Summary

• The addition of playing as a Ghoul in Fallout 76 is exciting, but the update coming in 2025 raises questions about timing.
• Despite the hype, the long-awaited feature may be too little, too late, with Ghoul characters being something that should've been in the game from the beginning.
• Playing as a Ghoul in Fallout 76 will come with immersive changes, but the delay in adding this feature means its impact won't be as great.

The recent Xbox Games Showcase revealed one exciting feature coming soon to Fallout 76, but despite the hype, one crucial problem is impossible to overlook. While perhaps not at the same level as Cyberpunk 2077, Fallout 76 has improved tremendously since its launch through quality of life and content updates. The fan base maligned the game upon release in 2018, but many have found joy in playing with friends in more recent years.

It's been a big year for Fallout fans, who have been waiting for years to receive a faithful, definitive adaptation, and Prime Video delivered exactly that. Since the premiere of Fallout 4 finally receiving a next-gen update. However, while an addition to Fallout 76 has many players excited, it's overshadowed by the fact that it took this long to get into the game.

Playing As A Ghoul Is Coming To Fallout 76 7 Years Too Late

The Xbox Showcase Revealed The Feature Is Coming In 2025

The wait is nearly over for those who have been anxiously anticipating an adventure into Appalachia as a Ghoul. The option to play as a Ghoul in Fallout 76 is officially coming in 2025, but this exciting announcement is weighed down by a few irrefutable facts. Yes, playing as a Ghoul is something to look forward to, but why did it take this long for it to be added to the game? Furthermore, why is the announcement for such a minute addition coming so far in advance?

For this to be pushed at an official gaming showcase with such vigor is certainly an interesting move, considering ionate Fallout 4 fans took it upon themselves to add the option to play as a Ghoul via one of the best Fallout 4 mods. Fallout 76 has already made a name for itself by releasing big expansions, with its first ever map expansion coming June 12. With several big updates already confirmed to be in the works, it's unnecessary to give this small of an announcement the same treatment.

Perhaps an even more important question: why wasn't this feature in the game at launch, or shortly thereafter? While Fallout 76 did have more pressing issues to deal with upon release, such as the plethora of bugs and performance issues that made the game nearly unplayable, but playing as a Ghoul seems like a no-brainer considering how soon after the bombs Fallout 76 takes place. Nonetheless, players can look forward to Ghouls being added to Fallout 76 in a future update, coming sometime in 2025.

How Playing As A Ghoul Will Be Different In Fallout 76

Ghoul Main Characters Have To Be Modded Into Other Games

While this announcement may seem randomly-timed, this Ghoul craze isn't coming out of nowhere. Walton Goggins' portrayal of The Ghoul in Prime Video's Fallout series has brought the character and the species as a whole into another layer of popularity. After watching Goggins dazzle with enhanced durability and unmistakable charm, Fallout fans around the world were eager to suit up as the irradiated creatures in-game.

Playing as a Ghoul in other Fallout games, such as Fallout 4, is strictly an aesthetic feature. It doesn't enhance the character or change dialogue, it's merely another way for players to live out their favorite cosplays. However, in Fallout 76, things will be a bit different; playing as a Ghoul in Fallout's online RPG will be more immersive.

Playing as a Ghoul in Fallout 76 means certain factions like The Brotherhood of Steel will refuse to work with the player. Certain vendors with bias' against Ghouls will no longer sell items to the player, and builds which revolve around taking radiation damage will be rendered completely ineffective. This update will certainly draw more interest to the game, but it will only do a fraction of the good that it would have done if it had been released at the proper time.

Fallout 76 has improved by leaps and bounds since its release in 2018, but this update is too little, too late. While many players will certainly find fun in playing as a ghoul in Fallout 76, there are plenty of other things that update space and development time could be used for. Playing as a ghoul in Fallout 76 would've been fun six or seven years ago, but Bethesda missed its window with this one.