Fallout 3 Mods

Several modding roundups have become available for Fallout 3, just in case you'd rather expand the game for free rather than buy the DLC. Fallout 3 Nexus now offers overall top 50 and monthly best lists. Hellforge offers an editorial listing 50 recommendations. The top 3:
#1: Enclave Commander
Enclave Commander started off as a simple mod. At the very beginning all you could pretty much do was call in Vertibirds and unload friendly Enclave soldiers that would follow you around and shoot anything that was either hostile to you or was hostile to the Enclave faction. However, the mod has vastly evolved since then, allowing you to call in different types of ground troops, including robots, as well as offering the option to have a Vertibird and pick you up to a predetermined save location of your choosing. You can now give your soldiers orders, take prisoners, and call in air strikes of different varieties. Oh, and you're no longer limited to just the Enclave as well; you can call in Brotherhood of Steel buddies, as well as Outcasts and now even Chinese soldiers. Check out the page for videos of the mod in action.

#2: Weapon Mod Kits
What it says on the tin. Weapon Mod Kits allows you to have fun with your weapon, giving it a true identity distinguishable from the hundreds of other replicas you pick up to repair it with. Tired of having to reload too frequently or wishing that assault rifle had a scope on it? Your wish is your command--as long as your repair skill is high enough. This mod also takes off the magic ability for every .44 to have a scope on it already, as well as adding a non-unique version of the Lincoln Repeater as a new weapon.

#3: Free Play after MQ
Why wait until March to buy Bethesda's fix up of a terrible ending when you can get the alternative today and now for free? Free Play after MQ does exactly what you think it does. Now you can actually go into the rotunda, insert the code, and be able to step back out of the airlock to continue to play the game (or the other way; send Lyons to her death). Right now it's nothing fancy; just a simple way to continue to play the game after the main quest is over.