Which mods should I install first?

[LordSn0w]

Ok, well I have narrowed my mod categories down to 3 : Graphics mods - enbs, enhanced terrain, etc. Replacers - mods like cbbe, midianborn textures, basically anything that replaces something (not including enbs etc). Add ons - followers, npcs, quests, places, anything that adds something but doesn't replace anything.

 

In what order should I install these in? Should I start with Replacers or add ons or what? Example, 1. Add ons 2. Graphics 3. Replacers - except in whatever order you think it should be in. The graphics should take the longest cause of enbs and lots of menus, Replacers will take longer because I'll have to sort out what replaces what and make sure there are no conflicts, but not as long as graphics, the shortest will be add ons because it will just be install then equip and they are ready to go.

[piperman123]

I'd say replacers, graphics, addons. Because that way anything the replacers change will still get overwritten? I don't know about the new Nexus Mod Manager but I'd recommend Mod Organiser as it allows you to install mods in any order and then see exactly what is getting overwritten so you can adjust which wins in a conflict whenever you want or go back and change it after as well as tons more incredibly helpful features. Also Skyrim Mod Combiner is great for setting Texture/Visual mods up (it hand picks the best textures or best combination of textures from whichever mods you choose to download) and probably has all the mods you're after and tons more. Hope that helps.

Good Luck and have fun :)

[KimberJ]

I disagree, you should install the mods first that come first in the load order, an continue that, so you never have to worry about the load order. :D So basically start with unofficial skyrim patch, SKSE, an vanilla .bsa texture optimized...

[LordSn0w]

I'd say replacers, graphics, addons. Because that way anything the replacers change will still get overwritten? I don't know about the new Nexus Mod Manager but I'd recommend Mod Organiser as it allows you to install mods in any order and then see exactly what is getting overwritten so you can adjust which wins in a conflict whenever you want or go back and change it after as well as tons more incredibly helpful features. Also Skyrim Mod Combiner is great for setting Texture/Visual mods up (it hand picks the best textures or best combination of textures from whichever mods you choose to download) and probably has all the mods you're after and tons more. Hope that helps.

Good Luck and have fun :)

I disagree, you should install the mods first that come first in the load order, an continue that, so you never have to worry about the load order. :D So basically start with unofficial skyrim patch, SKSE, an vanilla .bsa texture optimized...

Both good suggestions. I'll have to try the mod combiner. I'm going to try to use the new NMM cause I never really liked MO and always liked NMM and am so glad they finally added profiles. The load order idea sounds good, only problem is I have no clue what my load order would be lol. Is there any way to simulate what the load order would go in before I start installing mods? I have 150+ mods.

[KimberJ]

Yes. The old way.

 

 

 

game

DLC

Patches

Stuff that doesn't matter

race

types or related mods

weather

overrides

 

 

the old method, it kind of just loads the more important stuff the further it goes down, but it's kept neat in groups of stuff. it would be better to write notes as you download, based on the mod's description page, this way 3 weeks later you'll still have information on the load order if you wana change it. It's easy to test the game this way. install the unofficial patches an dlc all that, an vanilla texture optimizer an even SKSE if you want. Then launch with SKSE an let NMM download stuff while you play. This way you bounce between trolling for mods, testing the game, installing. Not as bad as the other ways. Plus you get to play.

 

SMC should prolly wait till the end, cause it will override so much, an u gota patch for some content on SMC's page *burp* That being said texture replacers besides the BSA optimizer should prolly all go last. You know, it's not that hard to tell which mod's content should override the others. All that an the descriptions an notes should just be separated into folders 001 002 003 004 005 for as many as you want. Though it might take few tries to get a method you like down. There's always the other method too. The thinking is basically get the folders 001 002 ect, to break it up an make a automatic load order build, besides being able to back it up if you wana try another type of load order.

 

 

Going to play, good luck :D

[LordSn0w]

Yes. The old way.

 

 

 

game

DLC

Patches

Stuff that doesn't matter

race

types or related mods

weather

overrides

 

 

the old method, it kind of just loads the more important stuff the further it goes down, but it's kept neat in groups of stuff. it would be better to write notes as you download, based on the mod's description page, this way 3 weeks later you'll still have information on the load order if you wana change it. It's easy to test the game this way. install the unofficial patches an dlc all that, an vanilla texture optimizer an even SKSE if you want. Then launch with SKSE an let NMM download stuff while you play. This way you bounce between trolling for mods, testing the game, installing. Not as bad as the other ways. Plus you get to play.

 

SMC should prolly wait till the end, cause it will override so much, an u gota patch for some content on SMC's page *burp* That being said texture replacers besides the BSA optimizer should prolly all go last. You know, it's not that hard to tell which mod's content should override the others. All that an the descriptions an notes should just be separated into folders 001 002 003 004 005 for as many as you want. Though it might take few tries to get a method you like down. There's always the other method too. The thinking is basically get the folders 001 002 ect, to break it up an make a automatic load order build, besides being able to back it up if you wana try another type of load order.

 

 

Going to play, good luck :D

I want to start playing with all my mods when I start my playthru. I understand most of what you said but when you say "stuff that doesn't matter" I'm guess you mean followers, quests, random stuff that doesn't have a whole lot of effect? not sure what "types or related mods" would be? do outdoor texture Replacers go in weather? And would mods like cbbe or better females by Bella, or something like that, go in race or in overrides since they override something I guess..? Not sure what overrides would be, guessing just stuff that replaces stuff? Sorry, I don't get all the mod words lol I'm a noob

[KimberJ]

The idea here is to spilt up the work. You download the first mods that are required cause everything uses it. SKSE, SkyUI, unofficial patches, an the vanilla texture optimizer. Then tweek it with skyrimconfig if you want. Use the SKSE launcher to play the game. Just find it in the skyrim folder an make a shortcut an put that shortcut in another folder, with other stuff you pin to the taskbar, or just use that shortcut to pin it. Then just have steam running an hit the launcher. I set NMM not to close when launched, but it doesn't matter cause I never use NMM to launch the game, instead using the pinned shortcut to the SKSE launcher. After you run it once the launcher picks up on the skyrim icon, an we get a nice little skyrim ditty on the task bar.

 

Anyway this is so we can download mods by putting them in NMM an pausing them until there's a bunch or a large one. Then go play the game instead of waiting. Then it's kind of split up between trolling for mods, installing mods, backing up mods, an play testing the game. Interesting NPC's for example is 2Gb takes forever to download, that's a long playtest an can be fun or legacy it by cheating when you gota start a new game later. i.e. racemenu stores character creations, training dummies, gold hidden in containers with skyedit, (cause I hate player.additem) Just basically play testing an bootstrapping the character if it's a legacy, meaning it keeps going. The quests will be reset, but you'll have the bootstraps u got in playtesting, if you like, or not.

 

It really depends on the mods. A large amount of them won't matter what order an that's the "stuff that doesn't matter" cause it's small or the mod didn't link to other mods. Climates of tamriel links to a bunch of stuff ah SMIM, so that gets put into a folder, or for example frostfall would link to a lots of stuff, or the iNeed an food mods. Separate that stuff. It doesn't matter what order, but the mods in the beginning will be overridden in cases where the data matches, with the one loading last winning (like Sheen, WINNING, :D) Tiger blood, lol.

 

So the climates of tam loads last cause I want it to override stuff, an the smim stuff in there an linked, that goes after the stuff that doesn't matter. Using Skyedit you can view this stuff an look for things that need to be moved down. For example you can set a filter to only view conflicting navmesh data which is an easy way to either tell if you shouldn't use a mod or should load it lower down. Pretty much anything important, an most of it is just to keep it organized. Installed in order so that you can look at the load order an tell what things are cause it's just groups of stuff. The idea 6 years ago was based on separating it into the types of content. You know totally orgainized, an you can do it that way. Just put it in folders that way before install.

 

It's a pain to remove stuff from NMM, then add it back when it's time to install. But pulling it out that way if you screw it up, it's easy to repeat. Cause you got 12 or 30 folders all named 001 002 003 an a descriptive name, like "007 food" "008 frostfall" those would have all the mods either related to food or frostfall an quarantined an backed up. It's messed up I know, but it's a way to do it. The general idea is to get back ups of installs an builds you made for the years later when you felt like playing skyrim, but it also serves as the how to install mods for dummies or lazy people. The reason it works is because the game can take a lot of punishment, it's making a load order that isn't perfect, but none of them will ever be, so more like making a easy method for yourself.

 

It's got stuff that doesn't matter all over the place, just a mess, but it worked so I play it, until I wana make another. Overrides load at the end, cause it overrides things. Like bashed or merge patch or if I wanted to override something these mods changed without changing the mod directly, which can lead to problems, so it's a quarantined way to make changes to the load order via patch kinda but more specialized cause most patches just load in the load order, making it difficult, hence most of it's based on mod's description's or Loot report information, I don't use loot though, cause I couldn't figure out the meta data, report works good.

 

-----------------------------Begin Doesn't Matter-----------------------------

 

*Adds non HDT hairs*

ApachiiHair.esm

 

*Gota Enb an non Enb version, environment weather*

ClimatesOfTamriel.esm

 

*Not sure, but I think this is never die, it's quests death, so you get looted, bleed out, but can still die, just not as often an with penalties*

daymoyl.esm

 

*If the char wants to be a prostitute or have sex pretty much*

AP Skyrim.esm

 

*shoes with heels make the char taller*

hdtHighHeel.esm

 

*girl stuff*

SummerWear.esm

 

*Just cause it's good an I knew the modder long ago*

JSwords.esm

 

*Just cause so many mods use it*

SkyUI.esp

 

*makes civilians run if things get crazy*

When Vampires Attack.esp

Run For Your Lives.esp

 

*stuff you wear that increases carry weight*

Dr_Bandolier.esp

 

*adds banks to the holds, deposit , invest, borrow*

JBS_banking_redux.esp

 

*taxes houses an horses*

SimpleTaxes.esp

 

*Make NPC a funeral kinda*

Bring Out Your Dead.esp

 

*allows you to walk on bodies an to stack them*

Dead Body Collision.esp

 

*MCM for dragon stats, an others*

DeadlyDragons.esp

DeadlyMonsters.esp

 

*makes trees cuttable, turns statics into containers, training, an more*

wizDynamicThings.esp

 

*Puts a buttload of guards around towns*

Extra Guards.esp

 

*adds a guy to whiterun you can work for as a smith*

Work a Steady Job as a Blacksmith.esp

 

*Improves other odd jobs*

Better Favor Jobs.esp

 

*fixes brawl?*

Brawl Bugs CE.esp

 

*lay down on bed, an MCM to just lay there*

vImmersiveBeds.esp

vImmersiveBeds - HFDG.esp

 

*move speed determined by weight carried*

SkyRealism - Encumbrance.esp

 

*use stamina for many things*

FightingFatigue.esp

 

*3rd party patch to fix Jswords*

JSwordsDistributionBalancePlugin.esp

JSwords_Load_Screens.esp

 

*adds a pistol, for obvious, but goes with theme of immersive armor of pirate*

gun.esp

 

*Magic overhawl, an MCM xp from magic*

Apocalypse - The Spell Package.esp

Apocalypse - More Apocalypse.esp

 

*vendor for rich char's an placable piles of 100 gold*

goldpiles.esp

 

*Overhawls guard dialog*

Guard Dialogue Overhaul.esp

 

*Immersive Armors/Weapons*

Hothtrooper44_Armor_Ecksstra.esp

Hothtrooper44_ArmorCompilation.esp

Immersive Weapons.esp

 

*Turn Gold Ingots to coins* I workin on a update

Gold to Septims.esp

 

*spell to laydown anywhere*

LayDown.esp

 

*sitting like above I think*

Sit Anywhere.esp

 

*a vendor that is also a dragon, lol, for soul converstions ect*

dragonsoulgem.esp

 

*adds smelters to holds*

Long lost smelters by Hyralux.esp

 

*turns bones into loot, to later make into bonemeal via another mod*

Dr_ItemBones.esp

 

*Puts random kind of npc's around*

Populated Cities 2.esp

 

*Interesting NPC's I think, adds tons of voiced NPC's for random conversations that are better than the whole game*

3DNPC.esp

 

*Adds bathouses, but conflicts with carriage ride navmeshes*

Northern Bathhouses.esp

 

*adds lots of stuff*

Cannabis.esp

CannabisUpdate.esp

 

*adds drugs*

Skyhighrim.esp

SkyhighrimDBPatch.esp

 

*overhawls room rental*

RealisticRoomRental.esp

 

*Overhawls footsteps*

Immersive Sounds - Footsteps.esp

 

*Do the crime, do the time*

Life In Prison.esp

 

*AnimationPlugs*

ASX_Spells.esp

FNISspells.esp

FNISSexyMove.esp

 

*in case a female wants a penis for some reason*

StrapOnbyaeonv1.1.esp

 

*HDT heels shoes, Geta is those Asian wood block shoes*

CharmingHighHeels.esp

Geta.esp

 

*Armors for fem bodies, gota bodyslide OS it*

TERAArmors_CBBE.esp

Sweet&Sexy Lingerie.esp

SummerWearSA.esp

CraftablePantysCBBEv3M.esp

 

*Random Alternate start*

RAS - Riverwood CharGen.esp

Random Alternate Start.esp

 

*MCM spawn rate*

SkyrimMoreSpawns.esp

 

*kill move overhawl*

The Dance of Death - Ultimate Edition.esp

 

*MCM player head tracking*

Headtracking.esp

 

*conversation POV overhawl*

towConversation.esp

 

*not dialog, commentary overhawl for followers*

FCO - Follower Commentary Overhaul.esp

 

*Follower Overhawl visual mostly*

Bijin Warmaidens.esp

 

*Follower functionality overhawl*

UFO - Ultimate Follower Overhaul.esp

UFO - Dawnguard AddOn.esp

UFO - Heartfire AddOn.esp

 

 

-----------------------------End Of Doesn't Matter-----------------------------

 

-----------------------------CCO Linked Mods-----------------------------

 

*smith jewel overhawl*

JewelCraft.esp

 

*waterfalls an mills, mostly LOD related*

SkyFalls + SkyMills.esp

 

*Part of CCO, or CCO as a whole*

Weapons & Armor Fixes_Remade.esp

Weapons & Armor_TrueOrcish&DaedricWeapons.esp

Weapons & Armor_DragonPriestMasks.esp

WeaponsArmorFixes_ImmersiveWeapons_Patch.esp

Clothing & Clutter Fixes.esp

Smithing Perks Overhaul_Remade.esp

TradeBarter.esp

Complete Crafting Overhaul_Remade.esp

CCO_WAFTrueWeapons_Patch.esp

 

*Weapons that can be thrown*

throwingweapons.esp

 

*Something to do with the other mods options*

AMB Glass Variants Lore.esp

Differently Ebony.esp

aMidianborn_Skyforge_Weapons.esp

 

-----------------------------Frostfall Linked Mods-----------------------------

 

*Cold weather RP mod*

Chesko_Frostfall.esp

Cloaks.esp

Cloaks - Dawnguard.esp

1nivWICCloaksCRAFT.esp

CCO_Frostfall_Patch.esp

 

*Flora Gathering overhawl*

HarvestOverhaul.esp

HarvestOverhaulCreatures.esp

 

-----------------------------Race Linked Mods-----------------------------

 

*Awesome mod*

RaceMenu.esp

RaceMenuPlugin.esp

 

*plug in for wigged helmets*

ApachiiHelmetWigs.esp

 

*eye an brow mod*

TheEyesOfBeauty.esp

TrueBrows.esp

 

*Old People overhawl*

SPTConsistentOlderPeople.esp

 

*Character visual elements*

Immersive Scars.esp

Scars of Skyrim.esp

Dart'sMakeUpColorsAll.esp

 

*Armor Add On's for bodyslide armors*

CalienteVanillaArmorTweaks.esp

 

-----------------------------Food Linked Mods-----------------------------

 

*Food an Drink mods*

CookingExpanded.esp

CookingExpanded - Dragonborn.esp

CookingExpanded - Hearthfire.esp

DftT.esp

DftT-NGP-WTLS.esp

DftT-NoGreenPact.esp

DftT-WTLS.esp

HighlandFarmMilk.esp

 

*Alpha SFO, old version, changes trees an flora*

SFO - Expanded Diversity.esp

Skyrim Flora Overhaul.esp

 

*More modern an simple needs/diseases mod*

iNeed.esp

 

 

*Enhanced Blood*

dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp

dD-Dragonborn-Dawnguard-EBT Patch.esp

dD-Larger Splatter Size.esp

 

-----------------------------SMIM Linked Mods-----------------------------

 

*Static mesh overhawl, visual, poly an tex based*

SMIM-Merged-All.esp

 

*Water Overhawl*

RealisticWaterTwo.esp

RealisticWaterTwo - Legendary.esp

RealisticWaterTwo - Dawnguard.esp

RealisticWaterTwo - Dragonborn.esp

RealisticWaterTwo - Waves.esp

RealisticWaterTwo - Waves - Dawnguard.esp

 

*Player gets dirty, gota bathe*

Bathing in Skyrim - Main.esp

Bathing in Skyrim - Water for Realistic Water Two (Vanilla).esp

Bathing in Skyrim - Water for Realistic Water Two (Legendary).esp

 

-----------------------------COT? Linked Mods-----------------------------

 

*lighting effects*

EnhancedLightsandFX.esp

ELFX - Dawnguard.esp

ELFX - Dragonborn.esp

RRR_ELFX-Patch.esp

RRR_3DNPC-Patch.esp

 

*Vanilla travel or ride in the carriage point a to point b*

ScenicCarriages.esp

 

*Weather mods*

ClimatesOfTamriel-Dungeons-Hazardous.esp

ClimatesOfTamriel-Interiors-Cold.esp

ClimatesOfTamriel-Nights-Level-5.esp

ClimatesOfTamriel-Sound.esp

ClimatesOfTamriel-Sound-Dawnguard-Patch.esp

ClimatesOfTamriel-Dragonborn-Patch.esp

Supreme Storms - Cot Version.esp

Rainbows.esp

ShootingStars.esp

Better Dynamic Snow.esp

WetandCold.esp

WetandCold - Ashes.esp

EnhancedWetnessandPuddles.esp