Bethesda has announced “Fallout 1st,” premium subscription option launching with Update 14 for their online multiplayer title Fallout 76. This option provides access to private servers, a common player-requested feature as well as several other perks. The package costs $12.99 per month, for a cost of about $100 annually. The new option comes after last week’s announcement that the “Wastelanders” update will be delayed again and will now aim to release early next year.
Betheda’s blog post describes the “Fallout 1st” subscription package as “a premium membership that offers something players have been asking for since before launch: private worlds for you and select friends” and adds that those private worlds will eventually have mod support.
Some other notable features that come with the “Fallout 1st” subscription are quality of life items like a Survival Tent that will allow for fast travel and is usable as a base in a pinch. It also gives access to an “iconic” and “exclusive” Ranger Armor Outfit, icons, and emotes exclusive to subscribers.
The premium subscription package also includes 1,650 Atoms, the in-game currency for Fallout 76. Atoms allow for the purchase of microtransaction items and can be purchased for real-world money at rate of $10 for 1,1000. The “Fallout 1st” package looks like an approach to monetizing Fallout 76, creating a more steady stream of Atom sales via subscription with the added appeal of cosmetics and usable handy items and is not yet a change to a free to play system.
The early reception on social media to the new premium package are largely negative, with Reddit users on the Fallout 76 subreddit posting about their dissatisfaction with basic content being locked behind payment on top of the next major patch facing so many delays. If a subscriber cancels their Fallout 1st package after signing up, they lose their access to private worlds but keep the cosmetics and the Scrapbook (but won’t be able to add anything else to it after ending their subscription). Ultimately it will be up to Fallout 76‘s player base to decide if $100 per year is worth the Atoms and the private servers.
Fallout 76 and its “Fallout 1st” premium package are currently available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.