We’ve got a wide variety of mods to talk about today - both for software and hardware.
The Elden Ring randomiser was back in the news this week, as a player makes a surprising discovery. We also have a Skyrim mod that’s so impressive, you might not be able to run it. All of that and more feature’s in this week’s mod news round-up.
Valve Engineer Says "Please Don't" Mod Your Steam Deck SSD
Not the usual kind of modding we talk about, but still an important story from the past week. Valve is warning Steam Deck owners against modding their consoles, saying that this could “significantly shorten” its lifespan. This comes after a modder did just that, and upgraded the Deck’s SSD. While it works fine, for now, Valve insists that the Deck is not made to be upgraded by users, unlike other consoles, and this will likely damage the device.
Elden Ring Randomiser Mod Uncovers Invisible Boss
Elden Ring bosses are hard, but there’s always hope - you just have to memorize their attack patterns. So how on earth do you accomplish this when the creature is invisible? YouTuber MythyMoo was faced with this very challenge, coming across an invisible Bell Bearing Hunter while playing around with an Elden Ring randomiser mod. MythyMoo actually did manage to take one out, but was felled but its friend.
Someone Has Already Modded Final Fantasy 16-Inspired Moves Into Kingdom Hearts 3
Square Enix is known for keeping its fans waiting while it fine-tunes its big projects. But if you just can’t wait for Final Fantasy 16, then this Kingdom Hearts 3 mod might be exactly what you’re looking for. Modder and YouTuber TruebladeSeeker has changed Sora’s entire moveset, making it resemble Clive's from the Final Fantasy 16 trailer. That’s right - you can basically play as a character from a game that isn’t even out yet. Square fans are a passionate bunch.
Cyberpunk 2077 Mod Brings Back The E3 Demo Visuals
Cyberpunk 2077 looked very different in its E3 demos. Usually when discussing this, fans point to cut features and improved performance - things that weren’t found when it launched back in 2020. But thanks to one modder, we can recreate one aspect of the old footage - its moodier, more grounded visuals. With the mod, the lighting comes across as a lot more realistic, with more dramatic shadows and a more consistent colour pallet. It’s the perfect way to get your dystopian fix, far from the blinding light of vanilla Night City.
Skyrim Mod Offers 16K Dragon Textures If You Have A PC Powered By The Sun
Skyrim has thousands of mods for players of all tastes and hardware capabilities. However, it’s rare that we come across one this advanced. A modder has given Skyrim 16K dragon textures - which is great if your set-up can run it. Although, given the engine’s limitations, too many mods like this and no set-up will cope.
Modder XilaMonstrr has made the dragons absolutely huge. "With 16K, a dragon wing is 7380x4020px, a head is 3320x2480px, and the entire rear body and legs is only 6080x4580px”, they explain. It looks great - but just make sure your PC won’t explode while you’re playing.