User:DarkladyLexy/Lexys LOTD SE Prerequisites

From Step Mods | Change The Game
Welcome to Lexy's: Legacy of The Dragonborn Special Edition
A STEP Hosted guide based of Neovalen's Skyrim Revisited: Legendary Edition
Created and maintained by Darth_mathias and DarkladyLexy With help from Nozzer66
Last Update: 9:14:12 28 March 2024 (GMT)


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Help support STEP! ALL donations are applied to operating expenses.


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FORUMS: If you want to check Lexy's: Legacy of The Dragonborn Special Edition forums click Here
Discord: You can check out our dedicated Discord channel by clicking Here
HISTORY: You can check on revisions of this Prerequisite page by clicking Here
CHANGELOG: You can check on revisions of the guide by clicking Here 
TRELLO: You can check Mods that have been suggested by the user for inclusion with this guide Here
PATREON: If you wish to donate to the continuing madness that is me and this the guide you can do so Here
PAYPAL: If you wish to make a One-time donation to the madness that is me and this the guide you can do so Here
MAIN GUIDE: Click here to go to the main guide -> Lexy's: LOTD SE
Merge Page: This is were you will find all the Merge Goodies Here
Finishing Line: So near and yet so far this where you find info you do near the end Here
Mod Configuration Menu Setup: This is where you boot the game yay Here
Troubleshooting: Some Troubleshoot tip cna be found Here

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Prerequisites Page


Quick word from Lexy[edit | edit source]

Before we get started a quick word from your friendly neighbourhood mad lady

Your game MAY APPEAR BROKEN and Loot will not sort correctly until you complete the entire guide.

If you add or remove other mods before completing the guide.

If you do not carefully read and follow every word of the guide. Do not deviate. Trust the guide! If you are not willing to teach yourself how to use all of the modding tools used in this guide.

Or will only appear to be broken because how much this guide completely changes the game. Read each mod’s Nexus description so you know what you are installing!

This guide is unlike any other guide because it has many custom patches to make hundreds of mods work together. You must be successful in following the warnings above if you want to have a properly working game.

Trust in the madness that is Darkkladylexy...

Official Bethesda Content[edit | edit source]

Steam Overlay[edit | edit source]

The Steam Overlay is known to cause issues while playing Skyrim Special Edition it is advised to disable it; to do this perform the following:

  1. Load Steam.
  2. In the Tool bar at the top of the left hand side Click Steam.
  3. In the Dropdown menu Click Settings.
  4. Then in the popup box find where it says In-Game.
  5. Uncheck Enabled the Steam overlay while in-game then click OK.

Alternatively if you would just like to disable this for Skyrim Special Edition you may:

  1. Load Steam.
  2. Click LIBRARY.
  3. On your Games list look for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition and Right Click.
  4. In the Dropdown menu Click Properties.
  5. Then in the popup box Uncheck Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game.

Configure Skyrim[edit | edit source]

Before we can actually start doing any modding, we need to setup Skyrim Special Edition first so we have a starting base to work from.

Start by opening Steam: then perform the following steps in order:

Start The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition through the Steam context menu to open the default Skyrim Special Edition launcher.

  1. Click "Options".
  2. Click the [Ultra] push-button.
  3. Set "Aspect Ratio" and "Resolution" through the drop down box. Set these to the monitors optimal resolution.
  4. Set "Antialiasing" to Off through the drop down box. This is in preparation for the ENB Install.
  5. Set "Full Screen Mode" by making sure Windowed Mode is Unticked.
  6. Click the [OK] button to close and save.

We have just set Skyrim Special Edition up to a base to work on. We'll tweak this when we run the BethINI tool later in the guide.

Configure The Creation Kit[edit | edit source]

Template:Notice Small Creation Kit SE Tutorial (Installation) by Darkfox127

The Creation Kit is a valuable tool for Skyrim Special Edition as it allows users to create and/or edit mods. It can be used to fix and change things not possible with the other 3rd party tools. Similar to Skyrim Special Edition, the Creation Kit does not have default ini files until it is started for the first time and requires some basic setup to work properly for the purpose of this guide.

For the puroses of this guide the Creation kit will be required for proper mod conversion.

  1. Download and install Bethesda.net Launcher.
  2. Run the Launcher and sign in (create an account if you don't have one).
  3. Users should see the grey "Creation" icon on the left. Click on it and install.
  4. Users should now launch the CK, choosing YES when asked to extract the scripts, and close the program.

There are a few edits that need to be made before you can use the CK to port mods.

  1. Download the premade CreationKitCustom.ini here
  2. Extract it to Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition
  3. Once the Creation Kit is installed use THIS replacer this will Roll the Creation Kit back to v1.5.3 so you can use SSE Creation Kit Fixes.

These settings will remain set for each subsequent run. These settings have accomplished the following:

  • Setup the ini files for multiple master loads and to properly load DLC content.

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[SSE CreationKit Fixes][edit | edit source]

CORE
TOOL
SSE CreationKit Fixes - v1.9 - by Nukem

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - CK64Fixes Release 1.9

Special Installation: Manually extract the mod and place in the main Skyrim Special Edition Directory Folder

Mod notes: Various patches and bug fixes for the Creation Kit to make life easier.

Idiot Check: Make sure you have v1.5.3 of the Creation Kit

Script Extenders[edit | edit source]

[Skyrim Script Extender][edit | edit source]

CORE
TOOL
Skyrim Script Extender - v 2.0.15 - by ianpatt, behippo, scruggsywuggsy the ferret, and purple lunchbox

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - Current SE build 2.0.15 (runtime 1.5.73): 7z archive

Install only these files to the main Skyrim Special Edition folder at this time:

  • skse64_1_5_73.dll
  • skse64_loader.exe
  • skse64_steam_loader.dll

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SKSE is absolutely essential. It extends the scripting capacity of the game to allow mods to do things that would not normally be doable in the base Skyrim Engine. Many Mods depend upon it.

Tools[edit | edit source]

[7-Zip][edit | edit source]

CORE
TOOL
7-Zip - v18.05

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - 7-Zip for 64-bit Windows x64 (Intel 64 or AMD64)

[LOOT][edit | edit source]

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CORE
TOOL
LOOT - v0.14.4 - by WrinklyNinja et al

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - LOOT.Installer.exe

Mod notes: The programs allow you to sort and optimize your Load Order.

Special Installation: Once LOOT is installed, you need to sort your plugins outside of MO at least once so everything updates before setting up some Mod Groups that will be used throughout this guide. These groups are created by:

LOOT Creating Mod Groups[edit | edit source]

  1. Run LOOT
  2. Navigate to the 3 dots in the far right of the interface.
  3. Select Open Group Editor.
  4. In the Add a new group box Add “Merge Patches”
  5. Left-click the node and Drag the line with the arrow and link “Late Loaders” to “Merge Patches” (Merge Patches should turn green)
  6. In the Add a new group box Add “NPC Retextures”
  7. Left-click the node and Drag the line with the arrow and link “Merge Patches” to “NPC Retextures” (NPC Retextures should turn green)
  8. In the Add a new group box Add “Conflict Resolution”
  9. Left-click the node and Drag the line with the arrow and link “NPC Retextures” to "Conflict Resolution" (Conflict Resolution should turn green)
  10. Now Left click the node and Drag the line with the arrow and link “Conflict Resolution” to Leveled List Modifiers (Conflict Resolution should turn grey)
  11. In the Add a new group box Add “Arthmoor's Villages”.
  12. Left click on the "Low Priority Overrides" node and Drag the line with the arrow and link “Low Priority Overrides” to "Arthmoor's Villages" (Arthmoor's Villages should turn green)
  13. Now Left click the "Arthmoor's Villages" node and Drag the line with the arrow and link “ Arthmoor's Villages" to "High Priority Overrides" (Arthmoor's Villages should turn grey)

By the end, all the newly Added Groups should be Grey.

Watch THIS handy Video to see how to create the Mod Groups.

Click HERE to see it all finished.

[Mator Smash][edit | edit source]

CORE
TOOL
Mator Smash - 1.0.2 - by Mator

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - Mator Smash Hotfix 2

Mod notes: Mator Smash is a tool that generates conflict resolution patches, similar to Wrye Bash's Bashed Patch.

[SSEEDIT][edit | edit source]

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CORE
TOOL
SSEEDIT - v4.0.2 - by ElminsterAU and SSEEdit team

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - SSEEdit 4.0.2

Special Installation Instructions: Once installed run xEdit perform the following

Load xEdit
Right Click on any plugin
From the popup menu navigate to Other than Left click on Options a new popup box should appear
Uncheck Simple Records LAND, NAVI, NAVM, CELL, WRLD (requires restart)
Click OK
Exit xEdit.

Mod notes: This program is an essential Tool that will help with cleaning mods of dirty edits and enable the creation of patches required by this guide.

[Cathedral Assets Optimizer][edit | edit source]

CORE
TOOL
Cathedral Assets Optimizer - v4.2.6 - by G_k

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - Cathedral Assets Optimizer

Mod notes: Cathedral Assets Optimizer is a tool aiming to automate asset conversion and optimization for Skyrim Special Edition.

[BSArch][edit | edit source]

CORE
TOOL
BSArch - v0.6 - by zilav

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - BSArch

Special Installation Instructions:

  • Download the archibe Manually.
  • Extract bsarch.exe to Cathedral Assets Optimizer\resources Folder

Mod notes: A command line tool for packing and unpacking Bethesda archives.

[Wrye Bash][edit | edit source]

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CORE
TOOL
Wrye Bash - Wrye Bash 307.beta3 - by Wrye Bash Team

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - Wrye Bash 307 beta3 - Standalone Executable

Special Installation: Manually extract the Mopy folder from Wrye Bash and install it to the main Skyrim Special Edition directory. Windows 7 users also need to create a Docs Folder in Skyrim Special Edition\Data.

Mod notes: The function of this tool is to manage mods and create Bashed Patches. Bashed Patches merge the leveled lists from the installed mods and has some limited functionality to merge mods and tweak game values. For the purposes of this guide, only the Bashed Patch functionality will be used.

[zEdit][edit | edit source]

CORE
TOOL
zEdit - Alpha Release v0.6.4 - by Mator

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - zEdit_v0.6.4_-_Portable_x64.7z

Mod Notes: This tool is similar to SSEEdit.

xEdit Scripts[edit | edit source]

[MXPF - Mator's xEdit Patching Framework][edit | edit source]

TOOL
MXPF - Mator's xEdit Patching Framework - 1.1.0 - by Mator
Files to download :
  • MAIN FILES - MXPF-a

Mod notes: This mod add a framework to xEdit that other scripts can use.

Special installation: Download MANUALLY and install the Edit scripts folder into SSEEdit base folder.

zEdit Modules[edit | edit source]

Experience Mod zEdit Patcher[edit | edit source]

CORE
Experience Mod zEdit Patcher - V1.1 - by mtreis86

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - ExperiencePatcher

Special Installation: Extract experiencePatcher into the 'modules' subdirectory of zEdit.

Mod Notes: This mod adds compatibility to Experience so the kills function will work on all NPCs.

[UPF No Dragon LODs Patcher][edit | edit source]

CORE
UPF No Dragon LODs Patcher - V1.0 - by Hishy

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - hishy-no-dragon-lods

Special Installation: Extract hishy-no-dragon-lods into the 'modules' subdirectory of zEdit.

Mod Notes: This mod applies the No Dragon LODs effect.

[hishy-npc-enchant-fix][edit | edit source]

CORE
hishy-npc-enchant-fix - V1.3 - by Hishy and Mator

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - hishyNpcEnchantFix

Special Installation: Extract hishyNpcEnchantFix into the 'modules' subdirectory of zEdit.

Mod Notes: This mod is a simple port of ASIS' NPC Enchant Fix that will work with zEdit.

[UPF Opposite Animation Disabler][edit | edit source]

CORE
UPF Opposite Animation Disabler - V1.1.2 - by Qudix

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - oppositeAnimationDisabler

Special Installation: Extract oppositeAnimationDisabler into the 'modules' subdirectory of zEdit.

Mod Notes: A Unified Patching Framework (UPF) patcher that disables the 'Opposite Gender Anim' flag on all affected NPCs.

[UPF Cell Encounter Level in Name Patcher][edit | edit source]

CORE
UPF Cell Encounter Level in Name Patcher - v1.1 - by hishutup

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - hishyCellEncounters

Special Installation: Extract hishyCellEncounters into the 'modules' subdirectory of zEdit.

Mod Notes: This mod adds the Encounter Zone's level to the text you see before you enter the zone.

[UPF Khajiit Ears Show Patcher][edit | edit source]

CORE
UPF Khajiit Ears Show Patcher - V1.0 - by Hishutup

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - hishy-khajiit-ears-show

Special Installation: Extract hishy-khajiit-ears-show into the 'modules' subdirectory of zEdit.

Mod Notes: This mod will allow all Khajiit to show their ears when wearing helmets.

zEdit patchers warehouse.[edit | edit source]

CORE
zEdit patchers warehouse. - V1.0 - by Bystander

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - zedit-spell-absorb-fix
  • MAIN FILES - zedit-visual-transfer
  • MAIN FILES - zedit-water-damage

Special Installation: Extract zedit-spell-absorb-fix, zedit-visual-transfer, zedit-water-damage into the 'modules' subdirectory of zEdit.

Mod Notes: This mod is a small collection of zEdit Patchers.

Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2017[edit | edit source]

[Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2017][edit | edit source]

CORE
TOOL
Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2017 - v 32-bit and 64-bit - by Microsoft

Files to download :

  • Other Tools and Frameworks - Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2017 x64
  • Other Tools and Frameworks - Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2017 x86

Mod Notes: this Tool is required for Mod Organizer 2 to function properly

Mod Manager[edit | edit source]

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[Mod Organizer 2][edit | edit source]

CORE
Mod Organizer 2 - v2.2.0 - by Tannin

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - Mod Organizer 2 (Archive)

Mod notes: This is the tool we'll actually be using to download, install and manage the mods. Don't worry if it looks daunting, we'll set you right shortly.

Installing Mod Organizer 2[edit | edit source]

Template:Warning Once Mod Organizer 2 is downloaded some manual setup is required suggest watching this to familiarize yourself installation procedure (Skip to 10:27):

  1. Create a new folder called Mod Organizer 2 - Lexys LOTD SE (or something you would Recognize easily) in the Root of a Drive (so you have some like E:\Mod Organizer 2 - Lexys LOTD SE).
  2. Extract the contents of the downloaded Zip file to the folder created in Step 1
  3. Run ModOrganizer.exe
  4. A popup box should appear, asking you to "choose an Instance" pick Portable
  5. A 2nd popup should appear; from the drop-down menu pick Skyrim Special Edition
  6. A 3rd popup should appear asking if you want to see the tutorial. Those who are new to Mod Organizer 2 should select Yes. Those who are very familiar with it should Select No.
  7. A 4th popup should appear stating that 'Mod Organizer is not set up to handle nxm links. Associate it with nxm links?' The recommended response is Yes, as this will allow Mod Organizer 2 to handle Nexus file links.

Congratulations Mod Organizer 2 is installed. Now we need to configure it properly.

Idiot check make sure you don't move your mods folder out of Mod Organizer 2 base folder

Configuring Mod Organizer 2[edit | edit source]

Now that Mod Organizer 2 is installed to setup up correctly

  • From the toolbar click the Spanner and screwdriver icon.
  • Under the Nexus tab make sure the Automatically login to Nexus is Ticked
  • Input your Nexus User Name and Password.
  • Click OK

Template:Notice Small Congratulations Mod Organizer 2 should be properly configured. Next, we need to set up a base profile.

Mod Organizer 2: Base Profile Creation[edit | edit source]

Now the Mod Organizer 2 is installed and configured correctly, we need to create a Base Profile to work from.

  1. Click the [Configure Profiles] button at the top of the window. The icon looks like an id card.
  2. Click [Create] and type "Vanilla Skyrim SE" in the text box.
  3. Verify that "Default Game Settings" is unchecked then click [OK]. The "Vanilla Skyrim SE" profile will appear in the list.
  4. Exit from the Configure Profiles window and change to the newly create Profile.
  5. reopen Configure Profiles window and the Select the "Default" profile and click [Remove]. Select [Yes] when prompted.
  6. Close the dialogue by clicking [Close].
  7. Verify that "Vanilla Skyrim SE" is the currently selected profile in the "Profile" drop-down above the left-pane of the Mod Organizer window.

Setting up Base Tools for Mod Organizer 2[edit | edit source]

Now to setup the tool's UI and other such settings. Follow the steps below

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  1. Click the [Executables] button at the top of the main Mod Organizer window. The icon looks like a pair of cogs.
  2. In the "Title" text box type "SSEEdit".
  3. In the "Binary" text box type <SSEEdit Path>\SSEEdit.exe or select it using windows explorer by pressing the [...] button.
  4. Do not select any of the optional check boxes.
  5. Click the [Add] button. SSEEdit should appear in the list.
  6. It is advised to add a second Instance of SSEEdit to MO2 Executables by repeating the process above call this second instance SSEEDIT - Quick Auto Clean
  7. In the Arguments field add -quickautoclean
  8. Repeat this process for Mator Smash, Wrye Bash and zEdit, replacing the appropriate fields then close the dialogue by clicking [Close].

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Next we'll fix the default left pane order, which is scrambled from how it should look. Drag and drop the files in the left pane until they look like this:

 * Dawnguard
 * HearthFires
 * Dragonborn

We now need to run LOOT to organize the right pane so it depicts the correct order also. Perform the following steps:

  1. Select LOOT from the drop-down list of executables.
  2. Click the [Run] button
  3. Towards the top right-hand corner is an icon that looks like 3 horizontal lines. Mousing over it shows it's for 'Sort Plugins'. Click it.
  4. LOOT will now download any updates to its master list file and compare the files it sees to this master list file. LOOT will display warning messages about the ITMs and deleted references the 3 Bethesda ESMs contain. Do not worry about them at this time. They will be dealt with later, in the Clean the Bethesda ESM's step.
  5. The calculated load order is then displayed. Click 'Apply' to accept this order. If no changes are necessary there may not be an 'Apply' option as no changes are needed.
  6. Close Loot using the Red X.

This process has loaded LOOT via Mod Organizer. This enables LOOT to act upon any and all of the .ESM and .ESP files in Mod Organizer's virtual file system. It compares what files it sees to the Master-List of all .ESM and .ESP files and suggests tweaks as required. Some files need to load before others or after others for their effects to be fully noticeable. LOOT helps this to happen. If you look at the Right pane of Mod Organizer now, you should notice that the files are in the same order that you just sorted them into on the Left pane, with Skyrim.esm and Update.esm above them. This is the correct formation.

This process has enabled the Dawnguard, HearthFires, and Dragonborn DLCs for use in the game.

Congratulations Mod Organizer 2 Base Profile should now be properly set up. Next, we need to set up a Modding Profile.

Creating Legacy Of The Dragonborn: Special Edition Profile[edit | edit source]

We've made a Vanilla Skyrim profile. This means you can play vanilla unmodded Skyrim via Mod Organizer at a single mouse click. Now we'll make the profile with which we'll mod Skyrim. This is how we proceed:

* Click the [Configure Profiles] icon at the top of the main Mod Organizer window. The icon looks like an id card.
* Select "Vanilla Skyrim SE" then click [Copy].
* Type "Legacy Of The Dragonborn - Special Edition" in the text box and hit [OK].

A couple of points to be made here: Firstly, when you make a new profile, Mod Organizer makes new copies of Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPrefs.ini. If and when you make ini files changes, you will be making them to THESE files. Secondly, we installed the base three files of Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE) earlier, but didn't install the script files. We will do this now to show how to install a mod via Mod Organizer. Ensure you have your newly made profile active and then perform the following steps:

* Click the small CD and Box icon adjacent to the "Search nexus network for more mods" drop-down and select "Install Mod...".
* Navigate to the downloaded SKSE archive and click [Open].
* Replace the default text, if any, in the "Name" text box with "SKSE Scripts". This is the name that will be displayed in the left pane post-installation.
* In the file tree, navigate to the "Data" folder inside the archive, right-click and select "Set Data Directory". Only the Scripts folder should be visible and checked.
* Click [OK].

The mod will now be displayed with an empty check box in the mod window. This mod is now installed but not yet enabled for use by the game. Also, note that Mod Organizer does not have a version number or category set for this mod. To resolve this, perform the following:

* Right-click the mod and select "Information...". (Alternatively, double click the mod name.)
* In the "Categories" tab, check the box next to "Utilities" to add that category to this mod.
* In the "Nexus Info" tab, set the version number to the installed SKSE version number but set the Mod ID to -1.

This has set the proper version number and category for this mod. The colour of the text also indicates that SKSE is not available on the Nexus. Look at the [File Tree] tab to see the contents of the folder that will be virtually placed inside the Skyrim/Data folder. Note the meta.ini file is shown which Mod Organizer uses to store all the related data for the mod and it will not be visible to the game when executed.

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* Click [Close] to save and exit the window.

Mods version numbers that can be verified by the Nexus will be either Green(Current+) or Red(Out Of Date). To make the mod visible to the game:

* Check the box adjacent to the mod name.

The files located inside this mod folder will now be visible to any programs executed through Mod Organizer as if they were placed inside of the Skyrim/Data folder. Any conflicts are handled by Mod Organizer in priority order (higher priority overwrites lower priority). Give this a try now:

* Select "SKSE" in the drop down above the right pane then click [Run].

This will execute the game through Mod Organizer using the SKSE_Loader.exe. The Mod Organizer window will close as SKSE is automatically configured to do so. At this point, SKSE is now properly installed with all included script functionality. There is also a way to check you have SKSE loaded and working:

* When the game loads to the menu, open the console. This is usually one by pressing the key directly above the [Tab] key. It's often the ` or ~ key. This will open a small command prompt in the lower left corner. It may be hard to see but it should be there. Type the command "getskseversion" without the quotes. It should give output as to the version you have installed. If it's anything other than 2.0.15 then recheck the original SKSE install and the scripts install just performed.

Exit the game, and if needed ensure SKSE is correct again after checking install. Do not continue until you're sure SKSE is correctly installed.

We've now set up the profile we wish to install mods too. We've also set up a Vanilla Profile. Either a modded game or the vanilla game can be played just by changing the profile. Additionally, should you wish to make any other profile, you can simply copy that Vanilla Skyrim profile, rename it and start with that new profile.

Mod Organizer 2 Plugins[edit | edit source]

[Merge Plugins Hide][edit | edit source]

CORE
Merge Plugins Hide - by deorder

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - Merge Plugins Hide

Special Installation:

Setup:
Extract everything except LICENSE and README.md to your Mod Organizer 2 plugins directory.
Load Mod Organizer 2 and press the Screw Driver and Spanner Icon.
Navigate to the Plugins Tab
Scroll down until you find Merge Plugins Hide
In the Right hand box change hide type to optional.
Click OK.

Merge Plugins Hide is now set up and will move merged plugins to the optional directory within Mod Organizer 2. It can be accessed via the Puzzle icon within Mod Organizer 2.

Mod Notes: This is a Plugin for Mod Organizer 2 that allows you to hide Plugins easier after they have been merged.

Clean the Bethesda ESM's[edit | edit source]

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With profiles now set up properly, it is time to begin modding some vanilla game files. To increase stability, SSEEdit will be used to clean ITMs and UDRs from Bethesda 's ESMs. This improves compatibility between the various DLCs and lessens the chance of instability in Skyrim. Perform the following:

Before we start cleaning the ESMs we need to back up the originals, navigate to Skyrim Special Edition\Data folder and backup the following:

* Update.esm
* Dawnguard.esm
* HearthFires.esm
* Dragonborn.esm

Once the original ESMs are backed up we can start the cleaning process:

* Start Mod Organizer.
* Select "SSEEdit" from the drop-down above the right pane and click [Run] making sure it's the one with -quickautoclean set.
* Right-click inside the file listing and select "None".
* Check the box adjacent to Update.esm and click [OK]. 
* SSEEdit will now automatically run through the cleaning process. Wait until you see the message "Quick Clean mode finished".
* Once you see the message "Quick Clean mode finished" click the [X] on the title bar to close SSEEdit.

Update.esm has now been cleaned, meaning that any improperly removed records or edited records that were identical to the base Skyrim.esm file have been fixed.

Repeat the process above for all of the DLC ESMs in order selecting only one at a time. Do NOT attempt to clean Skyrim.esm itself.

Manual SSEEdit Cleaning For Dawnguard.esm Also Required:

Open SSEEdit and load only Dawnguard.esm
Once loaded Left click and open CELL > Block 5 > Sub-Block 3 > select 00016BCF. Scroll down the view window on the right to find XEZN subrecord referring to RiftenRatwayZone [ECZN:0009FBB9]. Right click and select Remove.
Next Left click and open CELL > Block 2 > Sub-Block 1 > select 0001FA4C. Right click and select Remove.
Last Left click and open CELL > Block 8 > Sub-Block 1. Right click and select Remove.
Click the [X] in the upper right hand corner, uncheck "Backup plugins", and click [OK].

Once you have finished the cleaning process Navigate to Mod Organizer 2/mods folder and create new folder called Cleaned Vanilla ESMs

Navigate back to your Skyrim Special Edition DATA folder and Cut and Paste these files:

  • Update.esm
  • Dawnguard.esm
  • HearthFires.esm
  • Dragonborn.esm

Into the newly created Cleaned Vanilla ESMs Inside MO2/Mods folder.

Once you have cleaned and created a mod from the Cleaned ESM' you can restore the original UNCLEANED ones backed earlier to the DATA folder.

This preserves an absolutely clean Skyrim/Data directory and also allows our modded profile to run with the modified, cleaned vanilla ESM files. To finish up the cleaning, perform the following:

* Start Mod Organizer.
* Verify the "Legacy Of The Dragonborn - Special Edition" profile is the currently selected.
* Drag the newly created mod "Cleaned Vanilla ESMs" Above the "SKSE Scripts" mods in the left pane and activate it by checking the box.

To recap the current set up:

* Running Skyrim through Steam results in a completely vanilla experience.
* Running the "Vanilla Skyrim" profile through Mod Organizer with "Skyrim" selected in the drop-down results in a completely vanilla experience.
* Running the "Legacy Of The Dragonborn - Special Edition" profile through Mod Organizer with "SKSE" selected in the drop-down results in a SKSE enabled experience using the cleaned base ESM files. 

So, now to start your modified game, always start Mod Organizer, select SKSE and press [RUN].

BethINI[edit | edit source]

[BethINI][edit | edit source]

CORE
TOOL
BethINI - v3.1 - by DoubleYou

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - BethINI

Mod notes: This program was created by DoubleYou (The S.T.E.P. resident INI Master). BethINI (pronounced "Bethany") is an attempt to restore decency to the INI configuration files for games created by Bethesda.

Recommended Setting:

  1. Run BethINI.exe Outside of MO and make sure it is closed otherwise changes wont take effect
  2. Mod Organizer users should go to the Setup tab within BethINI and select the profile they wish to use via the INI Path setting. Your profiles should be autodetected.
  3. Under the Basic tab Click the DEFAULT BUTTON. This will refresh your INI files to the default settings for your system, with minimal tweaks.
  4. Under the Basic tab Click the HIGH PRESET.
  5. Under the Basic tab Make sure the BethINI PRESET is checked.
  6. Under the Basic tab Make sure the Recommended Tweaks is checked.
  7. Under the Basic Tab make sure Windowed Mode is CHECKED
  8. Under the Basic Tab make sure Borderless is CHECKED
  9. Under the Basic Tab make sure FXAA is CHECKED
  10. Under the Basic tab make sure Antialiasing is set to NONE.
  11. Under the Basic tab make sure VSync is UNCHECKED.
  12. Under the Basic tab make sure Lock Frame Rate is UNCHECKED.
  13. Under the General tab make sure Intro Logos is UNCHECKED.
  14. Under the General Tab Make sure Post-Load Update Time is 2000.
  15. Under the Gameplay Tab Make Sure Over-Encumbered Reminder is set to 60.
  16. Under the Gameplay Tab Make Sure NPC Use Ammo is CHECKED.
  17. Under the Gameplay Tab Make sure 1st Person Arrow Tilt-up Angle is 0.7.
  18. Under the Gameplay Tab Make sure 3rd Person Arrow Tilt-up Angle is 0.7.
  19. Under the Gameplay Tab Make sure 1st Person Bolt Tilt-up Angle is 0.7.
  20. Under the Interface Tab Make sure Bethesda Modding Platform is UNCHECKED
  21. Under the Interface Tab Make sure Mouse Settings -> Lock Sensitivity is 0.0125.
  22. Under the Detail Tab make sure Field of View is set to 85.00.
  23. Under the Detail Tab make sure Particles is set to 2000.
  24. Under the Detail Tab make sure Depth of Field is CHECKED.
  25. Under the Detail Tab make sure Lens Flare is UNCHECKED.
  26. Under the Detail Tab make sure Reflect Sky is CHECKED.
  27. Under the Detail Tab make sure Ambient Occlusion is set toNONE.
  28. Under the Detail Tab make sure Shadow Resolution is set to 2048.
  29. Under the Detail Tab make sure Sun-Shadow Update Time is set to 0.
  30. Under the Detail Tab make sure Sun-Shadow Update Threshold is set to 2.0.
  31. Under the Detail Tab make sure Improved Shader is UNCHECKED.
  32. Under the View Distance Tab make sure Grass Fade is set to 18000.
  33. Under the Visuals Tab make sure Grass Density is set to 60.
  34. Under the Visuals Tab make sure Grass Diversity is set to 15.
  35. Under the Basic Tab Click the Save and Exit button.

Post BethINI Tweaks[edit | edit source]

SKSE.ini[edit | edit source]

The first step to editing the SKSE.ini is to create it. Perform the following:

* Right-click SKSE Scripts in the Mod Organizer mod list.
* Select "Open In Explorer".
* Create and enter a folder named SKSE.
* Create and open a text file named SKSE.ini. (Make sure you are showing hidden file extensions)

Once this file is open to be edited, paste in the following:

[General]
ClearInvalidRegistrations=1 
[Display]
iTintTextureResolution=2048

This enables self-healing of rogue updating scripts in saves.

Save and close SKSE.ini then exit explorer.

Skyrim.ini[edit | edit source]

[Grass]

bGrassPointLighting=1
iMaxGrassTypesPerTexure=15 (make sure you have this, and this is NOT a typo.) 
iMinGrassSize=60 (make sure you have this.) 
SkyrimPrefs.ini [edit | edit source]

[Controls]

bMouseAcceleration=0

[Display]

bSAOEnable=0
fInteriorShadowDistance=3000 (Make sure is this the value)

[Grass]

b30GrassVS=0
fGrassMaxStartFadeDistance=18000 (Make sure is this the value)

[Main]

bSaveOnPause=0 (Change existing value)
bSaveOnRest=0 (Change existing value)
bSaveOnTravel=0 (Change existing value)
bSaveOnWait=0 (Change existing value)

Due to the heavily modded nature of this guide, it is advised to have autosaves turned off and to create fresh new saves every time and not overwrite old preexisting saves.

SkyrimCustom.ini[edit | edit source]

SkyrimCustom.ini is created by Bethini it basically can be used to overwrite settings placed in Skyrim.ini for the purpose of this guide I recommend having a blank Copy placed in the Legacy Of The Dragonborn - Special Edition Profile that you will use to actually play the game.

xLODGEN[edit | edit source]

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[xLODGEN][edit | edit source]

CORE
xLODGEN - v Beta 42 - by Sheson

Files to download :

Special Installation:

  1. Download and install the Optional SSE-Terrain-Tamriel.esm file as a mod in Mod Organizer 2.
  2. Download the Main xLODGen-42 archive.
  3. Extract the contents to a new folder called xLODGEN but DO NOT PUT THE FOLDER INSIDE the main Skyrim SE OR Mod Organizer 2 folder.
  4. create folder called SSELODGen_Output At the ROOT of a Drive
  5. Once the above is done, open Mod Organizer 2 and add xLODGenx64.exe as an executable.
  6. In the Arguments field enter -sse -o:"<Drive Letter>\SSELODGen_Output" .
for example my path is "E:\SSELODGEN_Output\" and so in arguments: -sse -o:"E:\SSELODGen_Output"

Mod Notes: This is a utility used to generate LOD meshes and textures "exactly" like CK.

DynDOLOD[edit | edit source]

[DynDOLOD Standalone][edit | edit source]

CORE
DynDOLOD Standalone - v2.63 - by Sheson

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - DynDOLOD-Standalone.2.63

Special Installation:

  1. Download the archive file.
  2. Extract the contents to a new folder called DynDOLOD Special Edition
  3. Once the above is done, open Mod Organizer 2 and add TexGenx64 and DynDOLODx64 as executables.
  4. In the Arguments field enter -sse for each executable.

Mod Notes: This is a utility used to create a mod based on the load order, which adds custom, distant LOD for objects to Skyrim.

zMerge Setup[edit | edit source]

In this section we will setup zMerge so that we can create merged mods later on:

  1. Open zEdit and select zMerge from the drop-down menu along with the profile you wish to use.
  2. Press Start Session.
  3. Click on the cog in the Upper Right corner and a new popup box should appear.
  4. Navigate to Integration Settings.
  5. Under Mod Manager select Mod Organizer 2
  6. Under MO2 Instance select Portable.
  7. Under Mod manager path, fill in the file path to where your main Mod Organizer 2 folder is
  8. Under Mod manager mods path, fill in the file path to where your Mod Organizer 2 mods folder is (this should be located inside the Mod Organizer 2 main folder)
  9. Navigate to Merge Settings.
  10. Under Merge Output path fill in the file path to where your Mod Organizer 2 mods folder is (this should be located inside the Mod Organizer 2 main folder)
  11. Uncheck "Disable plugins"
  12. Navigate to Archive Creation Settings.
  13. Under Advanced change Minimum file per archive to 999999
  14. Under Advanced make sure Create texture archive is UNCHECKED
  15. Click OK.
  16. You can now close zMerge.

Check these pictures on how to set up zMerge if you're having trouble: Here

Reshade Installation[edit | edit source]

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[Reshade][edit | edit source]

Optional
Reshade - v4.2.1 - by Reshade Team

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - ReShade_Setup_4.2.1

Special Installation:

  1. Download the latest version of ReShade
  2. Run the executable and point it to your SkyrimSE.exe
  3. On the next page select Direct3D 10+
  4. During installation, when asked if you want to download a set of shaders, choose 'yes' and select only: Finesharp.fx, LevelsPlus, LumaSharpen.fx and Vibrance.fx
  5. Download the Suggested Reshade preset found on the main guide and extract it to your game folder
  6. Run Skyrim Special Edition and, when the main menu loads, click the 'Home' key to call the ReShade GUI menu
  7. From the 'Home' tab, choose 'BTS ReShade.ini' in the drop-down menu at the top
  8. Click the 'Home' key again to close the GUI - you're all set and good to go.

GPU Driver Settings[edit | edit source]

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[NVIDIA Profile Inspector][edit | edit source]

CORE
TOOL
Nvidia Inspector - 2.1.2.0 - by Orbmu2k

Files to download :

  • MAIN FILES - NVIDIA Inspector

Special Installation:

  • Download and install NVIDIA Inspector, which includes NVIDIA Profile Inspector as a separate executable.
  • Download a pre-made Profile .
  • Load NVIDIA Inspector and start NVIDIA Profile Inspector. On the Profile Inspector's tool bar there should be an icon of a box with green arrow pointing down. Hovering over the icon should display Import user defined profiles .
  • Once the profile have been installed, use the search bar and navigate to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition.
  • Then double check the following has been set in the installed Profile:
2 - Sync and Refresh
* Frame Rate Limiter                                            58  (From the drop down menu select 58)
* Maximum pre-rendered frames                                   1
* Vertical Sync                                                 Force On  (My game seems more smooth with these setting this may not be the same for you, but remember one rule, you must have Vsync enable somewhere either through the game, your ENB or the driver.)
3 - Antialiasing
* Antialiasing - Mode                                           Enhance the application setting
* Antialiasing - Setting                                        4x [4x Multisampling]
4 - Texture Filtering
* Anisotropic filtering mode                                    User - defined/Off
* Anisotropic filtering setting                                 16x
* Texture Filtering - Anisotropic Sample Optimization          On
* Texture Filtering - Negative LOD bias                         Clamp (Leave at clamp)
* Texture Filtering - Quality                                   High Quality (You can lower if needed)
* Texture Filtering - Trilinear optimization                    On (will be ignored if using high quality)

Now we can go back to the main page and start the modding adventure of Skyrim Special Edition. Start at the "Mod Installation Advice" heading. -> Lexy's: Legacy of The Dragonborn Special Edition