For an outsider, it can be hard to explain just how loved Bethesda’s Fallout series is. Since 1997, gamers have been traversing the wastelands of a post-nuclear war America collecting Nuka-Cola Caps and fending off scavengers, mutants, and other riffraff. The series was a hit from day one, but along the way, players have sometimes second-guessed Bethesda’s choices.
With Fallout 76, we’re seeing a lot of second-guessing at the moment.
The ninth game in the series, Fallout 76 is really changing things up. For starters, it is the first prequel in the series, taking place 59 years before the original Fallout. For another, there’s no single player story mode. Everything is online, and with the game’s focus on player versus player combat – PVP for short – everything is dangerous.
Instead of going it alone, you can team up with some of your best pals and try and survive in a not-great-future version of West Virginia. Along with having to deal with other players trying to take your stuff, you’ll need to be on the lookout for some of the better-known creatures from West Virginian folklore, like the Flatwoods Monster and one of my personal favorites, the Mothman.
The main thing that has made fans of the series worried is the whole always online PVP thing. To try and help the players understand what they’re in for, Bethesda did a bit of a deep-dive into how their PVP system works.
Basic PVP
The first thing you’ll need to know is that a player can’t enter a PVP battle right away. Your character needs to reach level 5 before you can start attacking other players. By level 5, you should have a pretty solid grasp on how the game plays, so you won’t get stuck trying to figure out controls while some jerk shoots you over and over again.
To start a PVP battle, all you have to do is attack another player. Your attack won’t do too much damage until the player you’ve smacked agrees to fight you. Once both parties are down to clown, your weapons will deal out full damage, so be ready.
It’s also important to note that to start a PVP fight, your attack has to be a direct hit. If you toss a grenade and it blows up next to another player but not directly on them, that player will not take any damage and the PVP fight will not begin.
Once the fight starts, you’ll see a red mark show up on your compass – that’s the person you’re duking it out with. You’ll also learn what your Cap reward is if you are able to kill your opponent. If you aren’t so lucky and end up being the loser in the fight, you’ll lose a portion of your Caps.
When die in PVP, you’ll be given two option on what to do next:
Seek Revenge – You’ll be respawned in the vicinity of your killer so that you can hunt them down and avenge your own death. If you win this time, you’ll get some bonus Caps!
Respawn – If you choose to just respawn, the PVP session will end and you’ll be respawned at the location of your choice.
If just running around looking for people to fight sounds like a slog to you, Hunter/Hunted may be your jam.
Hunter/Hunted
To start Hunter/Hunted, all you need to do is tune your Pipboy to Hunter/Hunted Radio and join in a session of true danger. Once four or more players have been connected by their Pipboys, you’ll be given a specific player to hunt down. You have one hour to find your prey and take their life. If that isn’t stressful enough, someone is hunting you at the same time!
Taking a tip from Fortnite and PUBG, in Hunter/Hunted, the play area of the map will shrink over time, pressing everyone closer together.
Kill your prey, and you’ll be given another player to track down. Get killed and you’re out of the game. The last hunter standing wins.
Personally, I think Hunter/Hunted sounds like a bucket full of awesome.
What are your thoughts on the PVP system of Fallout 76? Let us know in the comments!
BOOK YOUR PARTY OR EVENT AT HIGH SCORE WITH OUR EASY TO USE BOOKING SYSTEM!
You can follow High Score on…