Cognition Dissemination: The Fallout 76 Class War Was Inevitable

It’s been nearly one year since Bethesda released Fallout 76, an MMORPG installment in the series that clearly wasn’t ready for release given the disheveled state it arrived in — and and matters outside the game that made it a small nightmare for those who purchased it. Bethesda’s RPGs usually arrive in buggy forms before they’re (mostly) patched and smoothed over, but 76 was also criticized upon release for its lack of content — especially the missing NPCs. They’ve been providing small and large fixes ever since, and have a sizable update due for release sometime in the future. Worthwhile additions and the Wastelanders expansion (which includes NPCs) were announced at their E3 conference to thunderous, though possibly alcohol-fueled, applause.

The game launched in a pitiful-enough state that several critics and general players figured the game wasn’t worth fixing, and figured Bethesda would give up on it and move on in a short time. To their credit, they haven’t. But it’s clear they’re still stumbling considering how some patches released well after its launch date have broken the game even further, where another patch was needed to fix those and others they originally promised to fix in the original patch. That’s bad considering this wasn’t even the first time this happened.

Just when it appeared they were getting back on track, Bethesda made the most baffling post-launch move of them all in late October: They announced and launched the Fallout 1st premium subscription. Through this, players can receive a Private World for them and several friends to spend time in, 1,650 atoms to use in the Atomic Shop on a monthly basis, a Scrapbox to store an unlimited amount of crafting equipment, and more. It’s all available for the sweet price of, uh, $12.99 a month. Sweet for Bethesda, that is, since this involves paying over $100 a year for content in a game still suffering from the issues laid out above and more. It costs more than most streaming services and MMORPGs on a monthly basis, which alone makes it a raw deal.

Yet, they have several subscribers who appear to be enjoying the content they received or can purchase with atoms. As it turns out, they’re getting mercilessly dunked on by other players, in what amounted to the first step in a full-on in-game Class War.

The Player versus Player (PvP) aspects of Fallout 76 are part of the experience, though it’s largely an opt-in feature where the only players who can be killed by others are hostile. Bands of normal players still sticking with the game have been targeting those with premium subscriptions, the latter of whom stand out thanks to the spiffy exclusive gear they were bound to wear if they paid for it. The players who’ve done the targeting have felt good about themselves for sticking it to those handing over their cash for a ridiculously-priced subscription. It’s wild stuff, especially when you delve into the Reddit communities where players are discussing their strategies.

Sure, you could argue that anyone still playing this game is on the losing side, but this was all bound to happen. The non-subscribing players are sticking around hoping (perhaps in vain) that Bethesda will improve the game and realize its initial promise. In the meantime, though, they’re taking their frustrations out on everyone paying too much for this subscription. But the Fallout 1st players feel they’re being unfairly targeted for their class.

Recent reports have highlighted how this is only intensifying. One user claimed they were assaulted by a bunch of players wearing bear costumes, one of which used an emote exclusive to subscribers after they finished, all of which sounds hilarious. Those Fallout 1st subscribers have since formed their own group known as the Apocalyptic Aristocracy. It was originally started as a joke from a few players who figured reports of the skirmishes were overblown; but it now boasts over 300 subscribers, who protect themselves from and mock the “peasants” who don’t subscribe and flaunt their extra content. For the most part, many of them are part of the group for the jokes, but enough of them are dead serious about this.

Interestingly, Bethesda hasn’t said a word about any of this, though no one is breaking any of the rules they’ve set. Anyone playing who wants no part of this can easily opt out and participate in other in-game matters. It will be fine as long as it doesn’t spill into the real world, which is tough to imagine. Instead, Bethesda should be concerning themselves with getting the core game in an optimal state, a task they’re finding more difficult than expected considering the aforementioned Wastelanders expansion was delayed from this fall until the first quarter of 2020.

In terms of in-game drama, Fallout 76 is far from the likes of Eve: Online, a sci-fi MMORPG that’s been going strong since 2003. But this game could come close with some effort, especially if this class war erupts into a civil war. Us outside observers will at least be entertained.

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