One Upcoming Feature Will Finally Make Fallout 76 a ‘True’ MMO

In every typical way, Fallout 76 already meets the definition of being an MMO, except it’s currently missing out on an informal feature that has long since become a recurring meme for MMOs to include. However, a future update for Fallout 76 is set to change that. Just recently, Bethesda revealed that fishing will be introduced to Fallout 76.

While it’s by no means a defining criterion of the genre, according to a recurring trend that has devolved into a long-running meme, the mark of a ‘true’ MMO is whether or not players can go fishing in the game, even if it makes no sense to the game’s setting or gameplay loop, whereas both can arguably be said for Fallout 76. Regardless, with such a feature coming to the game in the near future, Fallout 76 will finally join the bandwagon of being a ‘true’ MMO.

What To Expect From Fallout 76’s Fishing Update

In a surprise announcement during the 2024 Fallout Day Festivities, a fishing update was announced for Fallout 76. Overall, details about this feature are currently sparse, but it’s already been revealed that at the very least, players will be able to cook new food and drink buffs using ingredients earned from fishing.

There’s no release date for when fishing will be introduced to
Fallout 76
yet, but it’s speculated to arrive sometime in 2025.

While fishing is still uncharted territory for the Fallout franchise, fans should expect it to be largely similar to the fishing mechanics from both Skyrim and Elder Scrolls Online, which are fairly simple compared to fishing mechanics in other modern MMOs. In other words, there presumably won’t be any in-depth progression systems for fishing in Fallout 76.

Fallout 76’s Upcoming Fishing Feature Already Has Fans Divided

In the short time since the announcement, Fallout 76’s fishing update reveal has been met with mixed responses from fans. On one side, some fans are skeptical that fishing will provide worthwhile rewards, while other fans are amused to see Fallout 76 continuing to explore more immersive features, embracing the MMO meme in the process.

Fishing Arguably Doesn’t Fit With Fallout 76’s Setting and Gameplay

While it’s a meme for every MMO to have fishing, Fallout 76’s setting and gameplay loop don’t exactly justify such a feature, considering the majority of water sources throughout the Appalachian wasteland are contaminated with deadly mutants and Radiation that hardly make them suitable food sources. Meanwhile, Fallout 76’s minimalist survival elements also don’t quite justify the need for fishing, considering that maintaining hunger and thirst isn’t fatal. So, unless fishing in Fallout 76 will reward players with rare crafting resources and/or some new CAMP decorations, new food buffs alone might not be enough to set this feature up for success.

Fishing Will Be Right at Home in Fallout 76’s Roleplaying Communities

On the other hand, though, immersion is one of the Fallout franchise’s strongest appeals, with many Fallout 76 players involved in roleplaying communities, both inside and outside of the game. So, fishing in Fallout 76 doesn’t necessarily need to be justified by its rewards, whereas it can still be considered a welcome addition to the game if it provides an immersive experience with roleplaying opportunities.

Overall, fishing has already turned out to be quite a divisive feature for Fallout 76 long before it’s even introduced to the game. While it initially seems like a strange fit for Fallout 76 that will take some getting used to, according to a long-running trend within the genre, whether or not it’s rewarding or immersive, this feature will finally be what makes Fallout 76 a ‘true’ MMO, worthy of the meme.