Fallout 76: Steel Dawn expansion gets a surprise early launch

(Image credit: Bethesda)

The Brotherhood of Steel have arrived inFallout 76, and even earlier than we expected. That's right, the Fallout 76: Steel Dawn expansion that was due on December 1 has been released a week early.

It's live now, in fact, on all platforms. Surprise! If that's not enough of a draw, the patch notes also state that penalties for hunger and thirst are being removed—now you'll only get a buff if you're well fed and hydrated.

Today we're releasing our Steel Dawn update for #Fallout76 ahead of schedule! You will be able to experience the all-new Steel Dawn questline, your very own C.A.M.P. Shelter, and more!Patch notes can be found here: https://t.co/6xHMKfNwP4 pic.twitter.com/kTql1VMQjLNovember 24, 2020

Apparently, an error this morning meant Fallout 76 players on Xbox were able to download the expansion ahead of schedule. Rather than mucking around with reverting their games back to the current version, Bethesda decided to just go ahead and release the expansion early for everyone.

Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.