I’m new to modding weapon models in Fallout 76 and I need some help. I extracted a mod’s .ba2 file using B.A.E. to tweak the model’s appearance, then edited the meshes with Outfit Studio (since Blender wasn’t working for me). The model looks fine in Nifskope with the original mod structure, but after I convert everything back into a .ba2 archive using Archive2, the file seems empty when opened with B.A.E. and the game doesn’t recognize any changes after I add the file to the Fallout 76 data folder. Am I missing a key step in converting back to .ba2? Could it be because I used Outfit Studio or because Archive2 saved with an incompatible version? Or did I just create some floating files that aren’t a proper mod? I feel pretty lost and would appreciate any guidance on the right workflow for repacking weapon meshes into working mod archives.
3 Answers
After you’ve created the .ba2 file and placed it in the Fallout 76 data folder, you need to tell the game to load your mod archive. To do this, go to Documents > My Games > Fallout 76 and make a copy of either Fallout76.ini or Fallout76Prefs.ini. Rename the copy to Fallout76Custom.ini and open it with a text editor. Clear its content and add:
[Archive]
sResourceArchive2List=YourModFileName.ba2
Make sure the filename matches exactly (including the .ba2 extension) and save it. This setup tells the game to look for your mod archive and load its assets.
It sounds like your main issue might be the version of the .ba2 file you’re creating. Fallout 76 uses an older archive version (like 1), but Archive2 tends to save using newer headers (like 7 or 8). B.A.E. might not recognize those newer versions, so the archive appears empty. To fix this, try using an older version of Archive2 or use a tool like DoubleYou’s BA2 Archive Version Patcher to convert your .ba2 file back to version 1. When your .ba2 shows the mesh paths correctly in B.A.E., it means it’s properly structured and the game should load it.
Using Outfit Studio for editing meshes is fine; the key is ensuring the folder structure inside the .ba2 matches what the game expects. When you’re packing with Archive2, add the entire folder structure (including meshes, textures, etc.) so that the paths inside the archive point correctly to your files. If you just pack loose files without folders, the game won’t find your models. Also, always check your newly packed .ba2 with B.A.E. to confirm the correct folder paths are present before testing in-game.
Thanks! I actually tried that patcher and it worked perfectly, now the .ba2 file shows the paths as expected. Really appreciate the tip!