Top 8 Best Fallout 3 Mods You Can’t Play Without

With the announcement of Fallout 76 fresh in your mind, you might be clamoring for some post-apocalyptic action. For many, that means returning to the one that changed everything (except war, because, well, you know…war never changes): Fallout 3.

If you haven’t taken a stroll through the Capital Wasteland in a while, you might notice how dated Fallout 3 might feel. Don’t worry, there’s a mod for that. Maybe you’re looking for a new way to play. Again, there’s a mod for that. At this point, nearly 10 years since its release, there’s a mod for virtually anything you can think of.

Nexus Mod Manager

If you’ve ever modded a game before, you know it can quickly turn into a mess of files. If you haven’t modded a game before, this is your warning. Fortunately, all of the stress of rummaging through hundreds of files can quickly be relinquished with the Nexus Mod Manager Mod. Simply put, this mod manager allows you to control which mods are active and which are not. It also does all the stressful, file-changing, .ini stuff for you. When loading files into the manager, though, make sure you’ve thoroughly read the contents of each readme file as they’ll usually dictate which order a file must be loaded in and more. 

Facelift Mods

At almost 10 years of age, Fallout 3 is very old in video game years. It looks old and it feels old, too. Thankfully, there’s plenty of mods to fix her right up. First and foremost, download the Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch. It essentially fixes all of the bugs and glitches present in the retail version of the game. This is a must-have for Fallout 3, even if you don’t plan to add any other mods to the game. The other quintessential mod you need is the Fallout Stutter Removal. This mod gets rid of frame rate stutters you might encounter while playing the game, of which there will be a lot. Finally, install the Fallout 3 Reanimated mod. This mod will get rid of all those weird and janky character and creature animations. 

NMC Texture Pack

The NMC Texture Pack removes almost every texture in the game and replaces it with a high-resolution texture asset. There are also different downloads of this mod based on your computer specs. If you can run it, there’s a download that replaces the old textures with 2K resolution textures. If you’re PC is a bit slower these days, there are lower-resolution packs available to download. The best thing about this texture pack is that once downloaded, the wasteland is still the wasteland. This mod doesn’t make drastic changes to the landscape — the landscape just looks way better. 

FOOK 2

Fallout 3 has plenty to offer, but in a game this vast, is there such a thing as too much? Maybe, but we’re not there yet. With the FOOK 2 mod, you’ll have over 100 new weapons to choose from, more clothing options, and some fun and shiny new textures to go along with it too — these textures add a nice pop of color to the otherwise, very bleak and very green-fogged, wasteland. NPCs, both enemies and allies, will have more weapons at their disposal, and they’ll have some fancy new clothes on, too.

This mod is basically the culmination of a vast amount of other mods–sure, you can add each mod individually with more tweaking, but if you’re looking to get the job done quick, this is the mod for you.

Fellout

When it first released, the green fog that shades the wasteland of Fallout 3 made sense; it was a part of the story. Now, though, most people aren’t concerned with the story. You’ve likely beaten it plenty of times. You’re here to jump back into one of your favorite games and relish in memories past. With that being said, let’s get rid of that nasty green fog and replace it with a new dawn and a new day. The Fellout mod removes Fallout 3’s green tint and replaces it with a beautiful sun and plenty of sunshine. If your original playthrough of Fallout 3 was the stormy night, then your play through with the Fellout mod is your bright, sunshiny day. 

Enhanced Weather

If the Fellout mod isn’t for you, or you just prefer dark and scary days, then something tells me you’ll like the Enhanced Weather mod. This mod adds new weather to the landscape that includes hellacious thunderstorms, blistering cold snowstorms, sandstorms, and even radioactive rain. On top of that, this mod comes packed with a dynamic weather system that makes the changes in weather feel more natural. Furthermore, you’ll gain a sneak bonus while sneaking during a thunderstorm. In a world all but destroyed by nuclear fallout, this weather mod feels right at home. 

Mart’s Mutant Mod

There’s plenty to encounter and talk to, or kill, in Fallout 3, but Mart the Modder said that there wasn’t enough! Because of that, he created the Mart’s Mutant Mod. This mod adds in a decent amount of new creatures and enemies to the game, both hostile and friendly, for you to encounter across the wasteland. It also revamps their AI which, considering how dated Fallout 3’s AI is, is a welcome bonus. Enemies are smarter and they fight each other. Their sizes are also randomized as well, so a human-sized mutant might stand 20 feet tall in a random encounter.

Fallout 3: Wanderer’s Edition

Fallout 3 Wanderer’s Edition is a straight-up overhaul of Fallout 3 that will not only make the game more immersive, but more terrifying as well. This mod improves the game’s first-person mode by making combat faster paced (we all love the VATS system but it can be really slow) and more skill-based — you have fewer bullets, enemies are tougher, and weapons are more powerful. Packed into this mod is an optional survival mechanic that requires you to eat, drink, and sleep to stay alive. Those mechanics, coupled with the already challenging landscape of Fallout 3, on top of the increased challenge of the Wanderer Edition’s other changes, make Fallout 3 feel like a completely different game. Of course, if there are parts of this mod you don’t like, it’s very customizable and allows you to change what you want.