Fallout 3 Quest Mods Review #84 by TrickyTrack00
Mod Name: Battle Hardened
Mod Type: Quest/Location
Original Creator: Wade248
Original Links: Battle Hardened
Another arena type new content in Fallout 3 modding landscape with several interesting gimmicks.
You can find at least 3 similar combat-oriented mods which tried to implement some kind of new battle arena for players. But, after trying them all, I think "Battle Hardened" gets the job done in the best way possible in this department (aside from some minor inconveniences which I will explain later in this review).
The main premise of concept behind this mod works great when you stripped from your favourite gear and I can fully test your build and skills within a circle of new challenging battles.
Major plus for implementing actual "different points per different kill type" system which gives you an opportunity to use very different options in a range of available weapons. Of course it's going to be an easy ride for a fully leveled up character who has many "modded" perks for additional health points and damage resistance buffs. But if you were only using vanilla perks and vanilla level up system, Battle Hardened can be an unusual challenge for you.
By defeating wave upon wave of enemies, you earn "battle" caps which can be spend on new gear, optional turrets and even companions who will help you dealing with your opponents in the next round of this arena. For the most patient players there is an optional objective to "catch" 25 little teddy bears in order to earn extra caps and unlock new perk.
After few stages in the beginning, every battle became more intense and (in some cases) even chaotic. And as a main final reward for your struggles, you will get an opportunity to meet new faction which created this underground arena. To complete main content of this mod you will need at least 1,5 hours of your life (and don't forget to use quick save!).
As a side content you can also do repeatable fetch quest by bringing Deathclaw Hands and Molerat Meat to the leader of this group. Also you can check your progress and kill/caps statistics in one of the terminals within new location.
But for my roleplaying reasons I decided to eliminate this group of freaks entirely.
From the technical side of things, I encountered only one CtD after another Enclave soldiers wave when the game just couldn't handle so many particles, explosions and action simultaneously. Aside from that, no bugs or game-breaking moments were encountered in my playthrough, everything worked well. And, yes, I should warn you that some elements in this mod clearly aren't very lore-friendly (just a little warning for those of you who want to have 100% immersive lore-friendly playthrough).
So, should you try this mod in 2024? Yes, if you want to challenge yourself and really have a desire to mindlessly shoot/punch another pack of enemies with restricted conditions of the arena.
Endorsement from me and thanks to original creator for bringing more fun with his project.
