And about that- yes, modify the game files. If you do them, you'll get all the tools set up and clean your Skyrim master files. The initial setup steps for the Phoenix Gude are worth following. I think if you get into more complex modlists- say, something over 500- you'll be better positioned to appreciate MO2's feature set. Vortex is totally fine for light modding despite what you’ll read on Reddit. You can use either Vortex or Mod Organizer 2. It’s probably worth paying for a premium account for a month or two if you have some spare dollars. You will need an account on The Nexus, which is where 99% of your mods will come from.

First get set up for modding by following an existing newbie guide. If you have never modded Skyrim beforeĭon’t dive into acting on this this post right away. You can get a long way by looking at the Nexus’s most-endorsed mods list and installing most of them. This will let you know what other people have enjoyed a lot, or what’s new & interesting. Look at a Nexus category and sort it by downloads, or by 30-day trends. I encourage you to explore the Nexus as you work through this list.

increase the sense of Skyrim as a place you’re visiting increase “immersion”.

change gameplay systems to be more challenging or more balanced or both.

add new world locations and deepen existing ones.

improve the visuals, from textures to models to animations.

If a mod is indicative of a broader category of mods, I'll try to introduce you to the category. If I think a mod is an important foundation to build on, I'll say so. If there's a core concept you need to understand in order to make decisions, I'll try to define it. I'd like to introduce you to the ways you can modify your game, to the major options available in each category, with some commentary about individual mods if I happen to have used them. I'm going to give you a tour of the possibilities. What I will do instead is tell you all the things I wish somebody had told me when I started modding Skyrim.

I'll link to some guides, but I will not pretend to give you a step-by-step instruction list. A modding guide sets out to help you build a specific modlist that works well together, without bugs.

So what would help you get started? Well, how about Ceejbot’s introduction to Skyrim modding? If you wanted to mod Skyrim so it looks and plays wonderfully, my modlist would not help you get started. Also, let’s be honest: this list of mods is bewildering to the newcomer. This list is names of plugin files, not mod names, so it can be super-confusing to read. Sometimes people on Twitter ask me for a modlist. I am happily role-playing my way through my social distancing 2020 playthrough, posting ridiculous screenshots. They fix game bugs, add new features, and make the game look fresh. They’re amazing and fantastic and disturbing and inspiring. Skyrim mods are why the game is alive eight years after it was launched.

Skyrim mods with special edition