E3 2018: All the highlights you need to see from Bethesda

Bethesda brought more than Fallout 76 to E3 2018, to no one’s surprise at all, and though it didn’t have the longest show, it certainly had a solid one.

Bethesda Softworks never has a new console to show off. Despite that, it always has a pretty anticipated showcase at E3, and E3 2018 was no exception.

But although Fallout 76 was the name on everyone’s lips — and for good reason — Bethesda came with more than just that. It almost has to at this point. We expect a lot when Bethesda comes to E3, and the studio was determined to deliver.

This post will update throughout the Bethesda conference.

The show started with a retrospective on Bethesda’s 2017, which was pretty, well, hefty, to put it mildly. But it also didn’t pull any punches — or any humor when it comes to the leaks that have meant that some of its surprises haven’t really been surprises.

That’s how Rage 2 got its first introduction (followed by a musical number, because … of course! That’s exactly what everyone expected. The crowd certainly didn’t seem much into it.)

Rage 2

Unlike Microsoft’s conference, which did do some censoring, Rage 2′s extended trailer dropped an F-bomb within the first five seconds. While the look did involve in-game footage, Bethesda emphasized that it’s “pre-alpha” — meaning that it might not have been as beautiful as everything on display at E3, but it did look pretty decent at the very least. It did also promise things like a “seamless open world” and lots (and lots) of driving. The sheer amount of content on display in terms of footage was also pretty impressive.

A collector’s edition will also go on sale.

DOOM Eternal

Who needs an actual gameplay trailer when you can have an aesthetically wild (or should we say … hellish) teaser? DOOM Eternal is the next title in the franchise. While we didn’t get much more than that teaser, fans did get a promise to see more at QuakeCon in August.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood

Following the twin daughters of B.J. Blazkowicz, Wolfenstein: Youngblood moves forward to the ’80s and switches the setting to Paris. It will also be co-op and comes out in 2019. 

Fallout 76

Although the look at Fallout 76 started with the same trailer seen at the Xbox conference earlier on Sunday, it came with an extra look at some of the gameplay, enemies, and confirmation that the game is “entirely online.” Todd Howard dubbed the game “softcore survival.” Of course, new Vault-Tec videos also came to explain some of the mechanics. It is also possible to get nuclear weapons in the game … and there will be a beta.

No, seriously. Both of those things are true. It’ll arrive Nov. 14, 2018. (The collector’s edition, dubbed the Power Armor Edition, will come with a map as well as a helmet.)

The Elder Scrolls Blades

The Elder Scrolls Blades is a “pure Elder Scrolls game,” but it’s meant for mobile. It can run in both portrait and landscape. Based on the footage, it looks pretty decent — and it comes with a town mode. It’ll drop “this fall for free.”

Starfield

Dubbed by Howard as “our first wholly original franchise,” Starfield only got a small teaser.

The Elder Scrolls VI

The Elder Scrolls VI also got confirmation. It was very short, but it’s coming.

Next: E3 2018: Microsoft highlights

Other announcements and news:

• The Elder Scrolls: Legends will come to consoles later this year, including Nintendo Switch. Additionally, The Elder Scrolls Online will get new DLC, including one based on werewolves as well as a return to Blackmarsh.
• Quake Champions got a fresh trailer as well.
• Prey is getting new DLC (which is “infinitely replayable”) as well as a free update starting tonight that includes a new game plus mode. The DLC is dubbed Mooncrash and is also out now. A new mode named Typhon Hunter is also on its way later in the summer.
• Both Prey and Wolfenstein will get new VR games — the latter has the title of Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot.
• Bethesda also trolled itself with a “trailer” for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Very Special Edition.
• Fallout Shelter‘s PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch editions will come out tonight.