The success of theFalloutseries debut on Prime Video earlier this year has managed to not only elevate the IP, but the popularity of the universe’s distinct post-apocalyptic locations. Through featuring a focus on the West Coast of the United States largely unseen since Bethesda obtained the rights to the games, thewell-receivedFalloutTV showhas more in common with the early days of isometric RPGs than newer titles in several ways. AsFallout 76continues its live service run, however, leaning even further into these core geographic distances might be the best way forward for building out the world for years to come.
It has primarily been set in a more natural region of West Virginia, butFallout 76has increasingly featured more urban locations in the vein of its predecessors as updates have expanded its scope. Given its starting point, there are several clear opportunities for treading new ground in the ruined America that has lent major cities iconic identities in previous games.
The Popularity of the Fallout TV Series Has Represented a Return to Fallout’s West Coast Cities
A New Look into Post-Apocalyptic Los Angeles
Although it follows familiar concepts through having a Vault Dweller and Brotherhood of Steel member in its cast,Amazon’sFalloutshow is set in Los Angeles, bringing a new spin to the series' Californian origins. After several games set in the East Coast changed the perception of the series, a return to a sunnier, arid environment juxtaposed with corruptions of recognizable urban landscapes has yielded a measurable spike in popularity for the Fallout franchise as a whole.
New Vegas is Hinted to Be the Focus of the Upcoming Season 2
Despite its relatively disconnected premise, theending ofFallout’s first seasonprominently showcases New Vegas as the destination of Lucy MacLean’s now-estranged father. It now appears that a game location will become vital to the show’s plot in the future, but the distance between this city and the current entry’s surrounding area makes the development of two separateFalloutpillars easily possible through one concession.
Fallout 76 Can Complement the TV Series' Worldbuilding with Its Own New Cities
The Opportunity to Explore More of Fallout’s East Coast Than Ever
While the TV series is enriching the West Coast worldbuilding by interacting with New Vegas references,76has already laid a foundation for delving deeper into prominent places in the East Coast. Beyond the base game’s Appalachian wilderness theming, Charleston, Pittsburgh, and evenAtlantic City inFallout 76have all been novel outings into destroyed civilization. Between these cities and the likes of Boston and D.C. before them, this side of the country has ended up more well-documented than whereFalloutitself began. With pre-war lore indicating that Canada was seemingly annexed by the United States in this world, it could be argued that even places in the far north are equally fair game.
By being capable of expansions that bridge the gap between the resource intensiveness of full mainline entries,Fallout 76’s ongoing content updatesare theoretically able to cover more ground than any prior game in the series. It would be risky to go in a direction as ambitious as translating New York City into its framework, but there are several smaller options which could still match the precedent of American locations with name recognition. Depending on whether this direction remains closer to West Virginia or veers towards the fringes, there’s a high degree of freedom. Cities of the eastern US that could fit into futureFallout 76updates include:
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.
