Fallout 76 gets human NPCs and a new battle royale mode at E3 2019

Image credit: Bethesda (Image credit: Bethesda)

One of the chief criticisms of last year’s Fallout 76 was the lack of human NPCs (non-player characters), which made the game’s world feel rather empty compared to previous Fallouts – and at E3 2019, the game’s developers Bethesda, has addressed those complaints with the Wastelanders DLC.

According to Bethesda, the Wastelanders expansion will see settlers and raiders “returning to reclaim Appalachia.” The DLC will also bring new quests that are affected by player choices, more dialogue options and companions.

The aforementioned settlers and raiders will act as two factions that players can align themselves with as well.

The addition of human characters should give the world of Fallout 76 a bit more vibrancy and life. When it first launched, the only non-player characters (who would give missions and interact with players) were computers and robots – both of which were distinctly lacking in personality. It gave the game an empty and rushed feel.

Obligatory battle royale mode

Fallout 76 is also getting a battle royale mode. Since the success of PlayerUnkown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite Battle Royale, a multitude of games have been including their own spins on the game mode, which sees players battle it out on a shrinking map until only one survives.

So, with Nuclear Winter, the name of the new game mode, 52 players will fight against each other as Vault 51’s ZAX computer launches a nuclear storm to find out who would make the best Overseer.

You can find out more on Bethesda’s blog. We don’t know the exact launch date of these two DLCs, but Nuclear Winter will be the first to launch. There will also be a free trial of Fallout 76 between June 10 and June 17 for players to check out the game – and see if it’s finally worth playing.

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Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.