YWMV: Your Wasteland May Vary · 7:25pm Jan 12th, 2014
I love Fallout! (I know... shocker! 
) I've spent thousands of hours playing the games. And one of the ways I help keep the games fresh and interesting even after many playthroughs is the wonder of mods. I know many of you do the same. In fact. I'm often asked what my favorite mods are, which mods I play with, and which ones I recommend. Today, I thought it might be nice to share some of those recommendations, and include links for those interested.
Moreso, I would love to hear which mods you play with and recommend (and, of course, what makes you recommend those mods). 
I'm afraid that I don't have any recommendations for the original Fallout. So let's jump directly to...
Fallout 2
Aside from patches, I play this game almost unmodded. However, while I'm not currently using it myself, I do recommend taking a look into Killap's Fallout 2 Restoration Project.
That said, of course I absolutely must promote the wonderful mod I'm using in my current playthrough of Fallout 2... you guessed it!
The Fallout 2: Littlepip Mod by Donitz. In fact, I don't think I need to explain why I recommend this one. So instead, I'll just let Rainbow Dash express how I feel about it...
...and move on to...
Fallout 3
This is a big one. The number of mods I use in this game is in the double digits. I'm not going to list them all, nor could I recommend a lot of them to most players. A great many of the mods that don't make this blog post just add a single weapon or outfit or piece of gear, enable me to make fancier screenshots, or add some other personal aesthetic choice to the game. Other ones that don't make the list are mods that are no longer available, or mods that (while I personally wouldn't want to play without them) are just too glitchy or troublesome to recommend.
Still, I'm going to recommend enough mods here to justify dividing them into catagories:
MUST HAVE basic gameplay mods:
Fallout Mod Manager
This mod helps you manage our mods. It is vital to making the game work with any more than the smallest number of mods installed.
CASM
This is an automatic saving mod that replaces the Fallout 3 saving system. It is more stable than the autosave system in Fallout 3. Plus: you're never too far from a save.
Fallout Script Extender (FOSE)
This is a "modder's resource that expands the scripting capabilities of Fallout 3" and is required for a lot of good mods.
Environment/Atmosphere Enhancing Mods:
Greenworld
Greenworld adds vegetation to the Wasteland. (See the screenshot at the top of this blog post for an example.) Personally, I know that it makes no sense for everything to be brown and gray after two hundred years. In addition, there were trees in Fallout 1 & 2. Greenworld makes the Wasteland more beautiful... and yet at the same time more desolate. (In my opinion, at least. Seeing trees growing up through the ruined shells of buildings has a chilling effect.) Yes, this makes the Oasis quest and Three Dog's radio bit about it make no sense in-game, but it's truly worth it.
Enhanced Weather
This mod brings weather variation to the Wastelands -- storms, rain (and, in the winter, snow). I find this adds a LOT to the immersion of Fallout 3!
Fellout
This mod clears away the green haze that permeates Fallout 3. I'm amazed at how beautiful they made the game and then painted over it with that fog of green. I never knew how awe inspiring and beautiful the wastes could be until I watched a Fellout sunset.
GNR Enhanced
Simply put, this mod mixes GNR radio... and more! Tired of hearing the same few songs over and over? Tired of hearing that Greyditch has gone silent after you solved the problem? Or that it's been "two weeks" long before you've reached that point in the main quest? This mod fixes it all. For extra listening pleasure, the mod incorporates More Where That Came From, giving additional lore-friendly music to add to GNR.
(I use an older version of this mod that was an absolute pain to install. I'm very pleased to see the creators made a much friendlier version.) 
Fallout Street Lights
This mod adds working lighting to some places in the DC ruins (and, with it's companion, in a few places in the Wastelands too). Not to everyone's tastes, but I quite like the effect. (I should note that the version I use is the one incorporated into FOOK2... more on that later... but these mods should work great for anyone not using that.)
There is another mod that I would normally add to this list called Owned! which allows you to take ownership of properties. However, the mod is gone from the site where I acquired it. The alternate site I would link you to is down for maintenance, so I cannot confirm that it is still available.
World Improvement Mods:
Mart's Mutant Mod
This mod is a complete overhaul of the monsters for Fallout 3. The mod includes a return of classic F1 & F2 monsters, new spawn points and the addition of terrifying monster swarms. This mod adds a greater number and variety of monsters to the Wastelands. Most elements are optional so you can customize the mod's effects to your tastes.
DC Interiors
An absolute must-have, this mod adds a lot of high-quality, varied interior spaces to buildings that used to be boarded up and inaccessible. Want to ignore Three Dog's warning and try scavenging the DC Ruins? Well now you actually can!
Busworld
Another absolute must-have! This mod adds interior spaces to buses, subway cars, and more. Like DC Interiors, anything that adds exploration choices to the game is extremely valuable in my estimation. I like being able to explore places that I *should* be able to go into, but the game didn't originally allow.
Yeah, I'm showing off a few screenshots while I'm at this. 
I will make a special mention here of the massive world overhaul mod FOOK2, the mod that epitomizes my earlier statements of "won't play without but cannot recommend". FOOK2 is a huge mod that adds so much to the world -- from vastly improved repair trees, to variations of armor, to a huge amount of new weapons and armors (which have been added to enemy lists so you will be fighting enemies with a much wider range of appearance and firepower), to little things like giving you multiple ways to gain power armor training. In short, it's Rainbow Dash levels of awesome. Unfortunately, FOOK2 also takes an already notoriously unstable game and makes it considerably moreso. In addition, last time I checked, the mod was unnecessarily tricky to properly install, with aggressively bad documentation and development group who I'd rather face a Hospital Horror than go to for assistance. Thus... FOOK2 does not make this list.
Adventure Mods:
A Note Easily Missed
The first in the series of adventures by Puce Moose. This guy is the god of Fallout adventure mods. They're all incredible -- wicked humor, challenging puzzles, enjoyable rewards. (I have especially had untold hours of fun with what you get out of "An Evening With Mister Manchester"!) I have to make the small caveat that I have experienced crash issues in and around some of the locations he has created for his adventures... but what he delivers is more than worth those occasional frustrations. Collect all his mods! But I suggest doing so one-at-a-time, starting with the first.
TecVault
TecVault adds a new Vault to the Wastelands, ready to be your new base of operations and welcome you as Overseer. All that stands in your way is the Talon Company, and they've got a big head start! This is easily the best player "home" mod available. Gorgeous, and with an fierce little adventure that makes you feel like you've earned this place!
Advanced Gameplay Mods:
Real Time Settler
This mod allows you to build and manage your own village in the Wastelands. This is a bit of a departure from the normal gameplay of Fallout 3, but I feel it is a welcome addition to the game. The previous version of this mod was incredible (and is available on the site for download). The new version is, in almost all aspects, even better. However, there are some unfinished elements to it, and the mod is no longer being worked on. Still, even despite that, this mod is on my recommended list for what it does deliver.
A few screenshots of the village that Eve, my current Fallout 3 character, has founded.
Feng Shui
This mod simply allows you to place items more easily. Great for the home decorator, or someone who wants to create a trophy display!
Personal Favorites:
BlackWolf's Backpacks
This mod adds lore-friendly backpacks to the game which increase how much you can carry. For everyone who hates struggling constantly with encumbrance but doesn't want to just cheat, this is the mod for you!
Amy Wong Companion
This new companion is a traveling trader who will help sell your stuff while you are busy adventuring. She is great companion who learns and advances. Encumbered? Give stuff to Amy and have her go sell it! (I really recommend you turn off the "Jacko's Mercenaries" option though.)
Lucy West Companion
This mod allows you to make Lucy West a companion after your Arefu adventure. It is definitely one of the better companion mods, and includes mini-quests for her.
Mini-Hideout
This mod adds a small, comfortable fallout shelter to Springvale as an alternate player home. Excellent for those who want a place to sleep and stash their stuff, but want to set off adventuring without starting right away with Megaton or Tenpenny Tower. The bigger, more elaborate version (with mini-quest) is the Underground Hideout.
Minor Additions:
The Quantum Pipeline
One of several minor "realism" mods I'm going to recommend, The Quantum Pipeline allows you to bottle Quantum from a vat in the basement of the Nuka-Cola Factory. When I first saw the flooded basement, I tried and tried to fill a bottle with it. I felt cheated that I couldn't. Well, here is a mod that allows you to make up for that Bethesda oversight.
Add Empty Nuka Bottle
A simple realism mod that adds an empty Nuka-Cola bottle to your inventory when you drink a Nuka-Cola or Quantum. Realism is good.
Bottle That Water
In the same vein as the two above, this adds an empty water bottle every time you drink a dirty or purified water, and allows you to bottle dirty water from various water sources.
Mazas Portable Campfires
This simple mod gives you an object you can drop to create a campfire.
Placeable Lights
This mod gives you lanterns, Nuka-Cola lamps and other light sources that you can pick up and place where you want to.
Have you ever wanted to drop a lantern in a dark place, or add better lighting to your home? Now you can!
And finally, on to...
Fallout: New Vegas
My mod load for this game is drastically smaller, and I know there are a lot of great ones that I missed (largely because they came out after I stopped adding mods to this game). Still, here are my recommendations, again sorted by categories.
MUST HAVE basic gameplay mods: (hey... these look familiar. 
)
Fallout Mod Manager
Now for New Vegas.
CASM NV
An automatic saving mod that replaces the Fallout: New Vegas saving system.
More stable than the autosave system. Plus: you're never too far from a save.
New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE)
A "modder's resource that expands the scripting capabilities of Fallout: New Vegas"
Required for a lot of good mods.
Utility Mods:
Higher Companion Level Cap
Now your companions level with you beyond 20th level.
Invisible Wall Remover
Removes the majority of invisible walls preventing you from crossing areas you should be able to cross.
Perk Every Level
Allows just what it says. I dislike the perk-every-other-level mechanic of Fallout: New Vegas. OTOH, if you have all the DLC’s, you will end up with a LOT of perks by the end.
Unlimited Companions
This mod allows you to keep multiple companions at the same time. Nice for those of us who wouldn’t just dismiss one friend because you found another. (Still, it’s worth noting that my companions spent most of their time in my various homes rather than with me.) The link here is to an bugfixed version. I use the original.
Environment/Atmosphere Enhancing Mods:
Nevada Skies
Vastly enhances the skybox, adding in weather effects and just making the Mojave Wasteland beautiful. An absolute must-have!
Interior Lighting Overhaul
I didn’t use this mod, but I wish I did! I’ve heard nothing but praise, and it looks like it fixes issues I had with the interior lighting.
Major World Enhancing Mods:
A World of Pain
This mod adds a huge number of new areas to explore, particularly underground. For the most part, they are excellent, although I found a few lacking. Be aware that you would do a lot of leveling just going through these areas.
New Vegas Interiors
This mod makes several of those boarded up buildings into places you can explore. I picked up all three in this series by RideTheCatfish, and I can highly recommend them. However, please note below...
NV Interiors / Urban Edition
I haven’t used these mods, but I would have if they had come out earlier! Anything that adds more interiors is good, and I’ve had great experiences with the past works of one of the modders involved on this project. I don’t know if it will conflict with the series above. If you can’t use both go ahead and try this one first.
Warzones
Does the Mojave Wasteland seem kinda... dull? Does it seem like the various factions in conflict with each other rarely actually duke it out? Well, then this mod is for you. Warzones adds a lot of new areas of heavy conflict between different factions in New Vegas.
Minor World Improvement Mods:
Better Binoculars
Makes binoculars actually useful in the early parts of the game (before your scopes will out-perform them).
Canteen
Adds refillable canteens to the wasteland.
Leather Backpack
Because you really need a backpack to carry your stuff.
New Merchant
Simply adds a new merchant into the game after finishing a particular quest. Merchants are good. You’ll need a lot of them. How else will you sell your loot?
Working Chemistry Sets
This mod makes those useless chemistry sets all over the wasteland into ones you can use once every three days.
Adventures and Player Homes:
Goodsprings Home Revisited
Gives you (or allows you to earn) a humble home very early in the game (which is a must-have).
Lucky 38 Suite Expansion
Makes the suite you get in the Lucky 38 more useful (and more befitting your importance). The link here is to an updated version. I use the original.
Tales from the Burning Sands
Puce Moose is best Adventure Modder!
Wow, that's a lot.
I can assure you that I have tried many of these. The results are great.
Oh that's cool. Although I have never played Fallout. While I am writing Ashes and Lost Memories, I have to rely on the Fallout wiki for my info.
I like this list, makes me wanna get Fallout for the computer, (instead of just the 360).
Funny story though, I've been a big Fallout Kick, my wife started playing it again, which got me to playing it again then I had to bring the most important part back, PONIES!!! So I'm re-reading Fallout: Equestria (here for followers who haven't read it yet), on Chapter 43 Currently.
Thanks for the great list!
Wow. That's a lot of mods. I wish I could use them... *Sigh* Shame on us, poor little Ps3 gamers. Now I need a PC that can run Fallout... As in, a PC, not a netbook.
Just a little more than a little envious. In the good way, though, not the bad way.
1711393
I play on a laptop that barely support the game at the lowest settings, I have no chance of adding more to a game a can barely run as it is. It still works unmoded though.
I think I have most of these installed.
I highly recommend Vault 101 Revisited, it adds a great questline and gives a much more satisfying ending to the Vault 101 quests.
Have you heard of A Tale of Two Wastelands? It's a mod that combines Fallout 3 and New Vegas.
1711435 Watch Steam, it goes on sale quite often, usually for around the $5 range.
I just wish Fallout 3 ran better on Windows 7. I'd use CASM if I could get FOSE to work without disabling the New Game button for some weird reason, for example.
But I love the games too, and I have to admit that I only really got into them after reading Fallout: Equestria.
You should get Alternate Start or Wanderer Edition for FO3 or FNV
1711476 Seems to work fine for me on Windows 7, my crashes always seem to be related to the absurd number of mods I use.
Wow, that's a lot of mods, personally I enjoy the Wasteland Defence mod in FNV and that underground home in F3 is awesome!
Woo! Littlepip is best Chosen One.
1711484 Wanderer's Edition is great... when it's functional. I loved the added difficulty, but I had to bail out of the mod by about level 8 because it just made the game too unstable; it just wasn't worth crashing every 30 minutes or so.
....Yay, download spree! *starts downloading all the mods*
1711497
But for some reason, FOSE disables my new game button and borks my saves, even on fresh installs. I have to run without it until I'm willing to put a few days into fixing the problem (again).
Well, it doesn't crash on me anymore. I fixed that.
I'm going to stop derailing before this becomes a technical support thread.
Yay Fallout series!
What about the lil'macintosh/spitfires thunder mod? They are epic weopons.
I'm more than a bit surprised PROJECT: NEVADA didn't make the list to be perfectly honest. Great mod that actually made my game more stable somehow(ha, stable hehehe
) after I had already modded the hell out of and subsequently destabilized my copy of New Vegas. The added game difficulty and game options is a definite plus too it as well as the added weapons and armor and perks
I assume that both the games and your mods are on non-Mac software/hardware?
this there a way to run mods and have dlc?
Bookmarking this list for the next time I dust off a Fallout game. Which I think will be soon.
I always figured that if I couldn't get Fallout to work on the PC then having it work barely on console would be better than nothing.
I learned the hard way that no matter how many stimpacks a player may have, no matter how much ammo or special weapon they might have acquired, there is no excuse for not saving a ba-gillion times over and over in case of a crash or a freeze.
What I do love about Fallout though is the amount of perspectives that can be derived from the characters a player would meet. I think from those perspectives we are able to read many different Fallout Crossovers in the lush artistic variety of characters, personalities, and settings.
Well, I know what my free time is going to be spent on for the next long while.
I managed to get through the first hour or so of Fallout 3 before it started crashing to desktop. It was really sad. The Vault was fine, but the Overworld made my laptop sad. I don't think it was just being overloaded, I think Fallout didn't like the fact that I'm running Windows 7...
Ah, well.
Let's see if I can't present some cool mods to the Wasteland kiddies (sorry, but my Internet's too slow to make me bother getting all these links. It'd take me, like, whole hours. Just Google them; they're easy as hell to find)...
'Fallout 3 Redesigned - Formerly Project Beauty' is a wonderful aesthetic mod that makes NPCs look a lot more realistic, grimy, or complementary to their associated voices. One of my favourite features in this was that some black NPCs that had a blatantly caucasian voice were simply changed to the caucasian race. Or NPCs that had faces too pretty for their age were given wrinkles or balding heads. There are genuine shittonnes of small changes like that applied to every NPC, and it makes them much easier to look at. On top of that, it has hardly any influence on performance, which is fantastic, since I play all my games on a damn laptop.
What complements that mod is 'LiL - Lost in Light'. It may not suit most people's tastes, but it makes NPC eyes look a lot more obviously colourful and pretty. Admittedly, it doesn't look too realistic, but it looks nice and comic-bookey, and I love it. It can overwrite FO3R without issue.
'The Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch', obviously. Fixes a whole shitload of bugs that you may or may not have noticed. Even if you don't, it absolutely cannot hurt to install this, because it has no performance drains, and it does nothing but fix stuff.
'Fallout 3 Stutter Remover'. A plugin for FOSE that does its best to remove the jitters and lag from Fallout 3. Works fantastically well.
On top of MMM (which I don't personally use), I recommend getting Sesom's 'Iguanas' mod. You can install it directly over MMM, and it gives you a nice quest to boot. But if you're like me and prefer to not use MMM, you can get all the best out of the Iguanas feature simply by installing this.
'The Power of Atom Reworked' is a nice quest modification of... well, The Power of Atom. Changes up some quest variables, makes it harder to disarm the bomb, and puts a more realistic spin on The Children of Atom's aesthetic. Makes the quest just more involving and less empty.
'DarNified UI' couldn't be anymore recommended. Makes some Interface changes that look miles better than the vanilla.
'Delay DLC' is an immersion mod that does exactly what it says on the tin.
'Miscellaneous Item Icons' gives icons to misc. items. Replaces that Godawful default given to every piece of junk, so things don't come across as obviously useless. And I guess they're just nice to look at.
Okay, what you tossed down are some very good mods, (Littlepip Mod for Fallout 2 is a must have for me). However, I would be remiss if I did not make mention of a favorite adventure mod series for Fallout 3, A Quest for Heaven. It has three parts and is rather fun, majority of it is crawling through prewar ruins uncovering what happened right at end of the great war.
Anyways, for the rest of the list, yeah, those are amazing mods that I endorse as well!
I've never played a Fallout title. Ever. But I'm now immensely curious, thanks to FoE and my current fic work.
So - recommendations and/or demos welcome!
I have a PS2, Wii, PC, and WiiU.
In F3, amongst many of the others (taken from your earlier list) I'm using DarkerInteriors, which kills the ambient in the tunnels and such. To take advantage of it, you need to turn off fellout-pipboy light, if you have that. It gets rid of the daylight brilliance of what should logically be dark tunnels.
I use most of these, and many more besides, but there's a few gems in Kkat's list I haven't... and soon will! Thanks, KK!
... *is now miffed that can't get mods for XBox 360 versions of these games* And I only got the console versions cus of the whole reports of bugs in the PC version :( *has 3 and New Vegas*
I haven't played Fallout 3 YET (guess what made me want to play it? TV Tropes, of course.). But once i do i will surely put at last The Greenworld Mod. God how i love the idea of this mod.
Good to know that i have a list of mods here. Tank you.
Awww... Seeing all these mods make me wish I had my gaming PC again... I'm stuck on the Xbox 360 version again unfortunately, but it was nice reading about all these great expansions.
Here's some mods people might like: EVE - Essential Visual Enhancement for New Vegas, EVE - Energy Visuals Enhanced for Fallout 3, Book of Earche for New Vegas, and I'd link the one for Fallout 3, but it appears to not exist at this time.
I will admit, reading FO:E back a year or so ago got me itching for more FO3, so I booted it up, picked out my mods, and went to town. I finally quit about 15 months later with over 260 hours put in. Damn good times. I probably gonna do the same with NV soonish, but not yet.
Most significant mod I used for FO3 that isn't listed, is Fallout Wanderer's Edition. I had it set for almost realistic damage - made the game so hard, so much fun. I also have a complete weapon rebalance mod I made for myself, but never bothered to upload (basically added semirandom Borderlands style variations on weapons - a huge resource hog and not very compatible, but I like it). Plus, custom weapons galore.
Don't forget Project Nevada. It's an excellent gameplay overhaul that I can't play New Vegas without.
1711393 I know that feel, bro...
For FO3, I absolutely love Urban Combat Overhaul. It adds a lot more to things like raider nests, making them much more challenging to clear out, like they should be. There's a reason why raiders are supposed to be feared, rather than scoffed at.
And let's not forget A Tale of Two Wastelands for New Vegas, which is the spiritual successor to Requiem for the Capitol Wasteland. Fallout 3 in the New Vegas engine!
wow, I just started setting up mods for another FNV modded playthough (whats that now, the third or fourth?)
perfect timing, now I dont have to look as hard
Thank you
I just used FOOK and Project nevada for Fallout New vegas, both are compatible with the other and they're both pretty good last time I used them, though that was probably about 6 months ago or something.
You forgot the Alchestbreach series mods like Bramin haunter and Osama Bin Bramin
I gotta plug the patch mod for FNV created by the author of the Ask Littlepip tumblr. It's called "Littlepip's Fixes", and it's very, very good.
I play my fallout 3 and my New Vegas very differently.
In Fallout 3 I roam the wastes practically a Demigod; I've both started and finished wars, commanded an army from my own mothership, and had a swordfight with the Devil Himself!
On the flipside to that I load up New Vegas with Project Nevada, set my endurance to 1, flip on Hardcore mode, crank IWS to 11 and try my damnedest not to repeat that one time I got killed by a radroach.
There's just some magical feeling about being pinned down in some ruins with nothing but a varmint rifle and some binoculars by 50-something fiends with crazy good aim... (that last mod is a might tricky to load, needing manual selection of esp's for the desired effect)
Oh and a good guy to look up on the Nexus is TheTalkieToaster (scripting genius); He's the guy behind Robco Certified and he has a mod that adds a laser rifle where the lasers BOUNCE.
I tell you one thing I wand these people to finish their work on this.
http://theovermare.com/
New Vegas Mods:
New Vegas Uncut - Freeside Open
Makes Freeside into a single gamespace, rather than splitting it into several little ones.
The whole "New Vegas Uncut" series is good, as it adds in lots of little details that were left out. The outside bets one adds the most (including fixing the annoying thing where NPC keep saying the same thing). The others add cut plot elements so are probably non-essential.
Most of these things were cut for hardware issues (mainly on consoles) but if you are playing on a modern PC there's no reason not to have the intended experience.
"I got spurs" is a simple little mod that adds spurs for your character to wear, as despite the song none exist in the vanilla game.
"Immersive HUD" is one of my favourites. Causes HUD elements to turn off when not needed.
The author (Gopher) has a lot of other cool mods as well.
Caesars New Regime - Legion Overhaul Fairly big change from vanilla, so probably save it for a second playthrough. Makes the legion much more impressive.
New Vegas Bounties I First in a great series of quest mods.
GunRunners Arsenal Integration Mod
Courier 6 Power Armor Nice set of armor with a little quest.
Hidden Valley - Knight Torres Inventory Expansion - Fixes a bug in the vanilla where you don't get weapons from the Brotherhood of steel merchant.
Dynamic Hardcore Mode - Makes hardcore tougher, and varies when you are inside and outside. (You'd expect people to get thirsty in the desert)
Does this work on the Fallout Games I have through Steam? I ask because I installed the Mod Manager and tried to run it and I get a message that says
"Could not find Fallout: New Vegas directory. Fallout's registry appears to be missing or incorrect."
Trying to use auto detect on the manager to let it find the path results in the mod manager crashing.
1727331
They should. I'm not sure what the problem is, but I'm sure some of the more technically proficient Fallout bronies here can help you.
Need... pretty... mods.
Also I need a PC copy of Fallout 3 and/or New Vegas, too. But mostly pretty mods.
Well, I came back to this specifically to download some mods. Only most of them can't be downloaded without paying for them. So much for that.
1748724
1752986 When I clicked on the "free registration here" link, I got a page with a whole bunch of pay registration, and nary a free one in sight. I will try again when I get off work, perhaps I was just missing it.