Fallout 4‘s tough as nails Survival Mode comes to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 later this week, Bethesda has announced via Twitter. The unforgiving, optional level of extreme difficulty will launch alongside the game’s 1.5 update, which is currently slated to go live on Friday for both consoles.
Get ready for #SurvivalMode on console. #Fallout4’s 1.5 update expected to release on Xbox One & PS4 on Friday. pic.twitter.com/GfFmmKkSVs
— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) May 4, 2016
Bethesda has said previously that Survival Mode is all about giving the player tougher choices by introducing “circular systems you might find in a game like Dark Souls“, i.e. “two or more systems that push against each other.” For this reason, there’s four important “pillars” that Bethesda adhered to when creating the bonus difficulty.
1. Strategy: Intensify decisions involving when to get into combat versus when to avoid it, and also make you think more about what gear to take into combat. Then back up those decisions with faster, more brutal fights.
2. Exploration: Slow down the pace of the game and encourage players to explore the nooks and crannies of the world.
3. Resource Management: Balance out items in the world that may be too easy to acquire or horde, giving players more to consider when planning their current loadout.
4. Role Playing: Increase the realism of the world and the issues one might face there.
For a more in-depth explanation of the developer’s design process, you can click here for the full blog post.
There’s really never been a better time to get stuck back into Fallout 4‘s post-apocalyptic world. Survival Mode is sure to hold your attention for a large chunk of time, and even when you’ve finally triumphed over that, you’ve got the game’s first big expansion – Far Harbor – to look forward to, which launches May 19 for all platforms.