This Mod Can Solve Your Fallout 4 Mod Troubles (For Now)

There's a mod on Nexus Mods than can restore your Fallout 4 game to its pre-update state.

By Hannah Adkins

Bethesda recently issued a next-generation update to Fallout 4, and while the update did bring in several new quests and cosmetics, weapons, and armor to the game. While the update is exciting for its new additions, unfortunately it means that the vast majority of the mods for the game – particularly ones that rely on Fallout 4 Script Extender and Buffout – were broken, and another update coming soon will likely frustrate players all over again. Fallout 4 is a popular game to mod as it expands the game's already impressive building capabilities, so players are naturally hoping for a permanent fix to modding sooner rather than later.

Thankfully, there's a mod available on Nexus Mods that can restore your game to its pre-next-gen update state for the time being while the next-generation implementation is hammered out in Fallout 4. Created by Nexus Mods user zerratar, Fallout 4 Downgrader's brief description reads: "Restore your game's mod compatibility with Fallout 4 Downgrader. Quickly revert Fallout 4 to its pre-next-gen version to continue using mods that uses F4SE and Buffout. Simple and automated. Now without need of steam login!"

The mod provides further instructions, including:

Related:

Quick Start: 

  • 1. Download the FO4Down.zip 
  • 2. Extract the FO4Down.zip somewhere on your computer 
  • 3. Run either  
  • Downgrade By Patching Files.bat or Downgrade By Downloading Depots.bat

Downgrade by Patching Files

  • Patching files will only work if you already have next-gen fallout 4 executables. It leaves the next-gen data files intact. This requires additional plugins to be installed to work. 
  • If you want to make sure it installs the plugins as well. Run `Downgrade By Patch Files and Install Plugins.bat` instead.

Downgrade by Downloading Depots

  • When downloading depots it will essentially download the whole old version of the game, this may take some time. This replaces all your Fallout 4 files including the data files.
  • If you installed the required plugins for patching and then doing a downgrade by downloading depots you may have to remove the Backporter Archive2 Support System dll from your /Fallout 4/Data/F4SE/Plugins/ folder if you experience a CTD on start.
  • If you decide to run FO4Down.exe it will first try patching your files if possible automatically, if its already patched or not possible to patch the steam login will be shown to start a downgrade by downloading depots.

As the mod has been available since April 27th there's quite a bit more detail available on the official page, including a full set of question and answers to help users problem solve common issues and get the mod operating as intended. 

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