Skyline Valley is coming to Fallout 76 today
Since Fallout 76 launched in 2018, Bethesda has been constantly releasing new content updates to keep its players busy – much like ZeniMax’s The Elder Scrolls Online, which will soon add a Gold Road chapter. Skyline Valley is released as Fallout 76’s 52nd content update, and for the first time ever, the Appalachia map will expand and open up an entirely new region to the south.
I was lucky enough to check out Skyline Valley during a recent preview, where I battled a monster bus with a hermit crab, explored a haunted mansion, and met an awesome group of Ghouls led by Hugo Stoltz. We were given plenty of freedom to explore Skyline Valley during our preview, and as is natural when you give a group of players free reign with high-powered characters, many of us made a beeline for the new public event, Dangerous Pastimes. let’s see what we can do. In this event, you’ll fend off wave after wave of new enemies called the Lost and their giant robot companions when you turn on the lightning rod. It’s an explosive event, and I may have enjoyed it a few times during a session with the game — slashing your way through dozens of electrified ghouls is just too much fun!
With my messy side sated, it was time to check out what the new Skyline Valley story content had to offer. As you head down into the new southern area, you’ll immediately notice that the environment is electrified. A huge storm in shades of red hangs over the area, and it all starts with the mysterious Vault 63, which has been a long-standing – and inaccessible – location in Fallout 76 for quite some time. With the door broken open, we can now see what’s behind those steel barricades — Ghouls!
My limited time with the game offered me a look at the first few quests from Skyline Valley – which contains a total of 12 main missions. “The quest content is roughly equivalent to the size of Steel Dawn and Steel Reign combined,” Fallout 76 creative director Jonathan Rush told us, so there’s a lot to dive into. In the depths of Vault 63, I met its warden, Hugo Stoltz, a friendly member of the electrified new faction of Ghouls, the Lost. It’s worth noting that while Stoltz and his allies don’t mind hanging out with you, many of the Lost you meet in Skyline Valley would rather kill you than enjoy a minute of nice conversation. We must work with Stoltz to uncover the mystery behind the Lost One, as well as decide whether to help him or betray him.
Of course, with the new update we’re also getting Season 17, which is themed around Pioneer Scouts, so expect to work your way through a battle pass packed with camping treats that fit perfectly with the Skyline Valley setting. Taking a look at a few of the goodies on offer this season, we get our hands on a new Vintage Camper Survival Tent, an Outdoor Movie Projector, new colors for the T-45 and T-51 Power Armor, a dissection kit and much more.
A look at Fallout 76
While our preview of Skyline Valley gave us a chance to check out Fallout 76’s latest update, Bethesda also gave us a sneak peak at some other content coming in the near future. If you haven’t seen our post yet, we have plenty of details on the playable Ghouls coming to Fallout 76 in 2025, but until then, there are some other exciting things on the way.
Bethesda will release the Milepost Zero update this fall, which will be “the origin of new experiences in Skyline Valley,” Rush told us. We will help Blue Ridge Caravan get their Brahmin hauling goods safely to their destinations. We’ll be able to team up with other players to protect caravans from ambushes – “Fun fact: to make the Brahmin go faster, you can slap him so he starts running,” said Rush.
In return for your help, Blue Ridge Caravan will reward you with a customizable Caravan Outpost that you’ll be able to craft much like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’s housing system, allowing you to upgrade and decorate the outpost. Continuing your journey with Blue Ridge unlocks special vendors who sell you unique items, as well as unlocking new decorations for your base. You also get a Brahmin and Rush says “Maybe you could milk them. I’m not sure, but I’ll say you can milk them.”
During the Q+A, Rush told us that “with every successful caravan run you can build up a reputation where you earn your own caravan network, which happens in the south of the map. And so this caravan base starts out very bare bones, and as you make more successful caravans, you unlock other parts to it to decorate it, and you unlock specific vendors, specialized vendors, from around the world that only appear inside. your bases So the incentive to keep going on caravan routes is that you unlock all of this and develop all of this – and your friends can come and check out your space.’
Elsewhere this fall, Fallout 76 will also have a seasonal Mischief Night event to celebrate the spooky season.
After getting a chance to scratch the surface of today’s update, I can’t wait to start exploring Skyline Valley and Vault 63. The Lost are certainly an interesting new faction – even if they aren’t very friendly – and I’m excited to learn more about their ghoul ways and maybe you’ll learn something ready when the playable ghouls arrive next year. Also, Skyline Valley seems like the perfect place to set up a camp-style campsite, which I’m yet to do!
Skyline Valley is playable by all Fallout 76 players of any skill level, so if you haven’t tried the game yet and want to check out some new content, you can dive in and take a look today. Don’t forget that Fallout 76 is available as part of Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass, so subscribers can join at any time.
Check out our ever-growing list of upcoming Game Pass games to see all the exciting experiences on the horizon.