It’s not optimized for ideal gameplay, but it tells a story in and of itself. I start with my SPECIAL array: the allotment of Abigail’s Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck. How, then, can I ensure that my role-playing comes across to my new neighbors as authentic and true? I cannot channel wine mom energy, and I’ve never been part of a homeowner’s association.

Image: Bethesda Game Studios/Bethesda Softworks via Polygon Interior design I made Abigail the head of the HOAPAA (Homeowner’s Association of Post-Apocalyptic Appalachia), and I gave her one job: to bring some class to this scrap heap my fellow players call a neighborhood.Īnd that is how Abigail entered the world. I imbued my Abigail with the soul of Prindel Blatch, bestowing upon her a respect for the rules, an obsession with small details, and an overwhelming need to be deep in other people’s business. On mountains! Near dirty water! They’re just building shacks with turrets out front, and their lawns are a mess. People are just building their CAMPs wherever they want. Whereas most people in the world of Anthem are worried about foolish things like “the survival of humanity” or “glory in a broken world,” Prindel Blatch spoke to me at length about the cluster of power cords someone left in a hallway, or how to manage crowds through civic regulation.Īs an NPC, Prindel Blatch slaps extremely hard, forcing me to answer questions like “is cord management important?” and “are there too many people in this room?” A Prindel Blatch type is precisely what the world of Fallout 76 needs. Blatch has remained seared onto my brain. You might remember Prindel Blatch as an NPC in Anthem, assuming you remember anything about Anthem. I needed to harness the powerful energy of Prindel Blatch. So I sought out a proven dramatic template. I knew Abigail couldn’t simply be another paper-thin wine mom stereotype.

The answer, I have come to learn, is Abigail Havelock: Appalachia’s own wine mom.

Now that I know that Fallout 76 will reward me for playing a consistent character, I have decided it’s high time to get started on the path to self-actualization, to find my forever character. Some days, I’d just head out and explore, killing hordes of giant sloths and Scorched. The next, I’d bulk up in mercenary-looking gear to guard my friend’s shop.

One day, I’d be a scavenger wearing Enclave armor. I acted as a chameleon, taking on whatever role I needed to make it through each session. Needless to say, the promise of NPCs has forced me to abandon my prior strategy for surviving the post-apocalypse. The additions will be part of the upcoming Wastelanders update and, to prepare for them, I have totally changed how I play the game - for the better. Bethesda announced at E3 2019 that non-player characters are coming to Fallout 76, reversing one of the most striking decisions made about the game’s initial design.

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