Explain all of its DLC expansions and if they are worth it
While Fallout 76 never quite up to expectations, Fallout 4 was a commercial and critical success. With many fans indifferent to Fallout 76 but wanting their dose of the post-apocalyptic and retro-futuristic world, Fallout 4 is arguably the best option with tons of content to explore. Even with the huge open worlds of Fall, avid gamers will eventually explore all the offerings in the world; as such, DLC can be great for invigorating a game with new content. Fall has a well-established track record of interesting DLC, and the DLC for Fallout: New Vegas in particular is very memorable for the most part Fall Fans.
Fallout 4 has three story-based DLC expansions, three workshop add-ons, and a high-res texture pack. All of them have pros and cons, but some fans who are primarily story driven and less interested in Workshop mechanics will prefer the story DLC, and vice versa. The reception of the different DLCs has been varied, and some have more content than others. There is a season pass to access all of this content for those interested, although it may be more beneficial to purchase them separately depending on one’s particular preferences.
Automaton
The first one Fallout 4 The DLC released was Automatron, and as the name suggests, it was about robots. Automatron sees the lone survivor investigating the mysterious Mechanic, with a variety of new support characters introduced. While this DLC is a bit buggy, as Bethesda is known for, it introduces an exciting mechanic that allows players to modify their robot companions or build entirely new automatons. The questline is heavy with combat, and upon release, this DLC received pretty mixed reviews. However, Automatron has a lot of fans, many find the questline rewarding and the new mechanics quite fun.
Wasteland Workshop
The second DLC for Fallout 4 is an extension of the workshop. The settlement building was a new mechanic brought in Fallout 4, and some gamers quickly got creative with it. As such, additional craftable items were welcome additions; the Wasteland Workshop adds a few more, including the ability to build cages to trap animals and enemies. Players can then build arenas and stage fights between their captured enemies. Upon release, the response to Wasteland Workshop was not great, but much of that hinged on expectations for a more robust DLC. In retrospect, Wasteland Workshop adds a number of exciting new decorating possibilities that are certainly more suited to those who enjoy building settlements.
Far harbor
Far Harbor is the most well received Fallout 4 addition. This DLC introduces several factions and a host of new characters, including Fallout 4 favorite, Nick Valentine. What gamers love about Far Harbor is its complex narrative with multiple choices that come close to what fans love about the Fall series as a whole. There is a huge amount of content to explore in Far Harbor, including a brand new island. The story is better lived than explained, but for fans of Fall, especially those who enjoy storytelling, this DLC is worth checking out.
Gear workshop
The Contraptions Workshop DLC adds even more buildable items for settlements, such as displays for armor and weapons. Like the previous Workshop Expansion, this is best suited for players who enjoy building colonies, but generally this Workshop Expansion is considered to have more functional than decorative items, despite a few cool additions to create a swollen colony like elevators. This DLC also received mixed reviews and was seen as a modest addition to Fallout 4. Therefore, the Building Workshop should be a thoughtful purchase based on how much use a player would use of their available items.
Vault-Tec workshop
By far the most interesting feature of Fallout 4 fifth DLC, Vault-Tec Workshop, is that players can build their own vault. The vaulted shelters being emblematic pieces of the Fall franchise, the gimmick of being able to build them was enough to sell many players on this DLC. The Vault-Tec Workshop also includes a short storyline and new achievements, but should once again appeal to fans of settlement building. Unlike other Workshop expansions, Vault-Tec might be of interest to general players as building a safe is such an exciting possibility. Beyond building the vault, this DLC doesn’t offer a huge amount of additional content, and knowing that will help expectations come in.
Nuka-World
Fallout 4 the final story addition, Nuka-World, didn’t quite live up to the previous story additions. Like Far Harbor, Nuka-World introduces new locations, characters, and factions, but many players think the storyline looks like any other quest rather than Fallout 4 great conclusion. The locations players can explore in this DLC are impressive and expansive, and it likely would have received better gameplay-based reviews if it wasn’t for the final story addition. A major part of Nuka-World is giving players the chance to live out their dreams of a Raider and take on the role of an evil character. Players who like to play as a raider will likely enjoy this DLC, but players who don’t like it might be disappointed with the DLC offerings.
High resolution texture pack
The latest DLC released for Fallout 4 is only available on PC and is just a texture pack to improve the look of the game. Naturally, gamers will need a decent computer to run this, and at 58GB, this is a significant pack. Since this DLC is free, PC players with enough space and wanting to see the game in a higher resolution can shoot. However, it’s worth knowing ahead of time that many gamers said they didn’t notice much of a change in resolution, especially for the storage used.
For all Fall fans who miss playing the games eagerly awaiting a new entry, Fallout 4 has a pretty diverse lineup of DLC to explore. Some definitely seem more profitable than others, but ultimately it depends on what players enjoyed the most about the base game. Fallout 76 has also continually updated its content and performance, so it may be worth revisiting, especially since Fallout 5 seems far away.
Fallout 4 is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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