As someone who recently returned to Fallout 76 after six years away, I can confidently say that I've had a great time with the multiplayer title. Sure, there are annoying issues like consistent crashes on the PlayStation version and the usual Bethesda RPG awfulness, but they haven't been enough to take away from the fun of the game. I've had a great experience exploring the world while rocking to Appalachia radio, I've had great interactions with the community, and I've been thinking about how to create the CAMP of my dreams with every piece of junk I collect. With such a positive Fallout 76 experience, I wanted to spend some money in the Atomic Shop to show some support for the game, but unfortunately one of my purchases – the space suit – feels like a big mistake. Unfortunately, I'm not alone in this feeling, as other players have fallen victim to this incomplete package.
What's wrong with Fallout 76's Atomic Shop Space Suit?
The big problem with Fallout 76's spacesuit is simple: it's missing the helmet, the coolest part of the ensemble. When I bought this package, I assumed that I wouldn't just get the orange, patchwork bodysuit. But when I moved on to an Armor workbench, I was confused to find that I only had the blueprints for the suit itself. No matter how carefully I looked through my headgear and helmet charts, the other part of the outfit I expected to have access to was nowhere to be found. This confused me until I searched online and found several Reddit threads where people were talking about having the exact same problem. For any reason, be it another Fallout 76 Atomic Shop bug (Old Glory Fireplace also has problems) or a failure of the person who added the item, it turns out that there is no helmet in the 400-Atomic pack.
Seeing as how I'd also bought the 700-Atomic Space Explorer backpack to get a full astronaut feel, I'm out of 1100 Atoms in total for an outfit that isn't what I was sold. I don't feel like using it until a helmet shows up in the shop, or I find one in the game world.
If this was a case where I and other Vault Dwellers didn't read the contents of the Atomic Shop package, I wouldn't be so upset. However, with this particular package, there is no mention that the helmet is not included. The description simply says “shoot for the stars and survive”, while every single image – including the space suit miniature – features a character with the space suit and helmet equipped. With two large images and a smaller thumbnail all pointing to me getting the helmet when I bought the spacesuit, I couldn't help but feel cheated after making this purchase. Despite all the crashes, trading errors, and times my character has gotten stuck in the environment, this misleading cosmetic pack is the first time I've been truly disappointed since returning to Fallout 76.
Already bought Fallout 76's space suit? You have two options
While this article will hopefully reach players before they purchase the spacesuit, but for those who have already made the mistake of purchasing this item, there are a few options available. The first is to contact Bethesda support for a refund, which is pretty easy and usually sees players getting their Atoms back very quickly. For players who do not want to give up this suit, there is another option available: finding a space suit helmet in the open world. Sure, it looks a little different and isn't an exact match for what Atomic Shop had promised (the premium version has a larger visor), but it's a way to save the outfit if players don't feel like trying to get a refund.
Space suit helmets are available in the following Fallout 76 locations:
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Sons of Dane Compound
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The top floor of the Valley Galeria, resting on a Quantum bear riding a rocket
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Locker in the crater communication area
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On the weapon workbench fence north of the Morgantown Responders Outpost
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Two space suit helmets have a chance to play at the Whitespring Resort, near the fireplace.
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On a shelf in the store next to the Charleston beauty salon.
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Next to a Berkley Springs pharmacy terminal.
What's particularly frustrating about this whole Atomic Shop debacle is that when the spacesuit first appeared in the Atomic Shop over half a decade ago, it seemingly came with the helmet. This may add weight to the theory that the item is de-bugged, so perhaps an action will happen soon. At the same time, the old package price was 800, which suggests that the space suit is really meant to be on its own and the confusion comes solely from the images used. If so, maybe the Spacesuit Helmet will be coming to the store as a separate purchase soon.
Regardless, it's very frustrating that I can't match my fiancee and her Nuka Cola Girl Space Suit (yes, this one really has the helmet) at the moment. Next time I play, I'll have to take a break from clearing out the ash pile to find one of the helmets in the above locations, although I don't think I'll be able to remove it not being a perfect match for my outfit. Going forward, I will definitely be a little more careful about buying from the Atomic Shop, only buying the bundles where all the contents are detailed, and I'm pretty sure I'll get exactly what has been advertised.
- Released
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November 14, 2018
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intent Violence, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
