What does it mean to be famous in the wastes of Fallout? There are larger-than-life figures like Mr. House, instantly recognizable (and non-smooth) faces like Nick Valentine, and even four-legged companions that have stolen hearts, such as Dogmeat and Rex. Fallout 76: Burning Springs may have topped them all. Not only is this the largest expansion to hit the ongoing MMO wasteland since 2020’s Wastelanders expansion, but fans can also explore post-nuclear Ohio, meet new characters and factions, and take on new bounty-hunting missions hosted by possibly the most famous face in Prime Video’s Fallout series: The Ghoul.
First things first: Fallout 76: Burning Springs is full of outlaws, raiders and other ne’er-do-wells who want to make a quick buck. Like everywhere else in the wasteland, nearly everything wants to kill you. With such hostile surroundings, the best option is often to team up with lesser felons to make ends meet. It’s a bit like serving a prison sentence, only while still free.
The epicentre of the crime-nado that is Burning Springs is Highway Town. Aptly named for being tucked under a rundown highway, Highway Town acts as your hub destination and is where you’ll find most of the action in Fallout 76’s biggest expansion yet. To get there, you must first cross the Silver Bridge into Ohio.
“Fallout 76: Burning Springs may have topped them all.”
Fallout 76: Burning Springs’ patriarch is the Rust King, whose influence is felt throughout the land. Upon meeting him, it’s clear why. The Rust King is a massive super mutant with an impressive intellect. He’s a no-nonsense type of non-player character with much more lurking beneath the surface than it first appears. To make a name for yourself in Ohio, you’ll need to strike deals with the Rust King to progress through the main campaign of Burning Springs.
The developers of Fallout 76 pulled out all the stops to push the campaign to the forefront of the Ohio adventure. It’s loaded with plot twists and good old-fashioned outlawing. Without spoiling too much, you may even see a head explode or two — a callback that might delight fans of George R.R. Martin’s infamous Mountain and the Viper.
New radiation-born monsters litter Burning Springs. Charred feral ghouls swarm the wastes in packs, armoured burning deathclaws roam the land, and a local menace known as “rad hogs” (imagine radroaches, but tusk-bearing boars) adds to the danger. You can even tame one and have your very own rad hog in Ohio. Scattered throughout Fallout 76: Burning Springs is a set of new events designed to test your mettle. One such event, “Sinkhole Solutions,” had our preview group face waves of enemies. As each wave progressed, the fights became tougher, demanding vigilance — and plenty of ammo — to survive.
While fighting literal swarms, the team also had to close sinkholes that spawned enemies, similar to the emergence holes in Gears of War, but with fewer chainsaws and no government. Another static multiplayer event, “Gearin’ Up,” tasks you and fellow wastelanders with defending a friendly (as friendly as they come) deathclaw while it is fitted with armour like a gladiator. Once prepared, the armoured deathclaw faces off against another massive deathclaw. If your team’s tamed creature wins, to the victor go the spoils. While those were the only two events I joined during my time in Burning Springs, they offered a refreshing change of pace from the endless replays of “Tunnel of Love” and “Eviction Notice.”
The coolest role you can take on in Burning Springs is that of a bounty hunter. While exploring Ohio, you may encounter the Ghoul from Prime Video’s original series Fallout. Bethesda Game Studios went a step further: Walton Goggins reprises the role, and every line in the game is voiced by him. Unlike the show, though, I only saw one side of his character. Cooper Howard appears to be a no-show.
The Ghoul has taken up residence at the Last Resort in Highway Town, where he offers a repeatable quest called “Bounty: Grunt Hunts.” A hot commodity in the wasteland, he has no time for small jobs. Instead, he deploys you as his grunt to hunt a range of one- to three-star legendary named enemies in exchange for caps. After completing a Grunt Hunt, you may also receive a new usable item: a wanted poster. The Ghoul calls these hunts “something juicier.” I’d call them bigger quests with bigger rewards.
“Fallout 76: Burning Springs feels like a momentous step forward.”
After pinning a wanted poster to the board outside the Last Resort bar, you can take on larger targets. These high-powered enemies will likely require a team, and they’re fun to bring down. The need to work as a lowly bounty hunter before progressing to tougher marks feels like genuine advancement, and the chance to score a wanted poster after each hunt kept the experience fresh. Bethesda has delivered strong repeatable quests this time, and they look sharp in action. And speaking of the Ghoul, certain outlaws can even obtain his wickedly powerful gun, a hand-cannon-like weapon in the game. The best-outfitted outlaw is always the deadliest.
My last bit of gameplay in Fallout 76: Burning Springs saw me enter a crucible-like arena at the foot of the Rust King’s throne. Gratuitous violence soon followed as waves of Rust Guards attacked, and mowing them down with a minigun in outlaw territory proved to be a true power trip. One of Burning Springs’ strengths is the way it creates varied storylines in the wasteland that feel fresh to experience. The well-designed Ohio biome is packed with new enemies, weapons, non-player characters, quests and more. After wrapping up my business with the Rust King, I was forced to lay down my bounty hunter badge — for now.
Fallout 76: Burning Springs feels like a momentous step forward. It adds unique weapons, items, quests and a repeatable questline that stays fun each time I took on a hunt. Bethesda has shown it cares about the wider fanbase by bringing in the Ghoul from the TV series, voiced once again by Walton Goggins, with new lines of dialogue. This small addition helps the entire Fallout franchise feel more connected than ever, and carries far more weight than a simple “we got a celebrity.”
I joined public events, fought outlaws, collected supplies and even helped strap Megazord-style armour to a massive deathclaw. Despite doing so much, I felt as though I barely scratched the surface of Ohio. While there’s no set release date for Burning Springs, I can’t wait to return and get my hands dirtier cleaning up the mean wastes of Ohio.
