Fallout 76 shares preliminary patch notes for The Pitt update

It went into PTS this week

Fallout 76 is about to get a whole lot bigger, as folks move up the east coast with The Pitt update. Currently in PTS (public test server) form, the update/expansion, which is focused on Expeditions among other things, will arrive properly later this year. For now, Bethesda has provided a pretty wide-open look at what to expect.

As expected, players can head to Whitespring Refuge to kick off the Expedition mechanic, which is a new quest type that will whisk folks off to locations to complete randomized objects (to start, this is how you’ll access The Pitt [Pittsburgh]). The quests will focus on “Ultracell” batteries, which power the Vertibirds and allow factions to access Expeditions to keep surviving in-universe. The above patch notes break down exactly how the Ultracell charging process works, and how it relates to the Expeditions as a whole (read: you’ll finish daily quests, which in turn charge the battery, which grants access to Expeditions).

Bethesda reminds players that at this point in the PTS, Expeditions are a bit limited in scope, but will eventually grow: “We’re starting this phase of playtesting with a single Mission, titled “Union Dues.” Even though the second Mission option will appear to be available in the menu, it is disabled. We plan to bring the second Mission online in a future PTS update.”

As a reminder, the PTS is now fully moved to Steam at this point in Fallout 76‘s lifecycle, and is no longer tethered to the Bethesda Launcher in any shape or form. For more details on how to migrate all that over to Steam, read this article. But Expeditions and The Pitt aren’t the sole focus of the updating update: you can read more about some ancillary and granular enhancements below.

Fallout 76 The Pitt update additional improvements:

In this PTS playtesting phase, we have included some adjustments to the starting experience for Dwellers who are taking their first steps out of the Vault. The following changes should help players feel more prepared as they begin their journeys in Appalachia.

• Dwellers will now receive the following items as they exit Vault 76:
  • 1x 10mm Pistol with 200 10mm ammo
  • 1x Combat Knife
  • 5x Grenades
  • 1x Light Leather Torso Armor
  • 1x Small Backpack (Players will still need to find and learn the plan in order to craft a Small Backpack.)
  • A variety of consumables, including: Stimpaks, Radaway, Antibiotics, food and water, a Vault-Tec Supply Package, and Scrap and Repair Kits.
• In addition, as Dwellers exit the Vault, they will now receive the “Vault Fed” status. This buff will prevent hunger and thirst from increasing for the next 2 hours.
• Finally, we’ve reduced the resistances and damage for many creatures in the Level 1 – 15 range, which should help smooth out early combat for newer players.