Seven things you need to know about Bethesda’s E3 press conference | E3 2018

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Opening with a glimpse into the lives of those that work to produce some of our favourite games, Bethesda - the highest rated publisher on Metacritic - put in a traditionally strong showing with a look at the remainder of the year and, in a first, what lies beyond. If you can’t commit to catching up on the feature-length presentation, don’t worry, as we’ve got the highlights right here.

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by Sam Sant

​@pass_controller

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RAGE 2 looks bonkers fun

While the zany aesthetic of the sequel that nobody saw coming (setting Walmart Canada aside) has been divisive, there’s no doubt that the lengthy gameplay demonstration - see below - did a lot to allay fears. Frenetic firefights are waged in vehicles and on foot, with a suite of abilities also on hand to help you overcome the odds in RAGE 2’s large-scale enemy encounters. Its colourful post-apocalypse seems perfectly placed for co-op play, though we’ll have to wait until closer to the Spring 2019 release date to hear news on that front.

DOOM Eternal is everything we want from a sequel

2016’s DOOM was a real treat, which left fans with a list of demands for any potential sequel. Eternal looks set to deliver on all fronts, boasting more of the heavy metal ultraviolence we know and love, carried out at the hands of a more powerful Doom Marine, against double the number of demons. Throw in a Hell on Earth locale and we can’t wait to see more at QuakeCon in August.

There’s tons of Elder Scrolls content on the way (including VI)

Yes, the time was finally right for Bethesda to bare all and confirm that The Elder Scrolls VI is indeed on the horizon. All we got at this stage are a few environmental hints as to the region we might be exploring, though not likely anytime soon, with a distant 2020 release seemingly on the books. Regardless, that was enough to set the internet alight.

​In other news from Tamriel, CCG The Elder Scrolls: Legends is relaunching across Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch; The Elder Scrolls: Online is getting a couple of new expansions in Wolfhunter and Mirkmire, which focus on werewolves and revisiting Black Marsh respectively; while The Elder Scrolls: Blades is a fully fledged and VR compatible mobile RPG, featuring new city building elements and also set to make its way to consoles and PC.

Starfield is a new sci-fi IP from Bethesda Game Studios

Details on the first new franchise from Todd Howard and his team in 25 years are currently thin on the ground, though it’s reasonable to speculate it’ll launch next year as the fresh luncheon meat sandwiched between November’s Fallout 76 (more on that shortly) and The Elder Scrolls VI. With Mass Effect having fallen from grace, Starfield might just be the space-faring RPG gamers have been clamouring for.

Post-launch support continues for Bethesda’s current crop of games

The Elder Scrolls: Legends and Online weren’t the only existing games to get some time in the spotlight, as a few little surprises were made available to download right then and there. Free-to-play game Fallout Shelter was launched on PS4 and Switch, Quake Champions was made free for the duration of the week - so grab it while you can - and complementary Prey DLC added Story, Survival and New Game + modes to change how you interact with the campaign.

Separate to that, Prey will also receive the roguelike-like Mooncrash mode and an asymmetrical multiplayer add-on in which one person battles four player-controlled mimics, with the option to ‘enjoy’ the many inevitable jumpscares through the medium of VR.

They aren’t stopping the support there, with standalone sibling experiences in the works

Even more Prey is on the way in the form of a standalone VR experience, provided you’ve recovered from the antics of those devious mimics, while Wolfenstein is also set to get the VR spinoff treatment.

Not only that, but Wolfenstein: Youngblood is to Wolfenstein II what The Old Blood was to the original reboot. That’s a standalone expansion, if you don’t follow, only this time with added co-op, as Youngblood casts you as BJ Blazkowicz’ twin daughters once they’re all grown up. Blasting through with a friend looks set to be raucous fun!

Fallout 76 is, in fact, an online survival game

Wolfenstein and Prey aren’t the only Bethesda titles adding multiplayer to their repertoire, as the rumours of Fallout 76 being an online only survival game were finally confirmed. Met with more initial adulation than we’d have expected, just like with RAGE 2 earlier in the presser, any major worries were put to bed with a substantial gameplay feature.

A prequel set in West Virginia, USA, 76’s world is four times bigger than that of Fallout 4, but hopefully just as dense. You can wander the wasteland solo, though it’s in your best interest to cooperate with friendly players to build defences and utilities that’ll help you through the ‘softcore’ survival sim, complete with nuclear warfare. Whilst being able to nuke troublesome players off the face of the Earth is unquestionably cool, we’re mostly left wondering whether the integral V.A.T.S. system will feature. There’s no sign of it yet, but we’re sure to know by the time the game releases on 14 November.​

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That’s it from Bethesda for another year; what did you think of their showing? Let us know on the forums or in the comments below, and stay tuned to Pass the Controller for plenty more coverage of E3 2018.

If you want to watch Bethesda’s conference in full, skip to around the 1 hour 23 minute mark and enjoy!