Can you play Fallout 76 single player? And should you?

Can you play Fallout 76 single player? Yes and no, depending on what you're hoping to get out of the game. You can totally run events and most missions solo, with little or no need of others but late stage, end game stuff? You might need other people online. At least Chat and griefing is for the large part rare but there are some elements of playing trying to play Fallout 76 single player can get a littler trickier.

Fallout 76’s online world is the perfect way to explore its prequel setting and tell a fresh story

Do you have to play with other players in Fallout 76?

Short answer no. There's nothing for the majority of the game that will stop you shunning all human contact. None of the core missions require you play with anyone, and as long as you're a high enough level you should be able to manage most threats. Later game, as you journey to higher level areas, you might want to take some time to grind if you're going solo, but for the most part you can work though the quests you find unbothered. If you do come across another survivor, just walk away: as long as you don't attack them or interact with them there's little they can really do apart from get in your eyeline.

You'll basically have to opt in if you want human contact. Mainly through joining public events when they appear on the map. Even these can be soloed but by their nature you're more likely to meet people. Then there are the nuclear blasts that create high level areas. If you go to one of these there will be people everywhere trying to score high level loot. Again, you don't have to talk to anyone but you'll all basically be fighting together and with high level creatures rampaging, you won't survive long in isolation.

Do you have to talk to other players?

No. As long as you leave people alone, it’s safe to assume they’ll stay away from you. The map is big enough for you to be able to avoid other players, plus you can always see other players’ location on the map so you can plan where to go next to get the most peace and quiet possible. The only thing I've heard so far from another player was the sound of someone munching crisps. I, on the other hand, found myself unintentionally talking out loud to players before shutting the hell up when I realised my mic was on.

Will other Fallout 76 players kill me for fun?

They can try but - and this is a big but - PvP is only initiated if you fight back. Do nothing and the damage they can do to you is so minor as to be meaningless. Just walk away and they'll get board after a while. When two players exchange any direct damage (mainly shooting and melee) you'll enter a PvP state with real damage and be able to fight to the death. Players, who instigate attacks and succeed, will be branded a murder on the map with an open bounty any other player can collect. So things are really weighed against causing trouble.

Can I block players or opt out of PvP?

Yup. Blocking players won’t remove them from that play session unless you log out, though. Instead it prevents them from hearing your voice chat and vice versa, and automatically refuses any trade or team invitations they might send you. You can opt out of PvP by enabling Pacifist Mode, but that doesn’t prevent anyone from hurting you. Pacifist Mode means you can't hurt anyone, so if someone starts to attack you they are guaranteed to always deal reduced damage and be branded as Wanted if they un-alive you.

Is there enough story to keep me busy if I play alone?

Yep. As we said, pretty much all the game can be soloed. However, it's worth pointing out that when you get further on in the main quest and find yourself exploring Cranberry Bog you really need to over-level and ensure you're at a minimum of level 50. Otherwise you're going to be a bright red squish on the ground in five seconds flat. As a rule, it's always wise to tackle main quests later after you've got side quests out of the way, as you're going to want to be as a high a level as possible to take on the tasks Fallout 76 is going to be throwing your way.