Fallout 76's NPC-adding Wastelanders update has been delayed into next year Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Fallout 76's NPC-adding Wastelanders update has been delayed into next year But private servers are coming next week. News by Matt Wales Reporter Updated on 17 Oct 2019 26 comments Bethesda has announced a delay for Fallout 76's highly anticipated Wastelanders update, which adds NPC to the beleaguered multiplayer game. In better news, however, it's finally introducing much-requested private servers next week. The lack of human NPCs in Fallout 76 was keenly felt when the game released at the tail-end of last year. Well-drawn NPCs have traditionally been the bread and butter of Bethesda's open-world games, and their absence in Fallout 76 made for an experience that, said Eurogamer's Wesley Yin-Poole at launch, "lacks a soul and... lacks consequence". Eventually, though, Bethesda relented on its player-only humans stance, announcing at this year's E3 that it would be introducing NPC to Fallout 76 in the Wastelanders update. The update was originally pencilled in for a loose "fall" release, but now, in a new blogpost, Bethesda has told players it's "going to need more time to be the best, most polished update it can be". As a result, it's now expected to launch during the first quarter of 2020. A small tease of Wastelanders' long-awaited NPCs. And some more NPCs, probably also long-awaited. To soften that blow, Bethesda has confirmed that the game's much-requested private servers will be launching next week - a feature that players will, of course, need to pay for. As well as enabling groups to live out their post-apocalyptic fantasies without the riff-raff encroaching on their fun, private servers will also, at some point "in the future", allow players to mod their worlds. Bethesda said to expect more news on the service in the coming days. Watch on YouTube With Wastelanders now no longer expected until next year, it sounds like 2019's remaining Fallout 76 updates will be considerably more limited in scope, with Bethesda only highlighting upcoming fixes and quality-of-life improvements. The publisher did, however, assure fans that it's still working on new events, the Legendary Player system, a public test server, and perk loadouts, all of which were outlined earlier this year. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 11 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Sennheiser's legendary HD 599 open-back headphones are just £70 at Amazon in the Prime Early Access Sale Comfortable with neutral sound and a wide sound stage. Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. 1 Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 61 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store