in years. This highly-anticipated update brings Fallout 4 to current generation standards across numerous technological areas.

Beyond general stability improvements and fixes, the updated Fallout 4 will provide Performance and Quality mode options. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S players will be able to play Fallout 4 with improved resolution at 60 fps. PC players will get support for widescreen and ultra-widescreen, as well as updates and fixes to areas such as the Creation Kit. Fallout 4 will also be compatible with the Steam Deck as well as available on the Epic Games Store. Bethesda will also be releasing new Creation Club content as well.

Players on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will receive these updates in the form of a performance update. On the PS5 and XSX, there will be a native PS5 and XSX app available. Fallout 4 will be a free upgrade to anyone who owns the game. There’s currently no word on whether previous-gen save files and trophy/achievement progress will transfer over, but given the PS5 and XSX versions will be virtually identical to the PS4 and XBO versions and the fact that current generations of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has allowed for save transfers, it’s safe to say that will be the case for Fallout 4 as well.

Whether playing for the first time or the fifth, now is a great and exciting time to play and uncover the many secrets of Fallout 4.

A Gas Mask on the Fallout 4 Game Cover

Fallout 4

In Fallout 4, players exit the vault to a postapocalyptic world to search for their lost child.

FranchiseFalloutPlatform(s)Windows, PS4, Xbox OneReleasedNovember 10, 2015Developer(s)Bethesda Game StudiosPublisher(s)Bethesda SoftworksGenre(s)Action RPG