It's not often that Fallout 76 lands on my radar because, well, it's Fallout 76, but when I hear about an in-game robot that not only helps players gather items and supplies, but has taken it upon itself to spread the gospel of communism whilst doing so, how can I ignore it?
Collectrons, as they are called, are robotic scavengers that will travel about collecting a wide array of items - scraps, water, food, and even weapons for the player to use. That's all very much on brand for a post-apocalyptic West Virginian wasteland, but there's one such Collectron available on the game's real-money store that differentiates itself from the rabble by possessing a deep-seated desire to overthrow the bourgeoisie.
Aside from its incessant proclamations urging players to "break free from the chains", this robo commie is relatively harmless. That is, aside from being more concerned with educating the masses on class inequality than actually doing the thing that it was designed for. Apparently there's a ton of pro-communist leaflets and posters that survived the nuclear fallout, and this particular robot knows where to find them.
As pointed out by various Reddit users, the communist Collectron will indeed fulfill its baseline function of procuring items for its owner, but not quite as efficiently as its non-radicalized counterparts. "I have gotten 20 ish tomato soups, 50+ propaganda posters, 2 frags, hunting rifle, and a shovel" admits one user.
You see, Collectrons suspend their gathering operations once their inventory is filled up, and those who purchased a robo-marx are reporting that these inventories are being maxed out with propaganda rather than useful supplies, which, ironically, puts a strain on productivity.
While this arrangement may not be in the best interest of the player, what with them having to constantly sift through stacks on stacks of pro-communist material to either toss or sell, you gotta admit that the existence of a commie robot is a pretty funny goof.
