Summary
One of the most consequential decisions that the developers may make forFallout 5is whether to bring back the weapon durability mechanic. It’s aFalloutfeature that stirs plenty of discussion, making its potential inclusion worth theorizing about. While it is only a single mechanic, it could end up having a dramatic effect onFallout 5depending on whether it is included. It could end up being to the game’s benefit, or it could turn out to be one of its weaknesses. Even beforeFallout 5, opinions on equipment durability are all over the map.
The need torepair gear inFallout: New VegasandFallout 3is an issue that players will run into frequently. In those games, weapons and armor will gradually degrade the more they are used, with their strength decreasing as their durability lowers until they eventually break. In order to repair equipment, players would need to use a Weapon Repair Kit, sacrifice a similar weapon at a workbench, or bring it to certain NPCs in exchange for caps. Even the strongest and most valuable equipment in the game is subject to degradation, so it is a feature that players will have to handle all game.
Fallout: New Vegas' Jury Rigging Perk greatly expanded the ease of repairing weapons, making it one of the game’s best utility perks.
Bringing Back Equipment Durability Could Have Consequences Either Way For Fallout 5
Item Degradation Fits Fallout’s Post-Apocalyptic Setting Perfectly
One argument for equipment durability to bereintroduced inFallout 5is how well it fits with the setting. TheFalloutuniverse takes place in a wasteland largely constructed of what remains from the past. Even the few organized civilizations that can be found are largely making do with what they have. It makes sense that a lot of weapons and armor would be worn and broken, including the more high-end items that the player can find. It’s also a perfect compliment toNew Vegas' Hardcore mode andFallout 4’s Survival mode, which add more difficulties to maintaining the protagonist’s well-being.
Having to Repair Items in Fallout Can Be Frustrating
The mechanic also has some notable faults that could explain whyFallout 4’s selection of weaponsdid not need to be maintained. Having to keep track of an item’s durability can be frustrating, since, in addition to constantly getting worse, players will need to carry extra items in order to fix them. This also has the side effect of making players more hesitant to use rarer or more expensive weapons and armor, since they will inevitably be more difficult to repair. While having to repair weapons makes sense forFallout’s world, it can be an annoying detail to keep track of during the game.
Fallout 76 Has Already Experimented With a Variation on Equipment Durability
Despite the debate,Fallout 76could have already discovered a middle ground. InFallout 76’s take on equipment repair, the stats of the weapons and armor in question do not degrade as its health runs down. Instead, it simply becomes broken and cannot be equipped again until fixed. In addition, players also have the option to use junk to fix their gear, giving them more options to work with. IfFallout 5does bring back the durability mechanic, thenFallout 76’s version may be the best fit. It keeps the repair mechanic while making it less obstructive to deal with.
WhetherFallout 5brings back repair and durability will be up to the developers. There’s no questioning that it wouldemphasizeFallout 5’s survival aspectif added, but the question is whether it’s worth bringing back. While it’s a fantastic fit for the setting, it’s also a mechanic that can be more of an obstacle for the player’s fun than anything. Even then, the developers could replicateFallout 76’s variant, or make it a toggle similar to Hardcore mode. Bringing back equipment durability inFallout 5will be a big decision either way.
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.
