STEP:2.2.1

Warning:     Click View the latest release.                      This guide is out of date! It may contain information that is incorrect or not in line with the current state of the game!

About STEP

A Foreword

STEP is an extensive, STEP-by-STEP, guide to enhancing TESV Skyrim with the best mods, tweaks and settings. The focus is quality over quantity. STEP tries to stay as close to vanilla Skyrim as possible while improving visual quality and fixing game-play mechanics.

Created by TheCompiler, STEP is a collaborative project with input from the modding community, technical volunteers, and project administrators. The goal is to provide tested and validated methods for establishing and maintaining an enhanced modded Skyrim. Thus, the Guide provides detailed, well-tested build instructions for a solid modding template. New modders can follow STEP explicitly, or more experienced modders may use it as general guide.

The STEP team collects information from the modding community through detailed reviews, feedback, and suggestions exchanged on the STEP Community Forums. Posting rules apply, so be sure to read and follow them and enjoy a warm welcome and plenty of high-quality support from a large community of experienced STEPers. Check out the comparison screenshots on the Nexus. But remember: the only way to experience STEP ... is to actually experience STEP.

Call for Wiki Content Editors

The STEP Community Wiki is open to editing by all registered community members; however, we need assistance maintaining and creating new supporting content. We are particularly interested in obtaining a few people with a passion for writing and editing. Familiarity with wiki markup is preferable but not necessary. Interested parties please contact one of the STEP Admin (Farlo, z929669 and/or stoppingby4now) via PM on the forums (Please register on the forums and see the very bottom of the Forum Team page).

Call for STEP Mod Testers

STEP users interested in becoming testers, please contact one of the STEP Admin (Farlo, z929669 and/or stoppingby4now) via PM on the forums (Please register on the forums and see the very bottom of the Forum Team page). Once registered, record your system specs by clicking on the button and filling out the form. These specs will be associated with performance data by tester.

Call for STEP Benchmarks

Users interested in helping out with the STEP Benchmarking Project, see our benchmarking guidelines and submit results on the forums (see link at upper left of site header bar).

Call for Forum Moderators

Regular STEP forum users interested in becoming moderators, please contact one of the STEP Admin (Farlo, z929669 and/or stoppingby4now) via PM on the forums (Please register on the forums and see the very bottom of the Forum Team page).

Visit the forums and provide feedback related to STEP. Assistance and feedback are what is needed in order for STEP to grow and improve. Also visit the STEP Facebook page maintained by TheCompiler (Daniel).

To support hosting and maintenance of the STEP Community Project, contributions are welcome.

STEP Mandate

A Commitment

Core STEP is about enhancing vanilla Skyrim for the PC ...

• Texture replacements at minimized performance cost and true to vanilla Skyrim
• Continuity of all in-game textures (i.e., comparable resolution and style across all armors, weapons, clutter, terrain, etc.)
• Graphical mods (ESPs) including new content and effects that "fit" vanilla Skyrim
• Gameplay & sound mods that improve the consistency and the perceived intent of vanilla Skyrim
• Interface mods that improve the menus and UI.
• Fix mods that truly "fix" malfunctioning aspects of vanilla Skyrim.

STEP is NOT about ...

• Content mods that conflict with vanilla Skyrim and/or TES lore
• Mods that change the perceived intent of vanilla Skyrim
• Sex mods or female body replacement mods
• Music replacement mods
• Gameplay overhauls

Performance, Baseline & Extreme STEP

STEP provides an enhanced vanilla experience by utilizing a minimum or “Core” set of game enhancements adhering to the original vanilla feel of the game according to the STEP Mandate. All Core mods are considered essential to all STEP "versions". Non-Core mods are optional but highly recommended. STEP versions are delineated at three levels according to relative performance impacts:

Performance STEP: Core mods only; performance options wherever possible.

My poor box needs all of the mercy that I can spare it, but I must have STEP!

Baseline STEP: Core and non-Core mods; performance/quality and balanced options wherever possible.

My box is decent, but I hate even the tiniest FPS drops and stuttering!

Extreme STEP: Core and non-Core mods; highest-quality options wherever possible.

My box is omnipotent!

STEP 1

Pre-Installation Setup

Requirements

• Official Patch v1.8
• Patience and attention to detail

      Notice:The official Dawnguard and Hearthfire DLCs are NOT required for STEP, but they are supported.

Baseline System

The STEP Guide is written with the following system (or comparable) in mind:

• Windows 7
• Intel i5/i7 quad core
• 4+ GB system RAM
• GPU with 1+ GB VRAM (DDR5)
• Resolution: 1680x1050

      Notice:Users with a less powerful system should only install the essential mods indicated as Core and select the most performance-friendly mod versions available. See Performance section for details.

1.A. Install Steam & Skyrim

This guide assumes that the reader has installed Steam as recommended by the Skyrim Installation Guide (SIG). Please take some time to properly set up and configure Steam as recommended by the guide before continuing.

It is very important to begin by reverting to a clean Vanilla Skyrim installation.

1.B. Skyrim Launcher Options

1.B.1. Launcher Settings

1. Launch Skyrim from Steam and click on [Options]. This will establish the INI file configurations according to the detected hardware. It will also establish the registry entries necessary for utilities and applications used downstream.
2. Click the [Ultra] button.
3. Under Antialiasing, select 4 Samples, as the difference between 4 Samples and 8 Samples is very subtle and not worth the performance loss (per Tweakguides). Drop down to 2 Samples as a last-resort to improve performance. NOTE: If using SMAA, set this value to zero.
4. Under Anisotropic Filtering, select 16 Samples (use 8 Samples for a very slight performance gain).
5. Click the [Advanced] button and make sure FXAA is UN-checked. FXAA reduces the Anisotropic Filter effect as well as overall texture detail. It is a huge performance improvement over AA, but comes with a quality cost. For more information on FXAA, and to see if it is right for you, see this post. NOTE: SMAA is a superior alternative to FXAA.
   • Consider setting shadow detail to 'High' rather than 'Ultra' for video cards with less than 1 GB VRAM (Performance STEP), or leave at 'Ultra' for Extreme STEP:
   • Under [View Distance], make sure Object Detail Fade is UN-checked and adjust grass to 100% with all other settings around 50%.NOTE: High-end systems can handle max view distances just fine.
6. Exit and click Play from the Skyrim Launcher. This will create the necessary configuration files, and registry settings required by downstream applications (contrary to popular belief, the INI files are created immediately, and the game does not need to launch).

1.C. Display & Video Card Settings

1.C.1. Nvidia Users

1. Download and install the latest Nvidia drivers (beta if available).
2. Download Nvidia Inspector.
3. See the Nvidia Inspector Wiki Guide for configuration details.

1.C.2. ATI Users

1. Download and install the latest AMD drivers (beta if available).
2. Open Catalyst Control Center, and click on the [Preferences] button in the upper right. Select Advanced View.
3. Under the Gaming section on the left select 3D Application Settings.
   • Mirror the anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering values set using the Skyrim Launcher above.
   • Set [Tessellation] to AMD Optimized
   • Set [Catalyst A.I.] to highest texture quality and tick Enable Surface Format Optimization
   • Set [Wait for vertical refresh] to Quality
   • Set [Anti-Aliasing Mode] to Multi-sample AA
   • Tick Triple buffering under [OpenGL Settings]

1.C.3. Display

Configure the monitor's display settings using Windows Display configuration utility (Control Panel > Display > Calibrate Color).

• First use the monitor's built-in configuration to attempt to complete the wizard. (ignore the ClearType tuner process)
• Repeat the calibration wizard using the GPU's driver configuration settings.
• For each run, be certain to execute all calibrators with particular attention to gamma, brightness and contrast. Most users' monitor output will be significantly darker and slightly more color-saturated.

1.D. Performance Benchmarking

The following procedure is very important in determining baseline performance and ultimately helps the STEP team to assess performance variation across a wide range of computer configurations. This ultimately allows the accurate prediction of performance requirements for the various versions of STEP to come. User contributions in this regard are highly valued and much appreciated! Even more importantly, this routine should be used to assess the performance of the strict STEP versions as described above. Database-comparison benchmarks will be available as sufficient numbers of user-submitted data accumulate.

At this point ...

• There should be a clean install of both Steam and Skyrim as recommended by the SIG (see above),
• the baseline INI settings should be configured (via the Skyrim Launcher), and
• the monitor and video-driver configurations should be optimized.

This is a perfect point to collect some baseline performance data, as all tweaks after this section are manual and could have significant performance impact on some systems. A baseline benchmark provides valuable information about the setup and the gaming environment. Detecting driver issues, software incompatibilities, hardware problems or other issues is essential while the build is simple, as these kinds of problems are much more difficult to diagnose and solve as the build becomes more complex. It is recommended that users execute the following process again after the INI edits following are applied and after each sequence of potentially-impactful changes is introduced (e.g., after each mod section).

Points during setup that benchmarking is suggested will be indicated by:

Benchmark

Use the following checklist to calculate the standard STEP benchmark:

1. Identify any unnecessary background programs that may be running. Most importantly, determine if it is possible to set any anti-virus/spyware to low priority or "game mode". Any running background processes will consume some proportion of resources that Skyrim could otherwise use and increase the chances for instability. It is fine to have processes running in the background, but it is a good idea to be aware of what they are for troubleshooting in case there are problems.
2. If mods were recently installed and IF NOT USING a SSD, defragment the game HDD. This will prevent game stutter caused by i/o inefficiencies (the effects are real!).
3. Launch Fraps in order to measure FPS. Set to output FPS to a log file.
4. Launch GPU-z in order to measure GPU and system memory-usage statistics. Set GPU-z to output the following to the log file (Sensors > Log to File; each variable log can be toggled by selecting the corresponding drop-downs):
   • GPU Core Clock (MHz)
   • GPU Temperature (°C)
   • GPU Load (%)
   • Memory Usage (Dedicated) - This is on-card-VRAM
   • Memory Usage (Dynamic) - This is the amount of VRAM transferred to much-slower system RAM
5. Launch Skyrim, and start a new game. Once loaded and the sound starts and the FPS counter appears, hit the FRAPS benchmark hotkey (F11 by default).
6. Let the game progress up to the first autosave just after jumping down off the cart, and press the FRAPS benchmark hotkey again to stop benchmarking. Total time since first depressing the benchmark hotkey will be approximately 240 seconds.
7. Quit the game as quickly as possible and immediately exit the GPU-z app to stop logging.
8. Go to the GPU-z log. Identify the point in the log where the GPU Core Clock first maxes out and find the point beyond which the GPU Load values and the Dedicated Memory max and become fairly consistent (it should be between 50-90 rows from the top of the file). Delete all preceding rows (keep the header row!).
9. Move down to the end of the file and locate the point at which the GPU Load and Dedicated Memory begin to recede again (signifying loading the menue and quitting the game, usually 20-40 rows of data, depending on how much time is spent in the menu and actually shutting down the game and quitting GPU-z). Delete all rows after this point. The GPU-z log file is now trimmed of "noisy" data.
10. There are many ways to do this, but get GPU-z log data into a spreadsheet program and calculate the mean and standard deviation for:
    • GPU Load
    • GPU Temperature
    • Memory Usage (Dedicated)
    • Memory Usage (Dynamic)
11. Open the Fraps FPS log, and copy that column into the GPU-z spreadsheet.
12. Download this example spreadsheet as an actual working example.
13. As can be seen in the example spreadsheet, there are several columns and 200+ rows of data. The relevant summary statistics are the mean (i.e., average) and the standard deviation (i.e., a measure of the variation about the mean). These can be calculated for each column of data by using the following formulas in Excel or most other spreadheets (cell ranges are in parentheses):

 =AVERAGE(A2:A240)
 =STDEV(A2:A240)

Example benchmarks

Example benchmark results:

Kelmych

techangel85

z929669

      Notice:The STEP team would very much like to collect this data in addition to the related system specs system specs of each system used to obtain it (See format above).

1.E. Install Utilities

1.E.2. Better Oblivion Sorting Software

Better Oblivion Sorting Software (BOSS) is an essential utility for managing mod plugins for Skyrim. Specifically, BOSS ensures proper mod order and Bash Tags, and it also identifies plugins (ESPs/ESMs) that need cleaning or other special treatment (more on this below). Download BOSS and install according to the instructions provided by the author.

1.E.3. BOSS Userlist Manager

Boss Userlist Manager (BUM) helps to make BOSS even easier by providing a GUI to edit the BOSS masterlist, which is used to define load order. Includes automated BOSS masterlist management and more.

1.E.4. Mod Manager(s)

There are several utilities that may be used to manage the STEP setup. Truth be told, mods can even be installed manually (not recommended). A mod-management utility is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED in order to keep track of a comlpex setup like STEP. These utilities also make it exponentially simpler to deconstruct a STEP install in order to update between versions. This is impossible to do simply or efficiently (or even correctly) otherwise.

• Wrye Bash

Wrye Bash (WB) is perhaps the most powerful mod-management utility, and is full of features for both modders and advanced mod authors alike. A fairly comprehensive mod-maintenance process is presented in the Wrye Bash Guide and presented in a context that applies to STEP. Presently, Wrye Bash lacks a Nexus-compatible-mod-update management system, so this will need to be managed by the user. Mod updates are not necessary for STEP though, and it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that regular STEP users avoid updating single mods piecemeal. This is the kind of thing that the STEP mod testing team works on for upcoming releases, and troubleshooting issues related to mod updates takes resources away from supporting others that are using supported versions of mods. (The mod testers are specifically encouraged to use Wrye Bash as the preferred management utility to simplify information exchange, although MO is another option).

• Mod Organizer

Mod Organizer (MO) is a feature-rich management utility that utilizes data virtualization to keep your Skyrim folder pristine. See the Mod Organizer Guide to learn more. MO does keep track of mod updates on the Nexus, and is as accurate as long as the Nexus metadata is current.

• Nexus Mod Manager

      Warning:The Nexus Mod Manager (NMM) is no longer supported by STEP. The reason is that NMM does not allow the necessary level of control required by the STEP installation process. More importantly, NMM can *break* the STEP installation due to its lack of several controls related to mod overwrites and incomplete install/uninstall in some cases.

1.E.5. TES5Edit

TES5Edit is a utility that can be used to 'fix' plugins in order to prevent problems during gameplay. The potential for incompatibilities, CTDs and other issues increases as the mod load increases. Thus, it is inevitably necessary to do some basic cleaning of a few mod plugins that BOSS identifies. The process for cleaning mods can be found here.

1.F. INI Tweaks

INI files can be used to managed many aspects of the game and also ancillary mods to Skyrim. Following are relevant tweaks that apply to Baseline STEP. Performance STEP may require that some of the following settings be relaxed, and Extreme STEP settings can be further enhanced in some cases. Potential performance impact is indicated for each tweak.

The Skyrim INI files are located in "Documents/My Games/Skyrim" or "My Documents/My Games/Skyrim," depending on Operating System. At this point, the default INI files should have been established due to actions completed in step 1.B, and the following tweaks assume that the Skyrim INI files are not already customized in any way. If using Mod Organizer, editing INI files is done by clicking [Edit Ini]. Wrye Bash users can edit and manage all INI files via the INI Tweaks tab.

      Notice:Changing settings in the Skyrim Launcher can undo some of the below INI tweaks. To avoid this, make sure to set the INI files as "read only" when all the tweaks are in place.

1.F.1. Skyrim INI

Go to the bottom of the Skyrim.ini and create the following:

Increases the distance arrows fly. (From "Arrows and Bolts Tweaks").

[Actor]
fVisibleNavmeshMoveDist=12288.0000

Places the camera just above your character's head in third-person view, and correct the camera angle in third-person view while on horseback. (From "Third Person Horse Camera"). Provides instant camera-angle switching when switching view types or when mounting/dismounting your horse. (from "Instant Camera POV Switching").

[Camera]
fOverShoulderAddY=0.0
fOverShoulderPosZ=18.0
fOverShoulderPosX=0.0
fOverShoulderCombatAddY=0.0
fOverShoulderCombatPosZ=24.0
fOverShoulderCombatPosX=0.0

fOverShoulderHorseAddY=-72.0
fOverShoulderHorsePosZ=50.0
fOverShoulderHorsePosX=35.0
fActorFadeOutLimit=-100

fMouseWheelZoomSpeed=60.0
f1st3rdSwitchDelay=0.95
iHorseTransitionMillis=001

Speeds up the book opening animation, and move the HUD elements closer to the borders of the screen.:

[Interface]
fBookOpenTime=200.0

fSafeZoneX=10
fSafeZoneY=10
fSafeZoneXWide=10
fSafeZoneYWide=10

Add the following under [Combat]:

Shifts the point of aim to the center of the aiming reticule for arrows and crossbows (with this setting targets will be hit where the cursor is placed at approximately 100 feet from the target).

f1PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7
f3PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7
f1PBoltTiltUpAngle=0.7
f3PBoltTiltUpAngle=0.7

Add the following under [Display]:

Fixes the shadow flickering issue. Shadow flickering is caused by updating sun shadows.

fSunShadowUpdateTime=0
fSunUpdateThreshold=2.0

Increases the time that blood decals remain visible (tweak from “Enhanced Blood Textures” mod).

fDecalLifetime=512.0

Helps reduce Z-fighting, but may increase clipping, especially with a higher field of view. See Gopher's More Z-fighting video for more information and examples.

fNearDistance=18.0000

Add the following under [General]:

Disables the annoying intro sequence.

sIntroSequence=

Prevents crashes when loading into a large interior area.

iLargeIntRefCount=262144

Helps prevent lighting “pop-in” by pushing back the distance at which the flicker/pulse animation loops begin.

fFlickeringLightDistance=8192

1.F.2. SkyrimPrefs INI

Modify the following under [Controls]:

Disable mouse acceleration.

bMouseAcceleration=0

Add the following under [Decals]:

Enables higher resolution blood decals on NPCs.

bDecalsOnSkinnedGeometry=1

Modify the following values under [Display]:

Valid values range from 0 - 7. Lower values will sharpen shadows (not the resolution), making vegetation more "vibrant." It gives a subtle increase in performance, but also gives more pixelated and striping effects to shadows. Higher values will make shadows softer and more blurred. Consider a value of two if using ENB.

iBlurDeferredShadowMask=3

Enables shadows rendering on trees.

bTreesReceiveShadows=1

If running Extreme STEP using 'Ultra' setting for shadow shadow quality to in 1.B.1, this tweak will further improve shadow resolution at a performance cost. Consider also raising 'iShadowMapResolutionSecondary' to 4096 on high-end machines. For Performance or Baseline STEP, do not change the default values for either of these settings.

iShadowMapResolutionPrimary=4096
iShadowMapResolutionSecondary=2048

Improves the blood decals number per scene (from “Enhanced Blood Textures”).

iMaxDecalsPerFrame=256

ENB users ONLY! Enabling these without an ENB will decrease performance with no visual impact and possibly introduce excessive shadow striping.

bDrawLandShadows=1
bFloatPointRenderTarget=1

Modify the following under [TerrainManager]:

Helps reduce Z-fighting, but may increase clipping, especially with a higher field of view. See Gopher's More Z-fighting video for more information and examples.

fBlockMaximumDistance=500000
fBlockLevel1Distance=140000
fBlockLevel0Distance=75000
fSplitDistanceMult=4.0

Modify the following under [MAIN]:

Also helps reduce Z-fighting. See Gopher's More Z-fighting video for more information and examples.

fSkyCellRefFadeDistance=500000.0000

Benchmark

Reminder - Essential Guides

The following guides form the base from which STEP builds and provide details on many of the topics mentioned in this Guide.

1. Skyrim Installation Guide (SIG) – Comprehensive installation and configuration guide to Skyrim and its DLCs, mods, extensions, and utilities.
2. Wrye Bash Guide (WBG) – A practical, hands-on introduction to Wrye Bash using STEP as a working example.
3. Mod Organizer Guide (MOG) – A WIP with some advice and troubleshooting suggestions.

Final Notes

A Final Consideration

Install mods in the order that they are presented in the following tables in order to achieve an aesthetically and mechanically well-vetted result. More experienced or adventurous modders may want to use STEP as a loose guide.

Information from certain mods used can write additional information into save games. Thus, some mods can continue to affect the game even after the mods are removed or updated.

From the Bethesda document, Skyrim Mod Troubleshooting: Best Practices:

"When you play Skyrim with a mod, in most cases, the new data for the mod will be written into any new saved games you create. For example, if you play Skyrim with Mod X and create a save, the next time you load that save, the game will expect Mod X to also be loaded. If you no longer want to play Skyrim with Mod X, it is best to unload Mod X (by unchecking the plugin under Data Files in your Skyrim launcher) and loading a save that does not require Mod X, usually an older save or a backed up save."

The short version is “Never continue with a save once a mod it relies upon has been removed.” Although this is good advice, there may be occasions when it is inconvenient to revert to an older save. The Troubleshooting Guide provides a "best-practice procedure" for attempting to ‘clean’ the effects of a removed mod from a save game.

FINALLY... ALWAYS read the ReadMe and other mod-related documentation that comes packaged with most mods. This includes the mod description on the Nexus. If the mod author has seen fit and taken time to create these reference materials, then they are relevant and important in the eyes of the mod author. This means that they are relevant and important to you!

STEP 2

Mod Installation

	Mod Name	Baseline	Quality Options	DLC Required	Notes
	Mod Name	Baseline		22px	Notes

	Core Mod	Core mods are indicated by the presence of a green vertical bar in the row at the immediate left-hand column of the table.
	Mod Name	Nexus mod name (where applicable) presented as a link links to Nexus for download.
		Link to the mod's Wiki page.
	Baseline	This notes the STEP Baseline version or option of the corresponding mod, and usually only refers to graphical quality choices. Stylistic or mechanical suggestions are located in the "Notes" section.
	Quality Options	Indicates if there are performance-friendly or performance-unfriendly versions of the mod relative to the Baseline recommendation:
		Relative to Baseline, a lower quality, less demanding version of the mod is also available.
		Relative to Baseline, a higher quality, more demanding version of the mod is also available.
		Relative to Baseline, both lower and higher quality versions of the mod are available.
	DLC Required	Any DLCs listed here are required for the mod to function. If all DLCs listed are not present do not use this mod.
	Notes	Brief notes that apply to the mod or installation. In some cases, mods with many alternative options will include a suggested option. These suggestions will take the form of: "STEP recommends 'Option A'." In other cases, there may only be one appropriate alternative option that fits the STEP Mandate. These instructions will take the form of: "Use 'Option A'."

Notice: Consider the following while installing mods: Mods should be installed in the order that they are listed to ensure that mods further down the list overwrite those occurring before them. This is necessary to ensure the desired in-game effect. Mods are otherwise listed in alphabetical order within each section, and any deviations from this are purposeful to achieve the desired outcome. To achieve the best results, “Loose files” (non-BSA) versions of mods should be used. If a "loose files" version is not available, extract the BSA as described here. Always install plugins (ESPs/ESMs) unless otherwise noted. If there are not any notes associated with a particular mod, then all options fit the STEP mandate. The notes only provide instructions where necessary; otherwise, STEP encourages user customization. Unless otherwise stated, follow BOSS's advice with regards to mod cleaning.

2.A. Configuration

Mods and tweaks that modify Skyrim configuration such as INI files.

No mods are currently defined in this section within the Wiki.

2.B. Utilities

Applications and utilities that aid in Skyrim mod management.

	Mod Name	Baseline	Quality Options	DLC Required	Notes
	BOSS
	BOSS Userlist Manager
	Wrye Bash				Wrye Bash Guide. Use either Wrye Bash or Mod Organizer.
	Mod Organizer				Mod Organizer Guide. User either Mod Organizer or Wrye Bash.
	DDSopt				DDSopt Guide
	Optimizer Textures
	TES5Edit				TES5Edit Manual. Guide to mod cleaning can be found here.
	Skyrim Performance Monitor

2.C. Extenders

Third-party programs that enhance Skyrim functionality or display.

	Mod Name	Baseline	Quality Options	DLC Required	Notes
	Skyrim Script Extender

2.D. Fixes

Essential mods that fix bugs and tweak deficient aspects of Skyrim.

	Mod Name	Baseline	Quality Options	DLC Required	Notes
	Ancient Nord Armor Fix
	Appropriately Attired Jarls
	Argonian Decapitation Fix
	Barrow Button Fix
	Bowlegged Jump Fix
	Brawl Bugs Patch				Only use the main "Compatibility Edition" file.
	Consistent Older People				Use "Consistent Older People 15" in the optional files section. Install "10 Plugin All" and "20 Assets All". If using Bring Out Your Dead, also install "50 BOYD Patch".
	Fast Travel Timescale Fix
	Fuz Ro D'oh
	Nitpick
	Unofficial Skyrim Patch
	Unofficial Dawnguard Patch			DG
	Unofficial Hearthfire Patch			HF
	Unofficial Dragonborn Patch			DB
	Unofficial High Resolution Patch
	Acquisitive Soul Gems				Vanilla users: Use the old v2.1 file.

Benchmark

2.E. Interface

Mods that modify Skyrim's menus and user interface.

	Mod Name	Baseline	Quality Options	DLC Required	Notes
	Altar Descriptions
	Better Book Names				Use the "Vanilla Version". Dawnguard users: Use the "Vanilla - Dawnguard" file. Dragonborn users: Use the "Vanilla - Dragonborn" file. Dawnguard and Dragonborn users: Use the "Vanilla - All DLCs" file.
	Better Dialogue Controls
	Better MessageBox Controls
	Categorized Favorites Menu				BCF Available
	CFM-Oni Edition				Choose "Classic" (3:4, 5:4) or "Widescreen" (16:9, 16:10) depending on your monitor's aspect ratio.
	Dungeon Quest Awareness				May cause minor spoilers.
	High Quality 3D Map	Hi-res meshes, original normals
	Immersive HUD
	Interface Key Tweaks				STEP recommends "Normal Tweaks".
	Lockpicking Interface				STEP recommends "v1.2 (Without wings)" .
	Lore-Based Loading Screens
	Main Font Replacement				STEP recommends "Fertigo Pro" or "Magic Cards".
	No Boring Wait Menu
	No Menu & Loading Smoke
	Not Another Colored Map Icon Mod				STEP recommends the optional "Full" file. Also install the SkyUI patch.
	Quality World Map				STEP recommends "Hi-Res Quality World Map - Main Roads".
	Race Menu
	Simple Crosshair				STEP recommends"Normal".
	Skill Interface				Also install Dawnguard patch if using Dawnguard.
	SkyUI
	Smaller Cursor				STEP recommends "Standard".
	Spinning Skyrim Emblem				STEP recommends "Average".
	Time On Loading Screen

Benchmark

2.F. Conflicting Graphics

Graphics mods that cannot be listed within their respective categories because they must be overwritten to achieve the desired result.

	Mod Name	Baseline	Quality Options	DLC Required	Notes
	HRDLC Optimized	Hybrid + Vanilla normals			Detailed instructions available.
	Better Dynamic Snow
	No Stretching	Full
	Static Mesh Improvement Mod				Detailed instructions available.
	Skyrim HD	1024 (LITE)			Only use the four Main files: "Dungeons", "Landscape", "Misc", and "Towns".
	Serious HD	1024			Also install the optional Riften textures.
	HD Miscellaneous Items
	Tobe's Hi-Res Textures	1024			Also install optional SMIM patch.
	Food & Ingredients	Performance repack

Benchmark

2.G. Landscape & Environment

Mods that modify landscape, buildings, and environments of Skyrim.

	Mod Name	Baseline	Quality Options	DLC Required	Notes
	Snow & Rocks HD	1024
	AOF Detailed Mountains	1024
	AOF Farmhouses
	Skyrim Flora Overhaul				Detailed instructions available.
	Better Rocks & Mountains				Use the "UV Tweaks only" file.
	Bumpy Inn & Shop Signs				STEP recommends "Bumpy" .
	Chimneys for Skyrim				Use "ChimneysForSkyrimRW" version.
	Distant Detail				Hearthfire users: Use the optional "Hearthfire Edition" file.
	Dragon Glyphs-Fixed				STEP recommends "Dragon Chiseled".
	Enhanced Night Skyrim				STEP recommends "Medium stars".
	HD Enhanced Terrain	1024
	High Quality LODs	Hi-res meshes
	Hybrid's Plants & Herbs
	Lanterns Of Skyrim	Default preset			Use the "Main ESM " file and one of the optional files. STEP recommends the "default preset" option.
	Legible Road Signs				STEP recommends "Worn text".
	Milky Way Galaxy	2048
	Moon Size Tweaks				STEP recommends "x0.5" for both moons.
	Real Ice	1024			Always use the "No Parallax" version. STEP recommends "Dull & Ice" if using an ENB, otherwise use "Classic Real Ice".
	Realistic Mushrooms				Also install "Mushroom stew" optional.
	Realistic Tundra Moss	1024, Yellow
	Re-Defined Dungeons	1024
	Trees HD	High			Detailed instructions available.
	Vibrant Auroras
	Visible Windows	Medium version
	WATER	See notes			Select "Reduced Splash", "Extra Wet Rocks", "Trough Water - Animated", "Plants", and "Ice" options. Dragonborn users: Also install the optional "Dragonborn Add-On" file.
	Whiterun Trellis Redesigned	1024
	Windmills Resized				STEP recommends the "smaller version" (1.23x). The default (1.5x) has minor clipping issues with the stables in Solitude.

Benchmark

2.H. Characters & Creatures

Mods that improve the appearance of characters and creatures.

	Mod Name	Baseline	Quality Options	DLC Required	Notes
	Bellyache's Creature Pack	Medium			Recommend the "Default Animal Replacement" OR "Bellyaches Choice Zip Med Res" under "MISCELLANEOUS".
	101 Bugs	Lower resolution
	Antz in my Pantz
	Realistic Hair
	AOF Believable Hair
	Dawnguard Rewritten-Arvak	HD		DG	STEP recommends "Soul Cairn".
	Bellyache's Dragons				Dawnguard users: Use the Dawnguard file.
	Better Beast Races	Lite
	Better Freckles
	Birds & Flocks				Use the "BirdsClean" optional. Hearthfire users: Use the "Hearthfire Edition Cleaned" file.
	Birds of Skyrim	Lower resolution
	Breathing Idles	non-BBB
	Cover Khajiits	1024
	Female Vampires Have Fangs
	Footprints				Dragonborn users: Also install optional "Ash Supplemental" file.
	Frost Atronach HD
	HQ Beards	Lite
	HQ Eyebrows	Ultra light
	Improved Foot Wraps
	Xenius Character Enhancement
	Natural Eyes	128
	New Children
	Pond Fish
	Rabbits Plus
	XCE-Dawnguard			DG

Benchmark

2.I. Clothing & Equipment

Mods that add or modify armor, weapons, clothing, adornments, and other equipment.

	Mod Name	Baseline	Quality Options	DLC Required	Notes
	Better Circlets	1024x512
	Accingite Vos
	Weapon Retexture Project
	Book of Silence				Detailed instructions available.
	Daedric Armor & Weapons				STEP recommends "Full, default glow". Also disable the ESP as it isn't needed.
	Explosive Bolts Visualized			DG	Also install the optional "HD Textures" file.
	Closer Quivers & Longer Arrows				Detailed instructions available.
	Elemental Staffs	1024			Also install the v1.10 update.
	Elven Weapons for Silence
	Weapon De-LARP Project				Dawnguard users: Also install the optional Dawnguard file. Dragonborn users: Also install the optional Dragonborn file.
	Greatsword Sheaths & Scabbards				Dawnguard users: Also install the optional Dawnguard file. Dragonborn users: Also install the optional Dragonborn file.
	Improved Closefaced Helmets				STEP recommends "Full set". Also install "No cloth around the neck" optional. Dawnguard users: Also install the "Improved Dawnguard helmets" file.
	Nightingale Prime				STEP recommends "Leather".
	Not Really HD-Mask of Clavicus Vile				STEP recommends "Wrecked".
	Shield of Ysgramor
	Yuril Rings	1k			STEP recommends "Gold Circle".

Benchmark

2.J. Animations & Effects

Mods that animations and effects.

	Mod Name	Baseline	Quality Options	DLC Required	Notes
	Animated Weapon Enchants				OPTIONAL: See these instructions for resolving a minor conflict with Acquisitive Soul Gems using TES5Edit.
	Better Turn Animation				Detailed instructions available.
	Burn Freeze & Shock Effects				Dawnguard users: Also install the optional Dawnguard file.
	Deadly Spell Impacts	Medium			STEP recommends the "Frost +10% Transparency" optional.
	Enchantment Effect Replacer				STEP recommends "Combined".
	Enhanced Blood	1024			Also install "Blurry Screen Blood" optional. Dawnguard users: Also install the optional Dawnguard patch. Dragonborn users: Also install the optional Dragonborn patch. If using both DLCs, install the optional "Dragonborn-Dawnguard" patch instead.
	Enhanced Projectile Soul Trap				Use either the main file or the optional "NMM Compatibile - With Aquistive Soul Gems" file. If using the main file, make sure the Acquisitive Soul Gems version is selected.
	Finer Dust
	Get Snowy				Use the main "v4.x" file.
	Improved Weapon Impact Effects
	Lightning During Thunder Storms
	No Spinning Death Animation				Also install the optional "No Twitching Dragon Death Animation" file.
	Rainbows
	Realistic Smoke & Embers	Medium
	Running With Bows
	Shooting Stars
	Skyrim Performance Plus				Use all four Main files: "Pine Needles", "Rainfall", "Snowfall", and "Rift-Super Performance".
	Skyrim Sunglare
	Ultimate HD Fire Effects	Medium
	Warmer Magic Lights				Mod page contains various compatibility patches. Only install one of the ESPs from "Warmer Magic Lights v2_Compatibility_Patches". STEP recommends "Warmer Magic Lights v2.esp". Comparison images can be found here.

Benchmark

2.K. Clutter & Miscellaneous

Mods that modify general items such as furniture, barrels, bottles, food, etc.

	Mod Name	Baseline	Quality Options	DLC Required	Notes
	The 418th Step				STEP recommends "Snow Version".
	Better Bones
	Better Shadowmarks
	Designs of the Nords
	Destructible Bottles
	Ruins Clutter Improvement
	Detailed Chests	1024			STEP recommends "Rich-Dirty".
	Detailed Rugs
	Golden Gods Shrines				STEP recommends "default" on all options.
	HD Baskets	512 x 1024
	HD Linens
	HD Ore & Ingots				STEP recommends the "With manager" file. The main file is mostly extraneous screenshots and duplicate files.
	HD Sacks				STEP recommends "Type B".
	HQ Skyrim Map	1024
	Intricate Spider Webs	Medium
	Lockpick Inventory Remodel
	Ultimate HD Torch	1024			STEP recommends the optional "Less glowing cloth" file.
	New Thinner Torch				Use "Ultimate HD Torch by rheadude compatible" version.
	Not Really HD-Display Case				STEP recommends "Smudged Glass".
	Not Really HD-Keys	With normals
	Pilgrim's Delight				STEP recommends "Zul Do Dov".
	Radiant & Unique Potions & Poisons				Use "Booze v2 Non-Glow".
	Realistic Instruments
	Realistic Paper				STEP recommends "Dark".
	Septim HD
	Silly Level of Detail-Potions & Poisons				Use "Ceramic style".
	Silly Level of Detail-Wine Cellar				Also install "Less saturated labels" optional.
	Skyrim Redesigned				Detailed instructions available.
	Soul Gems Differ				Packaged with a BAIN wizard that includes a STEP default to simplify installation. Manual installation Configuration.
	Super Realistic Ore
	Sweet Mother

Benchmark

2.L. Sound

Mods that modify audio including music, sound effects, environment, and voice.

	Mod Name	Baseline	Quality Options	DLC Required	Notes
	Activate Fail Noise Removal
	Ambient Seagulls
	Better Animal Footsteps
	Better Bards
	Better Horse Pain Sounds
	Better Weapon Swings
	Clanking Armor
	Heart of the Beast	High Agression
	Immersive Thunder
	Improved Combat Sounds
	Realistic Bow Sounds
	Roosters At Dawn
	Smooth Blade Draw & Sheathe
	Thundering Shouts
	Waterbreathing Breathless Emerge

Benchmark

2.M. Gameplay

Mods that improve game-play without significantly changing the game mechanics.

	Mod Name	Baseline	Quality Options	DLC Required	Notes
	Ars Metallica-Smithing
	Auto Unequip Ammo
	Breaking & Entering
	Bring Out Your Dead
	Candle Lanterns of the North				Dawnguard users: Use the "Dawnguard Edition" file.
	Clams Drop Pearls
	Convenient Horses
	Dark Brotherhood to Misc				Currently NOT recommended. Use the optional in Even Better Quest Objectives instead.
	Death Cam Duration Options
	Disable Thieves Guild Autostart
	Drop Lit Torches
	Dynamic Fires
	Follower Trap Safety				Use the "Brawl Bug Plugin" version.
	Gildergreen Regrown
	Guard Dialogue Overhaul
	Non-Essential Children				Hearthfire users: Use the Hearthfire version.
	Lantern Caretakers				Requires "Lanterns of Skyrim"
	More Interactive Items
	More Salt Please				Dragonborn users: Also install the optional "Dragonborn Addon" file.
	More Village Animals				Use all three Main Files.
	Move It Dammit	Less Wait Time
	No NPC Greetings	Sligtly Reduced
	Paarthurnax Dilemma
	Realistic Crime Radius
	Realistic Ragdolls & Force	Realistic
	Run For Your Lives
	Skyrim Coin Replacer
	Skyrim Uncapper
	The Choice is Yours				Dawnguard users: Also install the main Dawnguard file.
	Wearable Lanterns
	Lanterns for Caravans	No BSA
	Lanterns for Guards	No BSA
	When Vampires Attack			DG

Benchmark

Post-Installation Housekeeping

Once all mods have been installed and are ready to play, be certain to either:

• Start a brand new character, or
• load the save game generated just after character creation if it exists, or
• load an existing character after clean saving the relevant save game.

STEP 3

Tips & Troubleshooting Common Issues

3.A. Technical Tips

The following is a good place to begin, but be certain to also check the Troubleshooting Guide. Also, search the support & Troubleshooting forum on the STEP Boards,

3.A.1. Maximizing STEP

A heavily modded Skyrim can bring even a very powerful system to its knees. Maximum visual quality is highly dependent upon total on-card graphics-dedicated video memory (VRAM), the number of GPUs, and monitor resolution. The goal should be to maintain 32 or more FPS on average without any noticeable stuttering. Following are some enhancements that users with rather powerful systems might be able to take advantage of:

• Try using SSAO (using video driver settings) for better quality graphics and note the performance hit.
• Use one of the STEP-recommended ENB configurations.
• Make sure Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPrefs.ini are writable and, using the Skyrim Launcher, max out ...

1. • anti-aliasing
   • anisotropic filtering
   • view distances
   • shadow quality
   • texture quality

      Notice:Starting up the Launcher will overwrite some of the INI settings previously recommended, so those will need to be reset.

3.A.2. Fix game launch crash after installing STEP

For crashes to desktop (CTDs),

• Set the Skyrim executable "TESV.exe" to run as administrator (right click TESV.exe > Properties > Compatibility > Check Run this program as administrator).
• If using RCRN or any other FXAA-Injector/ENB mod, turn off any on-screen display programs and monitoring tools such as Fraps, ATI Tray Tools, MSI Afterburner, GPU-Z, etc.
• Get the latest DirectX runtime installed.

3.A.3. Defrag the Hard Drive

For hard drives (not SSDs), this is a very important task once most/all mods are installed. The Windows defrag utility may be used, but it is sub-standard. A couple of the best free utilities are Defraggler and Auslogics Disk Defrag. Do NOT defrag an SSD as it will detrimentally affect its lifetime.

3.A.4. Semi-Invisible People & Misbehaving Walls

Be certain that ATI Antialiasing is set to Multi-Sample and NOT Adaptive. Also, remember to download the latest ATI drivers. Also be certain that bFloatPointRenderTarget=1 in the SkyrimPrefs.ini if using ENB.

3.A.5. Using Windowed Mode (ATI)

If having stuttering problems or CTDs in full screen mode, try "full screen" windowed mode by downloading Simple Borderless Window. The "Simple Borderless Window" launcher SBW.exe launches SKSE, so start the game through SBW.exe.

3.A.6. Increase Overall Performance

If after following the whole guide and installing the enhanced graphics, the game is unplayable due to low performance, try one or more of the following:

• Disable SSAO or Supersampling AA (or both) if enabled.
• Reduce shadow quality from the Skyrim Launcher.
• Install the performance-friendly versions of textures where applicable.
• Consider texture optimization.
• Reduce The [View Distance] settings in the game launcher (see 1.B.1).

3.A.7. Texture Shimmering, Etc.

Refer to the Z-Fighting Guide.

3.B. In-Game Tips

The console can be activated by pressing the tilde ([~]) key, often located just below [Escape], while in-game.

3.B.1. Optimize Field of View (FOV)

In the console enter the following using a number from 66-100, depending on resolution and screen ratio. Default is 65 (4:3 screens), but 70-75 works nicely for 16:10 screens and 75-80 works nicely for 16:9 screens:

FOV ##

This change will be permanent in the saved game. Other INI FOV tweaks don't require opening the console, but they don’t 'stick' and can corrupt the game. Also note that high FOV can cause a performance drop for some configurations.

3.B.2. BIG Frame Drops During Cell Loading

This is a likely indicator that VRAM is too often operating at or beyond capacity (see 3.A.6).

User Contributions

How YOU Can Help

STEP can only get bigger and better with help from the user community. Even simply maintaining the current STEP is too much work for the core STEP team to ensure that the highest quality is maintained. We need people to help us identify mods that are thought to improve Skyrim while adhering to the STEP Mandate. We also need ongoing reviews and updates on mods that may be causing problems or that stray from the STEP philosophy. Finally, we need help from the community in terms of testing, benchmarking and analysis. More detail is presented in the Mod Testing Guide.

In order to suggest a mod, visit the Mod Suggestions section of the STEP Forums.

Notice: The STEP team will be beta testing a new mod-testing procedure and interface currently in final stages of development here on the STEP Wiki. Anyone interested in testing mods of any kind --whether included in STEP or not-- should contact the STEP administrators by email or on the forums (click on the link in upper left of header).

Thank you for reading and enjoy the game!

Special Credits

The STEP administrators would sincerely like to thank (from the bottoms of our fuzzy little hearts):

• The authors of mods recommended in STEP
• The core STEP Community for feedback, suggestions and input
• The STEP beta testers ... for their good humor and rigorous analyses
• The Nexus community
• Bealdwine, EisDrache & MontyMM - site founders on indefinite leave (we hope you guys are well!) --UPDATE: MontyMM is back ... welcome back!
• Outstanding v2.2.1 contributors - Techangel85, Neovalen, rpsgc, Besidilo, JudgementJay, torminater, Kelmych, Korentin & Mothergoose729
• Bethesda Softworks for Skyrim (and TES in general)

Site Donors

We have had a handful of generous user donations to keep this site alive anviable. Most of these donors have not left their user names, so they shall remain anonymous; however, the following are site contributors that have generously given a bit of their livelihood in support of STEP. For that, we thank them immensely!

• solist (our most generous contributor)
• geeee785
• 16 additional generous contributors that shall remain anonymous until their user names are made known to us.

The core STEP team is:

• Farlo - Mediawiki developer & extraordinaire, Mod-list co-compiler, forums admin, site founder
• frihyland - Solutions developer (Thunderbolt), mod extraordinaire, site founder
• stoppingby4now - Main site developer, Semantic Mediawiki developer & extraordinaire, site founder
• TheCompiler - STEP creator, mod-list extraordinaire
• z929669 - Wiki & forums content editor, main site administrator, hosting maintenance, site founder
• EMPTY SLOTS WAITING TO BE FILLED BY ESTABLISHED & DEDICATED COMMUNITY MEMBERS!