Fallout 76: 10 Reasons It Failed
4. Combat Is The Focus
Fallout has never been about combat, but with no story or characters it starts to be the most notable thing about it.
That's not to say that combat is bad in Fallout 76, but it's nothing special. The combination of the poor enemy AI and lack of good-feeling weapons leads to a very unsatisfying combat system that can be easily exploited.
Both melee combat and gun combat are extremely simple, with the only interesting thing being the weapon modification. It can't carry a whole game though.
The biggest problem with this is the fact that V.A.T.S - the system that once made Fallout stand out - has now been reduced to another aiming mechanic. All that happens here is that enemies are highlighted, and you get a % "chance" meter.
Although being an online game makes V.A.T.S hard to implement, there's barely any point of putting it in. All of the problems with combat are another one of the consequences that come from turning Fallout into an online-only game with no NPCs.