'Fallout 76: The Pitt': Bethesda Teases More Details About New Expansion
Fallout 76: Expeditions—The Pitt is scheduled for release in 2022 and the team over at Bethesda Softworks hopes it will be the game's most "replayable" content yet. Newsweek spoke to Bethesda's project leaders about the expansion, which was announced this year at E3, and the return to Fallout's post-apocalyptic version of Pittsburgh.
The region, colloquially known in-game as "The Pitt," debuted in an add-on for Fallout 3 back in 2009. In that DLC, players were able to explore the irradiated ruins of Pennsylvania, which had been overtaken by a faction of sadistic raiders who ran the area like a slave compound.
Upon arrival to The Pitt, you were stripped of all your gear and forced into labor in an underground mill, until you successfully worked your way out of captivity. Once you had reclaimed your freedom, you then had the opportunity to either side with the tyrannical masters or to lead a violent uprising against them, à la Spartacus.
In addition to boasting a compelling narrative, the original Pitt DLC also featured memorable weapons (such as the gruesome Autoaxe), engrossing lore and the repulsive Trog creatures. These were essentially mutated humans who had been exposed to irradiated water and subsequently devolved into primordial cave-dwellers who were afraid of sunlight. The cannibal monsters hunted in packs, scampered around on all fours, and feasted on human flesh.
With Fallout 76's new "Expeditions" series—which will see the multiplayer title expand beyond the Appalachia Mountain range and into various neighboring locations—players can now look forward to revisiting the Pitt, albeit with an entirely new storyline.
Everything We Learned About Fallout 76: The Pitt
The project is being overseen by Jeff Gardiner, lead producer for Fallout 76, who already has an intimate history with the Pitt, having supervised the original DLC for Fallout 3. Speaking at a round table interview for the Steel Reign update, Gardiner was unable to reveal too much about Expeditions (which is scheduled for launch in 2022), although he did tease a few new details.
Specifically, he indicated that the expansion will be very story-driven and that it will be geared towards repeat playthroughs. Although he did not explicitly confirm that there would be branching paths, this is something that Fallout 76 has begun to embrace with its recent updates and it does seem to be implicit in his description.
Gardiner said: "We decided on the Pitt because it is local to West Virginia (where Fallout 76 is set) and it's a great narrative location. The designers have thought long and hard about how to make content that is both fun and repeatable [The Pitt] has got really unique mechanics, a really cool story and repeatable content, so players can enjoy it [more than] once".
Mark Tucker, Design Director for Fallout 76, echoed these sentiments, highlighting that the expansion will be overtly story-driven and accessible for those who prefer to experience things solo. Tucker said: "It's a tricky balance because our game is really unique. We have got a split in our player base. We have [those] who play almost completely in teams, and we have players who never join teams. So, we have to make sure that we are providing great options for both".
This is in keeping with the general direction that Fallout 76 has been heading in over the past few months. Speaking to Newsweek about the game's renewed emphasis on branching narratives, Tucker said: "Since launch, we have made significant changes with the Wastelanders update [adding] NPCs and stories that are more in line with the traditional [Fallout] games.
"And then building on that, we also released Steel Dawn and now Steel Reign. This is now a very story-driven game".
The Future Roadmap of Fallout 76
Returning to the subject of The Pitt, Gardiner said: "We have been talking about Expeditions for a long time. They have gone through several iterations [...] and we are really excited to talk about it more next year.
"[The Pitt] is just the first of the locations we hope to do and we have several others in mind. There are a lot of places, new and old, [where] we can explore the lore of Fallout. We're really excited for this new chapter".
Prior to Expeditions, Fallout 76 will be getting three major updates in 2021. The first of these is the Steel Reign expansion, which releases today and provides a definitive ending to the Brotherhood of Steel saga. This will then be followed by an update to private worlds in fall and the Tales From the Stars DLC in winter.
Bethesda are hoping that these new additions will encourage players to give Fallout 76 another chance. Talking about the future of the game, Gardiner said: "There is a lot more coming to 76. Mark and I are roadmapping out the next two years, so it's a really exciting time."
