Bethesda warns players that Fallout 76’s B.E.T.A. will be filled with bugs

Although Fallout 76 is just three weeks away, Bethesda’s “very new and very scary” attempt at multiplayer is still considered a “work in progress.” As such, this week’s round of “Break it Early Test Application” (B.E.T.A.) is set to carry a number of “unforeseen bugs and issues” that players should expect to run into.

Bethesda’s note primarily thanks fans for their support, while simultaneously asking for a little more patience during its upcoming round of tests for Fallout 76. The studio is aware of a collection of bugs, “such as areas where performance needs to improve with lots of players,” but this unfortunately doesn’t account for everything expected to appear during the beta.

A Note to Our Fans https://t.co/STRzjzv7gt pic.twitter.com/3wlGpnLKKp

— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) October 22, 2018

“We know we’re opening everyone up to all new spectacular issues none of us have encountered,” explains the post. “We need your help finding them, and advice on what’s important to fix. We’ll address all of it, now and after launch.”

The buggy beta, much like the single-player counterparts, is attributed to the sheer “scale” of the game. And with “a game world four times the size” of the last map Bethesda created, players should expect a jump in the number of issues that need stomping out. Fortunately, this is what a beta is for and there still seems like there’s plenty of fun things to do in the wasteland.

Bethesda announced the return of three mainstay factions on its Twitter page, while introducing two brand new ones. The Brotherhood of Steel, Enclave and Raiders will all be prominent despite the lack of non-playable characters (NPCs), while Free States and the Responders step foot into the wasteland for the first time.

November 2077, a month after the Great War, army Captain Roger Maxson arrived with survivors at the Californian bunker of Lost Hills. There he formed the Brotherhood of Steel, who used a functioning satellite to extend their reach across America… all the way to Appalachia. pic.twitter.com/NjcX8NVGMj

— Fallout (@Fallout) October 17, 2018

Fans initially had issues with the return of the Brotherhood of Steel given how the Fallout timeline is stitched together. The earliest recorded emergence of the Brotherhood takes place 50 years after Fallout 76, however Bethesda explains that the faction had been sending out messages from their bunkers. This was picked up by a West Virginian military outfit that inevitably established an offshoot of the Brotherhood.

The Enclave is also one that is separate to the original Fallout’s Master. This faction will be using strategic points “hidden somewhere deep in Appalachia” to reform the US government and take back control of America.

Just before the bombs fell, US leadership re-located to a remote Oil Rig off the coast of San Francisco. The Enclave’s mission – to re-establish governmental control of America from key locations, like a secret bunker hidden somewhere deep in Appalachia… #Fallout76 pic.twitter.com/ISnqcVwheE

— Fallout (@Fallout) October 21, 2018

The Raiders are almost self-explanatory at this point, acting as a “ruthless, selfish, bloodthirsty scourges of the wasteland.” This time, their “enigmatic leader” Rose has a mysterious past set to be questioned during Fallout 76.

Of the new factions, the Free States are “doomsday preppers” that were fully equipped to deal with the nuclear fallout. Their bunkers allowed them to survive the blast, but just how long it will enable the survival of the faction remains in question.

On October 23, 2077, the world was plunged into nuclear war. But what if you expected the worst? And planned for it? In Appalachia, a group of doomsday preppers did exactly that. Organized as the Free States, they holed up in their bunkers. And survived. At least, for a while… pic.twitter.com/a85PAvAVCQ

— Fallout (@Fallout) October 20, 2018

Lastly, the Responders are “the first to run into danger: the brave fire fighters, police officers and medical professionals who selflessly served their communities.” This seems like a very teamwork-based faction whose mission is to “help each other… no matter the cost.”

KitGuru Says: Bugs aren’t particularly surprising, especially for a beta, but Bethesda’s ongoing approach to fixing issues is certainly new. Will you be testing out the B.E.T.A.? Do you plan to pick up Fallout 76 when it launches?

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