• Of the thousands of mods available to Fallout 4 owners on PC and Xbox One, there are only a few that truly change the face of the game. In this first part of our Mod Spotlight series, I'll be covering only the essential ones that no modded Fallout 4 playthrough would be complete without.
• We’ve collected the best Fallout 4 mods for gameplay enhancements, visual improvements, new weapons and gear, and more. As with all Bethesda RPGs, Fallout 4 is a game that is massively complimented by user-created mods and is a much stronger experience with a few tweaks, changes and neat little additions. Here we will run down 15 of the best mods you can find to make your post-apocalypse as.

• Fallout 4 Best Mods Reddit

For all those who avoided the full sticker price of a brand new AAA game plus the pricey season pass, your patience has paid off now that Fallout 4 GOTY is here, which bundles all the F4 expansions and the high-resolution texture pack in one place. (If you wait until Black Friday, I have a sneaking suspicion you might get an even bigger discount...)

But if you waited until the Game of the Year edition arrived to jump on Bethesda's Commonwealth entry in the Fallout universe, that means you've got a full two years worth of mods to catch up on! Graphics mods, skill mods, UI mods, new quest mods, and (of course) nude mods -- there are tens of thousands available, and far more than any one person could ever even play in a single lifetime.

Mod Configuration Menu is another one of the top Fallout 4 mods that provides a central location for mod configuration which can be accessed through the pause menu. Mod settings are stored in per-mod INI files making it easy to backup and restore settings and even tweak the outside the game as needed.

So to get you started off right, we're rounding up a lineup of tried and true mod stalwarts that have always been Fallout 4 staples, as well as some newer offerings that will mesh well with F4's Game Of The Year edition.

Note that these are all free mods, and unlike Bethesda we're going to actually call them mods. As such, we won't be listing any of the paid 'not-mod' nonsense from the Creation Club (which is just paid mods by another name). Now that we've got that little tidbit out of the way, lets get onto the must-have Fallout 4 GOTY mods!

Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch

If you've got a huge, open world Bethesda game, your very first order of business should be to find and download the unofficial fan patch. Like this one, it's guaranteed to fix hundreds of bugs, both major and minor, from small issues with items and dialog to big problems with quests and markers.

Best of all? The huge number of changes are designed to be as unobtrusive as possible, so they don't ever break other mods or become irrelevant with new patches. This is essential download material for Fallout 4 Game of the Year edition.

No More Creation Club News

Now that you've got the unofficial patch installed, the next order of business is to get rid of the Creation Club News marquee taking up the corner of your screen, which can be really annoying.

If you want to drop real-world money in-game on small cosmetic changes that are readily available elsewhere as free mods, well, that's your business. But for the rest of us, downloading this mod helps us reclaim the Fallout 4 experience we want to have.

Hopefully, the fact that this is consistently in the Top 10 endorsed mods list every single week sends a clear and obvious message to the developers and publishers out there.

Full Dialog Interface

OK, so we've patched all the bugs and gotten rid of the Creation Club nonsense, so now it's time to fix Bethesda's other major Fallout 4 stumble -- the condensed dialog wheel.

Half of the time the paraphrased example doesn't even really match the real dialog that's said. And there's no question the full voice acted main character really cut down on the dialog options in comparison to previous games.

While there's not much to be done about the latter, the former is handily dealt with using this mod that changes things back to the classic Fallout dialog tree, showing exactly what will be conveyed with each option. Again, this is another essential mod for the best F4 GOTY experience.

Sim Settlements

One of the elements of Fallout 4 that was most touted prior to release is also the element that is probably the most heavily modded: F4 settlements. Although changes and additions were made with the game's official add-ons, there's still plenty about settlement building and settler duty-assigning that's pretty rough around the edges.

Sim Settlements is much different from the typical settlement mod in that it drastically changes how settlements work, rather than just simply adding new objects.

The goal of the settlements mod is to make it so you are the leader of any given settlement -- and not its micro-manager. The mod brings in 'zones' that can be placed (in the manner of Sim City) that prompt your settlers to plant crops, connect water supplies, and construct buildings of a specific type.

Every settlement will end up unique using this overhaul, and a progression system is added in so that building settlements is more satisfying and less of something you have to do every so often.

Settlement Management Software

Going the opposite direction of the previous mod, this one gives you greater micromanagement powers -- and from a distance as well. Instead of having to manually walk up to any given settler, you can automatically assign them to a settlement object from a terminal.

This simple terminal program also lets you move settlers between towns, assign supply routes, and check a settlement's stats all in one clean interface. This will be a great addition to your Fallout 4 GOTY collection. Because let's face it: quality of life upgrades are always welcome.

Homemaker

While the various Steam Workshop add-ons did expand the settlement creation options, there's always room for more ways to customize your perfect post-apocalyptic settlement in Fallout 4.

That's where the Homemaker mod for F4 comes into play, adding in an astounding 1,000 additional items, from toilets to walls, appliances, and knick knacks. Don't even think about starting your own vault or settlement without downloading this mod first!

Visible Companion Affinity

This mod feels like it should have already been in a menu screen somewhere! As the name suggests, the mod tells you the current affinity level of any companion, as well as notifying you of the specific amount their affinity dropped or increased as you interact with companions or make choices that upset or excite them.

If you want your journey through Fallout 4's Wasteland to go smoother -- or you're just up for some friendly skullduggery -- this is a must-download mod.

K-9 Harness

For how often he appeared in the marketing for Fallout 4's pre-release, Dog Meat really didn't offer that much to F4 players when the game finally arrived. Let's rectify that with a customizable mod that lets you craft a new harness for your faithful hound, giving him more carrying capacity, different colored outfits, extra armor, and more!

Traits And Perks

Miss the old style of traits and perks from the previous Fallout games? This recreates them in Fallout 4 after a fashion (and adds in new additions).

While they can't be directly brought over to the new perk system with its unlimited level cap and new level S.P.E.C.I.A.L. screen without causing some major problems, this mod brought them back in a roundabout way using the crafting system.

Now you just have to craft a specific type of item that grants you the new traits/perks, and you can easily remove everything to respec your character on the fly from the ground up.

Craft Ammo

While the Contraptions Workshop DLC added an ammunition station that slowly churns out ammo at a fairly high power cost, it isn't really an economical option.

This Fallout 4 mod has been here all along, letting you do something that should have been there from Day 1: craft any standard ammo type at a chemistry station. So instead of throwing your junk away, download this mod for F4 GOTY and craft that refuse into something explosive.

Stop slogging for ammo -- seriously. It's not becoming ...

Weightless Junk

Possibly the single most helpful Fallout 4 mod in all existence, this indispensable little addition to the game makes one small, but powerful change: most of the random junk found in the Commonwealth -- from wrenches to tin cans -- just simply has no weight.

All your weight and inventory management just became incredibly easy, and there will be far less frustration in carrying around resources before you can dump them at a crafting station.

Any Mod Any Weapon

This one lets you go absolutely hog wild on weapon crafting, letting you add absolutely any modification to any weapon. Put a MIRV launcher on an automatic rifle so you can fire off dozens of nukes a round; give a scope to your rocket launcher; or add any other ludicrously awesome combination you can come up with!

Needless to say, this Fallout 4 mod pretty much breaks balance and lets you make weapons the developer most certainly did not intend. Note: To use this mod, you need the Armor And Weapons Keyword Community Resource installed first.

True Storms

There's a reason this is one of the most-downloaded Fallout 4 mods of all time -- and you should find out why by downloading it yourself at your earliest convenience!

Totally overhauling the weather systems in Fallout 4, the True Storms mod brings in new sound effects, textures, particle effects, and much more for a complete change to how rain and storms work.

This is more than just adding dreary rain to the game, however, as it also brings customizable radiation storms and ghoul attacks to F4 GOTY!

Welcome To Goodneighbor

Between the base game and the Automatron/Nuka World/Far Harbor expansions, there's already a staggering number of quests to undertake in Fallout 4. But frankly, there's always room for more in the Commonwealth!

As the name implies, this mod adds several new quests, assassination missions, buildings, enemies, items, and more to the Goodneighbor settlement. There's also somewhere in the neighborhood of 500+ lines of dialog added, greatly extending out your Fallout 4 experience.

Fusion City Rising

Another quest/area mod, this one offers up three new companions, a whole new city, extra factions, a ludicrous nightclub, an entirely new vault, and nuclear explosions galore!

It's a top-notch combination of over-the-top action and legitimately fun quest lines that go in directions you might not expect. If you want to try out the various new questlines made by modders but aren't sure where to start, there are far worse places to begin than Fusion City Rising.

Have fun trekking across the revamped Commonwealth wasteland with these 15 must-install Fallout 4 GOTY mods! Did we miss any other mods that enhanced your experience? Let us know about the best mods out there you've tried in the comments below!

Of course, 15 mods out of tens of thousands barely scrapesthe surface of what's available. If you're still looking for even more Fallout 4 mods, check out our Fallout 4 mods page. Here are a few to get you started:

No video game can ever be considered perfect, especially when modern titles are so vast and ambitious that even the designers themselves struggle to iron out issues months after launch. Thankfully, with Fallout 4 – a title which has its fair share of bugs and balancing issues – it’s possible to enable user-generated mods which fix problems, introduce new gameplay mechanics and even offer fresh weapons. We’ve compiled 15 essential mods you’ll want to try out below.

Best Fallout 4 Mods: Beast Whisperer

Sure, human companions in Fallout 4 are entertaining to a point, but when you’ve been foraging around the wasteland for months with all of survival hope slowly diminishing, the last thing you really want is someone else moaning about how much their feet hurt or how hungry they are.

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The answer? Recruit some animals to be your buddies! This mod grants access to the Beast Whisperer collar, which can be placed on the creatures you capture in cages to turn them into faithful pals. Fancy some four-legged friendship? This is the mod for you.

Best Fallout 4 Mods: Armorsmith Extended

The armour system in Fallout 4 is pretty great, allowing you to equip all manner of outfits to give yourself a better chance of survival out there in the wilderness. However, there’s room for improvement – and Armorsmith Extended has improvements in spades.

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The change that really matters is the fact that you can now wear outfits underneath suits of armour, allowing you to show off your sense of style even when you’re suited, booted and ready for combat. You can also wear a bandana or gas mask with any helmet that doesn’t totally cover your face. There’s plenty of other good stuff here, but the fact that you can now customize your appearance an entirely different level makes this an essential mod for seasoned Fallout 4 players.

Best Fallout 4 Mods: Lowered Weapons

Very much like running with scissors, it’s not wise to dash around with a gun pointing forwards all the time. Sure, you’re ready to tackle any oncoming foe, but it’s not particularly realistic or safe – and therein lies the focus of the Lowered Weapons mod. This simple change forces your character to lower their weapon when not firing it, which makes the whole experience that little bit more immersive.

Best Fallout 4 Mods: Eyes of Beauty

The character models in Fallout 4 are full of rich detail and unnervingly realistic, but there’s one element which doesn’t quite sit right with us – those eyes. They’re not awful as such, but they could certainly be a lot better – hence the Eyes of Beauty mod.

You can customize your character’s eyeballs to make them more detailed, striking and lifelike; some of the textures are taken from actual medical picture repositories, and with a 512×512 resolution, they offer twice the detail of Fallout 4’s standard eyes.

Best Fallout 4 Mods: Bullet Time

Fallout 4’s V.A.T.S. mechanic is great, and allows you to target various limbs on enemies for precise damage. However, if you feel that it removes too much control, you can install this mod which slows down time when you’re shooting, but calls for a little more skill than V.A.T.S. does. While you might assume this turns the game into a Matrix-style snorefest, it actually ramps up the challenge as you have to be much more precise with your aim. It also ironically makes things feel more face-paced, as you don’t have V.A.T.S. kicking in all the time.

Best Fallout 4 Mods – The unofficial patch

Fallout 4 is a beast in terms of scope, and taking this into account it’s easy to cut Bethesda a little slack in relation to the many bugs that litter the wasteland – and we’re not talking about those hidden under tiny rocks, either.

The developer is constantly improving and refining the experience, but a team of fans have taken it upon themselves to go the extra mile and clean up the game independently. The unofficial patch fixes hundreds of gameplay, quest, NPC, object, item, text and placement bugs and is one of the first mods you should install. While it doesn’t add any new content, it makes the whole experience more pleasurable.

Best Fallout 4 Mods – Take Cover

Fallout 4’s cover system is radically improved when compared to previous entries in the series, but still leaves a lot to be desired when compared to others in the genre.

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This mod aims to rectify that by offering a raft of improvements, including a third-person camera so you can judge your surroundings better, and a lean-and-shoot option plus the ability to quickly vault over cover to place yourself in a better tactical position. You can also edit how your character enters cover to get more control over the process.

Best Fallout 4 Mods – Deckard’s Coat

This cosmetic mod will allow you to indulge in all of your Blade Running fantasies. Enable it and you’ll feel like you’re skulking the rain-soaked streets of Los Angeles tracking down rogue replicants. OK, so that might not actually be true, but by golly you’ll look amazing on your wasteland explorations (Rutger Hauer poetry sadly not included).

Best Fallout 4 Mods – Better Settlers

Building settlements is a big part of Fallout 4, and once you’ve done this you’re bound to attract settlers. If you’re bored of staring at the same generic faces all the time then this mod will allow you to introduce some much-needed variety. Better Settlers not only makes your townsfolk more varied, but it also equips them with better gear and makes them more effective at withstanding assaults. That means your settlement should be a more secure place to live, too.

Best Fallout 4 Mods – Doom on your Pip-Boy

Your Pip-Boy isn’t just a handy tool for staying alive – it can run classic games to keep you occupied during down time. This mod takes things to the next level by offering a scaled-down version of Doom. It’s still in the very early stages so don’t expect much, but it’s a perfect example of how inventive these mods can get.

Best Fallout 4 Mods – See-Through Scopes

The use of weapon scopes in Fallout 4 is, by default, a bit rubbish, so we’re thankful that a mod exists which makes the process appear more realistic.

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With this mod enabled, when you use your scope you’ll be presented with a cool animation of it being raised to your eye, and you also benefit from peripheral vision during the aiming process. This is the perfect example of how user-made mods can iron out some of Fallout 4’s weaknesses.

Best Fallout 4 Mods – Campsite

The wasteland is a pretty hostile and unforgiving place, so it’s little wonder that Fallout 4 encourages you to seek proper, solid shelter before taking a few hours of shut-eye. However, if you’re feeling really adventurous then you can enable this mod and camp anywhere in the game. The mod allows you to erect a tent, build a campfire and use sleeping bags to rest in. You can even cook food on the fire.

Best Fallout 4 Mods – Be The Dog

One of the more amusing mods, the title of this one should be self-explanatory. Instead of venturing through the game on two legs, you can assume the role of a dog – either the famous Dogmeat or another canine character.

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You still get the trusty Pip-Boy – strapped rather awkwardly to one of your four legs – but you can’t use power armour or guns. Instead, you’ll have to rely entirely on your teeth and the assistance of Dogmeat; that’s right, you can still recruit the pooch companion even though you’re a dog yourself.

Fallout 4 Best Mods Reddit

Best Fallout 4 Mods – Classic V.A.T.S.

V.A.T.S. – Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, in case you didn’t know – has been a massive part of the Fallout series for a while now. With Fallout 4, Bethesda changed things up a little by slowing time rather than stopping it completely, and not all fans were pleased with the alteration. If you’re one such fan then you can switch to the “classic” V.A.T.S. – as seen in Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas – by installing this mod. With it enabled, time will pause while you pick your targets, rather than slowing to a crawl.

Best Fallout 4 Mods – Atom Bomb Baby

One of the more bizarre weapon modifications available for Fallout 4, Atom Bomb Babies is literally what it says on the tin – you fire baby projectiles which explode on contact. Amusing and rather unsettling in equal measures, it might not strictly be an essential mod, but it’s so strange to see in action you’ll have to try it out at least once.

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What’s your favourite Fallout 4 mod? Have we missed something off the list? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll update!

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