INTRODUCTION

Nearly a year ago, we released a blogpost detailing how new players could expand their Arma 3 experience with mods. For over 11 years, Arma 3 has been a major platform for mod developers and content creators, and over 150,000 mods have been uploaded to the Steam Workshop. This could be a daunting amount for our new recruits to search through - so to help, we compiled a list of longstanding mods we believe greatly enhance and expand the sandbox for limitless hours of immersive milsim action.

We then decided to expand on that initial blogpost with a series of themed entries that focus on different types of mods. Written for both new and veteran players alike, these blogposts will hopefully showcase not only mods that you have heard of and have used, but maybe some hidden gems that will give you some new content to try out. The first article in this extended series focused on weapon mods, while the second focused on equipment, the third on aircraft, the fourth on land vehicles, the fifth on boats and ships, the sixth on factions, the seventh on terrains, and the eighth on gameplay mods.

Now, in our final article in this series, we present some total conversion mods that will completely change how you experience Arma 3!

IRON FRONT: ARMA 3

Iron Front: Arma 3 is a massive Second World War mod that features over 15 GB of content. The United States, Germany, the USSR, Great Britain, and other countries are represented with an absolutely vast array of weapons, equipment, and vehicles - ranging from cars, trucks, half-tracks, tanks, artillery, boats, and planes. With the 18 included terrains, you can easily simulate battles from 1940 -1945 on Western and Eastern Fronts, as well as the North African campaign. Built off of content from AWAR's Iron Front: Liberation 1944 and the Invasion 44 Arma 2 mod, IFA3 is the definitive all-in-one total conversion mod for those who wish to experience that era by replaying many of the major events of the war.

Some members of the IFA3 Team went on to found Heavy Ordnance Works, and develop the popular Arma 3 Creator DLC: Spearhead 1944 and its companion mod, SPEX - Spearhead Extended.

To learn more about IFA3 and its development, or to discuss Second World War history with like-minded individuals, visit the mod's official Discord server.

FACES OF WAR

Faces of War is another high-quality Second World War mod for Arma 3. The Pacific Theater is a major focus of Faces of War, with the US Army and Marines, Australian forces, and the Japanese Imperial Navy along with their weapons, equipment, and vehicles depicted with a high degree of detail and accuracy. Also included are a series of high-quality terrains to immerse yourself in the brutal and frightening reality of the Pacific during the Second World War. These include Henderson Airfield, Kokoda Trail, and Tarawa Atoll.

Later updates to Faces of War introduced the Western Front, particularly the Battle of Normandy. British Paratroopers, Commonwealth forces, the German Heer, Fallschirmjäger, and Waffen-SS, as well as a European theater variant of the US Army, were added. An expansion mod was also released, adding a beautifully detailed re-creation of Gold Beach and the surrounding area as a playable terrain to Arma 3.

You can visit the Faces of War's Official Discord server for more information about the mod, although Faces of War has not received any updates since May of 2023.

THE UNSUNG

The Unsung Vietnam War Modification has a strong history, with the original version dating back to ARMA: Cold War Assault (released as Operation Flashpoint). Unsung has had releases for every major Arma title, with Arma 3's being the most ambitious and definitive version of the project. This 16.8 GB total conversion mod for Arma 3 features 12 terrains, 12 factions, 130 weapons, 1000 uniforms, 11 tanks, 20 trucks, 16 jets, 15 helicopters, 20 traps, 20 static weapons, Vietnam era music and radio, an a fantastic, authentic Vietnam War atmosphere, and intense jungle combat.

Over 50 missions are available in the Official Unsung Vietnam Community-made Mission Collection on the Steam Workshop. With the amount of content available between the mod and this mission pack, you will be running through the jungle hunting the enemy for countless hours.

Some members of the talented Unsung team and others went on to found Savage Game Design and develop the highly successful Arma 3 Creator DLC: S.O.G. Prairie Fire. Although the mod has arguably been surpassed by this CDLC as the definite Arma 3 Vietnam War experience, it remains popular among Arma 3 players to this day. A "redux" version of Unsung, which has been developed to be compatible with and augment S.O.G. Prairie Fire, is also available on the Steam Workshop.

You can visit The Unsung Vietnam War Modification website or the mod's official Discord server to learn more.

COLD WAR REARMED 3

Cold War Rearmed III is a community project that recreates the Cold War experience from our very first Arma title - ARMA: Cold War Assault. The team's main focus was keeping the atmosphere from the original game, while taking advantage of a more modern engine and gameplay enhancements. This is the third version of Cold War Rearmed, with the first two being total modifications for Arma and Arma 2, respectively.

Built upon the Community Upgrade Project (CUP) series of mods as a framework, the core CWA mod features updated versions of the American and Soviet factions from the original game. You can expand on this with additional faction expansion mods, featuring the British Armed Forces, Soviet Airborne Forces, Soviet Naval Infantry, the United States Marine Corps, and Tonali Defense Forces.

Once again, you can experience the flashpoint conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States, which spiralled into a shooting war over the Malden island chain. With the CUP - CWA Terrain Pack, the five original ARMA: Cold War Assault terrains are brought to life in Arma 3, and the legendary Cold War Crisis and Resistance campaigns have been recreated in their entirety and are ready to play. A series of CWR2 terrains were also ported to Arma 3 and released on the Steam Workshop for even more locations to conduct operations.

If you crave more Cold War action after completing both campaigns, download the CWR3 Mission Pack for re-creations of classic ARMA: Cold War Assault standalone single player and co-operative scenarios, or check out a community re-creation of the Red Hammer campaign.

VETERAN MOD

VETERAN MOD is a total modification for Arma 3 that includes recreations of real gear, equipment, vehicles, and firearms in a realistic gameplay environment. This mod aims to simulate all aspects and the atmosphere of real combat and make the gameplay as authentic as possible.

VETERAN MOD is currently available to the public through a beta build on the Steam Workshop. This version demonstrates new and reviewed features of the game and the general direction of the mod team's work.

This beta version includes:

• United States Marine Corps and Russian Army factions
• Irregular militia units
• A system for equipping units, which includes body armor, universal transport vests, helmets, hats, and much more
• Extended injuries and first aid systems
• Varied firearms
• Reworked sounds for small arms
• Advanced simulation of fragmentation from hand grenades, RPGs, and HE rounds
• Backblast simulation for RPGs, MANPADS, and handheld ATGMs
• Enhanced weapon sights
• New types of weapon crates
• New animations
• Reworked visual FX

You can follow VETERAN MOD's official X account for future updates to the mod.

OPERATION: TREBUCHET

Operation: TREBUCHET (OPTRE) is a total modification intended to bring the popular Halo universe into the military simulator sandbox that is Arma 3. The mod takes its namesake from the Unified Earth Government's military response to civilian uprisings in the Outer Colonies, also known as the Insurrection. After contact with the Covenant Empire, this major anti-insurgency operation was suspended.

This massive mod features lovingly re-created weapons, equipment, vehicles, objects, and locations from the iconic Halo series in high detail at a scale that is something to behold. The mod was featured in a Halo Waypoint article in 2018, with members of Article 2 Studios being interviewed by Halo Studios to discuss OPTRE.

An expansion for OPTRE was released in 2018. Operation: TREBUCHET - First Contact adds the Covenantto the action. Take them on as a UNSC Marine, Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODST), or a Spartan super soldier and finish the fight.

Join OPTRE's official Discord server to learn more about the mod.

SCION CONFLICT

Scion Conflict is one of the most impressive total conversions made for Arma 3, if not any game ever. Featuring an intricate lore made specifically for this mod that has gone on to become a new series of novels, Scion Conflict is a far future science fiction mod for Arma 3.

Set in the year 2267, the Scion Empire has launched an invasion into the “secessionist” Amalgamate Republic territory, starting what is known as the "Scion Conflict." Featuring new weapons, equipment, vehicles, objects, factions (including aliens), music, and much more - you owe it to yourself to check out Scion Conflict and its awe-inspiring world and scope.

You can download Scion Conflict - Reborn, a rebooted and expanded version of the mod, on the Steam Workshop.

You can learn more about the Scion Conflict universe by joining the official Outworld Studios Discord server.

FIGHT FOR FREEDOM!

If you are of a certain vintage and have nostalgic memories of a certain toy line and series of cartoons from the 1980s, then the Fight For Freedom! mod is for you. Play as part of the top-secret, highly-trained 61st Joint Task Force, or as a member of V-BORA, the unscrupulous terrorist organization bent on world domination!

With this mod, content creator Rooster wanted to re-imagine the toys from his youth and give them realistic appearances and functions. The fresh, real-world redesign of the vehicles and gear is their way of paying tribute to a familiar aesthetic. Even if you aren't familiar with the toys and cartoons this mod is based on, Rooster still encourages you to play Fight for Freedom! on its own merit, as it features several unique vehicles and characters.

Keep your action figures in good condition, and dive into virtual battle without concern of snapping an O-ring or losing an engine cover by downloading Fight For Freedom! on the Steam Workshop.

If you wish to learn more about Fight For Freedom! and its development, visit the mod's official Discord server. Although, it must be said that the mod has not received any updates since June of 2022. Hopefully being featured in this article brings Rooster back to work on it!

CONCLUSION

We feel the mods featured above are excellent for any player, new or old, wishing to significantly change up their Arma 3 experience. If you feel there are any total conversion mods that we missed, contact Arma Community Manager LeClair on X, Discord, or our forums.

Thank you for reading this series of articles!

For more information about Arma 3, please visit www.arma3.com. To keep track of all the latest news, be sure to follow @ArmaPlatform on Facebook, X, YouTube, and Steam.