During Bethesda’s free Fallout 76 trial, I managed to play a lot of Nuclear Winter and I loved every second of it. Read my impressions for this unique battle royale experience!
As mentioned in a previous post, Fallout 76 was free to try for a whole week during E3 2019. This trial included the full online open world portion of the game as well as new Battle Royale mode called Nuclear Winter. This is a 52 PvP battle royale where the winner is the last person / team standing as a ring of fire closes in. Nuclear Winter is still in BETA so there are some minor glitches, but overall it was a fairly smooth and fun experience. Nuclear Winter combines the traditional intensity of a PvP battle royale experience with Bethesda Game Studios unique Fallout humour.
Here is the official synopsis and trailer for this mode:
Nuclear Winter is an all-new 52-player PvP Battle Royale mode, free for Fallout 76 players. Nukes have set the world ablaze and the battle to claim your spot as Overseer of Vault 51 has begun – will you be the last one standing or be consumed by the ring of fire? Rank up, unlock exclusive perks and build your C.A.M.P. to weather the storm in true Fallout fashion. Scavenge for weapons, supplies, and nukes to take on other players and creatures and earn unique cosmetic rewards.
As a fan of Fallout single player games, I initially did not believe the game mechanics would work in a online battle royale mode. I was very wrong and found that the mechanics (although some polish is needed) actually made this mode very enjoyable.
The Lobby:
As with other battle royale games, all 52 players first spawn into a waiting lobby, before the match begins. However, this lobby is actually a fully interactive vault. This massive vault includes all sorts of different rooms such as a bar, boxing ring, eye tests, theatre and much more. For a lobby, this was super detailed and added a lot to my experience. Fallout 4, Fallout 76 and other older Fallouts let you interact with almost everything you can see (this is part of what makes Bethesda’s fallout game engine so robust). For example, you can sit on any chair and relax or just go around pressing buttons, picking up instruments etc. This is literally the calm before the storm. Check out some screenshots I took below:
Players can go and sit at the bar, play the piano, climb up on stage and play instruments, relax with their squad in a seating area, turn on the karaoke machine and a lot more. When I first played Nuclear Winter, the lobbies were full of people just pointlessly punching each other. As the week went on, more and more players started to explore the vault. I encountered random players challenging me to a boxing match in the actual ring, players standing behind the bar pretending to serve drinks, some were weightlifting / exercising where as others were standing in circles and pulling out all the emotes they could.
This simple lobby became a living vault and I found that many Fallout 76 players seemed to be enjoying the role playing aspect of being in a Vault. This was something I had not seen in other Battle Royale games. The role playing aspect of the main mode seemed to have translated very well to Battle Royale and I actually wanted to spend more time in this lobby!
From what I have seen, the Fallout community is very different to others and really go out of their way to help other beginners as well. In my opinion, Fallout 76’s main open world wasteland would really benefit from more areas like this. In the future they could even add a new city or other vaults to the map. These locations could act as safe hub cities where players could take part in activities together (or challenge each other to fist fights in front of an audience). The role playing potential is endless in this game (I will expand on this in a future post).
Matchmaking was smooth enough and I did not encounter many issues, especially considering this is in beta.
Spawn Points and Loot:
Before the match begins, a map pops up on your screen and lets you select a spawn point alongside your squad. It does not show you what other teams are selecting. However, after a timer runs out, spawn location choices are locked and other enemy spawn points are revealed. If you are lucky, your team is going to be spawning in a fairly empty location full of nice loot. If you have bad luck, you are going to spawn alongside multiple teams so get ready for instant combat. This is a nice approach to battle royale and really lets you know how urgent it will be for your team to loot up before encountering others.
As you spawn you can quickly go and search for weapon and armor crates to load up on weapons / supplies. Weapons are the same as those found in the main adventure mode of this game. Some may include scopes, some may even have silencers. There are also a whole range of melee and throwable weapons available. The type of crate determines the class of weapon you have (see pic above). It is worth noting that weapons also degrade so if your weapon is damaged it will become useless. Bigger crates reward more powerful weapons.
An awesome addition is the fact that non-humans are also present in battle royale. Various mutated wildlife and even ghouls are all roaming the map. They usually carry nice loot so it is worth taking them out asap. You should only carry what is necessary, and within the weight restrictions. If you go above the weight limit you will not be able to sprint, making you an easy target. You can carry multiple armor sets which is very valuable during a intense fight. You can share all items with your teammates or just keep them for yourself.
Healing items include the usual stimpaks as well as other pills such as radaway etc. These are worth stocking up on, especially since some parts of the map are heavily irradiated. Power armor is also available at random locations and these can really give you an edge in combat but will also make you more visible to potential snipers.
As with the adventure mode, you can also build small camps in the game should you have enough resources. Turrets and walls can also be made to really change the battlefield when facing another team. After looting weapons etc, you will find that a ring of fire is slowly closing in. This fire does a lot of damage so it’s worth making sure you make early rotations to prevent being stuck in the storm at the last minute.
Combat:
This mode makes use of the same mechanics as the main mode. You can view your character in first or third person. Weapons feel the same as they do in the adventure mode. It can be hard to aim at times due to the recoil on some weapons but this is all part of learning the game mechanics. Once you get used to each type of weapon you become more skilled at taking out enemies. The ragdoll physics are very satisfying and sometimes hilarious after you eliminate an enemy. As expected in a Fallout game, the combat is very brutal and weighty. It feels more grounded than other battle royale games which made it more enjoyable for me. If you are not used to playing Fallout games, you may require some time to get used to the controls and game mechanics. Fallout fans will have no issue quickly adapting to this mode and becoming an effective fighter. The weapon switching and ordering is something that could do with some more improvements in Nuclear Winter. It could be a little smoother.
There are many different classes of weapons. These include light / heavy rifles, shotguns, pistols, grenade launchers, throwables and a variety of melee weapons. Each seemed fairly well balanced but I am sure they will be improved on in the future. I found myself using a combination of the hunting rifle and throwable items. I also made use of the natural cover in the game. You can hide behind walls, inside any building and more. The game allows for all out assaults on other teams as well as close quarters tactical gameplay. There is nice variation in the map which keeps each match end game feeling fresh, depending on where the circle ends up.
The endgame is very intense. It can be very difficult to stock up on more resources if you reach the endgame circle. You may end up in a location with no access to more ammo or armor. The enemy team may have got there first and fortified their position with walls and turrets. It was very important to manage resources throughout the match and make sure you reach the end with enough stimpaks to cover you for emergencies. I made use of the psycho pill as well. These types of pills are only effective for a limited time so its best to save them for those critical moments. It was also great when the fire was chasing an enemy team towards you. Planning our next location as a team was crucial in helping to win the match.
The fire ‘storm’ is very impressive here. If you find yourself close to the fire you can feel a real sense of urgency. The effects are pretty nice and add to the whole post apocalyptic feel of the mode. At one point I was stuck in the fire and my player was burning / losing health. I had to run as fast as I could. I barely survived but thanks to my squad members healing items, I managed to regain health and get back to work. Even with random squad members, most players were friendly and helped each other. I regularly dropped loot for my squad and they did the same for me.
Stamina and Perks:
As with the main modes, you can equip various perk cards which will help you in battle. These can include the ability to carry more weight on your back or being able to sprint for longer. It is worth noting that stamina is not unlimited in this mode as it is in some other battle royale games. It is wise to conserve your energy and not just run around pointlessly.
Possible Improvements:
This mode is very enjoyable and since it is still in Beta, I am certain Bethesda are going to continue to update it with new features and improvements. Here are some things I would like to see:
- A Ping System: A system like that found in Apex Legends or Fortnite would be great here. It can be difficult to communicate with your team if someone doesn’t have a headset. I often found it hard to share my items with my teammates. When I dropped an item, it would appear in a brown paper bag which – considering the look of this game – is very hard to see sometimes. A ping system would let us quickly point out loot to teammates or tell them where an enemy is.
- Weapon Wheel: Although the game has a weapon wheel already, it could be made smoother in my opinion. Sometimes I encountered lag when trying to switch or sort weapons. This isn’t an issue in PvE modes but in battle royale, each delay could be your last.
- Team Respawn: Although not always necessary, this could also be quite good. In Nuclear Winter, once you are eliminated there is no coming back. A respawn system like other battle royales may be useful (but only if it doesn’t make the mode feel unfair).
Character Customisation:
As with the other modes, you can customise your character with clothing you have purchased or unlocked. In typical Fallout style, some outfits which can be purchased using atom points are truly hilarious.
Conclusion:
Overall, this beta mode was a lot of fun and I highly recommend it. I was surprised that a Fallout battle royale is actually a lot more fun than I initially expected it to be. The whole theme of the game and backstory really makes this feel like a genuine battle royale experience. It is violent and intense PvP action. However it also manages to retain the classic Fallout sense of humour which lets it stand out amongst other Battle Royale experiences. Some improvements are needed of course, but this is expected in a beta mode. Bethesda has committed to Fallout 76 updates so I am expecting them to also continue to improve Nuclear Winter mode as well. If you own Fallout 76, please try this mode out. It is not meant to be a replacement for the main Fallout 76 adventure mode or the traditional Fallout single player experiences, but it is a fun addition within the Fallout universe.
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Source: Bethesda
