Fallout 76 Characters Won’t Have Dialogue
With the game’s B.E.T.A. (Break-It Early Test Application) looming, many new details about Fallout 76 are emerging from the Bethesda vault. While most of the latest developments have yielded smaller tidbits, a recent feature in Game Informer has confirmed a breadth of new information such as a Skyrim-like questing system and areas in the game without PvP. Coverage also established an additional aspect that would seem to be at odds with the series’ overall direction: a lack of in-game dialogue.
It’s been clear for a while that Fallout 76 will be a world inhabited by a population of other players, with the environment also home to various A.I. characters. However, in contrast to previous games, interaction with these NPCs is said to be largely one-sided, having most “conversations” play out as statements with no branching alternatives. This leaves back-and-forth exchanges up to real-life users, either by on-screen chat or speaking through gaming headsets.
As anyone who played a Fallout game knows, dialogue has always played an important role in fleshing out the world, its characters, and advancing story points. However, it’s the intent of Bethesda for Fallout 76 to leave these personal connections to actual humans this time around, with NPCs relegated to providing basic information or simply acting as enemies. Whether this decision is an interesting change or a grave mistake is ultimately up to the beholder, but players will get their chance to know for sure when that eventual B.E.T.A. drops.
Fallout 76 releases for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 14th.
What do you think? Are you put off by the lack of NPC dialogue, or do you feel it keeps with the game’s emphasis on teamwork? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more news featured from the Fallout Wasteland, check out the next few stories:
Eric Hall2712 Posts
Phone-browsing Wikipedia in one hand and clutching his trusty controller in the other, the legendary Eric Hall spreads his wealth of knowledge as a writer for Don't Feed the Gamers. Be sure to catch his biweekly "Throwback Thursday" segment for a nostalgic look at trivia from the past.
