The Fallout 76 Power Armor Helmet is being officially recalled from GameStop stores due to the presence of mold. This recall is for the T-51b Power Armor Helmet Nuka-Cola edition, a special release that landed in some GameStop stores in June 2019, retailing for around $150.
While the same helmet model can be found in the Fallout 76 Power Armor Edition, that product is of a different color and entirely safe, so owners are free to wear it without any danger of developing a respiratory infection. The same can’t be said about the Nuka-Cola edition helmet, which poses a risk to anyone with weak immune systems, with mold potentially being “present on the fabric insert inside the helmet.”
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The issue with the Fallout 76 Power Armor Helmet was that they were in an unsellable condition. According to a Reddit thread, the manufacturer failed to place the silica gel packs in the boxes, so the helmets ended up getting mold. The silica packs absorb moisture and are used in many items, with this apparently small lapse damaging thousands of valuable merchandise items.
The Nuka-Cola helmet never made it to the GameStop stores, at least in an official condition, seeing that some units ended up finding their way into eBay. Since the recall notice mentions that “GameStop is contacting all known purchasers directly,” it means that a few of the Nuka-Cola edition helmet were sold. There were 20,000 units made in total, but most of these “made in China” helmets will be returned to manufacturer Chronicle LLC of Irving, Texas.
While Bethesda wasn’t directly responsible for this mishap, the Fallout 76 release couldn’t have gone any worse even if it tried. This post-apocalyptic MMO released to a middling reception, being criticized for its bugs and lack of content, but it was the whole special edition canvas bag ordeal that stood out the most. Slowly but surely, Fallout 76 is turning into a good game, but remember to check if your helmet is the Nuka-Cola edition before going in for that extra bit of immersion.
