The first DLC pack for Fallout 4 is expected out fairly soon (possibly in March), so naturally speculation is heating up about what new features, maps, and possibilities will be opened up within the hottest open world in gaming. One or two rumours are beginning to feel like virtual certainties as we inch closer to the DLC, but the rest of it’s guesswork. At any rate, here are some of this writer’s hopes and wishes for the new additions.
Underwater Action
By far the biggest rumour concerning Fallout 4 DLC is that the underwater activity within the game will be expanded significantly. A write-up at Gotta Be Mobile cited some of the details that are fueling this rumour, including evidence of a harpoon gun in the game as well as the mentions of a “Ghoul Whale” potentially leading to some kind of underwater monster quest. Players can already spend a lot of time swimming around beneath the surface exploring and passing the time, but it certainly appears as if the DLC is going to lend more purpose to the underwater aspects of the game.
New Locations
It seems very likely that the DLC is going to include some new map locations aside from just expanded content underwater, and there have been a few specific suggestions. There’s a lively discussion on Reddit about new location rumours, with two of the most exciting ideas being the Moon and Providence. The Moon is known to have been a setting for the pre-Fallout 4 wars and thus makes some sense if there’s a logical way for characters to get there. As for Providence, it’s a relatively small city in the same general part of the country as Boston, so it might be the easiest real locale for Bethesda to throw into DLC.
A Playable Casino
Fallout: New Vegas certainly seemed to lay the groundwork for a casino element to the series moving forward. Even more generally speaking, this is a ready-made form of side entertainment for open-world games, thanks to the popular explosion of community casinos online. Many of us still think of online casinos as being limited to arcade slots or poker, but the truth is these sites have become incredibly sophisticated. At Betfair’s casino platform players can even engage in competitive blackjack and roulette with live dealers who orchestrate the games for players all over the world. It’s a proven format understood and enjoyed by millions, and it just wouldn’t be that difficult for Bethesda to imitate in Fallout 4 DLC, particularly given the tone set by New Vegas. At this stage, however, this is not a particularly active rumour—just a wish.
New York City
The actual rumoured new locations include places like the Moon and Providence, as mentioned, but New York is the closest major city to Boston and would make for a surprisingly big DLC concept. This would certainly catch most Fallout 4 players off guard, which in itself has some value. That said, the understanding is that New York has been wiped out by a nuclear attack, so it’s a little difficult to imagine what it would look like. Perhaps that’s a nice excuse for Bethesda to incorporate another huge city without having to design the full extent of a sprawling metropolis. But again, this is just a wish.
A Buried Alien City
Finally there’s one more real rumour, and though it’s a little bit thin, it’s at least based on existing Fallout 4 content. As pointed out by What Culture, there’s a scene in which scientist Jack Cabot mentions travelling southwest to the Mojave Desert, because his father believes there might have been another alien city buried there. That certainly sounds like a hint being dropped for future DLC content, though in fairness Fallout 4 is so big it’s difficult to say which hints are most likely to lead somewhere.
Hopefully we’ll find out soon if any of these ideas turn into playable Fallout 4 additions. But in the meantime it’s fun to guess and hope.
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