Monthly Modder: Degenerate Dak

We love the opportunity to feature the many exciting mods and modders in our community, and that happens to be something this month’s Featured Modder also has experience with.

Though he now has a number of impressive Fallout 4 mods, Degenerate Dak (Nexus) first found his way into modding through featuring the best new Fallout 4 mods on his YouTube channel, which eventually inspired him to crack open the Creation Kit and experiment with making his own mods.

Degenerate Dak goes into his unique background and a lot more in our interview. Though he only began modding two years ago, his connections to the community have been invaluable in both in learning modding and finding the most exciting new mods in the community. Once he began opening up the Creation Kit and understanding the nuts and bolts of the mods he was reviewing, it was only a matter of time until he had a catalog of his own impressive mods to showcase.

Tell us a bit about your history with mods. When did you first start playing with them and how did that interest develop?
My first introduction to mods started with watching older content creators like AlChestbreach doing modding videos for New Vegas. I only started playing with them myself in Fallout 4 when mods came to the xbox. Since then I've been obsessed.

When and why did you start making your own mods?
I was already doing Youtube videos at this point, and I wanted to have more credibility and experience when it came to discussing the mods I showcased. After making friends with many mod authors in the community, I started developing my own projects a little over 2 years ago.

What goes into creating your many YouTube videos featuring Fallout 4 mods?
Lately my videos focus on showing the most current and popular mods as well as progress on my own projects. When it comes to reviewing other creators' mods I crack them open in the CK to make sure I get every detail about the mod correct, but even still I make mistakes. In videos, I try to make sure to cover every feature included in the mod and get footage that shows it off in its best light, while trying to maintain a balance between an informational video and an entertaining one.

How do you make your selections for mods to feature? Do you look for mods like the ones you make or do you prefer to branch out?
Mostly I try to select mods that are current. (Within the last week or so) If there's a large selection of mods I try to select based on objective quality and also keeping the video varied in the types of mods that are showcased. That being said I do also like to go back and find some underrated mods that I think deserved more attention.

What are your favorite modding resources, both for learning modding and finding the best new mods?
I typically use the nexus for finding new mods but I also have a great community on both Youtube and Discord that keep me informed on the latest projects. As for learning how to make mods I mostly rely on the many connections I've made with authors in the community, but there are a handful of good tutorials on Youtube as well.

Lastly, do you have any favorite mods or mod authors you would recommend?
This is a very hard question to answer. There are just too many mods and too many talented authors. What I can say for mods is that if a mod has ever been featured on my channel, it is a mod I think is definitely worth downloading. As for authors, I'd like to use this as an opportunity to shout out a few underrated authors and projects I love; Jkruse05 (Bethesda.net,Nexus,) ShimSham (Nexus,) The6thMessenger (Bethesda.net,Nexus,) CADAVVER (Nexus,) 4estGimp (Nexus,) CSEP (Nexus,) Munitions (Nexus,) & many others. Just because your name isn't on here doesn't mean I don't love you!