The criticism over the unfair business models that tilt game balance such as loot crates and other pay-to-win models is something that has gamers up in arms. Fortunately, Bethesda is aware of this and Bethesda's Pete Hines has made it clear that this is not something you'll have to deal with in Fallout 76.
In an interview with Gamespot, he had the following to say about this:
"If you don't want to spend money in the Atomic shop for cosmetic stuff you don't have to. We give you a sh*tload of Atoms just for playing the game. Folks that want to spend money on whatever the hell it is because they don't have enough Atoms, they can, but it's not, 'I'm now better playing against other players because I spent money.' It's not pay-to-win. And it's not loot crates."
And it's not just that there won't be intrusive microtransactions that ruin game balance, all the post-launch content will be free of charge in an effort to keep the player base united:
"All the content we ever put out for Fallout 76--all the DLC, all the post-launch stuff--is going to be free. That's important. And to say, the Atomic shop is cosmetic stuff. To make sure folks understand--look there's a line. There are people who have crossed it, but we're going to stay on the right side of it in terms of the things you can spend money on and how this stuff works and what you're getting for your $60. That you know, when they put out new content or features or whatever, I'm getting that stuff for free. That feels right."
They've come a long way since that horse armour business, haven't they?