I've always heard tales of how hilariously buggy Bethesda games tend to be at launch, but I've never really experienced it first hand -- typically I wait at least a couple of months and grab Fallout or Elder Scrolls games on sale. That wasn't the case with Fallout 4 though, as I fell prey to the hype machine.
I recently got to experience first-hand the frustration of game-breaking bugs while playing through the very first main Minutemen story line quest. The quest is bugged and can't be completed without cheating and bringing up the developer console. It's a good thing I got the game on PC, because I don't know how console players get around that bug without resurrecting a raider and then re-killing him.
While it's not quite Assassin's Creed: Unity, the long-awaited Fallout 4 still has a whole lot of graphical glitches, some of which are a laugh riot and worth the frustration. From disturbing dancing bodies to a dog who likes to swim in mid-air, these are the best Fallout 4 glitches discovered so far!
Dancing Corpses
This seems to happen the most with raiders, but based on the various comments online it apparently can occur with nearly any enemy. After finally landing that critical hit and blowing someone's head off, they decide to celebrate arriving at the afterlife by wildly dancing across the ground!
The one shown below is a more extreme example, as sometimes they just vibrate and mildly writhe. Depending on the way your enemy falls and what they land on, you can get some truly hilarious scenarios that bring to mind the most absurd booty-shaking dances from any given pop music video.
Swimming Doggie!
It's adorable, but also rather disconcerting. Is the faithful dog companion a figment of your imagination? Does he have magical levitation powers? Have you accidentally ingested too much brain fungus while harvesting?
No, Bethesda just has problems making all its 3D models work well together with its physics engine. For no apparent reason, the dog will suddenly switch to a paddling motion as though going through water, but while stuck in mid-air above the ground. This bug is beyond hilarious and just plain fun to watch. Is this a Facebook meme yet?
The Invisible Gun
I haven't personally experienced this one, but there's a whole lot of videos online confirming the existence of this bizarre bug wherein your weapon becomes invisible.
Apparently your post-apocalyptic vault survivor has decided to switch from real combat to playing a pretend game of cops and robbers with the bandit population. There's nothing quite like seeing your character reload a gun that isn't there or experience recoil while holding absolutely nothing in his hands.
Floating Animals
Bringing to mind the Mothership Zeta DLC for Fallout 3 in a very unintentional way, there's some very odd physics going on in the Boston wasteland. Enemies don't just dance uncontrollably when they die, they also apparently float in mid-air as though being tractor beamed. But hey, don't a look a gift glitch in the mouth – that's free XP floating in the air!
Gravity...Who Needs It?
The odd physics glitches continue when you (spoilers, stop reading if you haven't played it yet!) pick up robot detective companion Nick Valentine in Diamond City.
He's not flesh and blood, and he doesn't play by the rules of gravity, deciding instead to walk at an awkward slanted angle for no apparent reason. As the video below points out, he seems to be doing a Michael Jackson “Smooth Criminal” impersonation...everywhere he goes.
200 Year Old Elevators And Their Many Mysteries
I'm not sure that functional elevators were necessarily something the Fallout franchise really needed, and predictably Bethesda nerfed their execution pretty hilariously. There's a host of glitches to be found while using these, from raiders who spawn out of nowhere to game-breaking bugs where the doors become permanently fused shut (hope you had a separate save file).
One of the oddest variations is when your companion gets stuck halfway through the doors as they close. Rather than being horribly cut in half when the elevator goes up or down, they instead somehow phase out of existence and take the ride with you anyway.
I'm telling you, that dog is magic.
Launching Objects
Sometimes rather than dancing uncontrollably, either enemies or your companions will randomly launch into the air when taking damage, bringing to mind a certain beloved bug from Skyrim.
This happens a little more reliably when in the settlement building interface though. Turns out that soon-to-be-placed objects don't always get along with already-placed objects: especially cars. Hit 'em at the right angle and they'll go flying into the air and crash down with crushing force!
Getting Stuck In Objects
Are you noticing a recurring theme? Bethesda clearly either needs an overhaul to the engine being used, or they need to do a whole lot more play testing before releasing these huge open world games. Your companions will frequently get stuck in objects and then keep moving around in them, sometimes in ways that will have you in tears from laughter.
From Nick Valentine deciding to use a barrel as his pants to your dog's head getting stuck in a bread box, there's no end to the fun to be had here as characters interact with their environment in very Goat Simulator-esque ways. That game at least was trying to be broken.
What's Your Funniest Fallout 4 Glitch?
Some find these bugs endearing and wouldn't have it any other way. Personally, I get a good chuckle out of them the first time and then just get annoyed that an AAA developer couldn't be bothered to make a game playable before releasing it.
As much as I'm loving Fallout 4, I feel like what we've got here should be a Steam early access title, with full launch still a month or two away.
Let us know in the comments – what's the most hilarious or infuriating bug you've run into so far while exploring the Wasteland?
Published: Dec 28, 2015 01:36 pm