War never changes, but Fallout 76 is in for a grand overhaul with the addition of its new Wastelanders update, and the free expansion's launch trailer promises a whole new adventure for those willing to return to Appalachia. Upon its release in 2018, Fallout 76 was met with critical derision and a slew of vitriol from the Fallout fanbase. Despite being built on the engine of the generally acclaimed Fallout 4, the online-only Fallout 76 lacked any of the franchise's signature charm or character – literally, there were no human NPCs in the game, only static robots and a plethora of corpses to discover at the end of seemingly every repetitive quest-line.

Fallout 76 also lacked the settlements of earlier titles in the franchise, making the game's massive open world feel like little more than a bland dungeon littered with menial tasks. There was some excitement to be found while playing with friends, but Fallout 76's numerous technical problems prevented the game from being anything more than a colossal disappointment for most players who had been anticipating it's release. Nevertheless, publisher Bethesda seemed committed to making Fallout 76 worth playing, and they slowly patched the game to a more enjoyable state. While still riddled with bugs and technical troubles, Fallout 76 is at least massively improved over its status at launch, and the game's newest update hopes to make it even better.

In a promising development, Bethesda announced the Wastelanders update for Fallout 76 at E3 2019. The free update would add NPCs into the game and include a whole new questline driven by a more tangible story than had been present in the game. Now, after multiple delays, the April 14 launch of Wastelanders is finally imminent, and Bethesda has released a new trailer on YouTube to mark the occasion. Check it out below:


Set to the rock and roll classic "C'mon Everybody" by Eddie Cochran, the trailer shows off some of the much-wanted NPCs and quest moments players will encounter in Fallout 76: Wastelanders. While it's too early to say if the free expansion will effectively reboot the game the way players are hoping, the footage displayed certainly looks promising and will definitely provide a different experience than Fallout 76 players are used to.

The launch of Fallout 76 was nigh-unforgivable, but if Wastelanders truly lives up to its potential, then Bethesda will have truly accomplished something great, turning what was once almost an abject failure into a genuinely good game. It might not be enough to make up for the numerous controversies which have defined Fallout 76's existence for the past year-and-a-half, from nylon bags and mold-prone power armor helmets to overpriced DLC and an outrageously overpriced Fallout 1st subscription service, but if Fallout 76: Wastelanders lives up to its potential, maybe players will find it in their hearts to give the game a second chance.