Fallout 4: The 10 Best Environmental Add-On Mods To Date

Fallout 4’s post-apocalyptic environment can always do with a few texture overhaul mods to pretty it up, but there are other mods that add to it in a big way. Whether it’s a specific texture mod, a weather overhaul, or a complete rework of the game’s foliage, Fallout 4 can be transformed into a completely new experience for first-time players and veterans alike.

When combined with other mods that beautify the Fallout 4 experience, these environmental add-ons can help push it that extra mile. They also act as a solid baseline for gamers to play around with even more modding options to personalize the game exactly how they see fit.

10 Vivid Fallout – All In One

• Download the mod HERE

Environmental mods require a solid baseline to operate under, and if there’s one texture pack worthy of that job, it’s Vivid Fallout. The All in One package is a mixture of several mods by author Hein84, and they overhaul a massive percentage of Fallout 4’s in-game assets.

It’s a perfect option for those who don’t want to tinker too much with texture mods and would prefer just one to get the ball rolling. From there, it’s easy to build on the existing environmental mod list with other options, while enjoying some high definition texture goodness.

9 Better Leaf Piles

• Download the mod HERE

Fallout 4’s post-apocalyptic wasteland is full of rubble, dirt, and leaves – lots of leaves. In fact, they’re so prevalent that it’s a good idea to upgrade their visual clarity, simply for the sake of less eye stress. This mod is one of the best leaf texture overhauls around, with a level of clarity that works wonders.

The mod can be used in conjunction with baseline texture mods to further enhance the graphical fidelity of Fallout 4, without the leaves looking like a low-res pile of sludge. It’s also a good choice for those who like to use ENB lighting presets during their playthrough.

8 Car Variety

• Download the mod HERE

This mod page might be in Russian, but a simple translation reveals that it increases the variety of cars in the game, while adding in a few new surprises just for good measure. It also affects the Nuka World and Far Harbor DLC packs, as well.

In addition to new Commonwealth cars, the mod also adds construction equipment like bulldozers, excavators, and other mechanical items. It also works very well as a supplement to the Vehicle Overhaul mod, which is highly recommended to get the best of both worlds.

7 VELDT – Grass Retexture

• Download the mod HERE

The Commonwealth is devoid of much in the way of flora, but that doesn’t mean a good grass mod can’t overhaul the visuals and make things a bit nicer on the eyes. VELDT is a very solid grass mod that balances the overall look of Fallout 4’s wasteland aesthetic while making it look like a plausible regrowth of nature over the course of 200 years.

It’s slightly less lore-friendly than it should be, but that’s of little consequence when trading off for the sake of visual splendor. With this mod installed, the grass is much more lush, dense, and immersive, which adds another layer of complexity to the Commonwealth.

6 The Fungal Commonwealth

• Download the mod HERE

This mod may seem an odd choice for an environmental add-on, but it actually works, given the nature of the story. A vastly irradiated wasteland has already given rise to a number of biological horrors, from super-mutants to genetically altered livestock, which means a few large mushrooms should fit the theme quite well.

These gigantic mushrooms add a bit of sci-fi fantasy to Fallout 4, and they look the part. The textures and models are highly detailed, and they use improved LOD for far-distance viewing. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s perfect for those who want a more interesting-looking Commonwealth.

5 Dead Forest Overhaul

• Download the mod HERE

Lore-friendliness is the name of the game with this mod, which adds in a number of dead trees to the Commonwealth. This is an excellent alternative for gamers who don’t want to use some of the more lush and vibrant tree mods available for the game and instead want something out of a Fallout-style dystopian film.

Dead Forest Overhaul utilizes vanilla game assets to pepper the landscape with decayed trees, which fill in the empty spaces of the Commonwealth, without it looking too grown in. When paired with a series of high-res texture replacement mods for the environment, it can help bring a sense of ironic life to a dead environment.

4 Vivid Weathers – Fallout 4 Edition

• Download the mod HERE

Vivid Weathers has been a fan-favorite Skyrim mod for years, but it has also been ported to Fallout 4. It’s designed to completely overhaul the weather and climate system of the game with 75 individual new kinds of weather, and 110 cloud textures that are guaranteed to change the look and feel of the environment.

The mod affects all four seasons while adding in new rain sounds and effects, volumetric fogs, varying night brightness, and even a questline to boot. It’s an all-in-one package for gamers who want to change the atmospheric aesthetic to work alongside ground-based texture and object overhaul mods.

3 Another Pine Forest Mod

• Download the mod HERE

For those who want a bit less decay, and a bit more life brought back to a long-dead Commonwealth, they’ll need a good tree mod. This particular one adds a dense pine forest to Fallout 4, which goes a long way towards selling the notion that nature is slowly reclaiming the dead world.

The forest can act as cover, as well as aesthetic beauty, especially for those who like to explore. There are fewer empty swathes around the Commonwealth, and more incentive to venture off the beaten path and see what’s hidden. Fallout 4 may be one of Bethesda’s highest-rated games, but it’s mods like these that help increase its longevity.

2 Vivid Waters

• Download the mod HERE

Fallout 4’s base water leaves much to be desired, and this add-on overhauls the textures, specular, opacity, and appearance to deliver a much more attractive vision. Since players will spend a great deal of time walking the coastline, it pays for the water to look its best.

This is especially true when taking other texture mods into account. By adding Vivid Waters to the mod list, it will guarantee that the game’s water matches the high-res detail of these texture packs to complete the overhaul of the environment. Combined, these mods help Fallout 4 retain its position as one of the best post-apocalyptic video games ever made.

1 Winter Overhaul

• Download the mod HERE

Fallout 4 players who have gone a few playthroughs with the normal set of parameters may wish to change things up a bit, and this mod is a perfect alternative. It drastically overhauls the environment by switching the Commonwealth from an early fall wasteland to a cold, harsh winter environment.

Fans of games like Metro will appreciate the work that has gone into this mod, as it completely transforms the way the game is played. Technically, everything is more or less the same, just done in a wintery dystopian future hell aesthetic. The level of atmosphere this mod brings must be seen to be believed.

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