An in-game trailer aired, showcasing the new Commonwealth setting. The contrast between the pre- and post-apocalypse, complete with a new dog companion navigating their surroundings. The massive Vault 111 door opens up, revealing the outside world for the first time. A naval ship dry-docked at a town, a city street at night with a gumshoe-looking character that would become one of the more well-regarded Fallout companions, the expanse of the world, Power Armor, Deathclaws, Vertibirds, Ghouls – it was all here and then some. Fallout was back.

However, as some fans celebrated the return of their favorite tropes and the new setting, combing the trailer for details, others were a bit mixed, particularly with the visuals. Fallout 4 didn’t look terrible, but considering The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt dropped less than a month prior, expectations were significantly higher. Also, this was Bethesda – a company whose magnum opus, Skyrim, spurred comparisons between nearly every other open-world title for years. Many viewed The Witcher 3 as the title that finally surpassed it in many ways. Now, Fallout 4 was revealed, and these were the visuals one could expect?

It was early days, and while some were annoyed at the visual quality, there was plenty of excitement surrounding the gameplay. E3 2015 occurred on June 14th, and Bethesda hosted its first-ever showcase. About 34 minutes were dedicated to director Todd Howard taking to the stage and revealed extensive gameplay for Fallout 4.

The new character creation system, the opening sequence where players would experience pre-nuclear life (and set their S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats), and the mad sprint to Vault 111 when the bombs dropped – it was a magical thing to witness. From there, we receive glimpses at the post-nuclear Commonwealth and some of its main sights, a quick look at combat and V.A.T.S. and, of course, meeting Dogmeat for the first time.

But that’s not all – Bethesda announced a wearable Pip-Boy included with its $119.99 collector’s edition. Such was the hype that it immediately sold out. It required slotting one’s phone into and running an app to mimic the look and feel of a Pip-Boy, as opposed to operating as an independent device of RobCo prowess, but still! Howard would then announce Fallout Shelter, a mobile title where players managed their own Vault, for release on the same day and then some more Fallout 4 gameplay focused on building.

Yes, building – you could now create your own settlement, complete with turrets for self-defense. Other NPCs could even live there and contribute to your community. There was still more to behold, from weapon crafting and Power Armor customization to gunplay and various enemies, including a showdown against a Deathclaw while wearing Power Armor. Before the showcase ended, Howard revealed that the Vault 111 numbers resolved into something else – 11-10-15 or November 10th 2015, the release date. Yes, Fallout 4 would launch in the same year, just six months after its announcement.

As some of us indulged in Fallout Shelter, obsessing over those Lunch Boxes (with more purchasable via microtransactions), the hype for Fallout 4 was palpable. It finally launched to positive critical reviews, with Metascores of 84 on PC, 87 on PS4 and 88 on Xbox One.

The combat, presentation, exploration and “thought-provoking” narrative earned it praise, to say nothing of all the awards and nominations (including winning Game of the Year at the 19th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards). The sales were equally impressive, with 12 million units shipped in the first 24 hours, with 1.2 million copies sold on Steam. Undoubtedly, it was another success for Bethesda.

As fans binged the title, immersing themselves in the Commonwealth, venturing to the Museum of Witchcraft and meeting a terrifying surprise, exploring the Dunwich Borers and the ghostly secrets that lay within, learning about HalluciGen and their experiments, building settlements and the region as a whole. It faced the usual slate of issues with performance and glitches, more so on PS4 and Xbox One than on PC. However, as more players spent time with the game, the complaints steadily piled up.

The main quest was considered short. The controls on PC weren’t the best for keyboard and mouse users, likely because they were optimized for consoles first and foremost. The simplified dialogue system made for awkward interactions and was considered a poor substitute for simply providing exact responses. On top of this, players felt that many of the dialogue choices resulted in the same conclusion.

The infamous “Yes, No (Yes), Sarcastic Yes,” and “Question, Then Yes” memes, which reflected certain exchanges that could occur throughout the main quest, also didn’t help perceptions surrounding the same. Believe it or not, some even had issues with the voiced protagonist, believing it ruined the immersion (which probably explains their removal in Starfield). Nevertheless, the backlash against the dialogue system was significant enough that even Todd Howard acknowledged that it didn’t “work as well” and it was “less successful than other things in the game.”

The criticism didn’t stop there, however. Some consider the settlement building to be pointless in the grand scheme of things. Others wanted Preston Garvey, who led the Minutemen faction before quickly relinquishing control to the player, to stop telling them a new settlement needs their help. Some felt the role-playing options were non-existent, with no reputation or good/evil systems.

Despite releasing in 2015, there were still no native FoV sliders – PC players had to access and modify the .ini file to adjust it. Long loading times, dull faction quests, a lackluster story (where you were once again looking for a family member) and endings, quest design as a whole – the list went on. Some critics echoed these complaints; others noted the lack of any significant deviation from Bethesda’s traditional Fallout formula.

However, there was praise for other things, from Power Armor feeling weighty and powerful to the improved gunplay. Some lamented that Fallout 4 felt like a looter shooter, while others embraced it and the improved VATS (though melee combat still didn’t feel the best).

Plenty of comparisons were made to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and its writing for the characters and quests, not to mention the gorgeous visuals (though it also launched with its fair share of issues). With Fallout 4, there seemed like less willingness to forgive Bethesda in any number of departments, not the least of which includes its continued reliance on the Creation Engine.

Despite all this, Fallout 4 did have some fans – even the positive Steam user reviews outweighed the negative at launch. However, the sentiment among long-time fans, is that even if it was a good game, Fallout 4 was a mediocre Fallout game (combined with proclaiming its depth to be a “mile wide and an inch deep”).

While it continued to support the title, fixing bugs and other issues, official mod support wasn’t available yet. It arrived in April 2016 for PC, followed by Xbox One in May and November for PS4. That wasn’t the decision that drew the most ire, though.

When Bethesda first announced the Season Pass before the game’s launch for $29.99. Those who purchased it would “get you all of the Fallout 4 DLC we ever do for just $30,” proclaiming that the DLC would be worth “at least $40.” It also promised that if more DLC were produced, Season Pass holders would get it all. However, in February 2016, Bethesda announced it was expanding its plan, raising the price of the Season Pass to $49.99 from March 1st. Fans who purchased it were set and would receive additional content as planned.

However, those who chose to wait and see the Season Pass’s offerings had to buy into it immediately or pay more later. It also didn’t help that only three DLC packs – Automatron, Wasteland Workshop and Far Harbor – had been revealed. The other content was still relatively unknown. Good thing Bethesda timed this decision to just a few weeks before Automatron.

When it finally dropped, the DLC offered some minor story content and the option to build robots and have them as companions. Not the worst set of options, but it’s far from the riveting DLC that fans expected. Wasteland Workshop, which arrived in April, faced even more stringent criticism.

Despite being billed as providing traps to capture Raiders and even Deathclaws to have them battle in arenas, some felt that such features should have been free or that modders would add them in and probably do a better job. The fact that the arenas were inconsequential didn’t help, and neither did the DLC prove to make a compelling argument for the Season Pass with so much focus on settlement building.

Far Harbor, the first story expansion, finally arrived in May and was thankfully well received. Its story-telling was like night and day, with real impactful choices, interesting characterization, and a unique location. You would think that your choices determining the main story’s outcome would have been something implemented in the base game, but better late than never.

Unfortunately, Bethesda would follow up with two more settlement-focused DLC – Contraptions Workshop and Vault-Tec Workshop. You would think that creating complex factory lines or having a vacant Vault to set up a settlement would be cool, but these DLC proved otherwise. They also reinforced that these should have either been in the base game or added for free. Nuka-World rounded off the Season Pass when it launched in August, providing another story-focused expansion.

The main characters consisted mainly of raider factions vying for power in the titular theme park and weren’t nearly as appealing as Far Harbor’s NPCs, nor did the areas feel inspired. You could lead a raider gang and assault your settlements in the Commonwealth to be “evil”, but, again, it barely affected the overarching storyline or state of the world.

So there you have it – a generally well-received launch, followed by introspection and backlash from some fans on Fallout 4’s shortcomings and book-ended by a lackluster Season Pass (which is still rated Mostly Negative on Steam to this day). The end, right? Well, no, because Bethesda hadn’t quite had enough.

In August 2017, Bethesda released the Creation Club, a platform for paid mods. It allowed players to purchase Credits with real money and use these to acquire said mods, which included such additions as weapons, Pip-Boy redesigns, a Power Armor set that paid homage to Oblivion’s infamous horse armor DLC and other such inconsequential additions. Given how vehemently the player base revolted against paid mods for Skyrim, it was viewed as a renewed effort from Bethesda to monetize the hard work of modders.

Bethesda’s Pete Hines would dispute that these were paid mods, telling Tek Syndicate at PAX West, “One of the reasons this is not paid mods when they (referring to modders) are working for us it’s a job. They’re not getting paid only if the stuff sells, they’re getting paid like an external contractor all along the way, so the risk is removed for them.”

You can decide for yourself whether that reasoning is sound, but modders could still go about creating free mods if they wanted. Furthermore, existing mods couldn’t suddenly be converted into paid mods, which is one potentially abusable loophole that Bethesda accounted for.

Over time, Fallout 4 would slink into the background, maintaining a respectably solid player base. Mod support also continued unhindered, even with the Creation Club’s existence. Sure, it would get a poorly received VR version that no one likes to talk about and saw some review bombing when Fallout 76 launched, with everyone rightfully angry at its state, but that happened with several Bethesda games. For the most part, it seemed many saw how much worse things could be with Fallout 76 and took solace in what Fallout 4 had to offer.

With the positive response to Amazon’s Fallout TV show, several new players are starting to discover Fallout 4 for the first time. Those who spent dozens, even hundreds of hours on the game also returned with a new appreciation for what it does. Regardless of the things that leave long-time fans divided to this day, there’s no denying it’s a Fallout game. Good or bad, underwhelming or underrated – that perception lies with the players and how they approach the wasteland.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Fallout 4 is a buggy, glitchy game- that really isn’t news. And yet, here we are, devoting more precious cyberspace to this game each time another glitch is discovered. A lot of this has to do with just how useful, how unbelievably broken, and in some cases, just plain amusing, these glitches often are.

The new glitch that we are writing about this time falls in the first category- it is definitely useful, especially for those players who are either very high leveled, or who are just starting out with a brand new file after already having finished the game once before. This new glitch lets players get a lot of experience, very fast. You can see how this glitch works in the video that we have posted for you below. Just remember, this glitch requires the Automatron DLC for you to be able to exploit it.

Fallout 4 is available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

If you got Automatron, you probably want to get a handle over everything it has to offer. In spite of everything, Automatron has a lot to keep track of, so you might need some help and direction with where you want to go. That’s what this guide is for.

ACCESSING AUTOMATRON

• First things first, make sure you’ve actually bought Automatron. You can either buy it separately for $10, or get it as a part of the Season Pass.
• Perform the requisite update on the game’s files, and then download the DLC.
• Once the DLC has been downloaded, start up the game, but on the main menu, instead of loading your save, go into the Add Ons section. If you see Automatron listed there, you’re good to go. If not, exit the game, sign out, sign back in, and then restart the game.
• As long as got out of Vault 111, you should be good to go- listen to the appropriate distress signal on your radio (which you can hear anywhere in the Commonwealth), and listen to the whole message at least once. This will cause the quest to be added to your quest log. Remember, these quests are pretty high leveled, so maybe wait a bit till you go running after them.
• Now you have to locate the assault- it might not be marked on your map, so just go near Wattz Consumer Electronics, which is north of the Institute and the ruins of CIT.
• This initiates the questline, allowing you to access the Automatron content.

ROBOT CREATION

Robot creation is the big selling point of Automatron– the entire idea is that you can salvage parts from enemy robots and create your own custom robotic buddies. This is actually a simpler task than you think- it’s basically integrated extremely extensive crafting mechanics.

• It is a good idea to invest in some perks, such as Robotics Expert, Armorer, Blacksmith, and Science- this will make things easier for you.
• You need to have completed the initial Automatron quest, which is Mechanical Menace. This unlocks the Robot Work Bench.
• Upon completion of the quest, listen to the robot Ada. Once she is done talking, you get to create your Robot Work Bench. Please note that you must have all the required materials to be able to create this.
• Once the bench is created, you can now use it to either create new robots, or customize existing robotic characters you may have by swapping their parts out piecemeal. This includes Ada, yes, but also Curie and Codsworth.
• You can get more parts by destroying robotic enemies and harvesting their parts.

At the beginning, you will be able to create basic robots. A basic robot needs the following components to be created:

• Rubber x 6
• Circuitry x 6
• Ceramic x 9
• Aluminum x 11
• Adhesive x 8

Dismantle junk to get these parts if you don’t have them- later on, you can destroy enemy robots and harvest parts from them.

This only nets you basic robots, however- you will need mods if you want to have enhanced robotic allies and companions.

ROBOT MODS

Robot creation lets you create some basic robots, but to be able to take your electronic pals to the next level, you need to be able to fit them with mods. How do you find mods?

• Mods are dropped by robotic enemies
• Once you acquire one mod, you can duplicate it infinitely
• Synths, Assaultrons, and Protectrons do not drop mods, or don’t drop them nearly often enough. Don’t try to farm robot mods from these kinds of enemies
• Before you apply a mod, you get to review it- make sure it is something that you want, and then proceed to apply it to the robot of your choice.

TESLA ARMOR

The Tesla armor is a new kind of Power Armor added to the game. It serves as a variant of the T-60 armor from the base game, and it comes with a special weapon called the Tesla Rifle.

The Tesla Armor and Tesla Rifle can both be obtained during a normal playthrough of Automatron:

• TESLA ARMOR: During the Headhunting quest, once you have dealt with Ahab, find Jezebel. Head inside the facility, and fight Ivey in a power armor. Defeating Ivey nets you the Tesla armor torso and arm pieces.
• TESLA RIFLE: Defeating Ivey also gets you the Tesla Rifle.

HOLOTAPE

Fallout 4: Automatron brings with it its own Holotape game! The game is called, in an instance of meta-awareness, Automatron, and it pits you against endless waves of enemies. The longer you survive, the better! Which basically makes it better than a whole host of modern games released today:

SALVAGED ASSAULTRON HEAD

The Salvaged Assaultron Head is Legendary, rare weapon in Fallout 4: Automatron. It’s found in in Fort Hagen Hangar, during the Headhunting quest:

ROBOT HELMETS

These Robot Hemlets can be retrieved from the bodies of Rust Devils in Fort Hagan Hangar (which you will get to naturally over a playthrough of Automatron‘s story during the Headhunting quest):

ACHIEVEMENTS AND TROPHIES

Yes, of course Fallout 4: Automatron adds its own Achievements/Trophies to the base Fallout 4 experience. There are five new Achievements/Trophies you can waste a lot of your time trying to hunt down:

Mechanical Menace

Complete Mechanical Menace (Story Mission, refer here.)

Headhunting 

Complete Headhunting (Story Mission, refer here.)

Restoring Order

Complete Restoring Order (Story Mission, refer here.)

Robot Hunter

Unlock 10 Robot Mods

The Most Toys

Build 10 Robot Mods

Fallout 4: Automatron adds four new main story missions to the base game, as well as one sidequest. The main storyline should honestly not take you a lot of time to get through- and simply finishing it nets you some of the best equipment that Automatron has to offer, so unlike with the story in the base game, actually paying attention to the story missions is actually recommended here.

Fallout 4 Automatron DLC is now available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC platforms. The game is developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks.

Check out the video walkthrough of Fallout 4 Automatron DLC below and let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below. For video game guides, tips and wikis, check out our gaming portal here.

The four story missions are:

• Mechanical Menace
• A New Threat
• Headhunting
• Restoring Order

The one sidequest in the DLC is called Rogue Robot:

Fallout 4: Automatron is the first of the three currently announced planned expansions for Fallout 4. Automatron adds robotic enemies to the game (which makes sense, given that the story focuses on synths, and the conflict they sometimes inadvertently, and other times consciously, create in human society), as well as the ability to harvest their electronic corpses to create new robotic companions for yourself.

It will also, obviously, add new Achievements to the game- and now we know what those will be, since they are on Steam right now (with the Fallout Wiki also adding descriptions and instructions for each of them). So basically, I guess you can get a jump start on obtaining all of these Achievements by familiarizing yourself with how you get them in the first place on either of those pages.

Fallout 4: Automatron will be the first of three planned DLC packs in the first wave of post launch support for Fallout 4. It will be followed up by Wasteland Workshop in April, and Far Harbor in May. You can currently buy the Season Pass, and get access to all three of these DLC packs, as well as all future unannounced DLC as well, for $30 until March 1.

After weeks of rumors, Bethesda finally announced its plans for the Season Pass of DLC for Fallout 4 earlier this week. Almost immediately after the announcement, the Season Pass package for the PC became the top seller, by a pretty comfortable margin on Steam. When looking at what Bethesda has in store and how they are rolling it out, it really shouldn’t surprise anyone that people are snapping it up.

Obviously the fact that the new content sounds interesting, and quite in depth when looking at Far Harbor is one selling point. The other is the fact that in a couple of weeks, the price is going to almost double. Bethesda apparently got more out of its season pass than it first expected and when it announced its new content it also announced that when it launches the Season Pass price will go from $30 to $50. Announcing that those who purchased the Season Pass before its launch won’t have to pay that extra $20 has likely done exactly what Bethesda hoped it would.

Bethesda has said that the three pieces of DLC that are coming in March, April and May are already worth more than $30 combined. That doesn’t even take into account that there will be more DLC later in the year that hasn’t been announced. With the massive size of Far Harbor, the company has said that even if you buy the Season Pass once it goes up to $50, you’ll still be getting good value for your money when the rest of the content launches. Fallout 4 will have four add-ons about the same size of the $25 Far Harbor, meaning that purchased individually, the DLC will run more than $100 and that’s without taking the smaller new content such as Automatron into account. That makes the season pass at its current price an incredible value.

Well, this is something that Bethesda’s actual games need- they would probably launch in a better state than they do right now. Bethesda have announced that they will be holding beta tests for all upcoming Fallout 4 DLC (the first wave of which was just announced today).

The beta tests will be closed betas, and they will be run on all three versions of the game. Registration for these tests is open right now on Bethesda.net. A Bethesda account is necessary to sign up for these tests, and Bethesda will be selecting testers from the pool of applicants in the coming weeks.

The beta test in each of these cases will be the full, final version of the add on, complete with Achievements/Trophies- and if you are selected to participate in the beta test for an add on, you won’t have to buy it once it releases.

So, not only do you get to play the add ons early, you get to play them for free. I’m pretty much on board with anything like this.

The question of Fallout 4 DLC has been a pertinent one for many- after all, previous Bethesda games, such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 3 had some excellent post launch support in the form of downloadable content. Today, Bethesda finally took the covers off of their planned DLC for Fallout 4– and true to for, it all seems substantial, and really rather excellent, content which will add to, and enhance, the base game a whole lot.

Bethesda will be launching Fallout 4 DLC in waves, and today, they unveiled the first of those waves. The first of the planned DLC packs for Fallout 4 comes as early as next month. And this time, unlike with Skyrim, where all DLC came to Xbox first, all platforms get the DLC at the same time:

• Automatron will launch in March 2016. It will cost $9.99 USD/£7.99 GBP/$16.95 AUD, and add robotic enemies for you to take down across the Commonwealth. Once you do, you can harvest their parts to create and modify your own custom robot companions.
• Wasteland Workshop is even cheaper, at $4.99 USD/£3.99 GBP/$7.95 AUD. It launches in April, and it allows players to craft their own cages to lay traps and capture live specimens of the various fauna you’ll encounter in the Wasteland- from Deathclaws to Raiders, and more. Plus, a whole host of settlement building options will also be added to the game with this add on.
• Far Harbor launches in May, and it is the most substantial addition to Fallout 4 in the first wave. It will set you back by $24.99 USD/£19.99 GBP/$39.95 AUD, and set you off on a new adventure to the mysterious island of Far Harbor off the coast of Maine, where a colony of synths is said to exist. Far Harbor is the single largest DLC or expansion Bethesda have ever worked on, and brings with it a brand new area to navigate, with new settlements, new conflicts to resolve, new sidequests, new factions, new dungeons, and new creatures to square off against.

So yes, starting next month, Bethesda will launch new content for Fallout 4 monthly, to add even more replay value to a game that is already a ridiculous time sink in terms of how much time you can spend playing it.

Fallout 4 is available on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.