Fallout 4 may not be the best video game in the franchise, but it’s definitely the most fun. Especially with the best mods installed!
Although Fallout 4 has been with us for almost ten years, the multitude of mods for its PC version make it as fresh as the day it was released. That’s perfectly understandable since the game comes from Bethesda, the creators of the heavily modded Skyrim.
Do you have enough of the standard experience and wonder how to make Fallout 4 better? This mod list may be the best solution for enhancing your familiar Wasteland adventures!
Name | Number of downloads | Endorsement | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Robot Home Defence | 1,165,062 | 38,483 | Robot Home Defence adds new Workshop entries for constructing robotic guards- ranging from Sentry Bots to Miss Nannies. Once you've built them, you can also recruit them to follow you across the Commonwealth. |
Armorsmith Extended | 10,928,944 | 200,376 | This mod does so much awesome stuff that the description doesn't come anywhere close to fitting here. |
Better Companions - All In One | 432,173 | 19,401 | Improves companions and their game-play. |
Better Generators | 724,992 | 26,418 | Simple plugin that modifies all vanilla generators to produce more power (Three flavors) |
Crafting Workbenches - Craftable Weapons Armor Clothing Ammo Junk | 1,626,323 | 50,868 | Disappointed Bethesda left out weapons, armor, ammo and item crafting from Fallout 4? Tired of using the chemistry station with all your crafting mods? This mod adds custom workbenches you can craft items at, a balanced crafting system, balanced component and perk requirements, sorted categories and more in optional packs. Uses AWKCR. |
Unlimited Building and Crafting Materials | 181,211 | 7,862 | Alright, not unlimited but enough to last you forever. Adds 10,000 of each material to your inventory. |
Beast Master - Creature Companion Overhaul | 309,311 | 6,386 | Beast Master provides a stream-lined, immersive way to tame and command the creatures of the Wasteland. Your captured creatures will become more than just mindless pets; they will be true companions. Give them unique names, equip them with saddlebags and accessories, and even have them scavenge for items! |
Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch - UFO4P | 8,184,197 | 185,497 | A comprehensive bugfixing mod for Fallout 4. The goal of the Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch (aka UFO4P) is to eventually fix every bug with Fallout 4 not officially resolved by the developers to the limits of the Creation Kit and community-developed tools, in one easy-to-install package. |
Customize Power Armour and Jetpack Drain | 92,058 | 4,623 | Allows you to customize the rate at which power armour and jetpacks drain your fusion core. |
Full Dialogue Interface | 6,595,119 | 167,701 | Makes the game display the full lines of what your character is going to say in conversation, instead of just a paraphrase. It also revamps the interface so that the game will now display dialogue options in a list and use the number keys/face buttons for input, depending on your control scheme. |
REAL.AI | 113,083 | 1,971 | Real.AI recalibrates millions of engine level subroutines using holographic NASA-grade laser supertechnology in order to make Fallout 4's NPCs behave more organically by removing a lot of the limitations left over from the console port. Experience Fallout 4's AI at its full potential. |
Rich Merchants | 1,029,497 | 31,972 | Tired of merchants having only 300 caps when you have lots of items to sell, including your old modde weapons that cost much more ? Then this mod is for you. Now in three variants ! |
P.A.S. - Post Apocalyptic Survivor | 195,572 | 1,150 | P.A.S. - Post Apocalyptic Survivor Adds a Customisable outfit for Male & Female that can be crafted from the Chemistry station. |
LooksMenu | 7,856,225 | 131,224 | Adds engine modifications to improve character creation. |
BodySlide And Outfit Studio | 7,585,919 | 189,947 | An easy to use tool for customizing bodies and outfits, creating new bodies and outfits, and converting outfits between body types |
True Storms - Wasteland Edition (Thunder-Rain-Weather Redone) | 6,789,843 | 146,713 | True Storms: Wasteland Edition is a complete overhaul to the storm systems in Fallout 4. Heavy rains, dust storms, radiation rains. New unique weathers, sound effects, particle effects, textures and more including configurable ghoul hordes during radstorms |
Sim Settlements | 4,606,713 | 93,129 | Settlers should build their own damn houses (and farms, and shops, and...), you've got a Commonwealth to explore! |
Start Me Up Redux - An Update for Alternate Start | 472,070 | 7,093 | A Continuation of the 'Start Me Up' - Alternate Start and Dialogues Overhaul. Bug Fixes, Additions, Patches and UFO4P Forward Compatibility. |
Start Me Up Redux - An Update for Alternate Start | 588,170 | 14,629 | Another Life allows you to circumvent the fixed starting sequence and choose a different role to play, allowing for a more immersive roleplaying experience. |
Everyone's Best Friend | 2,731,443 | 72,809 | This mod allows you to have Dogmeat and a standard companion at the same time using in game functionality (not hacks or console commands). |
How to install the best FO4 mods?
Nexus Mods makes this process incredibly easy. The website now provides a dedicated tool – Mod Manager. Create an account (it’s free!), download the tool, and install it on your PC. Then, run it, and the software will analyze your video games for potential mod installation.
Now, you can discover Fallout 4 mods on the website and download the needed ones. Select Download With Manager, go to the Mods tab in the Manager, and initiate the installation by double-clicking the chosen modpack.
Unless the creator of the selected mod recommended a different installation method in their creation’s description, this is the best and safest way.
Gameplay Overhauls: Changing the Wasteland Experience
Robot Home Defence
Fallout’s 4 Automatron DLC allows players to build robots at the Robot Workbench. But why pay for an add-on when you can enjoy this opportunity for free?
With the Robot Home Defense mod, you will create an army protecting your settlements, boosting happiness, supplying food and water, and traveling with you across the Wasteland.
The modpack includes Protectrons, Assaultrons, Nannies, Sentry Bots, and more. All you need to do is install it and find the appropriate category in your workshop options to instantly get creative with upgrading your settlements.
Armorsmith Extended
If you think the basic gameplay needs more customization options, this mod may be your newest must have. Armorsmith Extended configures the armor and clothing system to enable combining various previously unavailable outfit pieces for the playable character and companions.
But that’s not all, as the mod also introduces additional outfit elements that players can unlock using the crafting system. Now, you can personalize your character’s appearance down to the smallest detail without worrying that separate outfit parts will clash.
Better Companions – All In One
Install this mod to make your companions behave more human-like. In the classic game, they switch weapons quite randomly – but with the Better Companions mod, you can add missing bonuses, special perks, resistance to fall damage, unlimited ammo, unbreakable power armor functionality, adjustable distance, automatic regeneration, and more. It also improves essential features like gun accuracy, stealth, and combat.
You can discover detailed descriptions of all the perks included in this mod on the website and install them in your game right away!
Better Generators
Building a thriving settlement requires electricity, and you have probably already noticed that available generators produce far too little. More power requires more generators, which are noisy and just plain annoying. Fortunately, the mod from Expired6978 improves the in-game generators, allowing you to fully focus on designing your dream settlement.
Crafting Workbenches
If you feel your crafting system lacks efficiency, install Crafting Workbenches. The mod adds three new workbenches for producing ammo, weapons, masks, helmets, and anything else you can think of. They come with unique animations and features, looking exactly like part of the classic gameplay.
Unlimited Building and Crafting Materials
This mod is more of a cheat than an improvement, so don’t use it if you prefer fair play. And if not, install it to get 10000 of each building material instead of spending forever searching for it in the Wasteland.
Using it requires entering the player.additem code in the console, and, according to its creator, it works best at a workbench so that such a massive weight does not matter.
Hidden Gems: Lesser-Known Yet Incredible Mods
Beast Master – Creature Companion Overhaul
If being just a dog person isn’t enough, use Beast Master to tame the wildest creatures of Wasteland – Deathclaw included! The mod involves using a new item, the Control Chip, to increase various animals’ intelligence and allow you to communicate with them in human speech.
You can give them commands, recruit them, give them names, accessorize them, mutate them with serums, or send them on hunts. All you have to do is approach the beast with the Control Chip and select the Inject Control Chips option. However, if you have Animal Friend or Wasteland Whisperer perks, Control Chips are unnecessary.
Just use your voice to tame the creatures by talking to them. The mod includes creatures like Deathclaws, Redscorpions, Brahmins, and Redstags, but cats and Gunners remain untamable.
Unofficial Fallout
Massive open worlds are always full of bugs, so it’s no wonder that players find creative ways to fix them. Unofficial Fallout is a fan patch removing bugs left by the original developers.
As with other Bethesda games, including Skyrim and Oblivion, such mods can improve the entire experience by eliminating unnecessary bugs.
The unofficial Fallout 4 Patch fixes item issues, upgrades audio, enhances typos, eliminates quest glitches, improves workshop, and more. All these fixes do not interfere with the game world and are compatible with most Nexus and Steam mods.
Customize Power Armour and Jetpack Drain
Customizing the rate at which power armor and jetpack use up their energy can be a real blessing in a challenging video game like Fallout 4. With this mod, you can choose from options ranging between 0% and 200% via the NMM-compatible FOMOD installer.
Full Dialogue Interface
If you’re a devoted Fallout fan, you’ve probably already noticed that dialogue options often don’t excel at suggesting what the playable character wants to say. Sometimes, it feels more like a guessing game than choosing the proper alternative, so this mod fixes that all.
With Full Dialogue Interface, you can see a character’s entire statement instead of a shortened phrase, so you’ll never again trouble yourself with the unexpected consequences of bad choices.
There are also different interface styles, font selections, numbered dialogue options, and various frame versions. The mod supports pads and keyboards and you can easily find installation tips on the website.
Character and World Customization Mods
REAL.AI
Role-playing games are all about immersion and a realistic experience – but Fallout 4 lacks a bit in this category regarding non-playable characters’ AI. Luckily, a user known as Thumblesteen is boosting NPCs with his absolutely brilliant REAL.AI mod. What can it do?
According to the creator: ‘Real.AI recalibrates millions of engine level subroutines using holographic NASA-grade laser supertechnology to make Fallout 4’s NPCs behave more organically by removing a lot of the limitations left over from the console port.’ To make it simpler, REAL.AI removes blinders, allowing NPCs to interact with the surrounding world.
It also replaces hard limitations with soft limitations, providing characters with a vaster perception to make them more intelligent and capable of outsmarting you in combat.
Last but not least, the mod adds an element of surprise by giving non-playable characters free will regarding what they want to do, especially when it comes to tricking the player. All this makes interactions with allies or enemies more natural, unpredictable, and challenging, and the world around you more post-apocalyptic real.
Rich Merchants
Why loot everything and everyone if the merchants are not wealthy enough to provide a quick profit? With this mod, you can give vendors more caps to avoid time-consuming selling your stuff to several merchants separately.
Depending on your needs, vendors can now have 2000 caps, 10000 caps, or 30000 caps. Finally, doing business makes sense!
P.A.S. – Post-Apocalyptic Survivor
Customizable outfits are the best for immersion in any RPG. With P.A.S. – Post Apocalyptic Survivor, you can create customizable clothing for females or males at Chemistry Station.
The pack includes a new fun backpack, armor vest, gloves, beanie, mask, headset, outfit hood down, outfit hood up, and small bags.
LooksMenu
Tired of the classic user interface for character creation? Take this! LooksMenu introduces entirely new character customization options under familiar rules.
The feature list is noticeably longer, facial attributes are available to choose from a clear list on the right, and you can save or load presets as much as you want.
BodySlide And Outfit Studio
It is an extremely easy-to-use tool for modifying the body and outfits’ appearance, eliminating the need to use complex graphics software.
BodySlide And Outfit Studio involves customizing outfits and bodies without editing mesh files, using sliders to modify shapes, filtering available outfits, and enjoying authentic human body physics. You can also create your own sliders, even without any modding experience.
Additional Content Mods: Expanding the Wasteland
True Storms – Wasteland Edition (Thunder-Rain-Weather Redone)
As the fifth top-rated Skyrim mod of 2015, True Storms – Wasteland Edition conquers Fallout 4 with its improved weather system.
Prepare for better sound effects, textures, heavier rain, particle effects, dust storms, visual effects, radiation rain, fog, wind, and more! Due to 20 randomly playing thunder sounds, exploring the Wasteland feels much more realistic. Moreover, the mod adds a sneak buff when it rains.
Sim Settlements
Work smart, not hard, with Sim Settlements – a fantastic enhancement to the Settlements system for better, faster building. Inspired by the SimCity game, the mod allows you to place down zones and let your Settlers do the rest. All you have to do is pick the zone type, and then the appropriate buildings and their equipment will randomly appear.
This enhanced edition also introduces Dynamic Needs, which makes your Settlers change over time. They can now also have interests and preferences reflected in their home’s decor, so the Settlement seems more realistic. Doesn’t that sound great?
Start Me Up Redux
If you’re tired of the classic Fallout 4 story and being Shaun’s parent, you are in the perfect place! Start Me Up Redux is an improved version of the older mod of the same name, fixing many bugs and making the story more coherent. The mod not only allows you to forget your family but also starts the game in a location other than Vault 111.
This way, you can skip the boring intro to create a character, choose S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats, and proceed right into the fun part of exploring the Wasteland however you want. To make things even better, Start Me Up modifies the dialogue options so you can enjoy a completely different backstory as one of the longtime wastelanders instead of being called a relic of the past.
Now, you can create and role-play your own hero to fully experience everything this post-apocalyptic world has to offer. Say goodbye to this boring linear plot!
Another Life
Like Start Me Up Redux, Another Life allows you to start the game as a different character. Install it to skip the standard starting sequence and choose an alternative role to enjoy throughout the gameplay.
When the game asks you to pick Awaken or Slumber, you can select Awaken, and the mod will take you to the synth processing chamber. You can choose from 36 occupations and proceed straight to the Commonwealth.
Each occupation offers different equipment and starting quests, and we recommend trying them all, including Atom Cat, Courier, Detective, House Husband, Reporter, Wastelander, and more. No other mod transforms familiar Fallout 4 gameplay into such a fun experience!
Everyone’s Best Friend
Considering Dogmeat is an essential part of the overall gameplay in Fallout 4, there are mods for him as well. How to make Fallout 4 better with this one?
It solves one of the most fundamental problems – Dogmeat being a travel companion. Installing Everyone’s Best Friend, you can enjoy his invaluable company and add another character to your team. There’s no need to abandon this precious good boi, as you can all travel in one cheerful gang.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to install modifications and which ones are the best, you can explore these and others on Nexus Mods. As you can see, most can significantly transform familiar gameplay to make it more immersive, realistic, or user-friendly. Fallout 4, in its original form, is far from perfect, and many players have learned this the hard way.
Fortunately, the modding community is doing everything in its power to extend the life of this legendary 2015 title. Moreover, you can enjoy up to 255 mods installed at once, so there’s plenty of room for making new, exciting improvements.