Fallout 76 Update Out Now, Adds More Intense Survival PvP Mode

The second big update of Fallout 76's Wild Appalachia expansion is now live. Bethesda has rolled out patch 7.5 across PS4, Xbox One, and PC, bringing the long-awaited Survival PvP mode--along with some other gameplay changes--to the online RPG.

As previously detailed, Survival is a more competitive PvP experience, removing all the restrictions that typically govern PvP encounters in Fallout 76. Now when you boot up the game, you'll be presented with the option to dive into either it or Adventure mode (the standard Fallout 76 experience). Regardless of which you choose, the story and content will remain the same, and your progress will carry over between modes, but the stakes in Survival will be much higher.

In particular, PvP encounters have a lot more on the line in Survival mode. You'll be able to attack other players freely, and you'll earn twice as many Caps for killing someone else as you would in Adventure. If you're on the receiving end, however, you'll drop all of your junk and a random assortment of the aid items you were carrying. Bethesda has also removed the "Seek Revenge" respawn option, although you will be able to spend your Caps to place a bounty on your killer, which will make them appear as "wanted" to other players.

To go along with this increased emphasis on PvP, Bethesda has tweaked some gameplay elements. Most notably, you'll only be able to respawn at your CAMP, or at Fallout 76 or train stations. The developer says it has also adjusted PvP damage "to make weapons feel even more deadly in your hands, while also limiting the likelihood that another dweller can drop you in one hit."

You can read the full patch notes for the 7.5 update on Bethesda's website. The developer has many more updates planned for Fallout 76. Next month, it will introduce player vending and the Shear Terror questline, while May will bring the Legendary vendor. You can read more about Fallout 76's roadmap here.