el2mador Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 First off, let me clarify that I'm not an expert on this, and I've received quite a bit of help from others from Reddit/Nexus forums on how to properly merge ESP files. With all that help, I thought I had a pretty good grasp on how merging can be done, even as a total newbie.This is my 4th playthrough of the game, and the first time I'm attempting to do merges so I can have more mods active.I currently have 240 mods, with 16 merged ESPs (all armor/clothing mods). Had I not done a merge, I would have exceeded the limit (ie. probably gone up to 500+, haha). I am only focused on merging armor/clothing mods. I've yet to merge weapons or power armor mods.Merging is ideal for when you're starting a new playthrough as you can decide and arrange your mods properly before you begin.Anyway, here are some tips... -------------------------------------------------------- ProgramsRequired: Nexus Mod ManagerRequired: FO4EditRequired: Merge Plugins ScriptRequired: WinrarOptional: Pra's FO4 Edit ScriptsOptional: Archiver (you can get this from the FO4 Creation Kit)The required files are of course needed. I also use NMM so, yep... I've no clue about Mod Organizer so nevermind.The optional Pra's FO4 Edit Scripts would only be needed if you plan on making certain mods compatible with Valdacil's Item Sorting (VIS), Horizon, or AWCKR. The optional Archive would be needed if you end up with BSA/archived downloads and wish to unpack them into loose files. -------------------------------------------------------- BSA/Archived? Loose Files? Wut??? After you download a mod, open it (no need to extract yet) via Winrar to see if it has Loose Files, or BSA/Archived files. (1) Loose Files - have multiple folders like textures, meshes, scripts, etc.(2) BSA or archived files - are those you see that have something like "Mod Name - Main.bsa" and "Mod Name - Textures.bsa" Differences:BSA's allow for faster load times compared to Loose filesHowever, Loose files are needed if you want to edit an armor piece using BodyslideMerging directly with mods that use BSA files can lead to texture problemsThat pretty much means that Loose Files > BSA filesIdeal Scenario:Download loose files for armor modsBuild using Bodyslide; never change it againTurn the loose files into BSA filesCreate a new/merged espThat's ideal. However, it can also be a bit confusing/time-consuming, so I took the simplest route, focusing on merging mods with Loose Files and not bothering to turn most of them into BSA files later on. -------------------------------------------------------- Before you merge:Make sure you're downloading LOOSE FILE versions instead of BA2/Archive versionsMake notes of the armor/clothing mods you've downloadedThink of which ones you want to merge as a batch whether because they have the same theme (ie. clothing from other video game characters); or because they're from the same author (ie. Niero, Elianora, Derpsdale, etc)Install the mods and any patches/bodyslide configs they may haveMake sure the ones you want to merge are all arranged consecutively/one after another on NMM's plugins panelExample: I want to merge several mods by DeserterX.Use NMM to download and install them, plus any optional files you may want.In the NMM plugins list, make sure they are arranged one after the other with no random mod in between -kinda like this. -------------------------------------------------------- Merging Time!On NMM, click on the Supported Tools icon, and open FO4EditYou'll see your plugins list; right click; Select None (to remove all check marks)Check only the mods you want to merge (remember, they have to be consecutive/one after the other)Hit OK and wait for it to loadYou'll then see this once the program loads it upNEVER check Fallout.esm or Fallout.exe during the entire process!Select all the mods/ESP files; right click and Check for ErrorsIf there are NO errors:Make sure the ESP files are still selected; right click; Apply ScriptSelect Merge Plugins v1.9 (which comes from the merge plugins script download above)A pop-up will ask you to choose which mods you want to merge; check the Options iconMake sure you have these settings; disregard the asset directory (make some new folder, doesn't really matter)Hit OK, name your new merged ESP file; it should then appear in your Fallout 4 Data Folder (not in that asset directory)What to do with that Merged ESP file:In the Data Folder, right click on that merged esp you created; Cut it and paste it somewhere else (like a new folder in your desktop)Then, right click on it, select Add to Archive to make a .RAR fileOn NMM, click the green PLUS icon, add that RAR file you made; install itYou should then have the Merged ESP pop up in your NMM plugins listUncheck the previously separate ESPs in your plugins list; just keep that Merged ESP active -------------------------------------------------------- But what if there ARE errors?If you "Check for Errors" and an error does pop up, just remove that mod from the list you plan on merging.If you initially did not encounter an error when checking, but something pops up when you do the merge, an error would look like this: "Some files were not included due to bla bla bla..." - so, just to be on the safe side, do another merge but do not include that mod as well.Let's say you have 10 armor mods you want to merge. 2 of them had an error. Do a merge but don't include those two.When you're done with the merge:activate the new merged espuncheck the 8 mods that were included in that mergekeep active the 2 mods that were not included in that mergeHey, at least you still save some space, right? -------------------------------------------------------- Some questions:(1) What happens if I end up merging multiple BA2 files? A - You won't be able to edit them using BodyslideB - You might encounter issues with the texturesUse the Archiver (from the Creation Kit)Unpack these files to show up as textures/meshes foldersSelect these folders plus their esp and Add to Archive (Winrar), to create a RAR fileAdd that RAR file on NMM, install it, overwrite if askedEdit via BodyslideIf you want to add it to a merge, repeat the same steps as above (2) Some people suggest creating a folder and copy-pasting all the contents of multiple mods there, and then merging afterwards. Do I need to do this? Nope, not really. Just install via NMM; select via FO4Edit; merge and go. The only time you'll need to unpack content is IF you downloaded BSA/BA2 versions; they need to be Loose files first as mentioned above. (3) What if I want to make these mods compatible with certain others like VIS, Horizon, AWCKR?Use Pra's FO4 Edit scripts linked above and choose those commands via Apply script (4) Are you not turning them into BSA/Archived files?Only for some merges if I feel like it; many others I've just kept as loose files. I'm not experiencing massive slowdowns or long loading times anyway. (5) What's your load order?https://pastebin.com/3KjKTtUQ 243 plugins; multiple merges. I guess I have all the mods that truly matter a lot and then some.Before merging, my armor/clothing mods alone were up to 350+ files total.Some mods had errors when attempting to merge so I did not include them; they're activated separately.I've also yet to merge weapon mods or power armor mods - I'll get to that when I'm almost out of room.I can probably cut it back down to 200-220 if need be. (6) What issues have you encountered?Taboolicious Street Brawler clothing had no textures, but that was because I screwed up the merge (didn't realize it had an error); so I made a new merge without it; now it's fine if activated separatelyLes Sucettes Clothing also had no textures but this was because it was a BA2 mod which I forgot to unpack first before merging; I got this fixedWasteland Pionerka had no textures, but that was because I screwed up the download; I got the correct download eventuallyThose are the ONLY errors I've encountered with my merged armor esps and these were because of my carelessness. -------------------------------------------------------- Final Tips (1) Check Armorsmith Extended - the optional files have several merged esps already. All you need to do is download those armor/clothing mods, install them, uncheck the old esps and just activate the merged one. (2) The same goes for Weaponsmith Extended which has a TON of weapons already included. Instructions are also included in the main page, namely - "REQUIRED WEAPON MODS TO DOWNLOAD SEPARATELY." - the mods below that should be downloaded separately, installed, and then have their plugins unchecked. (3) Download ESL files if they are available for a mod. ESL files don't count towards the 255 mod limit but will require the game's version to be 1.10.40 or higher, as well as NMM version 0.63.17.Certain mod authors like Derpsdale have ESL versions of their mods.download the main file and install the moddownload and install the ESLuncheck the ESP and just have the ESL activated -------------------------------------------------------- TL;DRDownload mod Loose Files versions via NMM; install via NMMIf only BSA files are available, unpack first using Archiver; turn all folders + esp into RAR file; install via NMMMerge via FO4Edit; don't include esp's that have errorsTurn new Merged ESP file into RAR fileAdd and install it via NMM; keep it activated, and uncheck the old esps for the mods that you included in the mergeHope this helps. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trojonkiller Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 Thank you this helped me loads! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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