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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Skyrim – starting into mods. I really need help

I would suggest going for a clean install and start from scratch. Incompatible mods are quite rare among highly recommended ones, but they do sometimes require specific loading orders, this is usually in their written descriptions. As someone mentioned in a previous post, using Loot is really helpful, I always have it installed. It sorts the load order based on priority. The mods at the top of the load order are usually the ones that cause the biggest registry changes or contain several scripts that need to override existing ones. Most minor mods, including companion mods, added weapons and armor, and even slight AI adjustment (such as the one that makes NPC's hide during dragon attacks) are made without new scripts, they are instead tweaks or simple copies of ones that already exist in the game's code. They do this to avoid conflict in the load order and registry.

Most overhaul mods (whether it be skills/perks, leveling, UI, or Race mods), despite their large changes to gameplay and/or immersion, are simpler than one would think in regards to scripting, but they often require being placed higher up in the loading order. These mods are often placed directly below the main files (Skyrim and its DLC files) and any debug or patch files (which are at the top, almost in all cases). Most visual upgrades, texture packs, etc. are usually a bit farther down.

Minor mods, companion mods, weapon packs, minute AI changes, or mechanical changes (faster arrows, for instance) and presets or additions to character creation (hairstyles, beards, most of the body mods) can usually be loaded more or less anywhere without big issues. Player homes, settlement refurbishes and similar mods can usually go lower on the load list, these features became a lot less buggy with the inclusion of Hearthfire, which created a "custom" build feature that allowed the engine changes to topography and added architecture more easily.

As long as one doesn't install mods that change the same threads and features, conflicts will only arise occasionally, usually due to one or more plugins/mods being outdated. I believe Vortex has a built-in feature that not only detects whether mods are outdated but also updates them smoothly (this was not quite so smooth with the Nexus Mod Manager). Most visual mods that don't add considerable physical input, geometry, or structural changes are fine in almost any order, examples could be meshes and texture packs, as well as certain weather mods and effects.

I usually install the big mods first, the core ones. Which would be; patches and fixes - ENB and visual mods (including weather effects)- Overhaul and bigger gameplay mods (like Ordinator or Sneak Tools, Wildcat, etc.) - RacMenu and Start Another Life, plus any ragdoll or body mods - Weapon packs, armor packs, etc. (I install them before the companion mods since some companions might require certain items) - Companion mods - Minor mods such as crafting changes, character presets and hairstyles, eye packs, added spells, animations, etc. - Player Homes and similar changes, trading mods, extra guilds or factions (there are some great mods that elevate the civil war aspect of the game!).

My installation in roughly the above order is not so much about the "correct" order in regards to the actual load order of the mods, but more about making the bigger changes first so I know what kind of game I want to play. I then add in minor additions and changes to tweak this, I have about 30 companion mods, for instance, most of these were installed later on. The Nexus mods site is terrific in explaining how things work, under the requirements tab you can always see what's missing or what other mods or parts might be required in order to make any mod work. So long as the main game is up to date and the most important patches are installed and you stick to the more streamlined, endorsed mods, you should be fine. The most common issue for me was clipping issues on certain companions, which was often caused by lacking items or conflicts with other companion mods or body mods. Certain large-scale player homes crashed me to desktop (there were two notorious ones, but I can't recall their names right now), this turned out to be a Hearthfire issue where the mods had simply overwritten certain commands set by the engine without providing a stable alternative (in other words; they were poorly made).

Get this bad boy to help with the load order! https://loot.github.io/

Should you run into issues and need a quick but helpful checklist on load orders in general, this one is very good and easy to follow:

https://skyrimseblog.wordpress.com/load-order-structure/

As for the video you linked; most of the issues associated with Bethesda's main files are cleaned via unofficial patches and fixes, as well as official updates to the core game itself (there was quite recently a 500-600MB update to Skyrim SE). I never did anything like that, and the game is probably more stable now than when I last played it properly.


PS: Immersion mods are your friends, they, in conjunction with atmospheric mods and visual upgrades, create a brand new game experience. Along with improved combat, stealth, and a slew of deepened mechanics, it becomes a completely different game. When I made the plunge into mods and did my third playthrough, I simply got stuck in a place where I can't even imagine playing vanilla Skyrim again. And we haven't even mentioned content mods, there are some that add entire DLC-sized maps and content. Have fun!

Last edited by Mummelmann - on 05 November 2020

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I just looked at my Skyrim SE folder, it contained about 42GB of data without the game being. In other words; that's 42GB worth of mods and add-ons!



Mummelmann said:

I just looked at my Skyrim SE folder, it contained about 42GB of data without the game being. In other words; that's 42GB worth of mods and add-ons!

Lol, still smaller than many current games and probably so much more content!



Mummelmann said:

I would suggest going for a clean install and start from scratch. Incompatible mods are quite rare among highly recommended ones, but they do sometimes require specific loading orders, this is usually in their written descriptions. As someone mentioned in a previous post, using Loot is really helpful, I always have it installed. It sorts the load order based on priority. The mods at the top of the load order are usually the ones that cause the biggest registry changes or contain several scripts that need to override existing ones. Most minor mods, including companion mods, added weapons and armor, and even slight AI adjustment (such as the one that makes NPC's hide during dragon attacks) are made without new scripts, they are instead tweaks or simple copies of ones that already exist in the game's code. They do this to avoid conflict in the load order and registry.

Most overhaul mods (whether it be skills/perks, leveling, UI, or Race mods), despite their large changes to gameplay and/or immersion, are simpler than one would think in regards to scripting, but they often require being placed higher up in the loading order. These mods are often placed directly below the main files (Skyrim and its DLC files) and any debug or patch files (which are at the top, almost in all cases). Most visual upgrades, texture packs, etc. are usually a bit farther down.

Minor mods, companion mods, weapon packs, minute AI changes, or mechanical changes (faster arrows, for instance) and presets or additions to character creation (hairstyles, beards, most of the body mods) can usually be loaded more or less anywhere without big issues. Player homes, settlement refurbishes and similar mods can usually go lower on the load list, these features became a lot less buggy with the inclusion of Hearthfire, which created a "custom" build feature that allowed the engine changes to topography and added architecture more easily.

As long as one doesn't install mods that change the same threads and features, conflicts will only arise occasionally, usually due to one or more plugins/mods being outdated. I believe Vortex has a built-in feature that not only detects whether mods are outdated but also updates them smoothly (this was not quite so smooth with the Nexus Mod Manager). Most visual mods that don't add considerable physical input, geometry, or structural changes are fine in almost any order, examples could be meshes and texture packs, as well as certain weather mods and effects.

I usually install the big mods first, the core ones. Which would be; patches and fixes - ENB and visual mods (including weather effects)- Overhaul and bigger gameplay mods (like Ordinator or Sneak Tools, Wildcat, etc.) - RacMenu and Start Another Life, plus any ragdoll or body mods - Weapon packs, armor packs, etc. (I install them before the companion mods since some companions might require certain items) - Companion mods - Minor mods such as crafting changes, character presets and hairstyles, eye packs, added spells, animations, etc. - Player Homes and similar changes, trading mods, extra guilds or factions (there are some great mods that elevate the civil war aspect of the game!).

My installation in roughly the above order is not so much about the "correct" order in regards to the actual load order of the mods, but more about making the bigger changes first so I know what kind of game I want to play. I then add in minor additions and changes to tweak this, I have about 30 companion mods, for instance, most of these were installed later on. The Nexus mods site is terrific in explaining how things work, under the requirements tab you can always see what's missing or what other mods or parts might be required in order to make any mod work. So long as the main game is up to date and the most important patches are installed and you stick to the more streamlined, endorsed mods, you should be fine. The most common issue for me was clipping issues on certain companions, which was often caused by lacking items or conflicts with other companion mods or body mods. Certain large-scale player homes crashed me to desktop (there were two notorious ones, but I can't recall their names right now), this turned out to be a Hearthfire issue where the mods had simply overwritten certain commands set by the engine without providing a stable alternative (in other words; they were poorly made).

Get this bad boy to help with the load order! https://loot.github.io/

Should you run into issues and need a quick but helpful checklist on load orders in general, this one is very good and easy to follow:

https://skyrimseblog.wordpress.com/load-order-structure/

As for the video you linked; most of the issues associated with Bethesda's main files are cleaned via unofficial patches and fixes, as well as official updates to the core game itself (there was quite recently a 500-600MB update to Skyrim SE). I never did anything like that, and the game is probably more stable now than when I last played it properly.


PS: Immersion mods are your friends, they, in conjunction with atmospheric mods and visual upgrades, create a brand new game experience. Along with improved combat, stealth, and a slew of deepened mechanics, it becomes a completely different game. When I made the plunge into mods and did my third playthrough, I simply got stuck in a place where I can't even imagine playing vanilla Skyrim again. And we haven't even mentioned content mods, there are some that add entire DLC-sized maps and content. Have fun!

Man, again, this is awesome! Thank you so very much, this is just the kind of help I was looking for and could not get elsewhere. I'm trying to reinstall, use Loot (great name btw) and then clean the master files as a video pointed out for a cleaner start, so fingers crossed.

I really enjoyed the family and constructing part that came with Hearthfire, easily where I spent the most time and got most enjoyment, so I was eager to try the Wyvern Rock Castle and would ask if you can suggest any mod like it for residences, marriage, adoption and so on that you might have tried.

Also, is ENB compatible with the 2K textures pack or does ENB render the other useless? And what are your favourite immersion ones?

And I will sure come back with more questions. ;) 

Cheers



farlaff said:
 

Man, again, this is awesome! Thank you so very much, this is just the kind of help I was looking for and could not get elsewhere. I'm trying to reinstall, use Loot (great name btw) and then clean the master files as a video pointed out for a cleaner start, so fingers crossed.

I really enjoyed the family and constructing part that came with Hearthfire, easily where I spent the most time and got most enjoyment, so I was eager to try the Wyvern Rock Castle and would ask if you can suggest any mod like it for residences, marriage, adoption and so on that you might have tried.

Also, is ENB compatible with the 2K textures pack or does ENB render the other useless? And what are your favourite immersion ones?

And I will sure come back with more questions. ;) 

Cheers

ENB doesn't conflict with much of anything, it's mostly a reshader applied to change colors, lighting, and various ambient and post-processing effects, the results are staggering though. Some ENB's can take a toll on your system though, it typically adds more load on your GPU, but they won't wreck it on their own (my GPU is six years old and runs them fine). I use mine with night mods that change the nights and caves to make them darker, as well as pretty up the sky (I can't quite recall their names though, been a couple of years since I installed them last). Note that almost all Reshade/ENB require AA to be turned off, the effects are usually built into the Reshade and these will often conflict with the vanilla engine rendering the same effects. The vast majority of mesh and texture mods will have no issues with Reshades since they're separate parts of the rendering process. ENB and reshader can produce some incredible visual upgrades at a fairly low cost. Look at this image for instance (note that there are probably some texture mods applied as well though, but look at the ambiance and lighting in that image):




Here is the main page for ENB at Nexusmods, ranked by endorsements. I use the very first one, I see it has recently been updated.

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/categories/97/?BH=0

You'll need the ENB itself before you get a Reshade, the ENB can be found here:

http://enbdev.com/

A description of how to install ENB and Reshade filters, don't worry, it's not as difficult as it might seem to begin with:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=520954661

Here's a bunch of immersion and content mods that I've used and enjoyed, in no particular order:

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2360?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3058?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/644?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/7900?tab=posts (old but should still work, and it's a great one!)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/9775?tab=description (addon to the previous one)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/695?tab=description (also on the older side, but should still work as intended)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/131?tab=description (adds new dungeons basement levels in many places)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3479?tab=description (Immersive Armor is essential in my opinion, old but works!)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/4703?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2357?tab=description (blood textures, they go really well with the increased chaos of Wildcat and similar mods)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2347?tab=description (massive texture pack, fixes a horde of textures without and issues)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3704?tab=posts (old but works, also texture based)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1863?tab=description (Sneak Tools is essential if you want to play a stealth character or thief)


My favorite player homes:

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2829 (this is a reworked Breezehome, it looks amazing and has more storage plus room for more special items as well)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/4119?tab=description (Elysium Estate is easily among the best player homes made for Skyrim SE, but some find it unbalanced since it's basically free (you find the key outside the house)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2265 (Frostvale Estate is really well made, lore-friendly and a tad more balanced since it requires that you actually purchase it, it can be bought by activating the plaque outside the house)





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Mummelmann said:
farlaff said:

Man, again, this is awesome! Thank you so very much, this is just the kind of help I was looking for and could not get elsewhere. I'm trying to reinstall, use Loot (great name btw) and then clean the master files as a video pointed out for a cleaner start, so fingers crossed.

I really enjoyed the family and constructing part that came with Hearthfire, easily where I spent the most time and got most enjoyment, so I was eager to try the Wyvern Rock Castle and would ask if you can suggest any mod like it for residences, marriage, adoption and so on that you might have tried.

Also, is ENB compatible with the 2K textures pack or does ENB render the other useless? And what are your favourite immersion ones?

And I will sure come back with more questions. ;) 

Cheers

ENB doesn't conflict with much of anything, it's mostly a reshader applied to change colors, lighting, and various ambient and post-processing effects, the results are staggering though. Some ENB's can take a toll on your system though, it typically adds more load on your GPU, but they won't wreck it on their own (my GPU is six years old and runs them fine). I use mine with night mods that change the nights and caves to make them darker, as well as pretty up the sky (I can't quite recall their names though, been a couple of years since I installed them last). Note that almost all Reshade/ENB require AA to be turned off, the effects are usually built into the Reshade and these will often conflict with the vanilla engine rendering the same effects. The vast majority of mesh and texture mods will have no issues with Reshades since they're separate parts of the rendering process. ENB and reshader can produce some incredible visual upgrades at a fairly low cost. Look at this image for instance (note that there are probably some texture mods applied as well though, but look at the ambiance and lighting in that image):




Here is the main page for ENB at Nexusmods, ranked by endorsements. I use the very first one, I see it has recently been updated.

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/categories/97/?BH=0

You'll need the ENB itself before you get a Reshade, the ENB can be found here:

http://enbdev.com/

A description of how to install ENB and Reshade filters, don't worry, it's not as difficult as it might seem to begin with:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=520954661

Here's a bunch of immersion and content mods that I've used and enjoyed, in no particular order:

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2360?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3058?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/644?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/7900?tab=posts (old but should still work, and it's a great one!)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/9775?tab=description (addon to the previous one)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/695?tab=description (also on the older side, but should still work as intended)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/131?tab=description (adds new dungeons basement levels in many places)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3479?tab=description (Immersive Armor is essential in my opinion, old but works!)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/4703?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2357?tab=description (blood textures, they go really well with the increased chaos of Wildcat and similar mods)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2347?tab=description (massive texture pack, fixes a horde of textures without and issues)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3704?tab=posts (old but works, also texture based)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1863?tab=description (Sneak Tools is essential if you want to play a stealth character or thief)


My favorite player homes:

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2829 (this is a reworked Breezehome, it looks amazing and has more storage plus room for more special items as well)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/4119?tab=description (Elysium Estate is easily among the best player homes made for Skyrim SE, but some find it unbalanced since it's basically free (you find the key outside the house)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2265 (Frostvale Estate is really well made, lore-friendly and a tad more balanced since it requires that you actually purchase it, it can be bought by activating the plaque outside the house)



Fantastic post, as always. Thanks! Took me some time to see it because of the horrible spam just above this. Man, what kind of thing is that?

I installed many of your suggested tools and followed some other tutorials for a clean start. Then I tried ENB. I made it work, but the realvision version I installed had horrible performance, so I'll just have to start it all over again.

So, some other questions: do you know if those extra home mods will work on the LE version? I just have Se on the Switch. Also, do you know a way to use the face changing and texture  mods without the need for an ENB?

Cheers :)



farlaff said:
Mummelmann said:

ENB doesn't conflict with much of anything, it's mostly a reshader applied to change colors, lighting, and various ambient and post-processing effects, the results are staggering though. Some ENB's can take a toll on your system though, it typically adds more load on your GPU, but they won't wreck it on their own (my GPU is six years old and runs them fine). I use mine with night mods that change the nights and caves to make them darker, as well as pretty up the sky (I can't quite recall their names though, been a couple of years since I installed them last). Note that almost all Reshade/ENB require AA to be turned off, the effects are usually built into the Reshade and these will often conflict with the vanilla engine rendering the same effects. The vast majority of mesh and texture mods will have no issues with Reshades since they're separate parts of the rendering process. ENB and reshader can produce some incredible visual upgrades at a fairly low cost. Look at this image for instance (note that there are probably some texture mods applied as well though, but look at the ambiance and lighting in that image):




Here is the main page for ENB at Nexusmods, ranked by endorsements. I use the very first one, I see it has recently been updated.

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/categories/97/?BH=0

You'll need the ENB itself before you get a Reshade, the ENB can be found here:

http://enbdev.com/

A description of how to install ENB and Reshade filters, don't worry, it's not as difficult as it might seem to begin with:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=520954661

Here's a bunch of immersion and content mods that I've used and enjoyed, in no particular order:

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2360?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3058?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/644?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/7900?tab=posts (old but should still work, and it's a great one!)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/9775?tab=description (addon to the previous one)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/695?tab=description (also on the older side, but should still work as intended)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/131?tab=description (adds new dungeons basement levels in many places)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3479?tab=description (Immersive Armor is essential in my opinion, old but works!)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/4703?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2357?tab=description (blood textures, they go really well with the increased chaos of Wildcat and similar mods)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2347?tab=description (massive texture pack, fixes a horde of textures without and issues)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3704?tab=posts (old but works, also texture based)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1863?tab=description (Sneak Tools is essential if you want to play a stealth character or thief)


My favorite player homes:

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2829 (this is a reworked Breezehome, it looks amazing and has more storage plus room for more special items as well)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/4119?tab=description (Elysium Estate is easily among the best player homes made for Skyrim SE, but some find it unbalanced since it's basically free (you find the key outside the house)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2265 (Frostvale Estate is really well made, lore-friendly and a tad more balanced since it requires that you actually purchase it, it can be bought by activating the plaque outside the house)



Fantastic post, as always. Thanks! Took me some time to see it because of the horrible spam just above this. Man, what kind of thing is that?

I installed many of your suggested tools and followed some other tutorials for a clean start. Then I tried ENB. I made it work, but the realvision version I installed had horrible performance, so I'll just have to start it all over again.

So, some other questions: do you know if those extra home mods will work on the LE version? I just have Se on the Switch. Also, do you know a way to use the face changing and texture  mods without the need for an ENB?

Cheers :)

Some ENB reshades run horribly, I tried one that slowed the game down to a crawl a couple of years back.

The home mods should work, I believe, they're relatively simple. Texture mods and character models etc. don't conflict with reshades, the ENB settings changes will simply alter the way those textures and models are lit and filtered within the engine.

I think there's an ENB called "Rudy" that runs really well, and there's one called "The Truth" that I know performs really well since I tried it myself on a far weaker system at work (I think fps dropped only by single digits). This was on the SE edition in both cases though, not sure if they made them for the vanilla edition. As far as modding goes, the SE edition has some huge advantages over the standard edition, it's really worth getting if one wants to really experience what mods can offer!



Mummelmann said:
farlaff said:
Mummelmann said:

ENB doesn't conflict with much of anything, it's mostly a reshader applied to change colors, lighting, and various ambient and post-processing effects, the results are staggering though. Some ENB's can take a toll on your system though, it typically adds more load on your GPU, but they won't wreck it on their own (my GPU is six years old and runs them fine). I use mine with night mods that change the nights and caves to make them darker, as well as pretty up the sky (I can't quite recall their names though, been a couple of years since I installed them last). Note that almost all Reshade/ENB require AA to be turned off, the effects are usually built into the Reshade and these will often conflict with the vanilla engine rendering the same effects. The vast majority of mesh and texture mods will have no issues with Reshades since they're separate parts of the rendering process. ENB and reshader can produce some incredible visual upgrades at a fairly low cost. Look at this image for instance (note that there are probably some texture mods applied as well though, but look at the ambiance and lighting in that image):




Here is the main page for ENB at Nexusmods, ranked by endorsements. I use the very first one, I see it has recently been updated.

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/categories/97/?BH=0

You'll need the ENB itself before you get a Reshade, the ENB can be found here:

http://enbdev.com/

A description of how to install ENB and Reshade filters, don't worry, it's not as difficult as it might seem to begin with:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=520954661

Here's a bunch of immersion and content mods that I've used and enjoyed, in no particular order:

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2360?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3058?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/644?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/7900?tab=posts (old but should still work, and it's a great one!)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/9775?tab=description (addon to the previous one)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/695?tab=description (also on the older side, but should still work as intended)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/131?tab=description (adds new dungeons basement levels in many places)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3479?tab=description (Immersive Armor is essential in my opinion, old but works!)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/4703?tab=description

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2357?tab=description (blood textures, they go really well with the increased chaos of Wildcat and similar mods)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2347?tab=description (massive texture pack, fixes a horde of textures without and issues)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3704?tab=posts (old but works, also texture based)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1863?tab=description (Sneak Tools is essential if you want to play a stealth character or thief)


My favorite player homes:

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2829 (this is a reworked Breezehome, it looks amazing and has more storage plus room for more special items as well)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/4119?tab=description (Elysium Estate is easily among the best player homes made for Skyrim SE, but some find it unbalanced since it's basically free (you find the key outside the house)

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2265 (Frostvale Estate is really well made, lore-friendly and a tad more balanced since it requires that you actually purchase it, it can be bought by activating the plaque outside the house)



Fantastic post, as always. Thanks! Took me some time to see it because of the horrible spam just above this. Man, what kind of thing is that?

I installed many of your suggested tools and followed some other tutorials for a clean start. Then I tried ENB. I made it work, but the realvision version I installed had horrible performance, so I'll just have to start it all over again.

So, some other questions: do you know if those extra home mods will work on the LE version? I just have Se on the Switch. Also, do you know a way to use the face changing and texture  mods without the need for an ENB?

Cheers :)

Some ENB reshades run horribly, I tried one that slowed the game down to a crawl a couple of years back.

The home mods should work, I believe, they're relatively simple. Texture mods and character models etc. don't conflict with reshades, the ENB settings changes will simply alter the way those textures and models are lit and filtered within the engine.

I think there's an ENB called "Rudy" that runs really well, and there's one called "The Truth" that I know performs really well since I tried it myself on a far weaker system at work (I think fps dropped only by single digits). This was on the SE edition in both cases though, not sure if they made them for the vanilla edition. As far as modding goes, the SE edition has some huge advantages over the standard edition, it's really worth getting if one wants to really experience what mods can offer!

Yeah, I'm on the verge of triple dipping because of that :).  I mean, the jump from 32 to 64 bit on the SE surely must make a great difference.

On your topic, this guide mentions exactly Rudy, and it is really detailed so the recommendation can stay here for anyone interested in the game even today:

https://www.sinitargaming.com/skyrim_graphics.html

Finally, I've managed to get some good results with the texture mods that I did find on the Workshop. I've managed them all with LOOT and up until now it seems to be working well. Take a look at this picture taken at night at the entrance of Whiterun (low res picture taken by the system - it looks way better with the game running):

https://imgur.com/a/U0eq3Pq

There are probably many other things I can do to make it run better, but as it is my first try I'm pleased so far, even though these many added elements from the city enhancement series take a bit of a toll in performance. That dissipates quickly though, maybe the game just takes a bit extra work to load it. I'll take more pictures later on.

Cheers!