Less Spongy Enemies
⚪ Last updated 2023⚠️ Install Order · 2 steps
Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.
Preview
🔍 Analysis
- 👍 1.9% endorsement rate — high engagement, a strong quality signal
- 🏆 #21 of 531 Gameplay mods in this game by downloads
📋 About This Mod
If you are looking for direct help, information, patches, unreleased mods, pre-released updates for my mods or just want to talk and share images and videos of your adventures, feel free to join us!
What does this mod do?
Enemies in Starfield have a lot of health. A lot. Tweaking the damage output will not directly solve the issue. So this mod was born.
This mod sets the fNPCHealthLevelBonus to 0, 5, 10 or 15. (Was 20 before)
Enemies still get more health, even when this is set to 0. This is an added bonus, which they get in addition.
Everytime NPCs gain a higher level, they gain a HP bonus of 20. Thats what makes them spongy. You can double or tripple the damage output, but in the end. The higher you get, the worse it gets again. Low level enemies die instantly, while high level enemies are still spongy.
This mod fixes that.
Example, when you double your damage, you deal 8 damage, instead of 4. The enemy gets 20 health every level. When we assume, that they start with 40 health. At level 10, NPCs already have a health bonus of ~200 additional health from this game setting. So the damage increase won't do much.
Note: The changes only apply to newly spawned enemies, as the old enemies keep their health pool. Only a cell reset can reset their health pool. How to install?
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The mod comes with 2 files you probably need. One main file and the StarfieldCustom.ini, if you don't already have one.
Game Folder
Move the content of the main mod folder, the LessSpongyEnemies.txt into your Starfield folder, where your Starfield.exe is located.
Example: X:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Starfield
If you are a Vortex user, it should work automatically.
Don't rename the LessSpongyEnemies.txt file
Move the content of the "BetterSprintCosts - StarfieldCustom.ini" download, the StarfieldCustom.ini into your X:\Users\yourUserName\Documents\My Games\Starfield folder
Important If y
Less Spongy Enemies removes the bullet-sponge feel from Starfield combat by adjusting enemy health values. With nearly 4,000 endorsements and over 213,000 downloads, it's a popular quality-of-life fix for players who want more realistic firefights. Last updated in September 2023.
✨ Key Features
📊 Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Huge community trust (3,965 endorsements) — this is a go-to fix for many players.
- Massive download count (213k+) proves it works for a wide audience.
- Does exactly what it says: no more bullet sponges, just cleaner kills.
⚠️ Cons
- Last updated in September 2023 — might not be compatible with the latest Starfield patches.
- Only affects enemy health — if you wanted other combat tweaks, this won't cover them.
For Starfield players who are tired of dumping entire magazines into enemies and want a more grounded, lethal combat feel. Perfect if you're after a simple, no-frills fix without overhauling the whole game. Skip if you're looking for comprehensive combat rebalances or new mechanics.
💡 Beginner Tips
- Since it's a gameplay mod, make sure your game is up to date before installing to avoid conflicts.
- If you're using a mod manager, let it handle the installation to keep your load order clean.
- Pair it with other combat mods carefully — overlapping changes to enemy health might cause unexpected results.
📊 Mod Details
- Game
- Starfield Mods
- Author
- Zzyxzz
- Version
- 1.0.0
- Downloads
- 213,834
- Endorsements
- 3,965
- Category
- Gameplay
- Created
- 9/2/2023
- Updated
- 9/2/2023
🧩 Commonly Used Together
Users add these mods to the same collections — a real compatibility signal, not an AI guess.
🔧 How to Install Starfield Mods
Download from Nexus.
📖 Full step-by-step install guide for Starfield →
Visit the official mod page for specific installation instructions for this mod.
🎮 Need cheat codes or console commands? Check ur gaming wiki for Starfield commands, item IDs, and more.
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