Bethesda’s new subscription platform for Fallout 76, called Fallout 1st, is getting a lot of mixed reactions from people online. Some people love the idea of a private server (which is more accurately described as a private instance), while others think that paying $100 a year to get access to it might not be the best use of Bethesda’s time. It’s a fun idea and some people will love it. But it’s definitely a luxury item and a lot of vocal voices out there are unhappy about the whole thing. Read on to learn more about how the service works, reactions, and reviews so far.
Reviews and reactions to #Bethesda's #Fallout1st are mixed. Some people love it and others are angry about the #Fallout76 news. Share on XIt Costs $99 a Year or $12.99 a Month & You Can Invite Seven Non-Members To Play with You. But It’s Not ‘Always Online.’
First, the details. Bethesda has just launched Fallout 1st, a premium membership that lets people access a private server if they want to play Fallout 76 by themselves or with seven select friends. You’ll also get exclusive items and bonuses, like an unlimited scrapbox, a survival tent for fast travel, 1,650 atoms a month, a special Ranger Armor outfit just for Fallout 1st members, and icons and emotes available only to members.
Private worlds can host eight people max or you can play all by yourself. Gameplay is the same as Adventure Mode and you can only use characters in the private world that already exist in Fallout 76.
Now, here’s the interesting part. Only the owner of the private world needs to actually be a Fallout 1st member. They can then invite anyone they want once they’re in-game, whether or not they’re a Fallout 1st member. If the owner leaves, the world will stay active as long as one other player there is a member of Fallout 1st.
So technically, if you have a group of friends who want a private server, one person could purchase the membership and everyone could chip in to help without purchasing their own memberships too. You could only play together when the owner was online, but that would be one way to enjoy Fallout 1st without paying as much money. But, this isn’t like some other games with private servers that are always online, Arstechnica notes. Once all the subscribers in a particular instance have logged out, that instance is over. At this time, we don’t know if progress will be saved.
The cost is $12.99 a month or $99.99 for 12 months. The memberships auto-renew and can be canceled at any time.
The downside is that this isn’t cross-platform, some noted.
Players Are Saying the Servers Are Smooth with No Lag
Right now, some PC gamers are having trouble getting a subscription. Bethesda noted in a Maintenance post: “As a workaround, PC players can join Fallout 1st by clicking here. Additionally, you may need to log out of the website and log back in to complete the purchase. We are actively working to address this issue and we will let you know as soon as it is resolved.”
One player noted that there’s no lag on the private server, so that’s a good thing.
Another player on Reddit said it’s beautiful to play. U/The_lonestranger wrote: “it’s smooth and crisp as butter. Mine that view slider on depth of field down to zero and take it all in. Appalachia looks glorious. Totally worth 12$ to not have to see “sir_craps_alot” run through my farm and screwing up my vibe.”
Whether you like how the servers are set up will depend on your goals for the game.
This comment hasn’t been confirmed yet, but u/Tetrinox on Reddit wrote: “The paid servers aren’t really yours. You are just accessing a currently empty regular server and making it private so that others can’t join. But while you are gone, other people can access that same server and take workshops and loot items. It’s basically server hopping, but alone.”
Reactions on Twitter Are Mixed
People who have been waiting for human NPCs on Fallout 76 aren’t too happy that this was rolled out first.
Bethesda JUST announced last week that the update to Fallout 76 containing human NPCs and other improvements is delayed until next year. Today they announced a premium membership for the game that rivals Netflix pricing. pic.twitter.com/EioShVvizs
— Blaster Adeoye Jr. (@BlessingJr) October 23, 2019
Others are noting that the cost is more than Xbox Game Pass, which is $9.99/month and includes 100+ games.
*Xbox with 100+ games on Game Pass for $9.99*
*Playstation with their ok PS Now*
Bethesda, somehow thinking Fallout 76 is good enough to warrant it's own overpriced subscription service and is somehow in the same league as Xbox and PS: pic.twitter.com/EYfKzzE7PK
— Hank Tran (@H_2the_izzle_T) October 23, 2019
But, it’s less expensive than the Battlefield 1 private server service from 2016. This cost around $300 a year, Arstechnica notes. Minecraft Realms has a private cross-platform service for $99/year, but it’s always-on. Players are noting that these are technically private sessions, not private servers, on Fallout 1st.
The memes are kind of funny.
Everyone’s reaction to this Fallout 76 announcement pic.twitter.com/lKhGMSNFzn
— Brigid Madden (spooky edition) (@brigid_madden) October 23, 2019
That Fallout 76 monthly service membership #Fallout76 pic.twitter.com/pod3wiaTEZ
— BemaniStar (@BemaniStar) October 23, 2019
Here are some of the reactions on Reddit:
But to be fair, not everyone is disappointed. One person sees this as a sign that Bethesda still cares about the game.
I am glad there is going to be an optional subscription. from fo76
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
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