Greetings all, so since you are reading this tutorial that must mean you want to learn how to mod Skyrim. If not... Well I suppose you should read before clicking on articles then.
Just a PSA: This article is not meant to be a huge all encompassing article that teaches you every little thing, this is more of the inexperienced members that need a kick start in a short and simple fashion, I know when I am reading things I get flustered when there are 50 pages of instructions just to install a couple mods.
If you are a huge modder, this guide is not for you, feel free to point out mistakes and things I should add in but don't knock me for not teaching you the more in-depth things such as how to optimize textures to get every ounce of performance.
Well lest just hop into it then. Here is a table of contents:
1... Modding basics (Good practices, base requirements for mods, etc)
2... Load order
3... Bashed patch
4... etc (If I think of anything I missed, I'll post it here)
1 - Modding basics -
So the basics of modding come down to these simple rules with one optional though highly recommended rule.
Also download these programs as you will need them for 99% of mods.
LOOT, WRYE Bash, SKSE,
The first couple are easy.
1. Know what you are downloading and ask yourself am I actually going to use this? You can download hundreds of graphical mods but are you really going to see the difference between a 256 bumble bee texture and a 1024 bumble bee texture? (the answer is no)
2. SKSE, download the latest version and use it. Can't mod without it, no if ands or buts.
3. FNIS, This one is really easy, if you have a mod that needs FNIS you will know, it will tell you in the 'required mods' section. A general rule is if you are using a custom animation (player, npc, skeleton, etc) then you likely will need FNIS.
4. Steam workshop sucks, it doesn't let you choose load order easily and some mods have trouble being removed.
5. Once a mod is in your save file the scripts will always be there for the remainder of that save, there are programs that can help you get rid of this problem but I haven't found many of them to be worth there salt. (a script is basically like an instruction for a mod, say you have a mod that casts a spell after you jump or something, that would be accomplished by a script so when you get rid of that mod the game will keep calling that script each time you jump. Normally this wouldn't be an issue but some mods go crazy with the scripts and can really slow down your game.)
6. Don't install to many script heavy mods, I know most of them look amazing but having to many can be just as detrimental as having to many graphics mods.
7. Speaking of graphics mods, the Vram on your GPU is paramount to the size and amount of graphics mods you can have. Same with ENBs. I won't talk about ENBs or graphics mods here since that can go hugely in depth when doing extra things like tweaking ENBs and optimizing textures etc.
8. You will almost always need to remake a bashed patch when adding mods and definitely always when removing mods, get into this habit.
9. Please please please use a mod loader, I highly recommend Mod Organizer but Nexus Mod Manager is acceptable aswell. (this was the not required but recommended rule I was talking about earlier) (more on why I recommend it in the 'ETC' section)
Alright now onto the load order part of this guide, for that you need a program called LOOT and a bit of brain power.
2: - Load Order -
Firstly download LOOT, install it.
-Mod organizer instruction start-
If you are using mod organizer then you are going to have to run the program through it for it to see the mods you have installed.
To do so hit the gears icon then name it whatever you like in the title field.
and in the binary field find where you installed loot and choose the loot.exe file.
Then when you want to use loot you simply select it from the drop down box and hit Run.
Then hit sort, let it finish working, hit apply.
-Mod organizer instruction end-
So you might be thinking well what a load order and what does it matter, the answer to that is simple yet complex at the same time. A load order is the order in which mods get loaded, like the name implies, and as for why that is important is because of the way skyrims mods get loaded. If you have multiple mods that change the same thing then the one loaded last wins.
Now I know what you might be thinking, when would I want to have multiple mods that change the same thing? Well the High Res DLC is (technically) considered a mod, if it didn't work this way you wouldn't be able to change anything that that changed.
So with this knowledge in mind its important to check whether LOOTs load order makes sense to you the load order should go Main file then any files that depend on that file to work. Your bashed patch will 99% of the time want to be the very last thing in the load order despite where LOOT puts it.
TL: DR If not using Mod Organizer just run loot, hit sort, wait for a bit, hit apply on the new window, done. But make sure the load order makes logical sense.
3: - Bashed Patch -
To start explaining why a bashed patch is needed I first need to explain what a leveled list is. A leveled list is basically the list of loot a mob/merchant has on them. This includes the things vendors sell you. Now remember the thing I mentioned early about mods overwriting changes the lower they are in the mod list? That includes the leveled list. You can have 40 sets of modded armor but if they all change the leveled list and you don't have a bashed patch then only the last file that changed the leveled list will be used.
A bashed patch is always necessary if you do anything that changes the leveled lists.
To make a bashed patch, first run LOOT to get your load order sorted and it helps tell WRYE bash what to do, then run wrye bash and after you get a new screen that should look like this:
Right click 'Bashed Patch, 0' then hit 'Rebuild Patch' then untick the 'merge Patches' button if it isn't already then 'Build Patch'.
Put the new patch at the end of your load order and activate it.
-Mod Organizer Instructions Start-
Follow the guide for LOOTs Mod Organizer setup but replace LOOT with WRYE BASH
-Mod Organizer Instructions End-
I think that covers the basics of modding skyrim and common problems people have. If I missed anything feel free to point it out.
Just a PSA: This article is not meant to be a huge all encompassing article that teaches you every little thing, this is more of the inexperienced members that need a kick start in a short and simple fashion, I know when I am reading things I get flustered when there are 50 pages of instructions just to install a couple mods.
If you are a huge modder, this guide is not for you, feel free to point out mistakes and things I should add in but don't knock me for not teaching you the more in-depth things such as how to optimize textures to get every ounce of performance.
Well lest just hop into it then. Here is a table of contents:
1... Modding basics (Good practices, base requirements for mods, etc)
2... Load order
3... Bashed patch
4... etc (If I think of anything I missed, I'll post it here)
1 - Modding basics -
So the basics of modding come down to these simple rules with one optional though highly recommended rule.
Also download these programs as you will need them for 99% of mods.
LOOT, WRYE Bash, SKSE,
The first couple are easy.
1. Know what you are downloading and ask yourself am I actually going to use this? You can download hundreds of graphical mods but are you really going to see the difference between a 256 bumble bee texture and a 1024 bumble bee texture? (the answer is no)
2. SKSE, download the latest version and use it. Can't mod without it, no if ands or buts.
3. FNIS, This one is really easy, if you have a mod that needs FNIS you will know, it will tell you in the 'required mods' section. A general rule is if you are using a custom animation (player, npc, skeleton, etc) then you likely will need FNIS.
4. Steam workshop sucks, it doesn't let you choose load order easily and some mods have trouble being removed.
5. Once a mod is in your save file the scripts will always be there for the remainder of that save, there are programs that can help you get rid of this problem but I haven't found many of them to be worth there salt. (a script is basically like an instruction for a mod, say you have a mod that casts a spell after you jump or something, that would be accomplished by a script so when you get rid of that mod the game will keep calling that script each time you jump. Normally this wouldn't be an issue but some mods go crazy with the scripts and can really slow down your game.)
6. Don't install to many script heavy mods, I know most of them look amazing but having to many can be just as detrimental as having to many graphics mods.
7. Speaking of graphics mods, the Vram on your GPU is paramount to the size and amount of graphics mods you can have. Same with ENBs. I won't talk about ENBs or graphics mods here since that can go hugely in depth when doing extra things like tweaking ENBs and optimizing textures etc.
8. You will almost always need to remake a bashed patch when adding mods and definitely always when removing mods, get into this habit.
9. Please please please use a mod loader, I highly recommend Mod Organizer but Nexus Mod Manager is acceptable aswell. (this was the not required but recommended rule I was talking about earlier) (more on why I recommend it in the 'ETC' section)
Alright now onto the load order part of this guide, for that you need a program called LOOT and a bit of brain power.
2: - Load Order -
Firstly download LOOT, install it.
-Mod organizer instruction start-
If you are using mod organizer then you are going to have to run the program through it for it to see the mods you have installed.
To do so hit the gears icon then name it whatever you like in the title field.
and in the binary field find where you installed loot and choose the loot.exe file.
Then when you want to use loot you simply select it from the drop down box and hit Run.
Then hit sort, let it finish working, hit apply.
-Mod organizer instruction end-
So you might be thinking well what a load order and what does it matter, the answer to that is simple yet complex at the same time. A load order is the order in which mods get loaded, like the name implies, and as for why that is important is because of the way skyrims mods get loaded. If you have multiple mods that change the same thing then the one loaded last wins.
Now I know what you might be thinking, when would I want to have multiple mods that change the same thing? Well the High Res DLC is (technically) considered a mod, if it didn't work this way you wouldn't be able to change anything that that changed.
So with this knowledge in mind its important to check whether LOOTs load order makes sense to you the load order should go Main file then any files that depend on that file to work. Your bashed patch will 99% of the time want to be the very last thing in the load order despite where LOOT puts it.
TL: DR If not using Mod Organizer just run loot, hit sort, wait for a bit, hit apply on the new window, done. But make sure the load order makes logical sense.
3: - Bashed Patch -
To start explaining why a bashed patch is needed I first need to explain what a leveled list is. A leveled list is basically the list of loot a mob/merchant has on them. This includes the things vendors sell you. Now remember the thing I mentioned early about mods overwriting changes the lower they are in the mod list? That includes the leveled list. You can have 40 sets of modded armor but if they all change the leveled list and you don't have a bashed patch then only the last file that changed the leveled list will be used.
A bashed patch is always necessary if you do anything that changes the leveled lists.
To make a bashed patch, first run LOOT to get your load order sorted and it helps tell WRYE bash what to do, then run wrye bash and after you get a new screen that should look like this:
Right click 'Bashed Patch, 0' then hit 'Rebuild Patch' then untick the 'merge Patches' button if it isn't already then 'Build Patch'.
Put the new patch at the end of your load order and activate it.
-Mod Organizer Instructions Start-
Follow the guide for LOOTs Mod Organizer setup but replace LOOT with WRYE BASH
-Mod Organizer Instructions End-
I think that covers the basics of modding skyrim and common problems people have. If I missed anything feel free to point it out.
This tutorial shows all the main steps you need to follow to create a custom race and add it to Skyrim. In this tutorial I assume that you have already created all the required textures / meshes (or that you are reusing existing ones). This tutorial will only show you how to put them all together and make them available in-game for a new race. A tutorial on making a custom follower for Skyrim, not one based on the vanilla framework. Home Skyrim Modding Skyrim Mod Reviews Skyrim Posts Site News Skyrim Modding. Making a Custom Follower: Skyrim Modding Tutorial. 86 Comments This tutorial will guide you through creating a custom follower, on a separate framework than the.
This guide is out of date! Go here!
If you are completely new I urge you to follow the step by step guide below as it will not only help you with setting everything up but also explain why you need these utilities and some of the basic concepts of modding.
If you have questions at any point in this guide I would first suggest to refer to the comments in the original version of this guide. Find the corresponding section and search the comments. If you don't see your question answered you can either PM /r/skyrimmods or hop in the Discord chat.
Foreword
Welcome to /r/SkyrimMods! The moderation team wants to welcome you, and help cover some basics to ease you into the community. Let’s start with a brief bit of advice to the brand new modder! This sub is a great place for all things modding, ranging from getting brand new modders up and running to discussing the more advanced topics of editing/creating a mod (and everything in between!). If you are new here please take the time to read through this guide. 80% of the issues we help people resolve are simply because they did not take the time to do the appropriate research. If you do not like to read then modding probably isn't for you. Page descriptions, guides, and others posts are absolutely essential if you want a safe, stable, and efficient modding experience. If you think you don't need those things and can just 'figure it out' you are in for more troubleshooting and starting over than actually playing, for a very long time. Starting with learning to mod correctly now can save you months of frustration later, and as exciting as it seems to just dive in, download a bunch of mods, and load em up we can almost guarantee that this method will result in a lot of troubleshooting and possibly a reinstall or two, and that’s no fun at all. If you take it slow and do your research the rewards are plentiful and you will have a brand new Skyrim unlike anything you’ve ever played! Onward!
This guide assumes that you are familiar with Windows file and folder systems and with the file system of your own computer. It also assumes you know how to download and install programs and unzip archive files. If you do not have it already, you will want 7zip.
Create A Nexus Account:
If you have not created a Nexus account, you should absolutely go do that now!
Nexus is host to the most expansive library of quality Skyrim mods. Almost every mod you will see discussed in this sub is hosted on Nexus. Sign up is free! Steam can be used, but it is recommended to use it in a slightly different manner than steam designed, which is covered later in this guide. If you are brand new to modding it is recommended that you just stick with Nexus and using a mod manager until you have a grasp on the basic concepts of modding. Once you have that down, come read the guide on how to safely use Steam Workshop mods.
File Organization
If you have UAC (User Account Control) in Windows (which you should), you should not install Skyrim in the Program Files directory . Windows UAC will interfere with most skyrim utilities that need to write to the Skyrim folder.
Many people use C:/Games/ or install on a second drive. It is recommend to keep Skyrim itself and all installed mods on an SSD if you are able to. It does not need to be on the same drive as your OS but since most people only have the one SSD it likely will be.
If you are like most people Steam is probably installed to the default directory C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam, and so is your game. Early in 2017 Steam removed support for handling multiple folders on the same drive. However, it is still possible to force steam to do this by editing a configuration file manually. If you are uncomfortable with this, you should go ahead and do it anyways, because it's good practice, but you could alternatively move all of steam outside of program files.
- CLOSE STEAM.
- Create the directory you would like to install Skyrim to. I recommend C:/Games/SteamLibrary2/Steamapps Note that it is necessary for there to be a 'steamapps' folder in the directory or steam will not allow you to install a game there.
- The next step requires a more advanced text editor than notepad. I recommend Notepad++, which is handy for a lot of advanced modding (such as writing or editing scripts or configuration files) as well.
- Go to Program Files (x86)/Steam/SteamApps. In this folder there will be a file called libraryfolders.vdf. Open it with Notepad++.
- It will look like this. Add your new library folder like this.
- Save the file.
- Open Steam. Right click on Skyrim and click Properties. Go here. Click on 'Move Install Folder'.
- Select your new install folder.
- Steam will move the game for you.
Whether you needed to follow the steps above or not, RUN SKYRIM ONCE. This updates the registry so that all your modding utilities can actually find the game.
Now, we're also installing a number of programs that interact with Skyrim and it's mods. Most of these should not be installed into the Skyrim directory.
You should, instead, create a folder called 'Skyrim Modding' somewhere on your computer where you can download and unpack these utilities.
(You must create this folder yourself)
What I did was create a general 'Modding' folder (C:GamesModding). Then within my modding folder I have 'Skyrim Modding', 'FO3 Modding', 'FNV Modding', 'Morrowind Modding', etc. This allows me to keep all my modding stuff in one place, divided up by game.
During this guide, I will assume you are using my file structure, so adapt it to yours if yours is different. This file structure is not required, it is just recommended for ease of navigation.
It is important for the '/Skyrim Modding/' folder to be on the same hard drive as Skyrim.
While I'm talking about these folders, I have a recommendation. You want to be able to access these files easily, right? Pin these folders in the Quick Access Menu! (called 'Favorites' in Win7)
If you look at windows explorer windows or download location windows, there is a 'Quick Access' (or Favorites) list on the left. You can drag a folder to the quick-access or right-click the folder and select 'Pin to quick access', and it won't be moved. It's just adding a shortcut so you can easily access it from most of the windows you'll be using. In my Quick Access, I have:
If you look at windows explorer windows or download location windows, there is a 'Quick Access' (or Favorites) list on the left. You can drag a folder to the quick-access or right-click the folder and select 'Pin to quick access', and it won't be moved. It's just adding a shortcut so you can easily access it from most of the windows you'll be using. In my Quick Access, I have:
- Skyrim (Main Directory)
- Skyrim Modding (The utility folder you created)
If you are doing a fresh Skyrim install, run the game once to initialize data before beginning the process and moving forward in this guide! To do this simply launch Skyrim from Steam once, let the Splash menu appear and set your graphics settings and then exit. This allows Skyrim to set up some necessary file paths.
Mod Organizer (MO)
Overview:
Whether you are looking to do a light touch-up to your game or a complete overhaul of every aspect it is highly recommended that you use a mod manager. This will help you keep track of your mods and also provide a safer modding experience. MO is our recommended mod manager for a multitude of reasons. First, it provides easier management of overwrites (Texture Mod A over Texture Mod B). This is different than Load Order and managing overwrites via a drag and drop list is something exclusive to Mod Organizer. More importantly, it keeps your Skyrim data folder completely clean. If you are using Nexus Mod Manager or Wrye Bash we implore you to make the switch and learn MO. Let's go over why these two functions of MO are beneficial...
Why It's Important:
- Virtual Data Folder: Manual installation is never recommended as you have no efficient way of removing mods. You would have to know exactly what the mod changed throughout your Data folder and change those textures/scripts/meshes/etc back to vanilla manually. I'm sure you can see why this would be easy to mess up. Nexus Mod Manager and Steam have a system for automatically adding and removing those changes meaning all you have to do is hit 'Subscribe' or 'Download with Manager' and activate. The problem is that it still makes those changes directly in your Data folder. If a mod you test out is poorly coded it might leave files behind or not tell Skyrim to replace the vanilla files upon removal. Again, you can see where this can cause issues down the road. The consequence can be anywhere from a couple hours of troubleshooting to having to totally reinstall Skyrim. Mod Organizer creates a virtual data folder for all your mods, and hooks into Skyrim so that the mods are read. This feature is exclusive to Mod Organizer.Explaining the inner workings of how it does this is beyond the scope of this guide, but the information is certainly out there (most likely on the MO Nexus page) if you are interested in digging deeper.
- Overwrite Priorities: Mod Organizer is split into two windows. On the right is your Load Order (called Plugins in MO). It is the .esm and .esp files related to any mods that require them. On the left side is the order in which all your mods overwrite each other. This is your Mod List. It functions in a similar manner to your Load Order, except it is for the mods themselves whereas the Load Order is in reference to .esm and .esp files. Mod authors talking about installation order will be talking about how mods should be ordered in your left pane. The Mod List includes textures and other mods that don't have .esm or .esp files. Let's look at how the two mod managers handle these conflicts and decide the overwrite priority:
Example: Installing Texture Mod A and Texture Mod B, both of which retexture cities. They don't all replace the same textures but they do overlap on a few textures (these are the conflicts between these mods)...
1. Nexus Mod Manager:
With NMM, you first install Texture Mod A. When you install Texture Mod B it will ask if you want to overwrite the conflicting textures from Texture Mod A. You decide yes or no for the conflicts and click OK. Next you hop into your game and run around looking at your sexy new textures. You find yourself thinking 'I like the wood textures from Texture Mod A better than Texture Mod B'. Now you would have to exit the game and reinstall Texture Mod A, telling it to overwrite Texture Mod B. Depending on the size of the mod and how specific you like to be with your texture choices, this can take 2-5 minutes. NMM is also more prone to accidentally leave files behind or not handle all the overwrites properly, which may leave you with some files you didn't want or expect from previous uninstallations. Now imagine that you have 50 texture mods...or even 10....let's look at the same conflict in MO
2. Mod Organizer:
Open Mod Organizer and install Texture Pack A. Then we install Texture Pack B. There is no overwrite prompt and they are both loaded into the left list (Mod List). Texture Mod B is below Texture Mod A and thus is winning the conflict. Hop in game and decide 'Yeah Texture Mod A grass is way better than Texture Mod B!'.Exit the game, drag Texture Mod A below Texture Mod B and drop it. Done. It took 3 seconds. Reorganizing those 50 texture mods is as simple as dragging and dropping.
This function alone will save you hours
To make your Mod List drag and drop choices even easier MO will indicate a conflict with either a lightning bolt with a plus sign (conflict winner) or a lighting bolt with a minus sign (conflict loser). If it is a lightning bolt with a plus and a minus it is winning some and losing some. You can check these conflicts by double clicking a mod and navigating to the 'Conflicts' tab.
Generally for mods with .esps you should try to match their order in the Mod List to that of the Load Order on the right.
Beyond these two very useful functions there are other, more advanced, features that you will learn to use along your modding journey. We implore anyone, beginner or advanced, to start with or switch to Mod Organizer. While it takes a little longer to learn, the time saved in mod management down the road far outweighs the time spent learning it initially. (Sensing a theme here?)
Installation and Using MO:
(please go back and read File Organization if you skipped it)
MO DOWNLOAD
(please go back and read File Organization if you skipped it)
MO DOWNLOAD
- Download the latest MO installer.
- Run the installer and point it to your 'Skyrim Modding' folder.
- Whichever method you choose, you should now have a 'Mod Organizer' folder in your 'Modding Utilities' folder.
Within the Mod Organizer folder you will find the modorganizer.exe.
Ensure that this is the case before continuing.
Optional Steps For Easy Launching of MO:
A. Create a shortcut -
- Right-click the modorganizer.exe and select 'Send to desktop'. This will create an MO shortcut on your desktop (it doesn't actually move the original .exe)
- Rename the shortcut to SKMO (this is only if you plan on having multiple MO installations for modding FNV/FO3, otherwise you can just rename it to 'MO')
B. Pin to Taskbar -
- Alternately you can right-click the modorganizer.exe and select 'Pin to taskbar'. It's really up to whether you prefer your programs pinned to the taskbar or on your desktop. I actually do both.
First time setup:
When you first run MO it will give you a tutorial and ask if you want the program to handle .nxm links.
Answer 'Yes' as this will allow you to use the 'Download with Manager' button that a lot of mods have on their Nexus pages.
(If you missed this, navigate to the Nexus tab in the settings and click the button to 'Associate with 'Download with Manager' links')
Also be sure to open the settings (the wrench and screwdriver icon on the top bar) and enter your Nexus Login Information and tell it to remember.
Answer 'Yes' as this will allow you to use the 'Download with Manager' button that a lot of mods have on their Nexus pages.
(If you missed this, navigate to the Nexus tab in the settings and click the button to 'Associate with 'Download with Manager' links')
Also be sure to open the settings (the wrench and screwdriver icon on the top bar) and enter your Nexus Login Information and tell it to remember.
The first thing to do now that you have MO installed is to disable the modorder system. MO includes an automatic left pane sorter however it is incredibly buggy and unreliable. It regularly endlessly tries to order the same mods above each other, resulting in endless warnings, and other mods it places in incredibly bad positions which could result in a broken game. Do not use this system. To disable it from providing warnings, follow these instructions:
- Click on the wrench and spanner icon on the toolbar of MO
- In the window that pops up go to the Plugins tab
- There's a list of plugins, find the one that says Basic Diagnosis Checker
- Options will appear on the right side. Double click the one that says check_modorder and change it to FALSE
- Close the window
You must run all other utilities that you use through MO (SKSE, LOOT, WB, TES5, etc) Otherwise they will not see your installed mods.
To do this:
- Open the drop down menu next to the big 'Run' button. This is a list of all the utilities that will be run through MO.
- Select the 'edit...' option. This will open a new window for adding/editing other utilities.
- In the 'Title' dialogue box add the name of the program.
- The next box down is the Binary path. Click the browse button ('...') and navigate to the .exe for the desired program, located where you installed it. (if you are following this guide's File Organization structure it will be in one of the folders created in the introduction to this guide.)
- Once you've selected the .exe for the Binary, uncheck 'Close MO on Startup' and then select 'ADD'.
You can refer back to these steps as we work through the guide and start adding the rest of the utilities. To launch a program, simply select it from the list and hit 'Run'. The benefit to this is now you don't need to switch between 5 different launchers...just Mod Organizer! We will practice this in the next section with LOOT.
Load Order Optimization Tool (LOOT)
Overview:
LOOT (Load Order Optimization Tool) dynamically reads each mods list of masters and makes decisions about your Load Order based on the master lists. This will save you massive amounts of time over trying to manually adjust your entire load order by hand. It is the successor to BOSS (Better Oblivion Sorting Software), which serves the same purpose, but is horrifically out of date. Skyrim players should only be using LOOT not BOSS.
Why It's Important:
Load Order is exactly what it sounds like. It is the order in which Skyrim loads .esm and .esp files from mods into the game. If someone asks you to post your Load Order this is what they are asking for. If they ask for your Mod List they are asking for, you guessed it, a list of ALL your mods. Load Order = .esm and .esp files. Mod List = All your mods
This is incredibly important for a few reasons. The first reason is that one mod may rely on another mod in order to function properly (if this is the case the mod author will indicate this on the description page). A 'master' is any other .esp or .esm that another .esm/.esp depends on. For instance every mod and DLC depends on Skyrim.esm...Skyrim.esm is a master to every other .esm/.esp. If you hover over an .esm/.esp in your Load Order it will show you a list of it's masters.
Sometimes .esp files can rely on other .esp files as well. Let's use 'Wet and Cold.esp' and 'Wet and Cold - Ashes.esp'(Dragonborn addon)....Wet and Cold - Ashes.esp must load AFTER Wet and Cold.esp because it lists Wet and Cold.esp as a master. If the game tries to load Wet and Cold - Ashes.esp without Wet and Cold.esp loaded already, the game will CTD on start up, because Wet and Cold - Ashes did not have what it needed to load properly.
These dependencies are the biggest reason that load order matters.
Also worth noting that sometimes Load Order isn't about one mod necessarily relying on another...sometimes it is about resolving conflicts between mods.
When two mods try to do the same thing it is known as a 'Conflict'.
A conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. Usually it is just a matter of deciding which mod 'wins' the conflict. The way that load order works is in a top to bottom fashion. It lists your mods and assigns them a number, zero through however many mods you have (up to 255). Skyrim.esm is ALWAYS zero. So the top of the list is 0 and the bottom is 255. Skyrim loads 0, then 1, then 2.
This means that when you are looking at a mod list the mod towards the bottom in the Load Order overwrites the mod towards the top in the load order. (sometimes you need to resolve these conflicts with compatibility patches or other utilities. If this is the case the mod author will indicate it in the mod description as well as either providing a download for a patch they created themselves or a link to download a patch created by someone else. Another reason you must be sure to read everything thoroughly!)
When two mods try to do the same thing it is known as a 'Conflict'.
A conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. Usually it is just a matter of deciding which mod 'wins' the conflict. The way that load order works is in a top to bottom fashion. It lists your mods and assigns them a number, zero through however many mods you have (up to 255). Skyrim.esm is ALWAYS zero. So the top of the list is 0 and the bottom is 255. Skyrim loads 0, then 1, then 2.
This means that when you are looking at a mod list the mod towards the bottom in the Load Order overwrites the mod towards the top in the load order. (sometimes you need to resolve these conflicts with compatibility patches or other utilities. If this is the case the mod author will indicate it in the mod description as well as either providing a download for a patch they created themselves or a link to download a patch created by someone else. Another reason you must be sure to read everything thoroughly!)
LOOT load order may look messy, but it resolves the vast majority of issues. Sorting mods by category does not work and will result in an inconsistent or even broken game. Sorting with LOOT results in an order far better than humans can achieve, and it is correct for 95% of mod orders. If you find it does not sort a particular conflict correctly, you can submit an issue here with the exact details necessary for the LOOT team to update the masterlist and fix the issue.
Installation and Using LOOT:
LOOT DOWNLOAD Download the installer.exe and run once. Point it at your 'Modding' folder (LOOT supports multiple games with a single install).
In order for LOOT to recognize your game you must run Skyrim at least once through Steam! Just open Skyrim through Steam, let the splash menu load, and then exit.
LOOT DOWNLOAD Download the installer.exe and run once. Point it at your 'Modding' folder (LOOT supports multiple games with a single install).
In order for LOOT to recognize your game you must run Skyrim at least once through Steam! Just open Skyrim through Steam, let the splash menu load, and then exit.
- Create a new folder in your 'Skyrim Modding' Folder and name it 'LOOT'
- Point the installer at the LOOT folder.
- Again, be sure to add LOOT to your list of executables in MO following the instructions above. (MO might already recognize it in which case you don't have to do this step). (An additional step is to add the line '--single-process' (without quotes) to the 'Arguments' line for LOOT.
This solves an issue where sometimes LOOT will launch to a blank screen. No harm will come from adding this argument so I advise it as a pre-emptive step) - Once you have the mods you want and you're sure you've gotten the necessary compatibility patches (if necessary), Run LOOT from the MO Launcher Menu.
It will open a window
Click 'Sort Plugins'
LOOT will take a few seconds and then display the results of it's sorting choices.
Select 'Apply'
Review the output for any warnings.
Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE)
Overview:SKSE does exactly what it sounds like. It expands Skyrim's scripting language, allowing for more robust mods. It also incorporates the startup memory allocation patch, the single most important patch for a stable Skyrim modding experience. Both of these will be outlined below.
Why It's Important:
- Script Extender: In a nutshell, SKSE adds scripting functions to the Papyrus scripting language. Mod creators can use these added functions to do things that were not possible before. The most popular example of a mod that requires SKSE is SkyUI. This mod completely overhauls the menus of the game, making them easier to navigate and much nicer looking. SkyUI also adds a Mod Configuration Menu (MCM) which allows for mod authors to create their own MCM. The Mod Configuration Menu was a standalone mod for Fallout: New Vegas, that was then adapted and incorporated into SkyUI. It allows for aspects of a mod to be tweaked in game (ie changing the frequency of dragon attacks in the Deadly Dragons MCM). None of this would be possible without SKSE.
- Memory Patch: The second, and possibly most important reason to get SKSE is for the memory patch it employs. Originally developed by Sheson as a standalone memory patch, the SKSE team saw it as so essential, that they incorporated it into the 1.7 build of SKSE.
- Explanation of Memory Patch: The way Skyrim's engine allocates memory is, in a word, broken. When Skyrim starts it is supposed to allocate an initial memory block of 256MB, and a scrap memory block of 256MB. The idea is that when the primary block gets full it is supposed to allocate a new block. This is where things go wrong. In a vanilla game that primary block never seems to reach the 256MB limit, but as you can imagine, when you start throwing mods on top of it you creep closer and closer. Once that 256MB limit is reached the game CTD's instead of allocating a new block like it's supposed to. As I said...broken. What the memory patch does is it changes the value of the initial memory block allocation to 512MB, that way the game never has to allocate the next block. (with a mod list of 200+ mods my memory blocks log showed that the first block would usually peak around 290MB-310MB. Higher than the original 256MB would allow but nowhere even close to the new 512MB limit). This allows more assets to be added to the game and simply increases stability across the board.
- If you want/need a visual explanation of why the memory patch is so important watch these two sections of Gopher's video showing the game BEFORE the memory patch, and AFTER the memory patch.
- Explanation of Memory Patch: The way Skyrim's engine allocates memory is, in a word, broken. When Skyrim starts it is supposed to allocate an initial memory block of 256MB, and a scrap memory block of 256MB. The idea is that when the primary block gets full it is supposed to allocate a new block. This is where things go wrong. In a vanilla game that primary block never seems to reach the 256MB limit, but as you can imagine, when you start throwing mods on top of it you creep closer and closer. Once that 256MB limit is reached the game CTD's instead of allocating a new block like it's supposed to. As I said...broken. What the memory patch does is it changes the value of the initial memory block allocation to 512MB, that way the game never has to allocate the next block. (with a mod list of 200+ mods my memory blocks log showed that the first block would usually peak around 290MB-310MB. Higher than the original 256MB would allow but nowhere even close to the new 512MB limit). This allows more assets to be added to the game and simply increases stability across the board.
Installation and Using SKSE:
SKSE DOWNLOAD
SKSE DOWNLOAD
Install SKSE:
- Create a new folder in your 'Skyrim Modding' folder and name it 'SKSE'
- Download the Installer for SKSE 1.7.3 (absolutely make sure it is 1.7.3) into the 'SKSE' folder.
- Run the SKSE Installer and make sure it points the main Skyrim directory! (SKSE will not work if its files are not in the Skyrim directory)
- Open your launcher menu in MO and add the skse_loader.exe (located in your main Skyrim directory)
This is how you will launch Skyrim from now on! Not through Steam! Not through TESV.exe!
ONLY through the SKSE Launcher via Mod Organizer!
ONLY through the SKSE Launcher via Mod Organizer!
(Tip: If/when the day comes that you are finally done messing with your mod list and don't want to launch MO every time you want to play you can select SKSE from MO's Launcher Menu and then select the 'shortcut' button below the 'Run' button to send a shortcut to your place of choice. You can then use that shortcut to launch SKSE through MO without the extra steps)
Activate Memory Patch:
- Navigate to your main Skyrim Data directory (installpath/steamapps/common/Skyrim/Data)
- In your Data folder create a new folder and name it SKSE.
- In the new SKSE folder, right-click, and 'Create new text document...'
- Rename the new text document to skse.ini
(make sure you are changing the file extension and not just naming it skse.ini.txt. If you don't know how to show file extensions, watch this quick tutorial on showing file extensions in Windows:How To Show File Extensions - Open the new skse.ini and copy/paste these lines into it:
[General]
EnableDiagnostics=1
ClearInvalidRegistrations=1
EnableDiagnostics=1
ClearInvalidRegistrations=1
[Display]
iTintTextureResolution=2048
iTintTextureResolution=2048
[Memory]
DefaultHeapInitialAllocMB=768
ScrapHeapSizeMB=256
DefaultHeapInitialAllocMB=768
ScrapHeapSizeMB=256
- Save the skse.ini file. Done! You now have the memory patch!
Yes the DefaultHeapInitialAllocMB should be 768. The way this version works is that value represents the total between the primary block and the scrap block. (Total)-(Scrap Block)=(Primary Block) so, 768-256=512
ENBoost
Overview:
ENBseries is a post-processing and shader effects overlay template. In a nutshell it it allows people to create ENB presets that add things like Depth of Field, Ambient Occlusion, Subsurface Scattering and other complex post processing visual enhancements. For now all you need to worry about is ENBoost which is a feature that comes with all the current ENBseries downloads. You can read the guide for ENB Preset Management here once you've completed this guide and if you plan on using ENB visuals in your game. More information on ENB can be found here.
Why It's Important:
ENBoost changes the way Skyrim manages its VRAM usage. Skyrim by default does a pretty bad job of VRAM management and since texture/lighting/ENBpreset mods rely very heavily on VRAM. I'm sure you can understand why this patch is beneficial. This patch is recommended even if you don't plan on using an ENB preset!
Installation and Using ENBoost:
ENBSERIES DOWNLOAD
This is a bit different than anything we've done so far. As I mentioned, ENBoost is included in all the most recent ENBseries binaries.
ENBSERIES DOWNLOAD
This is a bit different than anything we've done so far. As I mentioned, ENBoost is included in all the most recent ENBseries binaries.
- If you are running Windows 10 please download and install the DirectX End User Runtime. Win10 doesn't bother installing older versions of DX and without this your game will crash at launch.
- Create a new folder inside your 'Skyrim Modding' folder and name it 'ENB Manager'
- Create a new folder inside the 'ENB Manager' folder and name it 'Versions'
This is where you will download any ENBseries versions you might need in the future - Create a new folder inside the 'Versions' folder and name it 'xxx' (Where x is the version number. Do this for every new version of ENBseries you download. For example if I downloaded ENBseries v0.283 I would create a '283' folder in my 'Versions' folder)
- Click the link above to get the latest ENBseries version (The versions are listed at the bottom of the page. Click the latest version to enter the download page for that version)
IMPORTANT: The download button is all the way at the bottom of the page for the version you choose! It is a very small black arrow in a box! Do NOT click any other 'download' links on the page! - Download the archive to the newly created folder 'Skyrim Modding/ENB Manager/Versions/2xx'
- Once downloaded, right-click the ENBseries archive and select 'Extract Here...'
- Open the Wrapper Version folder and select ONLY these files:
enbhost.exe
enblocal.ini
d3d9.dll - Copy and paste these three files into your main Skyrim directory
- Open the enblocal.ini and edit the values according to this page
Wrye Bash
Overview:
Wrye Bash is, at it's core, another mod manager, however we will not be using it as such. Even though we aren't using it as a mod manager, it still an essential tool as it provides something that no other utility can: the Bashed Patch.
Wrye Bash is, at it's core, another mod manager, however we will not be using it as such. Even though we aren't using it as a mod manager, it still an essential tool as it provides something that no other utility can: the Bashed Patch.
First a brief explanation of Skyrim's leveled list. Skyrim decides what equipment an enemy will use, and what you find in dungeon chests/etc, by giving them a random selection from a list of items based on level. These lists are called a 'Leveled Lists'. As you add mods with weapons/armor/spells/etc they are then added to the leveled lists for distribution in the game.
Why It's Important:
As mentioned, when you add mods that add or change the distribution of weapons/armor/items or most NPCs like bandits, guards or even animals those are added to the leveled lists. The issue here is the rule of one - when one mod adds something to the leveled list, and then another mod comes along and adds something else to the same leveled lists, only the changes from the second mod in the load order are taken into account. If you have a lot of mods adding stuff to the same leveled lists (like if they all add a sword for example), you still only get the changes from one mod. This is a common type of conflict - definitely not the only kind! - and Bash merges this kind of conflict really well into one patch for all mods that add things to the leveled list. A Bashed Patch analyzes mods in your load order and with the assistance of LOOT it figures out whether they're changing something it can patch, based on tags added by the mod author or in the LOOT API. It uses these tags to create the patch.
As mentioned, when you add mods that add or change the distribution of weapons/armor/items or most NPCs like bandits, guards or even animals those are added to the leveled lists. The issue here is the rule of one - when one mod adds something to the leveled list, and then another mod comes along and adds something else to the same leveled lists, only the changes from the second mod in the load order are taken into account. If you have a lot of mods adding stuff to the same leveled lists (like if they all add a sword for example), you still only get the changes from one mod. This is a common type of conflict - definitely not the only kind! - and Bash merges this kind of conflict really well into one patch for all mods that add things to the leveled list. A Bashed Patch analyzes mods in your load order and with the assistance of LOOT it figures out whether they're changing something it can patch, based on tags added by the mod author or in the LOOT API. It uses these tags to create the patch.
Installation and Using Wrye Bash:
WRYE BASH DOWNLOAD
WRYE BASH DOWNLOAD
Install:
- Navigate to the 'Skyrim Modding' folder and create a new folder called 'Wrye Bash'
- Manually download the installer into the 'Wrye Bash' folder.
- Run the installer and point it to your Skyrim game folder.
Make sure the boxes for 'Install for Skyrim' and 'Standalone' are checked.
Doing this will create a folder titled 'Mopy' in the Skyrim directory.
This is the Wrye Bash folder and home to Wrye Bash.exe - Add the .exe to the MO Launcher Menu
Using Wrye Bash:
Please note: Making a bashed patch should be a final step before finally playing. Making a bashed patch before you install your mods and set a load order will have no effect
- Launch Wrye Bash from MO
- At the bottom of your Load Order you will see a 'Bashed Patch, 0.esp', right-click it and select 'Rebuild Patch' from the menu.
- Only enable 'Leveled Lists' (uncheck all other boxes)
- Select 'Build Patch'
- Wrye Bash will now produce a small log indicating the changes it made to leveled lists and your mods
- Upon exiting Wrye Bash you will find the newly created Bashed Patch, 0.esp in your Plugins window and a Bashed Patch 0 mod in your mod list.
If you do not see the Bashed Patch in your mod list: Check the overwrite folder at the bottom of the mod list. Inside you will find the Bashed Patch 0.esp and a Docs folder. Close the overwrite folder, right-click it, and select 'Create Mod'. Name it Bashed Patch. - Place both of these at the bottom of their respective lists. ALWAYS. ALWAYS AT THE BOTTOM!!! (until you start using SkyProc patchers..which you aren't right now...so ALWAYS AT THE BOTTOM!!!)
- Since you probably don't have any mods installed yet the bashed patch will be empty. Once you have installed many mods you will want to run it again to update the information.
TES5Edit (xEdit for Skyrim)
Overview:
This is one of the most powerful modding tools that the community has to offer, allowing one to really open up a mod and dig into the inner mechanics. The base program is called xEdit, as it is the same program that works for multiple Bethesda games, with differant names depending on which one, such as Tes5Edit for skyrim, or F04Edit for Fallout 4. If you see someone referencing xEdit as a way to edit skyrim, they are referring to Tes5Edit.
This is one of the most powerful modding tools that the community has to offer, allowing one to really open up a mod and dig into the inner mechanics. The base program is called xEdit, as it is the same program that works for multiple Bethesda games, with differant names depending on which one, such as Tes5Edit for skyrim, or F04Edit for Fallout 4. If you see someone referencing xEdit as a way to edit skyrim, they are referring to Tes5Edit.
For now we will just be using it for two things , and that is cleaning 'dirty edits' from the master files (update.esm and DLCs) and creating a Merged Patch. For a fully in-depth overview of TES5edit you can read the FNVEdit Training Manual (xEdit across different games still has the same functions and uses so the manual is still applicable despite the name).
Why It's Important:
We'll be cleaning two types of records from our master files.
Identical to Master Records (ITMs): Henceforth referred to as ITMs. These are records within the Update.esm and DLC .esm files that are identical to a record in Skyrim.esm (the base game). The issue here is some ITMs can overwrite the changes from other DLCs, and mods that have ITMs in them can accidentally overwrite other mods edits needlessly.
Deleted References (UDRs): Henceforth referred to as UDRs. While someone at Bethesda was creating something they decided 'Nah I don't want this thing here' and deleted the reference, rather than marking it as disabled. In an unmodded game this doesn't pose any issues. The potential risk comes from a mod trying to reference one of these deleted references which results in a guaranteed crash as the game engine doesn't know what to do. It's pretty rare that a mod would reference one of these deleted references but we're going to undelete them and mark them as disabled, removing any possible risk while still leaving that reference un-interactable and unnoticeable in game.
In regards to a Merged Patch: This acts as a master patch for your entire load order. Sometimes mods need specific patches to resolve conflicts. A merged patch is essentially one massive patch that reads your entire load order and attempts to fix conflicts. A merged patch and a merged plugin are two different things. We deal with a merged PATCH in this guide. This is similar to a bashed patch, it does NOT merge individual mod files together like a merged plugin does. Merged plugins are NOT covered in this guide.
Install:
TES5EDIT DOWNLOAD
TES5EDIT DOWNLOAD
- Create a new folder in the 'Skyrim Modding' folder and name it 'TES5edit'
- Manually download the archive into the 'TES5edit' folder.
- Extract the contents of the archive
- Add the .exe to the MO Launcher Menu
Clean your Masters:
- Navigate to /Skyrim Modding/Mod Organizer/mods
- Right-click anywhere and select 'New...' and make a new Folder. Name it 'TES5Edit Backups'
- Launch Mod Organizer (or right click anywhere > refresh if you already had it open) and then launch TES5edit through MO
- Select only Update.esm and let it load
(THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT! Only clean ONE file at a time! Trying to clean all your masters at once can cause TES5edit to short-circuit and break something!) - Right-click Update.esm and select 'Apply Filter for Cleaning'
- Right-click Update.esm and select 'Remove Identical to Master Records'. Yes you are sure what you are doing! (to the warning that pops up)
- Right-click Update.esm and select 'Undelete and Disable References'
- Close TES5edit and when prompted check the box to create a backup, make sure the file you just cleaned is checked, and then hit Save
(The cleaned master will now be in your overwrite folder, along with a folder called TES5Edit Backups containing the original uncleaned version of Update.esm) - Open MO again and drag the TES5Edit Backups folder out of Overwrite (located at the bottom of the mod list) and into the new TES5edit Backups 'mod' you created in step 2
(leave the TES5edit Backups mod unchecked/disabled) - Right-click the Overwrite folder (which should now just contain the clean Update.esm) and select 'Create Mod'. Name it 'Update - Clean'. ACTIVATE THE MOD* and move the plugin file in the correct place in the load order.
You can also just move the files from the overwrite folder into the Skyrimdata folder, but if you do that then if you ever verify local files in steam you will need to re-clean the files.
Repeat steps 3 - 10 for Dawnguard.esm, Hearthfires.esm, and Dragonborn.esm
Once you have cleaned the Update and DLCs, activate them all in the left pane of MO.
Sidenote: The overwrite is where MO puts files when it doesn't know what to do with them, so that the user can decide for themselves what should be done. Best practice is to keep the overwrite clean. So if a mod ever drops a file in the overwrite it's a good idea to figure out which mod the file comes from and then drag that file(s)/folder(s) to the associated mod and drop it in.
Create a merged patch:
Given that you have no mods right now this won't really do anything, but the more your mod list grows the more important it becomes to have a merged patch and learn to edit it by hand. We'll walk through the steps as sort of 'practice run'. When you actually have a full mod-list you will want to rebuild this.
- Launch TES5edit
- Make sure ALL your mods are selected
- When all the mods are done loading, right-click any mod and select 'Other' --> 'Create Merged Patch'
- Click OK when the warning pops up and then name it 'tes5merged'
- Once the merged patch is created you can, if you wish, double click it to drop open its contents. Here you can adjust things by hand.
This takes some practice but it's a great way to learn what mods are doing internally and being able to create your own patches to fix conflicts.
Note that at this point, with no other mods installed, your merged patch will not contain anything! It resolves conflicts in mods. No mods = no conflicts to resolveYou should always delete the Levelled Items and Levelled NPC categories from your Merged Patch. Wrye Bash's Bashed Patch as mentioned earlier handles these records much more intelligently and will give you a better result. - When you are satisfied with your tes5merged.esp, close TES5edit and save only the TES5merged.esp (DON'T SAVE CHANGES TO ANY OTHER MODS!)
- You should now find the tes5merged.esp in your overwrite folder as well as another backups folder
- Move the backups folder to the backups 'mod' you created
- Right-click the overwrite and select 'Create Mod'. Name it 'Merged Patch' (if you have multiple profiles name it 'Merged Patch - ProfileName')
- Since you probably don't have any mods installed yet the merged patch will be empty. Once you have installed many mods you will want to run it again to update the information.
Installing Mods
You made it over the first mountain on your journey towards a modded Skyrim! Take a minute to revel in the glory! Drink some mead! Punch Nazeem! Shout a mudcrab off a cliff! Dance a jig in the name of Uncle Sheo! Once you're done celebrating let's go over a few good practices and install a few mods to get you started!
First a few tips:
- Always ALWAYS read a mods description page. Twice. Then maybe a third time. Make sure you completely understand what the mod does, how to install it, what it's compatibilities are, etc. If you don't take the time to really understand it chances are it will be your fault when it breaks.
- Always download from the Files tab on the Nexus page. This is a big one. The 'Download (NMM)' button at the top of the description page will only grab one main file. Looking at the Files tab allows you to see if there are multiple options for a main file, as well as any patches and add-ons you may want/need.
- Check the Posts tab. This will give you an idea of what other people are saying about the mod. Is it incredibly buggy? Does it only have a few issues? Are those issues easily resolved? Does it simply work amazingly? The Posts tab will give you these insights.
Got it? Good! Let's start with the most essential mods for Skyrim:
The Unofficial Patches:
Even if you used no other mods you should be using these, as they fix thousands of bugs in vanilla Skyrim and it's DLCs, from minor issues to major game-breaking ones Bethesda never patched.
Even if you used no other mods you should be using these, as they fix thousands of bugs in vanilla Skyrim and it's DLCs, from minor issues to major game-breaking ones Bethesda never patched.
There are two sets of instructions below:The first instruction block covers using the Unofficial Skyrim Legendary Edition Patch (USLEEP) which you should be using if you have all three DLCs : Dawnguard, Hearthfire and DragonbornThe second instruction block should only be used by people who are missing one or more of the DLCs and covers installing the patches for DLCs individually.
Not not use the individual patches WITH the Legendary patch.
Even if you bought all the DLC separately you meet the requirements for any mods that are for the Legendary version of the game.
If you have all three DLCs you only need one singular Unofficial patch file for your game:
- Unofficial Skyrim Legendary Edition Patch (USLEEP)
As far as load order and mod list; place USLEEP below all other official plugins like so:
- Skyrim.esm
- Update.esm
- Dawnguard.esm
- Hearthfire.esm
- Dragonborn.esm
- Unofficial Skyrim Legendary Edition Patch.esm
- All Other Mods
In your Mod List, reorder these files to match the Load Order.
First step is to download everything we need. This includes the Unofficial Skyrim Legendary Edition Patch, all the individual patches, and the USLEEP Swap Masters Script.
- Unofficial Skyrim Legendary Edition Patch (USLEEP) which you should already have as per above
- Individual Unofficial Patches linked above. (USKP, UDGP, UHFP, UDBP. HRDLC)
The way it works is like this...
Before the individual patches were merged into the legendary patch quite a few mods listed the individual patches as masters.
A mod won't load without it's master, resulting in a Crash To Desktop (CTD) as soon as you try to load the game.
A mod won't load without it's master, resulting in a Crash To Desktop (CTD) as soon as you try to load the game.
Thankfully most mod authors switched their dependency to list USLEEP as a master instead of the individual patches!
That being said, occasionally you may find a mod who's author is no longer active that relies on one of the older individual patches.
This is where the Swap Masters Script I link to comes in handy. Using that script in TES5edit, you can change a mod to rely on USLEEP instead!
This is where the Swap Masters Script I link to comes in handy. Using that script in TES5edit, you can change a mod to rely on USLEEP instead!
- Install the individual patches but don't enable them.
- Install USLEEP and enable it.
- Install the USLEEP Swap Masters script following these steps:
- Create a new folder in your 'Skyrim Modding' folder. Name it 'Swap Masters Script'
- Download the archive from the Nexus page to the Swap Masters Script folder you created.
- Use 7zip or WinRar to extract the archives contents.
- Copy/paste the two loose text documents in the same folder as the TES5Edit executable. (or it will generate them, which is also fine)
- Copy/paste the included 'Edit Scripts' folder in the same folder as the TES5Edit executable. When it asks you to replace or merge, select merge to merge it with the existing Edit Scripts folder.
If you have a mod that is missing a master, MO will put a red warning flag next to its plugin, and the warning flag in the top of MO will turn red.
You can hover over the plugin to see what master plugin it needs.
If it lists one of the individual patches, follow the [USAGE] directions for the Swap Masters Script to change it to list USLEEP as a master instead.
You can hover over the plugin to see what master plugin it needs.
If it lists one of the individual patches, follow the [USAGE] directions for the Swap Masters Script to change it to list USLEEP as a master instead.
If you do not own all the DLC (or any DLC) follow these instructions.
Everyone should download the Unofficial Skyrim Patch (makes sense right?)
Additionally, you should grab whichever patches apply to the DLC you own.
If you own all the DLCs ignore this section and use the instructions above for the legendary patch
Additionally, you should grab whichever patches apply to the DLC you own.
If you own all the DLCs ignore this section and use the instructions above for the legendary patch
Note that these now say they are 'unsupported'! This does NOT mean they are broken in any way. They still fix thousands upon thousands of bugs. Unsupported refers to the fact that any new fixes will only be applied to the Legendary patch. These are no longer updated. Another good incentive to grab the Legendary Edition on a Steam sale! (that and it will make modding a lot easier for you in many ways...like being able to use one file from a mod instead of 3 or 4)
- Unofficial Skyrim Patch (USKP)
- Unofficial Dawnguard Patch (UDGP)
- Unofficial Hearthfire Patch (UHFP)
- Unofficial Dragonborn Patch (UDBP)
Once you have downloaded and installed the Unofficial Patches you need, run LOOT. It should sort each patch directly after its corresponding DLC like so:
- Skyrim.esm
- Update.esm
- Unoffical Skyrim Patch.esp
- Dawnguard.esm
- Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp
- Hearthfire.esm
- Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp
- Dragonborn.esm
- Unofficial Dragonborn Patch.esp
- All Other Mods
In your Mod List, reorder the Unofficial Patches to match this Load Order.
Done! You can move down to the next mod in the list!
If you have the Hi-Res DLC you can also grab the UHRP. This is NOT included in the Legendary edition patch and still needs to be downloaded separately IF you are using the HD DLCs
Place the HRDLC and this patch below any other DLC/Unofficial Patches.
Honestly though, we recommend the Optimized Vanilla Textures. There is a version for the HRDLC and the Standard textures. Basically, this mod optimizes the original textures so that there is no difference in visual quality but improved performance through less vram usage.
On to the next mod!
SkyUI:
Next let's grab another very important mod, the mighty SkyUI!
This mod not only vastly improves the User Interface (menus and such) for PC gamers, but also brings us the Mod Configuration Menu (MCM) which many other mods utilize to give you in-game control over various mod settings! The MCM is truly what makes this mod absolutely essential.
Next let's grab another very important mod, the mighty SkyUI!
This mod not only vastly improves the User Interface (menus and such) for PC gamers, but also brings us the Mod Configuration Menu (MCM) which many other mods utilize to give you in-game control over various mod settings! The MCM is truly what makes this mod absolutely essential.
Thankfully, it's installation is ridiculously easy.
- Download SkyUI
- When it is finished downloading, double-click to install
- Don't investigate just yet or I'll lose you! You're almost there! Once you hit the end you can check out your sleek new User Interface :)
Let's grab a few more just so we can deal with some different types of installation and downloading practices.
Unlike the Unofficial Patches and SkyUI, these are not essential and you are free to remove them after installing.
I just want to go over these so you are comfortable with some different steps you may encounter during installation of a mod.
Unlike the Unofficial Patches and SkyUI, these are not essential and you are free to remove them after installing.
I just want to go over these so you are comfortable with some different steps you may encounter during installation of a mod.
FOMOD Installers:
For this example we will be using Static Mesh Improvement Mod (SMIM)
This mod aims to improve a megaton of Skyrims blocky meshes, by increasing their polygon count, thus adding much more detail. See the full description and images for a better idea.
This mod aims to improve a megaton of Skyrims blocky meshes, by increasing their polygon count, thus adding much more detail. See the full description and images for a better idea.
- Download SMIM
(This is a BIG download. It will take awhile. Go get some coffee and check back in 10 min) - Double-click to install. The fomod installer should pop up. Choose the Custom option.
- You will now be lead through a series of options asking you to choose which aspects of SMIM you want to install. Some have multiple choices so look at the images and decide what you like and what will perform well for you!
- You've just installed a mod with a FOMOD for the first time! Yay!
No Game Data On Top Level:
For this example we will cover how to install a mod that is not packaged in a way that MO recognizes.
- Download Sun Rune
- Double-click to install and you will be met with a window showing the contents of the mod.
- Notice the note at the bottom in red that says 'No game data on top level'. Let's put some game data on that top level!
- Click the arrow next to the Sun Rune folder to expand it.
- Right-click the Data folder and select 'Set Data Directory'
- You'll notice the message at the bottom changed to 'Looks Good!'. Click OK to finish installation.
Up until the release of Mod Organizer mods always went into the actual Data folder (steamapps/common/Skyrim/Data). Mod Organizer needs its mods to mimic this file path.
So for instance a mod that retextured mountain textures would have placed its new textures in 'steamapps/common/Skyrim/Data/textures/landscape/mountains'.
If you navigate to the Mod Organizer mods folder and open the same landscape retexture you would see the file path 'Mod Organizer/mods/[Name Of Mod]/textures/landscape/mountains/[all the texture files]'
So for instance a mod that retextured mountain textures would have placed its new textures in 'steamapps/common/Skyrim/Data/textures/landscape/mountains'.
If you navigate to the Mod Organizer mods folder and open the same landscape retexture you would see the file path 'Mod Organizer/mods/[Name Of Mod]/textures/landscape/mountains/[all the texture files]'
MO essentially needs to 'trick' the game into thinking these mods are in the actual data folder. This means that the file paths within the mod must mimic the Data folder file paths. When there is 'no game data on the top level' this means that MO doesn't recognize the file structure as one that will work. By setting the data directory you are saying 'This is the top level and all the folders/files inside are in the correct place with the correct names'
Moving on!
The Files Tab:
As I said in the beginning of this section, it's always better to download from the Files tab as opposed to the 'Download (NMM)' button at the top of the description page. For this example we will look at the Files tab for SkyFalls and SkyMills
- First you will notice there are two main files. The first is just the files themselves and the second is a FOMOD installer. The author gives a brief description of each with his recommendation.
- In the next section you will find Optional files. These are various add-ons for the DLC and other major landscape mods, as well as a few add-ons that adjust to the look of the waterfalls and windmills for personal preference.
- Finally, in the next section, you will find Miscellaneous files. Read the notes next to each file to see what it's about!
By clicking the 'Download (NMM)' button at the top of the description page you would have missed the all these optional add-ons and patches!
Always check the Files tab!
(You can still use the 'Download with Manager' button, just use the ones associated with each individual file on the Files Tab instead of the one at the top of the page)
Always check the Files tab!
(You can still use the 'Download with Manager' button, just use the ones associated with each individual file on the Files Tab instead of the one at the top of the page)
DONE!!!
From here you have all the necessary tools, and should you know how to you use them for a fluid modding experience.
I will take this last opportunity, while I have your attention, to say:
READEVERYTHINGSERIOUSLY I'M NOT JOKING. :).
Then...read it again.
Sometimes we miss a small detail that can solve a problem.
Look for compatibility patches. (Sometimes they are completely seperate mods and not included in the Files tab for the main mod)
Search the Files tab on a mod's Nexus page for optional files (patches or other optionals).
Read the Posts tab to find out what others are saying about the mod.
RUN LOOT EVERY TIME YOU ADD AN .ESM/.ESP.
Don't forget to come back the USLEEP Swap Masters Script Page if you are using USLEEP!!!
Rebuild your Bashed Patch every time you add a mod that adds items. If you're not sure...Rebuild. Better safe than sorry! :).
Rebuild your Merged Patch as necessary as well!
DO YOUR RESEARCH! You don’t want to be that guy that asks a question that is easily answered through a Google search or reading a mod’s description. Don’t make others do the easy work for you! It’s a respect thing! :)
I will take this last opportunity, while I have your attention, to say:
READEVERYTHINGSERIOUSLY I'M NOT JOKING. :).
Then...read it again.
Sometimes we miss a small detail that can solve a problem.
Look for compatibility patches. (Sometimes they are completely seperate mods and not included in the Files tab for the main mod)
Search the Files tab on a mod's Nexus page for optional files (patches or other optionals).
Read the Posts tab to find out what others are saying about the mod.
RUN LOOT EVERY TIME YOU ADD AN .ESM/.ESP.
Don't forget to come back the USLEEP Swap Masters Script Page if you are using USLEEP!!!
Rebuild your Bashed Patch every time you add a mod that adds items. If you're not sure...Rebuild. Better safe than sorry! :).
Rebuild your Merged Patch as necessary as well!
DO YOUR RESEARCH! You don’t want to be that guy that asks a question that is easily answered through a Google search or reading a mod’s description. Don’t make others do the easy work for you! It’s a respect thing! :)
When you do post, whether it be to ask for help, make a request, or something else entirely:
READ THE POSTING RULES OR ALDUIN HIMSELF SHALL FEAST UPON YOUR PATHETIC MORTAL SOUL FOR THE REST OF TIME
...and finally THANK YOU for taking the time to read this and work through it. We look forward to seeing new modders get involved with the community and hopefully this guide can help make that an easier process!
/r/skyrimmods Highly Recommended Mods
Looking for recommendations on where to start? Try our community curated list of essential mods!