Fallout 4 and Skyrim players warned: save your mod load order before August 18 patch

Bethesda Game Studios has issued a warning to Fallout 4 and Skyrim players: a new patch focused on "Creations improvements" is scheduled to roll out on August 18. The company advises owners of Fallout 4 to either log into their game save or manually save their mod load order to avoid losing their custom setups.

"Once your load order is saved, you'll be able to re-download your entire Creations list at once when the update is live," the studio wrote in a statement, as reported by Polygon. Creations is Bethesda's integrated marketplace for mods and developer-made content, available in both Fallout 4 and Skyrim.

Bethesda's track record with Fallout 4 patches has been rocky. In 2024, the so-called "next gen" update failed to deliver meaningful improvements but succeeded in breaking a large number of mods. The community's best solution at the time was to use a third-party "Downgrader Tool" to roll back the changes. A year later, Bethesda repeated the pattern on a smaller scale, causing another wave of headaches and frustration among players, ultimately leading to yet another update.

The response to the announcement on social media has been mixed. Some players express gratitude that an 11-year-old game is still receiving active support. Others voice concern about the potential damage this new patch might cause to their modded setups. A third group expresses frustration that Bethesda is spending resources on Fallout 4 instead of focusing on the long-awaited The Elder Scrolls VI.

Although the patch is primarily aimed at Fallout 4, Bethesda confirmed that Skyrim will also receive updates. Details on Skyrim-specific changes remain scarce, but the company recommends that players of both titles take precautions before the August 18 release. The warning is especially relevant for modders who rely on load order configurations to keep their games stable and functional.