Fallout 76 to get universal level scaling, legendary perks, and more

Fallout 76 will continue expanding in 2020 with user-requested features like legendary perks, a huge enemy level scaling system, and CAMP enhancements.

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Bethesda is making a big commitment to salvaging, changing, and evolving Fallout 76. The big new Wastelanders update, which adds in human NPCs, dialog, and instanced areas, is a massive step forward for the game. But it's just the first step in a long series of content drops planned for the online-only Fallout.

In a recent PAX East stream, Fallout 76 devs outlined what's next for the survival sim after Wastelanders. As it turns out there's still quite a bit on the way, including an expansive new universal leveling system that automatically scales enemies to your level regardless of where you are, as well as an enhanced perk system that adds new avenues for creative builds.

"We have a packed calendar this year for content coming beyond Wastelanders that we're excited to share with you at a future event. It will include such exciting things as legendary perks.

"We are going to let players level 50 and up to take part in a new perk system where you'll be able to slot in a new perk and also scrap existing cards that you have filling in your card inventory," Fallout 76 project lead Jeff Gardiner said in a recent PAX East stream.

"We're also looking at re-normalizing the game. We are going to re-balance the game, and we're calling it One Wasteland experience like the One Tamriel experience TESO did a while ago."

The goal with the scaling system is to open the game up and let anyone go anywhere in irradiated Appalachia without being locked out. Right now, Fallout 76's map is carved up into level zones of increasing difficulty, forcing lower-level gamers to stay to specific areas and farm gear and EXP.

With the new update, these players would be free to travel across the entire map.

"The One Wasteland experience basically makes the whole world viable for you again at any level," said Fallout 76 design director Mark Tucker.

"We're going to normalize enemies to be at your level, but even better it normalizes to your friends' level too so you can play together. I think this is going to be a much more multiplayer friendly world because if you're level 300 and one of your friends joins the game you can team up and play together and both have a really good time."

The idea here is simple: Bethesda wants more people to play without restriction. The more freedom players are given, the more likely they are to keep playing to explore and experience new things rather than being cordoned off low-level locales with easier monsters.

Accessibility is huge for any service game and it's one of the biggest things Bethesda can do aside from going free-to-play.

"It makes it so players are interacting more with the world. There's no high level zones and low level zones where people are ignoring each other. We're really excited for that. It's been a big comment from PTS as well," Gardiner continued.

Construction mavens won't be left out, either. Bethesda plans to roll out new updates that boost and enhance overall CAMP features. Gamers have been calling for bigger resource budgets for a while now and it's good the team is listening.

"And last I know there's a lot of builders in our game. We're going to make a real big effort into making your CAMP budgets bigger, make different ways to build, new exciting ways to interact with the game, and keep it alive. We want to support to builders."

There's no ETA on any of these features, and we're not sure if any--or all--of them are coming in 2020.

Wastelanders however will go live on April 7, 2020 as a free update on all platforms, including Fallout 76's new home on Steam.