Essential mods?

[damanding]

Don't use HM and SSEX at the same time. They actually do overlap a lot and there's no point. OCD is not injected yet, but will be soon. Depending on when Nova stops playing SSE, you'll get a new HM as well.. improved and better looking. The rest are up to you and your PC power.

Ah thanks for the clarification on HM and SSEX, I've never actually used either one so I wasn't positive on the amount of overlap.

 

I'm fairly sure OCD is injected, on my game it has it's own menu near the end of the vanilla list.

 

I did notice an update on the Homemaker page indicating you had fixed their navmesh for them. That was really nice of you! :)

[Ethreon]

Nope, OCD is not yet injected. I'm looking at it rn, as I'm about to butcher the hell out of it for PS4. I think Ebok is going to do it when he gets some time, as I don't know that kind of stuff.

[damanding]

Well I'll be darned. :D My clutter mod team is taking some inspiration from OCD's menu for ours, we'll probably do something kind of similar. But ours will be injected. Thankfully both Evanpox and Dinozaurz have already done menu injection. Now I just need to finish wrapping up my organizing and last minute error checking on all my meshes. Been too distracted by Skyrim SE.

[crawe1x]

The past few weeks feel like a bit of a strange time for mods right now. Several classics have either recently disappeared (e.g. Enhanced Vanilla Bodies) or have become buggy and are in dire need of an update (e.g. Don't Call Me Settler). In addition, there are some great mods in the works. Personally, if you can hold off for a month or so, the situation may be more settled. I've just finished a play-through and will wait until early January before starting another.

 

For me, some of my favourites include:

 

Arbitration - improves combat AI. Some people say it's out of date, but it still appears to work very well for me.

AWKCR - one of those 'invisible' mods that so many others rely on. Pretty much a standard.

Armorsmith Extended - adds lots of new outfits and accessories to build. It's a little bloated, but still a great mod.

Atomic Radio and Tales of the Commonwealth - I only use the Tales of the Commonwealth part, which is basically the Fallout 4 version to Skyrim's Interesting NPCs. Adds new locations, NPCs, quests, and companions. Basically, it's a masterpiece.

Better Explosives - makes explosives a lot more dangerous.

Better Settlers - adds more variety to settlers, among many other things.

CBBE - I'm not a fan, but it IS the most popular mod on the site.

Construct a Custom Companion - allows you to create your own companions. Appears to be buggy for some, but works just fine for me.

Create Your Own Difficulty Rebalance - can be used as an alternative to Arbitration or in conjunction with it (just load it after Arbitration). Allows you to set the damage multiplier that both you and the NPCs do. Arbitration also has this feature, but this aspect doesn't appear to be working (haven't checked if it's been updated in a while though).

Cut Weapon Mods Restored - adds vanilla weapon mods to weapons which were - mysteriously - cut from the original game.

CWSS Redux - adds working showers, sinks, toilets, etc. to settlements.

Darker Nights - as the title suggests.

DKS-501 Sniper Rifle - should have been in the game from the start (though you might want to change the name in FO4Edit to something more standardized if that sort of thing bothers you).

Don't Call Me Settler - arguably the most immersive settlement management mod on the Nexus. It was, however, getting a little buggy following recent Beth updates. I believe it's temporarily down while the author fixes it. Some claim it is too script heavy. Personally, I have had no major problems with it and consider it to be a key mod. Hopefully, it is back up on the Nexus very soon. In the meantime, keep an eye out for it.

Ellen The Cartographer - outside of Tales of the Commonwealth, arguably the most immersive non-vanilla follower currently available.

Lots More Settlers And Enemies - adds more variety to the appearance of NPCs.

Love To Craft - allows you to craft legendary weapons.

Move It Dammit - forces your followers out of your way; can be very useful, especially if you're using multiple followers.

Northland Diggers Resources - allows you to add different types of workstations to your settlements; particularly useful if you have a mod that allows you to increase the number of settlers to 50 or a 100.

NPCs Travel - adds immersive and balanced spawns, some allied to the player, others hostile. One of those understated mods that really enhances the world.

Power Conduits and Pylon - electric conduits now create a greater range of passive power, meaning things like lights are not so fiddly to set up within your settlements. There are several similar mods, but this is the one I am currently using.

Raider Overhaul - adds variety to raiders' equipment, weapons, outfits, etc. Highly immersive. Does tend to conflict with quite a few other mods though.

Scrap Everything - allows you to scrap a lot more junk at your settlements.

Super Mutant Redux - same as Raider Overhaul, but instead focuses on Super Mutants.

The Pipe Shotgun - worth looking at if you intend to use pipe weapons. The mind boggles that Beth didn't bother putting this in the game. Even if you don't use pipe guns, this one just feels so immersive.

True Storms - improves weather effects, etc. I think there's also Vivid Weathers, but I've always used this one and I'm very happy with it. Not sure if this and Vivid Weathers do the same thing or if they're complimentary. Either way, they are both very popular mods.

Unlimited Companion Framework - if you want multiple followers, this is the one. Some people complain of bugs, but I've never had any problems. Just put it near the bottom of your load order. Another key mod for me.

Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch - name says it all.

Weapon Mod Fixes - companion mod to Cut Weapon Mods Restored.

Wonder Body - probably the best body mod out there. I think most people would agree that it is far superior to CBBE in terms of sheer quality. Aesthetically, it aims to be more realistic - so if you want a cartoon feel, then CBBE is still tops. It also lacks CBBE's versatility. Also, because it's new (appeared just a few weeks ago), it currently only supports vanilla outfits. Most clothing mods are still CBBE only. However, based on quality alone, this is the body mod to beat. Basically, it's a personal choice. Wonder Body and CBBE are both great mods catering to two very different tastes. There's an update due for Wonder Body any day now, so maybe wait until later in the week.

 

I don't use many clothing mods, so can't really comment.

 

In terms of weapons, generally speaking, there are so many great mod authors. My personal favorites, in no particular order, include Skibadaa (has lots of new weapons appearing right now and puts a lot of effort into supporting them), Millenia (and his partners Hitman, Doombased, etc.), WastelandMelody, Asxas, Shifu83, Corvhalo1, Shoeburglar. So many others.

 

Like others have said, anything by Ethreon is going to be high quality. Another 'master' is DDProductions - he's now banned for being an obnoxious brat among other things, but the guy knows how to mod and I believe much of his work is still available.

 

Other mods that look great and which I'm tracking for my next play-through include: Beantown Interiors, Lexington Interiors, Maxwell's World, Plenty 'o' Exploration, and Subway Runner.

Edited November 21, 2016 by crawe1x