This blog is about fallout 4 Mods. I’ve reached almost 300 hours in Fallout 4. I was around 220 hours before I started messing with mods. The sad reality of the mod system now is that it disables achievements. I didn’t know there was a method to avoid this issue at first, so I ended up losing the ability to use achievements with my current save.
Fallout – Achievements, Script Extender, and Loot Application
Achievements At Nexus Mods – This mod is simple. It allows the player to receive achievements while playing with mods active. This mod requires the Fallout 4 Script Extender. Please note I started using mods before I knew about this achievement mod. This achievement mod only works on games without the M addition to the save state. Once you use mods on a game it changes the status of the save file to M. When this happens this mod no longer works and has to be used BEFORE you start using the mods. So I lost my chance this time, but if I ever play through again then I’ll end up using this.
So as a disclaimer.. I can’t guarantee or recommend anything from either the script extender or the achievements mod. I haven’t personally used either of them but wanted to mention them before you modded your game. I haven’t personally used the script extender because I haven’t found any mods I wanted to use that required it.
With that being said, I am currently using a lot of mods. On top of that, I also add new mods every few days that I end up liking. I’ve got a heavily modded game, but overall haven’t ran into any problems because of it and everything seems to work perfectly with the mods I’ve had installed. I’ve installed mods in the past that messed things up and caused issues but I’ve always sorted them out. I did have one issue with a mod that I had to go in and correct something causing a crash when entering Nuka World. I’ll explain that below so you would know how to resolve the same issue.
Before we get into the load history I wanted to mention another useful app (that might even be essential unless you know all the sort orders). LOOT Application I know this is listed at Skyrim but it works for Fallout 4 as well. Open it up, download the master list (button at the top), optimize the load order and then approve it. It works perfectly and it’s supported every mod I’ve downloaded so far. I couldn’t have it work without it. Anytime you install new mods, I recommend re-sorting your load order to make sure there are no issues. It’ll also help identify dependencies or things that are required for other mods to work (in case you’re missing something). Also this app makes it easier to copy/paste your load order and mod list when you want to paste it into a forum for advice/feedback or if you’re trying to get support on mod issues and need to create a quick copy/paste list of your load order. It’s useful for all sorts of things especially if you get a real mod heavy game.
Fallout 4 – Mod List and Load Order
0 0 Fallout4.esm
1 1 DLCRobot.esm
2 2 DLCworkshop01.esm
3 3 DLCCoast.esm
4 4 DLCworkshop02.esm
5 5 DLCworkshop03.esm
6 6 DLCNukaWorld.esm
7 7 Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch.esp
8 8 TrueStormsFO4.esm
9 9 HUDFramework.esm
10 a ArmorKeywords.esm
11 b SimSettlements.esm
12 c More Where That Came From Diamond City.esp
13 d More Where That Came From – Classic.esp
14 e TrueStormsFO4-FarHarbor.esp
15 f TrueStormsFO4-NukaWorld-FH-Compat.esp
16 10 ValdacilsItemSorting-00-ValsPicks-DLCVersion.esp
17 11 def_inv_scrap_en.esp
18 12 PushAwayCompanions.esp
19 13 Faster Terminal Displays (20x).esp
20 14 EatFood.esp
21 15 GKX Commonwealth Trash Collection.esp
22 16 Scrap Everything – Core.esp
23 17 BTInteriors_Project.esp
24 18 subwayrunnnernodynamic.esp
25 19 Crossbow.esp
26 1a CraftableAmmunition_Adjustable.esp
27 1b CraftableAmmunition_FarHarbor.esp
28 1c CraftableAmmunitions – Alien Blaster.esp
29 1d SimSettlements_VIS.esp
30 1e BetterModDescriptions.esp
31 1f BetterModDescriptionsCOTC.esp
32 20 Cannibal.esp
33 21 FallComplete.esp
34 22 AA FusionCityRising.esp
35 23 Armorsmith Extended.esp
36 24 WRVR.esp
37 25 MaxwellsWorl.esp
38 26 BeastWhisperer.esp
39 27 EveryonesBestFriend.esp
40 28 BetterModDescriptionsAE.esp
41 29 Armorsmith All DLCs Patch.esp
42 2a FALLOUT4WT.esp
43 2b ExoticWorkshopCreatures.esp
44 2c BeastMaster_ExoticCreaturesPatch.esp
45 2d NanoSuit.esp
46 2e FunctionalDisplays-Collectibles.esp
47 2f FunctionalDisplays.esp
48 30 FunctionalDisplays-AID-VIS.esp
49 31 FunctionalDisplays-MISC-VIS.esp
50 32 FunctionalDisplays-Patch-DLC-ALL-VIS.esp
51 33 Scrap Everything – Far Harbor.esp
52 34 Scrap Everything – Nuka World.esp
53 35 Altairp’s Animal Farm.esp
54 36 ellen.esp
55 37 DX_Black_Widow.esp
56 38 MJC_Sim_Settlements_Addon.esp
57 39 TrailerParkDreams.esp
58 3a MJC_Sim_Settlements_Slum Lord_Addon.esp
59 3b SimSettlements_AddOnPack_Utilities_JtBryant.esp
60 3c PCDugSIMAddon.esp
61 3d AtomicRadio.esp
62 3e Existence 2.0.esp
63 3f PCDugWedges.esp
64 40 BasementLiving.esp
65 41 Companion Infinite Ammo.esp
66 42 SkipHSH1_6.esp
67 43 Nuka World Bottle Fix.esp
68 44 NukaColaCompany.esp
69 45 Quantum.esp
70 46 WestTekTacticalOptics.esp
71 47 WestTekTacticalOptics-AWKCR.esp
72 48 FO4Hotkeys.esp
That’s an overall breakdown list of everything. I’m now going to break the mods down into sections and provide more details on them. Before I Do that, I’m going to copy/paste the load order again below and provide some minor details beside each one to give you a quick idea what each one does (before I go into more details.
Fallout 4 – Brief Mod Descriptions
0 0 Fallout4.esm – Main game file.
1 1 DLCRobot.esm – Official DLC
2 2 DLCworkshop01.esm – Official DLC
3 3 DLCCoast.esm – Official DLC
4 4 DLCworkshop02.esm – Official DLC
5 5 DLCworkshop03.esm – Official DLC
6 6 DLCNukaWorld.esm – Official DLC
7 7 Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch.esp – Unofficial patch that has MANY fixes. Highly recommended.
8 8 TrueStormsFO4.esm – Very nice storm mod that adds a lot of realistic weather.
9 9 HUDFramework.esm – Really good revamp for HUD and a lot of the menu items.
10 a ArmorKeywords.esm – Useful keyword tagger mod. Used to add support for some of the other mods I have installed.
11 b SimSettlements.esm – The best mod in the game. Adds sim city style building into the settlement system using plots. More details below.
12 c More Where That Came From Diamond City.esp – Adds new SONGS to the DIAMOND CITY RADIO. Does not overwrite old songs or change any of the text from the DJ (that I know of).
13 d More Where That Came From – Classic.esp – Part of the above mod.
14 e TrueStormsFO4-FarHarbor.esp – Adds true storms support for Far Harbor. Recommended.
15 f TrueStormsFO4-NukaWorld-FH-Compat.esp – Adds true storms support for Nuka World.
16 10 ValdacilsItemSorting-00-ValsPicks-DLCVersion.esp – Necessary for some of the other mods that need a sorting mod. Not required but highly recommended. There are other sorting mods to choose from, but this is the one I choose because it looked to have the most endorsements and support.
17 11 def_inv_scrap_en.esp – Something to do with the UI rewrite that’s part of the HUD revamp. Very useful.
18 12 PushAwayCompanions.esp – I love this. Show away your companions or NPC (and other settings as well) which will throw them across the room with a funny vocal response from the main player.
19 13 Faster Terminal Displays (20x).esp – This speeds up terminals. I can’t say how much and didn’t really notice a difference but used it anyway, in case it makes it faster.
20 14 EatFood.esp – Eat food, use chems or stimpacks and other stuff directly off the ground before picking them up. I don’t use it a lot but it’s nice to use.
21 15 GKX Commonwealth Trash Collection.esp – I just added this one and it’s kind of nice. Adds a lot of trash piles the PC can pick up which adds to their scraps. Very useful and fun mod, and the trash respawns sometimes. If you want to do it without collecting loot (which I didn’t) there’s an optional file for that.
22 16 Scrap Everything – Core.esp – Very useful with sim settlemetns. It allows you to delete everything out of a buildable area (even pavement and tree’s and things of that nature). Very useful for getting a “Fresh start” on building areas.
23 17 BTInteriors_Project.esp – Very nice mod. It allows users to explore internal areas. A lot of buildings and things are closed off and abandomed. This mod opens a lot of those areas up for exploration with custom interiors and was very well done. I spent hours just in FAR HARBOR alone going through abandoned buildings and looting stuff that was all previous closed off. Adds a lot of gameplay to the people who love exploring.
24 18 subwayrunnnernodynamic.esp – Not sure what this is but I have it for some reason.
25 19 Crossbow.esp – I am extremely disappointed the main game didn’t have crossbows, bows and arrows and so forth. This game corrects that. I HAVE NOT actually used the bows yet. However I’m in the process of trying them out later. Either way this is a great addition for me.
26 1a CraftableAmmunition_Adjustable.esp – I wish the main game allowed crafting of ammo. This is VERY useful. Adds a lot you can do with the ammo in the game including crafting it. I haven’t done a lot with it yet, but I just like having it in my game for if I get low or want to play around with it.
27 1b CraftableAmmunition_FarHarbor.esp – Adds support for far harbor.
28 1c CraftableAmmunitions – Alien Blaster.esp – Adds alien blaster ammo since it’s a new weapon (I think found on Nuka World) which I just recently received.
29 1d SimSettlements_VIS.esp – I’m not sure what this mod is… but it’s something with sim settlements. There are several “add ons” for this which I’ll just detail “sim settlements addon” as they are listed and go into more detail in the more detailed sections.
30 1e BetterModDescriptions.esp – I don’t know exactly what this does but I have it for some reason.
31 1f BetterModDescriptionsCOTC.esp – Something else I’m not sure.
32 20 Cannibal.esp – Adds a new content mods to the game. I haven’t played through the content stuff for this one yet, but it looks good.
33 21 FallComplete.esp – I forgot what this was for.
34 22 AA FusionCityRising.esp – Another content mod. Very useful and fun but haven’t done a lot with it yet.
35 23 Armorsmith Extended.esp – Adds a new “armorsmith” craft table to the game with a LOT of new stuff to craft. Very awesome.
36 24 WRVR.esp – A new radio station with an entirely new questline and a companion. So far I’ve only listened and it sounds very realistic. Great voice acting on this one.
37 25 MaxwellsWorl.esp – Another content mod. I’ve not started messing with it a lot but it’s there for when I’m ready.
38 26 BeastWhisperer.esp – Adds the ability to tame beasts (better than the default taming system) and make them as companions and do some other things with them. I haven’t done a lot with this mod yet.
39 27 EveryonesBestFriend.esp – Allows you to use Dogmeat with another company. A little glitchy to first get working but once it’s working DogMeat is just in your party. I recommend removing companions, adding dogmeat, fast travelling once, then going and adding the other one. Then it works fine from then on.
40 28 BetterModDescriptionsAE.esp – Something else for better mod descriptions.
41 29 Armorsmith All DLCs Patch.esp – Adds support to armorsmith for all the DLC
42 2a FALLOUT4WT.esp – I think this is the water mod. There is a glitch here that breaks Nuka World, but I found a fix for it… as described below.
43 2b ExoticWorkshopCreatures.esp – re-creates the containers that allow them to
44 2c BeastMaster_ExoticCreaturesPatch.esp – Gives support for exotic creatures?
45 2d NanoSuit.esp – Adds a great nano suit. I created this and put it on my follower (Piper) and that worked out well. It looks amazing to be honest.
46 2e FunctionalDisplays-Collectibles.esp – Adds nice realistic display cases for the collectibles, goes with the mod below it. Not sure why LOOT got them in this load order I figured the first one would load first.. but whatever it still all works.
47 2f FunctionalDisplays.esp – Adds functional display cases.
48 30 FunctionalDisplays-AID-VIS.esp – Adds functional display cases.
49 31 FunctionalDisplays-MISC-VIS.esp – Adds functional display cases.
50 32 FunctionalDisplays-Patch-DLC-ALL-VIS.esp- Adds functional display cases DLC support. The ones above are just different add-ons for it.
51 33 Scrap Everything – Far Harbor.esp – Adds scrap everything support for DLC.
52 34 Scrap Everything – Nuka World.esp – Adds scrap everything support for DLC.
53 35 Altairp’s Animal Farm.esp – Not sure what this is. Haven’t done anything with it yet.
54 36 ellen.esp – New companion cartographer. Haven’t gotten her or done anything with it yet.
55 37 DX_Black_Widow.esp – New gear and a reskin of the shotgun. Looks nice.
56 38 MJC_Sim_Settlements_Addon.esp – Sim settlement add on.
57 39 TrailerParkDreams.esp- Sim settlement add on.
58 3a MJC_Sim_Settlements_Slum Lord_Addon.esp- Sim settlement add on.
59 3b SimSettlements_AddOnPack_Utilities_JtBryant.esp- Sim settlement add on.
60 3c PCDugSIMAddon.esp- Sim settlement add on.
61 3d AtomicRadio.esp – New radio station, only listened to a little.
62 3e Existence 2.0.esp – New radio station, very well done and dark.
63 3f PCDugWedges.esp – Sim settlement add on.
64 40 BasementLiving.esp – Adds new basements that can be crafted from the menu. I think there’s like 10 and all of them are very well done, if not small.
65 41 Companion Infinite Ammo.esp – I love this.. normally it says it doesn’t support multi-mods.. but it works fine with the man’s best friend mod. it works amazing and is one of my favorite mods. Just add a weapon to the companion, add 1 round of ammo and then check to make sure it worked. It worked fine for me the first time.
66 42 SkipHSH1_6.esp – This is a must have mod for me. Let me explain. In Nuka World there is a quest that leads you into taking over 2-3 of your “settlements” in the main game for it to work. Making Preston hate you and losing you valuable settlements. This mod skips over that whole part of the quest line and once you talk to him it skips it all and automatically marks all this stuff as complete. The most useful mod if you’re going to play Nuka World and are picky about your game. I haven’t confirmed if this works yet because I’m just now working through the Nuka World story line but I hope it does.
67 43 Nuka World Bottle Fix.esp – Not sure what this does anymore but it was cool.
68 44 NukaColaCompany.esp – Forgot what this does too.
69 45 Quantum.esp – And this. These 3 were all random mods for Nuka World that were just thrown in my game, because. Mostly cosmetic or misc small stuff.
70 46 WestTekTacticalOptics.esp – Useful goggles but requires hotkeys. The only thing I didn’t like is it took off the main helmet of my main gear so I ended up not using it.
71 47 WestTekTacticalOptics-AWKCR.esp – Adds support for another mod I use up there.
72 48 FO4Hotkeys.esp – Only used for the west tek optical.. I’m still trying to figure out how all this works, I haven’t messed with it much.
With all that being said, I’m not going to detailed sections on every one of the mods. Just the main ones that I’ll setup below. I’ll try to make sure I cover everything but it’ll mostly focus on the best mods. I might come back and edit this post (or do a part 2) once I’ve finished working through some of the mods I haven’t even messed with much yet.
Fallout 4 – Sims Settlements and associated add-ons
Sims Settlements is one of the best mods I’ve played with, not to mention they just released two new versions. It’s a great mods. It also is setup to where the creator makes it easy for other mod makers to add stuff into the mod ass add-ons. People can add new houses, businesses and so forth that are cycled into the games plot creation. Basically this mod allows you to lay down a plot (residential, commercial and so forth) and then the settlers will be auto-assigned to the plots and start building. They build them out after awhile using a random selection from a cycled plot list (taking into account your add-ons) then creates the plot.
You can also collect taxes on the settlements and has the option to redo the sims needs to make them more realistic. Probably the best building mod ever added to the game and the mod maker did a tremendous job on this.
I think this is a very high priority must have mod but it’s a little technical to get the hang of but has a very deep help system and extremely active mod maker. Highly recommended. I got most of the mod add-ons as well.
Fallout 4 – Water Enhanced – 2k or 4k – Issue fix
It’s a great mod and adds beautiful water… but it breaks Nuka World. The game crashes every time Nuka World loads. So definitely don’t use this mod if your only save file is saved in Nuka World.
This is easy to fix. If you installed Fallout 4 with steam then the file path you need is below. If not, then just find out where the file path is based off your install location.
E:\Steam\steamapps\common\Fallout 4\Data\textures\Water
Open that folder and find the texture named “WaterTileHumpy_n.DDS” and rename it to “# WaterTileHumpy_n.DDS”. Somehow that will fix teh issue and it’ll work again. At least from the latest version on 5/6/2017. They might release a new update to the mod that fixes it later, and updating the mod also might overwrite this fix as well and break it again. I just saw this in the Fallout 4 forums and it worked fine.
Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch
This is HIGHLY recommended. It fixes untold number of issues and makes the game less buggy and overall more stable. I don’t know how they did it but they did a better job fixing issues with this than the development team ever thought about being. It’s similar to the Morrowind unofficial patch which fixes thousand and thousands of bugs. The thing is, it doesn’t just fix bugs but it fixes them well and so far I’ve not noticed anything it’s added to the game as new bugs. It’s very useful and highly recommended.
Fallout 4 – Everyone’s best Friend and Unlimited Companion Ammo
I first started with Everyone’s Best Friend. It’s a little glitchy but it works. I recommend dismissing your companion, adding Dog meat, and re-adding your companion. After that it works fine and both work well together. The mod uses an old technique which makes it unlikely to conflict with most mods. It’s a must-have for me.
The good thing is this works with the other mod for unlimited ammo for companions. Just give your companion a weapon and 1 piece of ammo for that weapon and he/she will never run out again. This mod doesn’t support other “Multi companion mods” if you do that then you’ll need to use the “Multi” option which can be glitch. WITH MAN’S BEST FRIEND YOU ONLY NEED TO USE THE SINGLE VERSION OF THE MOD. That version works fine.
I might edit this post in a few days and expand on this post or add more. For now I’ve typed a lot for one day. Almost reached a 3000 word Blog Post. I expect this blog post to be around 5000 words when I’m done because I will be going back into more detail about other mods I use as time allows and I’ll edit this post later today or tomorrow.
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You can find more about Fallout 4 here.