Fallout 76: 9 Big Questions We Still Have
6. Is There An Overarching Story? Is It Just A Glorified Tutorial?
So far no mention has been made of the story of the game. True, most trailers for Fallout games just shown explosions and shooting, but we've always had vague ideas of the story before release.
It's been mentioned by Bethesda that there won't be any NPCs in the world (other than enemies, of course) which means no big city hubs, no wandering traders, and no quest givers. There will be a few robots, though. It will be a weird Fallout without faction outposts and settlements, but of course, the protagonist is the first person out of the vault so it makes sense.
But this raises the question - how will we get quests? And will there be a big overarching story? Todd Howard answered the first question by suggesting the robots and various terminals dotted around the world will give out quests, but that seems limiting and impersonal - the great thing about Fallout is the variety of weird characters that you meet while following the various stories and quests.
The second question is the big one, and will likely only get answered when the game is released. It's been hinted that the Vault 76 Overseer has a plan for you, but whether this is a complicated and nuanced plot or just a glorified tutorial for the brutal wasteland, remains to be seen.