Final Fantasy XV: Windows Edition brought the most recent entry in Square Enix’s flagship franchise to PC gamers. And it came with plenty of extra content, new features, and the entire library of paid and free DLC.
It’s the definitive way to enjoy this massive open-world adventure!
And while there’s a lot of gameplay to go through, we always want more. So if you want to take your princely road trip to the next level, some mods should be your top priority.
Whether you’re looking to change Noctis’ looks, spice up the Regalia’s music collection, or replace your Chocobo with something hilarious, you’ll find plenty of ideas right here.
The world of Eos is full of beautiful places and lush greenery.
This mod by creator Nsept0403 aims to make it even more eye-catching by livening up the trees with some bright pink cherry blossoms.
Not every tree gets to become a cherry blossom. You’ll find these appealing plants scattered throughout the forests of Eos. Precisely, you can spot them in Caem, the forest of Malmalam, and the Myrlwood.
Much like a leisurely road trip to the prince’s wedding, life is full of hidden beauty.
These trees were already there. It just wasn’t their time to bloom yet!
If you’re tired of goth teenage protagonists in your AAA RPGs, this mod by Scissorman can help add some much-needed temperance and experience to Noctis.
This lets you replace the prince with the king and play through the game as Noctis in his prime.
And this older Noctis looks more grizzled and battle-hardened, plus there’s some wisdom deep in his eyes.
You can also give Noctis a beard rivaling that of his father.
It makes him look even more distinguished, while the golden Lucian jacket gives him a “cool dad” appeal.
Creator SubZeroShell brings us a weapon that can’t be missing from any self-respecting Final Fantasy fan’s collection of royal arms: the Buster Sword from FFVII.
Well, to be more specific, it’s the Buster Sword model taken from the prequel: Crisis Core.
Zack’s version of the Buster Sword is simply more appealing.
I love the golden cross-guard, though I don’t really know if it can even be called a “cross” guard when it’s the same width as the massive blade.
This broadsword symbolizes the fighting spirit and struggles of past heroes. It was once passed on to Cloud, and now, Noctis carries on the flame.
Noctis’ serious yet rebellious attitude reminds me of Raiden from the Metal Gear Solid franchise. When I saw a mod that let me dress the prince up as this cyborg swordsman, I clicked.
Thanks to modder Kou153, Noctis can now use the power of a high-tech body and nanomachines to fight Ardyn and other baddies in the game.
Even Niflheim’s Magitek weaponry has no chance of stopping Noctis the Ripper.
Getting the definitive edition of a game, with all the bug fixes and DLC, is always a pleasure.
Still, it can be hard to resist the temptation of just blazing through the game with the overpowered DLC equipment – and it’s confusing to have it mixed up with our honestly-earned campaign equips.
This simple adjustment by Taellia simply removes the DLC items found in the Royal Edition of FFXV.
That includes the outfits, key items that provide unfair advantages, and weapons like the Ragnarok.
And don’t worry about losing your DLC forever. The fix is temporary and done automatically every time you run the game.
The Chocobos in FFXV have one of the most realistic looks out of all the burden birds in the franchise.
They’re really cool!
But they don’t compare to the magnificence of a plump Fat Chocobo.
Fortunately, Chocobos are primarily ground-bound creatures, because a bird this fat would not fly at all. I mean, look at those tiny vestigial wings!
I could write a 10,000-word dissertation on the benefits of riding a big chunky bird, but nothing will ever top the fact that this Chocobo’s round body jiggles as it carries you around.
It really gives the term “jiggle physics” a whole new meaning.
If Chocobos were real, I’d go everywhere on my magical raptor bird. They’d have to make laws about “not parking your Chocobo in people’s living rooms” and stuff like that, and I’d break them anyway.
If you feel as attached to Chocobos as I do, consider Enter With Chocobo.
It’s a mod by IgnisIgnisIgnis that lets you take your Chocobo along into dungeons and similar areas.
Just remember to not get off the Chocobo, as the whistle will only work in the overworld (and some exceptions like Nebulawood).
It’s a bit ridiculous to ride your Chocobo in some places like Galdin Quay. But other times, it’s weird for our heroes not to save themselves the effort.
Back in 2018, you could explore the world of Eos in the main game as your avatar from the Comrades online component, much like you do in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
Once Square Enix killed the Comrades mode, the Avatara System was regrettably removed as well.
This mod by SankaraSamsara simply adds the necessary files back in. So now you can continue fishing, exploring, and hunting massive demons as your perfectly crafted character.
The city of Insomnia was a jewel on the landscape of Eos until the Niflheim Empire decided to rain hell on it during the events of Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV.
When we finally make it back to Insomnia in FFXV, it’s still a chaotic ruin.
This mod by Elisadevelon brings back the bright metropolitan city as seen on the Episode Ardyn DLC.
You’ll be able to explore it to your heart’s content, and take some fantastic pictures for the ‘gram while you’re at it.
One of Noctis’ coolest looks has to be the Kingly Raiment, both with and without the jacket.
Sill, much like almost all other clothes in the game, it’s all-black.
It feels almost the same as wearing anything else in the game other than the stat boosts.
A great way to liven up this royal garb is this recolor by modder Nsept0403, who offers us the polar opposite of the somber black: deep blue, verdant green, and vivid red.
Noctis still looks a little weird in these clothes, but that’s only natural at such a young age. He’ll grow into it!
There are plenty of fantastic outfit recolors floating around.
But few have the soul of Empilicious’ Empire Character Overhaul.
Each piece in this outfit set has been lovingly crafted by a fan of the Final Fantasy franchise, weaving in the look and spirit of several characters from previous installments.
There’s one inspired by Cloud Strife’s ex-SOLDIER garb that would look fantastic with the Buster Sword mod.
And the fifth member of the team doesn’t get left out, either.
Mechanic Cindy Aurum receives a new outfit inspired by the iconic Cid Highwind from FFVII that fans of the PS1 classic will love.
I’m always going on about how the dream squad of FFXV is very much like the Backstreet Boys or BTS – but there’s one way to get them even more into the boy-band aesthetic.
Multicolored Hair will let you give each of the boys a little hair dye.
Noctis gets blue highlights, Gladiolus gets light orange, Prompto goes for bright pink, and Ignis gets a distinguished platinum hair dye.
These colored hairs were carefully designed and look really natural.
They’re not your average solid-color wig, but a work of art by author Elisadevelon.
I’ve always considered myself an ally of the low-spec crew.
I understand the struggle, so there’s always a place for at least one mod aimed at making enjoying new games easier for those who can’t afford a serious gaming rig.
This ReShade preset by fellow low-spec champion SweetPoison11 is meant to bring out the beauty of FFXV while running in the lowest possible graphic quality.
Admittedly, FFXV is already incredibly good-looking. That’s one of its main appeals.
Yet there’s always room for improvement.
And employing ReShade software is always a good idea.
Author Urquath attempts to give the game a more cinematic, slightly photo-realistic look with this Pure Light ReShade preset. It reduces anti-aliasing for a sharper look while also enhancing reflections and dialing down the yellows in the game.
Once installed, you’ll notice a more vibrant color, a deeper blue sky, and darker shadows.
Light sources in the overworld and dungeons are much more important now as well.
One of the most extensive gameplay-changing mods for FFXV is Rebalanced Ascension by Iwtexplode, aiming to make the Ascension skill-leveling mechanic a little more convenient.
It re-orders some abilities so that you can swap to Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto much earlier in the game.
It also makes some of the most expensive skills a bit more attainable.
Stuff that used to cost around 333AP now costs less than 99AP, and similar changes were made to skills over 555AP and 999AP.
With this, you’ll have a varied set of skills and actual options in combat without having to grind to hell and back.
One great way to expand your horizons while exploring Eos is by literally expanding how much land you can actually cover in the game’s overworld.
The No Collisions mod removes many invisible walls you’d usually find around certain structures and natural formations.
It won’t let you jump off the edge of the map. But you’ll be able to sneak into the unfinished areas of Altissia, and much more.
And the more you stray from the original boundaries, the weirder things get. So don’t be surprised if you run into glitched NPCs, poorly applied textures, and other such bugs.
If you’re serious about making FFXV look the best it possibly can, no single mod is going to get you there – but this guide might.
Author Silencer takes us through the process from the basics up.
It uses many official tools like the 4K Resolution Texture Pack released by Square Enix themselves, along with fantastic mods, many of which are essential bug fixes.
The Royal FFXV Experience also covers the best visual settings that’ll let you get the most out of the game with your specific hardware.
Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.
