I can’t dance. I try to do the world a solid by doing as little of it as possible, lest I irreparably scar some innocent bystander for life. Audioshield is perfect for somebody like me. It creates the illusion that I am dancing while thankfully shielding any onlookers from having their favorite song debased. To them, I’m just swatting at a cloud of invisible gnats with a yoga block strapped to my face. Everyone wins.

Audioshield remains one of the best VR exercise games out there for giving a rhythmically fueled music workout, but where it still falls short is incorporating legs into the fun. Luckily there’s Audioshield Modder 1.5. This mod literally steps up the cardiovascular intensity and full body coordination immensely.

Using this mod introduces lateral movement to the gameplay (assuming you have the physical space for it), meaning the orbs won’t merely stream toward the center of your play space but will fan out from side to side, requiring you to shuffle the distance. Additionally, using this mod will span the vertical distance the orbs travel as well, either going high and forcing jumps (again, please consider your space limitations) or going low and forcing squats and side-lunges.

I cannot overstate how much more frenzied this mod has the potential of making your typical vanilla Audioshield experience feel.

Here’s how it works.

Installation:

Step 1. Download Audioshield Modder 1.5 and download this Preset Mod Archive

Step 2. Extract the Preset Mod Archive someplace you’ll remember.

Step 3. Open the Audioshield Modder and direct it to the Audioshield installation directory (eg. C:\Program Files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\Audioshield)

Step 4. Check the box that reads, “Enable Advanced Moding Mode.”

Step 5. Select “Import Mod…” and navigate to the folder where you previously extracted the mod archive.

Step 6. Choose a mod. The mods are titled to indicate the difficulty from easiest to hardest, A – E.

For reference, the “Normal w SQUATS” file is the current normal difficulty, but with a wider range of motion. I would start by trying that one out. It shouldn’t be much more difficult, just require more range.

Step 7. Select “Mod the Game Mode!”

If you want to select a different difficulty mode, simply revisit steps 3-7. If you want to reset the game back to default, select “Reset Game Files to Vanilla.”

After Installation:

Step 1. Launch Audioshield.

Step 2. Select the song as you normally would.

Step 3. For difficulty, select “Custom Mode – Legacy Hard” at the very bottom of the screen.

Step 4. Select your Stage. Note that this mod doesn’t work well with the Horizon Private Amphitheatre. The Manifold Neon Stadium feels the most compatible. Select the rest of the settings and wait for the “Start” screen to appear.

Step 5. This is a critical step; the Audioshield height calibration. Where Audioshield detects the headset’s location to be when you select “start,” this is defined as the mid-point of the vertical span of all incoming orbs. For more squats and lunges, squat down to roughly ¼ depth. Now select “start” while holding this position. For more jumps, simply stand up normally and select “start.” I’ll mention one last time that if you calibrate the game for jumps, ensure that you have the ceiling clearance to make an overhead jump shot.

Once the game starts, your height will have been calibrated. If you want to adjust the height again (for example, squat lower because orbs are coming in too high), pause the game, squat again, and un-pause while squatting. Every time the game is paused will cause a reset of the height calibration again.

Now you’re ready for Audioshield Modder 1.5.

Did this mod make you dust off your Audioshield game or take your VR workout to the next level? Did it make you punch a hole in the ceiling? Let us know in the comments below!