Fallout 1st subscribers in Fallout 76 are being targeted by non-paying players
Fallout 76's Fallout 1st subscription service has created class warfare within the game's world.
The launch of Fallout 1st, a a $99-a-year subscription to Fallout 76 that grants members private servers, unlimited stash and other benefits has been very rocky.
The trouble started when player began reporting losing items stored in the advertised unlimited stash, and being in supposedly private worlds that others have seemingly visited before. But it looks like Fallout 1st is now facing a different kind of problem, one that isn't technical in nature.
A number of Fallout 1st players on the game's main subreddit have been running into abuse from others who did not subscribe to the service. Fallout 1st members get exclusive icons, emotes and other unique cosmetics that make them easy to identify, which can sometimes lead to them becoming targets for cyber bullying.
A thread on the Fallout 76 subreddit has over 8,000 upvotes is full of stories of 1st players getting targeted in Adventure mode. Others talked about getting abused by groups of players any time they use the 1st-exclusive emotes.
The divide between haves and have nots has increased the friction in an already volatile community. Some, perhaps jokingly, have suggested creating a gated community exclusive to paid customers.
Although some of this can be avoided by muting offenders or switching servers, there's no avoiding the massive potential for griefing the service created in the first place. It seems the story of Fallout 76's troubles will never end.