Fallout 4 is the fifth mainline title of the classic video game series. The 2015 Bethesda RPG is the most popular entry in the series and one of the most popular Bethesda productions to date, second only to Skyrim. Fallout 4 is also the second most modded game on the popular mod exchange site/mod manager, Nexusmods, surpassed by Skyrim once again.

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Originating at Interplay in 1997, the Fallout series has changed quite a bit since the days of isometric RPGs. Nowadays, Fallout is one of the most popular series for modders and RPG fans alike. The series always valued mod support, even the original Fallout. The many mods developed for those titles have helped those games age gracefully, remaining truthful to their past but accessible to new players.

10 The Eyes Of Beauty Fallout Edition

A picture from the Fallout 4 mod The Eyes Of Beauty Fallout Edition

The Eyes Of Beauty Fallout Edition is the Fallout 4 port of an already popular Skyrim mod of the same name. The objective of this modification is clear: turn the simple approach to eye customization of vanilla Fallout 4 into an embarrassingly rich process. With over 300 textures, custom lashes, and more, this is one of the most feature-rich character customization mods in the game.

The Eyes Of Beauty Fallout Edition offers an NPC replacer option, giving each wasteland inhabitant a new look, at least as far as eyes go. Considering how long the player spends facing other characters dead in the eyes, this version of the mod is highly recommended.

9 Homemaker – Expanded Settlements

A picture from the Fallout 4 mod Homemaker - Expanded Settlements

Settlements sit at the core of the Fallout 4 experience. For such an essential part of the game, vanilla settlements can appear somewhat lacking in content and complexity. Perhaps that is why Homemaker– Expanded Settlements is such a popular mod for Fallout 4.

With more than 1000 items and plenty of bug fixes, Homemaker is the perfect mod for those most passionate about their settlements. Most of the many, many items available allow NPCs to interact with them as they would with their original counterparts. Other features include plenty of new lights (perfect for lighting overhaul mods), new farmable crops, and giant prefab buildings like a radio tower and even a lighthouse.

8 Ponytail Hairstyles By Azar

Ponytail Hairstyles by Azar Fallout 4

Hair in Fallout 4 is functional but limited. Hairstyles are also locked to the character’s gender. While this practice has been falling out recently, it leaves Fallout 4 players lacking hair customization. That’s where Ponytail Hairstyles by Azar comes into play: with 4.5 million downloads, this is the most popular hair customization mod for Fallout 4.

RELATED: Most Immersive Fallout 4 Mods

Ponytail Hairstyles features a set of 32 hairstyles (and no, they’re not just ponytails). While that is a distant cry from the hundreds of styles promised by similar mods, the quality of this package is unrivaled. The hairstyles of Ponytail Hairstyles are varied and beautiful while fitting perfectly with the visual style of Fallout 4. While the mod states that they’re designed for female models, they work just fine with all characters.

7 True Storms – Wasteland Edition

A picture from the Fallout 4 mod True Storms - Wasteland Edition

True Storms – Wasteland Edition is the Fallout 4 version of an extremely successful Skyrim mod of the same name. True Storms doesn’t just up the spectacle of the occasional rain present throughout the base game. Instead, this is a complete overhaul of the game’s weather system.

True Storms kicks off interesting enough, with new kinds of storms and original visual effects, but the real hook is elsewhere. When the fog rolls in, it cuts down the player’s visibility, making them vulnerable to being ambushed. Meanwhile, heavy rain gives them a stealth bonus, making sneaky attacks on an enemy camp a far easier endeavor.

6 Full Dialogue Interface

A picture from the Fallout 4 mod Full Dialogue Interface

Full Dialogue Interface solves the single greatest problem players had with vanilla Fallout 4: the dialogue. Fans lamented having only a preview of one or two words to base their dialogue choice on, what many saw as a straight downgrade from previous titles. Soon after its release, Full Dialogue Interface came to their help. With almost 6 million downloads, it has remained one of the most popular mods on Nexus ever since.

The problem with dialogue in Fallout 4 isn’t just in how it’s laid out. For one, players only have four dialogue choices for each conversation. To make matters worse, they never seem to have the option to simply walk away, especially during questlines. While Full Dialogue Interface doesn’t fix those problems, it makes dialogue a whole lot more enjoyable.

5 Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch

A picture from the Fallout 4 mod Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch

Even if it’s not as bad as it was during launch week, Fallout 4 is a buggy game. This shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with the series or the company. Even outside of Bethesda, massive, modular open-world games like these often come with a healthy dose of jank.

RELATED: Mods That Turn Fallout 4 Into A (Better) Survival Game

Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch doesn’t fix every bug in the game, but it comes as close as possible. What’s better, it avoids breaking other mods and comes at no performance cost whatsoever. With 6 million downloads and a staggering 2 million unique downloads, this is one mod the community always installs.

4 BodySlide And Outfit Studio

A picture from the Fallout 4 mod BodySlide and Outfit Studio

BodySlide and Outfit Studio is, as the name suggests, more of a tool than a simple mod. Many popular mods require BodySlide and Outfit Studio to be properly installed. BodySlide exists mainly to support other mods, and that is why it sits so high up in Nexus’ list of most popular mods.

BodySlide and Outfit Studio is a combination of two different mods: BodySlide allows users to modify the shape of the body used in the game, while Outfit Studio lets them modify clothes without any previous modding experience. Many clothes packs were made with BodySlide and Outfit Studio, while some popular custom bodies like Super Hero Bodies require this mod to run.

3 LooksMenu

A picture from the Fallout 4 mod LooksMenu

LooksMenu is a mod that greatly enhances the default character creator tool for Fallout 4. Specifically, LooksMenu focuses on removing any limitation imposed in the face customization section of the character creator. On top of being a useful mod in and of itself, LooksMenu lets many different customization mods unleash their full potential.

On top of allowing further customization, LooksMenu also lets players save and load presets of their character’s full appearance. This mod also includes what is the easiest way to change the character’s appearance mid-game. That might be why LooksMenu, with over 6 million downloads, is the most popular character customization mod for Fallout 4.

2 Armor And Weapon Keywords Community Resource

A picture from the Fallout 4 mod Armor and Weapon Keywords Community Resource

Armor and Weapon Keywords Community Resource (or just AWKCR) is another mod that would be best categorized as a modding tool. While it doesn’t help modders churn out content, it does help their creations work with one another on the same copy of the game.

AWKCR adds a standard nomenclature for each item’s keywords, a handful of unique workbenches, and more. The workbenches are an interesting addition since in theory, they could make sure that weapon and armor modders don’t all use unique crafting tools for delivering their creations to the players. Still, most of the 2.3 million unique users who downloaded this mod likely did it under the instruction of another mod.

1 Armorsmith Extended

A picture from the Fallout 4 mod Armorsmith Extended

Armorsmith Extended is a huge mod: it changes the way clothing and armor pieces interact; it builds an entirely new clothing modification system; it even adds new mods for every piece of armor in the game. Through all this, it manages to be fully compatible with other popular armor mods.

With over 10 million downloads, Armorsmith Extended is the most popular mod for Fallout 4 and one of the most popular mods on Nexus’ website. For comparison, Armorsmith Extended comes just one million copies shy of the incredible 11 million reached by God of War Ragnarok.

Fallout 4 is currently available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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