Tuesday marks the release of Fallout 4‘s long-awaited and first downloadable content (DLC) pack, Automatron.
Bethesda reveals “the mysterious Mechanist has unleashed a horde of evil robots into the Commonwealth, including the devious Robobrain. Hunt them down and harvest their parts to build and mod your own custom robot companions. Choose from hundreds of mods; mixing limbs, armor, abilities, and weapons like the all-new lightning chain gun. Even customize their paint schemes and choose their voices!”
Sounds fantastic, and a little intimidating – here are some helpful tips to get your prepared.
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Aside from the expansion pack’s release date (March 22nd), there are a few other things you should know about the game. Here’s a list of must-know information to get the most out of the new DLC (no story spoilers):
- You have to be level 15 to start Automatron. If you’re new to Fallout 4 and have just started, you won’t be able to play the DLC right away. You probably wouldn’t want to, either. Robots can be hard to kill.
- You will need to build parts for your robot companions. That means collecting crafting materials. Don’t pass up that Wasteland junk! You’re going to need it.
- You now have a serious reason to use all those “Troubleshooter” weapons you have laying around. The legendary effect inflicts 50 percent more damage to robots, and when you’re going head-to-head with The Mechanist, you’ll be glad you brought it along.
- Similarly, remember that radiation damage does not affect robots. This means if you’re fond of a weapon with the “Irradiated” perk, you might want to swap it out for another with a more useful attribute. This also means your favorite gamma gun is useless.
- Break out the energy weapons. Robots in Fallout 4 have significantly more damage resistance to conventional weapons than their energy-firing counterparts. Laser and plasma-based weapons should give you an advantage.
- Invest in some perks that give you an edge against robots. To craft mods for your robot companion, you’ll need levels in perks like Gun Nut and Science! Meanwhile, the Robotics Expert perk allows you to hack robots to deactivate them, or incite them to attack (you also need it for some robot mods). Turn The Mechanist’s weapons against their creator!
- Spend some time with Codsworth. If you unlock the Robot Sympathy perk, you gain +10 damage resistance to energy attacks from robots. This effect stays, even if you don’t keep him as your companion. Also, you can put a bowler hat on him.
- Craft or buy some pulse grenades. These generate a big burst of energy, particularly damaging against robots. To craft pulse grenades, you must have rank 3 of Demolition Expert perk and rank 2 of the Science! perk unlocked.
- Know the weak spots. Many robots have areas on their chassis that deal extra damage when shot. This will be trickier in Automatron with the mix-and-match design of the robot. Still, there are general rules: Aim for the legs of an assaultron, shoot the fusion core of a sentry bot when it overheats, and disarm mister handy robots by… shooting the arms.
- Make sure your settlements are well-defended. In the game’s trailer, The Mechanist sounds like he or she means business.
Fallout 4‘s first DLC, Automatron will be a welcome sight in the Wasteland, adding more quests, items, and adventure. It’s also only one of three announced DLC (more is expected). Bethesda tweeted the expansion should be available at midnight (ET) in North America, and at midnight local time for the European Union.
If you’re curious about what exactly you’ll be able to do in Automatron, check out our article on some of the expansion’s leaked information. You can also see what we think is in store.
Automatron retails for $9.99 as a stand alone expansion, or is included within the $49.99 Season Pass.
