Fallout 4 drops players into an irradiated wasteland surrounding Boston. The game brought numerous changes to the series, including a new story, new factions, and base-building mechanics. However, there were some aspects of Fallout 4 that fans of the series found lacking. Luckily, games from developer Bethesda are notorious for how moddable they are, with games like Skyrim and Fallout 3 still sustaining massive modding communities years after their respective releases. Bethesda games often boast a wide range of mods, from small visual items to completely fanmade expansions that can add hours of new content.
Thankfully, Fallout 4 also introduced modding to the console editions for the first time in the series. The PlayStation 4 version of the game is limited in what mods players have access to, but Xbox One players have access to a much larger selection. This introduced a large new segment of the Fallout community to modding, which can be pretty overwhelming. With Fallout 4 receiving a framerate boost on the Xbox Series X, however, now is the perfect time for Fallout fans to jump in and give a modded Fallout 4 a try. For fans who are a little overwhelmed by all of their options, there are some mods that stand out above the rest available on Xbox that make great places to start.
Updated June 9, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: Despite its many flaws, Fallout 4 remains one of the best roleplaying games for fans of the genre to check out. The game's action combat is the best the series has ever seen, and the new spins it has on the concept of Power Armor are pretty great too. That being said, Fallout 4 has its problems in the base game that can turn many people off from the vanilla experience, which is a real shame. After all, even the most devoted modders around recommend that players try out a vanilla playthrough before messing around with mods so that they know what to opt for. Of course, that's not to say that starting out a game of Fallout 4 with mods is a bad idea. The fact that these mods are now available for consoles shows that Bethesda considers these fan-made pieces of content and patches to be critical to enjoying the best experience possible. With the Bethesda-Xbox deal being as monumental as it is, players who want to check this title out on Xbox should definitely take a gander at some of the best Fallout 4 mods on Xbox.
Better Graphics And Weather
There's no denying that the engine that Fallout 4 runs on is absolutely gorgeous at times. This is easily the best that Fallout has looked in a long time, and it's no wonder why players want beloved classics like the original CRPGs and New Vegas to be remastered on this engine as well. However, even the most hardcore Fallout 4 fans have to admit that the game still doesn't look as great as other games in the same time period that have some truly impressive visual quality.
With the Better Graphics and Weather mod, players can now bridge this gap and make Fallout 4 look absolutely incredible, which is somewhat critical for players to enjoy the experience even more. After all, exploration is one of the best parts of Fallout, and a combination of upgraded graphics and improved weather effects can help this game be way more immersive than it already is.
Cheat Terminal
Sometimes, some good old-fashioned cheats are all it takes to make games feel great once again. This is especially true in the case of Fallout and Bethesda games in general, where a console enables everything from item spawning to god mode, and everything in between.
Unfortunately, console mode is a bit trickier to unlock in Fallout 4 on consoles. With the use of this mod, however, players can now use a Cheat Terminal that allows them to do pretty much everything enabled by console commands without the use of any technical jargon!
Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch
While Bethesda games are very well known for being moddable, they also are well known for being very buggy. That is why every player should make sure to download The Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch.
The mod fixes an incredible amount of small bugs and issues found throughout the game, promising to make a playthrough go much smoother than vanilla Fallout 4. The mod is especially a must for any players who don't want to lose a playthrough to one of Fallout 4's bugs.
KS Hairdos
KS Hairdos is far from the most influential mod on this list, but it does give players some great new options when customizing their characters. The mod introduces more than 700 new hairstyles that have textures even better than those in the base game.
Most of the hairstyles in the mod work for male and female characters as well, so it is an easy download for any player looking to spice up their characters a bit. One can only hope that the character creator in Fallout 5 will feature a similar number of quality choices.
Fallout 2287: Nuclear Winter
For players who have already sunk plenty of hours into Fallout 4, Fallout 2287: Nuclear Winter completely overhauls the game to make it a unique new experience. The mod will especially satisfy players who felt that Fallout 4's survival mode isn't challenging enough, as it adds players having to manage their body temperature as the Commonwealth is frozen over.
One of the best things about Fallout 2287 is that it is functional with most of Fallout 4's best mods, so players can increase the challenge on any of them that they want to.
Full Dialogue Interface
One of the most criticized aspects of Fallout 4 is its dialogue system that only gives players a vague idea of what each option will have their character say. For players who want to know exactly what their options are, the Full Dialogue Interface mod is the perfect solution.
The mod replaces all of the dialogue choices throughout the game to tell players exactly what lines their character will say for each option. It is also a great mod for players who want the game to feel a bit more similar to older Fallout titles or who want to ensure that they make the right choices.
Sim Settlements
Settlements were a divisive new feature in Fallout 4. Many fans found that they added a lot to the game's world and help them feel invested in the game, while others found them tiresome or too distracting from the game's core gameplay loop. Sim Settlements has benefits for both types of players.
The mod allows players to direct settlers to continue to develop the settlement while the player is gone for players who don't want to engage with the system as much. However, it also features new features and progression systems so that players who can't get enough of improving Fallout 4's settlements have even more options and can eventually even build entire cities.
Settlement Supplies Expanded
For players who are fans of Fallout 4's settlements, however, Settlement Supplies Expanded is a must-have. The mod adds over 400 new objects for players to craft and place around their settlements, which really expands what is possible to build in Fallout 4.
The mod includes everything from parked vehicles to vault doors and army vehicles. The mod allows players to make locations that can rival even Fallout 4's most beautiful locations, and really lets players make a settlement that feels unique amongst the rest of the Commonwealth.
Armorsmith Extended
Armorsmith Extended dramatically expands the options that players have when customizing their characters. Not only does it add numerous new pieces of equipment, but it also overhauls how players can equip armor and clothing. Armor can be worn over clothing while players can also individually layer pieces of armor and can upgrade all of them with a number of new and vanilla mods.
Some players may not enjoy some of the more outlandish options added in the mod, but there are plenty of more serious additions for armor as well. For any lovers of Fallout 4's companion Nick Valentine, the mod also allows players to customize the synth's appearance as well.
Everyone's Best Friend
For players who don't want to leave behind Fallout 4's other best companion, Dogmeat, behind, the mod Everyone's Best Friend lets players always bring Dogmeat along while also having a second follower. The mod is a great addition as it lets players take full advantage of Dogmeat's unique fetching abilities while still being able to bring about another companion for some more help in combat encounters.
Of course, any players using the mod will likely want to find Fallout 4's Dogmeat armor sets to help make sure that he stays alive and well throughout the playthrough.
Fallout 4 is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.