For a few weeks now, discussions about the upcoming first DLC for “Fallout 4” have mostly been focused on the rumor that we are going to see underwater content added to the game. There were, according to some players, many hints about that in the Commonwealth Wasteland, but since we had no official information about Bethesda’s plans, it was all speculation. And now, Bethesda have decided to step forward and talk about the first DLC, revealing that underwater levels weren’t really planned for this release.
However, players are still very excited by the announcement, as is evident by the many online discussions that followed it. Three packs have been revealed so far, two bringing new gameplay features and the third expanding the storyline with new locations and quests. So far, it looks like fans of the game will have a lot of new content to play around with, keeping them nicely occupied until the next DLC is announced.
“Automatron”, priced at $9.99, will allow players to build their own customizable robot companions. The DLC will involve scavenging for the right kinds of parts and experimenting with all sorts of different combinations. The official description even mentions details like customizable paint schemes and voices, as well as a new weapon, so players who want to be able to truly call their companions their own will now get the perfect opportunity.
Some players have been quick to point out that this idea seems similar to a free mod for “New Vegas”, and even though that seems to be true, it’s probably safe to assume that Bethesda will do a much better job handling it, and they can also implement it in a more interesting way, with their own creative approach and fine polish added on top of everything else. After all, players are always limited in what they can accomplish through modding, a limitation that Bethesda don’t have to worry about.
“Wasteland Workshop”, the next DLC on the list, is mostly focused on expanding the range of options for settlement building. The main attraction will be the ability to capture creatures in cages and fight them in arena matches, even allowing players to have their own settlers face the various beasts of the Wasteland. Who has the toughest settlers?
A preview picture for the DLC actually shows what looks like an arena for Deathclaw matches, so things could get very interesting soon. According to some players, this could be a nice way for Bethesda to make up for the disappointment of the Combat Zone. The place, featured in “Fallout 4”, was designed like an arena for cage matches, but it didn’t actually offer any possibility for the player to step into the arena like that. Content cut from the final game hinted that Bethesda actually did have more interesting plans for the Zone, but has to scrap them for unknown reasons, possibly related to time constraints.
Last but not least, we have “Far Harbor”, priced at $24.99. This DLC seems closer to the ones we’ve seen in the franchise’s past, introducing new locations and quests for the player to explore.
In fact, according to Bethesda, this DLC features the largest land area the studio has designed for an add-on so far, which could imply a very long campaign. The story of “Far Harbor” will focus on one main quest line, and will feature one of fans’ favorite companions, Nick Valentine. Whether or not we will see any other familiar faces remains to be seen, but it’s not out of the question, knowing Bethesda.