Fallout 4’s next-gen update suffered a troubled launch, but it was PC players of Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic role-playing game that endured the most issues. Now, some of the most popular mods for Fallout 4 let players “downgrade” the game to a pre-patch point.
The PC-specific update for Fallout 4 broke a number of crucial, long-running mods for the game, including Fallout 4 Script Extender (F4SE), which itself is used by many other mods for compatibility. The most high-profile casualty of the patch was the long-awaited Fallout London mod. Its developers were forced to delay the mod just days before it was due to release out of fear the next-gen update would break it, and so it proved.
As reported by VG247, some of the most popular Fallout 4 mods over the last two weeks let players revert the game to a pre-patch state. Zerratar’s Fallout 4 Downgrader, for example, restores your game’s mod compatibility, letting users quickly revert Fallout 4 to its pre-next-gen version to continue using mods that use F4SE and Buffout. “Simple, automated, and available in two versions to suit your setup,” reads the official blurb. At the time of this article’s publication, Fallout 4 Downgrader had been downloaded 34,951 times from Nexus Mods.
Similarly, Bilago’s STEAM – Skip Next-Gen update mod tricks Steam into thinking your game is updated, “so you can use your mods with peace of mind.” This one has been downloaded 23,685 times.
As PC Fallout 4 players wrestle with mods, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The creator of F4SE has in the last day released a “very early” build for testing that will hopefully make this crucial mod work with the latest version of Fallout 4. Work on this continues, with the creators of Fallout London no-doubt watching closely.
The effect of all this on Fallout 4 on Steam at least is mixed. Recent user reviews are ‘mostly positive’, compared to ‘very positive’ for overall reviews. Most of the negative reaction revolves around the next-gen update’s impact on mods. PC players have questioned the value of the patch in the first place, given it lacks meaningful changes. Regardless, Fallout 4 is enjoying a big boost in player numbers, fueled by the breakout success of the Prime Video Fallout TV show. According to SteamDB, Fallout 4 had an impressive 187,468 concurrent players on Steam, the highest peak since late 2015.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.