When Fallout 4 gained mod support on the Xbox, I created all manner of weird and wonderful contraptions. I went to town modding weapons and armour, went crazy building my settlements, and in all, had a wonderful time walking through the game obliterating anything I pointed my explosive-round, double two-shot Gatling gun at. Of course, I had finished the game before doing this, but it was a whole lot of fun seeing just how far I could push things. Obviously, being an MMORPG, Fallout 76 can’t really do this. Or can it?

Well, the answer is a resounding no, but the upcoming Fallout 76 Worlds update does come close, and I was given a chance to try this out on the Public Test Servers. Needless to say, the first thing I did was mess about with the settings, which is kind of what Fallout Worlds is all about. It allows players to adjust various settings within the game, and create their own unique world within Fallout 76. It is somewhat similar to private worlds, in that only 8 players can join the server, so you know that you won’t have random people jumping in and making a mess, but there are some very distinguishing features.

The first of which is that character progression is not shared with standard adventures or private worlds, and for very good reason. Fallout Worlds allows players to adjust several parameters, including how much damage the player can deal, how much they can receive, or even the need for ammunition. Basically, you can cheese the game and make it incredibly easy, or, if you’re feeling a little sadistic, you can make it nearly impossible for players by bumping up the difficulty, increasing the damage they take, and bumping up the number of enemies they’ll encounter, much like the “Dweller Must Die” scenario that Bethesda Game Studios included with the test.

It’s not all doom and gloom with a side of cheese though, as some aspects will really appeal to players who enjoy the crafting side of things. You can adjust things such as how big of an area you can build in, expanding out the radius of the C.A.M.P. by up to 100%, allowing players to build up to three times higher than normal, and even disable to materials required to build. You’ll even have the option to remove crafting materials completely, meaning that players, assuming they know the plans beforehand, can build whatever weapons, armours, or any other craftable item with whatever modifications they so desire.

You’ll even have the ability to open the world up and allow players to build wherever they please, assuming it’s an “outdoor” location, but this means that you can build smack bang in the middle of an existing world settlement and take advantage of the already present buildings. These settings are great for groups of friends who just want to unleash their creativity, setting up their own little settlements within close proximity to each other or taking over a small town.

Now, all of this sounds like a whole lot of fun, and trust me, it is, but it doesn’t stop there. Bethesda has included a couple of “fun” things you can adjust, such as enemies bursting apart when they die, ragdolling uncontrollably into the distance, adding a Sepia filter to the world, or jumping three times higher than normal. While these aren’t necessarily anything game-changing, perhaps with the exception of watching a loot-filled legendary corpse fly across the map, they do make for some interesting gameplay.

I think Fallout Worlds will be well received by players in the same way that mod support changed how people played Fallout 4. Sure, you’ll get worlds filled with cheese as players waltz through the harder sections of the game eliminating everything in their path, but I think we’ll see a surge in players creating worlds to build in, with groups of friends setting up small shanty towns and sharing their glorious builds to various social media.

Written by: Mathew Lindner