Fallout 76 is turning into a great game, and has been my favorite game for now over a year. While there are still plenty of things that can improve, one of the final major things the game lacks is in-game communications. Proximity chat is okay but the audio is not that great, and barely anyone uses the in-game chat as is (at least on Xbox). This makes communication between players limited, as majority of people don't feel like inviting randoms to their parties.

Therefore, my solution is in-game text chat. While I understand it may be slightly controversial, I do believe this would benefit the game greatly, only if done properly. This would mean that there'd be multiple channels, such as one for the group you're in, another for the area you're near and maybe even a zone one for the different regions. This could have some sort of prerequisite in the server like setting up a beacon or network, similar to how you have to activate a power plant for power in that region

How this can be seen in-game would be quite immersive. Instead of a text box appearing annoyingly on the side of your screen, you'd have to open your Pip-Boy and head to a "Communication" channel. There you could access text chat, and maybe even there they could add more voice chat functionality, similar to ESO's. This would ensure no immersion is broken, but more importantly it makes text chat entirely optional and not forced on anybody. (All of this could even be found under the radio section of the Pip-Boy as well). 

The reason I believe this would benefit 76 despite it not being an MMO is due to the fact that the game shares many MMO qualities, and giving the players more communication will be pivitol in moving the game forward.