It's been a while, so let's shout it from the rooftops again: if you're starting a new game of Fallout 4, you should install the Sim Settlements 2 mod. Not only does it make building and managing settlements a better experience, but it adds a bunch of new characters, lots of quests, and an engaging storyline.

If you are not familiar with this mod, it is a complete overhaul of the vanilla settlement construction system. Instead of doing all the work yourself, you can zone your settlements by purpose, such as residential, commercial, or industrial, much like playing City Builder. And if you like architecture and micromanagement, you can build as much as you want using the mod's overhauled system. It's the best of both worlds.

Basically, the mod does what Preston Garvey should be doing: it makes settlement building not just a chore, but something wonderful and interesting.

Sim Settlements 2's story is divided into chapters, and the third and final chapter has just arrived. As seen in the trailer above, the final chapter is about war, with the defeated Gunners returning with reinforcements and advanced new technology. To prepare for the coming conflict, settlements can be turned into proper military outposts with new building blocks such as armories, watchtowers, prisons, and field sanitariums. They can also recruit more settlers to join the army and build new bases anywhere on the map they want.

And wow, the settlement invasions and battles shown in the trailer look much, much bigger than the skirmishes you encounter in the vanilla version of Fallout 4, or the half dozen filthy marauders who run into the sanctuary and start blasting pipe guns. This is a full-blown war. I know the war hasn't changed, but the Modder certainly makes it more exciting.

Just because this is the last chapter of the story doesn't mean that the mod itself is over. What it does mean is that when you start the game, the world is seeded with random, pre-built settlements (some friendly, some not). In other words, when you start the game, random settlements are pre-built in the world. That sounds good too.

The official Sim Settlements 2 website has everything you need to get started, including download links, installation instructions, a wiki, and a forum.