As with any RPG, a new game plus feature could naturally be a good fit forFallout 76. Specifically, giving players the option to restart the main story quests would be a convenient way to earn the unique one-time rewards again, experience the different quest outcomes, or just refreshFallout 76’s story without the need to start from scratch with a fresh character and leave behind any hard-earned loot.
Especially as the game approaches being seven years old in 2025,the need for a new game plus inFallout 76has always existed, and it only continues to grow. However, with the upcoming Ghoul playable character, a new game plus feature may be needed now more than ever to encourage longtime players to experience this content, especially since the success ofFallout 76’s Ghoul character could determine the fate of the franchise’s future regarding playable characters.
Why Fallout 76’s Playable Ghoul Character Makes a New Game Plus Feature a Necessity
Fallout 76’s Playable Ghoul Has Unique Quest Interactions
One of the main appeals ofFallout 76’s upcoming playable Ghoul characteris the unique world and story interactions that will be exclusive to Ghouls. While these interactions will be limited in the existing quests, quests that get added toFallout 76in the future will be able to properly incorporate more unique Ghoul interactions.
The Ghoul playable character will be available whenFallout 76’s Season 20 updatearrives in March 2025.
WithFallout 76turning seven years old in late 2025, plenty of players have likely already completed the existing story quests. Not to mention, there are already several branching questlines inFallout 76depending on players’ choices, so adding new Ghoul interactions on top of this greatly increases the need for a new game plus feature.
Starting a Fresh Character in Fallout 76 Means Leaving Behind Loot
Without a proper new game plus feature, the only way for existing players to experience some of the Ghoul interactions in quests that have already been completed will be to start a new character. However, this will come at the cost of potentially leaving behind years’ worth of rare loot inFallout 76.
Since some items can’t be traded between characters or other players, starting a fresh character will mean leaving behind certain CAMP furniture and any learned crafting plans, as well asgod-roll legendary loot inFallout 76. Consequently, while the playable Ghoul is likely to appeal to newer players who have little to nothing to lose from starting a fresh character, longtime players may be hesitant to experience this feature.
Fallout 76’s Playable Ghoul Could Determine the Fate of Future Fallout Games’ Playable Characters
It’s especially important that the upcoming playable Ghoul character can appeal to both new and longtime players since players' support for this feature could potentially determinethe future of theFalloutfranchise. Depending on the success ofFallout 76’s playable Ghoul, theFalloutfranchise may experiment with additional playable characters beyond humans, such as Ghouls again, or even expand to Super Mutants or other cryptids.
Overall, a new game plus feature is arguably a good fit for any RPG, allowing players to experience different outcomes to story quests, or get a refresher on the game’s story long after its release. While there has always been a need for a new game plus inFallout 76, as the game has grown throughout the years and added several new story quests, the upcoming playable Ghoul character makes this feature particularly necessary.
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.
