Fallout 76removing Legacy weapons bodes well for the future of the game’s PvP activities. Now that the playing field has been leveled out, a previously underwhelming legendary effect will consequently get some well-deserved attention. As it currently exists inFallout 76, PvP is entirely optional and lacks the support of the general player base.
While longtime players have been hesitant to engage with PvP, a surge of new players coming into the scene could shake things up. Thanks to ongoing development support andsubscription services offeringFallout 76to console players, the game’s player count has seen new highs recently. Sooner or later, new content in the game might just bring new life to the PvP content inFallout 76.
RELATED:Zenimax Online Should Have Been In Charge Of Fallout 76
Legacy Weapons and the Assassin Legendary Effect
Legacy weapons inFallout 76dominated the wasteland in both PvE and PvP activities, though they were permanently removed from the game at the beginning of 2023. While Legacy armor still exists in the game at the moment, the Assassin legendary effect should be able to compete with any armor when it comes to PvP-specific activities. On the same note, the Assassin Legendary effect is also available on weapons, meaning that players can utilize increased outgoing damage as well as decreased incoming damage, specific to fighting human enemies and/or other players.
Outside of actively pursuing PvP inFallout 76, the Assassin legendary effect on armor and weapons is an underwhelming choice compared to other,betterFalloutlegendary effects. The conditions of some of the other legendary effects are more permanently available to benefit from and consequently can improve a player’s damage or defense universally. Having a new activity for PvP would revitalize the usefulness of the Assassin legendary effect, as well as bring its value up in the game’s player-to-player market. Otherwise, owning an extra set of armor and weapons just to have an Assassin set on hand occupies a heavy chunk of a player’s capacity for backpack and Stash weight with extremely limited usefulness.
Player Support for PvP in Fallout 76
At one point inFallout 76’s history, there was a dedicated battle royale, theNuclear Winter game mode. Unfortunately, Nuclear Winter no longer exists, though most of the activity’s rewards have survived through the Seasonal Events and Public Events that are still available in the game. Legacy weapons had no influence in the removal of Nuclear Winter since all the equipment used in that game mode was obtained within each match. Instead, Nuclear Winter is said to have been removed due to a lack of player support.
Most players generally seem to preferavoidingFallout 76’s PvPactivities that are currently available, which supports the reasoning behind Nuclear Winter’s removal. Considering the game’s long history with Legacy weapons going unchecked, it’s hard to say how much of the reluctance towards PvP was influenced by overpowered Legacy weapons. In the state ofFallout 76in early 2023, PvP exists as contesting Workshops, the Hunted Radio channel, the Wanted public bounty system, player-initiated duels, and occasionally in the rotating modifiers featured in the Fallout Worlds game mode. With Legacy weapons gone, longtime players might have a different experience, and therefore a reason to engage with PvP again.
Theincrease in new players forFallout 76is a huge factor that could influence the return of PvP content. One step thatFallout 76could take to indirectly motivate an increase in player support for PvP is to implement cross-play, though that route doesn’t seem likely. Regardless, now that Legacy weapons have been removed in every capacity, the playing field has been leveled out between new and longtime players that reach the max level. PvP could likely make new appearances in Survival Mode, just as much as receiving another dedicated game mode like Nuclear Winter in the future. WithFallout 76’s upcoming content remaining unannounced, PvP content can’t be dismissed yet for the next few years of the game’s ongoing development support.
Fallout 76is available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
