If you’re a fan of Fallout 76‘s battle royale mode, Nuclear Winter, then we’ve got some bad news for you: Bethesda has announced that it will be sunsetting the mode later this year. While Nuclear Winter will be going away, it isn’t all bad news for those who enjoy PvP, as Bethesda says that it’s working on new ways to play the game that will be revealed at a later date. In addition, those who played Nuclear Winter will be getting some compensation for its removal in the form of Perk Coins.
In a blog post to the Fallout website – which also details preparations for July’s Steel Reign update – Bethesda explains that, over time, Fallout 76 players have largely stopped playing the Nuclear Winter mode. “It has also become tougher to put full Nuclear Winter lobbies together without also making sacrifices on match wait times,” Bethesda wrote. “Additionally, we’ve found it challenging to provide meaningful updates for Nuclear Winter, while also developing and supporting exciting new content for Adventure Mode in recent and upcoming updates.”
So, Bethesda has decided to nix the mode altogether. Nuclear Winter isn’t going away immediately, but rather it’ll be removed from the game with an update that’s landing at some point in September. “Ending support for the mode was a difficult decision, and not one that we made lightly,” Bethesda continued. “We’re still working to provide methods of PVP combat for those who enjoy squaring off against other former Vault Dwellers, and a little later this year, we will release details on how we plan to offer players even more ways to play Fallout 76.”
In addition to this vague promise of more ways to play Fallout 76, Bethesda promises that those who have participated in Nuclear Winter mode will be compensated with Perk coins. When Nuclear Winter goes offline, Bethesda will give players 6 Perk Coins for each Overseer Rank they achieved (with a maximum of 600) and 1 Perk Coin for each Overseer Ticket they earned (up to a maximum of 200). Every player who completed at least one Nuclear Winter match will also get a Nuclear Winter Pennant for the CAMPs.
So, those who played a lot of Nuclear Winter are going to get a bunch of Perk Coins when the mode goes away, but what of the rewards that were available through the mode? Bethesda says that while some items will remain exclusive, there are others like Power Armor/weapon paints, outfits, and CAMP objects that will become obtainable through other game modes and events, including “Scorched Earth, Project Paradise, Encryptid, A Colossal Problem, and even Hunt for the Treasure Hunter.” For more on Fallout 76 and the impending removal of Nuclear Winter, be sure to check out the Fallout blog post linked above.
Keyword: Fallout 76 is losing its Nuclear Winter battle royale mode