Some questions about Load Order, Plugins etc

[fojlop]

Allright. Now, I'm pretty new to modding games. I started modding Fallout 3 using FOMM like a couple of years ago. So I'm basically completely new to modding Skyrim and also using the Nexus Mod Manager. While I think it's an amazing tool, I also have some questions about it.

 

First off, where can I find my Load Order and how do I interact with it?

 

How do I know in which order to place my mods in the Load Order?

 

Should all mods that I install using the NMM show up in both the Mods-tab AND the Plugins-tab? Because I've got some mods that don't.

 

Should all mods that I install using the NMM show up in my Load Order?

 

Cheers, hope you guys can shed some light on me..

[simbalime]

I'm not an expert on the matter myself, but i can share some basics with you.

 

1) Your load order is the one NMM presents to you when you start it up. Skyrim.esm should always be on top, along with Update.esm and Dawnguard.esm. (Skyrim.esm MUST always be at the top though, so that comes first)

 

2) Again i don't know much about this myself, but it is wise to place gameplay-altering mods like Skyrim ReDone as close to Skyrim.esm as possible, as mods like these must not be overwritten by other small and independent mods who block the load order

 

3) No, the "Mods" tab shows those you have downloaded using NMM, and once you have downloaded and installed a mod using NMM it should appear under "Plugins" too. Mods you have directly downloaded from Skyrim Nexus and manually placed inside the Data folder does not appear in the "Mods" tab, which is perfectly normal.

 

4) Yes, basically your load order is the "Plugins" tab

 

Hope this helped!

Edited August 26, 2012 by simbalime

[simbalime]

Woops, sorry for double posting Edited August 26, 2012 by simbalime

[IsharaMeradin]

a little bit more...

 

Within NMM there is a Plugins tab. This lists all ESM & ESP files found in your data folder. Active ones are marked with a check. Inactive ones are not.

There is a Mods tab which lists all mod archives downloaded directly to NMM as well as archives in which you told NMM to get from a local directory/file.

 

That said, not all mods which will be in your Mods tab will have a corresponding entry in the Plugins tab. some mods are pure replacers and rather than having a dummy esp to use a BSA archive they supply their files in loose format. An example of this would be Dimonized UNP or All In One Face mods as they replace textures.

 

You can interact with your load order in the Plugins tab. Simply select a mod and move it up or down with the big green arrows at the top left.

 

However, one should consider the use of BOSS to assist in getting the load order straightened out. While it is not 100% perfect and does not have every mod placed it is a good starting point. Mods it does not sort are noted in the BOSS report and you can then move those about as necessary. Some mods have specific instructions on placement so be sure to read all documentation related to each mod.

 

Further more, mods you install via other managers (Wyre Bash, Steam, etc) will not show up in your NMM Mods tab, but if they have an ESP or ESM file they will be present in your Plugins tab.

 

Hope this helps clear things up a bit