Review: Fallout 4 Vault Tec Workshop DLC

G’day there guys and gals!

In my experience of being a part of the Fallout Community for the last few years, it has been widely known that many of the Fallout DLCs are purely opinion based. The good are regarded as well done by most, if not all, and the rest are generally hit and miss depending on your playstyle. So far with Fallout 4, each new DLC has brought about brand new environments, tactics, followers and information in regards to the size and the lore of the Commonwealth. However, when it comes to the Vault Tec Workshop, in this reviewer’s opinion, the content offered for us to play with is all well and good, but if you've played for days on end, don't expect to remain in the Commonwealth for long.

To cover the story, the Sole Survivor receives an emergency transmission from Vault 88, desperately asking for anyone from Vault Tec to come and aid them in their hour of need. After quickly dispatching the Raiders, you find Overseer Barstow, a ghoul who has been trapped down inside their Vault since the first bombs fell. Distraught at the prospect of a lost opportunity, she asks for your aid in reopening the Vault to the public so that she may commence her experiments for a better future.
Overall, the missions themselves, while slightly interesting (especially the resurgence of Doctor Braun from Fallout 3 and his involvement with Vault Tec), don’t offer very much at all. Despite a single fetch quest, the majority of the remaining missions can be boiled down to three actions: build “Experiment Name”, attach a terminal and wait an hour to see the affects. Players do also get the optional mission to fully explore the cave in which the Vault is in (which for achievement/trophy hunters, you’ll want to do this), which requires you to find nearby workshop components and clear out rubble and uranium ore. This is where Bethesda’s warning for being a higher level comes into place, as by opening new areas, you will find legendary creatures ready to tear you apart. People under level 40 will definitely struggle, if not upgraded correctly.
In the end, you’re offered the keys to the Vault, in which you can accept or perform a charisma check to turn it down and voila: the story is over. Overall, completing the optional missions, the DLC will set you back 2-3 hours, even less so if you don’t explore the caves.
Voice acting in the DLC is fairly done, especially by the returning Sole Survivor (the sarcastic responses are particularly good) and the challenge is definitely there hiding in those caves, for those who wish to explore it.

However, in saying all of this, keep in mind that this is a Workshop DLC and unlike Far Harbor, the focus is on the settlement and building aspects. Personally speaking, I have become a tad tired of fixing settlement after settlement and as soon as I could, abandoned Vault 88 to return to my glorious treehouse home in Sanctuary. But in returning, the new building aspects have greatly improved my home immensely. Settlers can now perform gymnastic manoeuvres on gym bars, or lift weights to gain happiness, while players can use these to gain temporary boosts. Players can also take their experiments home with them and influence their followers how they see fit. If your settlement is overflowing with generators, the Vault Tec Reactor will definitely be your goal, as it dishes out 500 watts of power, but requires a LOT of nuclear material, so remember to harvest all you can from Vault 88 before you go! Not only that, but the Workshop includes new lights, decorations, cleaner objects (such as pre-war couches, jukeboxes, seats, etc) for your aesthetic needs, giant Vault-Boy/Girl statues, glowing signs, and of course, Vault Tec approved buildings. All of this and more is at your fingertips.

Initially, I was a bit disappointed with the DLC; taken back with the short storyline and the little lore that was offered, but that wasn’t the focus of this content – it was and is the Workshop. The massive amount of décor and building options for players was astounding, and I actually became excited to race back to my mega-home and build these new contraptions. If you’re inspired, you have an absolute behemoth sized playing ground to build your own Vault underground and control it how you see fit, and I encourage you to do so. For such a low cost, Vault Tec Workshop may offer little extra story, but its content for your settlements is more than enough to make up for it.

Fallout 4 Vault Tec Workshop DLC – B-

The Vault Tec Workshop DLC is out now for the standard price of $6