Last week, Bethesda invited the press to preview the future of Fallout 76, Fallout Shelter, and Fallout 4 Creations.
The preview kicked off with Jon Rush, a creative director at Bethesda, walking us through Fallout 76’s World Pets.
Speaking on Fallout 76, Rush says the studio has been looking to the community when assembling its roadmaps, and the challenge faced is ensuring players get something new and exciting throughout the year.
Fallout 76 Pets
The online MMO is approaching its 8th anniversary as the game continues to “thicken,” as Rush puts it. He means the studio intends to “enrich the quality and breadth of activities” available to players. In the Gone Fission expansion, Bethesda focused on enriching the game’s exploration.
So, 2026 is a monumental year for the MMO, focused on “thickening” the experience for new and existing players. This Spring, The Backwoods launched, and over 24 million players have visited the Appalachians to explore the wasteland and beyond.
Seasons will receive an update soon, with Beward the Blood Moon moving forward; players can join the current season and a storied season via legacy seasons. Unique crafting is also arriving at workbenches, so you can now change legendary mods on 80 uniquely named items.
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series owners can now play native ports of Fallout 76, which include:
- Targeted 60 FPS across Xbox Series X|S, PS5 and PS5 Pro.
- Improved draw distances.
- Improved shadows.
- 4K resolution (on compatible displays) on Xbox Series X, Xbox One X, PS5 Pro.
- VRR (on compatible displays) on Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS5, PS5 Pro.
- PS5 and PS4 Pro will support 1440p, while previous-generation platforms will continue to support 1080p.
The next update lets you take your Camp animal outside to explore the wasteland. Bethesda has included new interactions, and you can ask them to stay, follow, protect, and attack, too. Like Dogmeat, you can use your pet to engage enemies while you focus on eliminating their health from afar. Pets also gain levels by being with you in the wasteland, and you can unlock Pet Rewards and perks.
You can also sort pets in your Pip-Boy in-game and swap them out. It’s an easy way to choose what you want to take with you. Plus, you’ll see pets able to level up and deliver damage as well, and they level up as a species over individually. If you want to add armour to pets, well, you’re in luck since you can now add it as a cosmetic.
Pets can unlock passive buffs like Bounty Sniffer, which gives you 1 additional Legendary item (1 star) when completing a Grunt Hunt or the combat upgrade Pet Prowess, which makes your dog deal more than 2x the damage. If you prefer cats, you can give your feline friend the passive buff Baits Finder, which lets your cat find two improved baits for 30 minutes. Bethesda also confirmed you can take a Death Claw into the wasteland, so colour me intrigued.
And everyone will receive a German Shepherd in December when the update goes live.
Rush also said the team updated Skyline Valley for the new update, with notable improvements to the terrain and weather. The reason for this decision is that bountying hunting is coming to the region as it extends from Burning Springs.
Contracts
Marshall Canton is a robobrain with an old western persona and serves as a bounty host. You can also bring your pet on bounties. After Pets, Fallout 76 introduces Hideouts due to an uptick in crime across the wasteland.
You pick up contracts to handle those creating chaos within the wasteland. You can search for hideouts, including “the worst of the worst,” and you’re encouraged to work with other players to find strategies to break in. Hideouts are considered a stepping stone between early endgame and raids, and you can acquire gear to tackle the game’s toughest challenges. There’s also a new Marked difficulty to earn the best rewards available.
You’ll also face The Drifter, a power-armour-equipped bounty hunter who works against everyone else to gain the best rewards. You’re encouraged to take them on and earn rewards.
In July 2027, the 76th content update, Raven Rock, introduces a Cold War conflict in the southeast Appalachia region featuring two derelict Enclave operatives. Your next adventure pitches you toward the Capital Wasteland and is set 200 years before the events of Fallout 3.
Bethesda also revealed a roadmap, which can be seen here:
