User:DrPharmDawg/SkyRem Guide Home

Skyrim Roleplay Enhancement Mod Guide for Special Edition
(SkyRem Guide)

Changelog   |   Release Date: September 20, 2019

Current Version: 2.1.1

Created and maintained by DrPharmDawg

Last Update: 12:10:49 18 April 2024 (GMT)

---

Home Page

---

Template:TOC right
SkyRem Guide Pages

Home Page: Introduction <-----
Section I: Stability
Section II: Mechanics
Section III: Content
Section IV: Aesthetics
Section V: Final Steps

SkyRem Guide Support

Discord: Discord Channel for all things SkyRem (Guide and Mods).
Patreon: Support SkyRem development via Patreon.
PayPal: Support with a one-time donation via PayPal.
Trello: See guide development progress on Trello.

---

INTRODUCTION

What is SkyRem? Yes - SkyRem is an acronym (if you have delved into any of my mods, this is probably very apparent) for Skyrim Roleplay Enhancment Modding.
The SkyRem concept began with the desire to tweak character creation and development and has since developed into two (currently) series of mods and now a guide as I work to put it all together. The goal: the ultimate roleplay experience in Skyrim. Alone, it is a great game. With the involvement of the modding community, it has become a phenomenal game. This guide, along with the few mods I have authored, is my attempt to give back to that community (or at least contribute in some way).

There are great guides available already, with different focuses, different objectives, varying degrees of difficulty, etc. After countless hours of using other guides, adding, subtracting, altering... this guide is my "finished product" based on the concept above and the priorities below.

This is not a difficulty or beautification focused mod guide by design. One could argue that difficulty is incorporated simply by the nature of the roleplay focus and modifications, but the intent of the guide goes far beyond just making Skyrim more difficult. As for beautification - I include plenty of mods specifically for this, but do not spend an inordinate amount of time determining which texture from this mod should overwrite this one, etc. I have also incorporated these into the guide in a way that will make it easy for you to add / subtract / substitute... whatever you prefer (or whatever your system prefers).

Guide Priorities:

(1) Stability
(2) Mechanics
(3) Content
(4) Aesthetics

SYSTEM INFO

DrPharmDawg's Rig	Spec
Motherboard	ASUS® G751JY
CPU	Intel® Core i7 4710HQ @2.50GHz
GPU	Nvidia® GeForce GTX 980M 4GB GDDR5
System RAM	24 GBs
Operating System	Windows 10 64-bit
Monitor Resolution	1920x1080

---

GUIDE INFO

The guide is divided into several Sections:

• Section I: Before You Start - Introduction, general information, preparing your setup, and "how to's" for modding.
• Section II: First Steps - The beginning of the mod list and installation. Primarily covers priorities 1-3.
• Section III: Next Steps - Continuation of Section II. Primarily covers priority 4.
• Section IV: Optional Steps - Continuation of Section III. Primarily covers priority 5.
• Section V: Final Steps - Patching and in-game setup, such as MCM settings.

This guide provides:

• A stable and Performance Friendly setup.
• Installation and instructions for the using various modding tools and techniques.
• Patches to make the various setups work together (available on Nexus).
• Support via Discord and regular updates (but hopefully not so many that you spend more time modding than playing).

This guide does not:

• Include ENB or Reshade: I do not use them nor do I care for them. The trade-off for performance is (IMO) not worth it.
• Include Dead Mods: Mods that need updating or mods with excessive (or unanswered) bug reports/comments) without simple solutions.
• Include CBBE: What little I do in this regard is UNP.
• Include 4k+: Whenever possible, I use 2k at the most. There are a few exceptions in which 2k is not available however.

Guide Organization

The guide is organized as follows: Sections >> Steps >> Parts

These three levels are used to organize the guide into increasingly smaller and more specific groups of information and mods.

Section 1: Before You Start Introduction, information about the guide and how to use it, and setting up your Skyrim to be "modding-ready".
Section 2: First Steps Modding with a focus on the priorities #1 - #3 (Stability, Performance, and Mechanics).
Section 3: Next Steps Continuation of Section 2 with the focus on priority #4 - Content.
Section 4: Optional Steps Remaining mods for priority #5 - Aesthetics.
Section 5: Final Steps Patching and any final touches before doing in-game setup (such as recommended MCM settings).

In addition to this three tier approach, Parts (the lowest tier) are tagged as follows:

Red (Core): Required (Either because they are key to the concept of SkyRem, or incorporated into the provided patches).
Blue (Extended): Recommended but not necessary. Generally include content that should NOT be added/removed mid-game (so plan ahead).
Green (Visual): Optional. Consist only of textures, meshes, and/or other assets that can be easily added/removed based on preference (or performance) at any time.

One final note on this organization: Mods may contain patches or FOMOD options that are based on your choices made about Extended (Blue) mods. Watch for mods, options, or information highlighted in YELLOW. This indicates you need it if you choose to use that mod, or not need it if you choose not to use it.

Mod Legend

Each mod utilizes this template:

Mod Name & Link

• Author of Mod
• Version used by SkyRem Guide
• Tags (See below)

FILES: File(s) to Download and Install

Note: Any additional installation instructions or steps to take following installation.

Mod Tags

Tags are described below. Read through the mods "card" prior to starting installation of that mod to prevent having to back track. Dark Tags with Light lettering indicate new or updated mods and download and/or installation needs, such as Newly added or BSA extraction.
Light Tags with Dark lettering indicate post-installation needs such as optimizing meshes, ESLifying, merging, porting, or cleaning).

• TOOL
   : Tool utilized during the modding process. Not actually a Mod, but required for proper guide installation.
  
• NEW
   : Newly added Mod since previous version.
  
• UPDATE
   : Mod has been updated since previous version.
  
• BSA
   : During installation, select YES to extracting the BSA.
  
• CAO
   : Run the Cathedral Asset Optimizer (CAO) to properly convert the files for use with SSE.
  
• ESL
   : Plugin (ESP) can safely be tagged as an ESL using SSEEdit.
  
• : Plugin will be included in a Merge using zEdit.
  
• PORT
   : Mod needs to be completely converted from LE to SSE.
  
• CLEAN
   : Mod needs to be cleaned using SSEEdit.
  
• PATCH
   : Mod contains patches (either separate files or in a FOMOD) that need to be installed as an individual Mod.
  
• CORE
   : Mod contains a Master for the Core Patch.
  
• : Mod contains a Master for the Extended Patch.
  

Merging Mods

Merging is essential to adhere to the 255 plugin rule. ESLs help with this also, but not all tools are setup to handle ESL files, so we still want to keep the total number of plugins under 255.

Some Parts of the guide include Merged in the header. Mods within that Part will include the tag as well. Following Parts that include mods intended to be merged will be a Merged ***** "mod". At most there will be one merge per Step (one merge for Fixes, one for Gameplay, one for Immersion, etc.)

Versions

• The format for the Guide version is X.Y.Z.
• Z indicates minor changes such as small fixes, mods moving, minor mod version updates, etc.
• Y indicates changes that may require rebuilding merges/patches, mods added or removed, major mod version updates, etc.
• X indicates changes that may require a new game such as larger overhauls of the guide, etc.

Guide Notes

• Following completion of each Step, sort (Loot) and test your setup. This is much easier than troubleshooting after completing the guide if something goes wrong.
• Remember, anything highlighted YELLOW indicates a selection to be made if using the associated mod from an Extended Part.

Guide Stats

Upon completing the SkyRem Guide (assuming a full install of Core + Extended + Visuals) as of v2.1.0:

• Total Mods (Left Pane of MO2): 816
• Total Plugins (Right Pane of MO2): 249
• Total ESMs + ESPs: 207
• Total ESLs: 42

This leaves room for 48 non-ESL plugins - Enough to further customize your mod load.

---

SKYRIM ROLEPLAY ENHANCEMENT MODDING

This section is intended to explain some of the major changes made by this guide. Before using the guide, read through to make sure this is how you want your Skyrim to behave. This guide is not for everybody - it is geared toward those looking for a more realistic and immersive roleplay experience.

After using the guide, refer to this for unexpected behaviors to check whether they are intended by the guide.

Difficulty

SkyRem is not intended to be a "difficulty" setup. However, by the nature of many of the mods used it offers a more challenging experience. Combat needs more strategy. Adventuring requires more planning. NPCs act and react more realistically. Character development is more dynamic. While you can play SkyRem on any difficulty, keep in mind that the vanilla difficulty settings impact (primarily) how much damage you deal and receive.

You will not be able to rush up to a group of 10 bandits and hack and slash your way through. Setting out on a quest ill prepared without food, water, a tent, tools, etc. can lead you to a quick demise. If you go after collecting every Daedric Artifact, do not expect Vigilants of Stendarr to be cordial. Making choices regarding Attributes, Abilities, and Perks without giving thought to how you want to build your character may result in a character fated for failure.

Is SkyRem more difficult... by design - no. But it is more challenging, regardless of how you set difficulty.

Leveling

- Experience to Level has nothing to do with your 18 Skills.
- Experience to Level is gained by adventuring, completing quests, and killing.
- Leveling will not provide a set 2 points to H/M/S (instead of the Vanilla 10).
- H/M/S (and Carry Weight) will grow with your character, naturally based on how you play and your attributes.

Equipment

- Deleveled: Any non-unique item can be found anywhere at anytime - Loot is based on Rarity and Abundancy.
- Bosses and Locks: You will still receive better stuff based on Boss and Lock difficulty (for the most part).
- The ability to use a Weapon properly is governed by its Skill (One Handed, Two Handed, Archery).
- The ability to use Armor properly is governed by its Skill (Block, Heavy Armor, Light Armor).
- If unskilled, Weapons can be dropped, cause you to stagger on impact, and be ineffective at blocking.
- If unskilled, Armor may not provide as much protection.
- Both Weapons and Armor can break if not maintained.

Everything is deleveled to a degree. This means you may find any piece of equipment at any time regardless of your level. It is possible to find an Ebony Sword at level 4. It is also possible that you spend an hour clearing a dungeon, defeating an epic boss, only to find the best weapon in that Boss Chest is a Steel Warhammer at level 60.

The above mods primarily govern what and when you find items. The goal is to make everything available at any time, but that Ebony Sword is extremely rare whereas Steel Warhammers are relatively common, therefore the above scenarios are intended. The intent is also to provide something worthwhile for your feat of clearing that dungeon, which all three mods take in to account. You will not hit level XX and find that suddenly everybody now wears orcish and glass armor.

Will this make you overpowered too early if you luck out and find that rare item at level 5?

Most non-unique items may not last forever. Weapons and armor can break. They can also be too advanced for you to use properly. Finding that Ebony Sword is one thing. Being able to use it properly is something else. At level 4, your best bet is to tuck it away for later or sell it. If you attempt to use an item before skilled enough to do so, you will find that it does not deal much damage. You may fumble with it, swinging it slower or even dropping it on impact. Blocking with it may prove futile. Armor may not protect you as well as a piece in which you are properly skilled.

To keep items from breaking, temper it. If you are not skilled enough to do so you can always pay a smith that is skilled to make it stronger (and therefore last longer). To learn to properly use it, simply level up the skill governing its use.

Factions

- You must be skilled in Magic to become a College of Winterhold student.
- You must complete more side quests to advance within the factions.

Combat

- Combat is more realistic in how damage is dealt and how NPCs behave.
- Different enemies have natural resistances to different attacks, both physical and magical. If something is not working, try something else.
- Animals behave more realistically. Many can simply be avoided and will not become aggressive unless provoked.
- Bosses are tougher.

Alchemy

- You cannot spam potions, so choose wisely. You need time to recover from potion use before another potion will be effective.
- Creating potions and poisons require you have the materials; not just ingredients, but something in which to put your creation.

Character Development

- Characters can develop and be enhanced in many ways and in many combinations.
- Things to consider for developing your character: Standing Stones, Diety, Attributes, Shouts, Perks, Class, Race (including Werewolf, Vampire, or Lich).

Survival

- You must sleep, eat, drink, and bath to be fully effective.
- Consider your quest be fore starting - will you need a tent, food, water, tools?

Misc

- You have options other than picking a lock: Locks can be picked, bashed, or unlocked with the right magic.
- Attempting to disarm a trap can result in the trap being triggered.
- Crafting requires that you have the right tools, which can be purchased through dialogue conveniently.