Like many other classics, Fallout 4 is a game that is being kept alive by a very active community of modders that never stops delivering great stuff. Seven years after its release, there are still loads of mods for Fallout 4 being released every day. If you’re planning a new playthrough or are new to the game, here’s a quick guide to optimize your experience in the Commonwealth.
Table of Content
How to Install Fallout 4 Mods
As for many other games nowadays, the easiest and most practical solution is to use Vortex mod manager by Nexus. There are also other good mod managers out there (WyreBash, Mod Organizer) but, for a casual user, Vortex is way more immediate and takes care of conflicts and load order very smoothly (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, just use Vortex).
Vortex Mod Manager
You can download Vortex mod manager from this link. Once installed on your computer, you can use it to download and manage all your mods.
The vast majority of mods on Nexus have the option “Download with Vortex”. If there is no such option (especially for some of the older mods) or you found mods from a different website, download the mod archive normally, then do the following:
- open Vortex
- from the “Games” tab, select Fallout 4
- click on the “Mods” tab
- select “Install From File” or drag and drop the archive directly in the “Drop File(s)” area
- click on “Install”
- click on “Activate”
Though Vortex is usually stable and takes care of conflicts, it is important to always read each individual mod description and follow the modder’s instructions to avoid potential issues!
Essential Mods and Utilities
Essential mods are modifications that do nothing more than allow other mods to work properly. There’s not much to learn about the mods in this list aside from the fact that they are fundamental and a must if one wants to play a modded Fallout 4. Click on the titles for the download page and make sure to install them all.
Fallout 4 Script Extender (F4SE)
Address Library for F4SE Plugins
Baka ScrapHeap – Script Memory Limit Expander
BuffBaka Settings for Buffout 4 and Baka ScrapHeap
Best Fallout 4 Mods as of 2022
New Quests and Locations
Project Valkyrie / Depravity / Outcasts and Remnants
Three mods from the same group of modders that add an incredible amount of quests perfectly blended with the vanilla main story and side quests. They also add new locations, companions and factions, and all main characters are fully voiced.
Depravity is an early-game set of quests connected with the main story and other side quests that give the option to roleplay an evil-ish character or just shape the Commonwealth differently from what the base game would offer.
Project Valkyrie has a similar aim as Depravity but it focuses on the late game. It gives a lot of options on how to deal with the different factions at the end of the main story allowing for diplomatic resolutions or resorting to brute force.
Outcasts and Remnants adds a whole new main quest of about 20 hours focusing mostly on the Brotherhood of Steel and the Gunners.
Atomic Radio and Tales of the Commonwealth
A nice collection of mods that adds a lot of quests with fully voiced characters, new radio with hilarious commercials and movie trailers, and a bunch of new NPCs for our settlements.
SKK Fast Start New Game
Not really a quest but a way of speeding up the beginning of the game skipping the whole Vault 111 part. The game starts directly from character creation and, once completed, you’ll find yourself out of the Vault with your Pip-Boy and basic gear.
NPCs, Creatures and Factions
Unique NPCs – Creatures, Monsters and Characters
Two mods that change the aspect of many NPCs around the Commonwealth and add variants to monsters and creatures. NPCs are now more recognizable and various, with different faces, styles and body structures. Monsters and creatures also have various sizes and morphology to recreate the feeling of different races of the same animal species.
We Are the Minutemen
This mod puts the Minutemen in the condition of truly being considered the saviors of the Commonwealth. It improves faction progression so that it really grows and develops as the main story unfolds; also, it allows the creation of new Minutemen and equipment. Finally, it reduces the amount and frequency of the radiant quests so that we don’t have to spend half of the time in-game running around saving settlements.
Character Creation
Looks Menu
A simple mod that greatly enhances character creation by adding a list of body parts on the right of the screen. It also allows the use of color palettes and saving/loading character presets as well as using CBBE’s BodyMorph and BodyGen.
CBBE – Caliente’s Beautiful Body Enhancer / BodySlide
Simply put, these two mods make you shape your character however you want. Slim, fit, curvaceous, huge, small, you name it. Thanks to BodySlide you can also have all clothing and armor in-game fit your modded body for greater immersion.
Lots more Male Hairstyles / Female Hairstyles / Facial Hair
Three mods for a great variety of lore-friendly hairstyles for men and women and facial hair. Nothing fancy or that doesn’t fit a post-apocalyptic nuclear world, these mods allow for some creativity when creating a new character.
Quality of Life & Miscellaneous
Sim Settlements 2
A mod so good and important that it has its own category on Nexus. This mod revolutionizes the building and management of settlements allowing for countless options and customization but also giving the opportunity to let the settlements grow and manage on their own. Perfect for building lovers but also for whoever doesn’t want to get involved too much in settlement management.
Unlimited Companion Framework
This mod removes the limit of companions that can follow you during your adventures in the Commonwealth. Perfect if you want to roleplay a smooth talker with protection, can’t decide you should be your main companion or you just want to speed things up.
Looking for more modding guides? Check out our Cyberpunk 2077 modding guide!
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