One of the largest announcements at this year’s Bethesda showcase has to be everything around Fallout 76. Set for a release of November 14th this year, the game will be a prequel in the Fallout franchise and will boast a map four-times larger than that of Fallout 4. It will also feature a new rendering system that will yield sixteen-times more detail.

Fallout 76 will take place in the roaming landscape of West Virginia. Todd Howard, Director of Bethesda Game Studios, says this was done because, “this is where the actual nuclear secrets are stored.” The game follows an inhabitant of Vault 76, who is one of the first vaults to open during “Reclamation Day” and is therefore tasked with being the first to explore the “untamed wastelands.”

 

The biggest reveal about the game is that it will be entirely online. Despite this, Bethesda says that players can either choose to play single or multiplayer. This decision will not dictate future gameplay, as you will then be allowed to jump in or out of games with others. Also, since games will not be tied to one server, there will be no loss of game progression. “All progression goes with you,” said Howard.

Settlements will also boast a better ease of use in Fallout 76, as players will be allowed to build wherever with the use of devices called “C.A.M.P.s.” These C.A.M.P.s will also let players move to another location whenever they so choose. In gameplay footage, though, it also seems settlements may become under attack and take damage. It is unknown yet how multiplayer will affect the use of C.A.M.P.s.

The craziest gameplay announcement is that nuclear weapons will be available to players. Across the game map, there will be multiple nuclear sites that players can gain access to and use if they have launch codes. These launch codes appear to be available on corpses of certain enemies. During the conference, it was hinted at that complete or partial codes could be found, where the latter would need the cooperation of other players in order to collect the whole code. No further information on how nuclear sites will work yet, or how hard codes will be to obtain.

So far confirmed for PC, PS4, and XBOX One, there will be a B.E.T.A. for Fallout 76, standing for “Break-it Early Test Application.” No information yet revealed on how to sign up.

For collectors, the game will also have a “Power Armor Edition” available. This collector’s edition is to include a map of the game world that glows in the dark, figures that can be set on the map, and a T-51 Power Armor Helmet. No price point yet confirmed for the Power Armor Edition.

As for the mobile game Fallout Shelter, it was also announced at the conference that it will be releasing to the Sony PS4 and Nintendo Switch as of tonight and will still be free for download.