I'M NEW TO MODDING & I NEED HELP

[Deleted47478173User]

Hello fellow modders and Skyrim adventurers, I recently built my first gaming PC (literally just over a week ago) and I finally purchased and downloaded Skyrim: Special Edition. I've been doing my research (watching videos by Gopher and Brodual and checking Steam and other websites) on how to mod since I've never done it before and I need help and clarification before I do anything stupid and ruin my game. Firstly, I've come to understand that Script Extender does not work with Special Edition and so far all I have downloaded are Nexus Mod Manager and WinRAR. So, is there anything else I need to start modding on Special Edition? Can mods work on Special Edition without any Script Extender? Also, is it a better option to simply buy the original version and all its DLCs on Steam (which is still on there believe it or not) and use Script Extender with that version rather than the Special Edition? Or are the mods available for Special Edition sufficient enough? I'm sorry for all the questions but I don't know what I'm doing so any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ya'll.

[nightscrawl]

None of the mods on SSE Nexus require SKSE, so if you just download mods from there, you'll be fine.

 

As for your second question, it just depends on what mods you're going to use. I personally don't miss SKSE and am enjoying SSE just fine without some of the Oldrim mods that require it. Other Oldrim mods that do require it, like Campfire (camping system mod), have been converted to work without it by the author.

 

Overall, since Special Edition is 64-bits, it is a more stable game, especially when you starting loading up your game with dozens (or hundreds) of mods. I've also found that SSE handles some things better, like shadows.

 

Since you're new to modding, I would just suggest playing the game without mods for a little while, with the idea that this first character is NOT your forever character. Play a while to see what the game is like, decide on your own what you think might need changing, browse the Nexus to see what mods are available. You might want to test some different weather mods, or other such things. It's not recommended to install and uninstall a bunch of mods, since that can bork your save. So once you're done testing with that character, create a new character with those mods you like.

Edited August 30, 2017 by nightscrawl

[Deleted47478173User]

Thank you very much, I appreciate your help nightscrawl. I've played through Skyrim multiple times on the PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, and now the PC so I'm familiar with the game and was modding on the PS4 (though I know it's very different and more streamlined). I'll do what you suggest and create a test character first. Before I do that, I guess I don't need to download anything else but mods straight from the Nexus site and Load Order Boss? Edited August 30, 2017 by Guest

[floridafan]

Im knew as well. I have been playing and modding on xbox1 skyrim. I cant find xpmsse anwhere. Thats the skeleton and many mods need this. I even tried groovtama authors name. (If i didnt spell it right here i did in in nexus) Pllease help!!!!!!

[sopmac45]

Nobody can tell you what mods are good or which ones to install and that is why you need to play the game for some hours first and then, install 10 mods at a time and choose only those from the "most downloaded" ( between first and fifth page ) section. For instance, the first three mods you have to install are : unofficial patch, modern crawl and cutting room.

 

After those, there are thousands but not all of them are good or necessary ... personally, I play as a mage so for me Magic mods are essential ( Apocalypse and Phenderix Magic World - do not install both Phenderix - magic and evolved, choose only one and I recommend World - read the mod descriptions ), I need followers because I play on the most difficult mode and I have mods that enhance and scale all my enemies ( including vampires ) so, Amazing Follower Tweak is a great mod, safe and essential IMHO, so from this point of view, you would need followers ( I do have Mani - excellent in combat - Hanali, Danariel and Lydia + Serana whenever she joins the party ... yes, a big group but because I have the mod OBIS and enhanced to spawn a lot of group of enemies and all of them are scaled to match my level so combat are difficult, especially against vampires ( Better Vampires mod ) whom can become invisible and teleport behind you and they are very dangerous ....

 

There are a lot of mods for houses ... I do recommend Blackthorn in the Rift ( look for that mod ) and I do have another 4 ( Bathing Beauties, Skyfall, Frostvale and Shadow castle ).

 

If you are going to have followers ( I do prefer women ), you've got to have armor for them .. I use the amazing Daedric Reaper, Celes and Merta Black ...

 

Regarding weapons, I use only one mod : Dagger Craft because I love daggers; Celes and Daedric Reaper are coming with their own weapons so I use those for my followers.

 

For me to come to that "simplicity", I had to use a lot of mods, try them out, observe results and after several times re-starting my game, came up with what I have been saying. You probably won't be able to find yours on your first play through and I do not know what your play style is ...

 

Last but not the least, I also have Flower Girls, FNIS, X32 Skeleton and other mods related to sex ( all of my followers are my lovers ... lol ... ) and regarding texture mods, you cannot go wrong with : Skyrim 2017 Texture Package, Vivid Landscapes, Vivid Weathers, Realistic Water Two, Ethereal Clouds, Real Mountains, Realistic Aspen Trees, Skyrim Flora Overhaul, Static Mesh Improvement Mod ( SMIM - you should not miss this one - ) Ruins Clutter Improved, Gemling Queen Jewelry, Ultimate Noble Beds, Enhanced Blood, Enhanced Saturation, Enhanced Textures, Smoking Torches, A Quality World Map, Lanterns of Skyrim, Open Cities, Run for Your lives, When Vampires attack, etc.....

 

I only have 92 mods because I am very selective. In the Environmental category, there are basically some predominant mods : Vivid Weathers, Climate of Tamriel, Dolomite Weathers, so you need to choose one of them and this is why you need to play, try, delete or keep, etc ... till you find what you want ...

 

All of those mods are safe to install but again, this is my personal preference and you need to choose yours. I do have more but I am not going to list of all them.

 

NOTE : clean your game files as stated in Steam ( look for : Skyrim Master File Cleaning Guide - this is the best and if you follow it by the letter, you will be fine - ), use LOOT to sort you load order and once you find what mods you want and after you sort them out once ( via LOOT and RESPECTING what the mod author suggested in his/her mod description ) you should not move any of your mods till you finish your game. There is a video located in Fallout 4 mod : War of the Commonwealth ... look for the video in the description and whatever that guy says, the basic concept also apply to Skyrim - very important - ) ....

 

... finally, welcome to Skyrim, enjoy and let us know.

 

Cheers .. :cool:

[Ceasirius]

Agree with most that was said here.

 

Personally however, I cannot do without the survival mods (Frostfall, Campfire and iNeed) - as they add so much more immersion to the game (initially I thought them useless, but havign tried them once I'd never give them up now)

 

Also, I tend to play with city enhancement (and additional settlment) mods, as the vanilla cities feel small and sometimes the land feels a bit too desolate for how I imagine Skyrim...

 

 

Anyhow, what I tend to do when looking for new mods is I browse the different categories (ordered by most endorsed) and when I see a mod that catches my eye I open it on a new tab - and once I browse far enough I take a look at each of them, read the description, and if I like the mod and can live with its compatibility requirements, I will just download it with the NMM, and so on until I go through all the open tabs :)

[sopmac45]

Agree with most that was said here.

 

Personally however, I cannot do without the survival mods (Frostfall, Campfire and iNeed) - as they add so much more immersion to the game (initially I thought them useless, but havign tried them once I'd never give them up now)

 

Also, I tend to play with city enhancement (and additional settlment) mods, as the vanilla cities feel small and sometimes the land feels a bit too desolate for how I imagine Skyrim...

 

 

Anyhow, what I tend to do when looking for new mods is I browse the different categories (ordered by most endorsed) and when I see a mod that catches my eye I open it on a new tab - and once I browse far enough I take a look at each of them, read the description, and if I like the mod and can live with its compatibility requirements, I will just download it with the NMM, and so on until I go through all the open tabs :smile:

 

 

I respect your picks ( Frostfall, Campfire and iNeed ) and from the three, I tried Campfire and I cannot deny the purpose of it but it did not cut it for me because with too many houses available in every single corner of the map, Campfire was not necessary for me. I never tried iNeed and Frostfall and maybe some day I give them a shot. iNeed is one that has been calling my attention lately but still I am on deck in relation to this mod.

 

Skyrim is the game that I've played the most and recently I installed Bruma which it is a great addition to this game. I hope they develop Bruma 100% and add more regions in the future, then Campfire will be another mod to add to my list.

 

A question about iNeed, do you have to eat, drink and sleep to retain your energies ? How does it work really ? Can you explain ?

[sopmac45]

"""Since you're new to modding, I would just suggest playing the game without mods for a little while, with the idea that this first character is NOT your forever character. Play a while to see what the game is like, decide on your own what you think might need changing, browse the Nexus to see what mods are available. You might want to test some different weather mods, or other such things. It's not recommended to install and uninstall a bunch of mods, since that can bork your save. So once you're done testing with that character, create a new character with those mods you like. """"

 

@ Saiyanprince7 ..... the above statement is correct and I agree if you do not want to screw with your game and get frustrated. Make sure that before installing mods, do a hard save, install some mods and try them and in the process if you have to save, DO NOT override your saved game ( prior to installed mods ); if you do not like the mods, delete all those saved files ( from the game menu ), deactivate mods ( from NMM ) and permanent uninstall them and go back to your "hard saved game". Install another set of mods and repeat. I write down every single mod that I like and keep it in a spreadsheet with version and author's information and some personal notes ( like load order and compatibilities ) for my future play through. Once you have the mods that you like, install them, LOOT them out, replace them according to the author's recommendations, save your current profile ( NMM ) and start your game. Remember that before star playing with or without mods, you must clean your master files.

 

Once you start your game, you will probably would want to add more mods to your list. It did happened to me and I think everybody else when you are starting playing with mods. This is something that you need to be cautious about. Adding mods midgame is something not to be taken lightly, especially, deactivating mods mid game. Make sure you watch the video that located in War of the Commonwealth ( Fallout 4 ) so you will have a clear idea on what to do if you come to add / delete mods mid game.

[Ceasirius]

@sopmac45

 

Basically iNeed monitors thirst, hunger and fatigue as 3 separate entities, with each ranging from sated to starved - granting you buffs/debuffs as welll as being potentially lethal. When you drink/eat/sleep, you move that particular counter towards the sated, while time does the opposite. The mod also adds water (with re-fillable water-bags) as a convenient way of fighting thirst. There are also special rules for vampire characters, not sure about werewolves - and you can tweak some of the settings in-game, although not as much as used to be possible in Oldrim.

 

As for campfire, I have to agree that its the one I use the least from the 3, simply because of how long it takes to build a campsite - frostfall on the other hand - it makes it quite a challange to travel in the North or in the swamps, as getting wet while somewhere in frozen areas is almost certain death-sentence (unless you can make a campfire and dry off that is) - in general I like these mods as they make me utilise inns/food so much more than I otherwise would :)

[nightscrawl]

Regarding Campfire: I use it for immersion and convenience, but not in combination with Frostfall. I roleplay eating and sleeping at night (and breakfast in the morning!) because I want to and I don't want a mod like Frostfall or iNeed forcing me to; the requirement would take the fun out of it (for me!) and make it a chore. If I happen to go long periods without eating or sleeping for whatever reason, I'm not penalized for it, but I still have the option of doing those things.

 

Campfire has a "quick" option that allows you to start fires quite easily. If you have an axe in your bags, you can chop deadwood as a menu option (you don't have to physically go around and chop wood), and start the fire. It takes less than a minute. I specifically chose the quick start because I'm not using the mod for 100% immersion.

 

With any of these mods, it depends on how you play the game. I only have two houses, Breezehome in Whiterun and Honeyside in Riften, and those are the only two homes I want. I don't care to own homes in the other holds or build one of the Hearthfire houses. I don't use fast travel and ride to each location on my horse. If I'm near an inn when it comes time to stop traveling for the day, I'll stay there, but there have been many occasions where I'll be in the middle of nowhere, so I will set up camp.

 

Campfire satisfies my method of play and I'm quite happy with it. One fun bonus is that, if you have a spouse, when you bed down for the night in your Campfire tent, they will lie down next to you. If there is a single bed roll, they will cuddle up next to you. It may seem silly, but this is a really nice bonus for me.