Fallout 4 DLC announced, three packs incoming with more on the way

Bethesda today announced three new Fallout 4 DLC packs, and says that many more are on the way. In fact, the publisher plans to release "more than $60 worth of content in 2016", which is phenomenal news for console gamers. However, there's a bit of bad news: the season pass' price tag has increased.

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Before we dive into the three new add-ons--Automotron, Wasteland Workshop, and Far Harbor--let's talk a little bit about Bethesda's content roadmap. The studio will release a slew of new add-on DLC packs throughout this year, but to adjust for this revised plan, the Season Pass has jumped up to $50.

PC gamers will actually get to beta test these DLC packs out before release, and keep them for no extra cost. You'll have to sign up here, though. Now let's move onto the DLC!

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First up is Automotron, which costs $10 by itself and releases in March. This DLC is robot-centric and will add in a host of new quests and robot baddies to dispel, creating a very 1950's style sci-fi twist to things. Hopefully we'll get a ton of new robot renders and meshes, and players will get a huge assortment of new mods be able to create their own robot companions.

"The mysterious Mechanist has unleashed a horde of evil robots into the Commonwealth, including the devious Robobrain. Hunt them down and harvest their parts to build and mod your own custom robot companions. Choose from hundreds of mods; mixing limbs, armor, abilities, and weapons like the all-new lightning chain gun. Even customize their paint schemes and choose their voices!"

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Second we have Wasteland Workshop, a $5 settlement kit similar to Hearthfire that also turns Fallout 4 into a kind of Pokemon adventure. Players can make custom cages to capture Wasteland creatures, and it looks like you can even host Thunderdome-style fights against terrifying beasts. Epic! The mod adds in a host of new content to work settlement magic, including tube lighting, letter kits, and taxidermy.

"With the Wasteland Workshop, design and set cages to capture live creatures - from raiders to Deathclaws! Tame them or have them face off in battle, even against your fellow settlers. The Wasteland Workshop also includes a suite of new design options for your settlements like nixie tube lighting, letter kits, taxidermy and more!"

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Last but certainly not least is Far Harbor, a huge $25 DLC that's slated to release in May. Far Harbor is the biggest of the bunch, and pairs players with the gumshoe Nick Valentine to solve the mystery behind a missing woman. It'll be an old-school detective story that takes players to the brand new island of Far Harbor, which is racked with horrible radiation to make twisted wildlife. This one sounds like the best of the bunch, and I for one am super excited to see if the secret harpoon gun makes an appearance.

"A new case from Valentine's Detective Agency leads you on a search for a young woman and a secret colony of synths. Travel off the coast of Maine to the mysterious island of Far Harbor, where higher levels of radiation have created a more feral world. Navigate through the growing conflict between the synths, the Children of Atom, and the local townspeople. Will you work towards bringing peace to Far Harbor, and at what cost? Far Harbor features the largest landmass for an add-on that we've ever created, filled with new faction quests, settlements, lethal creatures and dungeons. Become more powerful with new, higher-level armor and weapons. The choices are all yours."

There you have it! Those are the first three DLC packs, and honestly they all look pretty good. Of course you can pick up all of these packs and get access to future content with the new $50 season pass, or just buy them separately. I'm sure Bethesda will catch some flak with the price hike, especially since a ton of gamers have already purchased the pass, so you may want to hold off for a bit before pulling the trigger if you haven't already.

Now that Bethesda has introduced its DLC roadmap we may see the game's full modding tools pushed back a bit so the studio can collect on DLC sales. Hopefully Fallout 4's GECK launches soon so gamers can create their own DLC-specific adventures.

And where is console mod support? We probably won't learn more until Bethesda's E3 2016 showcase. But for now, we definitely have something concrete to look forward to.

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