Bethesda expands Fallout 4’s DLC plan, details first wave of add-ons

Bethesda announced today expanded plans for Fallout 4's downloadable add-on content. In a post today, the publisher/developer revealed the first series of add-ons for the critically acclaimed action-RPG. They are: Automatron, Wasteland Workshop and Far Harbor.

Launching in March, Automatron will cost $9.99. As described by Bethesda:

"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!"

Next up will be the Wasteland Workshop for $4.99 in April, which sounds like a weird, post-apocalyptic version of Pokemon.

"With the Wasteland Workshop, design and set cages to capture live creatures – from raiders to Deathclaws! Tame them or have them face off in battle, even against your fellow settlers. The Wasteland Workshop also includes a suite of new design options for your settlements like nixi tube lighting, letter kits, taxidermy and more!"

And finally, in May, you'll have Far Harbor. The most expensive of the three add-ons, the $24.99 expansion seemingly adds an entirely new mission with Nick Valentine.

"A new case from Valentine’s Detective Agency leads you on a search for a young woman and a secret colony of synths. Travel off the coast of Maine to the mysterious island of Far Harbor, where higher levels of radiation have created a more feral world. Navigate through the growing conflict between the synths, the Children of Atom, and the local townspeople. Will you work towards bringing peace to Far Harbor, and at what cost? Far Harbor features the largest landmass for an add-on that we’ve ever created, filled with new faction quests, settlements, lethal creatures and dungeons. Become more powerful with new, higher-level armor and weapons. The choices are all yours."

You may notice, the price of all three add-ons individually add up to $40, so you'd technically save $10 by purchasing the Season Pass for $29.99.

However, in a surprise move today, Bethesda announced the season pass will be increasing in price to $49.99 — for good reason, though. Given the success of Fallout 4, Bethesda is expanding the DLC plan. We don't know what future add-ons entail, but you can expect "more than $60 worth of new Fallout adventures and features throughout 2016."

The price of the Season Pass will increase from $29.99 to $49.99 on March 1, 2016, so there's still time for you to get in while the price is cheap. If you've already purchased the Season Pass or do so before March 1st, nothing will change — you still get everything (the full $60 offering of add-on content) at no additional cost.

"This is our way of saying thanks to all our loyal fans who have believed in us and supported us over the years," Bethesda said of the change of plans.

Bethesda also said they will be running closed betas for each of tehse add-ons for consoles and PC. You can sign up right now for a chance to play these add-ons early.

Beyond this paid content, Bethesda promises to continue to offer free updates to the game, including new features like the recent weapon debris for CP and increased draw distances for consoles. Additionally, Bethesda promise a "complete overhaul" of Survival Mode "that changes how you play the whole game: food, sleep, diseases, danger, and more."

And lastly, the publisher touched on the Creation Kit, which will allow you to create and play mods for free. "We're currently testing both Survival Mode and the Creation Kit now," Bethesda said, promising more details later on.

[Bethesda]