Wastelanders now means Fallout 76 has two separate storylines running side by side

To piggyback onto Carter's earlier post about Tuesday's launch of Fallout 76: Wastelanders, developer Bethesda Game Studios posted an in-house interview with the game's Lead Designer, Ferret Baudoin, over on the PlayStation Blog. Some noteworthy points from the interview includes:

• Wastelanders has two story arcs. The first begins the moment you step out of the vault. The second story arc begins at level 20. You'll have to complete some of Fallout 76's original quests in order to reach level 20.
• The original Fallout 76 quests "have additional life breathed into them with new NPCs here and there."
• The NPCs returning to Appalachia are not all good guys. There are hostiles. The chem-addicted Blood Eagles are hostile to anyone that's not in their gang—including Raiders. Also, mysterious members of the Cult of the Mothman add to enemy variety.
• NPCs are scattered everywhere. Many have taken over existing locations, with the greatest concentration around the Forest and Toxic Valley (more dangerous areas of the map).
• Crater is a Raider settlement, and Foundation is a Settler settlement. Both are are full of shops, work benches, and people you can talk to and learn about Raiders and Settlers. They have a work-life balance and daily routines.
• You start off hostile to the Raiders, but you can eventually ally with them. During the main quest, players will interact with both factions. But there is a point of no return where you'll have to choose one over the other. 
• Dialogue options will be based on S.P.E.C.I.A.L. checks. (Basing them off Perks never worked in play testing since Perk cards can be swapped out at will.)
• Riding Shotgun and Radiation Rumble are two new Wastelander events. Riding Shotgun is an escort mission as you drive a herd of cattle through the dangerous Big Bend Tunnel. Radiation Rumble is a Public Event geared for level 50+ players who want to help scavenge the irradiated Emmett Mountain Disposal Site.
• A new in-game currency called Gold Boullion affords you end-game gear that's sold in Crater, Foundation, and a third location that's revealed later during the main quest. After completing the main quest, players get Treasury Notes from Wastelander Dailies and Public Events that can be turned into Gold Bullion at Gold Press Machines. That's a lot of Nouns.