Preinstallation Notes

This is a player modding guide/mod list for Skyrim Special Edition. It covers:

• Software installation
• Preparatory work for adding mods
• A list of mods to install organized by category (though not necessarily Nexus categories)
• Instructions on proper sorting
• Instructions on creating merged and bashed patches
• Gameplay tips and troubleshooting

This guide is the result of many hours of playing and modding Special Edition, as well as having learned many valuable things from others. 

I am not a highly skilled mod author. I don't know anywhere near as much as some people do, such as Gamer Poet or Phoenix. I look up to the work they do and try to learn from them. I love adding mods to my game and I'm always looking for ways to increase my knowledge of how to so do. 

This guide is probably best suited for gamers who are willing to dive into things and spend a lot of time making Skyrim a very different experience from vanilla, who don't necessarily have up-front knowledge of how to do everything but are willing to learn and figure things out. Drastically altering Skyrim is not a quick and easy process. But it's a worthwhile process. Expect to spend a few days using this guide. 

But know that you can do this. I am here to help in any way I can. If I don't have an answer, I will politely say so, and then go and try to find one. If you know something I don't - great! I'm all ears. Well, not literally, of course.

This is intended to be an active document, for which comments and constructive criticisms are welcome and sometimes incorporated into the guide. 

The menu on the left is meant to be followed in the order presented.

 

Important! Please read this page regarding the Anniversary Edition update and mod compatibility. Basically, you want to avoid the AE update and if you're too late, you need to downgrade from it.

 

To see screen shots illustrating some of the visual items this guide modifies, see the Nexus Mods page for this guide: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/20289.

 

Guide Conventions

• Prerequisites have been taken care of. Mods on the Nexus may have prerequisite popups, but as long as you are following this guide, you do not need to follow up on those. Prerequisites are listed in this guide in advance of the mods that require them.  
• When you are instructed to start a new game, literally do that. Don't load an existing Alternate Start dungeon save. And don't spend more than a minute on it. Get out of the dungeon, look around real quick, and quit. You're not testing the game itself. You're just making sure that what you just did doesn't crash the game. That way, if it does crash, you can stop right there and figure out what went wrong before proceeding. 
• For Nexus mods, go to the files section and download each mod using the Mod Manager Download button. (There are a few exceptions to this, but it will be obvious what those are.) Your download should automatically be handled by Vortex. Vortex will let you know when the download is complete and present you with the option to install it. If you miss the notification, click on the bell icon in the upper right. 
• For AKF mods, download the file (you'll need an account - it's free and totally worth it) and use the "Install From File" button in the upper right of the Vortex Mods panel.
• After every installation, make sure Vortex enables and deploys the mod.

TODO - things I hope to add to the guide:

• Using SSEEdit to create a conflict resolution patch for this load order, along with a patch you can install if following this guide closely.
• A guide for MO2. I'm not sure if it's possible to create an MO2 guide alongside a Vortex guide using the same computer. I only have the one to work with.