Welcome back to Inside the Vault! This week, we’re sharing our 2020 Roadmap for Fallout 76 to offer you an early look at what’s coming to the game during the rest of this year. We’ve also got lots of details for you on Seasons, which arrive this Summer with Season 1 and will revamp the current in-game Challenge system.

A NEW ROADMAP FOR 2020

We released the Wastelanders update a few weeks ago, and it permanently changed the face of Appalachia as we know it. With that major set of improvements for the game behind us, we’re working full steam ahead on future content that we plan to add to Fallout 76 through the rest of 2020.

During the coming months, we have a lot of big improvements in store for the game that we can’t wait to share with you, including: A major rebalancing of combat and rewards across Appalachia for Dwellers of all levels. We will have a complete overhaul for the current Challenge and reward system in the form of Seasons. We’ll implement new features, like Ally Dress Up, C.A.M.P. Shelters, and Legendary Perks. Kick off new events, like “Hunt for the Treasure Hunter” and “A Colossal Problem,” but also revisit community favorites, like “Fasnacht Parade” and “Meat Week.” There will be plenty of new content to take on with repeatable Daily Ops and Expeditions, as well as a year-long story arc as the Brotherhood of Steel turns their attention back to Appalachia toward the end of this year.

Check out our full 2020 Roadmap for Fallout 76 below to catch a glimpse at everything that’s coming your way this year. You can also check out our 2020 Roadmap article on Fallout.com, which has a few additional details about some of the new content included in the Roadmap.

INTRODUCING: 76 SEASONS

We’re excited to share an in-depth preview of our new Season system with you, which brings a new account-wide progression system to Fallout 76 that will overhaul our current Challenges and help you rake in lots of new rewards along the way. This is our own take on a “Season Pass” style system designed specifically for Fallout 76, and everyone will be able to join in the Summer fun immediately when our first Season arrives in Update 20. Let’s take a look at everything this system will bring to the game, so that you’re fully prepared to dive into that first Season.

As mentioned above, you will be able to take part in our inaugural Summer Season for free as soon as it begins with Update 20. All players will have full access to a single unified progression path, which means everyone is working towards the same rewards through the entire season.

In Update 20, you’ll find a new option on the Main Menu that will take you to a uniquely Fallout-themed seasonal progression screen. During the first Season, this will be a themed boardgame, and you will be placed at the first space on the board at Rank one out of a total of 100 Ranks. Complete in-game activities to start accumulating new S.C.O.R.E. points, which will help you advance your position and “rank up.” Every time you reach a new Rank, you will unlock an exciting new reward you can claim, like a unique outfit, an item for your C.A.M.P., a weapon skin or Power Armor paint, consumables, Perk Card Packs, Atoms—even in-game currencies, like Scrip, Caps, or Gold Bullion!

UP YOUR S.C.O.R.E.!

Seasons are going to bring a major overhaul for the Challenge system, but Challenges themselves are not going away. In fact, completing Daily and Weekly Challenges will be the primary way that you will increase your S.C.O.R.E. and rank up. While Challenges are here to stay, we want you to be able to complete them and earn S.C.O.R.E. in many cases by playing as you normally would. We’re making significant changes to the Daily and Weekly Challenges you receive so that they are more straightforward and easier to complete than the ones you’re used to. We’re also changing how many you will receive on a daily and weekly basis so that they are more predictable and consistent.

• For example: Instead of having to take a picture of another player in a Rad Storm, you may be asked to “Earn 1 Level-Up,” “Complete a Public Event,” or “Kill a Legendary Creature,” among others. These are all things you might already do regularly during your normal play sessions, but now those same activities will add to your S.C.O.R.E. and push you that much closer to your next reward.

If you join a Season late and want to catch up, or if you just want to progress more quickly, you will have the option to spend 150 Atoms to immediately unlock the next rank and claim its reward. If you want, you can unlock every Rank in the Season this way, but they must be purchased individually and in order. Additionally, you cannot unlock Ranks this way during the first two weeks of a Season, so that all players can start on an even footing. Keep in mind that spending Atoms to rank up is optional. The Season system was designed so that all players will have immediate access to it, and can progress and claim rewards based on how much S.C.O.R.E. they earn while playing 76.

Aside from Daily and Weekly Challenges, you will also earn S.C.O.R.E. regularly by earning XP, and by completing Public Events. We are looking into even more ways to grant S.C.O.R.E. in the future, such as through Daily Quests or by participating in repeatable content that’s coming to the game this year. In addition, please note that we’re leaving in our Lifetime Challenges, which you will still be able to complete as they’re currently designed, with the same rewards.

CLAIM YOUR PRIZES!

To collect your rank-up rewards, all you have to do is head to the Season progression screen, and then claim each one directly from the board. You will unlock cosmetic items, like outfits or weapon skins, for all characters on your account, and they will then become visible to you in the Atomic Shop. When you unlock consumables, like Repair Kits, or in-game currencies, like Caps, they will only apply to one of your characters. Make sure to select the character you want to receive them before unlocking consumable and currency rewards on the Season screen, as Ranks are account bound and their rewards cannot be earned more than once per Season.

During the very early Ranks your rewards may include items like a player icon that’s specific to that Season, a new Stash skin, or some Legendary Scrips. As your S.C.O.R.E. and Rank reach new heights, you will receive better and better rewards, like Power Armor paints, Gold Bullion, and fancy new cosmetics or C.A.M.P. items. You will also receive major rewards at certain milestones, like Ranks 25, 50, and 76, among others.

Here are just a few of the many rewards you will be able to unlock as you progress during Season 1, including a Captain Cosmos Power Armor skin, a fresh look for your new Secret Service Power Armor, a new Gatling Gun skin, and a cozy fireplace for your C.A.M.P. that’s actually a secret door!

When you reach Rank 100, you’ll unlock an “End of Season” Bundle. In Season 1, this bundle includes several unique Captain Cosmos themed items, like the Jangles the Moon Monkey Stein, a Planetarium Desk Lamp that features special lighting and visual effects, and even a framed version of the Season 1 boardgame itself. Build or display these rewards in your C.A.M.P. to show off your completionist skills to your visitors.

WHY THE CHANGE?

Our original Challenge system was not quite as engaging as we had hoped. Some Challenges were complicated, and almost all of them awarded Atoms. We wanted to revisit our Challenges and rewards to create a new system that is more fun, flexible, and offers more to look forward to every time you log in. After multiple iterations, we feel the system we’ve designed accomplishes all of those goals. It allows us to offer lots of rewards for players to unlock as they make progress. It also provides a clear and achievable path to collecting everything, and fun new themes every few months, all while retaining the flexibility for players to earn and spend Atoms as they choose in the Atomic Shop.

Some of our primary hopes for this system are that Daily and Weekly Challenges will feel more in-tune with your normal play, that you will find them more enticing to complete, and that you will feel excited every single time you rank-up, because you just unlocked something cool for your characters.

LOOKING AHEAD

We currently plan to have four Seasons per year. Each will generally last for around 10 weeks, with a few weeks’ break before the next Season begins. To keep things fresh, every Season will feature its own unique theme and set of rewards.

As with all new systems and features we introduce, we’re looking forward to seeing what you think! We would love to hear your feedback on Seasons once you’ve had the chance to jump in-game and begin ranking-up following Update 20.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Aside from Challenges, what other activities will increase my S.C.O.R.E.?

• A: In Season 1, you will also be able to earn S.C.O.R.E. regularly by gaining XP, and by completing Public Events. Nuclear Winter Daily Challenges will also grant S.C.O.R.E. in addition to their other rewards. With future Seasons, we plan to grant S.C.O.R.E. through other methods as well, such as through new repeatable content.

Q: How long will it take to rank up?

• A: Each rank-up should take between one and two hours of play time, with earlier ranks taking closer to one hour, and later ranks nearing two.

Q: If Daily and Weekly Challenges no longer award Atoms, will I still earn the same amount in the new system?

• A: There are fewer Atoms overall up for grabs in this new system, but you will still earn them as you increase your Season rank, as well as from our Lifetime Challenges, such as Character, Combat, Social, Survival, and World Challenges. As a result, you will still be able to save up Atoms for Atomic Shop items, but you will now also directly unlock lots of new items, including cosmetics for your characters, like Power Armor Paints, Weapon Skins, C.A.M.P. items, and more by ranking up. This wasn’t possible with the existing Challenge system, and we feel that Seasons in many ways offer much more value for your play time as a result.

Q: Are Season rewards exclusive to Season progression, or will I be able to get them in other ways?

• A: The rewards are limited during a Season to the players who earn them through progression, and we are exploring other ways we may make certain rewards available in the future.

Q: Will items that were previously available in the Atomic Shop be added as Season Rewards?

• A: We don’t currently have plans to make past Atomic Shop items available as Season Rewards other than consumables, like Scrap Kits, but we will let you know if those plans change.

Q: Can I unlock all 100 Season Ranks using Atoms?

• A: Yes. After a new Season has been available for two weeks you will be able unlock ranks individually, in the order that you would normally progress through them, by spending 150 Atoms per rank. You can do this as many times as you like, including purchasing all of the ranks in that Season.

We can’t wait to start Season 1 with you this Summer, and we’re incredibly excited to implement all of the new features, systems, and events outlined in our 2020 Roadmap! We’re planning to bring you on an even deeper dive into the new Seasons system, including information about Season 1 rewards, as we get closer to Update 20. Be sure to keep an eye on Fallout.com to catch those details as soon as they are announced.