Fallout 76: Steel Reign Update’s Best New Content For Long-Time Fans

Steel Reign, the latest update for Fallout 76, was launched earlier this July as a conclusion of the Brotherhood of Steel questline introduced earlier on in the game. It’s one of many major free updates to come to Fallout 76 since its launch, and part of what seems to be Bethesda’s ongoing efforts to make up for the highly critical reception the game received during its initial release. Although most of Fallout 76‘s updates contain content from or references to other Fallout games, there are several specific aspects of Steel Reign that should prove exciting to returning fans of the Fallout series.

The Steel Reign update’s new features seemed geared towards familiar Fallout fans from the get-go, centering around the series’ iconic Brotherhood of Steel and significantly expanding on the faction’s storyline. Along with new story content, Fallout 76 also received some gameplay changes thanks to the newest update, which should hopefully breathe some new life into the title. In particular, a recurring issue with Fallout 76 is the lack of playability during its endgame, and Steel Reign will hopefully prove to have helped resolve that. The update also adds a few more roleplaying elements to Fallout 76, which is a welcome addition given how devoid the game was of them at launch.

Despite its rocky start upon release, Fallout 76 has come a long way since 2018, and Steel Reign is the game’s eighth major free upgrade. Other changes have included the addition of human NPCs, faction reputation, and other fan-favorite features that were mostly absent from Fallout 76 upon launch. The Wastelanders update in particular did a lot to help Fallout 76 feel more like a proper Fallout title, bringing in some of the colorful characters and dialogue the franchise is known for. It could be argued that Bethesda has tried to make each subsequent update to Fallout 76 remain friendly to new players. However, like most of the game’s previous expansions, Steel Reign has quite a few features that should prove exciting to long-time Fallout fans in particular.

Fallout 76 Now Has More Characters, Items, And Caps

Steel Reign hands players more purchasing power, increasing the total player limit of Fallout 76‘s caps from 30,000 up to 40,000. It also introduces Minerva, a rotating vendor that sells rare plans and recipes. She can be found in her camp at one of three locations each week, although the selection is random. She deals in gold bouillon, the player cap of which has likewise been increased from 5,000 to 10,000. Vendor limits have also been increased, as has both the vendor limit and maximum player cap of scrip. Beyond that, there are new areas to explore on top of the quests added thanks to the expansion of the Brotherhood of Steel questline. However, another more exciting feature, at least for dedicated Fallout fans, comes in the form of some of the items that Steel Reign introduced to Fallout 76.

The Hellcat power armor is one such addition. Power armor has frequently served as something of an unofficial icon for the Fallout series, appearing in the cover art of most games and serving as a major feature gameplay-wise. The Hellcat power armor is the latest of several different power armor sets available in Fallout 76, and adds a bit more customization into the game – or another item for power armor collectors to keep an eye out for. Another noteworthy new item is the Face Breaker, a unique unarmed weapon that’s similar to the power fist featured in Fallout 4. One of Steel Reign‘s new housing items is a cryogenic bed, another likely reference to Fallout 4, which starts out with players emerging from cryogenic stasis after a Vault-Tec experiment gone wrong.

Steel Reign Brings Fallout 76’s Brotherhood Of Steel Back

The Brotherhood of Steel was a central feature of Steel Dawn, which was Fallout 76‘s sixth major update released in late 2020. It added new NPCs and an entirely new questline based around the arrival of one of the series’ most well-known factions. It effectively served as the first chapter in the Brotherhood of Steel’s story within Fallout 76. Given that the Brotherhood of Steel has previously appeared in every mainline Fallout title since the series first began, their return was readily welcomed by long-time Fallout players. Steel Reign, which functions as the second chapter in the Brotherhood of Steel questline as well as its conclusion, picks up where Steel Dawn left off, and includes returning characters along with new NPCs and story content.

Steel Reign centers around the Super Mutant uprising as introduced in previous Fallout 76 updates. Super Mutants, originally introduced in the first Fallout game, are another iconic element of the Fallout series overall. Steel Reign adds a new variant of the enemy – a berserker – that are faster and attack exclusively with melee weapons. The introduction of additional variants helps expand Fallout 76‘s support of various different playstyles, which in turn goes a significant way towards increasing the player freedom found within the game overall. In general, the focus on the Brotherhood of Steel and the inclusion of Super Mutants as the primary enemy of the update echoes strongly of previous Fallout titles. The Brotherhood’s dislike and even outright hostility towards Super Mutants is one of their more consistent views across the series, though their position arguably becomes even more radicalized by the time of Fallout 4.

Legendary Crafting And Power Armor Expands Fallout 76’s Playability

The new legendary crafting system in Fallout 76 was arguably one of the most anticipated elements of Steel Reign upon its announcement. It allows players to turn normal items into legendary items, which should prove to follow in the footsteps of the Locked and Loaded update and add more reason to keep playing Fallout 76 beyond its endgame. Players can also re-roll the attributes of their previously acquired legendary items, and even upgrade or downgrade the star rating of their items. Hopefully, legendary items will add far more versatility to Fallout 76‘s current item system. In addition to normal armor and weapons, though, it’s particularly notable that even power armor can be turned into legendary gear thanks to the introduction of the Steel Reign update.

Legendary power armor seems to push the iconic gear more into the spotlight in Fallout 76, as has often been the case through other Fallout games. Like other items, legendary power armor attributes can be re-rolled and sets can be upgraded or downgraded as players see fit. Although there are a few exceptions to the attributes that can be applied to legendary armor – improved sneaking, for example, is unavailable – for the most part it will function identically to normal armor, adding more flexibility to one of the more highly sought-after items in the Fallout franchise.

Power armor displays have also been introduced, letting players more easily organize and display their Fallout 76 power armor collection. It seems, with the release of Steel Reign, as though Bethesda is working to appease long-time Fallout fans through not just story content and gameplay, but even through the items that are being added into Fallout 76.

About The Author

Ky Shinkle
(529 Articles Published)

Ky Shinkle is a Senior Gaming Features Writer for Screen Rant as well as an overall avid gamer and writer. Her prior experience is primarily that of a narrative designer for video games, although her writing has covered all formats from screenplays and novels to stage scripts. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, when she isn’t writing she works on digital media projects and other types of fiction writing. Ky currently works out of Ohio and enjoys spending her free time either playing RPGs or running with her dog.

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