Fallout 76’s journey has been a long and arduous one, for developers and fans alike. But now, six years after its initial launch, all that effort seems to finally be worthwhile. In the last six years,Fallout 76has received 20 major updates, bringing NPCs, questlines, factions, QOL upgrades, Expeditions, and even a map expansion to the game. ButFallout 76’s journey is far from over.
Set for release sometime in December 2024, ‘Gleaming Depths’ will beFallout 76’s 21st major update, ushering in the start of Season 19 of the post-apocalyptic MMO. Game Rant recently had the chance to attend a preview event for the upcoming Gleaming Depths update, and it soon became apparent that teamwork is core to the new raid experience.
Fallout 76’s Gleaming Depths Raid Puts a Heavy Emphasis on Teamwork
During Game Rant’s preview ofFallout 76’s upcoming Gleaming Depths update, we got to see an abbreviated walkthrough of the new raid. Seeing players dive deep into the titular Gleaming Depths, this raid is split into five key stages, and each one heavily encourages teamwork among the 4-player raid groups.
The first stage ofFallout 76’s Gleaming Depths raid sees players facing off against a stationary robotic boss. Being able to rotate to view the circular arena, players will need to split into groups to attempt to distract the robot and shoot it from behind.
The second stage of the Gleaming Depths raid looks like it could be one of its most challenging, requiring players to refuel a drill. Though the objective is simple, players are soon surrounded by a never-endinghorde of Mole Miners, intent on stopping the group at all costs. While a group of players fends off the horde, another group will need to head into the adjacent mine shafts, find the fuel canisters, and bring them back. But there’s something lurking in those mines.
The third stage throws players into a thrilling boss fight against three zombie-likeEnclave soldiers. One soldier wields a powerful sniper, one wields a grenade launcher, and the other wields a laser chainsaw. This boss fight is also best tackled by teams of four, all coordinating their attacks to target a specific Enclave soldier.
DuringFallout 76’s Gleaming Depths raid, players will encounter an Enclave soldier whose power armor seems inspired byFallout 2’s Frank Horrigan.
The penultimate stage ofFallout 76’s Gleaming Depths raidis another frantic boss fight, this time against the Mole Stalker and its Ultragenetic Horde. Players will need to face off against waves of genetically-altered animals and monsters, lure the Mole Stalker towards the green Ultracite crystals dotted around the map, and detonate those crystals to deal damage to the boss. In this stage, communication is key, as one player will need to lure the Stalker while the others prepare to detonate the crystals in its path.
The final stage of Gleaming Depths sees the raid come to an appropriately climactic end, with players needing to confront the Ultracite Terror, a gigantic serpent that’s apparently more than twice the size ofthe Scorched Queen. This boss fight is the ultimate test of teamwork, with players needing to warn each other of the serpent’s devastating tail attack while dishing out an unrelenting onslaught of bullets, bolts, and grenades.
Fallout 76’s Gleaming Depths Raid Takes a Page Out of Resident Evil’s Playbook
The aforementioned Mole Stalker was one of the biggest highlights of Game Rant’sFallout 76Gleaming Depths preview. Seeming to take inspiration from iconicResident Evilenemies like Mr. X and Nemesis, the Mole Stalker hunts the player through the Gleaming Depths' mine shafts while they’re trying to transport fuel canisters to the drill.
Along with being a hulking, glowing, and menacing presence, the Mole Stalker is also able to knock the player down in just one hit, making him extremely dangerous. This severe threat looks like it could lead to some really memorable, intense moments of gameplay.
The Rewards Should Be Worth The Ordeal In The Gleaming Depths
From the footage we saw,Fallout 76’s Gleaming Depths won’t be a walk in the park, but thankfully, players will be rewarded handsomely for seeing it through to the end. This update is set to bring long-awaited4-Star Legendary weapons and armorto the multiplayer game, many of which players have a chance of obtaining during the Gleaming Depths raid, such as the previously mentioned Enclave sniper, chainsaw, and grenade launcher.
Fallout 76’s Gleaming Depths update is available now on the game’s Public Test Server.
Game Rant was provided travel and lodging for the purposes of this preview.
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.
