I give up, new to Skyrim... mod install order help please

[Falkor37]

Just now getting around to trying out Skyrim. I only have the LE version.

 

I've read and read and read some more and tried my best to go down the mod requirement rabbit hole only to be left more confused. Can someone help me with an install order of my mods? I don't want a ton of mods, just enough to make it look updated and sexy, but not grotesque. I'm a total Elder Scrolls (never played any of them) nub and this is literally my first post about Skyrim. About 9 hours in and only in Riverwood all from trying to get these mods installed. I have the SKSE already installed on steam.

[Falkor37]

https://imgur.com/kjfQ4kw

[IsharaMeradin]

Use LOOT as a starting point to get your plugins in a decent load order. You may need to make some tweaks depending upon personal preferences, but it does provide a good starting point.

Official LOOT web page: https://loot.github.io/

 

Also, you indicated that you are using the Legendary Edition. Are you referring to original Skyrim (32 bit) with all DLC? Or are you referring to Skyrim Special Edition (64 bit) which includes all DLC? I ask because Legendary Edition typically refers to original Skyrim and yet you have posted in the Special Edition section of the forums.

 

EDIT:

Just realized after posting that you asked about INSTALL order. I'd recommend a different mod manager. Either Vortex or Mod Organizer. Both of these utilize a virtual file system which means that the act of installing will not mess with any other mod. You still need to adjust the priority order according to your personal preference. A good rule of thumb is to sort your plugins and then adjust your priority order to match that order. Anything remaining that did not have a plugin boils down to author instruction and user preference.

 

Vortex is easier to get up and running but learning how the rules system works in order to get the specific arrangement that you want takes a little bit of practice.

 

Mod Organizer requires one to have a good grasp on how the various files are loaded by the game. While mods themselves can be dragged and dropped to new positions in the priority order (aka install order), individual files that may be undesired in the "winning" mod have to be located and marked as hidden.

 

Both can be setup to have the exact same result, how they get there is a little different.

 

With NMM, one must literally install each mod in the correct order. Getting some out of order can mean having to start completely over. It is doable but you'll end up spending more time installing and uninstalling to get things the way you want them.

Edited April 1, 2020 by IsharaMeradin

[Cindygirl]

Just now getting around to trying out Skyrim. I only have the LE version.

 

I've read and read and read some more and tried my best to go down the mod requirement rabbit hole only to be left more confused. Can someone help me with an install order of my mods? I don't want a ton of mods, just enough to make it look updated and sexy, but not grotesque. I'm a total Elder Scrolls (never played any of them) nub and this is literally my first post about Skyrim. About 9 hours in and only in Riverwood all from trying to get these mods installed. I have the SKSE already installed on steam. what.PNG

For one thing you showed your Installed mods. In the old nexusmods manager you have to click on plugins to show your load order. Load ordering is simple.

[Baer2x4]

Use LOOT as a starting point to get your plugins in a decent load order. You may need to make some tweaks depending upon personal preferences, but it does provide a good starting point.

Official LOOT web page: https://loot.github.io/

 

Also, you indicated that you are using the Legendary Edition. Are you referring to original Skyrim (32 bit) with all DLC? Or are you referring to Skyrim Special Edition (64 bit) which includes all DLC? I ask because Legendary Edition typically refers to original Skyrim and yet you have posted in the Special Edition section of the forums.

 

EDIT:

Just realized after posting that you asked about INSTALL order. I'd recommend a different mod manager. Either Vortex or Mod Organizer. Both of these utilize a virtual file system which means that the act of installing will not mess with any other mod. You still need to adjust the priority order according to your personal preference. A good rule of thumb is to sort your plugins and then adjust your priority order to match that order. Anything remaining that did not have a plugin boils down to author instruction and user preference.

 

Vortex is easier to get up and running but learning how the rules system works in order to get the specific arrangement that you want takes a little bit of practice.

 

Mod Organizer requires one to have a good grasp on how the various files are loaded by the game. While mods themselves can be dragged and dropped to new positions in the priority order (aka install order), individual files that may be undesired in the "winning" mod have to be located and marked as hidden.

 

Both can be setup to have the exact same result, how they get there is a little different.

 

With NMM, one must literally install each mod in the correct order. Getting some out of order can mean having to start completely over. It is doable but you'll end up spending more time installing and uninstalling to get things the way you want them.

I don't understand the statement about NMM Ishara. I know you're very knowledgeable which makes it all the more confusing to me. I've been using NMM a long time and don't see what installation has to do with LO.

At least not after running LOOT and making any adjustments.

Edited April 1, 2020 by Baer2x4

[IsharaMeradin]

If all you install are mods with ESP / ESM / ESL and BSA files, then install order does not matter at all. Install order matters with loose files as there can be only one version of a file in the data folder. This statement is true for any manually installed mod as well as any mod manager that does not utilize some form of virtual file management.

 

With the above in mind each installed loose file mod can overwrite files from a previously installed mod. Without careful planning mistakes can happen and files used in an undesired order. The correction is to uninstall the offending mods and re-install them. If any other mod also conflicts then those mods would also need to be uninstalled and reinstalled.

 

Example:

Mod A - a nude body mod

Mod B - an robe replacer mod

Mod C - a game wide replacer mod of all playable outfits which includes underwear and robes.

All three are loose files with no need for a plugin

 

A and B can be installed in any order as they do not conflict. If C is installed after it will replace files found in both A and B. This may or may not be desired. If the nude part is wanted, then A must come after C. If the looks of the robe replacer are wanted, then B must come after C as well.

 

Install order is the order in which loose files are applied to the data folder so that the desired loose files are used by the game

Load order is the order in which plugins and their associated BSA files are referenced by the game engine so that the desired records are used by the game.

 

While installation must come before defining the load order, the installation order may be affected by the load order. This is true when there are desired files packed inside BSAs. In cases like that the offending loose files need to be manually deleted so that the BSA packed version can be used.

 

I hope that clears things up a little bit.

[Falkor37]

 

Just now getting around to trying out Skyrim. I only have the LE version.

 

I've read and read and read some more and tried my best to go down the mod requirement rabbit hole only to be left more confused. Can someone help me with an install order of my mods? I don't want a ton of mods, just enough to make it look updated and sexy, but not grotesque. I'm a total Elder Scrolls (never played any of them) nub and this is literally my first post about Skyrim. About 9 hours in and only in Riverwood all from trying to get these mods installed. I have the SKSE already installed on steam. what.PNG

For one thing you showed your Installed mods. In the old nexusmods manager you have to click on plugins to show your load order. Load ordering is simple.

 

 

Oh wow, thanks! I had no idea. Here's what I got from the plugins tab. I'm trying to do the least amount of work so if I can just get NMM to work with the right order, I'll be on my way. Thanks for your help! I'm loving the game so far!

[Falkor37]

Use LOOT as a starting point to get your plugins in a decent load order. You may need to make some tweaks depending upon personal preferences, but it does provide a good starting point.

Official LOOT web page: https://loot.github.io/

 

Also, you indicated that you are using the Legendary Edition. Are you referring to original Skyrim (32 bit) with all DLC? Or are you referring to Skyrim Special Edition (64 bit) which includes all DLC? I ask because Legendary Edition typically refers to original Skyrim and yet you have posted in the Special Edition section of the forums.

 

EDIT:

Just realized after posting that you asked about INSTALL order. I'd recommend a different mod manager. Either Vortex or Mod Organizer. Both of these utilize a virtual file system which means that the act of installing will not mess with any other mod. You still need to adjust the priority order according to your personal preference. A good rule of thumb is to sort your plugins and then adjust your priority order to match that order. Anything remaining that did not have a plugin boils down to author instruction and user preference.

 

Vortex is easier to get up and running but learning how the rules system works in order to get the specific arrangement that you want takes a little bit of practice.

 

Mod Organizer requires one to have a good grasp on how the various files are loaded by the game. While mods themselves can be dragged and dropped to new positions in the priority order (aka install order), individual files that may be undesired in the "winning" mod have to be located and marked as hidden.

 

Both can be setup to have the exact same result, how they get there is a little different.

 

With NMM, one must literally install each mod in the correct order. Getting some out of order can mean having to start completely over. It is doable but you'll end up spending more time installing and uninstalling to get things the way you want them.

 

I'm using original Skyrim Vanilla (32bit) with all DLC's installed. I know I posted in the SE section, but I clicked on forums and didn't see a LE or vanilla section. I'm a lost puppy, please forgive me!

 

So is Vortex, MO, or NMM easier to casual modders like myself? I'm not wanting to make my own mods or get too carried away with tons of mods, I'm just trying to give the main quest a play through before all that. I'm really wanting a set and forget type experience when it comes to mod installing programs.

 

If I use Vortex or MO, will I have to reinstall uninstall everything and reinstall using the new mod installer? I'm really trying to be patient and casual with all this as I do play other games and am pretty busy irl.

 

Thanks for your other post on mod order. I can follow what you're saying. Just not sure about hiding certain files that aren't behaving thing. For example, I found my game crashes when I enable ELE_Legendary_Lite.esp or RelightingSkyrim_Legendary.esp. They're both prerequisites for other mods which is weird because the game will launch when they're disabled.

Edited April 1, 2020 by Falkor37

[IsharaMeradin]

NMM was Nexus' officially supported mod manager until they re-built from scratch and released Vortex. NMM is now managed by members of the modding community as an alternative for those who could not or would not make the transition to Vortex.

 

Mod Organizer has the capabilities of Vortex but with a bit steeper learning curve. Its method of virtualization is different and as a result any third party utility that needs to see the contents of the data folder has to be launched from inside Mod Organizer. Mod Organizer has since been handed over to the modding community to maintain as the author moved on to join the team behind creating and maintaining Vortex.

 

Vortex might be easiest. It is the Nexus' officially supported mod manager. There is plenty of documentation and videos linked from within the utility to help you learn all the various things that Vortex has to offer. It should also be noted that while Vortex is the official successor of NMM, it can also be considered the "spiritual successor" of Mod Organizer. The author of MO is the main coder behind Vortex and utilized what was learned while doing MO in order to bring the best tool possible to a wide variety of games.

 

While here I should note that Wyre Bash can also be utilized as a mod manager. In fact that is one of its main purposes. However, the learning curve is pretty steep. Most people utilize Wyre Bash for the bashed patch feature and leave it at that.

 

Each mod manager has a means of dealing with mods that were not installed through that tool. Almost all will ignore the presence of any loose files (and this is a source of in-game problems for some people) while plugins can still be adjusted in the load order. While it is theoretically possible to work with multiple mod managers, it is best to pick one and stick with it. In short, if you switch mod managers plan to uninstall all mods in the old program and re-install in the new program.

 

The virtual file systems of both MO and Vortex shine the most when there are overlapping or conflicting mods that need to be resolved. MO allows individual files to be hidden as well as the install order also known as priority order to be changed via drag and drop without actually having to uninstall and re-install. Vortex utilizes a rule based system to determine which order the mods as well as individual files should be linked to the game's data folder.

 

In the end it boils down to user preference. Those who do not use a lot of mods and tend to stick with mods that do not overlap much might find NMM suits them just fine. Those who like to have a lot of mods that overlap may find either Mod Organizer or Vortex to their liking. And then there are those that just use what they have always used and see no need to change just because a new tool is on the scene.

 

Hope this was helpful.

 

As far as forums for original Skyrim: https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?c=411,419

[Cindygirl]

Dawnguard.esm, HearthFire.esm, then Dragonborn.esm, Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch.esp. Big mods like SMIM_Merged-ALL.esp need to be at the top, Above SKyui. Violens.esp will work anywhere so that doesn't matter. Move Bjin AIO.esp up after SMIM-Merged-ALL.esp, Bijin NPC right after Bjin AIO.

 

Your mod order isn't too bad just you something went wrong. XPMSE.esp should be at the very bottom, never let any thing overwrite it. Move FNIS.esp after RaceMenuPlugin.esp Any animation mods you have keep them together with FNIS, example: dD - Realsitic Ragdoll Force - Realistic.esp then FNIS (I Remember Realistic Ragdoll and force was not needed, forgot the reason why, but that was for LE, not too sure for SSE).

 

TruBy9.esp is more of a Bug fix, Move that up to the top above SMIM, So Skyrim knows to load that esp first. Potions.esp I'm guessing is a potion overhaul mod. Move that after SMIM. so it can overwrite it's textures. Skyrim particle Patch for ENB, little tricky because that sounds like a bug fix but also a texture fix. You can move it to the top, hopefully SMIM doesn't try to overwrite it. That Tree mod, Treeswindave.esp (I had a forest mod that caused crashing every so often) some tree mods I don't like but if it crashes near those trees then you know why. Move Treeewindave.esp after Moss rocks Long as it's after SMIM. Ug2Redux (aka Unbelivable grass) should go after any sky mod.

Edited April 1, 2020 by Cindygirl