Where to best get the mods

[Whitefire]

I've been out of touch with this site and Skyrim for half a year, and now that I have time to play again there's a lot to take in :) Are you guys using Nexus Mod Manager or Steam for getting your mods, or perhaps it doesnt matter? Are there any good mods not available through one of this programs but available through the other? When I took a break from the game, Steam only started to support mods so I was using NMM - I still have it and honestly i would prefer to use it but I don't know if I will miss much if I just ingnore Steam services. Thx.

[kevkiev]

Well, NMM isn't really necessary since you can always D/L and install manually. (Though, practically, I think NMM is necessary. Even if with a manual D/L, you can create a zip file and upload it via NMM. NMM is SOOO handy for uninstalling.) The real difference is between Nexus mods generally and mods from the Steam Workshop.

 

Personally, I don't touch Steam Workshop mods for one reason - Steam updates your version automatically when the author uploads a new one. So if the new version has features you'd rather not have, or worst case scenario is broken in some way, then too bad too sad - it's now in your game. As I've mentioned in other posts, Steam auto updates to the game are bad enough but, imo, auto updating mods is nuts

 

Just to clarify: although it's too bad too sad that a new mod version will be installed in your game, you can always "unsubscribe" to delete it. Although you can't get back you're prior version and, if the new version was broken and screws up your game (or if an uninstallation would, say in the case of scripted mods) then it really is bad and sad.

Edited July 27, 2012 by kevkiev

[David Brasher]

Steam Workshop is no good. They built it wrong. It only allows mod builders to upload mods that have one .esp and one .bsa. The mods may not have multiple .esp files, an .esm, multiple documents, or explanatory images. So many of the really good mods can't even be uploaded to Steam Workshop. This had the affect of angering a lot of modders who want to be able to upload all of their mods to one site, no matter how the mods are shaped. Since Skyrim Nexus accepts mods of all shapes and sizes, it is easier for them to just upload them all here.

 

So although there are some very good mods available on Steam Workshop, Skyrim Nexus offers a much better selection, and many of the mods available on Steam Workshop are also available here.

[gsmanners]

I find that manually installing is really the best way to go. You insure that you only download as many mods as you *really* want, and you also know how to uninstall without assistance (which becomes necessary from time to time).

[Whitefire]

Thx, I'll stick to NMM for now. As to manual installs.. Yes, i get your point, but Skyrim, even being one of the best games ever, is not so big a part of my life to spend hours just installing/uninstalling/experimenting with mods. I tried it and it is just spoils fun me.

[bben46]

As to where to get the mods, Nexus has been around much longer than the Steam workshop. We have many mods they don't, They cannot handle complex mods and Nexus can.

 

You can mix and match though, but you may not want to - in that case, pick the one you like and go for it.

 

I don't use Steam Workshop. I download from The Nexus manually - placing my downolads in a specific folder and sorting by type. Then I use NMM to install the mod - the advantages are much better control of my mods. The ability to have older versions if I need to go back. And if I remove a mod using NMM, the originally downloaded mod is still kept in my download folder.

 

The Workshop is a one click wonder. Click on the mod and it downloads & installs into the game. BUT the mod will be autoupdated even when you don't want it to be, and if you remove a mod, it is removed from your computer - It's more like renting a mod that owning a copy of your own.