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Welcome To West Virginia

Compared to the previous entries in the series, Fallout 76 is a very different kind of game. It’s the series’ first online game, with a far more in-depth focus on survival and crafting. This new approach on the familiar post-apocalyptic RPG’s mechanics will take some time getting used to–and players will be doing that together in a shared world. In the beta for Fallout 76 on Xbox One–with PC and PS4 coming next week–those who’ve pre-ordered will get an early chance to dive into Bethesda’s experimental take on the Fallout experience, with all of their progress carried over into the final game.

In this feature, we’ve come up with several tips and a short list of things to do during your first few hours exploring the ruins of West Virginia. As the earliest game in the Fallout timeline, set only 25 years after the bombs fell, the inhabitants of Vault 76 will explore a world that’s still in disarray after the nuclear apocalypse. Though the setting of West Virginia was largely spared from the bombs, radiation and chaos have seeped into the valley, irreparably altering wildlife, and unearthing creatures that many thought to be legend.

The first of Fallout 76’s betas is now behind us, but Bethesda has already announced when the next test will take place. Expect plenty more between now and the full game’s release date on November 14.

We recently went hands-on with Fallout 76, and came away with a number of interesting observations. While the main hook is the focus on surviving a violent, irradiated world full of other players online, the familiar aspects of the Fallout experience are alive and well in 76–there are even some surprises for the eagle-eyed fans to uncover. With that, here’s a quick survival guide to help you overcome the odds.

For more info on Fallout 76, be sure to check out footage from the first 50 minutes of the game, and along with our chat with Pete Hines about the current state of the game, and what lies ahead.

Explore The Vault

Instead of being rushed out the Vault door like in other Fallout games, with hostile Vault-tec security or irradiated radroaches nipping at your heels, you’re afforded the chance to calmly prepare yourself for the expedition on the surface. After creating your character and taking a quick photo of yourself for you nametag, you’ll grab your new pip-boy and get to explore the vault at your leisure–and even interact with other players starting out as well.

Once you leave your room, be sure to examine every point of interest on your way up to the entrance. These stops will get you stocked up with new items and supplies, which includes a starting set of Perk Cards, purified water, and the all important C.A.M.P device–allowing you to build structures in the outside world. Around the Vault, you’ll find various holotapes that tell you more about the residents of the bunker, which includes the vault Overseer who’s gone missing. Once you’re ready, make your way towards the exit of the Vault. Though rest assured, if at any time you want to return, the Vault’s door will always be open to you–even allowing for fast travel at no cost.

Stick With The Beginning Story Missions

Once outside, you’ll start the early missions of the main story. In an interesting approach that’s different from past Fallout games, many of the tutorial segments take place in the open world. In a more trial-by-fire approach, you’ll gradually learn more about the many systems at work while collecting a set of new weapons and supplies. Despite being given some basic survival items from the bunker, you’re still an unprepared Vault Dweller in a new world, and you’ll need to get new supplies fast in order to survive.

Though you may have the urge to get started on your adventure and explore on your own, it’s really in your best interest to take on the early missions in the main quest. Right outside the Vault door is a Mr. Gusty robot, who will let you know where to go next in your quest to find the Overseer. Within the first 10 minutes of stepping outside, you’ll acquire new weapons, armor, and get used to the more nuanced mechanics in Fallout 76. This will go a long way in helping you get your feet wet in the open world, and you’ll still come across many side events and opportunities to take on.

Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Building your character up from scratch is one of the hallmarks of the Fallout series, and 76 is no different. However, the early hours of Fallout 76 are not as generous as other games in the series, and it’ll take time to gradually build up to the more familiar archetypes of previous games. But before you reach that point, you’ll need to understand that you’ll often have to work with what you have at your disposal–even if it’s mostly scraps of items and word-down weapons that have seen better days. It’s important for you to get out of your comfort zone and try out new methods and solutions for survival that you wouldn’t normally take on in other games.

Rethink What Makes You SPECIAL

Given the more survivalist nature of Fallout 76, you’ll have to be constantly on your toes and adapt to any situation that comes you way. The systems at work in-game allows for more flexibility, letting you refocus your character’s strengths at anytime. Once you start leveling up, you’ll be able to allocate SPECIAL points and gain new Perk Cards for your character. While all the SPECIAL points you invest are set in stone, the new perks you can set on your deck can be swapped out at any time.

As you increase in power from leveling up and acquiring new gear, you’ll be able to flesh out your character in more interesting ways. Players that often favor firearms and explosives may find themselves in a position where they’ll have to double down on melee weapons and hacking, and many of the perks you find will offer up some interesting buffs to make builds that were made on the fly seem worthwhile.

Group Up

Just outside of Vault 76, you’ll encounter other players who have also started their journey. While you’re totally free to explore on your own and take on whatever challenges that come from being a lone wanderer in West Virginia, there are many benefits to exploring in a group. When in a group, you and your squad can communicate with each other through voice-chat–though only in short-range–which will allow you to coordinate quests and how you’ll clear our some of the more challenging locations housing Scorched, Ghouls, and Super Mutants. Though this is totally doable on your own, getting a group can lessen the hassle and spare some precious resources that you would end up spending on your own.

Grouping up in a Fallout game is still a new concept, so it’s better to get a feel for it sooner rather than later. To team up with others, walk over to another player and invite them into a party. If they accept the invite, you’ll partner up instantly. Up to four people can work together, with each member getting their own share of the loot. However, if you want to splinter off from the group and do your own thing, you’re free to do so. If you’ve put a lot of distance between you and your group and want to return to them, you can open up the map and fast travel to a party member, allowing you to great distances without much hassle.

Always Be Collecting

Scavenging for junk items and gear is a normal part of your journey in the post-apocalyptic wasteland. While the cheap desk fans, baseballs, and plastic cups may not seem so valuable, breaking them down to basic materials can lead to crafting new weapons, armor, and support items. The screws from a desk fan for instance can be used to craft higher-end weapon and armor upgrades your paltry starting weapons, which will help even the odds when things get tough. Moreover, items can be gathered from the game world itself, including downed tree logs, which offer wood.

However, it’s important not to get too greedy when exploring and junking all these items. With the deeper survival mechanics in place, every item you have in your inventory has a set weight. And with all those items added up, you’ll likely find yourself overencumbered at the worst possible time. If you can’t find a workbench to scrap items, you can always stay on the lookout for stash boxes, which are often located in residential areas, red rocket stations, or can be built with the C.A.M.P.. Despite this being an online game, you’re not racing against others to scavenge the nearby ruins for junk. Every player will get their own haul of items, and you’re never left empty handed after seeing another squad of vault dwellers rummage through a place.

Get Crafting and Stay Healthy

While there are plenty of supplies and new weapons to find in the field, these tools won’t be in that great of a condition and you’re much better off not leaving things to chance. The gear you create and modify with your own hands with the resources are what make the difference between surviving a shootout with Mole Miners or finding yourself face-first in the dirt.

Once you have those materials, it’s best to start investing them into better items and supplies. Along with the weapon and armor workbenches, you’ll need to utilize the cooking and chem stations to craft food, clean water, and healing items in order to stay healthy. While you certainly able to eat whatever stale food or use worn down weapons and armor, it all has to be done with caution. Poor weapons will breakdown fast, and dirty water and rotten food can lead to diseases and sickness for your characters–including the particularly nasty case of Radworms.

Take In The Sights

Starting out in the Western portion of the map, set in the Appalachian region, you’re in a prime spot to branch out into the other parts of the West Virginian wilderness. Your map is one of the most valuable resources you have, which highlights many of the major attractions in the area–akin to an amusement park guide. But in between those major points of interests, there are many different areas that house valuable loot, interesting story details, and some usual monsters to fight. Moreover, you’ll often find events and side-missions while exploring, which can open up some interesting diversions.

While the entire map is free to explore at the beginning, it would be best not to branch out too far into other regions. Here are some interesting locations that you can explore in the early hours of Fallout 76, all located in reasonable distance from the Vault

– Top of the World Ski Lodge: Located in the center of the map on top of a mountain, making it one of the highest spots in game. Resembling an old-school, gimmicky resort, this ski-lodge now houses bloatflies and Super Mutants. When exploring this site, you’ll also be able to find one of the game’s more unusual melee weapons known as the Ski Sword.

– The Greenbrier Resort: Found just south of the ski lodge, this resort is an extremely ritzy location that feels more like a time capsule than a ruin. With an army of Protectrons maintaining the grounds and keeping nasty foes out, the resort is in surprisingly good condition having survived more than twenty years of no activity. While exploring the inside, you will find mobs feral ghouls, all of whom have kept their attachment to the posh lifestyle of their past lives.

– Horizon’s Rest: Located just west of the Top of the World ski lodge, this ruined plane has been converted into a multi-level living quarters for survivors. However, the owners have since abandoned it, leaving behind an armory filled with weapons, ammo, and armor for anyone who’s able to find the clues to unlock it.

Challenge Another Player

Once you reach level 5, Fallout 76’s player vs player gameplay will open up. Despite every character coming from the same Vault, where they shared safety and comfort from the outside elements, all previous friendships formed in the bunker are tossed by the wayside. While you’re not committed to taking part in PVP, you may come across a relentless player who’s got their eye on you. When another person attacks you, they will only deal chip damage to your character–a small fraction of their actual attack power. However, it does add up over time, and they can kill you if you’ve lost enough health–or if they just happen to catch you after a nasty scrape with some monsters.

If this happens, you have several options at your disposal; you can fast-travel away from them, block them, or even try to engage them in a fight. The later option can go a number of different ways, especially if you’re up against a stronger player, but it lead to interesting results–the winner takes any junk items that their opponent had upon their defeat. Since this is a first for the series, you may want to try out player combat as early as you can to get a feel for it. While you can usually avoid PVP, there may come a situation where dueling could work out for you, especially if they’re an underleveled annoyance. However, it’s usually in your best interest to keep fights clean. If you ambush others and take them out with chip damage–with the other player not fighting back–you’ll be marked as a murderer and left with a large target on your back for others to see.

Take Your Time

To put it bluntly, Fallout 76 features the largest map of the series–there is no way you’ll experience many of the game’s more defining events during the early hours. With so much ground to cover, it’s a good thing to take your time and soak up all the details during the beginning of your journey. While many players will be eager to dive into the questline dealing with the nukes, which Bethesda have been teasing since the game’s reveal, this is an event that will take several hours to work up to. Moreover, many of these quests will require high-end gear, such as power armor and high end, as it puts you face to face with some of the game’s most dangerous monsters, including 76’s new elite foe known as the Scorchbeast.

Once you’ve amassed an arsenal of weapons, supplies, and strengthened your character to a point where you can handle many of the tougher challenges, you’ll be able to venture out into West Virginia’s more notorious areas, which includes the Savage Divide and The Mire. But you’re better off taking things slow, and enjoying yourself until that time comes.

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After four hours with the Fallout 76 beta on the Xbox One, we in the GameSpot office have mixed feelings on the game, and wonder how long is can sustain itself.

Whether or not you’re on board, Bethesda’s decision to make the next entry in the Fallout franchise an online-only game is bold. But just because it’s an online endeavor doesn’t mean you’re forced to play with others. Among all the questions I had about Fallout 76, the most important one that came to mind was: can the game work as a single-player experience? So, when the first beta launched, I played entirely as a one-man party. After about four hours of exploring, looting, and shooting, the foundation of Fallout seems readily apparent, albeit diluted. Of course, you’ll be missing out on an important aspect of Fallout 76 by going it alone, but its features that require a bit more patience make themselves clear. As a result, lone wanderers are likely to be rewarded in ways full parties may end up glossing over.

From both past experience in other games and watching my colleagues play Fallout 76 as a group, I understand there’s a tacit agreement to move at a rapid pace, going from one area or quest to another in search of action and high-level equipment. While that’s not exactly what the Fallout series has traditionally been about, it comes part-and-parcel to this style of game. That doesn’t leave much room for carefully listening to audio logs nor reading through notes left behind, let alone soaking in the environments in relation to those narrative pieces. Playing alone affords you the opportunity to do that.

Environmental storytelling has become a bit of a cliche when describing how games embed a narrative in the actual game space. It’s an indirect approach to story, and one that Fallout 76 has to rely on given the absence of NPCs and dialogue trees. Audio logs serve to paint the picture of how townships tried, and failed, to survive the harsh wasteland while simultaneously being a guide through the game’s world and systems. Audio logs are also the crux of unraveling the mystery of Vault 76’s overseer–the seemingly “main” questline. It’s your avenue to understanding the past and present of West Virginia. Admittedly, these vary in quality in terms of how interesting they are, but they’re critical to worldbuilding.

The wonder of discovering and rummaging through a new location, or taking in the scenic views after trudging through brutal swaths of the wasteland, has an intrinsically rewarding feel.

We’ve seen other games use these narrative techniques in the past. Much of the original Bioshock was built on the premise of listening to recordings from Rapture’s citizens as you navigate the desolate underwater society. Some of the most impactful moments in The Last Of Us came from a series of handwritten notes that communicated the desperation and humanity in the face of a zombie outbreak. Fallout has used these elements in previous entries, but they matter now more than ever.

While what’s missing are the societies and factions that made previous games’ roleplaying dynamic, it’s thematically fitting given that the setting predates the lore established from past games. And it’s strikingly lonely out there despite being an online game–only 24 players roam around West Virginia in the same instance. There’s so much ground to cover that it’s hard to see a collective of online players emerging from it; very rarely did I run into other parties. West Virginia is huge. It’s been in headlines that Fallout 76 contains the largest map in all the franchise; about four times the size of Fallout 4‘s rendition of Boston. It sometimes feels too big for its own good, as there’s a noticeable lack of density. However, like any other Fallout game, the world naturally instills a sense of curiosity to see what’s just beyond in the next town.

The wonder of discovering and rummaging through a new location, or taking in the scenic views after trudging through brutal swaths of the wasteland, has an intrinsically rewarding feel. After getting a grip of the game in the areas near Vault 76, I wandered to the Northeast and stumbled upon Grafton–a snowy town populated by Super Mutants, Protectrons, and the high-level blob-like Grafton Monster. It was a definite highlight digging up the town’s history and how it came to be run by Protectrons, and getting into tense firefights with enemies above my level. Unfortunately, I had to move on. Over the next northern range was an abandoned amusement park where I dabbled with the photo mode to take selfies with its alligator mascot on a broken rollercoaster. All the while, my radio is playing the undeniably catchy tunes of old-timey Americana (many of which are reprised from earlier games). These moments are, of course, available if you play in a group, but they make the single-player approach more meaningful.

Catastrophic events and inter-player tension very much seem to be integral to the end-game, so it’s tough to speak on the sustainability of exclusively playing alone. So far, quest structure and public events haven’t been much more than killing a certain target or finding an item in another town. And by virtue of axing traditional RPG interactions, combat becomes a bigger portion of what you do. Fallout 4’s shooting mechanics are the basis here, and while it’s more fluid than Fallout 3 or New Vegas, it doesn’t stand with the best modern shooters (and VATS won’t slow down time for targeted dice-roll shots)–it sometimes feels at odds with the type of game Bethesda’s trying to create.

Fallout 76 is a little unceremonious in its early hours, but I’m willing to give new approaches to long-running franchises a chance. It still has that distinct charm, where both the delightful and disturbing aspects of a bygone era in American history are frozen in time amidst post-apocalyptic retrofuturism. As more beta windows open up, I’ll be continuing to search for the game’s story and trekking along to see what’s beyond the wide forests and mountain ranges. Also, there are just as many questions left even after four hours. I can’t say that the single-player experience will hold up entirely, and we shouldn’t expect it to contend with the likes of New Vegas, but there are signs that it can work, and I’m hopeful. I’m also not sure where it’s leading me, and that seems to be exactly what Fallout 76 is about.

My Hero One’s Justice is a 3D arena-style fighter based on the popular manga and anime My Hero Academia. Unfortunately, One’s Justice offers a bare-bones recreation of My Hero Academia‘s story, and it doesn’t succeed at differentiating its offline modes. The game does have its moments, though, capturing the thrill of grandiose superhuman battles and the distinct fighting styles of the series’ main characters.

My Hero Academia takes place in a world where most individuals are born with superpowers called Quirks. Izuku Midoriya, the main series’ protagonist, is unlucky enough to be born without one. However, when Midoriya’s role model, All Might, sees the young boy bravely try and rescue his childhood friend/bully Katsuki Bakugo from a supervillain, the world’s number-one hero takes the Quirkless teen under his wing. All Might helps his protege get into U.A. High School, Japan’s top school for those who want to be superheroes, where Midoriya ends up in Class 1-A with Bakugo and 18 other first-years who all have powerful Quirks.

One’s Justice’s Story mode briefly touches on this before jumping ahead to My Hero Academia‘s sixth arc, “Vs. Hero Killer.” That’s fine if you’ve been keeping up with the manga or anime, but confusing if you’re using this game as your entry point into the franchise or just hoping to understand what’s going on at all. Even when you do understand what’s happening, there’s a lack of any kind of emotional impact, as the story plays off characters’ prior relationships with one another without actually telling you what those connections might be. However, the choice of later story arcs does justify the inclusion of certain characters, including the League of Villains.

You may also find it tough to follow the story since the whole game is presented in Japanese with English subtitles. The entire Japanese voice cast from the My Hero Academia anime return to voice their respective characters, and each delivers noteworthy performances. However, with no option to play through One’s Justice’s Story mode with the English dub’s voice cast, you’ll be fighting your opponents in Story mode while trying to read subtitles at the same time. It’s not impossible, but it’s not easy.

The game’s Story mode isn’t bad, though. One’s Justice’s campaign has optional “What If” missions that offer a look at what certain characters might have been doing between the story’s major events. Even though these missions aren’t canon, they’re written well enough to fit the larger plot and it’s believable that they really took place. Plus, they further flesh out minor heroes and villains that haven’t gotten as much screen time in the anime.

One’s Justice’s other four major modes–Local Match, Online Match, Arcade, and Missions–are where you’ll probably be spending most of your time with the game. Local and online matches pit two opponents against each other in a best-of-three fight, with the former allowing you to go up against a computer or a friend in couch co-op and the latter sending you online to try and climb up in the rankings. You can also dress up your characters with new costumes and cosmetic items that you unlock by playing the game and show off your custom outfits in local and online fights. A fighter’s wardrobe doesn’t provide any in-game benefits, but it is rather fun to dress someone up as one of My Hero Academia‘s characters that aren’t included in the game, like Mei Hatsume or Gunhead.

In Arcade, you face off against computer-controlled fighters in a six-tier ladder where opponents get stronger on every rung. There is a slight bump in difficulty compared to Local Match, but it’s not enough to make Arcade feel different from playing six consecutive local matches against AI. Missions mode is like Arcade, but with added optional requirements that you can fulfill to earn bonus cosmetic items. Those optional requirements are typically what you’re trying to do anyway–such as winning every match or getting a good rank from a well-placed combo–so they don’t force you into playing differently from the other modes. All four modes play essentially the same, with the biggest difference being whether you’re going up against a computer or another human being.

Each of the fighters in One’s Justice’s roster are unique. Some handle similarly–Tenya Iida, Gran Torino, and Deku: Shoot Style are all speed-based fighters, for example–but no two characters attack the same way, even the ones who have the same Quirk. 19 fighters are available at the outset, with another unlocked by playing the story and two more offered as DLC. Attacking is fairly simplistic, with one button for melee moves and another two for using different aspects of a character’s Quirk. That said, each fighter’s moveset is varied enough that you can form multiple strategies with a single character. Bakugo’s powerful Explosion Quirk, for example, doesn’t usually have much range, but he can charge it up to do larger, albeit slower, attacks. His Quirk also has a bit of kickback, so while in the air he can attack to quickly change his trajectory, and even keep himself airborne almost indefinitely for a faster, hit-and-run approach to combat.

Each fighter’s moveset is varied enough that you can form multiple strategies with a single character

Learning the different fighting styles for a particular character–and then implementing their unique unblockable, grab, counter, and Plus Ultra attacks into your strategy–is key to mastering each one. Once you understand the basics, going up against computer-controlled opponents won’t hold much challenge, but it does pave the way for more enjoyable moments in PvP play. When two players who know their respective fighter’s strengths and weaknesses go head-to-head, it leads to some tense, yet exciting battles. And with One’s Justice’s relatively easy learning curve, it’s not all too difficult to feel competent with at least a few characters and jump into a ranked Online Match.

The small moments of fan service during each fight are a nice touch too. Most Easter eggs come through in the characters’ Plus Ultra special attacks, such as Ochaco Uraraka’s Meteor Shower, but they show up cosmetically as well. The sleeves on Midoriya’s suit will tear and his fingers will break if he uses an all-out Delaware Smash, for example.

It’s a shame My Hero One’s Justice’s Story mode doesn’t do a good job introducing the world of My Hero Academia, with several important narrative beats either missing or revealed through subtitles while you’re busy trying to fight. The offline modes against AI don’t do much for the game either. However, One’s Justice’s combat is both accessible and enjoyable. When two players face off–either online or off–the game captures the adrenaline-pumping feeling of My Hero Academia‘s most notable fights. Pulling off moves from the manga/anime and outsmarting an opponent with devastating combos feels rewarding, and that’s enough to keep the player coming back to the game for more.

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