The Ultimate Guide to Removing Creation Club Mods from Fallout 4
Fallout 4 Uninstall Creation Club Mods
Fallout 4 is a great game that offers a lot of content and customization options for players. However, some players may not be satisfied with the official DLCs and may want to try out some of the creation club mods that Bethesda offers. Creation club mods are additional content that you can purchase with credits and download directly from the game menu. They are supposed to be compatible with the main game and official add-ons, but they may not work well with other mods or may cause performance issues, bugs, or crashes.
fallout 4 uninstall creation club mods
If you are one of those players who regret buying or downloading some of the creation club mods and want to get rid of them, you may be wondering how to do it. Unlike regular mods that you can install and uninstall with a mod manager or manually, creation club mods are more tricky to remove. They are stored in a different location and have different file extensions. They also tend to reinstall themselves every time you launch the game or update it.
In this article, we will show you how to uninstall creation club mods from Fallout 4, both manually and with a mod manager. We will also give you some tips on how to prevent them from reinstalling and how to restore your game to its vanilla state if you want to start fresh. Let's get started!
How to uninstall creation club mods manually
The first method we will cover is how to uninstall creation club mods manually. This means that you will have to locate the files in your game folder and delete them yourself. This may sound simple, but it can be tedious and risky if you don't know what you are doing. You may end up deleting something important or breaking your game. Therefore, we recommend that you backup your game folder before proceeding and follow these steps carefully:
Open your Fallout 4 game folder. The default location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Fallout 4.
Open the Data folder. This is where all your mods and DLCs are stored.
Look for files that have the .esl or .esm extension and start with "cc". These are the creation club mods. For example, ccBGSFO4001-PipBoy(Black).esl or ccFSVFO4002-MidCenturyModern.esm.
Select the files that correspond to the creation club mods that you want to uninstall and delete them. You can also move them to another folder if you want to keep them for later.
Close the Data folder and open the Fallout4.ini file in your game folder. You can use Notepad or any text editor to open it.
Look for the line that says sResourceDataDirsFinal=STRINGS\ under the [Archive] section.
Add this line below it: bInvalidateOlderFiles=1
Save and close the Fallout4.ini file.
Launch your game and check if the creation club mods are gone.
How to uninstall creation club mods with a mod manager
The second method we will cover is how to uninstall creation club mods with a mod manager. A mod manager is a tool that helps you install, uninstall, and manage your mods easily. There are many mod managers available for Fallout 4, but we will focus on two of the most popular ones: Vortex and Mod Organizer 2. Both of them can handle creation club mods as well as regular mods, but they have different features and interfaces. Here is how to use each of them:
Vortex
Vortex is a mod manager developed by Nexus Mods, the largest online platform for modding games. It is designed to be simple, intuitive, and user-friendly. It also has some advanced features such as load order management, conflict resolution, profiles, and plugins. Here is how to use Vortex to uninstall creation club mods:
Download and install Vortex from here.
Launch Vortex and let it scan your games. It should detect Fallout 4 automatically.
Go to the Mods tab on the left panel. You should see all your installed mods, including the creation club ones.
Select the creation club mods that you want to uninstall and click on the red X icon on the top right corner.
Vortex will ask you if you want to delete or disable the mod files. Choose delete if you want to remove them completely or disable if you want to keep them for later.
Vortex will also ask you if you want to deploy your changes. Click yes if you want to apply them immediately or no if you want to do it later.
Launch your game and check if the creation club mods are gone.
Mod Organizer 2
Mod Organizer 2 is another mod manager that is widely used by Fallout 4 modders. It is more complex and powerful than Vortex, but also more difficult to use for beginners. It has some unique features such as virtual file system, multiple profiles, overwrite folder, and plugin hiding. Here is how to use Mod Organizer 2 to uninstall creation club mods:
Download and install Mod Organizer 2 from here.
Launch Mod Organizer 2 and select Fallout 4 as your game.
Go to the Downloads tab on the right panel. You should see all your downloaded mods, including the creation club ones.
Select the creation club mods that you want to uninstall and right-click on them.
Choose Delete from Disk if you want to remove them completely or Disable if you want to keep them for later.
Go to the Plugins tab on the right panel. You should see all your active plugins, including the creation club ones.
Select the creation club plugins that you want to deactivate and uncheck them.
You can also right-click on them and choose Hide if you don't want them to show up in your load order.
Launch your game through Mod Organizer 2 and check if the creation club mods are gone.
How to prevent creation club mods from reinstalling
One of the annoying things about creation club mods is that they tend to reinstall themselves every time you launch or update your game. This means that even if you uninstall them manually or with a mod manager, they may come back later without your consent. This can be frustrating and wasteful of your disk space and bandwidth. Fortunately, there are some ways to prevent this from happening:
The easiest way is to disable automatic updates for Fallout 4 in Steam. To do this, go to your Steam library, right-click on Fallout 4, choose Properties, go to Updates tab, and select Only update this game when I launch it under Automatic updates section. This way, Steam will not download any updates or creation club content unless you launch Fallout 4 through Steam.
The downside of this method is that you will miss out on any bug fixes or improvements that Bethesda may release for Fallout 4 in future updates. Therefore, another way is to block Steam from accessing certain URLs that are related to creation club content delivery. To do this, you need to edit your hosts file, which is a text file that maps hostnames to IP addresses. You can find your hosts file in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts. You need to open it with Notepad or any text editor as administrator and add these lines at the end:
127.0.0.1 cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com 127.0.0.1 cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com 127.0.0.1 media.steampowered.com 127.0.0.1 content-origin.steampowered.com
These are some of the URLs that Steam uses to deliver creation club content. By redirecting them to your localhost, you will block them from accessing the Internet.
Save and close the hosts file.
The downside of this method is that you may also block some other features of Steam that rely on these URLs, such as game updates or online multiplayer.
Therefore, another way is to use a firewall to block Steam from accessing the Internet altogether. A firewall is a software or hardware device that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predefined rules. You can use the built-in Windows Firewall or a third-party firewall to create a rule that prevents Steam from connecting to any network.
To do this with Windows Firewall, follow these steps:
Open Control Panel and click on System and Security.
Click on Windows Defender Firewall.
Click on Advanced settings on the left panel.
Click on Outbound rules on the left panel.
Click on New rule on the right panel.
Select Program and click Next.
Browse to your Steam folder and select Steam.exe as the program path. Click Next.
Select Block the connection and click Next.
Select when the rule applies (Domain, Private, Public) and click Next.
Give a name and description for the rule and click Finish.
This will block Steam from accessing any network, including creation club content servers. However, this will also prevent you from playing any online games or using any online features of Steam.
How to restore your game to vanilla state
If you want to start fresh and remove all mods and creation club content from your game, you can restore your game to its vanilla state. This means that your game will be as if you just installed it for the first time, without any modifications or additions. To do this, follow these steps:
Uninstall Fallout 4 from Steam by right-clicking on it in your library and choosing Uninstall.
Delete any remaining files or folders in your Fallout 4 game folder (C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Fallout 4).
Delete any remaining files or folders in your Fallout 4 appdata folder (C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\Fallout4).
Delete any remaining files or folders in your Fallout 4 documents folder (C:\Users\YourUserName\Documents\My Games\Fallout4).
Reinstall Fallout 4 from Steam by clicking on Install in your library.
This will give you a clean slate to start modding again or playing vanilla.
Conclusion
In this article, we have shown you how to uninstall creation club mods from Fallout 4, both manually and with a mod manager. We have also given you some tips on how to prevent them from reinstalling and how to restore your game to its vanilla state if you want to start fresh. We hope that this article has been helpful and informative for you.
Creation club mods can be a great way to enhance your Fallout 4 experience with new items, abilities, and gameplay. However, they can also cause problems with compatibility, performance, bugs, or crashes. If you are not happy with some of the creation club mods that you have purchased or downloaded, you can uninstall them using the methods we have described above. Just be careful not to delete anything important or break your game in the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I get a refund for creation club mods that I don't want?
A: No, unfortunately Bethesda does not offer refunds for creation club mods once they are purchased or downloaded. You can only uninstall them from your game.
Q: Can I use both creation club mods and regular mods together?
A: Yes, you can use both types of mods together, but you may encounter some compatibility issues or conflicts between them. You may need to use a mod manager or a patcher to resolve them.
Q: Are creation club mods safe and secure?
A: Creation club mods are supposed to be safe and secure, as they are curated and tested by Bethesda before being released. However, they may still have some bugs or glitches that may affect your game. You should always backup your game before installing any mods.
Q: Are creation club mods worth it?
A: That depends on your personal preference and budget. Some creation club mods are more expensive than others, and some may offer more value than others. You should read the reviews and descriptions of each mod before buying or downloading them.
Q: How can I get more credits for creation club mods?
A: You can get more credits for creation club mods by purchasing them with real money through Steam or Bethesda.net. You can also earn some credits by completing achievements or quests in Fallout 4.