With the Fallout 4 next-gen update, Bethesda breaks the game’s compatibility with one of the most popular mods on PC, confirming players’ players’ concerns…

Fallout 4 next-gen update breaks the popular F4SE mod on PC. Released on April 25, the update brings performance improvements, additional Creation Club content and more to F4 amid increased interest in the franchise thanks to the recent Amazon TV series. But it obviously doesn’t work well with existing mods.

Fallout 4’s next-gen update has been in the works for some time, with an initial release slated for summer 2023, but the update was eventually pushed back, likely to coincide with the release of the Fallout TV series on Amazon Prime.

Like many Bethesda titles, Fallout 4 supports fan-made mods on both PC and console. Because of the more open nature of PC, most of the F4 modding scene existed there. With massive upcoming mods like Fallout: London, which transforms the game’s setting into a post-apocalyptic London of 2237. However, before the next-gen update arrived, many PC users expressed concern that it would break compatibility with current mods. As feared, the update destroyed one of the most essential F4 mods that players use.

The Fallout 4 Script Extender (F4SE) is an unfortunate victim of the next-gen update in question. F4SE is described on the Nexus Mods page as a basic mod that “expands the scripting capabilities of Fallout 4”. Moreover, it does not have any permanent side effects as it does not modify the game’s executable files at all. The main problem is that many other F4 mods rely on it to function. However, since the next-gen update destroyed F4SE, these mods have also stopped working.

F4SE developer ianpatt previously released a statement on Nexus Mods acknowledging the update’s impact on the scripting program.

“The 2024-04-25 Fallout 4 update (1.10.980 and later) has broken F4SE and the rest of the native code modding scene similarly to Skyrim’s “Anniversary Edition” patch. I am working on an update and cannot currently offer a timeline for its availability, nor whether there will be any critical technical issues that would block an update. Do not email with questions.”

Fallout 4 PC players have a choice between mods and new content

For now, many Fallout 4 players on PC will be forced to wait to update the game, or those who have already updated will revert to the previous version while the F4SE team works on a fix.

Considering the increased popularity of Fallout 4 loading up the Nexus Mods servers lately, the complete breaking of major mods with the arrival of the next-gen update will no doubt be frustrating for many new players.

This situation is disappointing, but it also highlights the centuries-old difference between official and fan-made game content. The F4 next-gen update offers performance improvements and bug fixes, which is good. But the modding scene of the game was seriously disrupted. The developers of Fallout: London have postponed the release of a massive mod. Because they expected the update to break compatibility. Unfortunately, their guess was confirmed. Although it is not yet known when F4SE will be compatible with the latest build of Fallout 4, players are hoping for a quick solution so that they can plunge back into the charming post-apocalyptic world…

Source: Nexus Mods