With Bethesda Game Studios busy with Starfield post-launch content and the development of The Elder Scrolls 6, the chances of us getting a new Fallout game in the next few years are slim to none, but those looking for a new Fallout fix do have a solid alternative to turn to. Fallout 4’s expansion sized total conversion mod, Fallout London, has been in development and making waves for years, and now, it is finally out, allowing players to dive into a huge, entirely new, if unofficial, Fallout journey. Here, we’re going to go over all the key details that you should know about it.
STORY
Being an unofficial mod, Fallout London is obviously not going to be part of the series’ canon, but it is promising to tell an interesting story. The game is set in the year 2237, which puts it between the events of Fallout 1 and 2, and roughly 50 years before the events of Fallout 4. What makes it particularly interesting, however, is the fact that, as its name gives away, it’s set in London. Never in the history of the Fallout franchise have we stepped outside of the United States of America, so it should be interesting to see what Fallout London’s take on the post-apocalyptic remains of the English city are. From a narrative perspective, the mod focuses on several factions vying for control over London- but more on that in a bit. For now, let’s speak about London itself.
MAP DETAILS
Being able to explore the post-nuclear remains of the city of London in Fallout’s post-apocalyptic world is obviously one of the bigger draws of this mod, but what exactly can we expect from the map? According to the development team, Team FOLON, the mod’s map is going to be quite a sizeable one- as large as the map of Fallout 4’s base game and its Far Harbor DLC put together, in fact, which, if you’ve played those two, sounds like a huge play area. In total, the map is divided into 15 boroughs, and according to Team FOLON, there’s as much as 90 hours of content for players to get through.
NOT YOUR TYPICAL FALLOUT
Fallout: London is looking to leverage its London setting in some truly interesting ways- including giving us a glimpse into an alternative reality where we could see what a Fallout game set outside of the USA and the series’ focus on Americana-driven satire would look like. According to Team FOLON, you can expect plenty of elements that are usually staples of the franchise to be MIA in this game. For starters, in the Fallout lore the Forced Evolutionary Virus (or FEV) never made its way to London, which means all of the monstrosities and nightmarish creatures it created won’t be in the mod either. That includes Super Mutants and Deathclaws, among other things. Additionally, you can also expect Vault-Tec to have no presence in London whatsoever, since it’s an American company- though you can expect other, dingier underground vaults.
WEAPONS
Another area where it looks like Fallout London is attempting to deliver a different kind of Fallout experience is the combat, which, according to Team FOLON, is going to be much less focused on gunplay. Instead, players can expect melee weapons to play a much larger role, to the extent of being the only weapons you’ll be using at times. Gunplay has admittedly never been one of Fallout’s strengths, but the shooting did see significant improvements in Fallout 4 over previous titles, so it should be interesting to see how Fallout London fares with its combat changes.
FACTIONS
Factions have always played a huge role in any Fallout experience (or any Bethesda Game Studios RPG, for that matter), and yes, there will be plenty of those that players will be crossing paths with in Fallout: London as well. The most powerful of them all is the Gentry, who are the current rulers of London and descendants of the pre-war aristocracy and government, who are looking to rebuild the United Kingdom once more. Then there are the Tommies, a militia that has become a tool for the Gentry; 5th Column, an anarchist faction looking to tear down the established rule in London in order to rebuild a new empire; and the Camelot Republic, an underground resistance movement that is also looking to remove the Gentry from power and instead replace them with a new representative republic government.
MORE FACTIONS
Yes, there are still more factions to talk about- London is a big place after all, and there’s plenty of different groups with their own motivations and goals that you’ll be working with and against. There’s the Isle of Dogs Syndicate, for instance, which is essentially a gang in control of Millwall that runs a sizeable smuggling operation. There are the Vagabonds, who are described as the mortal enemies of the aforementioned Ise of Dogs Syndicate, and are on a quest for revenge. There’s also the elusive and mysterious group known as Angel, rumoured to be descendants of a secret pre-war science ministry who have eyes all over the city. In total, Team FOLON says there are 20 factions
COMPANIONS
Like the series that it owes its existence to, Fallout London is also going to feature a number of different companion characters that players will be able to meet, recruit, and head out on quests with. In total, there are going to be seven companion characters, each of whom will bring their own story tidbits and ties to different factions.
DIALOGUE
Fallout: London may be a mod based on Fallout 4, but it’s looking to tweak the base gameplay experience in some notable ways. For instance, the base game’s dialogue system has been expanded for the mod, with Team FOLON promising an experience that places choice and consequence mechanics front and center, something that Fallout 4 was criticized for not doing. Additionally, the development team has also confirmed that the main protagonist in the mod isn’t voiced, which is another area where the base game drew criticism. Additionally, speaking of voice acting, though the protagonist is going to be a silent one, all major characters in Fallout: London will be fully voiced.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
Several other finer details have also been revealed on Fallout London. For instance, settlements – a core component of the Fallout 4 base game – is going to be part of the experience here as well, with a total of seven new and unique settlements included in the mod. In addition to that, players can expect dynamic new animations, new craftable items, new weapons to use in combat, as many as 200 quests, and more. Oh, and for those of you wondering whether Fallout London is ever going to show up on consoles- Team FOLON says the mod is going to be available only on PC. Will that possibly change in the future? Never say never, I guess, but that’s not the plan right, at least.
REQUIREMENTS
To be able to access Fallout London, you’re going to need not just the Fallout 4 base game, but also all of its DLC (which means you could also just buy the Game of the Year Edition). Available via both Steam and GoG, the mod will also need you to disable cloud saves, and will replace the actual, official game entirely. If you want to get the game back, you’ll have to uninstall it and the mod, before reinstalling the former again.
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