Fallout 76 Burning Springs is pulling me back into the multiplayer RPG, but it isn't just the new region that's on fire

Fallout 76 Burning Springs has finally stepped into a new territory for Bethesda's online, open-world adventure, but not without an early stumble. What started out with a rather messy launch back in 2018 has now grown into one of my most-played RPGs of all time, a game that's genuinely fulfilled its promise of opening the post-apocalypse up into a full multiplayer experience. The new Fallout 76 update takes us to Ohio, and ties neatly into the Amazon Prime series with the inclusion of Walton Goggins as The Ghoul - but it hasn't all gone to plan, with failed logins and error codes stopping players at the border.

Fallout 76 might have tossed out some of the original sincerity around the horrors of nuclear war that the series was built on, but it's created a truly enjoyable playground that still finds room for some of that contemplation and melancholy. I've been away from the Appalachian wasteland for a while, but this update is just what I needed to come back. It carries us across the bridge into Burning Springs, Ohio, where we'll be dealing with a tyrannical super mutant overlord called the Rust King and accepting bounties from The Ghoul.

Bounties are split up into two forms. 'Grunt Hunt' targets are repeatable missions that will give you a random location across Burning Springs where you'll find your mark. They'll have a specific mutation that affects them and any nearby allies, so approach with caution. The bigger offering is 'Head Hunts.' There are dozens of these to discover, and activating one kicks off a public event; they're especially tough foes, so you'll need all the assistance you can get. Only one can be active on a server at a time, so expect players to take turns rotating between their collected bills to rack up the rewards.

There are also two new general public events, including one that will see you defending a tamed Deathclaw from all manner of assailants, including a particularly agonized Deathclaw Matriarch. Then there's the 'Dirty Laundry' sidequest for collectors, with 150 briefcases to uncover across the new section of the map, and plenty more offerings expanding on core systems such as a fresh range of fish to catch (including an Ohioan local legend), and a Radhog pet for your camp.

The update also marks the start of Fallout 76 Season 23, Blood X Rust. If you fancy dressing your base up in full Raider-style glamor, this'll offer the ideal selection of themed furniture and cosmetics to do just that. Then there's the Dom Pedro handcannon, both explosive and piercing, a redesigned emote wheel that allows you to equip more at once, and a new weekly challenge for the Gleaming Depths raid that will pay out a four-star legendary cache to help you find the ideal gear for your build.

With the introduction of the new content, Milepost Zero has temporarily closed its doors, "awaiting a time in the future when things might be a bit safer." The rewards typically earned there can now be found in other locations across the wasteland. "We believe that bounty hunting delivers on the same promise of on-demand content, with legendary enemies and great rewards, in a more succinct and satisfying way," Bethesda explains. "We love the Skyline Valley region and have some fun things planned."

Unfortunately, the launch hasn't been smooth sailing. Shortly after the Burning Springs update launched, Bethesda support confirmed that it was investigating Fallout 76 login issues, and then within a few hours took servers down to resolve the issue. While they were switched back on a while later, the team noted "reports that the error codes have returned across all platforms." For what it's worth, I was able to get in when I tried just prior to writing this story, so you might find you're able to start your adventure now.

The Fallout 76 Burning Springs update is out now as a free expansion for all players. The install size is 28.8 GB on Steam, or 39.3 GB via the Microsoft Store.