Fallout 76’s first ‘season’ and the long-awaited public teams feature are now live

As well as multi-factor authentication

Fallout 76 is still chugging along, coasting off of its free Wastelanders update, but there’s more work to be done. The game is getting one of its biggest quality of life changes yet alongside of a potential seasonal cash grab, depending on how it’s handled going forward (so far it’s fairly innocuous, but Bethesda could always pull an Activision with it).

Yes folks, the premium price tag and a subscription service weren’t enough: now Fallout 76 is joining the online shooter “seasonal” craze, complete with the option of buying ranks for atoms (premium currency) in a few weeks. The service is free for all right now, but according to the seasonal FAQ, the team “may add Fallout 1st” (subscription pass) options in the future. You can find that full rundown here, including a nice breakdown of the items.

The biggest part of the update for me is public teams. This is huge, as now players can actually group up with an incentive (more XP/bonus stats), allowing the world to feel less lifeless during play sessions. In short all you have to do is choose the public team option from a menu, then search or create your own party based on specific goals (hunting, roleplaying, event-focus, exploration, building or casual play). It’s great.

In other news, nearly 100 glitches have been fixed, from animation issues to server problems to major building-based bugs. That’s par for the course for a Fallout 76 update though, as there’s hundreds more to still squish out and more will inevitably pop up because of this patch. You can catch the patch notes for the seasonal drop and public teams below, and read the full Update 20 patch notes here.

Inside the Vault [Bethesda.net]

UPDATE 20 HIGHLIGHTS

• 76 Seasons: Earn S.C.O.R.E. to rank up and claim tons of stellar new rewards with our all-new progression system, which brings a major overhaul for Challenges.
• The Legendary Run: Our first 10-week Season begins today! Race across the galaxy against the evil Dr. Zorbo and unlock unique cosmetics, in-game currencies, and much more along the way.
• Public Teams: Use the Social Menu to easily find, join, or form a Public Teams that bring players together under shared team goals and offer themed in-game buffs.

UPDATE VERSION

Check below for the update version and download size for today’s patch on your platform of choice:

• PC (Bethesda.net): 1.3.2.10 (4.0 GB)
• PC (Steam): 1.3.2.10 (4.3 GB)
• PS4: 1.3.2.9 (11.2 GB)
• Xbox: 1.3.2.9 (11.6 GB)

76 SEASONS— EARN S.C.O.R.E., RANK UP, CLAIM REWARDS!

Today’s patch adds the new 76 Seasons system to the game, which includes a new account-wide progression system that will overhaul our current Challenges and offer you lots of in-game rewards. Our first Season is called “The Legendary Run” and everyone can join in the fun and start earning rewards for free immediately following today’s patch maintenance.

We’ve highlighted how 76 Seasons and The Legendary Run will work below. If you’d like even more details, please check out our recent Inside the Vault article or visit the Seasons page on Fallout.com.

RACE AMONG THE STARS

• We’ve added a new option on the Main Menu for The Legendary Run, which you can access to view the Season 1 progression screen, keep track of your progress, and preview all available rewards.
  • The Legendary Run progression screen features a Captain Cosmos-inspired boardgame, in which you will race across the galaxy against the evil Dr. Zorbo.
  • Your progression is represented as spaceship gamepiece on the board. Can you beat Dr. Zorbo to the finish line before the 10-week Season comes to an end?
• You will begin “The Legendary Run” at Rank 1, and you can advance your position on the board by earning S.C.O.R.E. through your Daily and Weekly Challenges. These include completing Public Events and leveling up your character.
  • Every time you reach a new Rank, you will be able to claim a new reward, like unique armors, C.A.M.P. items, weapon skins, Power Armor paints, consumables, Perk Card Packs, Atoms—even in-game currencies, like Scrip, Caps, or Gold Bullion!
  • There are 100 Ranks to achieve in total during Season 1, and more than 40 new cosmetic items up for grabs along the way.
  • All players will play using the same progression and reward path, which means everyone is working towards the same rewards through the entire season.
• Starting two weeks after The Legendary Run begins, players will have the option to spend 150 Atoms to immediately unlock the next rank and claim its reward.
  • Please note: Ranks must be purchased individually and in order.

TAKE ON NEW CHALLENGES

• Daily and Weekly Challenges have received significant updates with today’s patch.
  • Daily and Weekly Challenges now award S.C.O.R.E. instead of Atoms, and completing them is the primary way to progress during a Season.
  • Nuclear Winter Daily and Weekly Challenges now award S.C.O.R.E. in addition to their other rewards.
  • We’ve streamlined the Daily and Weekly Challenges you receive so that they are more straightforward and easier to complete.
  • We’ve also changed the number of Challenges you receive on a daily and weekly basis so that they are more predictable and consistent.
• You can access your Daily and Weekly Challenges directly from The Legendary Run progression screen while you’re in a game world.
  • If you would like to keep an eye on your progress toward specific Challenges, you can add them to the Challenge Tracker from the Challenge menu.
• Lifetime Challenges, like Character, Social, World Challenges, and etc., have not been changed. They still grant the same Atom rewards that they did prior to today’s update.

CLAIM YOUR PRIZES

• After ranking up, head back to The Legendary Run progression screen to claim your rewards directly from the corresponding Rank on the gameboard.
  • When you unlock consumables, like Repair Kits, or in-game currencies, like Caps, they will only apply to one of your characters. Make sure to select the character that you want to receive the reward.
  • Ranks are account bound and their rewards cannot be earned more than once per Season.
• Learn more about the rewards you can unlock during The Legendary Run, including Lunchbox consumables, the Ammo Converter, and more by visiting our recent Season 1 Kickoff article on Fallout.com.

PUBLIC TEAMS

Our new Public Teams system makes grouping up with others easier than ever, and offers special bonuses to players who choose to play together toward a shared team goal.

JOIN A PUBLIC TEAM!

• We’ve added a new “Public Teams” tab to the top of the Social Menu that you can select to browse all Public Teams in your current world, join one, or create a team of your own.
  • Every Public Team has its own Team Goal set by the Team Leader, like Exploration or Events, which can help you find like-minded players to join.
  • Public Teams can have up to four members at once, so as long as there is an open spot you can click one of the teams in the list to join it immediately.
• You can also open the Map to see where current Public Teams are in Appalachia, and join them from there.
  • Team Leaders display special icons showing their current goal, and you can click on them to view additional details before choosing to join the team.

CREATE YOUR OWN TEAM

• To start your own Public Team, hit the “Create New Team” button in the Public Teams tab in the Social Menu.
  • Next, select a goal for your team. There are currently six to choose from: Hunting, Roleplay, Events, Exploration, Building, or Casual.
  • Once you’ve selected a goal, all players in your current world will receive a notification that a new Public Team is available.
  • Your Public Team notification will not appear to players you’ve blocked and vice versa.
• Multiple Public Teams of the same type can exist at once, so you can choose any Team Goal you wish.
  • As the Team Leader, you can freely change your Team Goal at any time using the Social Menu.
  • If needed, you also have the ability to kick or block any players from your Public Team.
• You can also invite your friends or other players to form a private team with you, and then convert it into a Public Team at a later time using the Social Menu.
  • Please note: Teams formed from the game’s Main Menu or by direct invite will always begin as private teams.

TEAM GOALS AND BONDS

• While on a Public Team, you will receive a small buff that’s themed to align with your current Team Goal.
• Over time, you and your new teammates will form Bonds, and each bonded teammate you have will add another stack to your Team Goal buff.
• Here are all of the current Team Goals and their associated bonuses:
  • Hunting – Bonus: +25% XP for Legendary Kills (100% for a fully bonded team)
  • Roleplay – Bonus: +1 Charisma (+4 for a fully bonded team)
  • Events – Bonus: +25% XP for completing Events (100% for a fully bonded team)
  • Exploration – Bonus: +1 Endurance (+4 for a fully bonded team)
  • Building – Bonus: +1 Intelligence (+4 for a fully bonded team)
  • Casual – Bonus: +1 Luck (+4 for a fully bonded team)

While you are on a Public Team, there are a few additional things you may wish to keep in mind:

• Your teammates will likely be focused on their current Team Goal. Be sure to join a team that matches your interests, or create a team of your own if you don’t find the type of team you are looking for in your world.
• You and your teammates will not be able to build in each other’s C.A.M.P.s. However, you can still do this by forming or joining a normal “private” team.
• You also cannot open locked doors or containers that your Public Teammates have built without becoming Wanted.