Fallout 4’s first DLC is out. I want to talk briefly about the changes it brings to the game.
Released ahead of the pack due next month, which is set to be Fallout’s most substantial DLC, Automatron adds a new questline to the game. It is not a particularly long one: we try to stop the robot armies, made up of machines with different abilities and strengths, that a mysterious enemy calling themselves the Mechanist has sent into every corner of the Commonwealth. The Automatron DLC adds a new crafting station to the workshop where we can build our own robots. A wide range of robot-building mods, appearances, weapons and accessories become available quite quickly as we collect parts dropped by enemy robots. Raiders have also been affected by the robot invasion spreading across the Commonwealth. They have learned to hack the machines and turn their parts into armour, forming a new faction. You will occasionally encounter this group, the Rust Devils, as you travel through the game. With this DLC, you can build and customise every kind of robot, including those enormous Sentry Bots you have looked at and thought, “I wish I had one of those.” You can change their weapons, armour and appearance however you like. Take your robots with you as companions, or send them to a settlement you think could use more protection—the choice is yours. A new armour set called Robot Armour is also being added to the game. Worn by the Rust Devils, it offers a high level of protection. A few new weapons, such as the Assaultron Head and Tesla Rifle, will bring some extra variety to the game as well.
To install the Automatron DLC, you need Fallout 4 update 4.1 installed on your computer.
You can check whether the DLC is installed using the relevant tab in Fallout’s main menu.
You need to be level 20 or above for the DLC to activate in the game.
I don’t want to give away too many spoilers about the new quests. But I recommend having a character at least level 50 or above if you want to get through them without too much difficulty. Unlocking the Robotics perk will also give you a significant advantage. It lets you hack robots from a distance and make them fight each other, taking a lot of the pressure off during combat.