Fallout 76 may be an online game set in a big open world, but it doesn’t charge a subscription fee like World of Warcraft and many other MMOs do. That said, Bethesda would clearly like you to pay them a monthly fee to play their game, as they’ve just rolled out Fallout 1st, a “premium membership” you can purchase for $13 a month or $100 a year. You still don’t have to pay to play Fallout 76, so what the heck does this membership even get you? Here’s the official rundown…
- Private Worlds - The community has been asking for the ability to play in private worlds since before the launch of Fallout 76, and we’re very excited to announce that they are coming to the game with Fallout 1st. If you’re a Fallout 1st member, how you use your private world is completely up to you: Invite up to seven of your friends at a time (eight total people per private world) to join you in taking on the dangers of post-apocalyptic West Virginia, or play completely solo. All gameplay remains the same from Adventure Mode and all characters entering the Fallout 1st private worlds must be existing characters. Only the owner of a private world is required to be a Fallout 1st member.
- Scrapbox - As Fallout 1st member, you also gain access to your own private Scrapbox. Use the Scrapbox to store all your crafting components so they aren’t taking up space in your Stash Box. The Scrapbox has unlimited storage, so no need to worry about picking and choosing when it comes to hoarding scrap.
- Survival Tent - A new placeable fast travel point with a Stash, Sleeping Bag, and more for your basic needs.
- Atoms - Receive 1,650 Atoms per month to use in the Atomic Shop.
- Ranger Armor Outfit - An iconic Fallout outfit, exclusively for members.
- Icons & Emotes Pack - Unique icons and emotes, usable only by members.
Yeah, if Bethesda really wanted to salvage Fallout 76’s good name, I don’t think this is the way to go about it. But hey, despite everything, the game does have its core of dedicated fans, so I guess this is for them. Realistically “Fallout 1st” is basically a fee for private servers with a handful of other trinkets on the side. Is $100 for private servers a good deal? I’d say no, but again, this isn’t for me.
Fallout 76 is available now on PC, Xbox One, and PS4. Anyone contemplating becoming a Fallout 1st member? Let me know in the comments, because I have a great deal on a bridge to tell you about.
