Polygon: “Shortly after bounding into the world of Fallout 76, I came upon a campsite put down by the overseer of the games namesake vault. Shed gone out ahead of us on some important mission. What exactly it was, I couldnt tell, because the holotape shed left behind, and all the others I would find this day, was drowned out by the multiplayer chat of my three squadmates.”
Source: N4G PC Fallout 76s big multiplayer question: Who is in charge of the story? | Polygon