Fallout 76 Update - Launch Your Own Expedition In the PTS
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The Public Test Server for Fallout 76 will soon be going live once again, allowing us to get a taste of the new Expeditions feature coming to Bethesda's multiplayer survival RPG with its next major content update. Here's what you can expect if you visit the PTS in the coming weeks:
In the coming days, we’re planning to re-open the Public Test Server (PTS) so that you can catch some early hands-on time with Expeditions. This is major new feature for Fallout 76 that will take you beyond the reaches of Appalachia for the very first time, with repeatable Missions that are tuned for our higher-level players. The entire team has been hard at work implementing Expeditions, and we can’t wait to hear what you think after you’ve had the chance to give it a try in the Test Server.
Read on for an overview of the Expeditions system, and to learn about your first Mission as you travel to The Pitt.
TAKE REFUGE AT THE WHITESPRING
The Responders who brought much-needed aid to the residents of Appalachia, and who fought back against the scorched plague have been gone for years. However, the spirit of their endeavors still lives on through people who have returned to the region and taken up their noble cause.
Given their growing ranks, the Responders have reformed and recently taken up residence in the Whitespring Resort. There, they have set up the “Whitespring Refuge” as a hub for their operations and the home base for an intact vertibird they secured during their endeavors in the Wasteland.
When you head to the Refuge, you will meet many of the hard-working folks who make up the new Responders, and learn about their ambitions to explore and provide aid to settlements outside of Appalachia using the vertibird.
FUEL UP AND TAKE FLIGHT
That vertibird isn’t going to fly itself, and it won’t be going anywhere at all on a dead battery. To get that bird off the ground, you’re going to need to charge up its Ultracite Battery Cell. Each day, when you visit the Whitespring Refuge, you will receive three Refuge Daily Quests. Every Refuge Daily you complete will award you with a percentage of Ultracite Battery charge. Finish all three, and you will earn enough to fully power up the vertibird and lead your very own Expedition.
WELCOME TO THE PITT
Starting or joining an Expedition will kick off a new Mission for you and up to three other teammates. Our first Mission, “Union Dues,” will take you into the depths of The Pitt, a city we have been eager to revisit since it appeared in Fallout 3.
Without spoiling too much, The Pitt is currently fraught with a power struggle between the Union, an industrious and diverse band of survivors working to rebuild the city, and the Fanatics, a gang of raiders looking to expand their territory. Your goal is to provide support to one of the local Union chapters and drive the Fanatics out of “The Foundry,” which the Union had been using as their operating base.
Each Mission that you embark on, like Union Dues, will feature three randomized objectives for you to conquer. While you will encounter the same overarching theme from one playthrough to the next for a given Mission, these randomized objectives will help keep the experience fresh every time you step off the vertibird. In addition, every Mission will sport several optional objectives. The more of them you manage to complete, the better your rewards become.
CLAIM YOUR REWARDS
Speaking of rewards, you will receive some XP, loot, and a legendary item every time you finish a Mission. If you completed all your optional objectives, you will receive one of many new Pitt-themed rare item plans once per week, which can include weapon and Power Armor mods, outfits, objects for your C.A.M.P., and more. Some new items that are being introduced with this update, like the Auto-Axe melee weapon and Union Power Armor, are not part of the Expeditions reward pool. You will need to unlock them through other means, and we'll have more information to share on that as we get closer to patch release.
At the end of a successful Mission, you will also be rewarded with a few “Stamps.” This is a new currency you can collect and bring to Giuseppe at the Whitespring Refuge to buy the exact rewards you want from the pool of rare item plans offered by Expeditions. Be sure to take on those optional objectives during your Missions, because each one you complete will net you with even more Stamps as part of your end-of-Mission rewards.
Expedition Team Leaders will earn increased rewards, including some extra Stamps, as a result of the effort needed to collect and turn in Ultracite Battery Cells. When Expeditions reach the live game, you will be able to lead one Expedition per day, but keep in mind that you can join as many Expeditions led by others as you would like. For playtesting purposes, players in the PTS will be able to collect enough Ultracite Battery Cells to lead multiple Expeditions per day.
JOIN US IN THE TEST SERVER!
When the PTS begins, Union Dues will initially be the only Mission available for playtesting. This will help us focus in on community feedback for the Expeditions system itself, as well as our first Mission. As this testing phase continues, we’re planning to bring our second Mission online so that you can try them both out and share your thoughts with us well ahead of Expeditions launch later this year.
If you own a PC copy of Fallout 76 through Steam, we would love to team up with you to embark on Expeditions together in the Public Test Server. If you own Fallout 76 through the Bethesda Launcher, please keep in mind that we have now fully transitioned the PTS over to Steam. Make sure to migrate your Bethesda Launcher account to Steam if you’d like to continue participating in the Test Server. As you take part in playtesting, we hope you will join us in the official Bethesda Studios Discord Server to let us know what you think and report bugs, so that we can make adjustments and fine-tune the Expeditions experience.
Until next time, we’ll see you in Appalachia.
