Fallout 76 Hackers Just Made The Wastelanders Update Obsolete

Fallout 76 seems to be having a rough time, and in true Bethesda tradition, it looks like it's up to the players to fix the game. Earlier this year, Bethesda announced the Wastelanders update, which would finally add NPCs to the barren world of post-apocalyptic West Virginia. Then it got delayed, while a questionable subscription service launched just a week later.

Players have apparently gotten tired of waiting for NPCs, so they added them to Fallout 76 themselves.

Recently, Fallout 76 had a free weekend, where any player could join. During that time, a user named ErectBAN posted some cheats onto a board titled unknowncheats.me. The scripts he shared allow players to spawn all sorts of items into their game. Any weapon and armor can be pulled in, for example, and players even spawned the Prydwen, the Brotherhood of Steel airship from Fallout 4. However, something far more interesting could be spawned into the game thanks to this cheat: human NPCs.

Some Redditors emailed Kotaku, showcasing a group of Fallout 76 players playing with NPCs dressed as Brotherhood of Steel soldiers, among other things. These NPCs come with a surprising degree of functionality, as well. They don't just sit around idly, as they walk around camps when they're near one. In combat, they actually fight enemies and take cover when they need to. Unfortunately, these NPCs are only tied to camps for now, and there are a few glitches surrounding them. They don't spawn with any clothes, and sometimes, their gunfire sounds like turrets.

Still, it's fair to say that players added human NPCs to Fallout 76 before Bethesda did, which is really something. The company is likely looking into ways to patch up the hack, especially since these cheats have caused griefing problems in online competitive modes. Some folks on Reddit have even called for stricter anti-cheat regulation.

Now all eyes are on Bethesda to see what it will do.