With interest in Fallout peaking around the success of the Amazon Prime show, I often see people asking which of the games to play. While Fallout 4 is an easy jumping on point, and the excellent fan-made Fallout London is well worth a look, I’m actually going to advocate for Fallout 76. Since its rocky launch, the open-world multiplayer survival game has grown into something special, and if you’re okay with its slightly more cavalier approach to the horrors of the nuclear apocalypse it’s the most fun Fallout game to play. It’s also the one that Bethesda is most actively updating, and its latest new feature is finally here.
The Fallout 76 Milepost Zero update arrived at the start of September, bringing with it some dramatic upgrades to the survival game. Among those is an overhaul to legendary crafting that makes it more achievable than ever to craft the best Fallout 76 gear, even for long-time players like myself looking to squeeze that little bit more juice out of our builds.
We’ve also seen the start of Fallout 76 Season 18, which includes a whole new range of rewards such as a Raider lodge, wall-mounted walkways, and ‘Roadside Warrior’ power armor adorned with street signs and traffic cones. The most exciting new feature of Milepost Zero, however, didn’t actually land with the update – but it’s just arrived, allowing you to take over the abandoned headquarters of the Blue Ridge Caravan Company.
Once you’re set up, you’ll be able to recruit a crew to work in your outpost, which acts as an instanced area you can visit at any time. As you renovate and expand the camp, you’ll be able to start escorting caravans across the Shenandoah region. Defend them all the way to their destination to earn a big payday, with the ability to tackle riskier routes for even greater rewards.
Ahead of launch, I spoke with Fallout 76 lead producer Bill LaCoste and creative director Jon Rush about the new feature. Rush highlights something all F76 players will be familiar with – that slightly awkward downtime between events where you scrap your gear, clear your inventory, and then stand around waiting for something else to happen. The introduction of outposts and caravans, he explains, keeps the action “more snappy.”
Even better, you don’t always have to run your own deliveries. If you spot someone else already making the trip, you can hop in and join them, earning yourself a worthwhile helping of rewards if you’re successful. And the payoff, as always, is what counts – LaCost says the team is always working “to make sure that the time that’s actually being spent on events is applicable to the reward that you’re actually receiving.”
There’s even more to be earned from the outpost as it grows. The vendors you can recruit are a great way to get easy access to all the weapons, equipment, and consumables you need on a day-to-day basis. They can even offer some exclusive items you won’t find anywhere else, such as the new, fully automatic V63 laser carbine, which uses the heat generated as it continues firing to amplify its damage.
Fallout 76 outposts arrive in the Milepost Zero update today, Tuesday September 17. To get started, look for the new quest “A Bump in the Road.” You can play Fallout 76 on Steam or via the Microsoft Store – it’s also available as part of the PC Game Pass library if you’re a subscriber.
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