Any skyrim mods pros

[Tradesonred]

I never got to play the damn thing because it always crashes on me because i try to install to many mods.

This time im taking my time and adding mods one by one, with boss loader each time.

Any links to collections that dont conflict together?

Im more interested in additional content rather than graphical updates and things like that.

Really like the thirteen oranges and moonpath to elsweyr series so im starting off with that unless someone can link me a bunch of mods that work well together and will be able to actually finish playing a character.

[SamwiseRed]

vanilla or no. (i am on ps3)

[myxomatosii]

What you want to do is create an account on Nexus.

Download their mod manager.

Go through, read each mod carefully. Activate one at a time, launch the game, make sure things are solid then add another one.

If you install 50 at a time its gonna be nuts and near impossible to debug but if you move slowly you can really learn the mods in and out, and make your experience better and better.

If you want I can list all the mods I run.

[Tradesonred]

What you want to do is create an account on Nexus.

Download their mod manager.

Go through, read each mod carefully. Activate one at a time, launch the game, make sure things are solid then add another one.

If you install 50 at a time its gonna be nuts and near impossible to debug but if you move slowly you can really learn the mods in and out, and make your experience better and better.

If you want I can list all the mods I run.

I cant be bothered to use nexus, being lazy and adding stuff from the steam workshop, then using Boss to sort em out.

Yeah if you can list all the mods youve used for a long time without conflicts thatd be nice thanks.

[Tradesonred]

vanilla or no. (i am on ps3)

On Pc, i have all the DLCs except hearthfire i think (the little one that adds a house or whatever).

Im determined to make it work this time cuz its the 3rd DLC ive bought and each time i give up because of CTDs lol

So im taking my time adding each mod piece by piece

[Uteunayr]

Hey there.

Lucky for you, I happen to have an extensive mod list that works with the new memory patch. I'll edit in the list, and instructions. Just note, it can take many hours to get all this in place. It's work to make a game like Skyrim accept everything we're forcing onto it. It was made with a very bad engine not meant to really handle mods, even though it is capable.

What will this do?

1) Install the memory patch, eliminating crash to desktops.
2) Install a gorgeous graphics overhaul (Riverwood: http://i.imgur.com/KCU27bQ.jpg).
3) Install a number of playstyle mods that diversify the game, and make it not only more challenging, but more enjoyable and rewarding.
4) Cleans your game files to eliminate errors left in the game by Bethesda that, while they do not impact vanilla, they do make modding very difficult.
5) Set up a proper load order so all your mods work nicely with minimal conflict.

Note, you can install all of these in one go, and the game will boot up properly. You do not need to log into the game to settle anything, or to check for errors. These mods do work together if installed as I describe here.

----------------
Part 1 - The Memory Patch
----------------

First step is that you need to make Skyrim be able to access larger memory blocks to prevent numerous CTDs (crash to desktops).

So:

1) Install a fresh copy of Skyrim through Steam. This is vital, as the memory patch I offer here only works on Steam booted versions (i.e., legit versions).

2) Go to the following link, and download SKSE by clicking "installer".

http://skse.silverlock.org/

3) Run SKSE installer and install it. It will give you a desktop icon. That's now your start icon for the game.

4) Go to the following link and click Download, which will give you a file: skse_steam_loader.dll.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-4CRKPUDlR0VjdlNnBlVWJ2WlE/edit?usp=sharing

5) Place the steam loader.dll in the following file (your main Skyrim folder)

Steam/steamapps/common/Skyrim/

6) Go to the following file path (your data folder), and create a folder named "SKSE".

Steam/steamapps/common/Skyrim/Data/SKSE/

7) Go into Notepad, and copy the following text into it. The code is named for the guy who discovered this, hence why you're giving your first born. This is makes Skyrim not crash due to memory limitations, meaning only mod conflicts will cause crashes.

[NotPlacebo]
GiveFirstBornToSheson=1
MemBlock1=512
MemBlock2=256

8) Save your notepad file as "SKSE.ini" in the data/SKSE/ folder you made. The following file directory should lead to your SKSE.ini:

Steam/steamapps/common/Skyrim/Data/SKSE/SKSE.ini


----------------
Part 2 - ENB (Graphics)
----------------

You can skip this part if you do not want your game to be stunning, and you want only gameplay mods.

1) Go to the following website:

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/30936/?

2) Scroll down to "Recommended Mods" in yellow.

3) There is a list of mods. Download and install each that you want in order, and install them in the same order. You do not need to use all of these, you can especially leave out the ones with the red >>FPS<< next to them, as they are major resource drains. Override all previous mods as you install these in order.

4) The following mods (if you leave out the red ones) should be installed in this order, including the compatibility patches the Recommended Mod Section suggests you get.

Ruins Clutter Improved
Static Mesh Improvement Mod
Skyrim HD - Dungeons (LITE or FULL for each of these as you choose)
Skyrim HD - Landscapes
Skyrim HD - Misc
Skyrim HD - Towns
Skyrim HD - Riften
Vivid Landscapes - Dungeons and Ruins
Vivid Landscapes SMIM Compatibility Patch
aMidianBorn Caves and Mines
Detailed Rugs
Skyrim Flora Overhaul Regular Edition
Grass on Steroids SFO Edition
Natural Grass Texture Floor
TreesHD Skyrim Variation High/Ultra New
HD Ivy - Original Green
Pure Waters
Pure Waters - Dawnguard Compatibility
Pure Waters - Dragonborn Compatibility
SkyFalls - Animated Distant Waterfalls
Rocking Stones Parallax for ENB - 2k Classic Grey
Vivid Landscapes - Cliffs and Creeks - 2048 for ENB
Vivid Landscapes - Rocking Stones and Mountains Parallax Compatibility Patch
Moss Rocks
Moss Rocks Parallax Compatibility Patch
Vivid Landscapes - Core - Tundra Moss Revised - Yellow
Vivid Landscapes - SMIM & Rocking Stones and Mountains Compatibility Patch
Dust Effects
RSE High

5) On the ENB page (http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/30936/?), scroll down to "2. Essential Mods". Pick which you want to use. I chose to go with Fantasy, so that is what I will list here. If you do a different one, it's on you to figure out.

6) Download and install all mods underneath the selected, Option C is the Fantasy selection.

When you've installed, it should be in this order:

Climates of Tamriel
Supreme Storms
Climates of Tamriel Weather Patch
Enhanced Lights and FX
Enhanced Lights and FX - Dawnguard Compatibility Patch
Enhanced Lights and FX - Dragonborn Compatibility Patch
Enhanced Lights and FX - SMIM Meshes
Vivid Landscapes - Dungeons and Ruins ELFX Compatibility Patch (this was installed up in Part 1, go back to that one's page, and find the ELFX Compatibility patch, and install it AFTER Enhanced Lights and FX)

7) Go to the following link, and download the latest ENBSeries:

http://forum.skyrimtuner.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=99

8) Inside the .rar file for the latest ENB series, go into "WrapperVersion", and copy everything from that folder into your main Skyrim folder:

Steam/steamapps/common/Skyrim/

Note that the ENB site says only to do 2 files. There is a reason why I am telling you to copy all. Copy all the files in WrapperVersion into /Skyrim/.

9) Download and Install ENB. Scroll back up to the top of the page (another link follows just to be sure you're in the right place), and download ENB itself, v245b or newer.

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/30936/?

10) During installation, pick Fantasy, and any optionals you want. I selected none.

11) If you have a Nvidia graphics card: Right click your desktop, and click Nvidia Control Panel. Go to Manage 3d Settings, and then over to "Program Settings". Find tesv.exe (your SKSE), and make the settings look like the following two screenshots.

http://img5.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads/nvidia1cr4pav712n.jpg
http://img5.fotos-hochladen.net/uploads/nvidia2wn2uqvk83d.jpg

12) Go to:

SteamApps\common\Skyrim\Data\RealVision_ENB_files

And run NMM_install.

13) Go to the following link, and download v31 or beta v32.

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/36146/?#content

14) Extract the Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPrefs.ini file into the following directory under C:

Comp Name/My Documents/my games/Skyrim

15) Go into Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPrefs.ini, and adjust the values that are highlighted in the text document.

This includes:
iMinGrassSize= << Change to 75 in the ini>>
iMaxAnisotropy=16 << Change to 0 in the ini>>
iMultiSample=4 << Change to 0 in the ini >>
iSize H=1080 << Set this to your resolution>>
iSize W=1920
sD3DDevice="NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780" << Change this to your video card >>


----------------
Part 3 - Gameplay Mods
----------------

1) Type into google "Skyrim, Nexus,", and then copy paste this line.

2) For each of the following mods, paste into google "Skyrim, Nexus," and add the name of each mod to it. Download each mod, and install in this order.

SkyUI
A Quality World Map
Alternate Start - Live Another Life
Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim
Better Dialogue Controls
Better MessageBox Controls
Character Creation Overhaul - Races - Birthsigns - Classes - Skills - Specializations - Attributes
Diverse Guards Skyrim
Dragon Soul Relinquishment
Dragonbone Ebonsteel Armor
Expanded Winterhold Destruction Ruins
Fantasy soundtrack project
Fast travel timescale fix
Helmet Toggle - Show Hide
Horizon of Dreams
Immersive Armors
Immersive Patrols
Immersive Weapons
OBIS - Organized Bandits In Skyrim
Rich Merchants (2k or 10k version)
Shooting Stars
Muffle Enchantment
Backstab Enchantment
Skyrim Crash Compendium
Synnx's Perky Reborn
The Dance of Death - A Killmove Mod
The Paarthurnax Dilemma
Thunderchild - Epic Shouts and Immersion
Thunderchild - Dragon Speech Compatibility
Towns and Villages Enhanced (Install Riften, Riverwood, Solitude, Whiterun, and Windhelm. Riverwood may be called "Enhanced Riverwood")
Wet and Cold
Frostfall - Hypothermia Camping Survival
Unofficial Skyrim Patch
Unofficial Dawnguard Patch
Unofficial Hearthfire Patch
Unofficial Dragonborn Patch
Duel Combat Realism
Realistic Needs and Diseases

----------------
Part 4 - Cleaning Your Game Files
----------------

Remember how I said Skyrim was made in a very shitty way? Well, it's true. It wasn't made to be welcoming to mods, and Bethesda should be ashamed. Therefore, we need to clean it.

1) You can choose to watch the following video, or follow my instructions. They result in the same thing, but the video explains to you *why* you are doing this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw3g_N1jcZQ

2) Download and install TES5 Edit from the following link.

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/25859/?

3) Run TES5 Edit. You will get a pop up menu. Right click on that box, and tell it to Select None.

4) Check the following boxes:

Skyrim.esm
Update.esm
Dawnguard.esm
HearthFires.esm
Dragonborn.esm

5) Click Okay and let it process.

6) Right click on "Update.esm" and select "Apply Filter for Cleaning". Let it work.

7) The esm files will be flagged random colors. It doesn't matter what. First rule, DO NOT TOUCH Skyrim.esm.

For Update.esm, Dawnguard.esm, HearthFires.esm, and Dragonborn.esm, follow step 8.

8) Right click on the given .esm, and click "Remove 'Identical to Master' Records". Once that is done processing, right click the same .esm, and click: "Undelete and Disable References".

9) Do number 8 (both processes) for each of the non-Skyrim.esm files. DO NOT EDIT Skyrim.esm.

10) Hit the X at the top of the box. It will ask you to save your work. Make sure it only says you edited Update, Dawnguard, HearthFires, and Dragonborn.

NOTE: Some addons can also be cleaned, but don't worry about it unless you do a lot of research.

----------------
Part 5 - ENBoost
----------------

1) Download ENBoost from the following link.

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/38649/?

2) Locate your type of video card with the amount of VRAM on the card. Inside that folder is an enblocal.ini file.

3) Copy the enblocal.ini file into your main Skyrim folder, and override the current enblocal.ini file that you copied over with the entire "WrapperVersion" ENB.

----------------
Part 6 - BOSS
----------------

1) Download BOSS here:

https://code.google.com/p/better-oblivion-sorting-software/downloads/detail?name=BOSS%20v2.1.1%20Installer.exe

2) Install BOSS.

3) Run BOSS GUI.

4) Click "Run BOSS" in the BOSS GUI. This will reorganize the order in which your mods load to the most optimal one.

5) Close out of the BOSS Report in your Firefox/Chrome browser.

----------------
Part 7 - Conclusion
----------------

1) Run Skyrim (SKSE).

2) Enjoy.

[Grimfan]

Awesome stuff up above.

Dude you are a god amongst men, I know for a fact I do not have any mod conflicts but I have been having crashes to desktop, this will be perfect. Thank you much Uteunayr.

[Uteunayr]

It's all done. That's how you make Skyrim look like this:

http://i.imgur.com/KCU27bQ.jpg

And play as more than a bland, console simplified game.

I highly recommend setting Frostfall to turn off Fast Travel, as it will compel you to deal with the harsh environments of the game world more actively, and it will help you engage in all the random encounters and cool shit that these mods add to fill an ultimately very empty world.

This also gives more time and meaning to Realistic Needs and Diseases.

Enjoy!

[Tradesonred]

Damn thanks!

[Uteunayr]

Not a problem. I love to mod, finding crashes, fixing the game, all that stuff. So, I spent many, many hours fixing this set of mods to where you get very few CTDs.

[Tradesonred]

Ive done the SKSE part

Is it necessary to do the other cleaning parts if i got a recent rig?

[Uteunayr]

Yes, you'll still get errors and crashes due to coding error. And you should do BOSS. And it wouldn't hurt to learn to use Wrye Bash if you really want to be sure everything is flawless.

[Tradesonred]

Thanks again

3) Copy the enblocal.ini file into your main Skyrim folder, and override the current enblocal.ini file that you copied over with the entire "WrapperVersion" ENB.

Not sure exactly what you mean?

WOuld be copying enblocal.ini, then? lol

[Uteunayr]

Thanks again

3) Copy the enblocal.ini file into your main Skyrim folder, and override the current enblocal.ini file that you copied over with the entire "WrapperVersion" ENB.

Not sure exactly what you mean?

WOuld be copying enblocal.ini, then? lol


...
----------------
Part 2 - ENB (Graphics)
----------------

...

8) Inside the .rar file for the latest ENB series, go into "WrapperVersion", and copy everything from that folder into your main Skyrim folder:

Steam/steamapps/common/Skyrim/

Note that the ENB site says only to do 2 files. There is a reason why I am telling you to copy all. Copy all the files in WrapperVersion into /Skyrim/.

...



The normal ENB guide I link in this section says to only copy 2 files over. I tell you to copy everything inside of "WrapperVersion" over. Later, in the ENBoost section, I tell you to override the enblocal.ini file in your Skyrim Folder that was put there when you copied over the "WrapperVersion" ENB series.

The enblocal.ini that you locate in the ENBoost .rar file that is tailored to your particular graphics card should override the default one that is a part of the WrapperVersion ENB Series.

[Tradesonred]

The normal ENB guide I link in this section says to only copy 2 files over. I tell you to copy everything inside of "WrapperVersion" over. Later, in the ENBoost section, I tell you to override the enblocal.ini file in your Skyrim Folder that was put there when you copied over the "WrapperVersion" ENB series.

The enblocal.ini that you locate in the ENBoost .rar file that is tailored to your particular graphics card should override the default one that is a part of the WrapperVersion ENB Series.

So basically extract the .ini for my card and overwrite the one in the skyrim folder?

Thanks i really wanna play this modded. Ever since fallout3 it seems beth games are designed to crash easy so you buy their DLC crap

[Tradesonred]

The thing thats confusing me is i dont see anything mentioning the wrapper version. Inside ENB rar is NVIDIA then size of cards and .ini within it

[Uteunayr]

Did you follow the guide and install ENB exactly as I outline in Part 2? If so, all will work 100% perfectly. If you try skipping stuff, things get messy.



----------------
Part 2 - ENB (Graphics)
----------------

...

7) Go to the following link, and download the latest ENBSeries:

http://forum.skyrimtuner.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=99

8) Inside the .rar file for the latest ENB series, go into "WrapperVersion", and copy everything from that folder into your main Skyrim folder:

Steam/steamapps/common/Skyrim/

Note that the ENB site says only to do 2 files. There is a reason why I am telling you to copy all. Copy all the files in WrapperVersion into /Skyrim/.

Number 7 tells you to go to http://forum.skyrimtuner.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=99 and download the latest ENB series.

Number 8 tells you that the normal install ENB page tells you to copy over only 2 files from this Series in the "WrapperVersion" folder of the link in #6. I tell you to copy everything inside WrapperVersion over.

But I am just saying, ENB isn't something to toy with if you do not do it 100% right. Follow this guide word for word, install to install, or I highly suggest skipping ENB and ENBoost, and just sticking with the memory patch.

There is ENB Series (which is in number 7 of Part 2), ENB RealVision (from the Nexus download page I link multiple times), and ENBoost.

ENB Series includes "WrapperVersion" inside of it. ENBoost lists types of video cards and VRAM available to each to override ENB Series "WrapperVersion" enblocal.ini. And ENB RealVision is for installing through Nexus Mod Manager.

[Tradesonred]

I skipped part 2 because i think Skyrim looks good enough on its own and more interested in mods that adds stuff like the 8 named mobs, the quest series with the well done new zones like Moonpath to elsweyr.

So ENB strictly about better graphics? Cuz all im interested in really is stopping the CTDs so i can enjoy a modded version of Skyrim

[Uteunayr]

Yes. So don't do Part 2, and don't do anything ENB related. Your game will not run as smoothly as it could with ENBoost, but the memory patch should solve the vast majority of CTDs.

[Tradesonred]

Yes. So don't do Part 2, and don't do anything ENB related. Your game will not run as smoothly as it could with ENBoost, but the memory patch should solve the vast majority of CTDs.

Thanks a bunch for the help!

Can finally start a proper game :)

[Uteunayr]

Yup. And just saying, if you have the computer for it, you should get the graphics changes in ENB. They effect gameplay in remarkable ways. Some places you'll have high grass to make wolf attacks more terrifying, shit like that.

[deezy]

I used this list (http://www.reddit.com/r/skyrim/comments/1regt3/best_of_mods_must_haves_as_of_nov_2013/) from reddit.

[Ahldagor]

hearthfire is a waste of money. thought it'd be somewhat interesting and it's pretty cheap, but it's shit. soemthing odd about giving your kid daedric daggers for presents and they're very excited about it.

[Tradesonred]

Thanks again, if this works this is going to be a blast

Im installing each mod one by one and loading game to make sure its not crashing

Just one mod called Skyrim tycoon looks fun as hell

[Uteunayr]

That's appropriate for my characters. With Synnx's Perky Reborn, you get a perk line in Conjuration that lets you summon up to 9 Skeletons. So I run around with 9 Skeletons, full Dragon Ebonsteel Armor, Dragonbone weaponry as a vampire. My kid running around with a Daedric dagger is step 1, lol.

[Tradesonred]

Anyone using apocalypse spell mod?

It says 180 spells in description but maybe 30 available to buy at vendors

[Uteunayr]

Of course. Many of the spells are available at the Court wizards, but the more advanced spells come from the College in Winterhold. There have been reports of the vendors in the college not having the more advanced spells, so look for an update.

[Tradesonred]

Thanks again, so far the only problem ive run into is quicksaves making the game crash. Its isolated to quicksaves, ive never crashed with a regular save so crossing my fingers i can finally do a playthrough of this game.

Its like that Simpsons halloween episode with alternate universes, if thats the only thing thats gonna go wrong, close enough lol

[Uteunayr]

That's generally due to save file corruption due to trying to place mods atop an already used save file. Back up those saves, and start a new game, and you should be able to quick save.

[Tradesonred]

That's generally due to save file corruption due to trying to place mods atop an already used save file. Back up those saves, and start a new game, and you should be able to quick save.

I started clean though

[Uteunayr]

Then you have a mod script conflict among your personal list of mods. My list that I offer here has gone 8 hours of non-stop play with frequent quicksaves (one every five minutes or less) and no crashes.