Fix: Fallout 4 Mods Not Working

Fallout 4 is an action, role-playing game that was developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game was released in the November of 2015 and is the fifth main addition to the Fallout franchise. Many Mods for the game also became available quite soon after the release. Most users use the Nexus Mod Manager in order to use Mods on the game which is a modding application that allows users to apply a lot of mods to the game.

However, quite recently a lot of reports have been coming in of the Mods not working on Fallout 4. This problem occurred with users using the Nexus Mod Manager in order to Mod the game. In this article, we will discuss some of the reasons due to which this problem can occur and provide you with viable solutions in order to ensure complete eradication of the problem.

What Prevents the Mods From Working in Fallout 4?

The cause of the problem is not specific and it can be triggered due to a number of reasons.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the nature of the problem we will move forward towards the solutions.

Solution 1: Configuring the .ini Files

The .ini files inside the data folder of the game have to be properly configured to work with the Nexus Mod Manager and the game. If these files were not configured when Nexus Mod Manager was installed the Mods will not work with the game. Therefore, in this step, we are going to be configuring the “.ini” files to work properly with the application. For that:

1. Navigate to the following Folder.

   “Documents>MyGames>Fallout4”

2. Within this folder, there should be a couple of “.ini” files.
3. If you see a file named “Fallout4Custom.ini” open it. If the file is not present inside the folder then create a file with “Notepad++” and save it with the name “Fallout4Custom.ini”.

   

4. Open the file and add these lines to it.
   [Archive]
   bInvalidateOlderFiles=1
   sResourceDataDirsFinal=STRINGS\, TEXTURES\, MUSIC\, SOUND\, INTERFACE\, MESHES\, PROGRAMS\, MATERIALS\, LODSETTINGS\, VIS\, MISC\, SCRIPTS\, SHADERSFX\

   

5. Next, there should be a “Fallout4prefs.ini” file, edit this and add the line
   “bEnableFileSelection=1”
   to the bottom of the page under the “Launcher” section.
   Note: If the “bEnableFileSelection=0” exists under the Launcher section then simply change the “0” to “1”
6. Save the changes and exit the file
   Note: Be sure to name it “Fallout4Custom.ini”
7. Try to run the game and check to see if the Mods are applied.

Solution 2: Granting Access Through The Firewall

It is possible that the windows firewall might be preventing the game or the Nexus Mod Manager from making contact with the game servers. In this step, we are going to be allowing the application through the Windows Firewall.

1. Click on the start menu and select the Settings Icon.
2. In the Settings select the “Updates & Security” option.
3. Click on the “Windows Security” option on the left pane.
4. Inside the Windows Security option, Select “Firewall and Network Protection”.
5. Select the “Allow an app through firewall” option.
6. Click on “Change Settings” and grant all the Fallout4 related applications and the Nexus Mod Manager access through both “Private” and “Public” networks.
7. Click on “OK”, run the game and check to see if the problem persists.

   

    

Solution 3: Enabling Multi HD install

Nexus Mod Manager works best if the Virtual Install is on the same Hard Drive as the game. However, if you want to conserve space in a specific Hard Drive by installing the game on one and the Mods on another the Nexus Mod Manager does allow you to do this but in order to achieve this, you have to enable Multi HD Install during the installation process. If the Multi HD install was not enabled during the Installation process and now the mods and the game are on different hard drives then the mods will not work.

Solution 4: Updating the Nexus Mod Manager

Make sure that you have updates the Nexus Mod Manager to the latest version because the older versions were reported to cause issues with some Plugin files, therefore, causing issues with the Mods. In every update released by the community, a certain bug is patched. In order to make sure that the Nexus Mod Manager is clean of all certain bugs and issues make sure to update it every once in a while by downloading and installing the latest version from the developer’s site.

Solution 5: Granting Administrative Privileges

Sometimes, due to insufficient permissions, the Nexus Mod Manager faces issues while applying the mods, therefore, in this step we are going to be providing the software with administrative privileges in order to make sure that is not the case.

1. Right–Click on the Nexus Mod Manager icon and select Properties.
2. Click on the “Compatibility” tab.
3. Inside the Compatibility tab, check the “Run as Administrator” box.
4. Click on “OK”

   

Solution 6: Removing Faulty Mods

In some cases, some of the mods being applied by the users were outdated or corrupt and were causing issues with the process of applying mods. This can happen if the version numbers of the Mods are very old and they haven’t been updated to work with the latest version of the Nexus Mod Manager. Therefore, in this step, we are going to be checking to see which mod is causing the issue and removing it.

1. Open the Nexus Mod Manager and click on the Fallout 4 game in order to open the list of Mods installed.
2. Disable all the mods and check to see if the game works.

   

3. If the game does work it means one of the mods is causing the issue.
4. Now enable one mod and check to see if the game launches.
5. Similarly, go on enabling the mods one by one until the game no longer works.
6. Now that you have identified the mod that was causing the issue, deactivate it.
7. If there is an update released to the mod apply that. If there is no update then you will have to keep the mod disabled until a fix is released by the developer of the mod.