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SkyrimSE-Modlist

A complete guide for my Skyrim Special Edition Mod List, as well as modding the game from scratch.

C Stew’s Skyrim SE Modlist v1.1

Version v1.2 v0.3 is in development!

Don’t like the way Third Person Play works? Not Anymore.

Foreword

If you are updating from an earlier version and ARE NOT reinstalling from scratch, follow the changelog instead!

This page serves as a complete guide to use the same mods I do, beginning from a vanilla (un-modded) Skyrim SE Installation. It covers everything from downloading mods to optimizing load order to increasing stability, and is designed to be followed by those with zero previous modding experience.

This mod list uses the now outdated 1.5.97 version of Skyrim SE. If you have updated to or are using the Anniversary Edition, use this mod to downgrade to the compatible SE version. It is also incompatible with Skyrim: Legendary Edition, the original game with all DLC Add-ons, and Skyrim VR, the Virtual Reality version of Skyrim SE, due to many mods not supporting those versions of the game.

This mod list uses ESO & UI’s SKYRIM SE MICRO MOD LIST – V1.2 as a base. However, my list includes several changes to exclude certain mod features and incorporate compatibility patches. I also include some personal favorites to replace a few excluded features, annoyances, and to improve aspects their list doesn’t cover. Their install instructions are also lacking, that is to say non-exsistent, making it impossibly difficult to match their settings. This mod list also incorporates ENB, a post-processing program that enhances visuals drastically. If you experience performance issues or are running on a low-end system, test with ENB off. Certain mods rely on ENB being present, and they will need to be removed if ENB is not in use.

LOOT will be used periodically to optimize load order and solve override issues, as Vortex doesn’t do the best job of this. If your deploy/load order is shuffled while installing mods, don’t worry. LOOT can pretty easily resolve many load order issues.

Any mods containing NSFW content/additions will not be included.

System Requirements* (and AMD equivalent):

My System Specifications (and AMD equivalent):

Storage Requirements:

*According to ESO & UI’s SKYRIM SE MOD LISTS page

At 1080p with Graphics set to High and ENB enabled, I generally get 60+fps indoors and 40-55fps outdoors.

Pre-Installation

I use Vortex to install and manage mods. For a comprehensive usage and setup guide, Ultimate Immersion has an intuitive video here on setting up your Skyrim installation and Vortex to be mod-ready. It also covers installing SKSE64, a crucial plugin that requires manual installation. Make sure you download Legacy SE build 2.0.20 (runtime 1.5.97), NOT Latest AE Build!

When downloading mods, use the MOD MANAGER DOWNLOAD button unless otherwise specified. Do note that Nexus limits Non-premium users to one 1-2MB/s download at a time, so patience is a must. If you get a pop-up in your browser asking to open a link with Vortex, select Open Vortex. It will automatically begin downloading the mod within Vortex.

If Vortex shows any mod conflicts in the upper right corner, always load the mods in the order of this list. Mods downloaded first should be loaded before mods downloaded after them. This way features won’t be unintentionally overridden by other mods.

ESO & UI’s List (including patches)

When downloading mods, use the specified version unless replaced by a newer build! If no version is specified, download the latest Main File!

If a mod is no longer available, proceed without it as it will likely work anyway.

Congrats! The easy part of the modding process is finished! Next, the load order needs to be optimized so the game doesn’t instantly crash or have severe glitches.

LOOT/SSEEdit Part 1

As useful as Vortex’s sorting rules are, they are far from perfect. To remedy this, we can use LOOT: The Load Order Optimisation Tool. Below are full, in-depth instructions from downloading and installing LOOT to fixing Vortex’s shortcomings.

Due to Vortex being stubborn, these rules must also be added within Vortex.

Leave LOOT open, as the next step is fixing all of those yellow warnings it showed using SSEEdit. While SSEEdit can be run through Vortex, it is easier not to.

Quick note before this step: Never clean Master Files, especially Base Game Files! These are marked with a Crown icon within LOOT, and cleaning them with SSEEdit can have irreversible, game-breaking consequences. Best practice is to only clean files with a yellow warning in LOOT that ARE NOT Master Files.

Now, return to LOOT and Refresh Content. You should no longer see yellow boxes on anything except DLC and Update Master Files. If this is the case, close LOOT and Vortex for now.

Setting up ENB

If you don’t plan to use ENB, skip to the next section.

This process has two major steps: Installing the files for ENB, and installing the ENB Preset. First, install ENB for Skyrim SE:

Next, download the ENB preset itself:

ENB is now set up and ready to go! There are some settings that need changing once in-game for the intended result, but those come later.

My Additions

The following mods are some of my picks that cover aspects of the game the previous mods don’t by updating visuals and removing annoying occurrences. If you get an External Changes pop-up from Vortex, choose Use newer file.

When downloading mods, use the specified version unless replaced by a newer build! If no version is specified, download the latest Main File!

If a mod is no longer available, proceed without it as it will likely work anyway.

Whew! Now we’re done downloading mods! Next, we’ll optimize these mods as we did before.

LOOT/SSEdit Part 2

As before, start by opening LOOT.

That wasn’t too difficult! Now, close LOOT and restart Vortex. This will force Vortex to update its load order to match LOOT’s.

Fixing Crashes

HURRAH! Skyrim didn’t crash! Before we can make any changes in-game, start a new file.

In-game Changes

Upon loading, NAT will inform you of new spell in your inventory. This is necessary for ENB Users, as we will need to change a few settings.

That’s It!

Thank you for using my mod list for your modded Skyrim SE adventures! If you encounter an issue while running these mods or have a suggestion for an update to this page, please create a new issue here. You can also submit an issue to suggest mod additions to the list.