Fallout 76's brewing and distilling systems sound like a drunken good time

Last week, Bethesda revealed a colossal roadmap for Fallout 76 detailing the many free updates coming to West Virginia later this year, and now it's giving us a look at the very first addition. On March 12, you'll be able to branch out into brewing and distilling, crafting your own Nukashine grog, concocting drinks that will offer in-game buffs, and even hanging out with a drunken robot.

The latest Inside the Vault blog post goes into great detail on the new crafting system, made possible by the Brewing Station workbench. You can't just jump right into making your own craft beer that'll be the envy of all your hipster friends, though - you'll first need to complete the "Wasted on Nukashine" quest, which is fittingly set near the Vault-Tec University campus. Following a booze-stained trail of clues will lead you to speakeasy where Biv, "Appalachia's tipsiest robot," will teach you how to brew Nukashine and give you the blueprint for the Brewing Station so you can get your makeshift bar set up in your C.A.M.P.

As always, you should drink responsibly, even in Fallout 76. "Be mindful of the refreshments you toss back: while each will impart you with a temporary buff, they also each bring a drawback and, just like real life, will result in a mild hangover," says Bethesda. In a cool bit of flavorful design, drinks like wines and spirits need to be aged in a Fermenter (also provided by Biv) before you can get to chugging. Their effects will even increase the longer you let them ferment, so you might just make some wine that appreciates in value (be it gameplay or sentimental) over time.

Said effects are the primary reason you'll want to brew your own adult beverages, as they come with thematic pros and cons to incentivize a bit of drunken revelry. For instance, Firecracker Whiskey demonstrates the properties of Fresh and Vintage effects depending on its fermentation: the former will cause your melee attacks to set both you and your enemies on fire, and the latter will have the added bonus of also enhancing your ballistics with fire-starting properties. A mug of Hoppy Hunter beer will increase your scope stability and damage versus animals while reducing VATS accuracy, while the disgusting-sounding mixed drink Tick Blood Tequila Sunrise gives melee attacks the chance to either induce a disease or alleviate your hunger.

Those are but a few of the many drink recipes you'll be able to craft at the Brewing Station, and part of the fun in making your own alcohol will be seeing what kinds of wild effects they'll induce when imbibed. Biv will offer two repeatable daily quests to help mixologists expand their repertoire, either by learning additional recipes or sampling strange beverages. If you're eager to get sloshed and start inviting friends over for wine flights and drinking games, March 12 is going to kick off the Wild Appalachia party right.

In other amusing wasteland news, Fallout 76 players set up in-game police department to protect and serve low level wasteland wanderers.