Bethesda finally dropped a teaser trailer for Fallout 76 after a day of online teasing. Fans were surprised and delighted at the same time and although Bethesda hasn’t given any concrete information about the game, the teaser trailer has lots of hints as to what we can expect from the game. (You can watch it in the end of this article)
The Fallout series by Bethesda is one of its most popular series, therefore, it’s no surprise that their next game would be another Fallout game, especially after the immense success of Fallout 4. Straight off the bat, the name of the game seems suspicious and looks to give away an important aspect of the game: Vault 76 (hence the name Fallout 76).
However, that’s not the only hint given towards Vault 76, there are several subtle hints in the trailer that suggest that Vault 76 will have a major role in the game.
What is Vault 76?
Vault 76 isn’t something totally new to the game. It’s been mentioned in previous Fallout games as well and it seems like we’ll finally be able to get more info on it with this game. According to Fallout Wikia, this vault was supposed to be a “control vault”. The vault was occupied by 500 people and it would open 20 years after a nuclear war and the vault came to be in 2076 in honor of the United States’s tercentenary. The Great War started in 2077, meaning that the vault is supposed to open in 2097 in the game.
The second hint we get in the trailer is on the pip boy, which tells us about what timeline will the game be set in. According to the date on the pip boy, the date is 2102, meaning that it’s set well before the previous Fallout games. The first Fallout game was set in 2161, Fallout 2 was set in 2241, Fallout 3 was set in 2277, Fallout: New Vegas was set in 2281, and Fallout 4 was set in 2287. So this Fallout 76 can potentially give a totally different perspective on the world from other Fallout games.
However, there’s a twist here. The trailer shows a shot where the vault is decorated for something called “Reclamation Day“. The image shown implies that Reclamation Day is some sort of celebration, which could possibly be the day the vault is supposed to be open.
However, there’s a slight twist here because if the current date is 2102 and the vault was supposed to open in 2097, why is the vault opening 5 years later? The vault was ‘programmed’ to open 20 years after the war, thus, what caused it to delay 5 years? Either this will be a mystery that’ll get solved as more information is given out, but it’s also likely that Bethesda has used two shots at different times. The game could start with Reclamation Day, familiarizing new players with Vault 76 and it could then fast forward to 5 years later, it’s definitely possible.
Bethesda’s choice of song in the trailer also gives clues as to where the game could be taking place. We’ve already received hints regarding the timeline, as for the location, it could be West Virginia. This is because the song in question is “Country Roads” by John Denver which talks about going home to West Virginia. Therefore, it’s likely that the song gives us clues regarding where Vault 76 will be located.
Finally, there are also reports that Fallout 76 might be much different from its predecessors. Although at the core it will likely be the same game. Given the popularity of multiplayer gaming these days, it might add some multiplayer survival aspects to it (perhaps similar to Battle Royale?).
No official information has been revealed, nor have Bethesda commented on the multiplayer rumors. They usually don’t announce things far in advance, but Bethesda boss Todd Howard said that a lot more will be revealed at E3, which takes place on June 10th, so there’s not much time left now.