Fallout 76

[maflynn]

I finally did it - finished the Order of the Tadpole quest which rewards you with a backpack - this is probably one of the hardest questlines for a solo player. As mentioned one of the requirements is to save an ally/teammate with a stimpack. I've been playing my alt in the private world, but with Meat weak going on, and the increase volume of honeybeasts (I needed to snap a picture of that), I was in the public worlds doing a primal cuts quest (part of meat week) and not only did I get the honey beast but also someone went down - I couldn't believe my luck and timing

Its silly, to be sure but its one of those must have in game additions. Plus it increases your carry weight by 10. You can skin it and add bobbles to it, so its a nice addition.

As for meat week. The most sought-after weapon the pepper shaker has been elusive so far.

My alt is at level 66 and I'm nearly ready to do the vault 79 run, I think I have one more raider quest before we all enter the vault. So far the raider quests were more enjoyable, then the settler's questline. One of the huge high demand items from the wasterlander's DLC is a jetback that you don't need a power armor for. Its expensive (using gold bullion as currency) but its well worth the grind. You start grinding for bullion once you complete the vault 76 run.

My main is at level 429, and some really potent weapons, where I can 1-shoot quite a bit of opponents, it leaves little new things to do, so spending time with the alt has been very enjoyable

I'm just about finished with this season's legendary run. I'm rank 99 out of a hundred and I need 3,000 SCORE to finish it up.

 

[maflynn]

Whelp, I finished the vault 79 questline, which is the main quest of the wastelander's dlc. First thing I will say is the vault run was/is bugged. It took me several tries to get finish it. If you're unable to complete the run and leave the world, or server hop, you have to start over. So whether we're talking beginning, middle or end, if you it won't let you continue, and you leave the world you need to start over - that was the frustrating part. IT seems someone on reddit mentioned that if you go the beginning and talk with Meg, that unblocks things.

Overall though doing the raider questline was better; the quests were more in-depth and varied, the story telling was on point and better then the settlers. In fact I'd say the raiders tended to be them or upstanding people.

I created the alt to re-do the DLC quests, and I will say its been a fun advanture leveling up the alt and doing the wastelanders. I'll move on the BOS once meat week concludes.

 

[maflynn]

So meat week drew to a close as today was the last day. I largely stopped playing the event yesterday. Instead I decided to figure out which is a better build for my main character. I was able to pick up a really powerful Fixer rifle, that in full automatic mode does 121 damage per shot, compared to my lever action rifle. which does 277 but its fire rate is very slow.

What I found out, especially if I enable all the sneak perk cards, is the commando build can clear out a building full of Super Mutants so much easier and quicker using the Fixer then with my rifle build.

Using the Fixer with all appropriate perk cards, I was able to put down a Super Mutant in about 5 shorts, and clearing out all of west tek, using 600 rounds. Where as the Lever Action rifle, I'm only using two rounds per super mutant and I used only 100 rounds for the same building - and that's including 5 legendary muties, where as the prior run had zero legendries.

I'll be going through more ammo with the commando build but I think I'll not get in deep weeds like I can with the lever action. I think I'll roll with the commando build for my main and lever action for my alt.

 

[maflynn]

I've been really comparing the commando vs. rifle builds and while I was largely prejudiced against it for a number of reasons it really does seem to be a superior option IF you can find the right weapon. In my past attempts to use the commando build, I only found rifles that could do 60+ damage per round, where as I have an insanely powerful lever action.

But when I stumbled upon the Fixer that was giving my 121 damage per round, I gave it a serious looksee. I was at a location where I stumbled upon two mirelurk kings, and several mirelurks. Something that would be a difficult fight in power armor and a .50 cal. Thanks to my stealth perks, I kept moving and using vats to pour ammo into each mirelurk. They did not lay a hand on me at all, and at that point I realized what I have is a great build. I don't think its something that I'd want to do Scorched Earth but for most my activity its a winner. Thanks to have loadouts, I can rock the commando and then when an end game event occurs, I can switch loadouts and grab my .50 cal.

One thing I noticed/realized is my rifle build was sort of a jack of all trades, master of none. I had great damage stats for my rifle and decent on my .50 cal. I'd be better off using the loadouts to making each one as potent as possible and that's what I did with the commando build. Because of the heavy gunner perks, I didn't have enough SPECIAL points to use stealth perks, but once I SPECIALized (pun intended) my character improved dramatically.

My alt got the Two Shot Exploding lever action as that can use it more then my main, since its a lower level and doesn't have the SPECIAL perks available.

 

[maflynn]

Patch 30 has landed, and it gives us Fallout Worlds a mechanism to alter the world you play in.

Also a mini brouhaha erupted when Bethesda stated that season 5 of the legendary run would be extended by two weeks due a problem issuing rewards. The problem was they made that announcement the night before the patch was scheduled to land, and a lot of people used atoms (which you use actual money to get atoms) to finish off their legendary run and get the rewards. I guess a lot of people do this, and it caused a firestorm on reddit. They relented and Season 6 landed with this patch

Overall, I've not really spent any time in the these customized worlds, maybe this weekend, but from what I know, when you create (or join) a custom world, your character is copied, so any progression that could occur is tied to that character and your main doesn't reap any rewards.

 

[maflynn]

I made a major milestone this morning - level 500

This weekend, was a double XP weekend, and I made sure I loaded my main up with high Intelligence and started grinding at WestTek - if you want a lot of XP, that's the place to visit. I was able to level up every 2nd visit, and I spent a good amount of time doing just that. Side benefit is that I was getting about 400 SCORE points per visit and which means I progressed through season 6 of the legendary run

As this point, I don't have any goals, and I'll probably spend more time with my alt, as I'm getting ready to have that character do the BOS DLC.

Its silly to spend so much time in a game to get to this level, but by the same token, its something that I've enjoyed.

 

[maflynn]

I haven't updated this thread in ages.

I still play daily, Bethesda continues to update the game, albeit slowly. A new update with new content landed this week - Expeditions to the Pitt. So we leave Appalachia to head off to the Pit for an expedition - think of it as a series of quests, that take about an hour to do. Its been enjoyable, but I don't play as much as I used too.

There as been a nice uptick un user participation and the game seems to have hit a sustainable cadence - at least for another year or two.

 

[jav6454]

Are the Nuke Codes still hard to get?

 

[maflynn]

Are the Nuke Codes still hard to get?

Never were

NukaCrypt

All Things Fallout 76

nukacrypt.com

 

[maflynn]

New content landed this week - Expeditions to the Pitt.

So I've done the Expedition twice now, and somewhat underwhelmed.

You need to do 3 prerequisite quests to get enough ultracite battery fuel to "fly" to the Pitt. Not only is this unnecessary you can only do these once a day. So for solo players the most you can visit the Pitt is once a day.

The final mission seems to be the same. defense against the Tog (at least when siding with the "Union")

Each expedition takes about 45 minutes to an hour, at least for me as I solo.

Bethesda introduced yet another currency, you get stamps at the completion. It seems that to buy mods for your armor or weapons, it takes hundreds of stamps. I think in doing two expeditions, I have 20 stamps. I don't see the value in grinding for 20 expeditions just for the opportunity to buy some mods.

 

[jav6454]

Never were

NukaCrypt

All Things Fallout 76

nukacrypt.com

Oh… I only played on my cousin’s account and perhaps his level was too low to try it.

 

[maflynn]

So another update regarding the latest content drop, i.e., Expeditions/The Pitt

Let me provide a bit of context, the game was released in 2018, amongst a lot hype and high expectations, however it was rolled out, in what couldn't even qualify as a beta, the stability bugs were horrible. Since then they worked hard at stamping out those bugs, BUT literally every new update introduced bugs and CTD (Crash to Desktop) issues.

Some 4 years later with the Pitt landing, the issues people have been dealing with is so frustrating, especially since they delayed this for nearly a year. If you delay a product, it usually means you're trying to ensure its ready for public consumption. I think Bethesda released 4 hot fixes so far (I'm entirely sure of the number)

Another issue that no one could have predicted is that toxicity that was introduced with team play with expeditions. Its not a timed event, unlike Daily Ops, and you can take your time, but it seems if you do, the team leader will boot you off (and you lose any rewards). Take all of the loot - you'll get booted. Have a greedy team leader - you guessed it booted.

There's lots of complaining on reddit, regarding the crashes, and poor player interactions. I play solo, so its not really an issue for me.

What I don't like about this expedition DLC, is that it was originally promoted as a sort of Bar Harbor mini-open world, that is another map to explore and investigate. Not so, its more of a large vault raid. Its expansive if you think of it that way but its not a place to just explore.

Overall, I'm disappointed, and my play time has been reduced to just doing the SCORECARD's daily and weekly challenges. Lately, if I'm playing 20 minutes a day that's a lot. I'm thinking it may be time to take a break from the game

 

[jav6454]

To be honest, I have always viewed FO76 as an experiment and Bethesda should focus again on making their signature games just like FO4. I mean, they had a nice recipe in FO4 that they could expand with another DLC yet chose not to. Far Harbor and Nuka World were awesome as each introduced genuine new play capabilities and extra options.

 

[diamond.g]

To be honest, I have always viewed FO76 as an experiment and Bethesda should focus again on making their signature games just like FO4. I mean, they had a nice recipe in FO4 that they could expand with another DLC yet chose not to. Far Harbor and Nuka World were awesome as each introduced genuine new play capabilities and extra options.

Uh, excuse you, Bethesda needs to be working on the next Elder Scrolls game, not waste more time on Fallout...

😝

 

[jav6454]

Uh, excuse you, Bethesda needs to be working on the next Elder Scrolls game, not waste more time on Fallout...

😝

No, Elder Scrolls should be left to die.

Fallout needs to go back to player 1.

 

[Huntn]

To be honest, I have always viewed FO76 as an experiment and Bethesda should focus again on making their signature games just like FO4. I mean, they had a nice recipe in FO4 that they could expand with another DLC yet chose not to. Far Harbor and Nuka World were awesome as each introduced genuine new play capabilities and extra options.

FO76 feels too much like a role playing theme park for me. I would much prefer having the Commonwealth West Virginia to myself and the AI. I really begrudge having to wonder if my base could be built where I last left it and dealing with yahoos from my alternate reality polluting the story, and then there are the public address anniuncements , it’s 2pm, robots have gone haywire in the daily event, don’t miss it! 😳

FO4, flawed but wonderful. The main quest is historic in gaming annals, imo. Cate and Piper, Piper was cool and calm, Cate had the fire, loved them both as companions. The settlement system was flawed, but I could work with that. I just wish there had been enough AI that they could run their own settlements, and the Survivor would be there to help them get established, and help with different needs, along the way. And with this as well as all RPGs more in-depth conversations. I loved when companions cried on my shoulder and I could help them out.

Uh, excuse you, Bethesda needs to be working on the next Elder Scrolls game, not waste more time on Fallout...

😝

No, Elder Scrolls should be left to die.

Fallout needs to go back to player 1.

Both franchises are worthy, with FO4 having the advantage because the settlement system and companions which suited me well. I might just go back and start a forth play though.

 

[jav6454]

FO76 feels too much like a role playing theme park for me. I would much prefer having the Commonwealth West Virginia to myself and the AI. I really begrudge having to wonder if my base could be built where I last left it and dealing with yahoos from my alternate reality polluting the story, and then there are the public address anniuncements , it’s 2pm, robots have gone haywire in the daily event, don’t miss it! 😳

FO4, flawed but wonderful. The main quest is historic in gaming annals, imo. Cate and Piper, Piper was cool and calm, Cate had the fire, loved them both as companions. The settlement system was flawed, but I could work with that. I just wish there had been enough AI that they could run their own settlements, and the Survivor would be there to help them get established, and help with different needs, along the way. And with this as well as all RPGs more in-depth conversations. I loved when companions cried on my shoulder and I could help them out.



Both franchises are worthy, with FO4 having the advantage because the settlement system and companions which suited me well. I might just go back and start a forth play though.

The settlement system worked to be honest. I don't find it flawed. What I do know is that if you truly wanted to have well built settlements, it would take so many hours.

I think my favorite settlements to date are:

• Egret Tours Marina: Great trading post theme
• Sanctuary Hills: Great for water and crop farming
• Spectacle Island: Great for having manufacturing site and water and crop farming
• Hangman's Alley: Trading post vibes and good scrap collection rates
• Nuka World Red Rocket: Outstanding for farming and scrap collection
• Echo Lake Lumber: Balanced and plenty of space

I hated Vault 88, too much investment for an otherwise unappealing place. Mechanist Lair is worthless IMO, little to do there. As per Costal Cottage and other settlements with unscrappable areas, I hate them as they make settlement building a hassle more than it's worth.

As per companions, I was always fond of Nick Valentine or Hancock. I believe they provide nice humanity to the entire ordeal. Odd that Nick was more human than some of the human companions. As per Cait, I disliked her as well as MacCreedy.

 

[Huntn]

The settlement system worked to be honest. I don't find it flawed. What I do know is that if you truly wanted to have well built settlements, it would take so many hours.

I think my favorite settlements to date are:

• Egret Tours Marina: Great trading post theme
• Sanctuary Hills: Great for water and crop farming
• Spectacle Island: Great for having manufacturing site and water and crop farming
• Hangman's Alley: Trading post vibes and good scrap collection rates
• Nuka World Red Rocket: Outstanding for farming and scrap collection
• Echo Lake Lumber: Balanced and plenty of space

I hated Vault 88, too much investment for an otherwise unappealing place. Mechanist Lair is worthless IMO, little to do there. As per Costal Cottage and other settlements with unscrappable areas, I hate them as they make settlement building a hassle more than it's worth.

As per companions, I was always fond of Nick Valentine or Hancock. I believe they provide nice humanity to the entire ordeal. Odd that Nick was more human than some of the human companions. As per Cait, I disliked her as well as MacCreedy.

Well, in FO4, and the settlement system you kind of functioned like God. I dealt with it. There was a pretty good mod, mentioned in the FO4 thread, but the name eludes me, where settlements would develop on their own. I really liked that, until it caused stress in the game engine with a bunch of scripts running. And you had to be careful how many of these settlements you created. The idea was great but the game engine did not seem to be up unconditionally to the challenge.🤔

 

[jav6454]

Well, in FO4, and the settlement system you kind of functioned like God. I dealt with it.

Not always, there were those moments where you wanted to cause mayhem.

 

[Huntn]

Not always, there were those moments where you wanted to cause mayhem.

I’m referencing that you made every decision in each settlement. As I said, I accepted that and had fun, but that would be my suggestion for the next FO. It will be interesting to see if the game continue with the settlement system. I’m thinking this kind of thing will not be in the next Elder Scrolls.

 

[jav6454]

Well, the settlement system continued under FO76. However, gimped to a point as it can be destroyed by "enemies".

As per my settlements, I'm more into building them right down to the most minute detail, then testing defenses and things like that.

For instance, in one game play, I updated the Castle quite a bit and made that settlement into a hub for the entire southern portion of the map. Well defended with turrets and a good infrastructure to sustain its population without needed caravans. Low and behold, when I fired upon the Prydwyn, the Castle self defended itself just with the turrets.

I had to play thru the quest like 4 times as I laughed too hard at how OP the defense system was.

 

[Huntn]

Well, the settlement system continued under FO76. However, gimped to a point as it can be destroyed by "enemies".

As per my settlements, I'm more into building them right down to the most minute detail, then testing defenses and things like that.

For instance, in one game play, I updated the Castle quite a bit and made that settlement into a hub for the entire southern portion of the map. Well defended with turrets and a good infrastructure to sustain its population without needed caravans. Low and behold, when I fired upon the Prydwyn, the Castle self defended itself just with the turrets.

I had to play thru the quest like 4 times as I laughed too hard at how OP the defense system was.

They must of added settlements you manage after I stopped playing. How can you possibly managed those in an instanced space?

 

[maflynn]

Next week another major update lands for Fallout 76 - Nuka World. It includes new events, and a new location. I'm assuming its similar to the Pitt that came earlier this year.

I'm not a fan of the Pitt for a number of reasons. First and foremost you need to complete a series of quests in Appalachia to earn enough "fuel" to travel to the Pitt. Secondly, it was originally marketed as something like a Far Harbor set up, but instead its more of a dungeon crawl. Finally as a solo player its really geared for group play even though early word from Bethesda mentioned that expansion was for solo players.

The new SCORE calendar starts as well, and since I finished the prior one a month ago, I've largely stopped playing. I'll poke around with the new updates, but I think my time in fallout 76 is drawing to a close. There's less and less for solo players like myself to do and so I've gone back to more of the traditional single player RPG games.

 

[maflynn]

So the update landed, and low and behold, I couldn't play the game. I like many others seemed to incur a CTD. I fixed it, but it took basically re-download of the entire game. Kind of frustrating.

I've been away from the game for a while now as I mentioned, so I had no idea of the details of the update. I thought Nuka World was an instanced location much like Nuka World of Fallout 4. It isn't, its an existing location on the map. A new end game boss is there, i.e., you nuke the location and fight this creature - its the third end game event. People on reddit are enjoying the challenge. Its not for me, and so this update seems meh.

 

[maflynn]

So my short siesta of not playing fallout 76 ended. I've jumped back in now that I finished The Other Worlds. I played some of the newer events, they're enjoyable, and the new endgame event is ok. Not as good as Scorched Earth but its fun.

This past Tuesday the Holiday scorched event started, where there are random scorched dressed in xmas outfits dropping presents (various rewards rare and common) and legendary items. My absolutely favorite event, I can spend hours playing and searching.

This weekend, we have double XP and double score, so talk about an embarrassment of riches. I've been grinding XP hard these past two days simply because of the temporary nature of this event. My main player has gone from level 667 to 681 with plenty of time. Being the holidays, my play time may be hampered so as long as I hit level 685, I'll be happy. That will set up to achieving level 700 around the time the next double XP event lands.