Of all the great sandbox games out there, Kenshi achieves the dream of unbridled exploration and freedom better than most. It is up to the player what kind of character they will be in the post-apocalyptic desert: a trader, bandit, merchant, survivalist, slaver, killer, bounty hunter, warlord, or something else entirely. The only real limit on what the player can become is their own imagination, assuming, that is, that the desert doesn't kill them first.
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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. Some mods that no player should ever go without do a great job of making Kenshi feel all the more engaging and unique.
Updated on March 20, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Kenshi is a game that more people need to check out. There's a shortage of video games that go all out in letting players interact with a sandbox in whatever manner they see fit. Kenshi is one such title where a player's goal is whatever they set for themselves, leading to a string of memorable moments as players transform from struggling merchants to powerful leaders. However, this journey isn't smooth, and players will find themselves obliterated by a wealth of threats over and over again until they finally understand how this title works. It can be frustrating, but players with immense patience can appreciate the beauty of this game and engross themselves for hundreds of hours, if not more. If players feel like they're witnessing too many familiar things after investing a lot of hours into this amazing experience, then mods can help live up things quite a bit.
20 Healing Relations
Downloads: 1,689
- Creator: Pei
- Download Link
Healing a random person in Kenshi isn't something that players do all the time. The goodness of their heart doesn't hold a lot of value in a game where most people would just loot their dying bodies instead of trying to give them medical aid. So, if players decide to give a helping hand to a person in their time of need, some form of benefit is always appreciated.
With this mod, players actually have an incentive to waste valuable medical supplies to heal a random stranger on their travels in Kenshi. Said character's faction will positively react to the player character's intervention, which is sensible given the altruistic nature of this act.
19 More Clipping Fixes
Downloads: 1,730
- Creator: SCARaw
- Download Link
Clipping is a problem where two assets merge into each other because of a lack of collision detection, leading to a pair of clothing looking somewhat unrealistic because of this visual glitch. It's a small problem, but something fans can take an issue with if it makes it hard to get immersed in a world because of this visual artifact.
With this simple mod, players can reduce the amount of clipping that occurs in this game substantially. It's not the most complex of mods, but something that should be praised for its inherent simplicity and how most pieces of armor actually look decent on the player when they don't have any conflicts with other pieces of clothing.
18 Emperor Palpatine Replaces Emperor Tengu
Downloads: 1,696
- Creator: Mopsisgone and Kitya
- Download Link
Emperor Tengu is the leader of the United Cities and one of the most popular figures in the game. He also carries with him the strongest katana in Kenshi, with the Meitou Grade quality of this weapon making it clear that he's not someone to be trifled with unless players value their lives. The fact that this character is extremely smug and messes around with the player every step of the way makes him even more of an irritation to deal with.
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It's only fitting that Emperor Palpatine would be a fitting replacement for this character who doesn't waste any time intimidating and marginalizing players just because he can. Only the strongest characters can even think about intimidating him, and even that can be risky if they get on Tengu's bad side and incur his full wrath.
17 LVL 200 Max
Downloads: 13,503
- Creator: oukibt
- Download Link
Maxing out a skill to level 100 in Kenshi is a huge achievement, especially since most players end up being murdered, captured, or worse during their time in the game. Experienced players will start hitting this level cap more often than not, making it easy to see why more freedom to enhance their skills would be welcome.
This is achieved with a simple mod that raises the level cap to 200 for each skill. It may not seem like the most balanced change around, but players who've had their fill of Kenshi's hardcore gameplay won't mind downloading a mod to help themselves enjoy a power fantasy in this title after putting in the required effort.
16 Kenshi Performance Fix
Downloads: 13,503
- Creator: ElgarL and SCARaw
- Download Link
It may not look like it, but Kenshi is a very performance-heavy game, calculating a bunch of metrics to keep its sandbox flowing smoothly. So, it goes without saying that players would appreciate any way to optimize the game's many complicated functions so that it runs as smoothly as possible.
The Kenshi Performance Fix does exactly that, letting players enjoy a relatively smooth experience with the game. This helps immerse players in the setting even more since players avoid any technical glitches as they experience the highs of this game without anything detracting from the experience.
15 Beautiful Kenshi
Downloads: 2,702
- Creator: Belis1453
- Download Link
Kenshi isn't a game anyone would call visually stimulating by any stretch of the imagination. The game doesn't really prioritize graphical excellence, focusing more on its systems and letting players enjoy a vast, desolate world with dangers around every corner.
However, this doesn't mean that players shouldn't want the game to look as good as it possibly can, and this can be achieved with the help of the Beautiful Kenshi mod. It's a pretty self-explanatory mod that enhances the visuals of Kenshi and makes the vast, barren landscapes look hauntingly beautiful in their own way.
14 Better AI And Pathing For NPCs
Downloads: 2,161
- Creator: SCARaw
- Download Link
Any game where players interact with a wealth of NPCs should ideally make the AI feel as engaging as possible to help the world feel more lived-in and believable. While the NPCs in Kenshi certainly get the job done, there's always room for improvement here.
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With this mod, players can make the AI of NPCs more realistic to help players immerse themselves in the world even more. Pathing is also improved, meaning that both allies and enemies won't walk around aimlessly in combat, which is useful for obvious reasons.
13 Recruitable Prisoners
Downloads: 93,754
- Creator: Nanogiraffe and laVal
- Download Link
Players can take prisoners in Kenshi after stripping them of their weapons and keeping them in a cage. This is a great addition to a game full to the brim with so many gameplay mechanics that it truly boggles the mind. Still, some people would have liked a Rimworld-esque mechanic where they could convince a prisoner to join their party, which is notably absent from the base game of Kenshi.
This changes with the advent of the Recruitable Prisoners mod, which allows players to do exactly what the name states. The chances of convincing a prisoner are low, which is quite realistic given that most prisoners wouldn't want to join their captors of their own free will. However, it's still cathartic to see an imprisoned man become a hard-working member of the base after being convinced to join the player's side.
12 Nice Map - Variations
Downloads: 83,463
- Creator: Djeeshka
- Download Link
The world of Kenshi is massive, and players will probably go through multiple playthroughs and days of gameplay before they get a chance to explore every corner of this huge landscape. The in-game map makes things easier to keep track of, but some players expected this map to be of higher quality.
Even for such a simple change, a mod exists that enhances the quality of the world map considerably. If that wasn't enough, this map also comes with several variations, allowing players to choose the one that they fancy the most. It's a small change but is indicative of how great mods are when it comes to optimizing each and every aspect of a game. Kenshi is no exception.
11 TSUKI ReShade
Downloads: 85,133
- Creator: YUNE
- Download Link
Kenshi is a great game, but many people agree that its visuals are definitely not its greatest aspect. Sure, they may be effective at conveying what's happening on screen, but that's about all they manage to achieve. For what it's worth, the world of Kenshi is drab and morose, so it makes sense that the visuals don't pop out that much...but some players would still love to look at a pretty game that they spend hundreds of hours on, which is only fair.
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This is where the TSUKI ReShade mod comes into the picture, which is easily one of the best visual overhauls for the game. All of a sudden, the game's visuals will have depth after installing this, which makes a huge difference for players who are particular when it comes to graphics. The visual fidelity of Kenshi may still not be all that great, but this mod still does a great job of modernizing its look to some extent.
10 Less Foliage And Rocks
Downloads: 117,223
- Creator: Ashlander001
- Download Link
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
Downloads: 109,644
- Creator: Katabug
- Download Link
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 built-in stacking in the game.
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
Downloads: 116,990
- Creator: Eldryn
- Download Link
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
Downloads: 28,595
- Creator: Shidan
- Download Link
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
Downloads: 86,977
- Creator: Vorioth
- Download Link
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
Downloads: 29,870
- Creator: Fanvadar
- Download Link
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.
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 building 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
Downloads: 51,400
- Creator: thedethbot
- Download Link
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
Downloads: 91,463
- Creator: Eagle
- Download Link
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
Downloads: 79,036
- Creator: falloutmon
- Download Link
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
Downloads: 128,547
- Creator: Shidan
- Download Link
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 vie for power, battling to the death until only one tribe remains to rule over the ashes. Hives descend upon the world in a frenzied horde to retrieve their kidnapped queen. Dust bandits launch 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
- Platform(s)
- PC
- Released
- December 6, 2018
- Developer
- Lo-Fi Games
- Genre(s)
- RPG
