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Skyrim Modding Guide | Something for Nobody

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Skyrim Modding Guide

Posted by Knots March 3, 2013
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Its not always easy to know which way to go. When TESV came out, I couldnt wait to start modding it. I had gigantic plans for this game, but with the real world catching up to me, it became hard to keep pretending like I would have the spare time to dump into projects like this. Still, work on this guide was brisk at first, but each time I got to the point with a draft that I could post it, the list of mods seemed a little small to warrant a guide and I knew for certain that mods on the horizon would replace the ones I had been using. After putting it off for some time, waiting for mods to come out, to update, etc, a wrench was thrown into SFNs gears: we lapsed in our payments and the old site was taken down. We lost a lot of good articles that way. Not long after, my hard drive failed and I lost a lot of the work I had done on Morrowind and Oblivion some of the things I had planned for those games may never see the light of day because of that. I was without a computer for months. I hope everyone can forgive the delay in light of everything. Lets get started, shall we? Step 1. Game, DLC & Utility Installation Without a solid foundation modding can be a real chore, especially to newcomers, so to start lets get acquainted with the tools that will make our lives easier as we press forward. A. Install the game. By default, Steam will extract Skyrim into C:/Program Files/Steam/steamapps/common/skyrim/ or, for 64 bit systems, C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/skyrim/. You might want to place a shortcut to this folder onto your desktop or put it into your Windows Explorer favourites since navigating there gets to be a pain. B. This guide assumes that next you install the Official DLC: Dawnguard, Hearthfire, & Dragonborn. If you dont own all of these, proceed with caution; most mods do not require the official DLC, just make sure you dont attempt to install and use any mods modules that explicitly require one of the DLCs. C. Bethesda released their own High Resolution Texture Pack for free to people who own the game. My advice is that you grab it, as it provides a good base. We will be replacing
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Skyrim Modding Guide | Something for Nobody

many of these textures later on in the guide, but not every texture covered in this pack has been remade by modders. Start the game and make sure that it runs. A handy trick for testing mods on a fresh save is to press the ~ key at the main menu and type coc whiterun before hitting enter. The game will load just outside of Whiterun and you will be playing as a generic Nord character with starting gear, perfect for poking around and testing things out D. Grab the Skyrim Script Extender and extract the contents of the archive you download into your /skyrim/ folder. This extension will hence be known as SKSE; several mods require it as it enables mod authors to script incredible things that are not possible with the Creation Kit alone. Make sure that from now on, you use skse_loader.exe to launch Skyrim. If you insist on launching games from within Steam for some reason, you can use the SKSE Patcher for Steam E. The Nexus Mod Manager will help streamline the installation of mods you download from the Nexus and it has a handy interface that lets you know when you are using an out of date version. Because of the versatility of this manager and because the Steam Workshop is a nightmare in general, I will provide Nexus links to the mods I recommend where possible. F. Wrye Bash has a reputation for intimidating new users, but that doesnt stop it from being absolutely essential for its merged patch function (referred to as the Bashed Patch). We wont be making use of it for the mods in this guide, but you should still have it in your arsenal because its going to be required for just about anything that adds new things to the existing content. G. B.O.S.S. stands for Better Oblivion Sorting Software, but it works for Skyrim, too! Many mods rely on very specific load orders relative to other mods; before this utility, mod users had to remember complex load orders and organize everything by hand. BOSS is here to automate the process and even provides compatibility notes after it has sorted your mods for you. H. The Skyrim Configurator is a handy little tool for tweaking your INI. Most ini settings are represented here, and those related to graphics come with previews to show you what youre changing. You may also want to read through the .ini section of the Geforce Tweak Guide to familiarize yourself with some of the less obvious values. Make sure that you do not set your ugirdstoload above the default value . I. At this point, you may feel the need to clean your masterfiles with Tes5Edit. For the uninitiated, Gopher has created a video on youtube that explains why its a good idea and how to do it. Start the game and make sure that it runs. Step 2. Unofficial Patches & Bare Essentials The Elder Scrolls community is celebrated for our attention to detail and our willingness to deal with problems Bethesda has left for us. A. The Unofficial Skyrim Patch is a valiant effort by the community to squash bugs that Bethesda has missed. Youll also want the Unofficial patches for Dawnguard, Hearthfire, Dragonborn, and Bethesdas HD Texture Pack. B. Project Optimization uses occlusion culling[wikipedia], a feature of the engine that Bethesda had underutilized, to increase performance in interiors. C. Bethesda DLC is infamous for its poor integration; Dawnguard Delayed Start gives players the option to keep Dawnguard from starting immediately to give their new characters time to experience vanilla content first. D. SkyUI is an overhaul of Skyrims menus and interface. Many people will describe it as a UI geared towards mouse and keyboard play where Skyrims original was geared towards gamepads, but the truth is that this mod works beautifully for both KB+M and pad users and outshines the vanilla interface in every conceivable way. SkyUI also includes the Mod Configuration Menu which allows mods configurable values to seamlessly integrate into an in-game panel that SkyUI places in the start/esc subscreen. E. RaceMenu provides a more streamlined and versatile interface with which to customize your character at the start of the game. F. Immersive HUD creates a more engaging experience by hiding certain HUD elements when you dont need them. Start the game and make sure that it runs.

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Brute force wont solve all your problems Step 3. Landscape, Architecture, & Base Replacers A. No Stretching fixes the UV maps of many of Skyrims meshes, increasing the apparent quality of the textures applied to the fixed meshes. B. Skyrim Ultra HD Textures hits most of the miscellaneous clutter in the game. C. More than a simple retexture, Static Mesh Improvement presents a Skyrim designed for modern computers rather than those from nearly a decade ago by drastically increasing the geometric detail of many of Skyrims uglier meshes. D. Skyrim HD 2k Textures was one of the first HD texture packs to come out, back when the scene was young, and it has stayed one of the best, earning its place as this guides primary base pack. E. High Quality LODs will increase the detail of landscape in the distance. You should also grab High Quality 3D Map and a Quality World Map With Roads and make sure you get the Skyrim HD texture options where applicable to match our base pack. F. Install Skyrim Flora Overhaul, and then top it off with TreesHD, Ultimate Lush Overhaul, and Glorious Grass. G. Snow & Rocks HD, Tundra Moss, & Moss Rocks H. Better Dynamic Snow, Distant Decal Fix, Vibrant Auroras, and W.A.T.E.R. I. Re-Defined Dungeons w/ Ruins Clutter, Hectrol Caves & Webs J. Weathered Road Signs, Farmhouses, & Visible Windows Run BOSS, then start the game and make sure that it runs.

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Adversaries, and the tools to dispatch them, come in all shapes and sizes. Step 4. Men, Mer, & Monsters A. Brace for dongs, Real Bodys Nexus page has lots. Were here for the male body meshes, so download the mod and install only those (located in /male/ within the archive). Follow it up with High Res Facemaps. I use the base less hairy version for the bodies and the optional smooth version for the faces, but its up to you; hairless bodies have blending issues. B. UNP female body w/ Armors & for Dawnguard, Dragonborn. The base mod doesnt come with a particularly great underwear version, but the base Armors pack does. C. Grab CoverKhajiits & JazzJRs Male for kitties and his Argonians for your lizards and then install these female textures with NMM over those only install the Khajiit and Argonian textures make sure to grab the UNP version. D. Xenius Warpaint & Scars give your details detail. Make sure to follow the instructions regarding the SKSE ini. E. All of your vanilla makeup assets are going to look bad with high res tint maps enabled in SKSE, so grab Better Makeup for SKSE. You only need High Res Female Lips for SKSE in the download section there, though keep this mod page in mind if you grab any of the mods that it has compatibility patches for on your own. F. Beards, Brows, Better Hairs w/ Superior Hairs, and Natural Eyes complete our foray into flesh detailing. To keep it lore friendly, grab the Elves Alternative file from the Natural Eyes page. Run BOSS, start the game and make sure that it runs. G. Its called the Book of Silence because Cabals armor & weapons textures will shut you up. The all-in-one pack does not currently include Cabals Ebony or Nordic Carved
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retex, so grab them from their respective pages. H. InsanitySorrows Unique Uniques gives unique meshes to artifacts that previously didnt have them, while his Goldbrand remeshes the titled artifact. I. Gloriouz Daedric & Stahlrim; also Nightengale Prime (I suggest the leather version) J. Take these retextures of Bonemold & Miraak with you if you intend to venture into the lands of Solstheim K. Detailed Monsters provides fantastic textures for the local fauna, but were just getting started L. Behold! Automatic Variants provides relief from the monotony of killing that same skeever over and over. You might find this mod a little tricky to install and set up, so why not have Gophers soothing voice walk you through it? - Recommended AV packages: Start with the 3 listed on AVs own Nexus page and then grab StarXs, Atronachs, Graces, & Werewolves M. King of the monsters, Bellyaches Dragons reign supreme. N. Moving away from enhancing vanilla content, we have Bugs, Birds & Pets, three mods that promise to make your game that much more lively and atmospheric. O. On a spookier note, Beast Skeletons brings the ancestors of Orcs, Khajiit, Argonians, and Elves back to life and it just so happens that they want you dead. Run BOSS, start the game and make sure that it runs. Step 6. Miscellaneous A. Silly Level of Detail Potions & Wine is stupid beautiful B. Let out your inner obsessive coin collector with Septim HD C. Realistic Instruments might make you consider quitting your day job D. Pilgrims Delight will give you a reason to spend time in High Hrothgar. E. HQ Paper & Skyrim Map F. Nothing says put your feet up here more than a worn Inn Sign G. Designs of the Nords & Detailed Rugs H. Keep your HQ Linens and other miscellaneous junk in your Detailed Chests I. but keep your more valuable Ores, Ingots, Spell Tomes, & Soul Gems in HD Sacks to throw off the thieves.

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We take for granted the simple things; a comfortable chair, a warm fire, the beautiful scenery. Step 7. Lighting & Effects A. Project Reality: Climates of Tamriel overhauls the way weather and outdoor lighting are handled to spectacular effect. When installing, make sure you do not install any of the interior type or dungeon type .esps B. Realistic Lighting Overhaul changes the look and feel of interiors by attempting to eliminate the use of fake lights which Bethesda made heavy use of. It is compatible with Climates of Tamriel (above) but you need to ensure you dont have either of CoTs interior .esps (dungeons, interiors) active; if youre following instructions, you wont have. If youre confused, read this. C. With Climates of Tamriel, your nights will be significantly darker. Let the Lanterns of Skyrim (you want the CoT addon) light your path D. and when you find yourself off that path, Wearable Lanterns provides a convenient way to illuminate the way forward and into the depths. Consider also the addons: Candle Lanterns of the North, Lanterns for Guards, Caravans E. Supreme and Volumetric Fog brings the sky down to eye level while Rainbows and Shooting Stars puts your eye level at the sky. Look back down on the ground to see the Splash of Rain. F. Leave a trail in ash and snow with Footprints and get covered in them with Wet and Cold [w/ Ashes] G. Shaders Begone puts an end to the silly glow plastic wrap effect, Enchantments Upgraded provides a more detailed visual enchantment indication for weapons that I hope youll agree more than replaces the effect we just removed. H. Ultimate HD Fire Effects is for discerning individuals that spend a lot of time staring at Skyrims blocky fire textures. Celebrate by aiming a fire spell at Destructible Bottles.
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I. Enhanced Blood Textures has the crimson puddles beneath your enemies looking crisp, and speaking of looking crisp, Burn Freeze Shock will let you get your enemies looking that way. After you kill them, stand triumphantly on top of them with Dead Body Collision and then bring them back to life with Undead FX. J. Your audio experience will be greatly enhanced with Improved Reverb. Make your own noises louder with Clanking Armor and the footsteps of light-footed animals softer with Better Animal Footsteps. Run BOSS, start the game and make sure that it runs. Step 8. Graphics, Enhanced & Extended This is where reasonable people with reasonable machines should stop following this guide. If your computer is mid-range and your game is still playable at your preferred resolution, you might want to give mods like Dynavision, Imaginator and SweetFX a look; all fine mods that will make your game look better at a low cost to performance. If, however, you are stubborn, stupid, or interested in pushing your high end custom built machine to its limits, the finishing touches presented here should satisfy you. A. ENB Series is a graphics extender that can add a myriad of effects to Skyrim. While the developer has made it simple to create presets, you will find very quickly that most presets people have come up with will not be to your tastes. You may prefer to download one of the many popular presets and then tweak it to your liking, or you may prefer to create your own from scratch using the in-game preset editor. Many ENB presets also make use of SweetFX, so if your intention is to tweak pre-existing presets, it will pay off to understand both programs. The screenshots in this guide were taken using a mildly tweaked version of RealVision ENB with ENBSeries v0198. If you are following in my footsteps, make sure to grab the latest revision of Option A. Gopher has an ongoing youtube series dedicated to ENB presets, an excellent place to start if you want to know whats popular. Start the game and make sure that it runs. B. The Skyrim Distance Overhaul is for those of us with the framerates to waste on things Skyrims mountainous terrain will rarely afford us to appreciate. Notice that there are pertinent ini settings if youd like to push the quality of this mod past the defaults.

Special Thanks: Arr!, Guardly, Haisho, Hanabi, Izzy, Lusit, Matty G, Melon, Sagebeat, Shippin, Thrillho, Trainwiz, and to all of the Anonymous and Goons that have helped to spread my guides and who have given me feedback and suggestions in the past and in the future.

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@grifteezy Yeah I love the ones from bugfeels and tinyghostbro.5 months ago @brendlewhat It's Jed's copy tho. She's really liking it and is bad with money, so maybe she'll buy it for her own library.5 months ago
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@ETPC1 Go back to bed Kevin.5 months ago @genericanon Quality thread btw5 months ago @genericanon are you and @EpicABrony friends yet5 months ago I stand on a massive stage ready to brief a crowd of sweaty nerds on the latest gadgets5 months ago Uncategorized
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