The success of Amazon’s Fallout series has led to a significant increase in the popularity of games in the series. Players began to return to the latest games, which led to a multiple increase in the number of simultaneous players in all games, including the classic first installments. But the biggest “boom” happened, of course, in the latest projects, primarily Fallout 76 and Fallout 4.
Given that Fallout 76 is a controversial game, to put it mildly, we still consider Fallout 4 to be the best option among the latest projects in this universe. But considering that the game was released almost 10 years ago, it’s definitely not worth playing the original version now: as with other Bethesda projects, the gaming community has created a huge number of mods over this time that significantly improve the original gameplay, update graphics, and fix bugs that the developer never got around to.
Therefore, we decided to compile our own list of mods that will make Fallout 4 much more enjoyable in 2024. The main resource here is the corresponding section on the well-known Nexus Mods website, and the easiest way to install mods is to use a special mod manager – Vortex.
From time to time, you will come across mods that rely on the resources of other mods to operate – in this case, a warning window will appear before installing them, listing the required mods and linking to the corresponding pages. You should also read the description of the mod carefully, especially the tips on how to install it – there are cases when simply downloading and activating the mod is not enough.
Finally, it is worth noting that on April 25, Bethesda finally released a major free Fallout 4 update for all platforms. On PC, the changes were expected to be minor (the main focus was on native versions for current-gen consoles), but it did change the version of the game. Because of this, a significant number of mods stopped working, and given their venerable age, it is quite possible that some of them will not receive updates. The vast majority of the mods mentioned in this article continue to work, but some of them are currently waiting for an update – this is indicated for each of them separately.
Fallout 4 technical mods
Fallout 4 Script Extender (F4SE)
A tool that expands the capabilities of modders and is a must for mods that make significant changes to the original game. Unlike the others, it is better to download and install it manually: the archive contains a readme file that describes this procedure. After installation, the game will need to be launched not via Steam but through a shortcut on the Desktop, for which you need to set the Run as administrator option. But before that, you should launch the game at least once in the traditional way – in Fallout 4, all graphics quality settings and resolution selection are done in a separate launcher, while F4SE skips it. And lastly, you should install it only if the selected mod requires it; you don’t need F4SE by itself.
As expected, F4SE is currently not compatible with the updated version of the game – the utility developer has already informed the community that it is working on an update, but cannot say when it will be ready.
Achievements
Using mods disables achievements on Steam, so this mod brings back the ability to get them with active mods. Achievements is one of the few mods in this article that relies on F4SE features, so you’ll have to wait to use it as well – it’s likely that this mod will work automatically after the F4SE update.
Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch — UFO4P
No Bethesda game is complete without a similar mod, and the community is developing an unofficial patch for Fallout 4 that fixes hundreds of bugs. In addition, a number of other mods also use UFO4P, so its installation can be considered mandatory.
It’s worth noting that in addition to the base version of the game, this mod also requires all six official DLCs, which can be purchased separately or as part of the extended version of the game – Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition (by the way, if you missed the big Fallout sale on Steam, you can still buy Fallout 4: G.O.T.Y. with a 75% discount on GOG – the offer is valid until May 1).
UFO4P has already received an update to version 2.1.6 and is compatible with the latest Fallout 4 update. It is worth noting that the version of the game on GOG remains old (at least for now), so its owners still need to use the previous version of UFO4P – 2.1.5.
Bethini Pie (Performance INI Editor)
This mod is not mandatory at all (and not even really a mod), but it will make life much easier for those players who like to fine-tune the game’s performance by editing the ini file. Bethini Pie is a utility that will make this process more comfortable with a user-friendly graphical interface. In addition to Fallout 4, it also supports Starfield and Skyrim Special Edition.
Improved graphics and sound
Traditionally for Bethesda games, Fallout 4 has a large number of texture packs that improve the look of the landscape, buildings, etc. If I were to choose one, it would probably be “Vivid Fallout – All in One” – a whole set of mods from one developer that covers different categories of textures. They are also better optimized than the original ones, so they require less video memory – and they preserve the original style of the game very well, unlike some other texture packs.
True Storms – Wasteland Edition (Thunder-Rain-Weather Redone)
A mod that makes the weather much more atmospheric and diverse – True Storms adds acid rain, dust storms, pitch black fog, and more. That is exactly what you expect from a nuclear desert.
The mod adds a dense pine forest to the game, which is not very authentic, but who said that after a nuclear war the world has to turn into a dead desert?
Reverb and Ambiance Overhaul
Another mod that aims to make the game more atmospheric is the “sound” one. Reverb and Ambiance Overhaul makes many sounds more realistic, including echoes from gunshots or background noise.
Gameplay improvements
In game dialogs, you see only a shortened version of the options you can choose to further your communication, and it’s not always clear what is meant and what your character will actually say. As the name suggests, this mod replaces the shortened lines with the full versions, so the player can immediately see what they can say in response.
Another mod that improves the dialog system. Extended Dialogue Interface is newer and not only shows the full text of the answers, but also allows you to have more than four options (this will be useful for other modders who create mods with new content).
Unfortunately, since the Extended Dialogue Interface requires the Fallout 4 Script Extender to work, the mod is not working at the time of writing and is waiting for the F4SE update.
The standard interface of the game is not very convenient, especially when it comes to inventory. FallUI makes it more practical and informative. The mod redesigns not only the player’s inventory, but also other inventory, such as merchants, crates, etc. FallUI is a whole series of mods, and on the Inventory page you can find links to others (HUD, Map, Workbench, etc.).
There are a lot of mods that modify weapons and armor and add new models, including huge “mega-mods” like Armorsmith/Weaponsmith Extended or Armor and Weapon Keywords Community Resource (AWKCR). But in our opinion, such “monsters” are too much, and it is better to turn to the lighter and newer New Equipment Overhaul, which can be supplemented with another mod by the same author – Equipment and Crafting Overhaul (ECO).
Lowered Weapons is a very simple (and old) mod that makes the character lower the weapon they are holding when not in use. In addition to looking more natural and realistic, this mod also increases the field of view from the first person.
Faster Terminal Displays
The computer terminals in Fallout 4 are very slow, and it’s annoying. Luckily, the Faster Terminal Displays mod can significantly improve their performance.
Improved Map with Visible Roads
This mod adds visible roads and other details to the map, making it much easier to navigate.
There It Is – Satellite Maps For Collectors
If you don’t like the outdated look of the original map at all, this mod is for you. There It Is replaces the monochrome map with satellite images, turning the Pip-Boy map into a kind of Google Maps, and optionally marking not only locations but also the location of magazines, bobbleheads, holo-ribbons, power armor, etc. – a real find for collectors.
Classic V.A.T.S.
The mod brings back the classic V.A.T.S. targeting system from Fallout 3 – with a complete time stop. For those who don’t like the full pause, and the original time slowdown is not enough, the developer has made it possible to choose the slowdown ratio.
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