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Everything You Need to Know About Fallout 4
Here's all there the big details you need to know about the upcoming Fallout 4!
Fallout 4 is coming out in a little more than a week and it's filled with an array of exciting new features and gameplay mechanics. While there are details about the game that we don't fully know about yet, there's still plenty of stuff to talk about. Here's everything we know about this much anticipated sequel so far!
In recent news, the RPG has gone gold, while its achievements have been leaked. Bethesda also revealed that a demo version of the game will not be available.
For a full rundown of the story of the Fallout universe, here's our comprehensive gallery covering all the essential plot points. If you'd like to see more of the game, take a look at some the concept art from its upcoming art book.
It Takes Place in Boston
Fallout 4 is set in the post-apocalyptic remains of Boston, Massachusetts and specific areas of New England, known in the Fallout Universe as the Commonwealth. Teasers have made it apparent that the game's world will contain in-game counterparts of real-life landmarks from these locations, such as the Bunker Hill Monument, Fenway Park, the USS Constitution, and the Massachusettes State House.
Story of a Sole Survivor
The story of Fallout 4 puts you in control of a character who takes refuge with their family in an underground shelter--known as Vault 111--just as a nuclear war is breaking out. Your character then mysteriously emerges 200 years later into what's left of this now devastated world, seemingly unaged. Left with little resources needed to survive, you're forced to venture out into the Wasteland. From what we've gathered, the game takes place around the same time as the events of Fallout 3.
Customizable Male or Female Protagonist
Just like previous Fallout games, you can choose to play as either a male or female protagonist. In the case of Fallout 4, it seems like you will play as either the husband or wife of the family seen during the early moments of the game's story. Also, for the first time in the series' history, you character is fully voiced.
Companion Characters Are Back
Companion characters return once more in Fallout 4, with about a dozen different ones to choose from. Like in Fallout: New Vegas, companions are unable to die. But new to the series this time around is the ability to romance any human companion regardless of their gender. Companions confirmed to be in the game so far include: helper robot Codsworth, the series' iconic German Shepard Dogmeat, Wasteland survivor Preston Harvey, and a news reporter named Piper.
Advanced Crafting System
Fallout 4 features the ability to craft weapons by mixing and matching components from the multitude of weapons and items you find in the game's world. From a focused sniper laser rifle to a baseball bat covered with saw blades attached to it, there are hundreds of different weapon combinations you can create and use. This level of customization also applies to the series' famous battle armor, letting you tailor each of its different body parts towards your specific combat needs and tastes.
Build Your Own Settlements
Fallout 4 lets you build and customize your own settlements using pre-fabricated structures made from items you've gathered or deconstructed from buildings in the world. You can outfit these settlements with various devices to power and defend them, such as generators, water pumps, guard towers, and machine gun turrets. Also, once your settlement reaches a certain size, you can invite NPCs to set up shop and organize cattle caravans between other settlements to get supplies where you need them to be.
New Perk System
New to Fallout 4 is its perk system, a chart of unique skills and abilities you can choose from each time you level up. The perks are organized by the seven different S.P.E.C.I.A.L attributes that can influence your character's development, which include strength, perception, endurance, intelligence, agility, and luck. There are 70 base perks (10 for each attribute) and each have multiple ranks that offer new things, yielding a total of 275 you can choose from.
No Level Cap and No Hard Finish
There will be no level cap in Fallout 4, meaning that you are free to experiment with the various S.P.E.C.I.A.L. perks at your own leisure. There will also be no hard finish, so you no longer have to worry about passing a point of no return at the end of the game that will close you off from exploring areas or quests that you haven't been able to reach.
Enhanced Shooting Mechanics and Combat
Shooting has been completely revamped in Fallout 4, offering a more precise and functional moment-to-moment shooting experience more akin to traditional first person shooters. Constructed with the help and feedback of Doom studio id Software, the game now features the ability to aim down sights and a radial menu for switching between weapons or using items.
Revamped V.A.T.S. and Criticals
V.A.T.S. (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System) also makes a return, letting you hone in your attacks on the specific body parts of enemies to exploit possible weaknesses. But the system now only slows down time as opposed to pausing it, adding a new level of urgency to combat.
In addition, critical shots are no longer randomized, now relying on a "critical" bar that fills up over time. Your luck attribute will determine how fast the bar increases. Regardless, once it's fully filled up, you're free to use it against enemies for serious damage.
Different Weather Conditions
New to the series with Fallout 4 is a full-on weather system that directly effects gameplay in different ways. For instance, radiation storms can blow through the world with lightning strikes that can radiate your character.
Dual Screen Support With Companion App
A companion mobile app will be released alongside Fallout 4, allowing for dual-screen gameplay. Using the app, you can access the game's various Pip-Boy functions, including your in-game inventory, perks, and holotapes. It's worth mentioning that the Fallout 4: Pip-Boy Edition comes with a replica Pip-Boy that you can insert your phone into, so you can immerse yourself into the Fallout experience even further.
Mod Creation Tools on All Platforms
For the first time in the franchise's history, mod creation tools will be available across all of the game's release platforms. While the tools won't be included at launch, they'll be released for the PC first sometime later as a free update in early 2016. The tools will come to Xbox One sometime later, with PS4 to follow.
More...
Fallout 4 is coming out in a little more than a week and it's filled with an array of exciting new features and gameplay mechanics. While there are details about the game that we don't fully know about yet, there's still plenty of stuff to talk about. Here's everything we know about this much anticipated sequel so far!
In recent news, the RPG has gone gold, while its achievements have been leaked. Bethesda also revealed that a demo version of the game will not be available.
For a full rundown of the story of the Fallout universe, here's our comprehensive gallery covering all the essential plot points. If you'd like to see more of the game, take a look at some the concept art from its upcoming art book.
It Takes Place in Boston
Fallout 4 is set in the post-apocalyptic remains of Boston, Massachusetts and specific areas of New England, known in the Fallout Universe as the Commonwealth. Teasers have made it apparent that the game's world will contain in-game counterparts of real-life landmarks from these locations, such as the Bunker Hill Monument, Fenway Park, the USS Constitution, and the Massachusettes State House.
Story of a Sole Survivor
The story of Fallout 4 puts you in control of a character who takes refuge with their family in an underground shelter--known as Vault 111--just as a nuclear war is breaking out. Your character then mysteriously emerges 200 years later into what's left of this now devastated world, seemingly unaged. Left with little resources needed to survive, you're forced to venture out into the Wasteland. From what we've gathered, the game takes place around the same time as the events of Fallout 3.
Customizable Male or Female Protagonist
Just like previous Fallout games, you can choose to play as either a male or female protagonist. In the case of Fallout 4, it seems like you will play as either the husband or wife of the family seen during the early moments of the game's story. Also, for the first time in the series' history, you character is fully voiced.
Companion Characters Are Back
Companion characters return once more in Fallout 4, with about a dozen different ones to choose from. Like in Fallout: New Vegas, companions are unable to die. But new to the series this time around is the ability to romance any human companion regardless of their gender. Companions confirmed to be in the game so far include: helper robot Codsworth, the series' iconic German Shepard Dogmeat, Wasteland survivor Preston Harvey, and a news reporter named Piper.
Advanced Crafting System
Fallout 4 features the ability to craft weapons by mixing and matching components from the multitude of weapons and items you find in the game's world. From a focused sniper laser rifle to a baseball bat covered with saw blades attached to it, there are hundreds of different weapon combinations you can create and use. This level of customization also applies to the series' famous battle armor, letting you tailor each of its different body parts towards your specific combat needs and tastes.
Build Your Own Settlements
Fallout 4 lets you build and customize your own settlements using pre-fabricated structures made from items you've gathered or deconstructed from buildings in the world. You can outfit these settlements with various devices to power and defend them, such as generators, water pumps, guard towers, and machine gun turrets. Also, once your settlement reaches a certain size, you can invite NPCs to set up shop and organize cattle caravans between other settlements to get supplies where you need them to be.
New Perk System
New to Fallout 4 is its perk system, a chart of unique skills and abilities you can choose from each time you level up. The perks are organized by the seven different S.P.E.C.I.A.L attributes that can influence your character's development, which include strength, perception, endurance, intelligence, agility, and luck. There are 70 base perks (10 for each attribute) and each have multiple ranks that offer new things, yielding a total of 275 you can choose from.
No Level Cap and No Hard Finish
There will be no level cap in Fallout 4, meaning that you are free to experiment with the various S.P.E.C.I.A.L. perks at your own leisure. There will also be no hard finish, so you no longer have to worry about passing a point of no return at the end of the game that will close you off from exploring areas or quests that you haven't been able to reach.
Enhanced Shooting Mechanics and Combat
Shooting has been completely revamped in Fallout 4, offering a more precise and functional moment-to-moment shooting experience more akin to traditional first person shooters. Constructed with the help and feedback of Doom studio id Software, the game now features the ability to aim down sights and a radial menu for switching between weapons or using items.
Revamped V.A.T.S. and Criticals
V.A.T.S. (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System) also makes a return, letting you hone in your attacks on the specific body parts of enemies to exploit possible weaknesses. But the system now only slows down time as opposed to pausing it, adding a new level of urgency to combat.
In addition, critical shots are no longer randomized, now relying on a "critical" bar that fills up over time. Your luck attribute will determine how fast the bar increases. Regardless, once it's fully filled up, you're free to use it against enemies for serious damage.
Different Weather Conditions
New to the series with Fallout 4 is a full-on weather system that directly effects gameplay in different ways. For instance, radiation storms can blow through the world with lightning strikes that can radiate your character.
Dual Screen Support With Companion App
A companion mobile app will be released alongside Fallout 4, allowing for dual-screen gameplay. Using the app, you can access the game's various Pip-Boy functions, including your in-game inventory, perks, and holotapes. It's worth mentioning that the Fallout 4: Pip-Boy Edition comes with a replica Pip-Boy that you can insert your phone into, so you can immerse yourself into the Fallout experience even further.
Mod Creation Tools on All Platforms
For the first time in the franchise's history, mod creation tools will be available across all of the game's release platforms. While the tools won't be included at launch, they'll be released for the PC first sometime later as a free update in early 2016. The tools will come to Xbox One sometime later, with PS4 to follow.
More...