Unlike Automatron, Wasteland Workshop, Fallout 4's second slice of downloadable content, doesn't feature any quests, stories, or new characters. It's very much an add-on pack in both name and nature, providing you with a load of new settlement crafting options and not much else.
However, for its relatively low price tag, you actually get quite a lot of fresh stuff to mess around with when it comes to the open world title's expansive crafting system. There's a new basic building option in concrete, which can now be used to make floors, walls, and roofs, while the decorations menu has been fleshed out rather dramatically with new lights, potted plants, and hunting trophies.
Indeed, Wasteland Workshop offers up a generous amount of new bits and pieces to add to your settlements, but for most, the big attraction will no doubt be the ability to set up your own arena of death. Arguably the two most important items included in the DLC are the blue team and red team platforms, which, when utilised, force two non-playable characters in your settlement to duel to the death.
Assigning settlers to the platforms like any other resource, the selected combatants will duke it out until one of them slumps to the ground. For those who enjoy tinkering with Fallout 4's crafting system and watching the impact that your actions have on the artificial intelligence, making your own gladiator arena will likely offer hours of fun and mindless slaughter.
The other main additions that Wasteland Workshop brings are cages which can be used to trap enemies. After placing them in a settlement, all that you need to do is wait a few hours, sleep, or go off on an adventure β and by the time that you get back, you'll probably find that some poor soul's stumbled into your grasp. Depending on the cage that you build, you can catch anything from stray cats to Deathclaws, and this technically means that you can have big mutated monsters roaming around your settlements like guard dogs.
To tame your favoured beast, though, you'll need to construct a special beacon that calms your animal chums. Open up a cage without one, and whatever's inside β assuming that it's hostile β will need to be killed before it rampages through your shanty town, unless, you know, you just want to watch the world burn. Again. However, this is where the add-on fumbles just a touch, as you'll need a couple of specific perks to actually craft the taming beacon. Likewise, the cages themselves require meat from various creatures to use as bait, so if you're not prepared, you'd best be ready to head out into the Commonwealth and hunt down a few mutants, which can easily feel like a chore if you're just looking to snag your own pet Mirelurk.
Of course, actually having the ability to capture enemies opens up countless possibilities. Creative players will find ways to unleash their prisoners in their own handcrafted arenas, for example, and there's certainly something to be said for forming a small army of monsters and watching them tear groups of Raiders apart. Now that's Commonwealth justice.
When it comes down to it, you'll already know whether Wasteland Workshop is for you. If Fallout 4's crafting and settlement systems are a big part of your post-apocalyptic experience, then you can't really go wrong with this DLC.
Fallout 4: Wasteland Workshop is available now from the PlayStation Store for Β£3.99/$4.99, and is part of the game's Season Pass.
Comments (13)
I have finally burned out on this game, although it did last me around 200 hours, lol. I finished automatron and I think I am going to let it lay until the big expansion comes out. Right now I am eagerly awaiting RandC and hopefully hyper light drifter for consoles pretty soon. Most of all, I really want that limited edition NMS to show up!
Can I put Preston Garvey in an Arena? Who am I kidding. He would just survive and then ask me to help out another settlement. sigh
@Splat Yes, you can, and yes, he would.
Preston will be a common choice as a chew toy for their pet Deathclaw.
An arena match i would love to schedule is Myrna vs a synth and my choice is Armitage. Then i can enjoy watching him snap her neck like a chicken bone.
Are Witcher 3 and Fallout 4 in a competition to see who can keep DLC coming the longest?
Had a quick look at the new building options and it looks like I'm going to be busy tomorrow. Finally I can destroy my huge power stations in favour of the new 100 unit generator plus the new smaller light boxes will let me make some more detailed pictures. Oh yeah and I want a pet deathclaw π
@rjejr All DLC for Witcher 3 was released already when the game released, since then they have only released 1 of 2 major expansions for the game. The second one is coming soon.
I agree with this review wholeheartedly. The perks needed to maximise usage from this DLC is a little inconvenient. For me, it actually only mean two level-ups, but for those whose characters aren't built with high charisma, that could be quite the grind.
@Marre35
This comment - "All DLC for Witcher 3 was released already when the game released" - and this comment - "The second one is coming soon." contradict each other. The expansions are DLC, they are downloadable - that's the "DL" - and you need the full game to play they, they aren't stand alone, that's the "C".
Here's the definition of DLC from Wiki -
Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for a released video game. It is distributed through the Internet by the game's official publisher. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from aesthetic outfit changes to a new, extensive storyline, similar to an expansion pack.
But don't just take my word for it, here's an article repeatedly referring to the expansion packs as DLC.
http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2016/01/21/the-witcher-3s-expansions-changing-the-way-game-industry-looks-at-dlc/188177/
"The Witcher 3 has vast catalog of DLC available, including new quests, costumes, weapons and full-on expansions, and itβs clear that developer CD Projekt RED nailed down their marketing strategy. Instead of nickel and diming gamers for every piece of DLC that came through their, door CD Projekt RED instead approached DLC with a different goal in mind. They wanted to not only extend the life of their game, but also refine and tweak every aspect of it until it was as near perfect as it could possibly be. With sixteen pieces of near perfect add-ons that were most importantly free, CD Projekt RED built a foundation of trust with their loyal fans before extending their first paid DLC onto the market."
Oohh - very tempted - I need to bag the settlement happiness trophy - do you know if these new elements will make that easier??
@Cleric20 Probably won't make a difference, just have 6 or 7 people at Red rocket and assign each to the highest level stores you can build. As long as everyone has a bed and you have more defence than you need just hanging around them long enough should give you full happiness.
@carlos82 Thanks man - good tips! Looks like another Platinum notched up soon then!
@Cleric20 It does make a few things easier when it comes to settlement building, which I suppose could, in turn, make it easier to get maximum happiness.
For example, one of the best objects the DLC brings is a fusion core generator, which offers a ridiculous 100 electricity. In other words, you could power everything in a settlement with just one of these things, and that puts less strain on resources elsewhere.
Now that I think about it, maybe that's a little pay-to-win...
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