The best Fallout 4 mods
Mods are a cornerstone of any Bethesda RPG, and the best Fallout 4 mods add a lot to the experience!
Fallout 4, like other Bethesda games before it, is like catnip for modders. And this is a good thing, because the creative and clever minds of modders everywhere have long been hard at work providing add-ons for the RPG epic.
After kicking off with the usual useful minor tweaks and tools, the modding scene has come on leaps and bounds since 2015, with everything from in-depth feature overhauls, new quests, and even some huge projects like Fallout: London popping up, and on a pretty regular basis in those first two cases.
So, here's a nice rundown of some Fallout 4 mods that're worth adding to your load order in 2024 - think of it as the ideal starting point for assembling a top-notch load order. Just as a note, many of these mods - especially those early in the list - have already been updated to work with Fallout 4's next-gen update, but that's definitely something worth double checking if you're installing older mods.
The best Fallout 4 mods
The Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch
Ok, make sure you're sitting down. Fallout games, well, they can be a bit buggy at times - generally in ways that're quite funny, but also in ways that can be very frustrating. It's ok though, the goal of The Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch is to fix as many of these issues - the ones that Bethesda hasn't whacked itself in the years since the game came out - as possible, helping to render your experience bug free.
While you will have to have all of Fallout 4's DLC in order to get it to work as intended, there's no better way of saving yourself from potentially having something unintended happen as you gad about The Commonwealth. No NPCs getting stuck in the ground, no mission objectives just not showing up, no props jiggling about. It's kind of sad, really.
Eli's Armour Compendium
No matter what kind of character you prefer to play as in a Fallout game, finding the right outfit to dress them in is key. Yes, even those of you who opt for the jet-addicted lifestyle of a post-apocalyptic cannibal. Eli's Armour Compendium, from veteran modder Elianora, gives you over 80 new lore-friendly armours and more than 30 accessories, tons of which come with diffrent colour options.
No matter whether you're after an Elder Maxson style battlecoat, some trendy raiding rags, or a Vault Boy mask to stick on your bonce, you should find something that fits your vibe. Just make sure you do actually do some adventuring after you spend 90 hours getting ready, yeah?
Backpacks of the Commonwealth
Yes, more clothes, but we will move on to different stuff with the next one, I swear. Post-apocalyptic wandering and horading without a backpack can quite frankly provoke some pretty discturbing questions as to where exactly all those typewriters you're carrying are being, well, kept. With a mod like Backpacks of the Commonwealth installed, you no longer have to think about that.
Plus, with 21 to choose from - all of which are moddable at a workbench and come with plenty of colour options - you're bound to find something that'll match your Radroach-stomping shoes in immersive style.
The Fens Sheriff's Department - Bleachers 2
Here you go, a big quest mod. The Fens Sheriff's Department - Bleachers 2, as the name might suggest, is the sequel to 'The Bleachers: A Diamond City Story'. Basically, both of them put together add a whole bunch of new quests, areas, and characters to the game - mainly via several new sections of Diamond City, turning it into something that feels a lot more like a full-on city.
This DLC-sized add-on's namesake, The Fens Sheriff's Department, is a huge upgrade on DC's default security, and their desire to protect the city plays into the new ending for Fallout 4's main story the mod adds to the game. Aside from that, the NPCs living in these new bits of The Commonwealth's capital are all pretty well fleshed-out, so you'll have a good time chatting to and/or going on adventures with them.
America Rising 2 - Legacy of the Enclave
Ooh, there's even a nice making of feature you can read about on this here site about this particular mod. While Fallout 4's next-gen update comes with some Enclave-themed content - which was actually produced with help from Otellino, the main modder behind America Rising - it's still worth grabbing Legacy of the Enclave.
It gives you the chance to properly side with the classic Fallout faction during Fallout 4's main story, gradually rebuilding them into a force to be reckoned with in the wasteland, a process you'll get to see in action via the mod's cool dynamic elements. Plus, they've got cool power armour, come on now.
Enhanced Blood Textures
Okay, so tweaking one particular graphical effect is not exactly essential, but in a game like Fallout 4 where the red sauce is sprayed around so liberally, it makes sense that said sauce is as good-looking as possible, right?
You may need side-by-side comparisons to really see the difference, but trust me - you'll enjoy leaving your mark on the world even more with this one. You can even tweak on-HUD blood effects, setting them to subtle or - by default - egregiously speckled.
Power Armour to the People (Power Armored Enemies - Legendary Power Armour)
Look, running around in power armour - like a large toddler with access to their own tank - is, for better or worse, a big part of the Fallout 4 experience. As such, there a lot of power armour mods and Creation Club add-ons have popped up since the game came out, many offering cool new armours for different groups and factions. Power Armour to the People is a good way to make sure any of those you install will actually be used by the folks you run into as you explore The Commonwealth.
It adds a fully voiced traveling power armour vendor to the game, and even gives you the option to have the game's legendary gear effects also apply to some of the power armour you can find - giving you even more reason to seek it out, if any was needed.
Fusion City Rising - Quest Mod Plus
Just a note, this is a bit of an older quest mod at this point, so you might run into a few more conflicts or issues with it than the two listed further up. That said, it's earned plenty of positive reviews over the years, thanks to the array of new quests, factions, and locations it offers.
The main example of the latter's Fusion City, which is bigger than Diamond City and has a whole bunch of interesting stuff to check out, including Club Fusion, a 15 storey nighclub that even has its own bowling alley.
If you're not into having some raunchy stuff mixed into to your Fallout 4 experience, it might not be up your alley. Though, if you don't mind that, it's still worth a whirl - with its creators having gone on to be involved in a bunch of other popular quest mods since this one, such as Project Valkyrie and Depravity - A Harmless Bit of Fun.
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Fourville
I heard you like new places with lots of quests to do. This is Fourville and it adds, a cool new settlement based around Vault 4 to the area of the map near Salem. Given that area's a arguably bit lacking in interesting stuff as far as the base game goes, having a fun town to explore is a welcome addition.
There's no big link to the game's main quest here, just a some interesting choices to make as to whether the fully-voiced residents of the community keep trying to get into a mysteriously unopened vault..
Full Dialogue Interface
The problem with the conversations in Fallout 4 is you're not always sure what you're going to say until you open you mouth. Sure, a "sarcastic" option is an indication, but sometimes you character can really put his or her foot in his or her mouth and spoil your attempts at persuasion.
Well, not any more. The Full Dialogue Interface changes those one word paraphrases into the full script of what you're about to say. It's almost as if you think it through before opening your mouth rather than having to guess your own mind. Get it, it's essential.
Improved map
Fallout 4's Pip-boy map screen is murky, blurry and at times over-saturated. Sure, it's meant to look that way - it's a primitive computer designed in the 50s. But it's hard to define particular locations, especially as the map gets more and more crowded as you explore and uncover new spots.
This mod increases the contrast, helping to define the topography, water line and roads. You'll now find it much easier to pinpoint undiscovered locations and work your way around massive obstacles. Hooray for clarity.
Start Me Up Redux - An Update for Alternate Start and Dialogue Overhaul
Ok, we should probably have started with this one. We didn't, though, because it's ok to live a little. If you're sick of kicking off your adventure in Vault 111, this mod's got you covered, just like its nine million siblings for every other Bethesda RPG.
There are a bunch of different starting locations and other stuff to help you form a unique backstory to choose from, and things are integrated into letting you carry on Fallout 4's main quest in immersive fashion pretty seamlessly. If you want something that's a bit less prone to mod conflicts, 'SKK Fast Start new game (Fallout 4)' is another alt start option.
Craftable Ammunition
This mod adds every type of ammunition as a craftable object at Chemistry Stations.
Some ammo is locked behind perks, but otherwise you can get busy with 5mm, 10mm, 308 rounds, railroad spikes, cryo cells and more. Be creative!
Finger Guns
A lot of joke weapon mods have popped up for Fallout 4 over the years, including some that let you fire babies from the Fat Man. That said, I think this more recent mod from weapon maestro Neeher might be my current favourite. Ity does what it says on the tin. Your fingers are guns.
You can dual wield them. You've got infinite ammo, but you do have to reload every ten shots. Your finger guns count as stealth weapons. Basically, if you can't have fun with these, I don't know what to tell you. Neeher's array of serious weapon mods, such the standalone Fallout: London Lewis Gun, are also well worth adding to your arsenal.
Fallout 4 Configuration Tool - By Bilago
The most popular mod among perfectionists and pedants, the Configuration Tool unlocks all sorts of tweaks and options not easily accessible through Fallout 4's launcher and in-game settings menu.
You thought changing the colour of your UI was cool, huh? Well how about broadening your field of view, unlocking the frame rate (or locking it, if necessary), adjusting mouse sensitivity and acceleration, custom-fit the resolution, lock yourself out of the console (no cheating on this run!), skipping the intro movie automatically, toning down the gore, tweaking shadows, and oh - much more. A must have for graphics and performance hounds, to be honest.
True Storms - Wasteland Edition
That last one was fun, so now it's time to rain on the parade a bit. True Storms: Wasteland Edition is the cousin of an equally popular Skyrim mod that does the same thing - totally overhaul the weather system of the game. Heavy rain, dust storms, radiation rain, enough violent lightning strikes to make you poop your pants, it's all in here as part of the mod's array of unique weathers - brought to life by fresh sound and particle effects.
You've even got the option of making radstorms cause hordes of ghouls to come chasing after you, in true survival horror style. Plus, the mod's got extensions for both Far Harbor and Nuka World, ensuring your DLC adventures benefit from its effects. Vivid Weathers is another option.
Darker Nights
Have you noticed that it never really gets dark in the Commonwealth? even at one in the morning with no visible moon, you can disco dance your way across the terrain with little impact on visibility.
This is all very accessible and fair to players, of course, but for that real survival experience you can inject a little more terror into the coming of twilight with the Darker Nights mod. It doesn't make things pitch black - you can still get around without too much difficulty - but you definitely notice the difference between early evening and midnight, that's for sure. There are three settings, in case things get a bit too shadowy for your liking.
Sim Settlements 2
Yes, you can stop yelling at us. Calling Sim Settlements 2 a settlement mod, as the next couple in the list are, seems a tad reductive to be honest, even though it definitely overhauls Fallout 4's system in pretty mindblowing fashion. SS2, and the two extra chapters that've been released for it, Gunner Outbreak and Last Stand of the Commonwealth, comes with its own lengthy main quest, full of just as much - if not more - fun choice and consequence as the base game's.
Plus, by the end of it, you'll be building and managing a full-blown army of your own creation, ready to take on a Gunner invasion force. Seriously, check it out.
All Settlements Extended - Player's Choice
What do you want in a settlement, even if you're not into them enough to grab Sim Settlements? As much space to create as possible is the answer, no matter your interior design preferences. The player's choice version of All Settlements Extended, as the name suggests, gives you the ability to pick which of the game's build areas - including those in Far Harbor and Nuka World - that you want the boundaries of extended.
The areas within those extended bits should be fully functional too, meaning you're not just hellping alleviate your green line-based claustrophobia.
Scrap Everything
It can really cramp the style of your builds to have a ton of unscrappable stuff taking up space in your settlement plot, and that's something this mod should be able to help with. Obviously, just because you've installed it, that doesn't mean you have to go full scorched earth every time, but it is nice to be able to shift things that're in the way of your massive mansion/farm/brothel and potentially nab some extra resources in the process.
No, before you ask, it doesn't let you scrap Preston Garvey or any of your other annoying neighbours.
See Through Scopes
This one does what it says on the tin, and lots of people swear by it as a result. The gunplay in Bethesda-made Fallouts generally leaves a bit to be desired - here's looking at you, Fallout 3 aiming mechanics - but this mod can make being a sneaky sniper or cocky commando a lot more immersive.
With it in installed, you'll be able to actually look through the scopes of your guns, rather than relying on the overlay the base game uses. It'll even let you customise the reticle you're using, so you got no excuse when you miss getting a headshot on a raider by three miles.
Rip A Guy's Arm Off and Beat Him To Death With It
Can't imagine what this mod lets you do. Some people just want to watch the world burn. Others just want to rip a guy's arm off and beat him to death with it.
It's not just about using limbs as deadly weapons. If they do become detached you can use them in the cooking pot too. My, what a charming little mod.
Be Exceptional - Skills and Perk Overhaul
There are a whole bunch of skill/perk overhauls out there for Fallout 4, and which of them suits you best is something you probably won't be able to work out without actually trying a bunch of them out. If you like how things worked in some of Fallout 4's older siblings, Be Exceptional might well be your bag, since it implements a skill/perk system that's designed to make levelling up in FO4 a bit more like your Fallout 3s and your - I'm gonna say it - New Vegases.
Train Power Armour
YES. You need a set of power armour that makes you look exactly like a train, and Trainwiz - the modder who's also added Thomas the Tank Engine to the likes of Skyrim and Starfield - can provide. It's customisable and is acquired via a cool new quest that'll take you to a fresh dungeon and force you to defeat a special boss.
You need it. You need to choo-choo choose it.
Rideable Deathclaw named Shreddy
Get stuffed, 1984's Ride the Lightning by Metallica, with your endless bangers. We're gonna ride the Deathclaw instead.
There's nothing much more to say about this one, it adds a Deathclaw you can saddle up and ride into battle to the game. He's called Shreddy. And he can use armour from another good and funny Deathclaw-themed mod, 'Deathclaw Armory'.
And that's it, really. But what more do you want? If these mods aren't enough to spice up Fallout 4 for you then I think you're probably tired of life. Get downloading and play with something outside of your comfort zone.