fallout 4 mod recs

all the mods i like and play fallout 4 with!

key

i have a ranking system in place! this is the key to it. the reason they're ranked is sometimes when you want (or need, rip) to go lighter on resources ya gotta prioritize, yanno?

mmm	three thumbs up: what i consider necessary for a playable game. these are "i absolutely can not go back to playing vanilla game bc i need these to enjoy it at all" mods lol
mm	two thumbs up: not necessary to me, but definitely improve quality of life when playing. these might provide more immersion, or add a function that makes more sense to me
m	one thumb up: i just think they're neat uwu mainly aesthetic improvements, but some might also be on the cheat-y side
w	bow: things marked with a bow are what i'm currently wearing in my game! (detailed list below)

animation

mmm	disable headbob: removes the headbob animation. too much movement like that can cause simulator sickness, akin to motion and sea sickness. this helps assuage that
mmm	lowered weapons: in first person pov, player character will... well, lower their weapon when not actively in combat lol. this helps with immersion, but also helps assuage simulator sickness because it reduces how much is visible on the screen and moving
mm	power armor animation changes: makes getting in and out of power armor much quicker and less annoying
mmm	smooth first person sprint: vanilla sprinting is very jerky, with lots of stutter. this fixes that, and once again assuages simulator sickness due to less movement on the screen
mmm	stop fidgeting: makes the player character stand still when in the pipboy menu. idk who at bethesda thought "you know what's a good idea? making the inventory move so that the player can accidentally click on the wrong thing," but thank god for modders fixing things tbh
mmm	weapon jiggle remover: makes the animation when firing a weapon more stable and not all over the place. assuages simulator sickness, but also makes aiming easier bc there's not a ridiculous amount of recoil

bug fixes & performance improvements

mmm	brawl bug fix: prevents scripted brawls from breaking and causing unintended npc deaths
mmm	insignificant object remover: removes objects you likely won't even notice like twigs and pebbles to increase performance
mmm	unofficial patch: fixes hundreds of bugs and glitches
mmm	vault 81 mole rat disease fix: prevents player character getting unfairly infected with mole rat disease (and having -10 hp docked) when they weren't bitten
mmm	workshop menu missing tabs fix: have you ever been working on building a settlement to find something important, like the resources tab to feed your settlers, is gone? this fixes that

character aesthetic

mm	caliente's beautiful bodies enhancer: customize female body mesh and texture. NSFW WARNING: due to the nature of it, there's nakey previews on the download page. the download itself has an underwear option for in-game, however
m	collection of presets and textures for girls: adds more presets and face textures to the game
m	commonwealth cuts: adds nearly 200 new hairstyles to the game w
m	commonwealth cuts - vanilla match retextures: retextures commonwealth cuts to match the base game and npcs
m	immersive mouth and teeth: less distracting retexture of the teeth in the game
m	thbrows: adds 56 new eyebrows to the game
m	the eyes of beauty: adds much prettier and varied textures for eyes to the game
m	vault booty: i am looking... respectfully o makes the butts more M sexy N and adds more definition to boobs. compatible with the proto suit w

clothing, armor, & accessories

m	backpacks of the commonwealth: adds various backpacks to the game w
mm	better black-rim glasses: black-rim glasses now add +1 charisma in addition to +1 perception w
mm	field scribe backpack: adds wearable backpacks to the game providing +50 carry weight
mm	functional wedding rings: gives the wedding wings a purpose aside from selling them off for caps lol. player's ring grants +1 strength and endurance, spouse's grants +1 intelligence and perception. they can be worn togther! w
m	bobby pin earrings: adds earrings to the game... made out of bobby pins :,) the earrings grant +1 charisma, and there's an option to glue caps to them lol. cute and lore friendly
mmm	invisible armors: makes armors invisible. the biggest draw with this is it includes helmets. compatible with unified clothing overhaul (i use this to conceal helmets and unified clothing overhaul to conceal armors)
mmm	more armor slots: exactly what it says on the tin. wear armor over things that are disabled in vanilla game, ie something that should have been wearable as underarmor (like suits and etc.) are now layerable
m	piercings: adds various face and body piercings to the game. that's it, no effect, they just look cool lol. NSW WARNING: ppl be horny on the nexus so there's some M sexy N options, with graphic examples in the previews ~~all i wanted was a septum ring you horny bastards~~ w
m	plain earrings: adds earrings to the game. that's it lol w
m	rename plain earrings: adds option to rename plain earrings. also adds +1 charisma, making them functional and not just aesthetic lol
mm	proto vault suit: just looks cooler lol. what i like most is it kinda tones down the blue, which makes it easier on the eyes w
m	shade girl leather outfits: adds neat and fairly lore friendly outfits to the game via crafting, including a vault suit variant. is compatible with the proto suit texture!
mmm	unified clothing overhaul: this does so many things. makes all armors and clothes layerable, is compatible with more armor slots, allows things like full-coverage helmets to be worn with glasses and bandanas, allows color swaps, allows mesh swap (ex. making a heavy armor look like light), adds ballistic weave and lining options to everything, makes all vanilla outfits craftable... compatible with invisible armors (i use this to conceal armors and invisible armors to conceal helmets)
m	unzipped vault suit: ...unzips the vault suit :,) reveals cleavage and just looks M sexy N . compatible with proto suit texture! there's a standalone version that doesn't override the og suit, so you can craft an optional M sexy N one uwu w
m	wasteland fashion: adds some neat lore-friendly outfits to the game, including making bos coats standalone and layerable! not compatible with unzipped vault suit tho ):
mmm	wearable backpacks and pouches: adds backpacks and pouches to the game, created via crafting
m	+ vis compatability patch: makes wearable backpacks and pouches compatible with valdacil's item sorting

companions & npcs

mmm	companion accuracy boost: improves companion combat accuracy to not be so... pathetic
mmm	companions can sneak: companions don't affect your stealth
mmm	reduce codsworth and curie idle noise: makes codsworth and curie much quieter and much less annoying
mmm	curie weapon fix: equips synth curie with a default laser rifle instead of random melee weapons
mmm	everyone's best friend: allows you to have both dogmeat and another companion at the same time
mmm	k-9 harness: protect the pupper!!! adds an armor for dogmeat to the game, with weave capabilities. can also expand his carrying capacity
m	+ vis compatability patch: makes k-9 harness compatible with valdacil's item sorting
mmm	immersive dogmeat: makes dogmeat Better. he won't engage in combat until attacked, he no longer barks when sneaking, he's quieter, etc.
mmm	remove dogmeat's whining audio: removes the high pitched whining sounds dogmeat makes
mmm	rich merchants: increases the amount of caps earch merchant has to actually make them seem like profitable business owners. no more settlement hopping finding someone with enough caps to buy all your loot!
mmm	companion stealth distance fix: companions maintain current distance when you crouch, and dogmeat doesn't get in your way as often
mmm	you talk too much: reduces companion and settler babbling
m	nick valentine android face texture: retextures valentines face to make him look cooler... and creepier
mm	gear up nick valentine: allows valentine to wear any and all armors

gameplay effects & tweaks

mmm	achievements: re-enables your ability to earn achievements while mods are active
m	better adhesive: multiplies adhesive value by 20
mmm	classic vats: makes vats function the way it did in 3 and new vegas. ie, stop time to make the game more turn-based and tactical like 1 and 2
mm	crafting highlight fix: removes the shader that colors the previews in craft menus so you can see what you're crafting
mmm	faster terminal displays: speeds up the process of turning on terminals so 20% of your time spent in the game isn't spent waiting for them to load
mm	important npcs esssential edition: makes a lot of named npcs unkillable (including animals!)
mm	loot detector: highlights corpses and containers so you always know where to check for loot. customizable, ex. only highlight corpses or components you need
mmm	quicktrade: open the trade menu with npcs with one button click, and avoid having to go through the dialogue menu every single time
mm	the collector's guides: adds quest markers to help you find all the bobbleheads and magazines in the game

radio

m	more where that came from: tired of hearing butcher pete for the nth time? this adds 111 new songs to diamond city radio
m	elvani's track pack: adds 36 more songs to diamond city radio. compatible with more where that came from!
mm	unhide bobblehead perks: view the relevant bobblehead perks and what they do in the pipboy under stat > perks

settlements & workshop

mm	better generators: multiplies generator output. less generators in your settlement = better performance
mmm	better warnings for settlements being attacked: brings warnings for settlements under attack in a large message box so you don't miss them
mm	better workshop water: multiplies water output. less water sources in your settlement = better performance
mm	brighter settlement lights: makes all the lights you add to settlements brighter. less lights, less electricity components, less generators in settlement = better performance
mm	compact crafting stations: adds crafting stations that are half the size of vanilla spaces to conserve space
m	craftable display shelves: adds some display shelves for bobbleheads. they go on the wall, and are overall more compact and less ugly than the vanilla stand
m	improved shack bridges: adds snap nodes and two additional bridges
mmm	longer power lines: multiplies the length of power lines. less tedious connecting, especially if you hae less generators
m	looks mirror: change your appearance at any time for free by adding a mirror to your settlement
mmm	place everywhere: allows you to place whatever you want wherever you want in settlements
mmm	quieter settlements: reduces noise from various things around settlements, such as generators and etc.
m	restored sanctuary bridge: repairs the bridge to santuary in a lore-friendly way that fits in with the rest of environment
mmm	scrap everything: scrap anything and everything in settlements
mm	snapbeds: beds have snap nodes, making it easier to group them together. includes bunk beds to conserve space
mm	snappable guard posts: adds snap nodes to guard posts and railings so they easily fit together
mm	snappable junk fences: adds snap nodes to junk fences so they easily fit together
mm	wall pass-through conduits: feed power cables through walls and roofs
m	workshop junk wall pack: adds more junk walls and guard posts to the game
m	bobble girl: changes vanilla bobbleheads from vault boy to adorable vault girls
m	+ bobble girl vanilla suit: gives the vault girl bobbleheads a more modest vault suit
m	+ glowing bobble girl: makes the vault girl bobbleheads glow, making them easier to notice
m	+ vis compatability patch: makes the vault girl bobbleheads compatible with valdacil's item sorting

user interface

mmm	better mod descriptions: gives exact numbers instead of vague phrasing when describing mods. ex. "+25% damage" instead of "better damage"
mmm	def_ui: lots of ui improvements. customizable. shows components beneath items when looting, container/barter menus now fill the screen and are tabbed to group like items together, items can be tagged, notes and holotapes have their own tabs in the pipboy menu, certain items are grouped in the pipboy menu (ex. all keys on a single keyring)...
mmm	+ def_ui iconlibs rescaled and fixed: makes all icons used in def_ui consistent in size and design
mmm	full dialogue interface: shows complete dialogue selection options instead of vague, often incorrect descriptions of them
mm	improved map with visible roads: heightens contrast on the map to make roads, train tracks, and water edges clearly visible
m	more map markers: adds more fast travel points to locations unmarked on the map
mmm	valdacil's item sorting: groups like items together in inventory. when used with def_ui, adds icons next to items
m	vault girl mod: replaces vault boy in the ui with vault girl

for replays

w	all bobbleheads and comic books vault 111 exterior: exactly what it says. it puts all the bobbleheads and comic books right outside vault 111 so you don't have to go through 20+ dungeons to find them all again
w	all companion perks: grants all companion perks without having to go hunt them down and get their affinity up again
w	red rocket road map: adds a map to red rocket that displays all map markers so you don't have to discover them all again organically. DOES NOT ENABLE FAST TRAVEL, but at least you know how to get to specific things

currently wearing

w	character aesthetic: commonwealth cuts (cerigo), vault booty (toned down 50%)
w	clothing, armor, & accessories: better black-rim glasses, shade girl leather outfits (gloves), unzipped proto vault suit