Automatron adds several new weapons, outfits, armor pieces, and rather than present an entirely new area has opted instead for tweaking several current locations, though the tweaks are substantial enough to make the areas stand out, and there's certainly no shortage of "Phat Lewt" in these changed locales.
The basic premise of Automatron is that a familiar-sounding fellow called The Mechanist has unleashed an army of homemade robots onto The Commonwealth under the guise of peace. In reality, the machines are killing just about anyone they come across, and it is up to you as the only person who can get shit done to put a stop to it. You are aided in this quest by Ada, a new Robot companion (Who you may also tweak to your whims), and the entirely new mechanic of Robot Workbenches. This is the meat of this DLC, and I'm happy to report it's very well realized.
"The campaign is very much a standalone deal; As previously stated, it only took me 2.5 hours of real time to blow through the one questline."
The new robotic enemies drop all manner of components and modifications, which, when combined with your technical know-how, can allow you to assemble an infinite number of robots of your own. These robots can then be assigned as companions, carrying all your junk and killing anything in your way without so much as a complaint. No worrying about affinity with these machines! If you ever tire of these new friends, you can modify or scrap them at any time, or assign them to Settlements to function as labor or guards.
Sadly you can't say, build an army to combat The Mechanist in some big brawl. Nor is your faction of choice ever involved in the fight against this new threat in any way, which disappointed me somewhat. Sure, they'll attack settlements now, but I feel it was a missed opportunity to not include the main factions in any way. The campaign is very much a standalone deal; As previously stated, it only took me 2.5 hours of real time to blow through the one questline.
"The Robot building is a blast, and there's a great deal of variety when it comes to customizing the perfect killing machine for your needs."
To sum it up plainly, Ada's owners are killed by The Mechanist and she wants to avenge them. To that end, you must locate the Mechanist through a short succession of kill quests and some dungeons to clear. You find The Mechanist, confront them, and decide their ultimate fate. Plain and simple. Not necessarily good, not necessarily bad. It doesn't overstay it's welcome, and the finale can be pretty hard. As for stability, its, for the most part, a solid release. I've only encountered one game breaking bug, and it was easily fixed by reloading a previous save.
The Robot building is a blast, and there's a great deal of variety when it comes to customizing the perfect killing machine for your needs. If that's what you were hoping for, then Automatron will most definitely satisfy. For those of you looking for a more robust experience, or less crafting, you'll just have to wait for Far Harbor, as the next DLC looks to be much like this one, but with the creatures of the Commonwealth over the mechanically inclined.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to make a settlement entirely populated by Assaultrons because I can.
By Henry Lombardi. Check more by Henry; Let's Talk About Fallout.
