Thuggyfied - A Fallout 4 Mod List

Under what circumstances would this be useful?

1) Your load order isn't as stable as you'd hoped.

2) You feel like trying something new.

3) There's a cool mod you didn't realize you'd missed.

4) You're reinstalling Fallout 4 from scratch and could use a handy reference guide to steer you through the sea of 30,000+ mods.

5) You want to save a few plugin slots on your mod list by downloading the optional "Grind-Free Game Settings" mod that comes with this.

6) You're not interested in doing any research at all, and prefer someone to tell you exactly what to install (that isn't the goal here, but it's an option).

How is this Mod List different?

Popularity over arbitrary personal preference. Here's the approach to constructing this list:

A) Start with the top 500 mods in the Top Files section on FO4 Nexus,

B) Include only mods that have been released for at least a month,

C) See how many of them we can slot into a load order that plays well together without conflicts.

"Top Files" is ranked by most endorsements received over the past two weeks. We want to look at recent endorsements, not all-time endorsements, because there are mods that were once popular but have been superseded. And we're filtering out mods released in the past month to avoid stuff that's only going to stay in Top Files for a short while.

This makes our starting point a group of about 450 mods, the top 1. 5%, that millions of users have collectively agreed are the best ones, instead of some arbitrary list a random dude on the Internet patched together containing mods you've never heard of.

A good portion of these mods overlap (e.g. we can only choose one female body texture), so next we'll prune the list for bugs, compatibility, and flexibility. Excluding optional face/body presets, this will leave us with a final list of about 250 mods, occupying close to 185 non .esl plugin slots.

Sample load order is here.

Your actual load order will vary with customization preferences.

Flexibility: No "my way or the highway". Nearly all of this list is optional. You can generally include or exclude whatever you want. You aren't forced into frameworks, and if you don't like the first option presented, a backup is offered where feasible. There's plenty of room left at the end to add your own mods and personalize it.

Safety & Compatibility: EVERY SINGLE LINE in the plugin record of EVERY SINGLE MOD on this list is verified to ensure not only that it won't bork your game, but that it's not going to create a problematic conflict with other mods on the list. W