Free Fallout 76 Wastelanders expansion will add human NPCs with "full dialogue trees" this fall

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Fallout 76 human NPCs are on the way in the new Wastelanders expansion, which arrives for free this fall. A conversation with a Wastelanders NPC was shown in the reveal trailer during the Bethesda E3 2019 conference, along with a Fallout 76 battle royale mode. It's wild that this is surprising, but the NPCs in Wastelanders will have "full dialogue trees," Bethesda says, featuring stat-driven lines like Perception checks.

"One year after the opening of Vault 76, other humans have returned to Appalachia," the Wastelanders blurb reads. "Factions of Settlers and Raiders aim to make the world their own and claim a rumored fortune. Embark on a new main quest of choice and consequence, interact with characters and their unique stories, discover the faction settlements of Crater and Foundation, and collect powerful new weapons and armor. Your choices decide their fates."

"This is a long-term story we're telling," co-studio director Tom Mustaine said at E3 2019. "Year 1 was about the Vault doors opening and all of you settling the Wasteland. Year 2 is about people coming back to reclaim it. Like previous Fallout games, these characters have their own stories and goals. It's up to you to choose how to interact with them and live with those consequences."

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It sounds like the main quest of the Fallout 76 Wastelanders expansion will let you side with the raiders or the settlers using your wits or your guns. To their credit, the normally cartoonishly evil raiders come across as remarkably empathetic in the trailer, so it might not be an obvious choice. It'll be interesting to see how your choices and consequences affect your Appalachia, and how that ties into the game's multiplayer features. Maybe you and a friend can side with different factions to explore different content and then share what you find, or maybe you should just raid your settler-siding friend for the hell of it. Wastelanders sounds pretty cool either way.

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.