Fallout 76's Paid Repair Kits Are Causing Some Controversy

Fallout 76 has already had its share of stumbles in its relatively short life, and now it seems to be making one more. Bethesda has announced that it'll be adding Repair Kits to the in-game shop, and while that may seem innocuous enough at first blush, some players are worried that they'll give those willing to spend an unfair advantage in PvP combat.

Those fears may not be entirely unwarranted. Gear durability is a major concern in Fallout titles, as weapons do less damage and armor becomes less protective as they fall further into disrepair. With Repair Kits, players can bring the durability of their gear back up to 100% whenever they want instead of repairing through scavenging materials, potentially giving a player an advantage if they have Repair Kits to pop in the middle of a fight.

In a blog post published last week, Bethesda says that Repair Kits come in two varities: Basic Repair Kits and Improved Repair Kits. The only way to get the Basic Repair Kits is to buy them with Atoms in the shop, and these are the Kits that bring a piece of gear back up to 100% durability. Improved Repair Kits, on the other hand, bring an item up to 150% durability – buffing its stats beyond what's normally achievable – and can be obtained through completing quests. Repair Kits will be launching later this month, and at this point, we're not sure how much they'll cost.

The Fallout 76 subreddit is understandably hesitant about the idea of paid Repair Kits, with a megathread currently pinned to the top of the subreddit for discussion about them. Since Bethesda says that Repair Kits can be used at any place and at any time, some are worried that players will use Repair Kits mid-battle to bring their weapons back up to full durability and deal more damage.

Players have even more reason to be upset about Repair Kits beyond what they might mean for PvP combat. As Kotaku points out, Bethesda at one point said that it would only offer cosmetic items through the in-game Atom store, and the impending release of Repair Kits seems to break that promise.

Bethesda says in that blog post that it will continue listening to player feedback, but whether or not it will change course on Repair Kits is unknown. We'll see what it does from here, but for now at least, it seems like we're heading toward a future where Fallout 76 players can spend real money on items that actually have utility in-game.