Bethesda Details Fallout 76 PvP, Battle Royale Mode

Fallout 76 has a battle royale mode, because of course it does. Well, it’s somewhat more complicated than that. The mode stands as a practice arena, set to gear you for the inevitable PvP fights you’ll experience in the game. Bethesda explains all in a full PvP combat guide posted at its Fallout blog.

We’ll start with the PvP mode, since it leads up to the loosely described battle royale. Not long ago, Bethesda talked about Fallout 76‘s multiplayer. More notably, the company discussed the reality of griefers who may or may not camp the player’s spawn point of Vault 76. Back then, game director Todd Howard said the team wanted to “turn the assholes into interesting content.” In other words, attacking players would transform you into a wanted target with a bounty placed on your head.

But it seems combat in Fallout 76 is more of a mutual agreement, one you settle with fists and bullets. You can initiate combat with other players by attacking them first. If they respond in kind, a duel begins. Take note that attacking players won’t hurt them by much. Damage is greatly reduced until your opponent agrees to the duel by fighting back. Afterward, attacks retain their full potency. For a visual representation, cast thine eyes to this hilariously goofy fight in gif form:

Thanks, Bethesda. I needed this laugh today.

Worth Their Weight In Caps

Fallout 76 changes things during and after the fight. Once combat begins, a notification appears on the HUD. The warring players disappear from one another’s maps and instead show up as a red dot on the compass at the bottom of the screen. Also displayed on the screen is the cap reward for killing your opponent (paid out of pocket), which changes based on player level. After the fight, the loser drops all their gear on the ground, indicated by a small, paper bag.

You can respawn in one of two ways. The first allows you to come back to the game to pursue vengeance against your foe. You’ll spawn near your prior attacker, and if you manage to take revenge, you get a cap bonus. The other way is to end hostile combat and choose a place to respawn. To avoid any further harassment, there is an option to block your would-be opponent and end communication with them.

Battle Royale With Rads

Without further adieu, let’s talk battle royale. Yes, this insanely popular genre has finally wormed its way into Fallout. Admittedly, it is different than what you would expect. In Fallout 76, initiating this mode requires you to turn to the Hunter/Hunted Radio on your Pip-Boy. Doing so drops you into a match where you’re pitted against at least three others in a large arena of sorts. There, each player is given a target to kill, all the while being hunted in turn.

Fallout 76 gives you one hour to find and assassinate your specific target. The arena size decreases over time, much like prior battle royale games. Killing your foe will automatically swap his or her target to you. The process repeats until you win or someone take you out instead. Killing at least one foe earns you caps and experience points, with the reward increasing the more targets you kill.

For more on the PvP modes for Fallout 76, hit up the blog post. The Fallout 76 beta is currently ongoing for the Xbox One, with the PC version beginning October 30.