The Mod That Wouldn’t Stop Multiplying
Every Fallout 4 modder knows the occasional glitch comes with the territory, but one player recently experienced a malfunction so bizarre it transformed their game into a surreal nightmare. What started as a simple outfit mod error ended up creating an unstoppable army of clone NPCs that took over an entire in-game location.
How a Small Bug Became a Big Problem
The trouble began when the player noticed their “Outfit Replacer” mod wasn’t working as intended. Instead of simply changing character outfits, it started duplicating NPCs every time they entered the Cambridge Police Station. At first it was amusing – two identical scribes arguing about research. Then there were four. Then eight. Within hours, the station had become a hive of identical Brotherhood of Steel members, all repeating the same dialogue lines in eerie unison.
The Science Behind the Glitch
Modding experts analyzing the situation identified several likely causes:
- Script Stack Overload – The mod’s scripts failed to terminate properly
- Reference ID Conflicts – The game couldn’t distinguish between original and replaced NPCs
- Cell Reset Failure – The location didn’t clear memory properly between visits
As one modder explained: “This is why we always say – test your mods in small batches. One bad script can snowball fast.”
Turning Disaster Into Entertainment
Rather than panic, the player leaned into the chaos:
- Created a “Clone Army” faction using console commands
- Documented the growing infestation with screenshots
- Started naming individual clones (“Steve 1” through “Steve 32”)
- Hosted an in-game “Which One is Real?” game with settlers
The Reddit post documenting the phenomenon quickly went viral, with commenters suggesting everything from “Nuke it from orbit” to “This isn’t a bug, it’s a Brotherhood recruitment feature.”
Also, Read
- Fallout 4 Players Just Realized You Can Skip the Prologue—Here’s How
- Fallout 4’s Super Secret Developer Room: What Is It and How to Find It
- Fallout 4: Point Lookout Mod Brings Tons of New Quests and Content
How to Avoid Your Own Clone War
For modders wanting to prevent similar situations:
- Always check for mod updates before reporting bugs
- Use Fallout 4‘s “coc qasmoke” command to test mods in a safe cell
- Keep your load order organized with LOOT
- When in doubt, start a new game to test mods
The player eventually solved their clone crisis by rolling back to an earlier save and reinstalling the mod – but not before creating some truly unforgettable Fallout memories.