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As deep as it is, though, vanilla Kenshi could still be improved, and that’s where mods come in. Whether providing small but vital quality-of-life improvements, restructuring important mechanics, or overhauling the way that NPCs and factions are handled, the best Kenshi mods bring the game even closer to being the ultimate go-to in post-apocalyptic sandbox roleplaying. Here are some mods that no player should ever go without.
Updated on October 8, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: Kenshi is one of the most robust and impressive sandbox games ever made. There’s no central goal in mind, with players being able to do whatever they want in the game… which, at times, will place them in a sticky situation that they need to escape from. Freedom in Kenshi is a double-edged sword, and players need to understand the game and its intricate mechanics to enjoy a playthrough where their player character actually manages to attain some form of success in Kenshi.
The sheer number of things players can do in the base game is simply mind-boggling. However, there are some people who want complete control over each and every facet of this title, and this can be achieved through the use of mods. Kenshi is a title that has been graced with an active modding community, and here are some of the best mods for this title that help elevate the overall experience.
10 Less Foliage And Rocks
Kenshi is a pretty accessible game that can run on many systems. However, due to the load this game takes on a system with its massive map and assets, there’s only a matter of time before the FPS of this game ends up taking a substantial hit. This can prove to be quite a hindrance for many players who want to immerse themselves in this amazing title without being held up by its technical problems and hitches.
This is where mods like Less Foliage and Rocks prove to be a massive help. There are levels to this mod that remove the total foliage and rock cover that is scattered across the world, significantly boosting performance on several systems. Players who just want to interact with the mechanics of this game smoothly without worrying too much about its visual fidelity need to look no further than this great mod.
9 Stackable Items
Items don’t really stack in Kenshi unless players manage to procure a trader’s backpack. This can make hoarding materials early on prove to be a massive pain, so it was only a matter of time before a mod would come to address these issues. This appears in the form of Stackable Items, which is a pretty great quality-of-life mod that reduces a lot of headaches players might have with the lack of in-built stacking in the game.
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That being said, players should keep in mind that job automation can get messed up with this mod since workers will have to gather 1000 units of a particular item before shipping it off to storage. To prevent this, players can manually set the stack limit to something more manageable like 50 instead.
8 Dark UI
The first mod deserving of serious attention doesn’t magically renovate the world, radically change factions, or make all-out war the order of the day. The Dark UI mod offers a simple quality-of-life change, but it’s an incredibly important one, addressing a common complaint: the default UI is too bright.
Making things more legible and easier for the player to navigate is a small but critical change, and it’s one that most players will immediately be thankful for. Even if mods aren’t normally a player’s go-to, it’s hard to argue with something that makes the basic gameplay experience a bit less painful and a bit more welcoming, even if it doesn’t give the player a house full of robotic turrets.
7 Faction Caravans
Given the post-apocalyptic desert setting, caravans between cities and outposts make a great deal of sense, bringing supplies and other aid to otherwise isolated communities. The Faction Caravans mod expands upon the base game’s premise of traveling traders by making faction-specific caravans.
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They do more than just ferry good between communities, however: they make the world deeper by building upon the existing faction lore and personalities. In brief, the caravans behave believably, according to their personal quirks. The Trader’s Guild brings supplies for trade. The Holy Nations discriminate against non-humans. Every interaction deepens the world of Kenshi that much more.
6 Peeler Machine
Exactly how useful the peeler machine is will depend on how upsetting the player is willing to be. If the answer is “very,” the Peeler Machine mod can become an indispensable part of the player’s game. By feeding bodies into the machine, the player can remove and reuse their dismembered limbs.
Gross? Absolutely. But this disturbing process allows the player to mix and match the body parts of their characters. More importantly, it allows the replacement of limbs that have been severed, an unfortunately common occurrence in this brutal desert world in which healing sometimes isn’t enough. Though mechanical replacements can already be purchased at stores in the base game, the peeler machine allows for even more reliable replacements.
5 In-Game Biome Map
The map available in Kenshi’s base game is mostly fine: it’s large, fairly detailed, and does a good job of at least pointing out major cities and helping the player navigate. There’s one major feature that’s lacking in the default map, however: a detailed breakdown of the world’s different biomes. That’s where the In-Game Biome Map mod can come in handy.
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By applying different colors to each biome in order to differentiate them, the biome map clearly indicates which areas are better than others when it comes time to travel. This feature is even more important when the time comes to build a base of one’s own, enabling the player to find a build site that will provide the resources they need to create a thriving community that’s capable of surviving the game’s harsh conditions.
4 Interesting Recruits
It’s entirely possible to play the game by oneself, never bringing any other party members on board and instead choosing to face the dangers and challenges of the desert alone. The Wanderer Beginning starts the game that way, after all, and some players prefer it.
Most, however, will eventually want a companion or two at their side, and recruits are the best way of rounding out the roster. Unfortunately, most recruits in the vanilla game are rather bland, bringing little or nothing original to the table. The Interesting Recruits mod helps to remedy this by adding over two dozen unique recruits, each with their own compelling backstories and dialog.
3 Populated Cities
How many people would one expect to see wandering around a Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic desert world? Not many. Yet, even by that standard, vanilla Kenshi can feel a little barren at times, with cities and trading hubs feeling far too desolate. The Populated Cities mod creates a better balance of habitation, but it also provides several other notable changes.
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One of the biggest changes that the Populated Cities mod brings with it is the addition of NPC schedules, making the world feel deeper and more lifelike by giving its characters something to actually do. With this mod, characters will also make their way to the player’s store to buy from them, breathing new life into an otherwise underutilized mechanic.
2 256 Recruit and Squad
An important part of gaining strength and self-sufficiency in Kenshi is hiring new companions so that one has additional help, whether that be in mining, farming, or fighting for one’s life. In vanilla Kenshi, the number of characters in the player’s squad is capped at 30. The 256 Recruit and Squad mod raises the recruitment cap to exactly that much and increases squad limits from five to 30.
While this radical increase may seem like overkill, it isn’t game-breaking in the way that one might expect. Indeed, only by using the 256 Recruit and Squad mod can the player see certain playstyles become a reality, whether building an army, establishing a mining colony, or starting one’s own city.
1 Reactive World
To say that the Reactive World mod makes the world of Kenshi more reactive is true, but what does that actually look like in practice? Cannibal tribes vying for power, battling to the death until only one tribe remains to rule over the ashes. Hives descending upon the world in a frenzied horde to retrieve their kidnapped queen. Dust bandits launching a civil war to determine their new king if the old one is killed.
The Reactive World mod makes Kenshi more responsive to what the player does or doesn’t do, adding additional immersion and choice to a game that’s already overflowing with both. For the unpredictability and replay value that this mod offers, it stands tall amongst the very best mods in Kenshi.
Kenshi is available on PC.
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