Fallout 4 - What's Up With DLC?

[Aubrielle]

Extra content for Fallout 4 has been promised for "early 2016". But VG 24/7 wonders exactly what that means.

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Regular free updates, story DLC and mods have all been promised for “early” 2016. But what does that mean, what can we expect, and when?​

Fallout 4’s November 10 release date seems a long way off whether you’ve completed the main quest line or are still putting the hours in exploring the Boston commonwealth. It’s a game that demands your commitment by tens of hours at a time, but time in Fallout 4 is also kind of irrelevant. Unlike Fallout 3 there’s no level cap or end once the main quest is completed. It’s a true open world, where pottering around adding bookshelves to your settlement can be as all-consuming as hunting down rampaging Death Claws or mapping out the Glowing Sea.

But as much as Fallout 4 offers, we want more. We’re expecting a whole chunk of content from Bethesda Game Studios this year, so let’s take a look in detail about what we know and what we can expect to keep Fallout 4 alive throughout 2016.

The official line from director Todd Howard and the Bethesda Game Studios gang is that DLC for the game is split into three types. The team has promised “regular updates”, single-player DLC and the release of the Creation Kit for modding.

The regular updates are what we should be expecting first although there’s only been one so far. “We’ll be doing regular free updates to the game, and like Skyrim, these will come with not just fixes, but new features,” promised Howard.

Apart from a few button remaps for PC, December’s release was purely about improved performance – a welcome move considering the state the game was in when it first dropped. It hasn’t fixed a lot of issues, but it was acknowledgement that the game needed a bandage or two.

“This process has worked well for us in the past and allows us to get more fixes out faster. Expect to see more updates, that are smaller and more frequent, than a few big ones,” said Howard in November.

That’s encouraging talk, but so far we’ve seen nothing of extra features, no matter how small. Bethesda has also promised to create content based on player feedback, although whether that’s from directly speaking to us or via combing player stats is yet to be seen. Some evidence of interaction with the players from Bethesda right now would be very encouraging.

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[Lev]

I find it refreshing for a change. The well-known formula "2 or 3 patches a week upon release during a couple of months" has been broken.

 

[Embolus]

I'm sure they'll follow it through. These big developers seem to be all about radio silence.

 

[ChaosTheory]

Having a lot of fun with it, and I may end up blowing twice the time spent on New Vegas, which I still think is better. Getting tired of redundant quests (Kidnapping in "Settlement X", for instance) sending me to the same place I've cleared out twice before. In that sense, it becomes a grind.

I also regret paying for the Season Pass up front, as I'm certain now there won't be DLC quickly enough to maintain my interest in the game. There just aren't enough RPG/story elements to get me to come back later to catch up. Wasted money.

 

[joxer]

I'm not buying.
Instead of DLC garbage, I'll now sit and wait for Fallout5, and it'll took me 5-6 years of playing (and paying for) proper games and not DLC. With so many titles out there, "DLCfree" titles, I won't be lacking of a game to play.

 

[crpgnut]

Well, if we get one update a month, that would be pretty regular. I hope to see something in the next week or two, preferably synchronous with the Creation Kit release.

 

[Drithius]

How can anyone honestly tell themselves that Bethesda DLC are going to be a good thing? I'll pick them up as part of a 50% sale, simply to satisfy morbid curiosity in a couple years when I play the game again (once gameplay overhaul mods akin to Project Nevada and FOOK have been released).

 

[crpgnut]

I really enjoyed Shivering Isles, Operation Anchorage, Broken Steel, Dragonborn, and others. Some, such as the Skyrim crafting wannabe, Hearthfire, were less enjoyable.

 

[Carnifex]

I'll pick these up for pennies in a year or so. Too many good games out right now to be worried about lackluster semi-expansions.

 

[rune_74]

I don't know, I think they have released some good DLC over the years....Just like every other company there are some that are better then others.

 

[suibhne]

Having a lot of fun with it, and I may end up blowing twice the time spent on New Vegas, which I still think is better. Getting tired of redundant quests (Kidnapping in "Settlement X", for instance) sending me to the same place I've cleared out twice before. In that sense, it becomes a grind.

Those became really irritating after awhile. They seem to hit settlements even when the Defense rating totally overshadows Food and Water combined, and there's apparently no limit on how many can be triggered by a single settlement. E.g., I've been sent to clear out USAF Station Olivia four times for three different settlements, not counting my first visit for an early Minutemen quest. Yes, the settlement quest system really is that absurdly stupid and immersion-breaking.

 

[wolfgrimdark]

People are impatient - it hasn't been that long. Maybe they prefer to get some patches out, isn't 1.3 in the works?

I don't really rant about DLC as its optional. If you want it get it; if you don't then don't. If you pay in advance I can see maybe ranting although paying for DLC in advance is somewhat like choosing what is behind door #2 in exchange for your cash.

 

[zz]

Ill just buy this game when it is discounted and then 80% off the discounted price, just like I do with every game on Steam. I got plenty in my library to never have to pay more...

And they even email you when your wishlist games are on sale.

 

[Renethiel]

I'm really hoping the Creation Kit hits before the first DLC. Because, lets be honest, most Bethesda games get really fun and addicting after about a year of mod content has been created. I haven't played vanilla Skyrim since it was released. I'm hoping the same will be true for Fallout 4.

 

[crpgnut]

I already play with 20+ mods that tweak things that I find tedious in the game, so the creation kit is much more important to me than the DLCs.