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About this mod
Raises minimum level of enemies in every zone, according where the zone is on the map (downtown is min level 50 instead of 6 now).
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Description
Sets higher minimum zone levels across the board, by first dividing up the world map into large regions and assigning each region a level range.
Fallout 4 by default assigns very mildly escalating minimum encounter levels as you travel south or East (Salem is a little funny). What I've done is to set much higher minimum levels almost everywhere.
I did this for two reasons.
1. Because the minimum levels are *so* low by default. We're talking level 6 for most things in the heart of the Financial District. This means that once you reach a high level, reclearing old zones is easy (as it should be), but *too* easy. When raiders are on level 1 they feel like they're made of paper.
2. For Lore. The way I see it is like this: Raider and Mutant gangs from surrounding regions outside of Boston are rural and weaker, because they don't have access to the high tech salvage of the urban ruins. This social effect is exacerbated because what weapons, food and technology are found outside of the urban areas are brought in by raiders and mutants when they are able to build up enough strength to challenge the dangerous urban warzones. Coincidentally it is within this context that I find a very short respawn time crucial for both fun and immersion. Just because you cleared out a ruin does not diminish it's strategic value as a defensible hold to a group of raiders. It makes sense that another group would move in and resume terrorizing the surrounding area. When they collect enough munitions they too will head to downtown areas, where the strongest gangs, best gear, and richest caravans are to be found. Just like in our world, a city becomes the lifeblood of the new world.
It is largely for these lore reasons that I have assigned the "Zone Group" (as I'm calling them) levels as I have. The remotest area around Sanctuary is a level 10-15 region because raiders by and large aren't interested in it. East and South, there are more riches to be found, so tougher groups have moved in.
It's all more than a little contrived, definitely, but I like it as a balance between realism and gameyness. Game's got to be fun.
I've uploaded an html table containing all the zone levels for the curious.
Zone Group Level Ranges
Caveats
Final Notes
Note that the Financial District where Diamond City is, is now the toughest region in the game. The main quest will have to wait, because a random suburbanite fresh out of a vault won't have what it takes to survive there right away. I have another mod in the works which is going to complement this one and really help Downtown Boston become the inhospitable terror it is meant to be.
Also, regions 11 and 12 contain far more zones in them than any of the other regions, and they are the highest level, so overall the average level of all zones in the game has more than doubled.
Level Scaling still exists, but is greatly diminished. Every zone's maximum level is 20 higher than it's minimum level. I didn't set the min and max the same because I like the idea of there being some variation between playthroughs, but didn't want to uncap everything because that just makes enemies bulletsponges by the end of the game.
See Also
I created another mod, More Spawns which was intended to be used in combination with this one, as they share a similar objective of increasing the overall game challenge in a lore friendly way.
Sets higher minimum zone levels across the board, by first dividing up the world map into large regions and assigning each region a level range.
Fallout 4 by default assigns very mildly escalating minimum encounter levels as you travel south or East (Salem is a little funny). What I've done is to set much higher minimum levels almost everywhere.
I did this for two reasons.
1. Because the minimum levels are *so* low by default. We're talking level 6 for most things in the heart of the Financial District. This means that once you reach a high level, reclearing old zones is easy (as it should be), but *too* easy. When raiders are on level 1 they feel like they're made of paper.
2. For Lore. The way I see it is like this: Raider and Mutant gangs from surrounding regions outside of Boston are rural and weaker, because they don't have access to the high tech salvage of the urban ruins. This social effect is exacerbated because what weapons, food and technology are found outside of the urban areas are brought in by raiders and mutants when they are able to build up enough strength to challenge the dangerous urban warzones. Coincidentally it is within this context that I find a very short respawn time crucial for both fun and immersion. Just because you cleared out a ruin does not diminish it's strategic value as a defensible hold to a group of raiders. It makes sense that another group would move in and resume terrorizing the surrounding area. When they collect enough munitions they too will head to downtown areas, where the strongest gangs, best gear, and richest caravans are to be found. Just like in our world, a city becomes the lifeblood of the new world.
It is largely for these lore reasons that I have assigned the "Zone Group" (as I'm calling them) levels as I have. The remotest area around Sanctuary is a level 10-15 region because raiders by and large aren't interested in it. East and South, there are more riches to be found, so tougher groups have moved in.
It's all more than a little contrived, definitely, but I like it as a balance between realism and gameyness. Game's got to be fun.
I've uploaded an html table containing all the zone levels for the curious.
Zone Group Level Ranges
- Sanctuary Region 3-15 (don't worry it's doable)
- North Central (15-20)
- North East Island Region, Salem (25-30)
- Lexington Area (20-25)
- Central-North Medford/Malden, to Saugus (30-35)
- Easy City, Nahant Islands, Libertalia (35-50)
- Central Midwest, Beantown, Vault 81, Mass Pike (30-40)
- Cambridge (35-45)
- Central West, Hagen, Natick Region (40-50)
- Quincy Ruins (40-50)
- Downtown Financial District (50-60)
- South of Financial District (45-55)
- Glowing Sea (70-80)
- Institute (50)
Caveats
- All I've done is set some records. In the end the game sometimes ignores zone levels for various reasons, so if you still see enemies a lot lower than you in high level zones, that doesn't mean it isn't working.
- Zone levels are set forever when you enter an area. For that reason this works best with a new game.
Final Notes
Note that the Financial District where Diamond City is, is now the toughest region in the game. The main quest will have to wait, because a random suburbanite fresh out of a vault won't have what it takes to survive there right away. I have another mod in the works which is going to complement this one and really help Downtown Boston become the inhospitable terror it is meant to be.
Also, regions 11 and 12 contain far more zones in them than any of the other regions, and they are the highest level, so overall the average level of all zones in the game has more than doubled.
Level Scaling still exists, but is greatly diminished. Every zone's maximum level is 20 higher than it's minimum level. I didn't set the min and max the same because I like the idea of there being some variation between playthroughs, but didn't want to uncap everything because that just makes enemies bulletsponges by the end of the game.
See Also
I created another mod, More Spawns which was intended to be used in combination with this one, as they share a similar objective of increasing the overall game challenge in a lore friendly way.