Fallout 4’s The Automatron – is it Worth it?
Fallout 4 was bestowed upon the masses last November. And though multiple titles have been released since then, it can be difficult to set Bethesda’s latest hit aside for more than a few weeks. I mean, besides an obsessive need to craft things – my settlements aren’t going to improve themselves – there are plenty of side missions, cool loot, and rare encounters that encourage frequent returns to the Commonwealth. So, you can imagine how eager I was to load up my armor clad hero when Bethesda asked if we wanted to check out the Season Pass content!
The first bit of DLC offered in the Season Pass was released on March 22nd. Called The Automatron, this pack introduces the mysterious Mechanist and a horde of robots running wild on settlements in the Commonwealth. You see, things get interesting when the lone survivor (the main character) overhears a distressing message via the Pip-Boy’s radio. A caravan of merchants was traveling to a nearby settlement when they were besieged by the Mechanist’s robots. Upon reaching the area in question, he finds only one person still standing: a special assaultron named Ada. She had been traveling with the caravan for some time now and felt guilty that she couldn’t save her friends. Looking for revenge, she asked the survivor to join her in hunting down this elusive menace. You can guess what his answer was…
Now if you’ve played Fallout 3, you’d know that this premise sounds a bit familiar. A certain superhero (also named the Mechanist) that needed help in more ways than one, was a burden to the citizens of a small town called Canterbury Commons. While the circumstances surrounding his story aren’t exactly the same, there are a lot of similarities to this current Mechanist. What makes this one stand out though is this character’s covert nature; no one’s ever seen or spoken to the Mechanist. The only thing anyone has to go on besides the name, are the promises of help spouting from a robot before they go all “HAL” on you. Who is he or she and why have they sent out these crazy robots? Are they even human? These questions and more are answered over the course of this short adventure.
I really like the sleuthing aspects of this add-on. In order to figure out where the Mechanist is held up, you have to track down deadly Robobrains. These pre-Great War robots were created for use in the U.S military and now reside as the Mechanist’s lieutenants. Apparently combining a human brain with a robot body provided a better solider than normal bots. I can’t really argue with the results. Saying these suckers are difficult to take down would be an understatement (make sure you are at least over level 20 before engaging). After dispatching a Robobrain, it would then be possible to outfit Ada with their Radio Beacons which zeroed in on the Mechanist’s lair. As you continue exploring the Commonwealth, you’ll start to unravel what’s really going on. Those that dig a little deeper though, will find out that all sorts of nasty things went down years before the bombs when off.
Of course, with any new DLC come new enemies, weapons, and armor. Beyond the robot army is a group called the Rust Devils. These raiders like to strip parts from robots and equip them as armor, making them tougher to kill. The ones they don’t strip, they reprogram to do their bidding. This sort of thing puts them in direct conflict with the Mechanist. That said, they are no ally to the survivor and will try their best to put a bullet in your head at any given moment. When it comes to the new loot, there’s plenty here to gawk at. There are really only two items worth mentioning though. The first is the new Cell based weapon called the Telsa Rifle. Blasting an enemy with this gun will not only fry its circuits but also arc electric currents at adjacent foes. It doesn’t do much damage to the more organic creatures early on. But, add in a few mods and you’d swear you were Zeus smiting anyone foolish enough to stand in the line of fire.
The second item of note is actually a crafting station called the Robot Workbench. Here is not only were you can outfit Ada with the aforementioned beacons, but you can also upgrade her using parts stolen from rouge robots. Buzz saws, flamethrowers, an assortment of lasers, armored chassis and more can be equipped. One of my favorites is a chest plate that emits poison every time Ada is hit with a melee attack. If this wasn’t cool enough, you can also build new automatons. Each one can be tailored with new weapons, paint schemes, personalities, voices and so on using the junk you find on your travels.
The Robot Workbench fits right in with the other crafting mechanics. And by “fit in” I mean having extremely addictive qualities; the main reason it took me so long to complete this side story was because I spent hours tinkering like some mad scientist. Everything leading up to the final confrontation with the Mechanist was entertaining as well. The only concern I had while playing was a nasty glitch that makes completing the last mission impossible. For some reason, after you’ve defeated the last robot minion at the end, the game just stops; The Mechanist is supposed to address you but instead, remains motionless in his or her lab. And of course, accompanying this barricading glitch is the inability to leave the area. The only way to move forward is to load up another save, fight through the horde again, and hope everything works out. To be fair, there is a secret way of confronting your foe without fighting the robots (circumventing the glitchy segment altogether) but most gamers won’t discover that route on their first go. I sure didn’t, as it took multiple tries before I was able to complete the quest.
All and all, I feel that The Automatron add-on is worth the purchase. It builds on what was great about the base game as well as offer up some interesting lore. The glitch does hinder one’s enjoyment so hopefully, Bethesda will be quick to patch things up!
The Automatron is available for those who purchased the season pass or sold separately for $9.99. The second bit of content (Wasteland Workshop) will be released on April 12th. We’ll delve into that soon enough. In the meantime, check out my review of Fallout 4!
