The launch of Fallout 76 is just two days from today, and ahead of the release, Bethesda has published an open letter. Similar to that which the studio released ahead of the Fallout 76 BETA, this letter thanks both developers and fans and looks ahead to the future. At the very end, it includes a few indications of features which could come post-launch. Interestingly, one of these is “faction-based PvP.”
What Would Faction-Based Fallout 76 PvP Look Like?
“[…] this is just the beginning,” reads Bethesda’s open letter; “We have an incredible list of updates we’ve begun work on, from CAMP building improvements, new quests and events, new Vaults opening, character respecing, a faction-based PvP system, and much more.”
The most intriguing entry on that list is definitely the mention of a; “faction-based PvP system”; The inclusion is somewhat surprising, as Bethesda has seemed to emphasise cooperative play much more than competitive in the lead-up to the game’s release. PvP is certainly an aspect of Fallout 76. However, it’s a system with fairly strict rules. If two players both attack each other then they can engage in PvP, which balances automatically so that higher-level players with superior gear don’t have an overwhelming advantage.
However, if one player doesn’t attack the other, there is a severe reduction to their PvP damage. Moreover, if a player persists and manages to kill another player regardless, there are harsh penalties. A bounty is put on their head and they are marked on everybody else’s map. Any player who kills them can get the bounty, taken out of the offending player’s own stash of caps. However, there is a PvP game mode of sorts in Fallout 76; the Hunter/Hunted radio station. This works somewhat like a simple Battle Royale mode, albeit with far fewer players.
It’s unclear exactly what “faction-based PvP” would look like in Fallout 76; would it be another mode like Hunter/Hunted? Alternatively, it could be some sort of opt-in system which allows players to gain special faction benefits at the expense of losing their PvP damage resistance against members of rival factions. No doubt Bethesda will release more information about this system post-launch. Whatever the case, it certainly seems like those players hoping for more PvP content will get their wish.