Fallout 4 · Mantella
Settlers who talk back
Mantella brings unscripted dialogue to the Commonwealth: companions with opinions, settlers who remember you. Gaming AI runs the model behind it, so there's no API key to go and find.
What a conversation looks like
Being captured now
Asking a Sanctuary settler what the raider attack was like.
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You
That attack came out of nowhere. You all alright?
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Settler
I... I can still hear the gunfire. Every time I hear a shot, I think they're back.
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You
Did anyone get hurt?
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Settler
Not badly, but that doesn't make it any easier. I watched them tear through our homes like we were nothing.
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You
You think they'll come back?
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Settler
I hope not. I just want to feel safe here again.
We wrote this one for the page. Yours will work the same way. The mod hands over who this settler is, where they are and what just happened. The fear that hasn't worn off, and the fact that they never actually answer whether the raiders are coming back, are the character's own.
You can talk to them two ways: hold a key and speak, or type into a text box. Either way the character answers out loud in their own voice. We don't push one over the other — use whichever you're more comfortable with.
Before and after, in Fallout 4
- Generic settler barks on a loop
- No memory of anything you promised
- The same four lines from every companion
- They reference what actually happened at your settlement
- They hold you to something you said earlier
- Companions have a position, not a soundbite
Everything starts in the app
Installing Mantella is the part that takes an evening, and that's true of any mod. The guide that walks you through it lives inside Gaming AI, four clicks from the home screen. We keep it there so there's one copy and it's always the current one. Mantella needs Windows 10 or 11, and Fallout 4 installed somewhere other than Program Files.
- 1
Install Gaming AI
Get it from the home page. It's free, and you make an account the first time you open it.
- 2
Open Games
It's in the sidebar. Pick Fallout 4 from the list.
- 3
Pick a mod list
Each one is a set of mods we've tested together, Mantella included.
- 4
Open the instructions
First card in the list. That's the full walkthrough, click by click.
The walkthrough assumes you've never opened a mod manager. Load order, prerequisites, every click, and where to paste your details. It covers the things that go wrong as well, which is why they aren't listed on this page.
Stuck partway? The guide in the app covers what usually goes wrong, step by step.
Get Mantella on NexusYou can find out for a dollar
Vigor is spent while you talk. Never per hour, never per month, and it doesn't expire. Idle time, loading screens and walking across the map cost you nothing.
The smallest pack is 99¢. On a budget model that's around 4,000 replies, about 40 for every cent. Pricier models give fewer, and so do games that send a lot with each message, since you choose the model and they don't all cost the same. The bigger packs are better value; this one is there so trying it costs next to nothing.
See Vigor packsFallout 4 questions
If yours isn't here, get in touch.
Which Fallout 4 version do I need?
It works on 1.10.984, the Next-Gen build, and that's the one our guides are written against. Steam has since moved past it, so if you're on 1.11.137 you'll need to roll back before anything else. F4SE and Address Library then have to match that build, and a mismatch there is the usual reason a setup won't launch.
Do I need a microphone?
No. You can hold a key and speak, or type what you want to say into a text box, and either way the NPC answers out loud in their own voice. We don't recommend one over the other — use whichever you're more comfortable with. Plenty of people type because the house is asleep, or because they'd rather not talk to their monitor.
How far does a dollar go?
Around 4,000 replies on a budget model, about 40 for every cent. Pricier models give fewer, and so do games that send a lot with each message, because you pick the model and they don't all cost the same. Vigor is spent on the conversation, what you say and what comes back, and doesn't expire, so nothing is running down while you're in a menu or moving around the map.
Does it work with Fallout 4 VR?
Mantella has a VR build (game version 1.2.72.0) and asks VR users to install the VR-specific Address Library. We haven't tried Gaming AI with FO4 VR ourselves yet, so tell us how you get on.
Why does it need the Creation Kit?
Mantella's Fallout 4 installation guide lists the Creation Kit as mandatory for all versions to make voice generation work. It's free on Steam. You don't have to learn to use it, it just has to be there.
Do I need a good graphics card for this?
No. The model runs on our servers, so Fallout 4 keeps all of your VRAM. That's the main practical difference between using us and running a local model.
Which model is best for Fallout 4?
DeepSeek V4. It's our recommendation for the Commonwealth: dry enough for Fallout's register, and steady over a long session.
Gaming AI is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to any game publisher or mod author. Mantella is made and maintained by third parties, is free, and is not ours. Game and mod names are the trademarks of their respective owners and are used here only to describe compatibility.
Four more games, plus History
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It's where we post updates first, and where players swap the best things their NPCs have said. Ask us anything, and tell us which game we should support next.