converting from nexus to MO2

[JaChrisB]

SO, im not even sure if this is the right place to ask this but whatever. So im trying to switch over from vortex to MO2, but all the mods i had downloaded through vortex arent downloaded in MO2, and are refrenced as 'non-MO', and whenever i try to look for them in my files, i cant find them. do i have to redownload every mod on my list from nexus or is there a way to do it from inside my files still?

 

[showler]

You can copy the downloaded archives over to MO2 and then reinstall all your mods. You can't just have MO2 start managing your installed mods.

[Senturus1983]

Install MO2 and create a new instance and set download/staging folders. Close MO2 again. Then you open both your empty MO2 staging folder and the former staging folder from Vortex and then "just" drag the Mods over - same for the downloads. Restart MO2 again, if all mods are there (and activated) all you have to do is to check the load order.

Edited December 26, 2022 by Senturus1983

[showler]

You can do that, but MO2 won't know anything about how the mods were installed, the source, what options were chosen when installing. It also won't have any of the asset override choices from Vortex, so files would be over-written in "install order" instead of by the rules you set.

 

Basically, you'd be abandoning all the information that makes a mod manager a mod manager and you'd just have the virtual file system functionality remaining.

[Guba666]

IMHO due to the high sensitivity of modding SSE the option of installing simply the mods starting from the archive files in the mod folders managed by Vortex is quite dangerous.

I have been modded Skyrim since the very beginning with Oldirm, when the mods were only few thousand, and I went on for some years, then I stopped and retook again, when SE version was released for some years until 2019.
Then I stopped again and I started again a few time ago, when I discovered that the new version AE was released.
I always decided to start from blank, with a new installation and something that could help me to get back my knowledge.
I'm not ashamed to say that I found a great deal of help with STEP. I begun 7 days ago and now I'm quite close to finish, but with a lot of mods that aren't in the STEP guide, but I'm trying by myself because are awesome.
Well, I have to say that a fresh new install is funny, and very relaxing. And the guys of STEP are great.
What I want to say is that you should try to get some fun also from installing again everything.
MO2 is a fantastic piece of code, literally.
It is designed by someone who understands really what modding is, and for sure worth the effort to learn it deeply, because it will help a lot more.
The first thing I suggest to do is to activate the function to manage the mod download diverting from Vortex to MO2.
In this way you will be able to use the "visit on Nexus" function into the Vortex mod list (tha becomes a kind of "launcher browser"), so once once your browser will open the mod page, you will click on DOWNLOAD and get it with MO2.

You will have to make a lot of ALT-TAB work, but I think that it will be funny (and a little bit boring too).
Also you will enjoy the flexibility of MO2 that allows some "magic" things like to force the utility application to put their output into a mod and many other things like that.
Also STEP's are really cool guys, so you may learn a lot of things also during this tedious process.
I suggest to install all the tools and the tricks at least for the initial phase, that will allow you to have to software configured at the best.
If you are an expert user of MO2 already, well, take only my advice to have fun however.

Because, as well as it happens for travels, the most important thing is not to "play" a "perfect" Skyrim (well it's #2 goal of course!) but the journey, installing a great list of mods, just to arrive to "have" a "perfect" Skyrim game, running rocksolid.
If you do not know STEP, take a look of their site.
Simply great.

P.S.
Another tiny suggestion. Just provide yourself a small USB key to keep the files, because there are manu mods wich are huge. A 256 GB can be ok.