JamesRook

Thanks for the reply. So basically, because of the way mods and patches are written and the abilities/knowledge/skill of the author, it's a complete crap shoot whether any particular update will bork your game. You've pointed out an issue I've had crop up several times where an update to a MOD invalidates all the patches written for it so the MOD would play nice with other MODs. I use Vortex (I'm old and MO2 is beyond me) and you can't leave MODs/patches with no master in the load order - so another new game. I actually want to play the game and see what the MODS actually do but it seems like after getting hours into a playthrough, some new MOD or patch will come along and totally corrupt your game. Just me ranting I guess. I'm on new game, I don't know, 10? for December and now trying to find out what is causing a CTD when I get close to Dawnstar. Will I be able to find out which MOD/patch is causing it? Probably not. It could be something installed or something missing. No way to find out for me.

I never know when an update to a MOD will cause problems. On rare occasions an author does indicate that the MOD is safe to update, but mostly not, just notes that the update or reposted updated MOD fixes certain things. Then there are the MODS that get an update and the author has changed the name or version or some aspect of the MOD and all the patches and dependant MODS (and their dependencies) no long work, the game can no longer find the masters and broken saves and CTDs result. Are the patches no longer needed? And what do you do about patches that are for a particular MOD but there are several versions of the MOD, say the full MOD and a lite MOD and the patches only recognise the full version? I don't know what to do about these issues except to never update a MOD until a new playthrough and then go through a rebuild of all the old MODs and a new load order, which seems pretty stupid when a MOD needs updates and fixes. Comments? Suggestions? Fixes?

Thanks for doing the test showler. That answers whether this feature is supposed to work in Vortex, which it is, so indeed, something in my copy is broken. I will try your fix and see what happens. Since I'm going to be purchasing a new computer in the near future I'll install a new copy on it that should work as designed. Thanks again for the help.

I did a reinstall of Vortex with the latest (which I was already using) version. All extensions except Collections are enabled and up to date. I do understand that there is a difference between LO and dependencies but fixing the conflicts is what I want to be able to do from the PLUGINS page. For example, I have a multi follower mod B but want the single follower mod A to overwrite. On the MODS page I can drag the dependencies icons and set a rule to load B before A or A after B depending on which mod I select first. If I am on the PLUGINS page, doing the same selection of the dependency icon lets me drag a line from one mod to another but changes nothing and gives no menu choices, except that If auto-sort is on I will get the error. I turned auto-sort off as a test and the errors did not appear, but there were also no changes. If someone wouldn't mind doing a test on their copy of Vortex - go to your PLUGINS page and see if you can set a rule from there by dragging from one icon to another, I would appreciate it. I think this is just the way Vortex is made.

Thanks for the reply. I DL'd a copy of Vortex and did a reinstall as per your suggestion. No change. I can make the dependency/deployment selections on the MODS page but trying to do it on the PLUGINS page will result in the red "Failed to Render" errors and no other change. I'm guessing this operation is blocked because it would, in effect, allow you to manually adjust the LO a bit very conveniently. What I mean by that is say you are on the PLUGINS page and checking the LO and notice that Mod Z is loading before mod A because LOOT didn't sort properly. It would make a lot of sense and be very easy to just use the dependencies feature from there. Instead, you must go to the MODS page and do the adjustment from there. When you have hundreds of mods dragging from Z to B is really finicky and an ordeal. Just very irritating that an included "feature" that you think you can use and would be incredibly useful doesn't work.

If I am on the MODS page of Vortex, I can drag a line between 2 dependencies icons and a menu pops up that will establish a rule. Thereafter a little green bolt will appear by the icon to signal there is a rule. But if I am on the PLUGINS page and try the same operations, I get multiple red "Failed to Render" errors and no rule will be made, even though there is an initial popup menu that says to drag and drop to make a rule. I think this is how Vortex is supposed to work, but I don't understand the idea behind it. Doesn't it make more sense to be able make the dependencies configurable from the page where you can also see the LO?

Big thanks to Cragslist for the solution. Worked great.

When I start Vortex it throws a "Failed to get collections list" error. I haven't used collections yet although I did DL a basic Skyrim collection just to see if the error would go away. Scary that it tried to install after I checked Install Later. Is there a setting I have to change? I might want to use Collections at in the future, but not now.

I've been looking through posts on the forum to get a handle on why mods are marked redundant. Some things I understand, like installing the same mod twice or an updated version of a mod and not clearing out the first, but I don't understand why some Hot fixes or updates register as redundant. For example, I have Riften Docks Overhaul 2.0 installed and then the update 2.3. Vortex complains 2.3 is redundant. 2.3 should overwrite 2.0 and is not redundant. Very confusing to me.

In my preferences settings I have blocked all those languages that I do not use, but the mods still appear on the download pages. It's a minor irritation since normally the mod title appears in English, my chosen language, but the mod will be in another language. I have nothing against other languages, I just don't use them, and they clutter the page. What am I missing? Why even have the option to block other languages if it does nothing?

I have no idea if this is even remotely possible and it would probably be a massive job, but here's the request. I'd like a mod that extinguishes all the torches and etc. (artificial to light sources) in unoccupied dungeons and caves, forcing the player, and for even better immersion, companions, to ignite them. I know many torches can be extinguished and then relit so why can't they start off unlit? Possibly using a spell of some kind. Perhaps you could enter a dark room and cast a fireball that lights all the torches. Or maybe a pressure plate or switch that "magically" triggers all the torches and fires. The eternally burning torches and fires in a cave no one has been into in hundreds of years is just wrong.

I know this is a fantasy game, but I do like things a bit more sorta kinda realistic here and there. I see mods to make giants bigger and spells to make individual NPCs bigger or smaller but I'd like something that makes the entire giant race a little smaller. If I remember correctly, they are supposed to be between 8 to 12 feet tall. I'd like them to be more like 7 to 9 feet. If there is a mod or if someone could tell me what to change in SSEdit I'd appreciate it. TIA.

Recently I used the "Avoid the Wait" mod to create a female character since something (I suspect Racemenu) would CTD if I selected a female. That worked fine and now I am progressing along. Would it be safe to disable or delete the "Avoid the Wait" mod? I know it's generally not recommended to delete mods midgame but this mod does nothing now and I'd like to keep any script load it may have from affecting my saves.

If I downloaded and installed a mod, say it's version 4 of the mod and then installed an option for the mod the author has included, if the mod is then updated to version 5 should I keep the option or discard it? I seldom see any info on the mod page about the optional files or patches. In addition, if a different mod has patches to get the two to work together, will the update break them?

There's a fix available: Sofia follower bsa patch at Skyrim Special Edition Nexus - Mods and Community (nexusmods.com)