Just because Bethesda hasn't released their G.E.C.K.
modding kit yet doesn't mean we can't start modding! Here's how to get
started.
Until Bethesda releases their mod kit, modding Fallout 4 can be a frustrating mess of following instructions and reading walls of text. Fear not, we're here to teach you how to install some of the most popular mods out right now.
Before we get started, though, we'll have to change a few files to get mods working with the game, let's go over that below.
IMPORTANT: To have these mods work you must make some changes to a few .ini files.
- First, Navigate to your "Documents\My Games\Fallout4" folder.
- Next open the Fallout4Prefs.ini file.
- Find the section marked [Launcher] and add the following line: bEnableFileSelection=1
Your Fallout4Prefs.ini file should like it does above when done. Save and close.
- Next open the Fallout4.ini file.
- Find the section marked [Archive]
- Find the line "sResourceDataDirsFinal=STRINGS\"
- Change it to "sResourceDataDirsFinal=STRINGS\, TEXTURES\, MUSIC\, SOUND\, INTERFACE\, MESHES\, PROGRAMS\, MATERIALS\, LODSETTINGS\, VIS\, MISC\, SCRIPTS\, SHADERSFX\"
First things first. You're going to need this Fallout 4 mod manager. It's in its early stages, but as I mentioned before, until Bethesda releases their mod kit, this is whats going to make things easier for us.
This mod manager will not work for installing every mod. In this guide we will cover how to install mods with the mod manager, and how to install mods without the mod manager. But first we'll go over how to use the mod manager.
Setting up the Fallout 4 mod manager (if your NexusModManager not work use this F4 MOD MANAGER)
The first thing we'll have to do, is head on over to the Nexus and download the mod manager. The download link will look like this:
After you've downloaded the mod manager, extract the contents and place the Fallout 4 Mod Manager folder into your Fallout 4 directory.
When you open the Fallout mod manager you will be greeted with this screen:
When you want to install a mod, click on the install button, highlighted here with a red rectangle. After you click the install button, it will ask you to find the downloaded mod file.
For this demonstration, I will install the mod More Armor Slots (mod info below).
After you have found the download file, a window like this will pop up. If it says "Looking Good!" at the bottom, you're all clear for a good install.
Click that install button one last time, and there you go, mod installed!
Don't forget to make sure the boxes on the left side are checked. If you leave them unchecked, they won't activate when you launch the game!
