Fallout: London's First DLC: A Fresh Start (Literally!), But Don't Chuck Your Pip-Boy Just Yet, Mate
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Team FOLON has confirmed Fallout: London's first DLC, 'Rabbit and Pork,' will require a fresh save, but it's a strategic move to ensure future add-ons won't, showcasing the modders' long-term vision and overcoming real-world challenges, including a deeply impactful human story behind a cut questline.
Right, so Team FOLON has dropped a bit of a digital bombshell regarding Fallout: London's first DLC, and fair warning, it's got a slightly bittersweet flavour, like a Nuka-Cola Quantum that’s been left in the sun too long. Apparently, if you're keen to dive into the 'Rabbit and Pork' update, you'll need to hit that 'New Game' button all over again. Bloody hell, I can already hear the collective groan from gamers who've spent countless hours meticulously curating their post-apocalyptic hoards.
But before you go casting a furious 'Flesh to Ash' spell on your hard drive, let’s dig a bit deeper, because as always, there's more to this story than meets the irradiated eye. Team FOLON, the dedicated wizards behind the frankly audacious *Fallout: London* mod – which, let's be honest, is practically a whole new game – have confirmed this rather significant save-game reset for their debut DLC. This news comes after a good half-year of relative quiet since they first teased three new quest add-ons for their take on post-apocalyptic Blighty. And honestly, I've been tinkering with this story all morning, and it’s wilder than it first appeared, mainly because it involves some seriously thoughtful decisions from the modders and, well, real-world drama of the most heartbreaking kind.
Now, a mandatory fresh save for a major update, especially in a mod of this scale, might feel like a punch to the gut. We've all been there, mate, pouring hundreds of hours into a sprawling RPG only to be told our progress is essentially digital dust. It's the kind of news that usually makes my internal skeptical alarm blare like a deathclaw on a bad day. But here's the kicker: Team FOLON project lead Dean ‘Prilladog’ Carter explained on their Discord that 'Rabbit and Pork' is 'a DLC in name only really, it adds in a lot of fixes and some cut/new content.' See? It’s less of a traditional add-on and more of a foundational upheaval, like someone accidentally blew a hole through reality and decided to patch it up with entirely new bits of the universe.
This isn't entirely out of character for *Fallout: London*, either. Since its initial launch and subsequent patches, Team FOLON has often recommended starting a new game for the 'best experience' to avoid those pesky 'compatibility issues' that can turn a fun playthrough into a glitch-ridden nightmare. So, while it’s a pain, it’s also a testament to their dedication to a stable, robust experience. Think of it like this: they're not just adding a new wing to a ramshackle house; they're reinforcing the foundations, replacing entire walls, and probably adding a bloody good pub to the cellar. It requires a bit more demolition up front.
And here’s where the 'cautiously optimistic' part of my brain kicks in, seeing the silver lining shimmering through the irradiated clouds. One of the primary reasons 'Rabbit and Pork' has taken its sweet time to arrive is because the team has been, in Prilladog’s words, 'ensuring any future groundwork for other quests in other DLCs won’t require the new game save.' Did you catch that, mate? They're taking one for the team, doing the heavy lifting now, so that when the second and third DLCs drop, we *won't* have to go back to square one. That’s a genuine player-first move, sacrificing immediate convenience for long-term enjoyment, and it deserves a hearty digital pat on the back. It’s a bit like a seasoned wizard spending extra time on a complex warding spell now, knowing it’ll save everyone from a nasty demon summon later. Pure genius, that.
As for what 'Rabbit and Pork' actually brings to the table besides a fresh start, Team FOLON’s 2D art lead Emily ‘Saffron-rice’ Kemp mentioned it'll include 'various new side quests of different sizes, but no main quest content.' So, expect more intriguing diversions, strange encounters, and probably a few more opportunities to get lost in London's war-torn streets. Given the sheer scale and density of the base mod, more side quests are always welcome, giving us more nooks and crannies to explore and more peculiar characters to interact with.
But what really captured my attention, the bit that makes this news far more profound than just a save file kerfuffle, revolves around the third and final planned DLC, aptly named 'Wildcard.' This one is set to bring in a whole new main quest arc, à la *Fallout: New Vegas*’s brilliant independent route. Imagine being able to decide the fate of London without being shackled to the existing factions – Angel, Camelot, or the shadowy Fifth Column. That’s massive, offering true player agency in a way that Bethesda's own games sometimes shy away from.
And here’s the human story, the reason 'Wildcard' wasn’t in the base game from the start. Prilladog revealed in an interview last year that the modder leading this ambitious questline was 'basically forcibly conscripted' into the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Let that sink in for a moment. A creative project, born from passion and community, directly impacted by real-world geopolitical turmoil. It’s a sobering reminder that behind every line of code, every pixel, every lovingly crafted quest, there are actual people with lives outside of the digital realms we inhabit. The fact that Team FOLON is still pushing to bring this vision to life, honoring that original work despite such a tragic and unexpected interruption, speaks volumes about their dedication and resilience. It's a truly powerful testament to the community spirit that drives modding.
Then there’s the second DLC, 'Last Orders,' which, judging by its name and accompanying art, sounds delightfully pub-themed. Because what’s a trip to London, even a post-apocalyptic one, without a few pints in a proper boozer, eh? I reckon it'll add a fantastic layer of British charm to the wasteland.
So, while the initial news of a mandatory fresh save might sting a bit, when you zoom out and look at the whole picture, it becomes clear that Team FOLON is playing the long game. They’re making sensible, albeit momentarily inconvenient, decisions to ensure the future stability and expandability of their gargantuan project. It’s a massive undertaking, and the fact they’re building it with such forethought, while navigating real-world challenges that would make most studios crumble, is nothing short of remarkable. It’s precisely the kind of community-driven innovation and commitment to player experience that gets my digital wizard's robes rustling with excitement.
Original reporting by Mark Warren for Rock Paper Shotgun, which you can find
Tags: Fallout: London, Modding, DLC, RPG, Community Gaming
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun