There’s an old saying that goes “Deus Ex. Every time you mention it, someone will reinstall it.” Couldn’t be me, I always keep it installed. I might reinstall it sometimes when messing with mods though. While not as active as the Doom, Quake or Half-Life communities, Deus Ex has its own dedicated community of mod developers. The barrier of entry is obviously higher since the modding tools are not nearly as modern, and the knowledge is getting lost behind decaying websites as well as link rot. This, however, doesn’t discourage the fans from working on their vision.
Obviously there’s more to Deus Ex modding than these five projects. There are plenty of campaign and gameplay mods to choose from. I’d like to highlight some of the fan-works that I find interesting and encourage you to explore the scene on your own if you any of my picks interest you.
#5: Deus Ex: Transcended / Revision
Revision is one of the most well known Deus Ex mod out there. The team behind it, Caustic Creative, set out to remake all of the maps from the original game. While it ended up being somewhat divisive within the community, it was featured on Steam and GOG and it was undeniably the most hassle-free way to get the game working on the current machines.
After the launch, Revision got constant updates many quality of life changes. At some point it allowed you to play the mod with the vanilla maps. While I didn't like the remade maps, once you tweak a few options in the settings I can recommend Revision to someone who doesn't really want to bother with installing renderers, launchers or other patches just to play the game.
If you don't mind installing mods though, then I'd recommend getting Deus Ex: Transcended. It was created by Revision's maintainer Hawkbird. It backports Revision's code fixes and QoL features back to the original game with additional map fixes that you will not get if you play Revision with vanilla maps.
#4: HX
Did you know Deus Ex has a multiplayer mode? It was released as a free update which added free-for-all and team-deathmatch modes. It was never particularly popular but it has its own dedicated playerbase. I recommend checking out some recorded matches because the game is surprisingly fast and intense at the high-level play.
In any case, the multiplayer mode was focused on deathmatch and didn't feature any ways to play the original singleplayer maps in co-op. That was until 2018 when a modder called Hanfling released the first builds of HX to the public, which makes coop playthroughs possible. It is clearly unfinished but it works! It doesn't feature any way to save the game, so you'll either have to finish the whole game in one go or leave the server and hope nobody else plays on it. Or you could host the server yourself since the server files are included with the mod. Definitely something that I'd recommend only to people who are already familiar with the game, but it is a great time nonetheless.
#3: Deus Ex Randomizer
Randomizers are mods that change various aspects of the game every time you start a new run. In the case of Deus Ex, this includes damage values, changes to skills and augs, item and NPC locations, and more. It is highly customizable and has additional goal-oriented game modes, like a bingo game or a WarioWare inspired mode. It is highly compatible with other gameplay mods, like the afromentioned Revision, Transcended, HX and more.
The mod as a whole has its own set of QoL features and balance changes. Since the randomizer parts can be turned off, it can be used as an alternative to Revision/Transcended as a bugfix mod. It also includes optional mirrored maps and a female JC mod. The most surprising part is the online support. If you opt in, you can see other player's deaths marked on the map. Plus, if you are a streamer you can connect it to Crowd Control and let your viewers control the game.
#2: Burden of 80 Proof
Burden of 80 Proof is a total convertion mod with a more lighthearted, comedic tone than the original Deus Ex. It completely drops the cyberpunk setting and the playable character is a standard office worker. You don't have any augmentations, and instead of getting Infolink messages you receive phone calls. Your objective? Survive your office shift and get the booze for a party. The whole experience isn't very long, I finished it in two or three hours. However, making it longer would cause it to overstay its welcome. The game still features the "multiple approaches" of the base game on a smaller scale. The soundtrack is made of various mod files, and if you're familiar with the name Skaven you might recognize some of the tracks. It's a good time overall.
#1: The Nameless Mod
The Nameless Mod is a total conversion mod about being on the internet in mid 00's. It's set in a virtual internet world in which websites and forums are actual 3D spaces. A forum moderator is kidnapped and the forum in on the verge of collapsing. You play as Trestkon, a forum regular that took a long break from the internet. You're now asked for help with finding the missing moderator and figuring out who kidnapped him and why. But just because you're asked for help, that doesn't mean you have to take the job.
The premise is silly and the game commits to it. You'll find fanfic book shops with a clerk that will gladly educate you on Deus Ex lore if you want to. There are two competing cults that are born out of offtopic shitposting. Almost every NPC was based on an actual forum poster. Some find it offputting and in-jokey, yet I can't help but love it. As someone who was never a part of these communities, it still felt very familiar to my forum experiences and the game's setting was easy to understand.
This mod honestly deserves its own article but I can tell you now that The Nameless Mod is a great love letter from the fans. You should definitely play it.
