Bethesda has announced Fallout 1st, a new premium membership coming to Fallout 76 that includes private servers, a monthly deposit of Atoms, the Ranger outfit as popularized in Fallout: New Vegas, and more. The membership is available now and costs $12.99 per month or $99.99 annually.
The marquee benefit of Fallout 1st is its private servers, or "private worlds" as Bethesda calls them. Some players have wanted the ability to play Fallout 76 without intrusions from other players since launch, and members will have the ability to play that way in a game of up to seven friends. Also available are new inventory management items such as the scrapbox, which can house an unlimited number of crafting components, and a survival tent, which acts as a pop-up safe house with all the basic items players need to stay alive in the wasteland, like a sleeping bag and cooking station. It will act as an additional fast travel point alongside the C.A.M.P. function that's been in the game since day one.
Fallout 1st subscribers will also receive monthly deposits of 1,650 Atoms which can be spent in the cosmetics store, as well as access to members-only icons and emotes for use in the game. Lastly, players who subscribe to Fallout 1st will unlock the Ranger outfit, which was immortalized on the Fallout: New Vegas cover art. Players will keep any cosmetics they've purchased or unlocked even if their membership expires, as well as any leftover Atoms and crafting supplies left in their scrapbox. Bethesda promises to listen to feedback and improve membership "over the months and years to come."
Last week, Bethesda stated its upcoming Wastelanders expansion, which brings human NPCs to the game, has been pushed back to 2020. The update will also bring a brand-new storyline to the game as well as new weapons and gear. Fallout 76 was panned by most critics at launch, garnering a weak 53% here on OpenCritic with just 6% of critics recommending the game. Since then, it's received several updates including a battle royale mode called Nuclear Winter. Its reputation has generally not improved as evidenced by today's immediate takedowns of the game following the Fallout 1st reveal. Time will tell whether Bethesda's vision for the game can ever win over a majority of the series' fans, though they've promised several times, including today, that Fallout 76 is meant to be supported over several years.
