By Mark Medina
For decades, mods have granted PC gamers the freedom to tweak, change, and improve their experiences. Bethesda games in particular, with their massive worlds and wide breadth of things to do and see, are ripe for the modding.
From simple bug-fixes to a mod that changes all Deathclaws into killer Thomas the Tank Engines, almost anything you’d want (or didn’t know you’d want) in a game like Fallout 4 exists.
This particular list of Fallout 4 mods is a bit more grounded, focusing on making the Commonwealth even more beautiful without altering gameplay. You can even download some of these mods for Fallout 4 on Xbox One.
Here are IGN’s top 10 visual mods for Fallout 4.
10. Power Armor HUD by Hellstorm102
While we love stomping around in Fallout 4’s Power Armor, its flimsy-feeling, transparent HUD leaves a lot to be desired. The Power Armor HUD by Hellstorm102 replaces these default elements with a solid, weightier control panel. It might obscure your view a little, but in a giant, hulking suit of armor, that’s sort of the point.
You also have the ability to change the look of the new HUD, so whether you like a cleaner interface or something a tad more weathered, your options are open.
Download it on NexusMods. Also available on Xbox One. Find out how to install it with our Xbox One mod guide for Fallout 4.
9. Realistic Word Map by Vastias
The Realistic World Map mod by Vastias takes Fallout 4’s muddled old vanilla map and replaces it with a much more detailed version, featuring roads, bodies of water, and land masses. You can also adjust the map’s brightness and choose what gets displayed. Little details like these make Realistic World Map a must-have for any Wasteland adventurers who like to plan ahead.
Download it on NexusMods.
8. Lowered Weapons by Lesma666
Fallout 4 Realistic Mod Youtube
Ever since Wolfenstein and Doom, we’ve always wondered why first-person shooters force your character to run around with their weapon constantly pointed out in front of them. It makes sense when you’re shooting, but if you’re trying to conduct peaceful business in a settlement, having your gun raised and ready to fire is a little awkward.
The Lowered Weapons mod by Lesma666 finally fixes this. Having your gun lowered outside combat zones feels way more natural and makes visiting towns and other peaceful camps a lot more immersive.
Download it on NexusMods.
7. Pip-Boy Shadows by McGruffin
Pip-Boy Shadows by McGruffin adds dynamic shadows to the inhabitants and objects of the Commonwealth. More realistic shadows are certainly a plus on their own, but because this mod is most noticeable in the dark, it pairs spectacularly well with the next mod on our list.
Download it on NexusMods. Also available on Xbox One. Find out how to install it with our Xbox One mod guide for Fallout 4.
6. Darker Nights by unforbidable
Have you ever been to the mountains at night? Since the world of Fallout 4 is only sparsely populated with settlements, sporting crude campfires and low-voltage electricity, it gets pretty dark out there at night. But not dark enough.
Darker Nights by unforbidable is a must-have. When the sun goes down on the Commonwealth, this mod makes sure it really feels like night-time. It also comes with an option that lets you adjust how well enemies and NPCs can see you in the dark, making stealth missions much more interesting.
Download it on NexusMods. Also available on Xbox One. Find out how to install it with our Xbox One mod guide for Fallout 4.
5. Resurrection by ResurrectionDev
Even Fallout 4 purists can make room for Resurrection by ResurrectionDev. It gives all landmarks and environmental objects, from rocks to roads and even buildings, an overgrown look that is really a sight to see.
If you have a PC capable of running this mod, there’s no reason not to give the Commonwealth the revival it deserves.
Download it on NexusMods.
4. Mega Explosions by Meltus
One of the best parts of Fallout 4 is making things go boom. But what if you could make the booms even boomier? That’s where Mega Explosions by Meltus comes in. Not only are the explosion sizes from your Fatman, Grenades, and Mines all doubled, but the damage is increased as well. It’s a great way to add awesome new action elements to some of your more explosive battles. If you don’t want the actual game altered in any way, you can also just turn on the bigger explosion textures, and keep damage the same.
Download it on NexusMods.
3. Water Enhanced by Jmane2009
While Fallout 4’s water looks good, Water Enhanced by Jmane2009 is a great way to make the bodies of water in the Commonwealth look even better. Lakes become clearer, light reflects off ocean waves more believably, and streams ripple with a beautiful glisten. With this mod installed, stumbling upon any body of water is really a treat.
Download it on NexusMods. Also available on Xbox One. Find out how to install it with our Xbox One mod guide for Fallout 4.
2. True Storms by fadingsignal
True Storms by fadingsignal takes the vanilla weather effects of Fallout 4 and cranks them up to 11. Running in a thick fog that you can barely see through is awesome and dust storms emphasize just how desolate the Commonwealth has become. This mod also causes special weather events to occur more frequently, making things like rad storms a serious threat to players.
Download it on NexusMods.
1. Fallout 4 Seasons Project by GameDuchess
Fallout 4 is a vast and immersive experience, but in a world where literally years of in-game time can fly by, one crucial element of reality remains absent: the four seasons. So it’s no surprise that our favorite graphics mod for Fallout 4 is the Seasons Project by GameDuchess. From the bright and vibrant colors of spring, to the desolate silence of winter, the Seasons Project lets you bring your favorite time of year to the Commonwealth. The seasons don’t change automatically, but with variations for all four, this mod is definitely worth checking out.
Download it on NexusMods.
If you have recommendations for Fallout 4 visual mods that didn’t make our list, let us know in the comments or on our Fallout 4 modding wiki. Also be sure to check out our list of best Fallout 4 mods on Xbox One.
Now that Fallout 4 is in its third year and the DLC has dried up, is there any point in returning to the Commonwealth Wasteland? Yes! There are loads, largely thanks to the still-growing list of mods, overhauls and user tweaks. Here, I’ve gathered over 50 of my favourites, ranging from weird weapons to wild weather.
Before we start, a couple of things to remember: some mods will require some or all of the DLC expansions, as well as additional mods, while others don’t play nicely with each other. The mod descriptions on Nexus will usually tell you, so keep an eye out.
Best Fallout 4 mods
Fallout 4 mods come in all shapes and sizes and so we’ve split this guide into sections, so you can hop directly to the kind of mod you’re looking for.
How to install Fallout 4 mods
Fallout 4 graphics mods
Fallout 4 settlement mods
Fallout 4 weapon and armour mods
Fallout 4 companion mods
Fallout 4 quests and overhaul mods
Fallout 4 UI mods
Fallout 4 graphics mods
Fallout 4 settlement mods
Fallout 4 weapon and armour mods
Fallout 4 companion mods
Fallout 4 quests and overhaul mods
Fallout 4 UI mods
“Realistic” Difficulty Settings
(intended for Survival difficulty)
(intended for Survival difficulty)
tl;dr:
Features:
25% slower reloading
Falling damage lethal at 4 floors instead of 3
Reduced player resistance by a flat 15 for energy and regular damage (tweakable with extra batch files)
3x player damage
25% slower reloading
Falling damage lethal at 4 floors instead of 3
Reduced player resistance by a flat 15 for energy and regular damage (tweakable with extra batch files)
3x player damage
Tweaking:
Type: bat addresistance to add 5 resistance (like if you’re low level)
Type: bat removeresistance to remove 5 resistance (like if you’re high level)
Half of your current armor resistance is generally pretty satisfying but this may not hold for high levels
Type: bat addresistance to add 5 resistance (like if you’re low level)
Type: bat removeresistance to remove 5 resistance (like if you’re high level)
Half of your current armor resistance is generally pretty satisfying but this may not hold for high levels
Installation:
Set your difficulty to Survival
Extract the batch files into your Fallout 4 directory where the .exe file is (e.g. G:SteamsteamappscommonFallout 4).
In the game, open your console.
Type: bat startrealism
Set your difficulty to Survival
Extract the batch files into your Fallout 4 directory where the .exe file is (e.g. G:SteamsteamappscommonFallout 4).
In the game, open your console.
Type: bat startrealism
Removal:
Type: bat stoprealism
Type: bat stoprealism
Also: Energy weapons don’t show damage increase in pipboy, but they have increased damage. It’s a vanilla Fallout 4 issue.
What is this?
RDS is a batch file that changes 5 settings in the game to make the “Survival” difficulty setting MORE realistic. The word “more” is key here, since I can’t change all sorts of things to make this work better. You’ll still have to put a clip in a boss (but probably not 3 clips), for instance, but at least peons don’t take 10 to the face to go down.
Note that you do not have to use the “Survival” difficulty setting, this will work for any setting, but “Survival” has some cool features and damage to the player is closer to realistic.
What did you do?
1. Reduced player reload speed from “frenetic” to “guy reloading a gun IRL.” The value I use is a little less than the inverse of the fast reload perk, so when you get that perk it’ll put the reload speed back to a “frenetic plus” instead of “crystal meth light speed.”
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2. Reduced fall damage. You’ll now begin to take damage at 2 floors of falling distance (judging by the floors in the Museum of Freedom) with damage increasing dramatically between the 2nd and 3rd floor and totes killin’ a guy with average health at 4 floors, which is the amount of floors people always say will probably kill you. This is just a bit scaled back from normal Fallout 4 fall damage, which is usually lethal right at 3 floors for someone with 4 or 5 stars in endurance.
3. Increased player damage (adjusted from a 1x multiplier to a 3x multiplier). NO LONGER do you have to autohotkey the shoot button and go make coffee while you slowly ping the deathclaw (that got himself stuck in the ditch) to death. This is a “Survival”-specific amount, you may want to reduce this if you don’t play on Survival.
4. Reduced player damage and energy resistance. I reduce this by 15 but in the early stages this is problematic, and with just a batch file it’s hard to remedy that. The very first time you get armor that makes a real difference is right at the Museum of Freedom, and there’s no way to go past like 7 or 8 damage resistance (energy resistance is a little higher at this point). On the other hand, at later stages of the game -15 may not be much. I have added extra bat files to combat this problem. Follow instructions (below) to adjust at will.
Are there any problems with your stupid mod, JackArbiter?
Upon executing the main batch file you will find that the damage shown in your pipboy for normal guns immediately increases. HOWEVER, damage shown for energy weapons remains the same. I’m pretty sure I remember a bug like this in F:NV (I played around with weapon damage settings a few years back), but maybe not. Anyway, please be assured that energy weapons have 3x the damage they show. You just have to remember to make the conversion in your brain, sorry.
Also, while I think this should be pretty safe to run with since it only adjusts 5 settings, there may be some glitch with some setting being some value that destroys your save, your hard drive, your CPU, your PSU, and whichever leg is closest to the PSU when its critical failure causes a massive explosion. So, you know, don’t come to me with your hospital bills.
Installation
1. Download
2. Extract the batch files into your Fallout 4 directory where the .exe file is (e.g. G:SteamsteamappscommonFallout 4).
3. In the game, open your console (with ~ usually for ‘mericans since we don’t know what to do with that swooshy button other than that).
4. Type: bat startrealism
2. Extract the batch files into your Fallout 4 directory where the .exe file is (e.g. G:SteamsteamappscommonFallout 4).
3. In the game, open your console (with ~ usually for ‘mericans since we don’t know what to do with that swooshy button other than that).
4. Type: bat startrealism
If you are in the early stage of the game and -15 resistance is more armor than you have, you might:
5. Type: bat addresistance
This will add 5 resistance back. Type it twice if you’re in the early stage of the game (for a final result of -5 resistance).
5. Type: bat addresistance
This will add 5 resistance back. Type it twice if you’re in the early stage of the game (for a final result of -5 resistance).
Then, each five levels (5, 10, 15, etc.):
6. Type: bat removeresistance
Until you are back at -15 resistance, or you may keep going depending on how far your resistance goes. Half of your total armor resistance is about right given you deal 3x damage, but it’s your choice.
6. Type: bat removeresistance
Until you are back at -15 resistance, or you may keep going depending on how far your resistance goes. Half of your total armor resistance is about right given you deal 3x damage, but it’s your choice.
Optional:
7. Get ANGRY about how much this isn’t realistic
8. Type: bat stoprealism
9. Come complain here in the comments section
7. Get ANGRY about how much this isn’t realistic
8. Type: bat stoprealism
9. Come complain here in the comments section
In the video below I show you damage (by the player) before and after the batch file. The first time I opened the console was an accident, I don’t execute the script until the save is reloaded midway through the video. Also, I stand around for a second taking damage to show I’ve got godmode on, it isn’t an example of the reduced resistance.