Fallout 76, the online survival game set in the Fallout universe, got a massive player base boost thanks to the combination of the Prime Gaming giveaway, heavy discounts, and the popularity of the Amazon Prime Video TV series (just renewed for a second season).
The game, originally released in 2018, jumped back to #8 on the weekly European sales chart, just ahead of Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 3, while Fallout 4 topped the Top 10. On Steam, Fallout 76 just reached a new concurrent player record, and it will likely surpass it again over the weekend.
All the new players will certainly be glad to hear that Bethesda is already testing a new big update on the Public Test Server. This update, accessible via Steam for those interested in the test phase, is set to make the first map expansion to Fallout 76 since its launch.
The wooded heartland Skyline Valley will become the map’s seventh region and can be found south of the Savage Divide, between the Ash Heap and the Cranberry Bog. It is based upon the real Skyline Drive, a National Parkway located in the Shenandoah National Park, and also includes Vault 63. You can check out the first footage of Skyline Valley in Angry Turtle’s video embedded below.
A new public event called Dangerous Pastimes has been found, too. In this event, players help thrill-seeking storm chasers get the best picture of the storm by protecting them from the elements, the Lost, and nearby Charged creatures.
The Fallout 76 update on the PTS also includes the first phase of combat rebalance, which starts with the following creatures:
- Angler
- Cave Cricket
- Floaters
- Gulper
- Mutant Hound
- Protectron
The developers at Bethesda have also improved how we calculate the falloff for weapon damage at range. They expect this to smooth out the falloff damage for weapons that historically lost most of their damage right away. All ranged weapons should benefit from this change, but it should be most visible with Shotguns and Pipe Guns, as well as when fighting larger creatures such as Deathclaws.
There is no set release date for Skyline Valley on the live Fallout 76 servers. Stay tuned for info on that.
