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About this mod
A mod that diversifies synth equipment and makes them more of the dangerous faction the in-game lore would have you believe they be. Also includes recommendations for more complimentary mods that will make the Institute into the Bogeyman of the Commonwealth that Fallout 4 implies.
- Requirements
- Permissions and credits
- Changelogs
Overview
During your journeys through the Commonwealth, ever wonder exactly how a bunch of unarmored synths with what look like plastic toy lasers managed to chew through whole dungeons full of raiders or wiped out whole towns when it seems like anyone with half a brain and a pipe gun should be able to beat them? Me too. As the soldiers of the Institute, Synths should be better armed and better ready to counter all sorts of threats. After all, the Institute seems well aware of the BoS' existence, and is constantly getting into fights with the Railroad. It just doesn't make sense. So I decided to do something about it. I also have plenty of recommendations for other mods to general increase the threat level of the Institute to what I think it should be based on the in-game lore. This was another mod that I started as kind of a personal project, but I decided to share it.
What This Mod Does
First, I actually gave them full sets of armor. I always found it absurd that the Institute threw Synths at you with no armor, and even the high level Synths had only partial sets. Making something as sophisticated as these synths would take resources, and it's mind-boggling to me that the Institute wouldn't at least give them some of their plastic armor for extra protection. They may be disposable, but making a high-tech android and sending it into combat with no protection just doesn't make sense, even if the Institute intended it as some kind of field experiment.
After that, it does add some more vanilla possibilities for synth weapons at higher levels, particularly for synth leaders. That includes adding the FO4 Super Sledge as a possible melee weapon in addition to the sad security baton, and also the potential for the Gatling Laser and the Gauss Rifle to appear as a synth weapon at higher levels. These are the most "high tech" options in the base game and I think they make sense for the institute synths to use.
The real fun, though? Bogeyman of the Commonwealth will check your load order for certain mods and, if they are there, will perform leveled list injections to add that gear to synth lists. Check the pictures if you want to understand what some of the possibilities are, but Synths are going to blasting you and slicing you up with suitable high tech nightmares from here on out. The best part is that all of these are soft dependencies. There are no mandatory mods to install here. Choose what you like, leave out what you don't. After all, why wouldn't the Institute be scouring the Wasteland beyond the Commonwealth for the latest high tech advances. Could they have made it to Big MT? Could they have paid any price to procure Zetan tech from the Capital Wasteland after the Mothership Zeta incident? Could they have had spies in the Brotherhood to copy their Tesla Cannon technology? I would think so, and that's why it's all here. Power Armor users should be especially wary, as the Institute has been preparing for a conflict with the Brotherhood for a long time. It also adds a new set of higher-level synths to the list of synths for high level players that are even more likely to be better armed.
Are these new heavily armed synths beatable? Of course. I didn't just create another mod full of bullet sponges. That's no fun for anyone, though I did boost their stats a little and actually give them armor. What I did do is mostly increase their offensive power. Taking them on will be tricky, unpredictable, and will require some more tactical thinking, but with higher risk comes higher reward as they will have tons of sweet, high-tech gear.
Mods Directly Supported - The New Synth/Institute Armory
The following mods and Creation Club content are directly supported and will be added to the leveled lists used by Synths in this mod if you have them in your load order. All mods and Creation Club content are optional, so install what you like -
What Mods Are Required Then?
The only hard dependencies Bogeyman of the Commonwealth has is Workshop Framework. All of the above supported mods are optional. Install what you want. Or don't. If you have them installed, Bogeyman will use them. If not, it won't. Simple as that. It needs Workshop Framework to run its scripting magic.
But HOW?
Magic scripts from 1000101. I don't know how he does what he does, but he gifted unto me these scripts, and they manage the injections without use of hard dependencies. Without him, this mod would have been unpossible. Also made use of the actor Leveled List injection from A Blind Man's Leveled List Injection Toolbox - an invaluable modder's resource that allowed me to inject some higher level synths to the list and is generally the cat's pajamas.
Load Order Note -
For this mod to work you will need to load it after mods such as EG-7 or other mods that directly change the leveled item lists for Institute Laser Guns directly. That includes any Institute Laser replacers. Due to the way those mods often work, the replacers often limit the leveled list to be only the weapon it is replacing the institute laser with, and that could lead to all of the other injections this mod makes being blocked, not used, or used in a way that is not my intent. So if you want to use a mod like EG-7 (I use it!) then simply load this mod after it as it creates an override to the Institute Laser leveled lists that effectively restores it to its vanilla state and allows the injections to work properly.
Second, and I mention this below in the FAQ, if you want to use a C.A.S.T. - Synth Overhaul, you can but you will want to load it AFTER this mod. This mod makes changes to the armor lists that will overrule C.A.S.T. so if you want to see those nifty armors, you will want C.A.S.T. to win that conflict. You can also use the Optional File Patch file to ensure that the synth use the C.A.S.T. Armor sets to make it so load order questions are easier to deal with. They should already, but this guarantees it. You will also see many more Institute Lasers than the other weapons with C.A.S.T. unless you select the "No Weapons" option, which I explain below in the FAQ.
Modlist of Other Recommended and Compatible Mods to Enhance the Experience and Challenge
FAQ
Q1. Do I have to have all those mods you list above installed?
A1. No, you only have to have Workshop Framework. Everything else is supported if you have it, but not used if you don't.
Q2. Does this require Creation Club Content? I hate it as it is proof that Bethesda is the most evil, greedy corporation on Earth.
A2. See A1. No, you do not have to have any Creation Club content. If you have it, it will be used. If you don't, it won't.
Q3. I downloaded and installed the mod and I'm not seeing all the different weapons on the synths. What is happening?
A3. The images above show the full experience, with all of the supported mods installed. You will only see those items if you have at least some of those mods installed. This mod does not package or include any assets from any of those mods and the items won't be injected if you don't have them installed.
Q4. Will you add X, Y, Z weapon/outfit?
A4. Depends, I'll consider it. If it's going to be used by Institute Synths it should be suitably high-tech looking and will also need to be able to be used by those actors. For the most part they use the human animations, so that's many weapons but for some reason they won't use some.
Q5. What about Synth Overhaul - C.A.S.T. by MaaroTakai?
A5. Great mod, glad you asked. You can find a patch in the optional files - simply load it after you load Bogeyman and C.A.S.T. and it will ensure the C.A.S.T. armor sets are used. One issue though - if you use the version that adds the black and white institute lasers, then C.A.S.T. basically adds an extra entry for institute laser guns to the leveled lists. This means you will still see the weapons I'm injecting, but you will see them less frequently and see more institute laser guns. If you don't want that, you can choose the "No Weapons" version of C.A.S.T. when going through its FOMOD installer, then there won't be any issues. If you're fine with seeing a lot more institute laser guns than the these other added weapons, then also cool.
Q6. There are too many Institute laser guns. I hate Institute laser guns. Can you replace them all or make them less frequent?
A6. You have some options here. You can download Rheinmetall EG-7 Energiegewehr and use the patch included in the optional files section. That will use the EG-7 as an Institute Laser Gun replacer, but also open those leveled lists up for the other weapons (for some reason, the EG-7 mod made it so you only get EG-7s. The patch allows for more possibilities). In addition, if you want that, install Fusion Gun - by FalloutSuite AND Fusion Gun Institute Laser Gun Replaser - by 4estGimp as I mentioned above. That achieves the same result and is compatible with this mod.
Q7. I am seeing X weapon too often and Z weapon not often enough. Can you give me options to customize exactly how often and with what frequency I will see each weapon?
A7. LOL, I have no idea how I would even begin going about doing that and if you could figure out it you would be a much more skilled modder than me.
Q8. The synths sometimes don't use their melee weapons. Can you fix that?
A8. I did my best to fix that by making some changes to some of the synth templates in terms of their AI and giving them actual strength stats (they didn't have them before!) and I think I have improved it to where they usually stop grabbing random Raider pipe guns and shooting at you instead when they have a perfectly good Proton Axe or Super Sledge. But they still do this sometimes. Let's all just pretend it's a glitch in their operating system.
Q9. What is a leveled list? You go on and on about them.
A9. Yes, that is modder jargon. It's a list of items in the game that has a random chance of spawning an item from its contents based on a variety of factors (player level, NPC level, encounter zone, etc.) They provide possibilities for randomizing things. Fallout 4, along with most Bethesda games, makes very extensive use of them to make your experience less repetitive.
Q10. Seriously, though, do I have to have Creation Club stuff to play this mod?
A10. See A1 and A2. No you do not. That is your decision and the mod will react accordingly.
Q11. Is it okay to install this mid-playthrough? What about uninstall?
A11. It is okay to install this mid-playthrough. I tested it that way and with a new playthrough and both worked. Mid-playthrough I will just caution that it may take some time for all the injections and changes to the leveled lists to show up in-game. Cells will need to reset, and it could take up to 120 hours. So please be patient if you do that. As to uninstalling - I do not recommend it. Theoretically it should be entirely safe to uninstall as it only performs leveled list injections, but I personally consider uninstalling any mod mid-playthrough to be risky.
During your journeys through the Commonwealth, ever wonder exactly how a bunch of unarmored synths with what look like plastic toy lasers managed to chew through whole dungeons full of raiders or wiped out whole towns when it seems like anyone with half a brain and a pipe gun should be able to beat them? Me too. As the soldiers of the Institute, Synths should be better armed and better ready to counter all sorts of threats. After all, the Institute seems well aware of the BoS' existence, and is constantly getting into fights with the Railroad. It just doesn't make sense. So I decided to do something about it. I also have plenty of recommendations for other mods to general increase the threat level of the Institute to what I think it should be based on the in-game lore. This was another mod that I started as kind of a personal project, but I decided to share it.
What This Mod Does
First, I actually gave them full sets of armor. I always found it absurd that the Institute threw Synths at you with no armor, and even the high level Synths had only partial sets. Making something as sophisticated as these synths would take resources, and it's mind-boggling to me that the Institute wouldn't at least give them some of their plastic armor for extra protection. They may be disposable, but making a high-tech android and sending it into combat with no protection just doesn't make sense, even if the Institute intended it as some kind of field experiment.
After that, it does add some more vanilla possibilities for synth weapons at higher levels, particularly for synth leaders. That includes adding the FO4 Super Sledge as a possible melee weapon in addition to the sad security baton, and also the potential for the Gatling Laser and the Gauss Rifle to appear as a synth weapon at higher levels. These are the most "high tech" options in the base game and I think they make sense for the institute synths to use.
The real fun, though? Bogeyman of the Commonwealth will check your load order for certain mods and, if they are there, will perform leveled list injections to add that gear to synth lists. Check the pictures if you want to understand what some of the possibilities are, but Synths are going to blasting you and slicing you up with suitable high tech nightmares from here on out. The best part is that all of these are soft dependencies. There are no mandatory mods to install here. Choose what you like, leave out what you don't. After all, why wouldn't the Institute be scouring the Wasteland beyond the Commonwealth for the latest high tech advances. Could they have made it to Big MT? Could they have paid any price to procure Zetan tech from the Capital Wasteland after the Mothership Zeta incident? Could they have had spies in the Brotherhood to copy their Tesla Cannon technology? I would think so, and that's why it's all here. Power Armor users should be especially wary, as the Institute has been preparing for a conflict with the Brotherhood for a long time. It also adds a new set of higher-level synths to the list of synths for high level players that are even more likely to be better armed.
Are these new heavily armed synths beatable? Of course. I didn't just create another mod full of bullet sponges. That's no fun for anyone, though I did boost their stats a little and actually give them armor. What I did do is mostly increase their offensive power. Taking them on will be tricky, unpredictable, and will require some more tactical thinking, but with higher risk comes higher reward as they will have tons of sweet, high-tech gear.
Mods Directly Supported - The New Synth/Institute Armory
The following mods and Creation Club content are directly supported and will be added to the leveled lists used by Synths in this mod if you have them in your load order. All mods and Creation Club content are optional, so install what you like -
- Alien Assault Rifle - by henkspamadres - Added to Institute Laser Lists and Boss lists
- Institute Sword - by Mr. Mobius - Added to Synth Weapons (will only appear in most basic form)
- Institute Turboplasma Rifle - by Scail - Added to Institute Laser Lists and Boss lists
- Advanced Plasma Pistol - by jkruse05 - Added to Institute Laser Lists
- Gravity Fist - by MikeMoore - Added to Synth melee weapons
- CROSS Blades - by Niero - Laser Sword and Plasma Katana added to Synth melee weapons
- Proton Axe - by Radbeetle - Electron, Proton, and Neutron axes added to Synth melee weapons.
- Heavy Institute Armor Corpus Praesidium - by Scail - Courser armor added as possibility for coursers to spawn with
- CROSS Courser Strigidae - by Niero - Added as a possibility for coursers to spawn with
- LAER - by TheRizzler - Additional leveled list injections into Institute laser lists made beyond the ones from this mod to make it a more common weapon. Tesla baton also added to synth melee weapons, but will be a rare weapon.
- Rheinmetall EG-7 Energiegewehr - by Utherien (Optional File) - Keeps EG-7 as an Institute Laser Gun replacer, but also adds the other supported weapons.
- X12 Plasmacaster - by Utherien - Added to additional lnstitute laser lists beyond just Synth Leaders. Will still be relatively rare.
- CROSS_Cryolance - by Niero - Added to Institute lasers. This one is especially dangerous.
- Courser Crusher - by Trainwiz and Niero - V3N Courser Biorifle added to Institute laser lists. Another very dangerous one.
- Creation Club Solar Cannon - Solar Cannon added to Institute Laser Lists
- Creation Club Tesla Cannon - Tesla Cannon added to Synth Leader/Boss lists and rare possibility for Institute Lasers.
- Creation Club Zetan Arsenal - Atomizer pistol and Disintegrator rifle added to Synth Leader/Boss lists and rare possibility for Institute Lasers. Alien Shock Baton added to Synth melee weapons.
What Mods Are Required Then?
The only hard dependencies Bogeyman of the Commonwealth has is Workshop Framework. All of the above supported mods are optional. Install what you want. Or don't. If you have them installed, Bogeyman will use them. If not, it won't. Simple as that. It needs Workshop Framework to run its scripting magic.
But HOW?
Magic scripts from 1000101. I don't know how he does what he does, but he gifted unto me these scripts, and they manage the injections without use of hard dependencies. Without him, this mod would have been unpossible. Also made use of the actor Leveled List injection from A Blind Man's Leveled List Injection Toolbox - an invaluable modder's resource that allowed me to inject some higher level synths to the list and is generally the cat's pajamas.
Load Order Note -
For this mod to work you will need to load it after mods such as EG-7 or other mods that directly change the leveled item lists for Institute Laser Guns directly. That includes any Institute Laser replacers. Due to the way those mods often work, the replacers often limit the leveled list to be only the weapon it is replacing the institute laser with, and that could lead to all of the other injections this mod makes being blocked, not used, or used in a way that is not my intent. So if you want to use a mod like EG-7 (I use it!) then simply load this mod after it as it creates an override to the Institute Laser leveled lists that effectively restores it to its vanilla state and allows the injections to work properly.
Second, and I mention this below in the FAQ, if you want to use a C.A.S.T. - Synth Overhaul, you can but you will want to load it AFTER this mod. This mod makes changes to the armor lists that will overrule C.A.S.T. so if you want to see those nifty armors, you will want C.A.S.T. to win that conflict. You can also use the Optional File Patch file to ensure that the synth use the C.A.S.T. Armor sets to make it so load order questions are easier to deal with. They should already, but this guarantees it. You will also see many more Institute Lasers than the other weapons with C.A.S.T. unless you select the "No Weapons" option, which I explain below in the FAQ.
Modlist of Other Recommended and Compatible Mods to Enhance the Experience and Challenge
- Courser Crusher - by Trainwiz and Niero - I know I already mentioned it above as a mod supported because of that amazing biorifle that's a truly unique weapon for FO4, but you should also be downloading this just because of how much it beefs up Coursers. Coursers are supposed to be terrifying. This mod makes that more the case.
- Fusion Gun - by FalloutSuite AND Fusion Gun Institute Laser Gun Replaser - by 4estGimp - You really need to download both to get the desired effect, otherwise the Fusion Gun will not appear in the synth lists. This is a great and compatible option for any of you mad that I left the regular Institute Laser Guns in the leveled lists as a possibility. There is an option here to replace them with the Fusion Gun, which is much more fun and dangerous and compatible with all the other leveled list injections in this mod. Personally, I choose the "Peer" option where I get to keep them both, because as you can tell I like a lot of variety.
- CROSS Institute Expeditionary Suit and CROSS Courser Strigidae by Niero, plus CROSS Armor Integration by DankRafft - Can you tell I like Niero's work? Both of the mods on their own add interesting possibilities to the Institute in general, but DankRafft's integration mod uses them to give the whole faction a bit of a makeover that makes them look more sleek and threatening.
- Institute Power Armor by M150 and Power Armor to the People by Skiesbleed - This was a very interesting set developed by M150 and Power Armor to the People uses it to spawn Synths in Institute Power Armor to fight you (it does other things you should really check out too, but for purposes of this list it adds another potential interesting enemy to the Institute faction). If you like the Institute Power Armor you should also check out M150's Institute Power Armor HD Retexture by dpillari as it gives it a more worn and "immersive" kind of look.
- Solar Cannon Rifle Mobile Infantry Edition by The Hexi OR Heavy Solar Cannon by Bridges85 - This is less Institute-related but since the Solar Cannon is utilized by this mod, if you have it I highly suggest using one of these mods as both increase the usefulness of the weapon in different ways. If you opt for the Mobile Infantry version, then the Synths using it will be formidable. If you use the Heavy version, you'll be getting hit with a lot of radiation which is a different kind of threat and potentially have something else you can use for the Heavy Gunner perk.
- CROSS Cryolance Uses Cryo Ammo - by Bridges85 - This is a personal taste thing. The CROSS Cryolance is really awesome as a weapon but also kind of OP. This makes it more reasonable by making it use the rarer cryo ammo instead of the abundant fusion cells. However, with a bunch of synths carrying cryolances, you should be able to collect plenty more so it does have nice synergies with this mod.
FAQ
Q1. Do I have to have all those mods you list above installed?
A1. No, you only have to have Workshop Framework. Everything else is supported if you have it, but not used if you don't.
Q2. Does this require Creation Club Content? I hate it as it is proof that Bethesda is the most evil, greedy corporation on Earth.
A2. See A1. No, you do not have to have any Creation Club content. If you have it, it will be used. If you don't, it won't.
Q3. I downloaded and installed the mod and I'm not seeing all the different weapons on the synths. What is happening?
A3. The images above show the full experience, with all of the supported mods installed. You will only see those items if you have at least some of those mods installed. This mod does not package or include any assets from any of those mods and the items won't be injected if you don't have them installed.
Q4. Will you add X, Y, Z weapon/outfit?
A4. Depends, I'll consider it. If it's going to be used by Institute Synths it should be suitably high-tech looking and will also need to be able to be used by those actors. For the most part they use the human animations, so that's many weapons but for some reason they won't use some.
Q5. What about Synth Overhaul - C.A.S.T. by MaaroTakai?
A5. Great mod, glad you asked. You can find a patch in the optional files - simply load it after you load Bogeyman and C.A.S.T. and it will ensure the C.A.S.T. armor sets are used. One issue though - if you use the version that adds the black and white institute lasers, then C.A.S.T. basically adds an extra entry for institute laser guns to the leveled lists. This means you will still see the weapons I'm injecting, but you will see them less frequently and see more institute laser guns. If you don't want that, you can choose the "No Weapons" version of C.A.S.T. when going through its FOMOD installer, then there won't be any issues. If you're fine with seeing a lot more institute laser guns than the these other added weapons, then also cool.
Q6. There are too many Institute laser guns. I hate Institute laser guns. Can you replace them all or make them less frequent?
A6. You have some options here. You can download Rheinmetall EG-7 Energiegewehr and use the patch included in the optional files section. That will use the EG-7 as an Institute Laser Gun replacer, but also open those leveled lists up for the other weapons (for some reason, the EG-7 mod made it so you only get EG-7s. The patch allows for more possibilities). In addition, if you want that, install Fusion Gun - by FalloutSuite AND Fusion Gun Institute Laser Gun Replaser - by 4estGimp as I mentioned above. That achieves the same result and is compatible with this mod.
Q7. I am seeing X weapon too often and Z weapon not often enough. Can you give me options to customize exactly how often and with what frequency I will see each weapon?
A7. LOL, I have no idea how I would even begin going about doing that and if you could figure out it you would be a much more skilled modder than me.
Q8. The synths sometimes don't use their melee weapons. Can you fix that?
A8. I did my best to fix that by making some changes to some of the synth templates in terms of their AI and giving them actual strength stats (they didn't have them before!) and I think I have improved it to where they usually stop grabbing random Raider pipe guns and shooting at you instead when they have a perfectly good Proton Axe or Super Sledge. But they still do this sometimes. Let's all just pretend it's a glitch in their operating system.
Q9. What is a leveled list? You go on and on about them.
A9. Yes, that is modder jargon. It's a list of items in the game that has a random chance of spawning an item from its contents based on a variety of factors (player level, NPC level, encounter zone, etc.) They provide possibilities for randomizing things. Fallout 4, along with most Bethesda games, makes very extensive use of them to make your experience less repetitive.
Q10. Seriously, though, do I have to have Creation Club stuff to play this mod?
A10. See A1 and A2. No you do not. That is your decision and the mod will react accordingly.
Q11. Is it okay to install this mid-playthrough? What about uninstall?
A11. It is okay to install this mid-playthrough. I tested it that way and with a new playthrough and both worked. Mid-playthrough I will just caution that it may take some time for all the injections and changes to the leveled lists to show up in-game. Cells will need to reset, and it could take up to 120 hours. So please be patient if you do that. As to uninstalling - I do not recommend it. Theoretically it should be entirely safe to uninstall as it only performs leveled list injections, but I personally consider uninstalling any mod mid-playthrough to be risky.