Fallout 4's first major story expansion, Far Harbor, is intended to offer more than a new area to explore. The add-on introduces a three-way conflict with all kinds of tough choices and a variety of endings, according to publisher Bethesda Softworks.
Based on the island city of Bar Harbor, Maine, the island of Far Harbor is the largest landmass that Bethesda has ever created for an expansion to one of its games. It's a more forbidding place than anything in the rest of Fallout 4, even more so than the Glowing Sea — "the island is radiation," said lead producer Phil Nelson.
The terrain is rugged, with an ecology that supports monstrous new creatures, and the people of Far Harbor are hardened fishermen who don't take kindly to outsiders. They're also in the midst of a war with the Children of Atom, cultists who intend to either convert everyone to their nuclear belief system or destroy them. The relatively peaceful Synths comprise the island's third faction. You'll be able to interact with all three of these groups.
"Everyone you meet has their own agendas and goals they try to drag the player into," said lead designer William Shen. "Everyone has a sympathetic side, and a side that's not-so-sympathetic, and you have to decide where you're going to land."
You'll meet a new companion named Longfellow, but since Synths are featured in Far Harbor, you'll see some interesting stuff if you choose to keep Nick Valentine around. Most of the decisions you make along your path aren't final — unless, of course, you choose to kill people. Here's hoping that your freedom to influence the story has more of a payoff than in the main game.
Far Harbor launches tomorrow, May 19, on PlayStation 4, Windows PC and Xbox One. It will be available at 12:01 a.m. EDT in North America for $24.99, and is included in the Fallout 4 season pass. For more, check out the developer diary above, and read our Fallout 4 review.
