Fallout 4 Script Extender Back Online

After nearly a month of waiting, modders can finally use the Fallout 4 Script Extender (F4SE) again. F4SE is a programming tool that enables modders to safely modify Fallout 4 without tampering with the game’s files. It’s one of the main reasons why many players still played the game even before all the hype that surrounded it in recent events. However, since Bethesda launched the next-gen update back in April, the majority of the mods broke leaving the community in shambles.

Thankfully, the creators of F4SE immediately addressed the issues and worked on an update. Throughout this process, one of the creators Ian Patterson kept in touch with modders on NexusMods. He provided day-to-day updates for everyone to know what the status was for the incoming script extender patch.

Eventually, a new patch for F4SE launched on May 13, 2024, which should be a functioning version of the program with the latest Fallout 4 update. However, there are a few concerns regarding the modding tool.

Players can Technically Use the Fallout 4 Script Extender

After learning about the Fallout 4 Script Extender getting patched, we had to give the program a whirl to see for ourselves. We updated the game’s files with the latest version of F4SE and to our surprise it was running properly. At least so we thought.

The mods we previously downloaded were fully functioning and we could play Fallout 4 the way we wanted to again. Unfortunately, there was one major issue that kind of made the game unplayable. Players can’t talk to any of the NPCs or companions as long as they’re using F4SE. Whenever a player walks toward an NPC, a prompt will pop up stating that F4SE is running fine but the XDI.dll file is missing.

From there, we had to check the game’s files again to see if XDI.dll was missing. Turns out, all .dll files are installed but aren’t compatible with the current version of F4SE. We went back to NexusMods to see if we missed something and re-read Ian Patterson’s post. Patterson said:

All native code plugins (.dlls) need to be updated by their creators for 1.10.980. Old native code plugins not loading is not a problem with F4SE. The Starfield loader has given Windows Defender problems in the past. This is a false positive.

To elaborate on his statement, there are only two ways to resolve this issue. Either players roll back their versions of Fallout 4 to an older one or patiently wait for Bethesda to launch a new update.

Nevertheless, players can technically use F4SE but not for playing through the story. For now, modders who are running Fallout 4 version 1.10.980 will have to settle for mods that can keep them preoccupied without having to complete quests.

How to Download and Use F4SE

For those looking to get into the modding scene in Fallout 4, here’s a step-by-step process for downloading F4SE:

1. Either go to https://f4se.silverlock.org/ which should direct users to the NexusMods page or go directly to https://www.nexusmods.com/ and search for Fallout 4 Script Extender (F4SE).
2. When on F4SE’s official page, users will have two options to download the tool. They can either download it via Vortex, which is where most mods are stored or manually download it. We recommend manually downloading the tool given how limited Vortex can be when replacing files.
3. If the user manually downloaded the files, they should be packed in a .rar file. There’s no need to extract the files. Simply double-click on the .rar file and copy all of the pack’s content.
4. After copying the files, locate Fallout 4’s files in the Steam folder. Paste all the files and it should replace some programs.
5. After transferring the files, users should then be able to see a program called “f4se_loader”. We suggest creating a shortcut and placing it on the desktop so it would be less of a hassle to find the program.
6. If all steps were followed correctly, the shortcut of “f4se_loader” should function properly. Double-clicking on “f4se_loader” should boot up a version of Fallout 4 that can accommodate mods. Keep in mind that directly launching Fallout 4 from Steam won’t load F4SE despite it already being in the game’s files. In addition, F4SE only works with the Steam version of the game. That means the tool is incompatible with the Epic Games and Xbox Game Pass PC versions.
7. If hypothetically the user already has mods installed via Vortex, they should be able to see if they’re all functioning in the Mods section of the game. Users can find this in the main menu. Click on Mods then click Load Order. In that section, users should be able to see all their mods on Vortex installed in the game proper.