The first Fallout 76 patch since release is here, and on consoles it weighs in at a massive 47.256 GB. The size of the patch is already concerning, but what makes this even stranger is that according to Eurogamer, The size of the game prior to the latest Fallout 76 patch is 53.04 GB, and increases to 53.23 GB post-patch. This means that this update replaces the vast majority of the existing file for console gamers. Bethesda says that future updates should be much smaller, so hopefully this first one has made changes so that future patches can be additive and not require users to download entire new builds of the game. The file swap that this patch performs is a boon for players who are running low on hard drive space, but a massive headache for those with data caps or slow download speeds.

Bethesda also released patch notes detailing what features the update fixes. Many of the fixes are quite specific, such as correcting an error where a machine couldn’t be interacted with in an early side-quest, having items not leave behind brief imprints when picking them up (which I thought was a feature), specific ghouls now dropping nuclear codes, and correcting cap rewards and hostile status in PVP. Having already played 24+ hours of the game myself, the most exciting feature the patch (and server maintenance this morning) brings is the vaguest: general stability and performance improvements. Anecdotally, I haven’t ran into many bugs (besides radroaches), but the game loves to kick me off of the server, have enemies die seconds after I fatally shoot them, or randomly not acknowledge my controller input. General stability and performance improvements are greatly appreciated.

My download progress bar for the patch in physical form.

Have you run into issues after installing this gargantuan Fallout 76 patch? Let us know in the Comments section below.