#if you have fallout 4 please get the sim settlements 2 mod

[lilyware]

OOOUUUUUGGGH SS2 CHAPTER 3 SHADOWDROPPED HUHHHHHHHH

[spiffycow]

So you want to play FO4 with Mods...

...But you don’t know where to start or what to get. That’s what this post is for!

Below is a categorized list of mods I currently use in my game With Links.

Note that my playstyle is to prefer the game to remain mostly the same, a little more difficult, closer to the survival style, with everything maintaining immersion, & loaded up on settlement options. If this sounds like you, then please view below the cut!

Happy gaming!

Setup

Realize that with mods enabled, you will not be able to earn achievements. There is a mod workaround for this, but in the spirit of the devs intending you to earn said achievements with a vanilla character, I’ll not be including it in my list. If continuing to earn achievements is important to you, create a new character or a new save file and keep them separate.

First you will want to navigate to your Documents/MyGames/Fallout 4 and open Fallout4Custom.ini. At the bottom, add these lines EXACTLY, then save and close.

[Archive] bInvalidateOlderFiles=1 sResourceDataDirsFinal= 

Download ENBoost and extract the files inside WrapperVersion into your Fallout 4 game folder. Run Enblocal.ini and set ForceVideoMemorySize=true. Save and close. If you have a video card with more than 4gigs of VRAM, adjust the VideoMemorySizeMb to reflect that number (4096, 8192, 16384, etc.)

Next, visit the NexusMods site, create an account, and click “Install NMM” at the top of the page. Once it’s finished downloading, run the installer and then the program. When it’s scanning for games, make sure to verify Fallout 4 and hit Finish. Select Fallout 4 and hit OK.

Note: If it asks you Do you want to auto-create categories, I always hit No, but you do you. It’s a purely organisational preference. I like to create my own categories, as you will discover further in the post~

Mods

As previously mentioned, I like to organize my mods a little differently than default. If you choose to do this as well, your newly downloaded mods will be under the “Unassigned” category.

Tier 1: Essentials

This category is basically mods that are either required for other mods or mods so great and wonderful that I would never really consider playing without them.

Adjustable UI Volume Sliders

Armor and Weapon Keywords Community Resource

DEF_UI

Full Dialogue Interface

HUDFramework

Improved Map with Visible Roads

Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch

Valdacil’s Item Sorting

Tier 2: Visual Enhancements

Enhanced Blood Textures

EoW - Pre-War Books Retexture

Interiors Enhanced

True Nights (for True Storms with ENB)

True Storms - Wasteland Edition

WET - Water Enhancement Textures

Tier 3: Settlements

Basement Living - Bunker and Basement Player Homes

Better Settlers

Craftable Turret Stands

Crafting Workbenches

Creative Clutter

Do It Yourshelf

Homemaker - Expanded Settlements

Increased Build Limit Enhanced

Laundry Day

Longer Power Lines

Manufacturing Extended

No More Floating Razorgrain

NorthlandDiggers Resources

OCDecorator - Static Loot

Salvage Beacons

Settlement Attacks Beyond

Sim Settlements

Snappable Junk Fences

Spring Cleaning

The Fridge

Thematic and Practical

Videos of the Wasteland

Tier 4: Followers

Danse GTFO Power Armor

Dogmeat’s Backpack

Everyone’s Best Friend

K-9 Harness

More Smarter Companions

Tier 5: Character & Cosmetics

Armorsmith Extended

Commonwealth Cuts - KS Hairdos - ApachiiSkyHair

Eyewear and Mask Retexture

Holstered Weapons by Azar

LooksMenu Customization Compendium

Lots More Facial Hair

Lots More Female Hairstyles

Lots More Male Hairstyles

Lowered Weapons

Wearable Backpacks and Pouches

Tier 6: QoL & Immersion

Beantown Interiors Project

Better Mod Descriptions

Brahmin Troughs

Campsite

Immersive Drumlin Diner

Immersive Fast Travel

Immersive Vendors

More Where That Came From - Diamond City Radio Edition

Old Saint Nick’s Christmas Radio

Old World Radio - Boston

Pip-Pad

Super Mutant Redux

Swinging Animated Meat Bags

Targeting HUD and Betty Mentats Enhanced

Targeting Sensors on Recon Scopes

We Are The Minutemen

Once you’re finished downloading, go through the list and install them. Be sure to pay attention to each mod’s instructions as they will tell you what conflicts they have with other mods and what patches to install, as well as what  files should overwrite others.

Once all mods are installed, download and install LOOT then sort and apply to optimize your load order.