To Clean or not to Clean?

[ClanRanald21]

I'm sorry I bet this an old onion that has been tossed around for ages. Forgive me I have been playing and modding Morrowind and Oblivion for the past 20 years. It seems that most of Skyrim updates and addons are flagged as dirty edits by the usual anal retentive mod policemen, ala SSE, Wrye Bash, Loot etc,etc. I know that they say please read the guide to cleaning as some mods are deliberately edited so they run correctly, but then you run into other guides via u-tube uploaded by belt and brace merchants who are just simply game testers and not game players, who tell you to sanitise everything? It's very contradicting.

What should a new player or modder to Skyrim do?

[showler]

I'd start with not insulting so many people in your posts.

 

The Creation Kit has a habit of making dirty edits in your mod. That's why they suggest cleaning. If it is a deliberate edit and the mod author says not to clean it, then don't.

[anjenthedog]

I'm sorry I bet this an old onion that has been tossed around for ages. Forgive me I have been playing and modding Morrowind and Oblivion for the past 20 years. It seems that most of Skyrim updates and addons are flagged as dirty edits by the usual anal retentive mod policemen, ala SSE, Wrye Bash, Loot etc,etc. I know that they say please read the guide to cleaning as some mods are deliberately edited so they run correctly, but then you run into other guides via u-tube uploaded by belt and brace merchants who are just simply game testers and not game players, who tell you to sanitise everything? It's very contradicting.

What should a new player or modder to Skyrim do?

AFAIK, only three or four plugins are generally recommended for cleaning. The fundamental ESMs. (update, dawnguard, hearthfire, and dragonborn)

 

Although I did clean them when I was using 1.5.73 and 1.5.80, I did not for 1.5.97. My game has been quite "stable" overall. Nor have I cleaned anything else.

 

Of course, this is anecdotal, and I'm not suggesting anyone do as I did.

[Mercury71]

I have stoped cleaning official plugins, that means DLCs and CC-content.

I clean other mods unless author say not to.

[Wererommel]

I don't clean mods routinely, I wait until there's a problem. It doesn't happen often.

[gnarly1]

The generally accepted wisdom now is to not clean any of the Bethesda DLC/ESMs* with the exception of the Oblivion DLC as they are .esp plugins.

 

Discussion here for reference.

 

*With the caveat for Skyrim that one is using USSEP.

Edited May 27, 2022 by gnarly1