Fallout has been having a revival lately. No, a new Fallout game hasn’t released — although the Fallout London mod is looking cool — but we have received the release of Amazon’s Fallout TV show, and a noteworthy crossover with the Magic: The Gathering community. This has led to the player numbers of games like Fallout 4 and Fallout: New Vegas to increase drastically at the time of writing.
When situations like this incite us to go back to games, sometimes the same old vanilla experience doesn’t cut it; sometimes we want extra sugar bombs. That’s where mods come in. If you’ve never modded a game, it can seem daunting, but there’s really nothing frightening about the process. Every mod has instructions on how to install it, and the community is generally very welcoming of newbies — in case you want to ask questions somewhere.
Now that you’re feeling completely at ease, allow us to smack you with five mods you can download to shake up your wasteland experience.
Armorsmith Extended – Fallout 4
- Requires Fallout 4
The Armorsmith Extended mod is extensive, and the link provided goes over all sixteen changes it makes to the game. For the sake of brevity, let’s say that it completely revamps the gear and armor systems of Fallout 4, allowing players to customize their character and their duds in far more detail. These types of mods are popular for a reason: RPG lovers have always been drawn to making their characters feel unique and truly theirs. For those returning players, this mod can reinvigorate the game’s loot and customization incentive, which is never a bad thing.
Sim Settlements – Fallout 4
- Requires Fallout 4
Sim Settlements is another mod for Fallout 4, but this one is an alteration to one of the game’s core systems: building settlements. When thinking of heading back into Fallout 4, players might be hesitant because they don’t want to get sucked into spending hours upon hours building settlements. Thankfully, this mod alleviates those concerns. It makes settlers build their own settlements, and creates a progression for upgrading the buildings. For example, you might choose a template for the settlement like residential, then the settlers construct their own buildings and even personalize their own space. When you visit the settlement again, it will be like discovering a whole new area!
JSawyer – Fallout: New Vegas
- Requires Fallout: New Vegas
JSawyer is an interesting mod, because it was made by the project director of Fallout: New Vegas, Joshua Sawyer. Finding it and researching it can be a little confusing as well, because there’s the site that has the official mod (where you can download it), but that site doesn’t tell you a lot about it. However, here’s a good description from Reddit user 1080Pizza.
Essentially, this mod adds to the difficulty and balance of the game. It changes systems like experience and character level, while also transforming combat, and the strategies employed for engaging with different enemies. If you were looking for a more difficult play through of New Vegas, while also not wanting to change the vanilla experience drastically, then this is for you.
Project Nevada – Fallout: New Vegas
- Requires Fallout: New Vegas
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a more invasive change up of Fallout: New Vegas and its gameplay, then the very popular Project Nevada might be the mod for you. As the description will tell you in more depth, the mod is structured in modules that dynamically change different parts of the game:
- Core Module – Changes many gameplay features, such as adding sprint, unique crosshairs, different menu, upgraded UI, and many more.
- Cyberware Module – Adds an entire cyber implant system to the game.
- Difficulty Module – Basically, makes the game more difficult by making combat quicker and more deadly by changing a number of different game mechanics.
- Equipment Module – Brings a whole host of new weapons to the game.
FALLOUT ET TU – Fallout 1
- Requires Fallout 1 and 2
So you scrolled to the bottom, and you were probably just about to write a kind and thoughtful comment asking about the older Fallout games. Don’t worry, we aren’t going to leave the oldies hanging. Fallout et tu is a mod for those wanting to go back to the original, but instead with some ease-of-life upgrades from the Fallout 2. By putting the first game into the engine of the second, the mod gives players a long list of features, improving the playability.
Of course, there are many fantastic mods out there, and truly something for any type of gamer. We hope that this small taste of what is possible helps some Fallout fans find new ways of enjoying their favorite games. Do you have a favorite mod that we didn’t list? Share it with us in a comment!
