The year is 2287CE. You’re the Sole Survivor of your malfunctioning nuke-proof vault, crawling out of the underground and into the deserted Wasteland that is the Commonwealth. And there’s only one thing in your mind other than the fate of your kidnapped son:
Where are my weapons?
Because what is a post-apocalyptic Wasteland without its weapons? Isn’t it the entire point?
There would be no apocalypse without weapons, and the world would have been rebuilt by now had we focused our resources on something else.
Still, even after entire playthroughs of Fallout 4 some people are never satisfied with their arsenal.
I mean it was enough to take on the entire Institute and the occasional deathclaw, but what if there’s more?
Thanks to modding your search for the perfect weapon never needs to end. You just need to look somewhere else.
Allow me to walk you through some of the best armament options with these awesome (and free!) weapon mods you can add onto Fallout 4.
You thought we’d left Area 51 empty-handed? Well, think again.
Thanks to modder Henkspamadres, all of that Naruto-running and acquired notoriety wasn’t for naught.
It adds an exotic-looking, glowing weapon with the versatility to become an SMG, AR, shotgun or, of course, a beam rifle.
These aliens really have us beat in the weapon department.
Not only is it cool and colorful, but relatively lore-friendly, and if you like it, you can get custom animations for it through the Alien Assault Rifle Animations mod.
Also alien in origin but from a galaxy as-of-yet undiscovered comes the Thorn, an iconic handgun from Destiny’s universe.
This mod by Lucifer3277 adds a fully-functional alien-fantasy hand cannon to your game, complete with animated textures resembling something a modern warlock would make.
Regrettably it doesn’t fire beams or anything of the sort – it’s simply a .45 cal revolver.
Unlike in Destiny, there’s no need to grind a raid for this to drop. Just get it From Criket, or use console commands to add it to your inventory.
In the Fallout universe, the Vietnam War never actually happened. So the M16 we’ve all come to know and love was also never introduced to the world’s weapon markets.
Thanks to modder FF7CloudStrife, however, you can now get one in Fallout 4.
It features full modding support including several scopes, has custom animations, and fires 5.56 caliber ammunition.
Not only does it have an amazing aesthetic recognizable by anyone who’s been playing shooting games for a while, but it’s also slightly better than the game’s standard assault rifle, giving you a noticeable but balanced advantage in battle.
And if you have such a compact, modern-looking main weapon, consider backing it up with the Sig P220 handgun by modder Millenia.
This very tactical-looking weapon will make you feel less like a deranged psychopath turning the world upside down to find their kid and more like a serious, well-trained special operative, which can considerably improve your experience once you’re done with the base story.
It’s very modifiable in-game, features custom sounds, and even includes a unique variant called the “Diplomat” that you can only acquire at a certain spot in the game.
Sometimes, rather than going to the future for more effective weaponry, it’s better to visit the past looking for something special.
That’s what modder Corvalho1 did for us, bringing back a beautiful sawn-off shotgun with a double-barrel, complete with intricate engravings that adorn the weapon and complete the antique look.
It’s what a fabled bandit from somewhere near the late 1800s would use, and despite being so old-school, I guarantee it packs enough of a punch to keep you safe in the Wasteland.
And if rather than feeling safe you’d rather experience true adrenaline, consider ditching gunpowder altogether and taking up mixed martial arts.
Although the Fallout society had previously only developed right-handed boxing gloves, modder LilKandeeKid has elevated the sport by introducing a left-handed version.
Armed with both, you’re now ready to box deathclaws to… death?
Power Armors are the tanks of the Fallout universe, protecting the wearer and turning them into a walking battle station… and it’s not always you that’s operating the thing.
Sure, you can always drop a mini-nuke on them, but firing one indoors or from cover may prove more dangerous than the Power Armor itself.
Well, worry not, for modder MJP2008 has brought us a means to fight back with the Simonov PTRS-41 Anti-Tank Rifle, and the Type 76 Chinese Anti-Power Armor Rifle, all included in the same mod.
As an added bonus, the mod also includes a can opener you can use as a melee weapon.
Given enough time I’m sure you could also pry a hole open in a Power Armor.
But for me, sniper rifles have always been about stealth. Always allowing you to deliver a killing blow before your enemies even know you’re there.
That’s what the Mosin Nagant sniper rifle was originally designed to do back in the late Russian Empire days, and what it was used for throughout the early Soviet Union era.
Nowadays, it’s more often than not simply seen as an old-timey videogame classic, and thanks to NexusMods user FX0x01, you can now add it to your Sole Survivor’s arsenal – complete with scopes and a bayonet for a more authentic experience.
Speaking of videogame classics, few weapons are as well-known and appreciated as the AK74, in all of its variations.
For this very reason, it would be silly not to feature it in our Fallout 4 Weapon Mods ranking.
This add-on was also created by FX0x01, which is actually a group of several modders working on different parts of the weapons they release, allowing them to create truly detailed contributions to our collective arsenal.
Another favorite of oppressive regimes worldwide that modders have been kind enough to develop for Fallout 4 is the FN FAL SA58.
This mod by Wanamingo doesn’t only introduce the weapon, but also comes packed with a Kukri knife and some military uniforms for you to role-play a one-man African militia trying to take control of the Commonwealth.
If that’s a little bit too specific for you, don’t worry.
This mod also includes a brand new endgame dungeon for you to go and try out your Belgian assault rifle.
Despite Fallout 4 having its own wealthy variety of retro-futuristic weapons such as the Fat Man, it doesn’t give you access to every weapon created in the couple of centuries that passed since the bombs dropped.
Working towards solving this issue, creator DeadPool2099 introduced the Wattz 3000, a lore-friendly weapon design complete with custom animations, models and textures so good you’d think it was always in the game.
The Wattz 3000 is an updated model of the old-school Wattz 2000 present in the first two Fallout games, and its design is almost completely based on that weapon.
You can paint it however you want, but I think it looks the best with the default black and yellow look.
One of the most loved mods by both users and creators on the Nexus is See-Through Scopes by Henkspamadres, which simply replaces the awful full-screen aiming when using a sniper scope in vanilla for something a bit more organic that also lets you see your surroundings.
It’s needed for most weapon mods featuring custom scopes. But considering it also adds customizable reticles and an optional blur effect when aiming, it’d be well worth it to add it to your game for an improved vanilla experience.
Among the most ubiquitous weapons ever known to gamer-kind is the Beretta M9 Self-loading Pistol, which owes its popularity to having been the standard sidearm for the US Navy and police forces for a long time.
Despite being in service only since 1985, it’s now available thanks to the intervention of modder FF7CloudStrife.
This true American classic is capable of both semi-automatic and fully-automatic fire with the right modifications, and also features a great variety of barrels and grips to choose from.
If you’d rather stay closer to the aesthetic and fictional time-period of Fallout 4 but still want something entirely new to torment raiders everywhere, consider the Fusion Gun by modder FalloutSuite.
This mod adds an entirely new and detailed energy weapon with its own ammo type and over a dozen weapon attachments to keep things interesting.
Not only is it devastating to wield, but it also looks badass in the way only a weapon with heat-dispersion mechanisms can achieve.
Something really nice about Fallout 4 is the level of control you have over your weapons, and how much you can customize them to fit your needs.
The HK G3 Family mod by creator Utherien takes advantage of this system to introduce the Heckler & Koch G3 assault rifle along with many customization options that take the G3’s main body as a base to build the HK-51 SMG, the PSG-1 Sniper Rifle and the HK-11 LMG, all balanced for normal gameplay.
If there’s one thing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 fans ever agreed upon, it was the superiority of the SCAR-H assault rifle in the game’s multiplayer.
Since then, the weapon has become popular in gaming as a whole, and now it’s available in Fallout 4 thanks to modder Robersonb1.
It looks clean, it’s reliable, and it comes complete with mods, custom sounds and, of course, custom animations that make it look right at home in the game’s engine.
It’s also possible to turn it into what’s essentially a SCAR-L by changing its ammo type from .308 to 5.56.
Sometimes, it’s all about the impact of your weapon rather than sheer destructive power, and nothing will instill fear into your enemies’ hearts quite as this Gatling Rifle from modder Henkspamadre.
The M54 Gatling Rifle is the only thing in the Wasteland that can make you look more badass than a deathclaw, as well as more… alive, after some fire from this beast.
Just make sure you have enough bullets because this will have eaten through an average raid’s worth of ammo before the cannon even gets hot.
Used by many armies worldwide ever since the 1990s and currently employed by the US Secret Service, the Belgian FN P90 has earned a place in the collective imaginary thanks to its sleek bullpup design.
This sets it apart from most weapons usually shown in entertainment.
Modder Robesonb1 has brought this compact design to the world of Fallout 4, giving players the perfect weapon for inner-vault and urban situations, complete with custom animations, sounds, and high-quality textures.
It was designed as a replacement for the game’s default SMG, so it doesn’t initially fire 10mm rounds like its real-life counterpart, but if you’re particular about realism, you can change its ammo type easily at a workbench.
Continuing on our quest to outfit Fallout 4 with every weapon that’s become even remotely relevant in videogame culture in the last 10 years, we’re taking a look at the M14 Standalone Rifle mod by FF7CloudStrife.
This mod introduces the iconic rifle in four different variations, going from an old-school olive green presentation with a sniper scope to one with a vicious bayonet that looks more like a harpoon gun than a rifle.
No matter which one you choose, you’ll have a stunningly-designed weapon in your hands.
Have you ever thought that the way Fallout 4 handles ballistics is too… basic?
Modder Hedieded definitely did, and his answer was to create a more complex and realistic ballistics system for the Wasteland.
The effective range of weapons now plays a vital part in choosing the right tool for the right situation, as bullets now deal damage and wound targets differently depending on the caliber, shape, and mass of their IRL counterparts.
While some players find the effective ranges of weapons in Fallout 4 too forgiving, others feel like some weapons are simply too underpowered to remain grounded in reality.
To address this issue, modder Vazeron1 came up with a rebalance patch that tweaks all weapons for a more realistic experience.
No weapon will be completely useless against enemies anymore, even if there’s still a vast power differentiation between them.
Moreover, weapon types now have more contrasting strengths and weaknesses, justifying using something other than the Combat Rifle if the situation calls for it.
You can add hundreds of new, increasingly more detailed reproductions of IRL weapons into Fallout 4, but they’ll always pale in comparison to a Lightsaber.
This mod by Invalidfate includes four different Lightsabers varying in color and weapon equip animation, all of which actually emit light and can cast shadows.
While this is the only weapon-focused one, the author also offers much more Star Wars content. Such as a Darth Vader character preset which would wonderfully complement these Lightsabers.
And while I do appreciate that I can find essentially any specific weapon in the Nexus to equip my Sole Survivor with, I’d rather not spend that much time building my perfect arsenal.
Thanks to user Gambit77 and several other modders, overhauling the weapon variety of Fallout 4 can be as simple as installing a single mod – Weaponsmith Extended.
This massive collection of diverse, high-quality weapons with custom animations and sounds will make it so that you never even have to worry about having new weapons to discover.
Among the different available weapon packs in the Nexus, there’s one that both I and the community have come to recognize as the best.
This pack features every new high-quality weapon uploaded by creator Doombased, all of which were previously released separately to great success.
These 16 weapons go from the most unique guns available in Fallout 4, such as 3-barreled shotguns, to well-loved classics like the MAC11 or a beautifully engraved Desert Eagle.
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.
