I wrote this to be a response to another thread asking for settlement mod recommendations. However, after rereading the body of the post, I don’t think it would’ve been very helpful. However, since this was mostly written and I do love settlement building mods, I thought I’d make my own post with it. There are a ton of mods in the list, so I broke them up into how critical they are to the way I build (which is, admittedly, overly-clean and so-clearly-modded.) There is no ranking within each category and no judgment attached to it, it’s just how often I use them ballpark. The point of this isn’t really to say that you should use these mods, but I see this question get asked a fair bit so I thought I’d go ahead and type out the novella that is my settlement mod list.
As far as I can tell, I have everything I’m supposed to in the menus. I install SKE first, getting appropriate patches, then install SKI and overwrite. It seems to go pretty well, though there can be some lag between an update for SKE and one for SKI. During these times, it works less well. Anyway, to the list!
Tools
Critical
Used in almost every build to some extent.
- Functional Displays – display weapons, tools, armor, etc.
- Gruffyd’s Signs of the Times and Gruffyd’s Signs and Posters – so many signs, you guys
- Homemaker – mainly use it for fences/barriers and bathroom fixtures these days
- NXPro Farming – better farming options
- OCDecorator – place static clutter objects
- Vanilla Extensions – I love the added items and the additional snap points, though the snapping does take a bit of getting used to.
- DDProduction’s AIO – critical for me because of the added supports, pillars, mannequins; I actually use Tina’s Cookiepocolypse, but understand why people would prefer just the AIO
- Alternate Settlements – lots of new build options for many different categories
- Better Stores – adds new options for vendors, neon signs/bars/pointers, other signs, livestock, etc.
- Crafting Fury GTX 9000 – clutter and more made by Elianora
- Dino’s Decorations – clutter arrangements
- Do-it-Yourshelf – filled shelves with ease
- Ms. Rae’s Unique Containers – great as decoration, and useful as a container
- Old World Plaids – my preferred furniture mod because it looks weathered; for clean furniture, use Renovated Furniture
- Real Troughs – I never use the vanilla tubs anymore
Used often
Not in every build, but they’re here to stay.
- Buildable Burning Campfires and Fireplaces – you know what this adds
- Northland Diggers – adds lots of new jobs for settlers to do, actually produces resources
- Settlement Object Expansion Pack – don’t use it as much as I used to, but adds a huge variety of things you generally can’t find elsewhere
- Snap’n Build – brick, industrial, capsule, bunker, greenhouse
- Advanced Settlement Turret Set – expands options, no longer requires power/wires
- Living Interior – adds hanging clothes and a few other items to make it look lived in
- Lore Friendly Flag Pack – more flags, but I’ve used these most often
- Wooden Prefabs Extended – never use the large vanilla prefabs again, plus that sweet, sweet tower
- Better Vendor Stalls and Immersive Vendors – adds clutter to the normal vendor stalls, lots of variation if you use both
Situational
Critical if you’re building around a certain theme, not so much if you’re not.
- Art Gallery – all the vanilla art
- Blood Rust n Bone – Raider and Rust Devil stuff
- Minutemen Overhaul 2.0 – MM stuff
- Port Royal – boats and things
- Advanced Bubble Turret Set – add defense in tight places
- Business Settlements – lots of new business-oriented signs
- Eli’s Craftable Flower Pots – flower pots by Elianora
- Craftable Taxidermied Creatures – I mainly use the Yao Guai, the base is thick so it’s good at covering up grass poking through floors or otherwise hiding things on the sly
- Armor Tables – what is says on the tin, very high poly count, racks and tables
- Clothing Shelves – what is says on the tin, very high poly count, shelves only
- Filled Diner and Buffet – what is says on the tin, very high poly count, food and cashier
- Filled Weapon Display – what is says on the tin, very high poly count, racks have ammo
- G2M – Fish Farm Stuff – nets, floating-barrel walkways, etc.
- Modern Magazine Shelf – I especially like the single and triple wall options, rarely use the full stand
- Pipe Galore – I use it to make shanty-style homes, though I’d like to make a complex structure when I figure out how/what to make
- Thematic and Practical – furniture made by combining meshes from other objects, very raider/rustic feel, regularly being expanded
- Warehouse Shelves – huge shelves that can fill up a warehouse appropriately, along with clutter
Just give me a reason
I have these installed, but have never actually used them. I’m trying to, though.
Settlers and Robots
And that’s pretty much it. The only downside(s) to having this set up is that some of the items have a very high polygon count and, as such, they will wreck your settlement budget. I never experience problems with a 10x budget to compensate, just really long load times. The other problem is how long it takes to scroll through menus and totally forgetting items even exist with more options than I can remember. When I’m stuck building and out of ideas, I just scroll around menus while I think. Maybe I’ll find something to help me along.
Thanks for reading. I hope you saw a mod or two that you’d find useful. Remember to endorse your mod authors. If you have any questions, please ask. Feel free to leave any feedback or recommend something you feel like I’ve missed.
Original Link – Continuation of discussion