However, Bethesda’s open-world multiplayer RPG eventually managed to cultivate a dedicated following. This is primarily due to the developers’ work supporting Fallout 76 with regular updates and new content. One of these updates added several new ransom encounters, one of which is a funny reference to Fallout 3’s wackiest quest.
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Reddit user Laser_3 noticed the shout-out, uploaded a cropped screenshot to Discord, and shared a link to it on the Fallout 76 subreddit. The Random Encounter consists of a conversation between two characters referred to as Comic Book Expert and Comic Book Genius. The Expert asks the Genius who would win in a fight between the AntAgoniser and The Mechanist, a reference to the Superhuman Gambit quest from Fallout 3. The Comic Book Genius ultimately put his money on the Mechanist, saying that robots versus ants would be an “Easy win for the robots.” That’s an accurate guess given how their battle plays out in Fallout 3.
Bethesda introduced the AntAgoniser and The Mechanist during the Superhuman Gambit quest. It begins when players arrive in Fallout 3’s town of Canterberry Commons, the base of operations for the games traveling merchants. Upon their first visit, players will witness a battle between the two scenery-chewing “superheroes” and their minis, consisting of several robots and giant ants. Players can put an end to the pair’s costumed hijinks and are rewarded with one of two unique armor sets.
In Fallout 3, only the AntAgoniser was explicitly emulating a comic book villain from before the apocalypse. However, it was later clarified, or perhaps retconned, that the Mechanist also starred in pre-war comic books and radio plays. Another character calling themselves the Mechanist appears in the Automatron DLC for Fallout 4, but the dialogue in Fallout 76 clearly references the humorous quest from Fallout 3.
Fans in the Fallout 76 subreddit were amused by the reference, with one person jokingly asking if Bethesda might be teasing a new quest. Another fan said they’d wear an Ant Queen outfit if Bethesda added it to the game. A version of the Mechanist’s outfit was at one point available through Fallout 76’s Atomic Shop microtransaction store. Thus, a purchasable AntAgonizer costume might not be completely impossible.
Fallout 76 is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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