Fallout 76has recently started testing fishing mechanics, further upgrading the experience for players. These public tests give players a small taste of what fishing inFallout 76could be like, and if received well by fans, has the potential to be a future franchise staple. Since the game launched back in 2018, Bethesda has brought a series of post-launch updates that have helped make the world feel far more alive than it did at its release, and fishing is another step forward in makingFallout 76’s Appalachian region a compelling world to explore.
For players interested intesting out fishing inFallout 76, a new location known as Fisherman’s Rest can now be discovered, which unlocks the “Casting Off” quest. This small preview of what can be expected from fishing is an exciting update, but what’s even more intriguing is how it can potentially affect the future lore of theFalloutfranchise.
Bethesda Has a Big Opportunity to Expand Fallout’s Lore Through Fishing
Horrifying Creatures Could Be Lurking Beneath the Waters
Throughout the series,Fallouthas showcased a variety of terrifying, mutated monsters that inhabit the various wastelands explored in the franchise.From Deathclaws to Yao Guai, beasts roam the landscapes, forcing players to be on their toes when traveling from place to place. Because of the post-nuclear devastation, the same kinds of mutations are bound to be found under the surface, too.
Players can collect three types of bait to fish with. Certain bait increases one’s chances of catching fish. Bethesda has also confirmed that there are catchable fish in any body of water.
More Than Just a Mini-Game
Yes, adding fishing toFallout 76can help elevate the realism of trying tosurvive in Appalachia, but it can be far more than just a new mechanic. If Bethesda really wanted to make the most out of this update, it could present the perfect stage to introduce a variety of new mutated creatures. From giant large-mouth bass with razor-sharp teeth to horrifying crayfish with gnarly claws,Fallout 76has the potential for a completely new roster of horrors to bring to players.
Fishing is another step forward in makingFallout 76’s Appalachian region a compelling world to explore.
BeyondFallout 76, the franchise could also finally deliver on teased creatures. Dolphish have been showcased in bothFallout 4andFallout 76. In the former, Dolphish can be found dead on the shore, whileFallout 76reconfirms their existence, as they live inthe Aquarium of the Atlantic in Atlantic City. Dolphish are just the tip of the iceberg of what’s possible now that fishing is becoming a reality.
In addition to Dolphish, Mirelurks have also demonstrated what can happen when radiation mutates aquatic life. These monstrous crustaceans were introduced inFallout 3and continue to play a part in the franchise.
Fallout 76 Hopefully Isn’t the Beginning and End of Fishing
It’s not clear ifFallout 5will take a page fromFallout 76’s book and include fishing, but it would potentially be unwise to introduce such a feature and not make it a series standard moving forward.TheFalloutfranchise has evolved greatlysince its first chapter, and fishing is hopefully a small, but effective, part of that growth. With new features like playable Ghouls and fishing, such gameplay options potentially being left out of a fifth mainlineFalloutis bound to be a misstep. Only time will tell, but right now,Fallout 76is finally opening the door for fishing to play a bigger part in the futureFalloutexperience.
Fallout 76
WHERE TO PLAY
Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Skyrim and Fallout 4, welcome you to Fallout 76. Twenty-five years after the bombs fell, you and your fellow Vault Dwellers—chosen from the nation’s best and brightest – emerge into post-nuclear America on Reclamation Day, 2102. Play solo or join together as you explore, quest, build, and triumph against the wasteland’s greatest threats. Explore a vast wasteland, devastated by nuclear war, in this open-world multiplayer addition to the Fallout story. Experience the largest, most dynamic world ever created in the legendary Fallout universe. Expand southward to Skyline Valley – a brand-new region of Appalachia. Investigate the cause of the electric storm circling overhead and unveil the mystery around Vault 63 and its dwellers, including a shocking new Ghoul type – The Lost.
