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Fallout 76’s multiplayer will let you nuke other people’s bases

Fallout 76’s multiplayer will let you nuke other people’s bases

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Okay, this looks wild

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Fallout has traditionally been a single-player franchise, so when Bethesda revealed that the next game in the series will let you experience it with other players, people naturally felt worried. Another game going multiplayer? Will it ruin the fun? Based on what Bethesda showed off tonight at E3, though, multiplayer Fallout looks awesome.

Bethesda director and executive producer Todd Howard also clarified that your choices will still matter, so the classic Fallout vibe will still be present. The difference is that you can now have a squad. Howard says that it’s perfectly possible to enjoy the game by yourself, but that it’ll be easier when you play with other people. It certainly looks like it’ll be funnier with other people, given that you can do things like take pictures together or emote to one another. You’ve never really been able to pose your character or make specific expressions before, so that’s cool.

As expected, you’ll be using a more fleshed-out version of Fallout 4’s settlement system that will allow you to build wherever you want. You’ll also be able to move your creations wherever you want. Friends will be able to join you on whatever bases you create, though be warned that these areas will periodically get attacked by a monster. (During the show, we saw players fighting against an enormous sloth, among other things.)

But the most surprising thing that Bethesda revealed today was that Fallout 76 will be full of nuclear missile sites that players can apparently raid to arm their bases — and if you’re successful, you’ll get a nuclear code. Nuclear codes don’t work unless you have the full key, so you’ll need to collect more than one. But once you do? You can totally drop the nukes on other people’s bases. Fallout has always had nukes, of course, but you’ve never been able to ruin a real person’s day with them.

We haven’t seen this in the wild yet, but it feels safe to say that once in the hands of players, nuclear armament will be bonkers. There will likely be jerks who like to bomb everything and peace-makers who don’t want to spread terror. I can’t wait.