Fallout 76 is an online prequel where every surviving human is a real person. Work together, or not, to survive. Under the threat of nuclear annihilation, you'll experience the largest, most dynamic world ever created in the legendary Fallout universe.

Reclamation Day, 2102. Twenty-five years after the bombs fall, you and your fellow Vault Dwellers — chosen from the nation's best and brightest — emerge into post-nuclear America. Play solo or join together as you explore, quest, build, and triumph against the wasteland's greatest threats.

During its pre-e3 briefing Bethesda revealed a time limited 52 player Battle Royale mode called Nuclear Winter for Fallout 76, which is now being extended.

We’ve been blown away by the reactions and responses we’ve been seeing all week to Nuclear Winter. It has been so amazing to read all your experiences and see everything you’ve been sharing. There are so many incredible up-and-coming Overseers! Vault 51 is lucky.

With all the excitement and popularity, we wanted to let you know that the pre-beta sneak peek of Nuclear Winter will remain on and continue to receive updates, so keep sharing your feedback. There’s more to come! Thank you again for playing, sharing, and being the best community there is.

Nuclear Winter Details

Factions of Raiders and Settlers aim to make the world their own and claim a rumored fortune. Who you side with is up to you, and your choices will determine their fates. Both the Settlers and the Raiders will present you with unique companions, stories and plenty of new weapons and armor to earn. Wastelanders will fundamentally change the way you experience Fallout 76, and it’s set to arrive in fall of 2019.

All of the nukes being dropped on Appalachia have given life to a massive nuclear storm, and you’re stuck in the middle of it. Nuclear Winter is upon us, and this is the setting of Fallout 76’s new 52-player PvP mode. Nuclear Winter handles the battle royale genre in a way that only Fallout can, and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. From Perks and Nukes to Wild Appalachian creatures and C.A.M.P.s, Nuclear Winter is a very S.P.E.C.I.A.L. take on a familiar gameplay mode.

Vault 51’s ZAX computer has initiated these deadly trials in order to ensure the next Overseer of the Vault is the best of the best. Playing and surviving in Nuclear Winter will be your key to progressing through the Overseer ranks and gaining access to new areas of Vault 51, where you’ll uncover some of the Vault’s mysteries.

Nuclear Winter blends the competitive battle royale style with mechanics only Fallout can provide – from Power Armor and Perk cards, to C.A.M.P.s and wasteland creatures. Many of these mechanics have been adjusted to better suit this new gameplay mode and map size, including the stats of your weapons, armor, Chems and more. And while you can carry your Adventure Mode character into Nuclear Winter, their level doesn’t affect how much damage you can inflict or receive. Everyone starts each match on an even playing field. You raise your damage output and increase defensives by tracking down weapons and armor as the match progresses.

The creatures of Wild Appalachia have also been rebalanced in Nuclear Winter. They won’t be as tough to take down and killing them will earn you loot, but you’ll also alert nearby players to your location. Higher tier enemies like the Scorchbeasts drop the best gear in the game. When you pick up armor in Nuclear Winter, you’re not just picking a left arm piece or a right leg piece. All armor pickups contain the full set of armor to help you get stronger faster. Think of Nuclear Winter as the entire Fallout 76 experience, tightly condensed into about 20 minutes.

The C.A.M.P. setup is vastly simplified in Nuclear Winter. You no longer need resources to build and the mode preserves your Blueprints from Adventure Mode, allowing you to quickly drop your creation into the map. Doing so does not affect your C.A.M.P. in Adventure Mode. But be careful where you set up camp, because the ring of fire is still closing in and will make quick work of your settlement. Because setting up your C.A.M.P. no longer require resources, certain items had to be reworked so players aren’t simply dropping in hundreds of turrets at no cost. In Nuclear Winter, turrets are actually lootable items that can be found in boxes around the map or on defeated players.

Nukes have also been reworked for Nuclear Winter. With the reduced map size, they now have a smaller effect and area, though the effect of the nuke drop is persistent and will remain for the rest of the match. In order to launch a nuke, you’ll need to find four nuclear codes and one launch briefcase in a single match.

Nuclear Winter has a grand total of 73 Perk cards for you to unlock and equip; ten of these cards are for this mode only and cannot be carried over to Adventure or Survival Mode. These include Walking Arsenal (combines all the weight reduction benefits for ranged weapons into one card); Frog Legs (increases jump height); and Briefcase Bloodhound (helps you track down nuke briefcases). Each of these Nuclear Winter-exclusive cards is built to better suit the faster pace of this new mode.

For those worried about the competitive implications of VATS, don’t be! Unlike in Adventure Mode and Survival Mode, VATS only works on AI and will not target other players in Nuclear Winter.

What Carries Over?

You can start with a new character, or you can bring a chosen character from Adventure or Survival Mode. Your character’s physical appearance will carry over from Adventure/Survival, but none of your weapons or Perk cards will. You’ll be dropped into Nuclear Winter clad in only a Vault 51 jumpsuit with your trusty Pip-Boy on your wrist, unless you’ve unlocked some fun outfits, which can be equipped from the start in the staging area. All your base game S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats will be brought into Nuclear Winter, but you won’t have any of your Perk cards. Those will be unlocked as you play through the new mode. You also won’t have any of your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. passive bonuses, as those would provide some players with an unfair advantage.

However, if you have previously purchased any cosmetic items in the Atomic Shop, you’ll be able to mark those items as a “Nuclear Winter Favorite” in the Atomic Shop, allowing your character to equip them in Nuclear Winter. This includes outfit cosmetics, profile icons, and Power Armor and weapon skins. When you load up Nuclear Winter, you’ll find all these things in your inventory, ready to equip once the appropriate items are found through the course of the match. For example, you won’t be able to immediately equip your Power Armor skin, because you don’t start Nuclear Winter with Power Armor. You’ll have to find Power Armor in the map, and then you’ll be able to use that skin. When you go back to Adventure Mode or Survival Mode, you’ll bring any XP or Caps you earned in your Nuclear Winter matches and those will go to the character you were playing as.

Players will also complete Challenges in Nuclear Winter, and any rewards from those – new cosmetics, workshop items, etc. – can be used in any mode for any character. Under the watchful “eye” of Vault 51’s ZAX computer, you will rise through the Overseer ranks as you play Nuclear Winter, which will earn you even more bonuses, including unique cosmetics like profile icons, C.A.M.P. plans, Power Armor skins and more. You will also earn Perk cards by increasing your Overseer rank, but any Perks unlocked in Nuclear Winter are exclusive to that mode and do not carry over.

Will you be the last one standing? Find out this week in a free pre-beta sneak peek at Nuclear Winter.

Key Features:

• You will Emerge! Multiplayer finally comes to the epic, open-world RPG. Create your character with the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system and forge a path in an untamed wasteland with hundreds of locations. Whether you journey alone or with friends, a new Fallout adventure awaits. 
• Mountain Splendorland! All-new graphics, lighting and landscape technology brings to life six distinct West Virginia regions. From the forests of Appalachia to the noxious crimson expanses of the Cranberry Bog, each region offers its own risks and rewards. Post-nuclear America has never looked so beautiful!
• A New American Dream! Use the all-new Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform (C.A.M.P.) to build and craft anywhere in the world. Your C.A.M.P. provides much-needed shelter, supplies, and safety. You can even set up shop to trade goods with other survivors. Beware that not everyone will be neighborly.
• The Power of the Atom! Go it alone or with fellow survivors to unlock access to the ultimate weapon: nuclear missiles. This destruction also creates a high-level zone with rare and valuable resources. Do you protect or unleash the power of the atom? The choice is yours.
• B.E.T.A. (Break-It Early Test Application) Access! Pre-order and get access to the Fallout 76 B.E.T.A.

Fallout 76 arrives worldwide for PS4, Xbox One and PC on November 14, 2018.