Editor's take: Let's face it: Fallout 76 was not at all what it was hyped up to be. From the early development stages to the launch and throughout the subsequent fixes and updates, the game has been misrepresented and has had one problem after another. The latest is a game breaking glitch involving poorly executed NPC AI that will loot your body when you die.

Bethesda launched its latest major update to Fallout 76 last week called "Wastelanders." The expansion adds human nonplayer characters (NPCs) to the game, something that players have been clamoring for since launch. However, the NPCs are turning out to be more of a nuisance than a fun addition for the long-troubled game.

Players have been complaining to the Fallout 76 subreddit that the new nonplayer characters are stealing their most hard-fought gear when they are killed. The new NPCs will accompany players on specific missions, and that is where the problems set in. Sometimes the AI bots will loot users' corpses when killed. After respawning, some have found their most prized weapons gone from their inventory. Sure enough, one of the NPCs will be seen using it.

"I was playing the Riding Shotgun event, and I died," said one redditor reporting the bug to Bethesda. "I didn't even have that gun equipped when I died but one of the friendly NPCs that come with you stole my LMG with over 1300 rounds."

Another user described the problem as a "game-breaking bug." Game-breaking indeed. That player lost a Gatling gun --- a weapon that can only be crafted with a lot of resources and only after grinding your Gunsmith perk to level four.

What's worse is there does not seem to be any way to get your items back. NPCs cannot die, they are merely knocked unconscious for a short time, and there is no way to loot or pickpocket them, as you can see in the above video.

Bethesda has responded to the reports saying that developers are currently "investigating" the bug, but had no other information at the time of this writing. In the meantime, users are advising other players to leave their best/rarest weapons in stoarage when doing the Riding Shotgun and Radiation Rumble missions until the developers have a fix.