A Thumbs-up goes a long way towards keeping this guide from getting buried down low in the guide section on Steam and instead near the top of the list so others can easily find it.

“What we find in books is like the fire in our hearths. We fetch it from our neighbors, we kindle it at home, we communicate it to others, and it becomes the property of all.” ~Voltaire

Recommend it and share it. Needless to say this also keeps me motivated knowing the guide is helping people. You should probably Favorite it as well so you can easily come back to this Guide.

https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2944593951
Thank you for your patience

Although it's been a bit of a rough several months between health and intermittent internet as well as a defective PC I still managed to maintain working on this guide every day (although not as much as I'd have liked to).

---

For info on downgrading Skyrim SE see the "How to Rollback to 1.5.97" section of this guide

---

I am grateful for having such a great base using this guide which is constantly growing. Being a mod user myself, who learned much from and feels indebted to the community, I am also one of many that help some of you in Steam's Skyrim SE Forums on a daily basis.

The giving back is part of my journey with the community.

Much appreciated

A Word About Game Pass
The script extender better known as SKSE64 is a hard requirement for many mods (a soft req. for others) in this guide. A good number of those mods are for stability and bug fixes. Because SKSE can't be used with Game Pass you can't use those mods so if you're a Game Pass owner and you see a few mods you like just make sure they do not require SKSE64 otherwise this guide unfortunately can not support Game Pass.

*Looking for the Anniversary 1.6.353 Load order Guide? Look Here
btw, all mods that I normally use with the exception of Net Script Framework (which I can live without it) have been updated for 1.6.353 but if you feel you need a crash log the mod "Crash Logger" works fine.

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Please Take a Moment - Thank you

The guide I'm working on currently is about 520 mods although that number includes about 100 optional mods. Fact is with mods like Legacy of the Dragonborn (which would be optional) the total of plugins for that one mod is about 45 once you include all the patches. Bottom line is that you can use far less than the 520 mods included in the guide if you wanted to. So my question is:
POLL
Would you use a guide with 500 mods?[strawpoll.com]

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other polls
1. Which version will you play and how?[strawpoll.com]
2. How many Mods?[strawpoll.com]
3. AFT, EFF or NFF?[strawpoll.com]
4. Which Horse Mod?[strawpoll.com]
5. FNIS, DAR or NEMESIS?[strawpoll.com]
6. What do you look for in a load order?[strawpoll.com]

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Looking to ROLLBACK your game version to 1.5.97? - see the Rollback section in this guide.

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Go to your Skyrim Special Edition folder in your Steam directory located here \SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition, right click on SkyrimSE.exe, go to the Properties tab. look at the "Product Version":
*1.6.xxx.0 is the version of the Anniversary Edition
(if it starts with 1.6 it's the updated or upgraded version).
1.5.97 is the the pre-update version and the version for this guide.

you can also check game version and if you're running SKSE which version of it by doing this:

From Skyrim SE/AE Main Menu
Open the Console with the Tilde key (~) then type the following
getskseversion
hit enter and read the info
close Console with the Tilde key.

FOR SKYRIM SE (v1.6.353): see My newest guide

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PLEASE READ THIS[www.afkmods.com] BEFORE ATTEMPTING ANY ROLLBACK METHODS

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*However - if anyone accidentally or intentionally took the update and would like to roll back here are some solutions that I hear work quite well: First see this[www.afkmods.com] .

FIRST MAKE SURE YOU DON'T UPDATE AGAIN
1. Go to your Library on Steam
2. Right-click Skyrim: Special Edition and select Properties
3. Select the Update tab
4. Set the game to "Only update this game when I launch it"
(Running by the game via SKSE launcher won't trigger this update)

Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Downgrade Patcher[www.nexusmods.com] An automated patcher to downgrade your Skyrim install from the new AE version to the previous SE version, without redistributing files or requiring any sort of complexity. Download this, & click "Patch" & it'll do the work. ALSO SEE THE MOD PAGE FOR MORE DETAILS (including the comment section on how to use the patcher until it's mod author updates it).
NOTE: IF the patcher is not working for you. Go to your Steam DLC and click "manage DLC" then turn off the AE DLC. Then do a clean reinstall of the game by following the steps in this video . You can at that point do the downgrader patch if you want.
Here's a video
https://youtu.be/fNOMpjh-0aQ

BY ROLLING BACK YOU DO NOT WANT TO USE THE LATEST VERSION OF THE USSEP. THIS WOULD DEFEAT THE PURPOSE OF ROLLING BACK.

Unofficial Skyrim Downloader[www.nexusmods.com] SEE MOD PAGE FOR DETAILS

Go to your Skyrim Special Edition folder in your Steam directory located here \SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition, right click on SkyrimSE.exe, go to the Properties tab. look at the "Product Version":
*1.6.xxx is the version of the Anniversary Edition (if it starts with 1.6 you have it).
1.5.97 is the the pre-update version.

*As of 12/13/2021 at 5:00 PM EST the latest update for SAE is 1.6.342

you can also check game version and if you're running SKSE which version of it by doing this:

From Skyrim SE/AE Main Menu
Open the Console with the Tilde key (~) then type the following
getskseversion
hit enter and read the info
close Console with the Tilde key.

Revert the Anniversary Edition update, make SKSE work again!
https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2652123247

This table was created with Skyrim SE v1.5.97 in mind

I have set this guide up for all to use. New, relatively new, experienced, there is a load order here for all. Like I said, it's not complicated unless we make it so.

IF you are new to modding or have had trouble in the past you can simply use the numbered mods and nothing else. Either use the first 4 (1-4) and have a stable game with less bugs while still being able to earn achievements (while learning to mod). Or take the first 10 (1-10) for some base improved textures and an improved UI with a few more QOL mods. Or take all the numbered mods (1-58) which includes all of the above and a whole lot more (see each mod for details).

You can also use mods "1-10" or "1-58" and take all the optional mods or pick and choose from them.

If this is all new to you don't bite off more than you can chew or as my mother use to say "don't let your eyes get bigger than your stomach" (I never took that advice). Enjoy yourself while learning to mod and remember, we are in the Steam SSE Forums to answer your questions along the way.

Have Fun
Enjoy setting up your mod list from this guide. I have carefully chosen from the very best mods available. I recommend you take them all if your PC can handle it and if you have some basic knowledge to start with.

However read as you go and you'll clearly see I have a select few multiple choices (either/or), there's not many set up as choices but of course you have to choose no more than one mod in those instances. Then there are many *Optional mods. If you have questions please let me know down in the comment section or open a thread in the Steam SSE Forums. ~enjoy

SS #4 - SS #5 - SS #6 - SS #7 - SS #8 - SS #9 - SS #10

---

Let's get into this...

Let it be a "Do" or a "Don't", this is a list of common mistakes made by new mod users

---

---

This something you probably have done before you purchased Skyrim SE and if you did in fact check then skip to the next paragraph. But if you did not please do so now or you may regret it. Can You Run it [www.systemrequirementslab.com] it will read your system for you (it's safe - used by millions). Follow the instructions on the website.

Put the time in now and you will be rewarded ten fold. Besides, modding is reading. So reading the information laid out in this guide up to the point of actually installing the very first mod listed in this or any other guide will go along way. Again, you are building something special here. There will be bumps in the road but let's not make it harder than it needs to be. Read the dang info.

THIS IS ALSO RULE #1 IN MODDING:
Before you install each mod for the rest of your time modding you need to know installation instructions & compatibility with other mods including any dependencies on other mods which are all listed in every mods description page & the sticky posts. Reading is mandatory.

There are several Mod Managers to choose from & whichever one you choose there is a learning curve. The most popular Mod Managers are Vortex Mod Organizer 2. IF you are a NMM user I highly recommend you upgrade to either the New official Mod Manager for Nexus Mods which is Vortex or use MO2. There is a reason they made the decision to build an entire new mod manager instead of continuing with the old. For more info on this see my Vortex Nexus Mod Manager Guide which contains useful info on Vortex. You'll also need xEdit, Loot & an Archiving Tool which we will be covering all of this in the "Tools" section of this guide.

We will get to downloading a mod manager later in this guide.

WE WILL COVER THIS AGAIN LATER IN THE GUIDE
FYI: when the time comes to start adding mods: You need to launch your game (UNMODDED) to the "Settings" window in order for the game to read your system and create the necessary configuration (.ini) files. LOOT & xEdit needs this step as well.

So while you're there, I would also suggest to play for a bit. Some recommend you accomplish a playthrough to get the full experience before you mod your game so that you'll know what you want for mods and why. I am not going to insist a complete playthrough but I do agree you should know what you're working with at the very least.

*If the game did not auto-detect your video card on launch do not worry it happens as this is an older game and newer Graphic cards such as my Nvidia RTX 2070 get the same message. For now simply select the visual quality that best suits your PC. There is a section in this guide that will walk you through some of these important settings.

This is important as any advice you'll receive playing Skyrim and it WILL save you hours of frustration. So in my mind a hard save is not saving over another save and not using Auto or Quick Saves. To turn auto saves off you have to actually be in game. (Esc - Settings - Gameplay)

We tend to use them in situations Skyrim can't handle. Why can't Skyrim Handle them? Because Skyrim can be buggy (surprise). Why often? Because nothing is worse than realizing your last save was many hours ago instead of only one hour, or 10 minutes ago.

---

---

Self explanatory but very important especially for lower end system. Shut down Chrome or your browser of choice etc. I have plenty of RAM & an above average processor but I shut everything down. We love to game without interruptions and Skyrim SE will be a bit more demanding especially with mods.

If you'll be following this guide this will not be a worry but if you NEVER have modded before it's probably only natural that the very first time you look at the over 22,000 mods currently available on Nexus for SSE website. You'll see dozens if not hundreds of mods you would like in your game so you start downloading mods. This is probably the number one cause of all problems that we hear in the SSE Forums from new mod users.
https://youtu.be/MR-7_awyeQc
So DON'T Download mods WITHOUT knowing what you want
Again, following this guide will obviously eliminate this problem but as an FYI & without getting into detail on how your game loads and saves data - this is possibly the best piece of advice you'll ever receive in regards to modding. Removing mods after you start playing your game & making saves can and will most likely ruin your game and cost you hours, even days of troubleshooting and eventually lead to starting the entire process over but with much added work because you now have to make sure no loose files are left behind for your next playthrough and that's another process altogether. Texture mods are generally safe but you DONOT want to remove mods with scripts mid game EVER. IF you set Vortex up properly you can see these mods at a glance without clicking on anything. I'll get into that later. Information Baked Into Saves[www.afkmods.com]

Executing the wrong command (in some cases the correct command) can cause your game immediate problems that are not fixable or sometimes the problems won't show up right away giving you a false sense that you beat the system. Console commands can break a quest many hours down the line and you won't know why you can't complete that quest. Resist the temptation and at the very least remember to save your game before you use them. The following is the warning from the UESP wiki http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Console

I'll keep this short and to the point. Faster is not better for Skyrim as Physic's, Quests & Sound are all tied to FPS. Again, sometimes the problems won't show up right away giving you a false sense of security that you beat the system. Ultimately, Bethesda recommend not doing this. Even with a great PC you could encounter these problems.

There are no Workshop items for "Skyrim SPECIAL EDITION". Please don't confuse the Skyrim (Oldrim) Workshop for the non-existent SE Workshop because 1) you can't use Oldrim mods regardless of where they came from for Skyrim SE unless they are converted properly. 2) There is no SSE Workshop.

Your game will break. There are mods that look for specific file names that are common to legal copies of the game.

DON'T FIGHT COMMON KNOWLEDGE
https://youtu.be/difNdvVpHys?list=PLlN8weLk86XgO3uq71d62UrgXnaXL4EuD

Note: There is a Glossary of the Terms used in Skyrim at the end of this guide.

Be careful with these first few steps as they will update your game past v1.5.97 on the other hand we need to start clean with no leftover hidden files. Read carefully. Everything from step 3 on will not update your game.

Some of this may sound time consuming but I assure you it's not difficult and that it saves so much time in the long run. This is why many of us play on PC.

A) *But first if your game is in Program Files let's move it

When SSE is installed in the programs files, Windows sometimes interferes due to (UAC) permissions. Microsoft wants to control these folders which never bothers us until we try to mod a game installed in these folders. While not everyone will have this happen right away if at all (depending on programs you use, how much modding you're doing, etc.) the best thing is to avoid any potential problems by simply installing your game & Steam in a different location.

UNRESTRICTED ACCESS (Moving Your Game Out of Program Files)
Please uninstall SSE then re-install your game to either another drive or if that is not an option install it to C: but NOT in Program Files or Program Files (x86) which is where Steam tries to install it. Also, installing on an EXTERNAL DRIVE you MAY encounter sound issues. Key word here is "may", not have sound issues and to the best of my knowledge this only seems to be a problem for some with Special Edition.

To Move to a separate drive (example: D) SEE Below:
Navigate to your Steam client 'Settings' menu. Select 'Steam Library Folders' from the 'Downloads' tab. From here, you can view your default installation path, as well as creating a new path by selecting 'Add Library Folder'. Once you have created the new path, all future installations can be installed there. (see link below for more on this)
Here's the link with Steam's full instructions:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

But I only have a C: drive:
Again, if this is absolutely not an option for you because you only have 1 drive, simply move Steam to your C: but NOT in either of the "Program Files".
instructions:
Discussion https://steamoss.com/discussions/forum/1/135511294066324002/
Steam Support https://steamoss.com/steamhelp/en/faqs/view/4BD4-4528-6B2E-8327

*B) MAKE SURE YOU'RE VANILLA (Resetting Skyrim to A Clean Vanilla State)
ONLY NEED IF PREVIOUS MODDING ATTEMPT FAILED OR YOUR GAME IS BORKED
Let's make sure your game is in a "Clean Vanilla State" otherwise you are wasting your time. Unfortunately if you have previously modded your copy of Skyrim SE there is a good chance loose files and/or baked in data were left behind & these will adversely affect your next modded playthrough so they need to be removed.

First clean-up your mod manager
Remove ALL mods from Vortex if you have or had mods installed & do not want to spend time deleting them one by one see the Removing ALL mods section in my Vortex Guide

Better to start with a clean copy of Skyrim now than to have to redo everything after you spent time setting up your load order. Detailed instructions in the following video:

Watch this 2 minute Video by GamerPoets (pause where needed)
I do this every time I start a new load order regardless
11/11/2021 - HOLD OFF ON THE FOLLOWING OR YOUR GAME WILL AUTO-UPDATE
BETTER OFF SIMPLY SKIPPING THIS STEP FOR NOW AND GO MOD YOUR GAME
UNTIL MODS CATCHUP TO THE NEW UPDATE
https://youtu.be/g67CnHD1wvY (The above info is ONLY IF you have Previously installed mods OR have your game installed in Program Files or Program Files (x86)

The above info is detailed but important because if you take these steps now you will save yourself much time & grief down the road.

Otherwise see the Rollback section of this guide or if you are wanting to mod version 1.6.353 see my guide for that version located here

Nvidia[www.nvidia.com]
AMD[www.amd.com]
or read

Turning them off is not good enough

So proceed without performing this step at your own risk. THIS INVOLVES MORE THAN TURNING OFF YOUR ONE DRIVE SAVES. But is well worth it. Skyrim needs access to your My Documents folder and the Skyrim SE folders beneath it & OneDrive will fight with Skyrim over doing exactly that, preventing it from writing, and that's why you can't save, see your saves, or write to the ini files. This does not happen right away & that's a big part of the problem as when it happens you have invested some time in your game. Wolfpack wrote out a great tutorial for us and it is included in my SSE Help Guide in the "Cloud & Save Problems - One Drive" section.

We will download a mod manager in the next section. Vortex is recommended (what I use) but MO2 can be used as well. Use whatever Mod Manager you are comfortable with. I do not recommend Nexus Mod Manager (NMM) unless you are well versed in it. Do NOT install your mod manager to your game directory.

*DO NOT USE THE IN-GAME MANAGER (OR THE MODS) IN THE GAME'S MAIN MENU - IT IS BORKED & UNSUPPORTED BY BETHESDA


When you get to that point, just before you start modding you must launch the game one time in order for the game to write your .ini files, update the registry so you can mod your game
(Note: Always remember to make sure you have no background programs running whenever you play Skyrim, especially Chrome. Same for Microsoft browser. WE WILL REMIND YOU LATER.

SINCE WE WILL BE USING SKSE64:
(many popular mods require it & IT IS part of this load order so please read on)

MAKE SURE STEAM DOES NOT AUTO UPDATE SKYRIM SE
Once you install SKSE64 you will ONLY be launching SSE via the SKSE64 launcher. Although we won't be installing SKSE64 until later in the guide you need to first make sure Steam does not automatically update SSE:

Go to your Steam Library & find "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition" in your games list & Right Click on it & go down to "Properties" then click on the "Updates" tab at the top & under Automatic Updates use the dropdown & select the option to "Only update this game when I launch it".

There is NO Steam Workshop for SSE

if you don't already have one
Nexus Mods Remains THE MOST TRUSTWORTHY & RELIABLE WEBSITE FOR MODS

ATT: THERE IS NO STEAM WORKSHOP FOR SKYRIM SE

There are very few places to get your mods that I recommend


If you can mod it, they'll host it.
"Nexus Mods host 320,082 files for 1,360 games from 130,728 authors serving 28,003,702 members with 4,895,643,266 downloads to date. They support modding for many PC games.

*Nexus Mods - Register Free [www.nexusmods.com]
Nexus is the largest site for mods with over 28 million users & over 4 Billion downloads to date.

Mod DB For "Forests of Dibella SSE" tree mod

AFK Mods[www.afkmods.com]

There are several ways to support the Mod Authors on Nexus. The easiest way is to use the "Endorse" button on each mod page. At the very least they all deserve that for all the free hard work they put in for our enjoyment. Then there's a Mod Author Donation Fund[www.patreon.com] created by Nexus.

All links in this guide work. For more mods see my "Pick & Choose Mods" Guide

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More on Plugin Limit: In addition to the above information if you will be using this guide to build a load order larger than the 255 plugin limit simply keep a few things in mind. 1. Many of the mods in this guide are available as "flagged as .esl" and these mods do not count towards that limit. Also keep in mind some mods that can also be manually flagged as .esl by you but you need to know which mods are safe to convert and how. Again, it's a simple process and there is a video by GamerPoets in the xEdit section of this guide that will walk you through that simple process. There is also an "SimpleESLify" mod available at NexusMods which Automatically flags all ESPs that can be flagged without issue. You'll find information on all of this later in the guide.

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*If you don't have a Nexus account see previous section

Make sure you set these tools up properly. The process is simple as long as you watch the related videos and follow instructions. I repeat; the process of setting up each tool is a simple one which does not require high level skills but as simple as they are they must be set up properly.

Make a "Modding Tools" Folder
I suggest you make a folder on the same drive as your game but NOT in the actual game or mods folder, then name it "Modding Tools". This will be where you'll place subfolders for all tools unless otherwise noted. For example you can make seperate folders inside your "Modding Tools" folder for 'SSEEDIT', 'Loot', '7zip'. You may be adding more in the future if you dive deeper into modding.

Let's make sure we have the proper tool for the proper job

Everything listed below is FREE yet Essential

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I recommend Vortex or MO2 You can't go wrong with either one as both are the best of the best

Vortex is recommended but if you're an experienced MO2 user you should be fine

This guide suggests you start with Vortex (that's what I use) because it uses "Loot code" which is built in to Vortex out of the box. Loot is essential to sort your Load Order automatically although I have notes for mods that in some cases will be different than what Loot suggests so please read my notes next to each mod when using this guide. This is very important because the order in which your mods load is critical and if mods are not arranged properly your game can eventually, if not immediately, become very unstable, even unplayable and sooner or later may even crash.

Don't forget to Download the stand alone version of Loot (we'll get to that in a minute). You need Loot if for no other reason than Loot will give you important notes regarding things like compatibility and patching. Vortex will give also you notes when needed in the plugin section regarding Loot alerts.

YOUR MOD MANAGER DOES NOT GO IN YOUR "MODDING TOOLS" FOLDER.
Vortex also does NOT go in your game folder - simply use the "One-click installer" linked below.

*VORTEX [www.nexusmods.com] 10.7 million downloads (My Favorite) Official Mod Manager for Nexus
Also works for many other games including TW3, Mass Effect, Cyberpunk 2077 Fallout 3, 4, New Vegas and over 100 other games.

Vortex installation & Setup video
Watch: Vortex Installation Video
NOTE: as stated in the video, the installation button on Nexus has changed so use the One Click button when installing. But the rest of his video is must watch material. The next section of this guide there contains links to all of Gopher's excellent videos on Vortex including one on installing SKSE64 with Vortex. They are all very well done and important to watch especially if you are new or have been struggling with modding your game.


MO2 [www.nexusmods.com] 3.7 million downloads. Also an excellent Mod Manager. Works for most Bethesda Games.
MO2 github[github.com]
IMPORTANT Please watch GamerPoet's MO2 Videos There are 2 very well done Videos

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Whichever one you pick (you can pick both but only need one) Let it install to it's default location.
*7zip [www.7-zip.org] Get 64bit. FREE (My Favorite)
OR
*WinRAR [www.win-rar.com] Get 64bit. Make sure to get the Trial Version (it never expires even after trial)

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Loot
Let loot install to it's default location! Loot does NOT go in your Modding Tools folder.
*Loot [loot.github.io] The Load Order Optimization Tool (Loot)
( Loot[www.nexusmods.com] also on Nexus)

Need help updating/upgrading your version of Loot?
See the "Loot - upgrading to a new version" section of my SSE Help Guide

YES Vortex has Loot built in for the all important sorting but you still need this Stand-alone Version as Loot will give you easy to understand details about your mods.
See tutorial Videos for Loot in the "Conflicts & Load Order" Section

xEdit or in this case SSEEDIT
install xEdit to your modding tools folder we made earlier

*SSEEdit [github.com] *All versions of xEdit are from the same program. You'll learn how to setup xEdit for SSE when we get to the xEdit section of this Guide. For now simply download it.
Use the above link.

For those that want to read more information about xEdit you can see the Nexus mod page for SSEdit: Here [www.nexusmods.com]

See tutorial Videos for SSEEDIT in the "xEdit: Cleaning, Fixing & Patching " Section of this guide.

That's it. You're all set -

if needed, more tools for down the road are listed later in this guide (under "Advanced Tools")

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Depending on how far you advance in modding you may be installing other tools to your "Modding Tools" folder. So the folder will be there if and when you need it.

---

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VORTEX | MO2 | LOAD ORDER TUTORIAL VIDEOS

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We will be installing Vortex in Video #1 listed down below

A word on using a mod manager. Let's be clear, you do not "need" a mod manager in order to mod your game just like you don't need an automatic transmission to drive a car. There is nothing worse IMO than someone bragging to new modders that they can mod without one, good for you. A good mod manager will make sure your mod is installed correctly and with Loot you'll be assisted with the critical load order (Vortex has Loot built in).

You'll still occasionally be required to install some mods manually so you will learn. You still have to read everything the mod author of each mod tells you about their mod.

Using a mod manager along with LOOT will automatically order plugins correctly 95% of the time. However, there is no replacement for reading mod descriptions for understanding what mods are doing, and ordering them accordingly.

I could go on, heck I could write a book on this. Use a mod manager, pay attention to what you're doing, read everything and you'll learn the proper way to mod. Period.

VORTEX
There are 10 videos in total: Please watch 1 thru 3 now & refer back to the others as needed.
(or watch them all now)

Gopher has done something very few have ever done for any gaming tool and that is create a library of videos for every situation you may come across.
(full set includes the following videos: Introduction + 1 thru 9 - all ten are by Gopher)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kbOteChLJE&t=188s
Watch at least the first 3 before you start
Note: Getting Started video covers installation VORTEX is has long been out of the Alpha & Beta Stage since the making of Video #1 so the way you find the install button will be slightly different.
#1 : Getting Started | #2 : Installing Mods | #3 : Scripted Installers | #4 : Plugins and Load Order
#5 : Dependencies and Conflicts | #6 : Profiles | #7 : Script Extenders | #8 : ENB | #9 : Fores(FNIS)

Invest some time watching these videos. Your only investment is your time and your return on investment will be paying dividends both immediately and long term. Watch at least the first 3 (Intro, Getting Started & Installing mods) before you start then you can watch the others as you go.

---

If you are new to modding and/or have never used Vortex you need to watch the videos that Gopher put out on how to use Vortex. His videos are so good that Nexus has them linked in the Vortex mod manager. Vortex is a easy to use yet powerful mod manager that I have been using since it's Alpha days and I am very happy with it. Vortex has helped me build many load orders that were all close to 700 mods. You can also come back to this page as you go for quick reference.

If you haven't already done so:
Did you download Vortex yet?[www.nexusmods.com]
*Vortex can also be used to manage your load orders for over 100 other games.

For more information on Vortex: https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1977191236

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MOD ORGANIZER 2
This guide uses Vortex but use what you are comfortable with.
Download MO2[www.nexusmods.com] Install if not using Vortex

https://youtu.be/ruq6hQIAvB8
https://youtu.be/7v0wWVuOagA
Here's a link to all of GamerPoets excellent MO2 tutorials:
All Gamerpoets Video Tutorials for MO2

Bonus Quick Access videos for MO2
Mod Organizer 2 Tips & Tricks
https://youtu.be/H2ig_V5JCwQ
MO2 - Profiles & Apps

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Excellent video by GamerPoets on Load order & Modding 101

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncv_FWQUw0k

What is cleaning? Cleaning very broadly defined is a process that analyzes all the changes a mod makes and determines which edits are actually supposed to be in the mod.

IF you have not downloaded xEdit yet please do so and set it up as described in the videos below, then clean your masters before downloading your chosen mods. SSEEDITS Quick Clean makes It surprisingly easy and the videos by GamerPoets found on this page make an excellent tutorial on the entire process from setting it up to using the tool properly.

The simple answer is because the original game Master files (.ESM's) from Bethesda include references to identical items, but more importantly they also include references to deleted items that can and will interfere with some mods working correctly. What we accomplish by removing these "dirty edits" as they're called, is a more stable environment for your game if you are installing mods.

As Avrie says, 'Bethesda didn't bother cleaning the original Skyrim files, then in their infinite wisdom didn't bother again when they had the chance with the release of Special Edition, but it is still needed. Just add this to the list of things that "could" have been fixed but wasn't.'

The Modding Community saves the day (again)
How? you may ask. By creating xEdit. The "x" in xEdit refers to the ability of this tool to clean several of Bethesda games so the "x" is then replaced by SSEEDIT for Skyrim Special Edition, TES5EDIT for original Skyrim, FO3EDIT for Fallout 3, FNVEDIT for Fallout New Vegas, and so on.

Also make sure you are aware which files to clean and not to clean. You clean the .esm's that came with your Skyrim Special Edition EXCEPT the Skyrim.esm (you NEVER CLEAN THE SKYRIM.ESM). So in other words ONLY clean 4 of them which are, update.esm, dawnguard.esm, hearthfires.esm and dragonborn.esm. You may be thinking "I have to clean the masters that came with my game?? Yes!

If you've followed the guide this far you know I'm pretty thorough. Let's make sure nothing stands in your way of a stable game. The process is not a difficult one and if you have a problem once you get your game modded you will know it's not because you skipped steps. You shouldn't need to clean your mods if the mod author has done his job properly and there are some mods that require you do NOT clean them. Always refer to Loot for information on the mods so you can see which mods they suggest you clean. Also ask the Mod Author when in doubt because some mods are intentionally left uncleaned. To better understand why this might occur please watch the video's by GamerPoets included on this page.

xEdit Bible
Tome of xEdit[tes5edit.github.io]

Editing In xEdit I encourage all to save this guide by smr1957. This is a new guide so it will be growing over time as smr will be adding to it. Contains solid information.

V I D E O S - MO2 & VORTEX
CREATE A "MODDING TOOLS" FOLDER & INSTALL XEDIT THERE-then watch the next video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA5IlESvtCM&list=PLlN8weLk86XiGXJI4DaRa1QIq1zhDpD8V Before you watch the video on Cleaning:
DO NOT PANIC IF THE GAME DOES NOT DETECT YOUR GPU - WE WILL ADDRESS THAT
This will be the last time you'll launch from steam when we install SKSE64 in the next section. This step is necessary in order for the game to config your .ini files. This last step is very important before you begin modding your game. DO NOT SKIP. Do this NOW. Also make sure your resolution is set properly. Make sure it looks like this (with your desired resolution):

If your machine can't handle "Ultra" that's fine. Just make sure the Check boxes look like this^ (your screen resolution and "Low/Med/High/Ultra" settings may vary) TAA is important

I would hold off on cleaning my masters with QuickAutoClean at least for now. I'll just post what smr1957recently had to say in regards to this matter.

Originally posted by smr1957:

Do not clean the Masters. Cleaning them using auto-clean has resulted in missing sections of workspace in some areas of the game. And even though the new version of xEdit has supposedly fixed this issue, I would still not recommend using autoclean on the Master files - though in all other respects as regards editing, xEdit is fine and unsurpassed.

Some of the issues with cleaning and xEdit have been covered in detail elsewhere (there are links in my Pinned topic Helpful Links and References,), so I will not go into them further here......

I would remove the wild edit in Dawnguard as show in the end of this video by Gamerpoets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpRinGULJGw *Step by step text version on Cleaning with xEdit Here[tes5edit.github.io]

Again, for now we are holding off on our master. When a mod needs cleaning and is ok to clean I'll either supply a clean esp or leave a note for you to clean that mod. As mentioned earlier in this guide you should be in the habit of reading the information on each mod page you download from so if the mod author made a note that he does not want you to clean his or her mod even though Loot said to do so you'll know that the mod was left in that state in order for it to function as the mod author intended. So when using loot if you see a message to clean a mod always check the mod page to make sure they didn't tell you not to clean it before you clean the mod in xEdit.

Normally in a heavily modded game it is usually advisable to clean your Masters in order to avoid issues that may crop up, HOWEVER It's a NOT hard requirement to clean your Masters with a smaller load order. And right now in early 2022 until we are 100% certain that xEdit's QuickAutoClean does NOT cause missing sections of workspace in some areas of the game we are advising against cleaning.

SSEEDIT AN IMPORTANT TOOL THAT MULTI-TASKS
It also can make your game more stable. Fixing Identical to Masters (ITMs) is part of what SSEEDIT does when using the Quick Clean feature of SSEEDIT. Left uncleaned these ITM's can cause problems. For details on this see the linked articles and Videos on this page..

If you have the latest official version of Skyrim SE then SSEEdit (xEdit) is an excellent tool that can help you clean your mods, remove irrelevant duplicated references and can even repair deleted references as well. You can also merge plugins together with SSEEdit.

We touched on Loot earlier in this guide. Use Loot regardless of which mod manager you use because Loot does more than simply sort your load order. Loot will also give you plug-in warnings and usage notes while telling you which plugins need cleaning with SSEEDIT.

Discussion
Here is a Reddit discussion on cleaning (Arthmoor also weighs in).
Is cleaning master files useless?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErbiTZMRR6c
https://youtu.be/g_urrHrGQOY?list=PLlN8weLk86XiGXJI4DaRa1QIq1zhDpD8V
https://youtu.be/Zr7pz4JGSEM
https://youtu.be/wgay-wM_NZk
https://youtu.be/j5Tw3t2MvaU

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Vortex Users: You Do NOT need this as it's built-in to the Vortex Plugin section
https://youtu.be/0jJ_sxCMw9E

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Important
Although I doubt this game will receive any more updates we do need to make sure that if & when an update comes out for this game you won't receive it until you are ready as there is always a very high chance some mods currently in your load order won't function and you will not be able to play your game until the mod or mods are updated by that mod author. Fortunately we can avoid this very easily by protecting our game from updates. Simply follow the link below and take a minute to protect your game.

Protect your Game from Updates until you're ready:
I wrote a short tutorial for this so simply follow the "These simple steps" link below.
These simple steps will let you play uninterrupted (also included - keeping a backup)

And please do not start removing mods mid game at the first sign of problems (you won't find problems with this guide if you follow it but I'm giving you this for future reference). Read more here.

I'LL REPEAT THIS SECTION AGAIN AT THE END OF THE LOAD ORDER PORTION OF THIS GUIDE SO YOU WILL NOT FORGET TO PROTECT YOUR GAME - IT'S THAT IMPORTANT

First and Foremost: You need a legal copy of the game

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Let's make sure your PC's drivers are up to date

*How to update your computer Graphic Drivers [pcgamer]

*How to update your computer Audio Drivers [www.wikihow.com]

Intel® Driver & Support Assistant[www.intel.com]

DirectX 11 (or greater)
*DirectX Get Latest Version of DirectX HERE [support.microsoft.com]

MUST HAVE Microsoft Visual C++
C++ v 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022 (all-in-one package)
Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022 [support.microsoft.com] Take both the x64 and the x86 versions.
(we need x64 for SSE and we need x86 for Nemesis)

More imprtant info on Microsoft Visual C++
You can see the versions you have on your PC by going to settings on your computer and then "Apps" then "Apps & Features". You may see several. Do Not remove/delete any older versions of these redistributables. Leave them there as these files are not superseded when you download the next version. When you install software that needs code from the Microsoft visual C+ Runtime, it will install the version it relies on, if it is not already installed. Different software on your system requires different version(s) of this runtime If you uninstall any of these, some software on your system will stop working.
Long story short, these are nothing to worry about, they will not slow your system down and take up little space - best to leave well enough alone for the stability of your system!

A: NO. I don't because Visual C is not an All-in-one file, each version supports different games even different programs that might be on your PC. Not to mention removing them won’t give you back nearly as much disk space as you expect, and remember they’re not impacting system performance if they’re not being used atm.

FAQ: Do I really need all those "Microsoft Visual C++" programs? A: YES [answers.microsoft.com]

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Strictly an FYI - although this guide does not include mods that require Java if you should run into a mod say for example "Perkus Maximus" which requires Java to run the patcher you can always uninstall Java after completing that process. I thought I'd mention this as I know some folks are picky about what goes in their PC. Java is safe and here is the download if you ever need it
Java - download - install - remove - troubleshoot [www.java.com]
you just might already have it or may think you have it :-)

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Bethesda does update the game whenever there is a Creation Club update. On top of that it is always possible that you will make a mistake or Steam will somehow update the game. There are a couple of ways to back things up in case this happens. For now simply turn off the updates to only update when you launch the game (I set my game updates to a time when I know I'll be off-line) Remember: We only launch Skyrim thru SKSE64.

The following video by GamerPoets explains why this is important, and also shows you one of the ways to backup. Highly Recommended
https://youtu.be/3gAiLABNoIA
SkyrimSE.exe Auto-Backup (by CDante) [www.nexusmods.com]
A tool that will automatically store your different versions of SkyrimSE.exe files in backup folders. Now you will always have a backup of your executable in case you unintentionally updated your game via Steam. Requires SKSE64. - (This is the mod we spoke of in a previous section)
https://youtu.be/5LjI56ZINWM


The game default is 60 fps so as long as you don't change settings (do not change iVSyncPresentInterval=1 which is found in SkyrimPrefs.ini located here: C:UsersOwnerDocumentsMy GamesSkyrim Special Edition) or use mods that intentionally change that you are fine.
This is not a multiplayer shooter game and it was originally designed to run at 30
so you'll be more than fine at 60 (or 50, or 40) but the main reason you want your game NOT to run above 60 fps (I use 59) are things like animals and objects START FLYING AROUND as well as SOUND problems, water flickering, and QUESTS MISFIRING, etc.

Ultimately, the Bethesda developers recommend not doing this. Even with a great PC, you could find that you encounter a bunch of problems with the game’s physics engine. The there's the quests which don't care how great your PC is when it comes to how quests fire.

I said 60fps Max because you can set it lower and may want to with an ENB to maintain stability.






In the end, as with any mod load order, there are many factors that will dictate how your game looks and runs not limited to but including things like your PC hardware and all it's programs and settings including your monitor settings, lingering files from past load orders how mods react to each other as you add them, etc. So of course "your mileage may vary" hopefully for the better due to your experience from following this guide and the fact that we covered your need to pay attention to the lingering files by making sure they don't exist and also what you can do to ensure that you're using mods that react well to each other.

We are now ready to begin setting up our game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=difNdvVpHys

IMPORTANT I have received messages from 2 people over the last week or so regarding mods someone else told them to add to this list for their load order install. In both cases those fixes were covered by other mods in this list. Here are some example of what I am speaking to:
X - Flora Respawn Fix = Now in SCRAMBLED BUGS
X - Modern Brawls Bug Fix = INCLUDED IN ENHANCED BLOOD TEXTURES
X - Enable Achievements = Included in SSE Engine Fixes
X - Animation Limit Crash Fix = included in SSE Engine Fixes (not to be confused with Actor Limit Fix)

REMEMBER: there is no way to 100% safely remove certain mods from a running Skyrim game (Textures for example are safe). The only safe method would be after uninstalling to then revert to a save made prior to installing the mod.

There is a discussion thread for this guide here

*Did you go to your Steam Library & set Skyrim SE to ONLY update when you launch your game? No worries because once we install SKSE64 we will only be launching from there and should set it at that point. You'll also need to always make sure Steam is running when you launch the game but of course you'll be launching thru SKSE 64 and NOT from your Steam Library.

Enabling File Extensions viewing
Since we will often be working in our Windows Explorer Folders when modding our game we will need to be able to see the file extensions.
By default, Windows Explorer will not show file extensions (Ex: .bsa .exe, .dll, .esp, or .txt)
I'll use Windows 10 as an example.

1. Open Windows Explorer
   
2. Select the "View" tab at the top
   
3. Check the box next to "File name extensions" and "Hidden items"

So it looks like this:


Screen Resolution
Make sure your Screen Resolution is correct
Go to your SkyrimPrefs.ini
Which is located here: C:UsersOwnerDocumentsMy GamesSkyrim Special Edition
Look Under Display and find iSize H and iSize W

Mine looks like this
iSize H=1440
iSize W=2560

Set it to your monitor's resolution and save
Example: if you are 1920x1080 yours should look like this:
iSize H=1080
iSize W=1920

*Also if you are using Nvidia GPU go to your "Nvidia Control Panel" and change it there
(Make sure these numbers match everywhere including your desktop)

OR you can use Bethini which we will go over in the next section.

if you haven't done so already
From your Steam Library: Launch your game to the settings window only and choose "Options" where you'll make sure your Resolution is correct and your video card most likely will NOT be detected, this is normal so simply choose choose "Ultra", "High", "Medium" or "Low".

Make sure it looks like this by also selecting "Advanced" Note: I play @1440 so select your resolution
expand this picture if needed
We want TAA and we want the boxes to look like above. with your resolution
Select OK and Exit.

Next
Go to SkyrimPrefs.ini located here: C:UsersOwnerDocumentsMy GamesSkyrim Special Edition
and add any of the lines below that are not currently present under [Display]:

NOTE: As we all know video games have bugs and Skyrim is no different. Repeatedly fixing your game gets old fast especially when you are new to modding. The good news is we have a tremendous modding community that has helped remove many of these bugs. So we will be adding some preventative maintenance mods along the way. Let's take the time to do it properly from the start.

USE CAUTION: At each Nexus mod page always download your mods from the "Files" tab as many times there are multiple files to choose from and using the "Main Download" button at the top of the page may not give you the file you wanted. If by chance the mod only has a "Manual" download button read & follow the install instructions on the mod page.





THEN USE THE MOD MANAGER BUTTON


FYI Occasionally you'll see the option to download either a "loose files" or a "bsa" version of a particular mod. The game loads the bsa's faster than loose files not to mention the game was designed to use bsa. So choose BSA.

*A NOTE REGARDING ENB
Keep in mind, you can install an ENB at any point along the way. I do prefer to add it when I add my weather mod so I can see the changes the ENB makes after my textures etc have been added but that is not a requirement. Who knows, you may decide not to use an ENB. More info on ENB & installation later in this Guide.

VORTEX USERS - By now you should have watched at least the first 3 Vortex Videos:
WATCH THE VORTEX "CONFLICTS" VIDEOS BY GOPHER INCLUDED IN THIS GUIDE

ALL USERS

*IMPORTANT - BEFORE WE START
In case you skipped over this important info:
By now you should have made sure your graphic drivers are up to date.
Otherwise please do so now.
Once that's completed
YOU MUST HAVE THE FOLLOWING VERSIONS OF:
*Microsift Visual C++ 2015, 2017, 2019
*DIRECTX 11 (or greater)
IF YOU SKIPPED THE ABOVE STEP GO BACK TO THE "MUSTHAVE FILES" SECTION

IMPORTANT: AntiVirus: put an exclusion on the entire "Skyrim Special Edition" directory. AV's may have a problem with some mods because they modify the code in the SkyrimSE.exe file in order to redirect certain info to its logging software. This can be interpreted by anti-virus software as a hostile attack, and so it terminates the process & the game won't start.

This is good habit that will always serve you well.
In this way you can test properly & if there is a problem it will be much easier to narrow down.
This will also be key going forward for this and any future load orders you construct.

*DISABLE SKYRIM SE UPDATES
Set your game to only update only when you launch your game. I also set a 1 hour time span during which I am normally off line for safe measure. You can do this through your Steam Library / Skyrim Special Edition / Properties / Updates. You will only be launching from SKSE64 so the game will not update thus keeping a modded Skyrim SE chugging right along.

*REMEMBER: Do Not remove mods mid-playthrough
so let's keep it tight & right (Read) Also this from the UESP on Modded Saves[en.uesp.net]

*IMPORTANT
Since I first posted this guide I have added many mods that I also use, they are optional
You'll see *Optional" mods listed, but that's exactly what they are, optional. IF you have a strong Rig I say add all of the Optionals EXCEPT where I give a choice usually indicated the word "OR" included between the 2 choices, so proceed accordingly. Take your time and read everything. I promise it's worth your while. This is an easy guide to follow But if you mess up this or any other load order or guide, at that point it is important that you do a "Clean Vanilla Reinstall" (listed earlier in this guide), and start over otherwise things snowball and snowball quick. Again the entire process is simple as this guide walks you through building your load order. So take your time and if you have any questions ask us in the SSE Steam Forum.

*Warning - read me
But if you are going to add other mods that are not listed in this guide then please, for your own good - read everything about the mod you are considering - requirements - mods that the mod depend on order for it to function - mods and types of mods that conflict with it - where the mod should be in the load order and patches. I've already done that for you so if you stick to this guide you're good to go.

*REMEMBER: ADD NO MORE THAN 3 - 4 MODS AT A TIME
then fire up the game and make sure everything is cool - no need to save when doing so

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*Important
Recently I've had several folks ask me how to identify mods with scripts and also those with dependencies. I've also had folks tell me "I don't see that icon in Vortex" so I'm bringing the following info back to this guide. Don't overthink this because when using Vortex it's actually quite simple:

Vortex users
1. Make sure you're in the "Mods" view. Look all the way to the top rh side, click the gear cog (next to Actions) and make sure "Dependencies" is checked.
2. New columns will appear in Vortex, the important 2 here are "Content" and "Dependencies".
3. The "Content" column shows you if a mod contains scripts, plugins, textures, meshes, etc.
Simply hover your mouse over these various icons and a text will appear identifying each one.
4. The "Dependencies" column should be checked by default (if not check it), this shows you the lightning bolt if there is a resolved conflict (green) or an unresolved conflict (red).

*BEFORE WE ADD SKSE64
I'm repeating this next step for those who did not clean your masters earlier in the guide. IF you already set everything as follows then skip down to the next step "Nvidia Users" or "Bethini"
You also launched to this area back in the xEdit section when you cleaned your masters. Do Not Panic if the game does not detect your GPU, this is normal. Either way see below for settings.

This will be the last time you'll launch from steam once we install SKSE64 in the next section. This step is necessary in order for the game to config your .ini files. This last step is very important before you begin modding your game. DO NOT SKIP. Do this NOW. Also make sure your resolution is set properly. Make sure it looks like this (with your desired resolution):

If your machine can't handle "Ultra" that's fine. Just make sure the Check boxes look like this^ (your screen resolution and "Low/Med/High/Ultra" settings may vary)TAA is important

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Nvidia Users go to your Nvidia Control Panel and setup your settings see my Skyrim SE Help Guide for a video breakdown & screenshots of my suggestions.

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PLACE THIS IN YOUR MODDING TOOLS FOLDER

IF YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH .INI SETTINGS
*This is optional but Recommended so if you're not sure about .ini settings this mod will make a big difference in things like performance and lighting.
BethINI[www.nexusmods.com] Manual install. I place mine in my "Modding Tools" folder like we talked about earlier (then I add it to my Vortex dashboard). Many ask me about ini files & if you are not familiar with them fear no more. Just use this excellent tool which is kept up to date by the folks from S.T.E.P. Download the "BethINI Standalone Version" & install this to the modding tools folder you created and run it from there (or Vortex dashboard) after you started and exited your game to the main menu one time.

Make sure your screen resolution is correct, and if you want ULTRA etc is set., uncheck Ambient Occlusion and then tick the "Recommended" box, run, & save. Other than that make very few changes. Eventually you should learn what these settings do. Until then this will make a huge difference in the way your game runs and looks.

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Please pay close attention to my notes on "Rules" as we occasionally to often need to go against what Loot/Vortex suggests and in those cases it makes a huge difference in your game on the plus side. Remember Loot/Vortex is correct approx. 90ish% of the time, the other 10-15% of the time is crucial that we use what I type for "Rules" which is based on various factors.

THIS MOD IS COMPLETELY OPTIONAL - PLEASE READ

Skyrim's Audio is decent imo - but if you're picky about the quality of your audio this mod is the answer. However you must decide now, before you start building your load order, if you will use it.

This audio mod is worth the install if you have a set-up that can benefit from it's improvements, either a nice speaker system or a nice headset or both. I'll also be setting up a audio sounds section soon for some added kick to your Skyrim sound experience. In the mean time continue on as those mods can be installed at any time. And for those, although the "Unofficial High Definition Audio Project" will make them all the better, you don't need it to use it to benefit from them. All the audio mods including this one are optional. That said using all or some of them will improve your gaming experience.

(mods like Bethini and SKSE64 are the exception to the following rule)

IF YOU ARE GOING TO USE THIS MOD IT MUST BE INSTALLED AT THE TOP OF YOUR LOAD ORDER - BEFORE THE Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch (USSEP)
Unofficial High Definition Audio Project[www.nexusmods.com] A high-definition restoration of Skyrim's original voices and music, drawing from the much higher quality PS4 audio as a source.
Download the first 3 files and make sure they are installed before the Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch (see mod page)

Later in the guide I have a "Audio FX Sound" section where you can increase your immersion by choosing some improved sound for Dragons, Draugr, Giants, Daedric, Falmer as well as Immersive music and some Bard stuff. You can use them all or pick and choose. I recommend all of them but the choice is yours. Just make sure you read everything so you don't miss a patch if needed. That section is not part of the Basic Load order per se but is of course for use by all.


IF You need Additional help Help along the way while modding your game please either visit my SSE Help Guide OR please start a thread in the Steam SSE Forums

Let's do this

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This section, mods 1 - 4, represent the *mods that I consider *essential base mods:

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Important Reminder
STAY VERSION AWARE AS YOU ARE DOWNLOADING ON EACH MOD PAGE
We are looking for either the initials "SE" or "1.5.xxx " or confirmation the mod works for both versions of the game. Many times when in doubt look at the date a particular file was created in the files section of the mod page then look in it's "Old Files" section. Texture mods are usually fine.

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This section is small but contains much information - please digest it slowly - it's that important

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once you've reviewed all of the above steps
1) SKSE64[skse.silverlock.org]
Pre-update users: Make sure you download the version for SE = Current SE build 2.0.20 (runtime 1.5.97): 7z archive VORTEX WILL TELL YOU THAT THE SCRIPT EXTENDER IS OUT OF DATE - IGNORE THIS IF YOU ARE MODDING THE PRE-UPDATE VERSION 1.5.97
Skyrim AE users: Make sure you download the version for SE = Preliminary AE build 2.1.3 (runtime 1.6.342): 7z archive
See Video instructions below:
Having SKSE64 included in your load order, allows you to add mods that ultimately improve Skyrim SE's overall performance.

You can watch one of the videos below on how to install SKSE64 or I typed out the instructions in a .txt file you can download here[drive.google.com] then open with Notepad to read.

*VORTEX USERS:
Vortex has a new feature
Vortex has a built-in SKSE64 installer for Bethesda games. One difference: when Gopher checks version at the end of steps, instead you type "getskseversion" (without quotes)
Start Video at the 4:05 mark https://youtu.be/0prWgeGGnp8?t=245
*ALL USERS: manual
can use this method (old school) this includes MO2 users although MO2 is currently testing code to allow the same type system as Vortex users enjoy (I prefer this method anyway)

I made this new video 10/3/2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SQGURWhjrs ONLY download SKSE64 from skse.silverlock.org
Still having trouble installing SKSE64 properly?
I made a much more detailed video on installing SKSE64 that can be found here

STEAM MUST ALWAYS BE RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND
ONCE INSTALLED YOU ALWAYS LAUNCH YOUR GAME WITH SKSE64

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(this next mod, like most mods in this guide, is a simple mod manager install)
Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch (USSEP) [www.nexusmods.com] Game version 1.6.318 or greater
WARNING: The version of the USSEP on Nexus and AFK mods IS FOR THE UPDATED SKYRIM AE SO IF YOU DON'T HAVE A COPY OF THE USSEP THAT MATCHES YOUR VERSION OF SKYRIM SE 1.5.97 THEN YOU WILL HAVE TO CHECK AND SEE IF YOU HAVE THE FILE ON YOUR PC OR SEARCH FOR THE ARCHIVED VERSION ON GOOGLE).

Important: If you are running the Full version of the Skyrim Anniversary Edition
If you are running the full AE update, it is strongly recommended you download and install Garthand's Creation Club Patches[www.nexusmods.com] in addition to the USSEP. These patches resolve conflicts between the DLCs and the USSEP that are caused by how load ordering works in the game.

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*Optional
FileAccess Interface for Skyrim SE Scripts - FISSES[www.nexusmods.com] IF YOU'RE GOING TO INSTALL FISSES DO SO ON A NEW GAME AND INSTALL IT NOW. DONOT TURN IT INTO AN ESL OF ANY SORT. You should know if you want this. See mod page for details.

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3) Address Library [www.nexusmods.com] Install "All in one (Special Edition)" (which is version 2)
This is one of the most important files needed in order to properly mod your game.
WATCH This informative Address Library Video - by GamerPoets if you want to know what it does.

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*Optional but Highly Recommended if you'll be using more than a few mods
Skyrim Priority - SKSE[www.nexusmods.com] Unless you set Skyrim SE as High Priority in Task Manager before each Launch THIS MOD Makes Skyrim always take most of CPU usage. Prevents sudden lag caused by other processes. A Must have imo.

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you've seen this earlier in the guide - it's that important
if you've been following this guide you already have this much needed file for your game to launch (modded or vanilla) if not then take it now & if prompted to repair choose yes:
*Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2022. [support.microsoft.com]

4) SSE Engine Fixes [www.nexusmods.com]
This mod not only covers MANY important fixes for your game & eliminates the need for a few other mods (Ex: you won't need Animation Limit Fix mod + includes a BONUS as this mod re-ENABLES ACHIEVEMENTS eliminating the need for yet another mod).
installation instructions:
INSTALL '(Part 1) SSE Engine Fixes for 1.5.39 - 1.5.97' with Vortex || THEN INSTALL "(Part 2) Engine Fixes - skse64 Preloader and TBB Lib" Manually as per mod page instructions. Which are as follows: Manual Download Part 2 to desktop / extract with 7zip or Winrar / drag the 3 .dll's (d3dx9_42.dll, tbb.dll, tbbmalloc.dll ) to your Skyrim Special Edition folder located in: SteamLibrarysteamappscommonSkyrim Special Edition

Note: Plan on playing on the same save for an extended period of time? To fix the crash on load save bug or corrupted saves bug after longer Skyrim play time, you need to change the setting `SaveGameMaxSize` in `EngineFixes.toml` file in the SKSE folder to `true`. Which is located:
SteamLibrarysteamappscommonSkyrim Special EditionDataSKSEPlugins

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*Optional but Highly Recommended - Scrambled Bugs
2 part download
NET 5.0 is required for "Scrambled Bugs"
1. .NET 5.0 Runtime[dotnet.microsoft.com] This is a Windows file. Get the x64 version under "Run desktop apps". This is different than Net Script Framework. Just install this to where it wants to install (Default).

2. Scrambled Bugs[www.nexusmods.com] You already have the Pre-loader from SSE Engine Fixes Fixes. Scrambled Bugs fixes many bugs that the USSEP does not touch. Also eliminates the need for "Flora Respawn Fix". (Make sure you installed NET 5.0 Runtime)

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Auto Input Switch[www.nexusmods.com] This mod makes it possible to switch between gamepad & keyboard/mouse control on the fly. Similar to many other games, it will simply detect when you switch between devices & update the UI accordingly.

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Don't forget to Bookmark & Rate this guide (this helps others find it as well)

There are of course more mods. The game just keeps improving as you move through the list in this guide.

But that depends on you. Want better lighting? Landscape? Either way you won't be bogged down with several hundred mods.

Experience goes a long way in modding


There is much more here including but not limited to:

• Body, Face and Hair section
  
• Landscape - Trees
  
• Weather, Lighting, ENB
  
• Better Textures for Characters
  
• Better Textures for objects & the World
  
• Player Home(s)
  
• Combat, Magic, & Perks
  
• Animation
  
• OR simply take the Next 5 mods for a very solid core game

OR now that you have a base and you feel you are ready to do your own research so you can add a quest mod or the like. More mods are listed by category in my Pick & Choose Guide remembering to always read description, installation and compatibility notes on each mod page

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I made a little video on how to check if you've installed SKSE64 properly & for which version, also which version of Skyrim SE you have Here

I also have a Skyrim SE Help Guide for assistance.

Let's continue...........

Besides it's improved UI many mods require SkyUI for the MCM.
5) SKY UI [www.nexusmods.com] A mod that improves Skyrim's user interface by making it easier to use with mouse & keyboard (+ controllers). Many consider this a core "must have" mod.

NEXT - PLEASE READ BOTH 5a's THEN PICK ONLY ONE (either/or)

5a) Remove QuickSave Button from SkyUI System Menu[www.nexusmods.com] RECOMMENDED. This small mod does a few things: Most importantly Removes the "Quick Save" button from System Menu, that was added in SE. The quick saving system in Skyrim (both LE & SE) is pretty much broken. Quick saving may in some way result in corrupted saves. ALSO INCLUDES FLASHING SAVEGAMES FIX
5a) SkyUI SE - Flashing Savegames Fix[www.nexusmods.com] This mod fixes the flashing savegame entries when trying to save or load a game in the in-game main menu (quest journal). in some cases this can even cause a crash without this optional mod Not compatible with "Complete Widescreen Fix" or other mods that edit the interfacequest_journal.swf file.

Now grab this next optional mod.
Fix Note icon for SkyUI[www.nexusmods.com] Corrects Bethesda's mistake by fixing the Letter/Note icon for SkyUI in order to correctly display the icon as a note instead of a book which otherwise can take much longer to find them.

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6) A Quality World Map[www.nexusmods.com] Make sure you take one of the Classic maps (first 2 listed are both Form 44) as they are form 44 and the others are 43. Form 44 being for SSE and form 43 being for LE. There are also patches that you are more likely to need in certain load orders going forward when using the other versions so use one of the Classic versions. I've always used one of the first two maps as they are both Form 44. You also can add the "Clear Map Skies" add-on under their optional files if you like (I do).

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This next mod serves so many purposes: if for any reason you simply want to skip the vanilla intro at the start of the game and avoid the cart ride or if you want to role play the story in a different way then "Alternate Start" is the mod for you. Plus it's great for testing which is #1 for me.

Highly Recommended
Alternate Start - Live Another Life [www.nexusmods.com] (by Arthmoor) Great for testing. I like the "Camping in the woods" option as it puts me next to Helgen OR one of the "Patron at an INN" starts then Pick your city.

Alternate Start Voiced[www.nexusmods.com] More voice files to complete the mod "Alternate Start - Live Another Life".

Want more Role play options?
Optional: New Beginnings - Live Another Life Extension SSE[www.nexusmods.com] New Beginnings Live Another Life Extension adds a lot of new options to Live another life by Arthmoor...see mod page for details. (Should be as low in your load order as possible).

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JUMP IN GAME YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAVE YOUR GAME AFTER A QUICK CHARACTER CREATION AS WE WILL BE ADDING CHARACTER CREATION MODS LATER - DON'T FORGET TO DELETE THE GAME'S FORCED AUTO SAVE EACH TIME (FROM THE MENU). Even though you should have all instances of Autosaves turned off the game has a few instances where it saves regardless.

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Take Both of the Following
7a) Static Mesh Improvement Mod - SMIM [www.nexusmods.com] Choose Everything during install. SMIM covers so many details that other mods don't address.

Going Forward: Always choose AFTER SMIM for "Rules" in Vortex. Let everything we add from now on that conflicts with SMIM to load after it.
7b) Static Mesh improvement Mod - SMIM - Quality Addon[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: AFTER SMIM.

Hanging Rabbits will be purple until we add Wiseman's Flora Fixes later in the guide.

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8) Noble Skyrim (NSM) [www.nexusmods.com] choose 2K version
RULE: AFTER SMIM . This mod gives all of Skyrim's architecture a complete new look by changing its textures to custom ones. Also retextures, landscape, dungeons etc. Later w e will let some mods override some parts of this mod later. This and SMIM is our base.
+
(we will install the patch for Noble Skyrim & SMIM in #9)
(GOING FORWARD Always let anything Vortex asks overwrite Noble Skyrim (Same with SMIM)

Only use this next (Stockades) mod if you're only here for the first 10 mods or won't be using the Retexture of Whiterun that's in the "Cities - Visuals & Graphics" section.
8a)Optional. Stockades of Skyrim 3D[www.nexusmods.com] Replaces low polygon and 2D assets from the stockade set used by Orcs and bandits (Which were missed by SMIM).

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9) NSM - SMIM Patch* [www.nexusmods.com] Patch is on same page as mod #8 (Noble) Look under the UPDATE Section and only download the first file. RULE: After everything Vortex asks.
ALWAYS PLACE YOUR PATCH AFTER THE MODS YOU ARE PATCHING

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10 PapyrusUtil SE - Modders Scripting Utility Functions[www.nexusmods.com] NOTHING should ever overwrite this mod Not Simply Knock, Not Campfire, Not anything or your game won't launch. Make a note (see BIG red letters on mod page). You will need this mod for other mods as well. An SKSE plugin adding several new scripts with native functions that provide various conveniences related to data storage and other misc functions to the scripter/modder. Nether's Follower Framework requires it as well.

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*Recommended - can toggle Hud off and on + other tweaks in MCM
Immersive HUD - iHUD Special Edition[www.nexusmods.com] The aim of iHUD is to provide the immersive feel you get from having no HUD, whilst keeping the usefulness of having one. It takes the permanantly visible HUD elements such as compass and crosshair, and hides them when not needed. Great for quick Screenshots or when you simply want a clear view. ACTIVATE IN MCM by ticking the "Toggle"

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*Optional
Stackable Stones of Barenziah with Optional Quest Markers[www.nexusmods.com] ONLY use on a New game. Fixes Stones of Barenziah to stack properly in the player's inventory. Also adds optional quest markers to Stones of Barenziah. Grab the next file as well
SSoB USSEP incorporation[drive.google.com] Patch for Stackable Stones of Barenziah with Optional Quest Markers Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch.

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Testing time: Load up your game

*Optional Need a good starting mod that adds a few items to your inventory?
This mod was made by Avrie with this guide in mind. The mod adds base inventory items, and crafting supplies along with a lore friendly starter shack with safe storage. Intended for use with Alternate Start, Live Another Life.
Quickstart for testing guide based load orders[www.nexusmods.com] Four (4) starts to choose from.
ONLY PICK ONE START.
OR
This next mod is included in the above so IF you don't want the entire Quickstart mod;
Alchemical Primer for Caravaniers[www.nexusmods.com] Adds a lore friendly alchemy skill book that includes 8 of my best vanilla potion recipes for players new or trying to improve their alchemy skill. See mod page for details.

For those that came only for the first 10 mods you're done.

NOTE:
IF YOU HAD ANY TROUBLES AT THE START OF THE GAME LIKE CART FLYING AROUND
IF you did just install "Alternate Start" that will skip that intro
and/or we will be installing "WiZkiD Carriages" in the Models & Textures section which includes this: Prisoner cart fix SMIM[www.nexusmods.com] in his mod. also make sure your FPS is no higher than 60 & you might not need the cart fix mod.

*Optional - outstanding font replacer
Font Overhaul - Natural Typefaces for Skyrim -- FONTS[www.nexusmods.com] Replaces all common interface fonts with your choice of visually pleasing and realistic fonts while maintaining a "lore friendly" feel. Fully configurable! Changes the method that text is displayed on books, notes and UI to make it appear less like they were created with inkjet printers. Edits all book interface graphics that have improper transparencies so they don't look like stickers anymore.
*pick & choose in the FOMOD installer; for example for one of my choices I picked a "Handwriting" Font for all notes in the game.

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These next optional mods are recommended - take a moment to read their information:
PrivateProfileRedirector SE - Faster game start (INI file cacher)[www.nexusmods.com] Speeds up game start by storing INI files in memory instead of opening, parsing and closing the file each time some value from it is needed.

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*Optional - Recommended:
For version SE 1.5.97
ConsoleUtilSSE 1.2.0[www.nexusmods.com] Take the 2nd file (in the Old Files section)This mod enables papyrus scripts to execute console commands. Also adds functionality to mods like Nether's Follower Framework and others.

For version AE 1.6.342 ConsoleUtilSSE[www.nexusmods.com]

*Optional - Recommended:
Mfg Fix[www.nexusmods.com] Fixes "mfg modifier", "mfg phoneme", "mfg reset" console commands and adds new command "mfg info" that shows all currently applied modifiers. Fixes eyes blinking for player (eyes blinking can be configured in ini file). Fixes stationary eyes issue when using mods that dynamically change character's expressions (PC Head Tracking and Voice Type requires additional patch to fix eyes movement for player, patch is in optional files). Adds MfgConsoleFunc script from MfgConsole mod that allows mods that require this script to work in Skyrim SE.

*Grab the "MfgFix MCM" in the optional files section if using MfgFix.

*Optional - this mod will add footprints in the snow & ash from both your character and NPC's
Footprints[www.nexusmods.com] Adds footprints to the player, NPCs, and creatures. With particle FX! Currently for snow and ash. Custom footprints hook for third-party mods w/ custom races. Heavily optimized since v1.00.

*IF you'll be using an ENB grab the optional file "Footprints - ENB" either now or after you install your ENB - should not matter but I did add a reminder in the ENB section just in case.

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11) Run For Your Lives [www.nexusmods.com] Keeps NPC's like shop owners alive so you can continue to do business with them. Makes citizens in a village or city run indoors during a dragon attack.

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12) Enhanced Blood Textures [www.nexusmods.com] (EBT) FOMOD installer: 1st section: your choice. 2nd section: Only take first option (leave the bottom blank). 3rd section: NONE. (also includes the very important "modern brawl bug fix" in the mod)
Grab "No Screen Blood" from the optional files section IF you don't want blood on your monitor.

IF you're NOT going to use EBT then grab this mod which is included in EBT
Modern Brawl Bug Fix [www.nexusmods.com] OR you can wait until we get to the Combat section and install the mod Wildcat which also includes this Fix.

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13) Invisibility and Eyes Mesh Fix by HHaleyy[www.nexusmods.com] This mod fixes some eye related bugs including "Invisibility Bug/Glitch" by replacing eye meshes or using a lesser power.

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RaceMenu and RaceMenu High Heels has been moved to the "Character" section.
XP32 Maximum Skeleton Special Extended - XPMSSE has been moved to the "Character" section

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14) Rich Skyrim Merchants[www.nexusmods.com] I take 5x (10x is not as much as you think however). Take the perk change as well. Merchants never have enough money in this game. Gives all Merchants, Innkeepers, Blacksmiths, Spell Merchants, Fence Merchants (Thieves Guild), Alchemist & Street Vendors in Skyrim 2x 5x or 10x more gold. Also applies to the Master Trader perk.

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Optional
Be a Milk Drinker - SPECIAL EDITION[www.nexusmods.com] For the clean and sober Dovahkiin!
+
Be A Milk Drinker with USSEP[www.nexusmods.com] Adds Compatibility between Be A Milk Drinker and the USSEP.

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15) Multiple Floors Sandboxing [www.nexusmods.com]
Have you ever wondered why NPCs mostly stay on the same floor, even though the cell has multiple floors? This little tweak will encourage NPCs (including Followers) to climb stairs around them and explore their surroundings more.

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Quest Conflict Fixes 1.2[www.afkmods.com] There are a number of quests in the game that, if completed in certain orders, will cause another quest or item to become permanently unavailable. This mod attempts to remove, or fix these lockouts.

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CHOOSE 1 OR THE OTHER FROM THE FOLLOWING 2 VISUAL BREATH EFFECTS

*If you'd like to add some weather-dependent visual effects to the Player and NPCs during certain conditions I'm adding in the choice of 1 of the next 2 mods (Only use 1)

Note: I've used both mods at one time or another and have had no trouble with either.

R.A.S.S. Rain Ash And Snow Shaders - Wet Frost Cold Dust[www.nexusmods.com] Who doesn't like seeing their breath. YOU SHOULD TURN OFF EVERYTHING IN THE MCM EXCEPT "COLD" which gives the cold breath effect to your character & all NPCs. This way we get the same effect as Wet & Cold without the buggy that W&C can be. Keep this mod simple and you'll love it. See picture below -

You could tick "Raindrops Only" ("Wetness" dropdown) as ENB is not compatible with the full effect.

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16)
Nordic Snow (aka HQ Snow Texture)[www.nexusmods.com] I'M LEAVING THIS HERE FOR THOSE THAT WILL NOT BE USING THE ENTIRE GUIDE AS NORDIC SNOW IS IN THE LANDSCAPE SECTION. So if you're using at least all the numbered mods (1-58) then you can skip both Nordic Snow and Simplicity of Snow until you get to the landscape section and you'll see them there.

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17)
Majestic Mountains[www.nexusmods.com] (MM) DONOT take Majestic Mountain's Sun Position option as we'll be installing "Enhanced Volumetric Lighting and Shadows (EVLaS)" The goal of this mod is a complete mountain rework. The lighting of the mountains was changed in a way to fit much better to dynamic day night cycles and the weather system of Skyrim. Set bEnableProjecteUVDiffuseNormals" in your SkyrimPrefs.ini to 1
FOR MORE INFO WITH SNOW ETC. CHECK THE DOCS TAB ON THE MM MOD PAGE

Go to your SkyrimPrefs.ini and set this which is located here:
C:UsersOwnerDocumentsMy GamesSkyrim Special Edition
and under [Display] set as follows (or if using Bethini you can change it in there under Custom):

NOTE IF you'll be generating your LODS: while on the MM mod page scroll down and grab the file "DynDoLod V 3.0 Lod pack (all versions)" otherwise disregard this note
IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT GENERATING YOUR OWN LOD MEANS OR WON'T BE DOING SO THEN DO DISREGARD THE LOD PACK & THIS MESSAGE.

*Optional HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
See the EVLaS mod page for instructions and more details
Enhanced Volumetric Lighting and Shadows (EVLaS) [www.nexusmods.com] (about a 2-5 fps hit but worth it) dynamically adjusts the "fSunDirXExtreme" game setting to ensure better synchronization between sun shadows and the sun. *NOT Running DyndoLOD? then ALSO GRAB the "EVLaSS Skyrim Underside" file in the optional file section. IF you will be running DynodoLOD 3.xx then Do Not install EVLaSS Underside and instead make sure to enable underside generation in the DynDOLOD_SSE.ini. (see DyndoLOD 3.xx instructions)

Required for MM - We also need this for Majestic Mountains
Skyrim - A Mountainous Experience[www.nexusmods.com] RULES: AFTER Majestic Mountains and AFTER SMIM. Made With Majestic Mountains in mind Improves and fixes many of the issues found in the mountain meshes around Skyrim (use instead of Mesh Tangent Space Fixes found on MM mod page).

Note:
I'm putting this here for folks who WILL NOT be using the entire guide (gotta think about everyone). For the rest of us we will be adding this in the Landscape section.
Simplicity of Snow[www.nexusmods.com] RULE: After Everything. A light-weight snow mod designed to minimize conflicts. Uses your snow texture and removes snow from under roofs.

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18)
Better MessageBox Controls[www.nexusmods.com]
Fixes the clickable area of buttons so they are easier to click. Lets you navigate the message boxes with the keyboard. Use Left/Right controls, and Activate to select options (typically A,D and E but it should work if you remapped those controls to other keys).

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19)
Better Dialogue Controls[www.nexusmods.com]
This mod will be most useful for people who like to use both the keyboard and mouse, it fixes issues where the mouse just flat out prevents some keyboard controls from working as expected.

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Note: EFF works best with the Immersive Horses setup later in this guide
20)
EFF - Extensible Follower Framework [www.nexusmods.com] extends the follower system to allow for flexibility and functionality. Allows for more followers in your party, allows you to switch follower weapons and so much more.
IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE MENU WHEEL YOU CAN SWITCH IT IN-GAME
Nether's Follower Framework[www.nexusmods.com] Nether's Follower Framework is a multi-follower system that is light on game resources and allows for up to 10 companions at one time. It provides a wealth of additional features, including immersion and quality-of-life functions to allow you to adventure with a small team of characters. Requires: ConsoleUtil, PapyrusUtil (Both found earlier in this guide) and suggests Fuz Ro D-oh - Silent Voice[www.nexusmods.com]

PICK ONE OR THE OTHER OF THE ABOVE MODS (EITHER/OR EFF OR NFF)

Important: Don't put Custom Followers like Inigo, Recorder etc. under the control of EFF or NFF as they have their own follower system. Same with the Dark Brotherhood as Cicero & the Initiates don't technically use the vanilla system at all, they have their own method of "Follow" "Wait" and "Dismiss". Same with Serana until her quest is complete. So EFF or NFF (AFT) are fine for everyone else. Example: Lydia is fine or most followers you install other than similar to mentioned here. When in doubt see the mod page. EFF and NFF also allow more than one follower in your party at a time.

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Go test your game

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21)
NPC AI Process Position Fix - SSE[www.nexusmods.com] Take the first file & install. A DLL plugin that fixes the vanilla game engine bug that NPCs AI process positions could not be updated after you waiting/ sleeping/ fast travel. Does same thing as the "Closing Time" mod except this one is supported.

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22)
Make sure you scroll down and grab v4.1.13 of this next mod
JContainers SE [www.nexusmods.com] This mod along with SKSE64 and SKYUI are needed for the next mod in this list (VioLens) to work. You can install it now and then grab Violens in it's new section.

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Moved "VioLens - A Killmove Mod SE" to the Combat, Magic, & Perks section..

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23)
Better Jumping [www.nexusmods.com] Allows to jump while sprinting. Also you can configure jump height multiplier, how many times you can jump (double jump like in action games). This is a mod that you didn't know you needed until you have it. Requires SKSE64. Read Mod Page instructions to set jump height in text file located HERE:
SteamLibrarysteamappscommonSkyrim Special EditionDataSKSEPluginsBetterJumpingSE.txt
Look for this line: "Jump height multiplier for all jumps (always multiplied)" then set to 2 or 5 or ?.

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start your game & look around

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*THIS NEXT MOD, "AddItemMenu" is in 2 parts due to a REQUIREMENT
24) pt.1 -
UI Extensions [www.nexusmods.com] Which adds various custom menus to Skyrim for modder use. (actually many great mods require UI Extensions) Install this first so you don't see the 'missing requirement' message.
24) pt.2
AddItemMenu - Ultimate Mod Explorer [www.nexusmods.com] For Example with AddItemMenu: This tool extension allows you to type in the name or part of the name of an item then see it displayed on your screen so you can add it to your inventory. (mods or vanilla items)
Same caution applies using console commands: always be Careful Adding some items in game that could break Quests or end up not giving you that Achievement you were trying to get. Don't go wild
Note: some mods only offer the ability to get their mod/item via this mod.

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25) Dragon Stalking Fix [www.nexusmods.com] Dragon corpses will no longer follow you or fall out of the sky. I can't play without this.

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26) D13 Faster GET UP STAND UP SSE [www.nexusmods.com]
Did it always bug you that it took ages for dovahkiin, the strongest creature in Skyrim SOOOOOO long to stand up? Well this will make you stand up twice as fast, and it still looks realistic.
Simply put, it definitely takes way too long to stand up after a dragon knocks you down. Not anymore.

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These Next two mods work well together and have long been staples in all my load orders. These will make butterflies stop being stuck by improving their landing zones and allow them to also roam freely around the world - it's a beautiful site:
27a) Butterflies Land True[www.nexusmods.com] Download one of the "No Formlist Changes Alternate Versions" due to using 27b as well. I'd recommend the espFE version but since we are not worried about the plugin limit but it's up to you.
27b) Butterflies Unchained[www.nexusmods.com] Again, since we are not worried about the plugin limit you can take the esp version but it's up to you (the FE version is the same except flagged as esl to not take up a load order slot)

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28) Fast Travel Speed Fix [www.nexusmods.com]
Does what it says. The game clock when using Fast Travel now more closely matches how long it takes to get from point A to point B if you were using other means of travel like for example via running.

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Earlier we installed the mod "PapyrusUtil" we need to make sure that it & Simply Knock don't cancel each other out. Please follow instructions then watch the video I made for the final step.

29) *Simply Knock SE 1.0.3 Release [www.nexusmods.com] RULE: BEFORE "PapyrusUtil SE". Allows you to knock on locked doors of houses in Skyrim. Can't say enough about this small but great mod. Also good for traveling during a "Survival" playthrough so you can ask to enter people's homes to get out of the environment. REQUIRES SkyUI and SKSE64 - DO NOT OVERWRITE PapyrusUtil -
Simply Knock Video
(ALSO SEE BELOW FOR REQUIREMENTS)
+
**You need this to update the above mod for SKSE64 so the mod will work.
*SimplyKnockSE SKSE64 2.0.19 DLL[www.nexusmods.com] RULE: AFTER "Simply Knock". OTHERWISE YOUR GAME WILL NOT LOAD.
Simply Knock - Tower Stone Fix[www.nexusmods.com] yeah, you also need this Fix.

Watch this Copy & Paste of PapyrusUtil.dll file in Simply Knock (and campfire if you're using it)https://youtu.be/vo_okaGQzec

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these next 3 mods are all related to books and can be considered optional
30) Unread Books Glow SSE [www.nexusmods.com]
Books which you have not read yet will have a visible glow hence making them easier to spot. When you read a book for the first time, its glow will disappear. All copies of the same title are considered the same book, so once you've read one title you've them all. Different glow strength choices configured in-game via spell. * Tracks books from any mod or DLC

*Optional
Book Covers Skyrim[www.nexusmods.com] This mod goes well with "Unread Books Glow" check out the mod page. I use less the saturated version I mean the books can't be too perfect, can they? Grab this patch which forwards the USSEP changes Book Covers Skyrim - USSEP Update[www.nexusmods.com]
ATT: Book Hoarders
You may want Book Covers Skyrim - Lost Library[www.nexusmods.com] Adds 295 books from earlier TES games into Skyrim and re-covers them in the style of Book Covers Skyrim.

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31) Drunk Sinking Head Idle Fix SE[www.nexusmods.com] This simply fixes the horrible drunk sinking head idle. There's no .esp just two idle replacers.

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32) Dialogue Movement Enabler[www.nexusmods.com] Allows your character to move around while in Dialogue Menus. This mod is exactly what I have been looking for. Why? Because Skyrim NPC's have this terrible habit of walking between you and the person you are in the middle of a conversation with and then standing there while you are locked in a dialogue.

Timing is Everything SE moved to the "Quests" section

start up your game, make sure everything loads, runs, & looks ok

Here's some optional "User Interface" (UI) mods you may very well be interested in as well:
and if you've been following this guide you have all the requirements for each of them

I personally use them all (of course)

Wider MCM Menu for SkyUI[www.nexusmods.com] Some mods with MCM menus may have pretty long MCM titles. So the mod name or settings category name may clip through the left menu border, especially with font replacers. Also it may happen with translated versions of mods.

More Informative Console[www.nexusmods.com] This mod edits the UI to show a great deal of additional information on npcs, items, and other objects when the console is opened (when you open the console with the "Tilde" key on your keyboard and then place your cursor on an item in the world) See mod page for Details.

Stay At The System Page - Updated[www.nexusmods.com] While in Skyrim I'm constantly at the System page doing tasks like Saving my game, checking my MCM, changing settings, or even loading a different save. In original Skyrim you would open to the system page by default but for some reason Bethesda thought it was a good idea to change this to the quests page by default for Skyrim SE. This mod ensures the journal menu always opens at the system page tab.

The next 2 mods are by the same MA and work well together:

moreHUD SE[www.nexusmods.com] Adds more information to the HUD about the currently targeted object and enemies. Such as ingredients, weapon effects, potions, read books, v/w, enemy level, etc

moreHUD Inventory Edition[www.nexusmods.com] This mod brings some features from moreHUD into the inventory menu. From your inventory you can now see if enchantments are known by the player and other features. Also increases the Item Card size for mods that have long effect descriptions

Here's one you just might want to look into
A Matter of Time - A HUD clock widget[www.nexusmods.com] This mod is highly configurable and adds a clock to the HUD showing the current time of day and more.

Watch this video on A Matter of Time by our old friend Gopher.
His review starts at the 8:14 mark of the video

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33) Critters Ain't Snitches - Animal and Monster Crime Reporting Fix [www.nexusmods.com] fixes a problem in Skyrim where animals and monsters report your crimes to the local human authorities. Not anymore. Load order does not matter.

34) Believable Crime Report Radius[www.nexusmods.com] Much needed Fix that reduces the crime report radius to 1000.

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Moved Rich Skyrim Merchants up to mod #14 (make sure you grabbed it)

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35) No Spinning Death Animation[www.nexusmods.com] I use the 2nd file ("Merged") which includes all the optional files.

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Net Script Framework[www.nexusmods.com] You will NOT need the .dll plugin listed on the mod page since SSE Engine Fixes part 2 satisfies this requirement.

MAKE SURE your ANTIVIRUS is NOT BLOCKING Net Script Framework OR YOUR GAME WON'T LAUNCH. This is for all users and Webroot users in particular may have a more difficult time (contact Webroot if needed). But it's definitely worth setting up. (You could disable Webroot when playing SSE but that's up to you - to disable it go to your task bar, right click on Webroot and choose "shut down protection").

36) Actor Limit Fix [www.nexusmods.com] Fixes a bug where if you have more than 128 actors in the same place they start floating around weirdly. Also fixes bug where NPC lips stop moving when a lot of them are nearby. (128 sounds like something you'd never have right? Consider that almost everything that moves including animals, birds, followers, other NPC's, butterflies, giants, bandits, dragons, etc. are all "actors". No more cows falling from the sky. So if you plan on using mods in this guide that add actors as described above (mods like OBIS) then make sure you grab this mod

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37) Mannequin movement fix[www.nexusmods.com] The ESL flagged version is stand alone so take one or the other. This mod does something pretty simple solving a major issue within the game where mannequins never seem to stay put. Works like a charm.

38)Seagulls of Skyrim is now in the "Creatures /Animals" section

39) Ducks and Swans for Skyrim SE[www.nexusmods.com] This mod adds ducks and swans at lakes and ponds in Skyrim.

WiZkiD Signs is now in the Worldspace & Immersion section

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*start up your game, make sure everything loads, runs, & looks ok

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IF YOU ARE ONLY USING THE BASIC+ LOAD ORDER:
scroll down to the section titled "Load order (mods 46 - 58)" which is your Landscape & Trees

*you can grab some textures or mods from other sections as well and then go there- or use the entire guide paying close attention where multiple choices are offered

Been waiting for a couple of these mods to update before I created this section and moved everything to it. Later we will add mods that in some cases will overwrite these. I would at the very least take the first two depending on your desired level of perfection.

*Skyrim Landscape and Water Fixes[www.nexusmods.com] In the FOMOD installer select: ELFX, Landscape Fixes for Grass Mods, and SMIM Walkway Wall Fix. Rules: After SMIM. corrects numerous graphic glitches around Tamriel worldspace.

Now go into the Plugins section of Vortex and disable both "landscape and water fixes - patch - lffgm.esp" & "landscape and water fixes - patch - elfx.esp" we will enable them both later after we install ELFX and LFFGM.

*Unofficial Material Fix[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: After SMIM and SMIM Quality Addon. fixes wrong Havok material marks on statics and landscapes in your game. There are countless material bugs in vanilla game, like wrong or even silent weapon and footstep sounds or no sparks from weapons that hit objects etc.

Assorted mesh fixes[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: After SMIM and Unofficial Material Fix. Fixes various issues with vanilla Skyrim meshes that causes them to render incorrectly.

Optional - Yeah I hear you, another add-on to the SMIM add-on
Static Mesh Improvement Mod Improvement Mod[www.nexusmods.com] In FOMOD installer select: Textures: Apples=NO. Patches: Dynamic Things Alternative=NO. Real Rabbits=YES, Wiseman's Flora Fixes=YES. Real Rabbits (we will be installing the mod later): Shell, Colorful. Rules: After Smim Quality Add-on, SMIM, Unofficial Material Fix.

Static Mesh Improvement Mod Improvement Mod is a mod to improve the topology of a few badly poorly subdivided meshes in the staple Static Mesh Improvement Mod and eliminate jaggedness in some which it does not cover.

Mesh Patch for Various Mods[www.nexusmods.com] Install the following patches:
(Rules will always be "AFTER" for all mods being patched)
SMIM - Assorted Mesh Fixes Patch
SMIM - Quality Addon - Unofficial Material Fix Patch
Unofficial Material Fix - Assorted Mesh Fixes Patch
Unofficial Material Fix - Assorted Mesh Fixes Patch

We are starting this section with a choice of mods for the Paarthurnax quest. I have been using Arthmoor's mod for ages. But there was no voiced dialogue for the added scenes until recently. However later in the guide when we come to the Audio - FX section there is a great mod that enhances all of the dragon dialogue in game which works perfectly with the following Paarthurnax quest mod. I'll leave Arthmoor's setup here as well just in case someone prefers it.
USE ONE OR THE OTHER.

Either this:
Paarthurnax - Quest Expansion[www.nexusmods.com] A fully voiced, quite expanded new take on the quest Paarthurnax, giving both the Blades and Paarthurnax good reasons for their stances, and you, Dragonborn, the final choice. I'll leave a reminder to grab the patch when we get to that section

OR This: - for the die-hard fans of the Arthmoor version (was hard for me to let go as well ;-)

Cutting Room Floor - SSE[drive.google.com] A mod to restore several pieces of cut content in Skyrim Special Edition. Villages that were supposed to exist have been brought back. Quests that were partially implemented have been completed. Various items have been restored that were still in the data files. NPCs have been brought back to the game and given homes where appropriate. Plus plenty of other random bits of stuff that was mentioned in the game but didn't exist yet.
+
Cutting Room Floor - Alteration Armor Shield Spell Fix[www.nexusmods.com]

Interesting NPCs SE (3DNPC)[www.nexusmods.com] NPCs with more extensive dialogue and role play choices. Over 250+ fully voiced NPCs, 25+ followers, 15+ marriable NPCs, and 50+ quests.
In Optional Files section grab the following:
Update Hotfix File- Interesting NPCs SE - 4.3.6 to 4.4 Hotfix v4.4
Rule: After the Main File
Grab "Interesting NPCs SE - Alternative Locations - Flagged ESL v4.1.4.1"
Miscellaneous files section
Grab "Interesting NPCs SE - Cutting Room Floor SSE Patch"
EFF users only grab:
Grab "Interesting NPCs SE - EFF Patch by Noozbar - Flagged ESL"

Now let's retexure Interesting NPCs
Cuyima Interesting NPCs SE[www.nexusmods.com] Visual overhaul for over a hundred characters from Interesting NPCs.

Interesting NPCs Visual Overhaul[www.nexusmods.com] Only remakes the women from Interesting NPCs but it's too good to pass up. THIS MOD NEEDS AN EXTRA STEP = as per the mod page the plugin must load after Cuyima (the above mod) so we need to make a Rule in the plugin section of Vortex.

1. From the Vortex Plugin section go up top and select Manage Rules (see above image).
2. Now select 3dnpc visual overhaul.esp Must Load After cuyima 3dnpc- redone.esp
3. Click ADD then close it - now go up top again and click Sort Now = we're done.

Interesting NPCs (3DNPC) character Zora Fairchild's voice boosted[www.nexusmods.com] So we can make out Zoras voice over the ambient sounds and music in game.

Fossil Mining[www.nexusmods.com] Adds fossils that you can find while mining to make mining more profitable and interesting, brought to you with the help of the creator of Legacy of the Dragonborn with built-in Legacy support!

Fossil Mining Map Markers (SSE Port)[www.nexusmods.com] Adds 10 map markers to the excavation sites added by Fossil Mining located in the hot springs area.

Bring Out Your Dead 4.0.7[www.afkmods.com] a simple yet immersive mod which expands on the number of graves given to the unique NPCs in areas of the game that don't currently have them. This mod aims to correct this and provide for more uniform handling of everyone's dead.

Sepolcri - A complete Burial Sites overhaul[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: After ELFX.
+ Grab "sepolcri - cutting room floor patch". Rule: After main mod
Sepolcri is a complete overhaul of all burial sites in Skyrim. It adds new gravestones models and textures, numerous details like urns, flowers, statues, cobwebs, candles and lighting to give each graveyard a more immersive, characteristic and atmospheric look. It also works as a replacer for all vanilla tombstones, so any mod that adds tombs will be able to take advantage of the new models and textures introduced by Sepolcri. (Note: There is also a DyndoLOD patch on the mod page)

Into Collecting Books?
Then you may want to go back to Mod #30 in this guide and grab "Book Covers Skyrim - Lost Library" Which adds many new books to the world of Skyrim.

optionals to the optionals
Here's two mods that although they are designed to work together they can be used separately.
Both mods are great for those that do not like the feeling that quests are being thrown at them.
Check out what they are and what they do, then you decide if you want them or not.

Timing is Everything[www.nexusmods.com] Allows you to customize the starting conditions for various quests. You can choose to delay the start of Dragonborn, Dawnguard, or Hearthfire quests, as well as other quest events. You can also reduce the level requirements to allow a quest to begin earlier than it normally would. See mod page for details. Also works well with the next mod (same mod author).
DON'T USE THE FISS VERSION

The Choice is Yours[www.nexusmods.com] Stop quests from starting automatically. Pursue the quests you want, ignore the ones you don't. Make your choices matter. DON'T USE THE FISS VERSION
The mod author put together a list of Quests Altered by The Choice is Yours[www.nexusmods.com]

Patches for The Choice is Yours (TCIY)
kryptopyr's Patch Hub[www.nexusmods.com] Grab the following patches if you installed the following mods.
Book Covers Skyrim __ TCIY
Cutting Room Floor __ TCIY

VioLens - A Killmove Mod SE[www.nexusmods.com] (You should already have all the requirements which are SkyUI, SKSE64, and JContainers SE). VioLens - A Killmove Mod gives you in-game control over both Ranged and Melee Killmoves. Version 2.2+ provides more Killmove Customization than ever before, allowing you to pick which Killmoves you'd like to see trigger for each weapon type and then saving/loading those picks using the Profile System.

Wildcat - Combat of Skyrim[www.nexusmods.com] Wildcat is a streamlined, yet full featured combat overhaul. It makes combat more dangerous and visceral by increasing lethality, adding injuries and context sensitive stagger and making combat AI more responsive and aggressive. It accomplishes this with minimal scripting and no save bloat.

Odin - Skyrim Magic Overhaul[www.nexusmods.com] Odin is what magic in Skyrim should have been. It improves and fixes vanilla Skyrim spells, makes scrolls and staves viable, and adds new spells, scrolls and staves inspired by previous Elder Scrolls magic. The new content is balanced and seamlessly integrated into the game.

Odin Cleaned Textures[www.nexusmods.com] Cleaned textures of Odin to remove any bad artifacts and increase FPS by saving in B7 Format

Odin - Summons Redone[www.nexusmods.com] provides alternate visuals for several of the new summonable creatures from Odin - Skyrim Magic Overhaul by EnaiSiaion, replacing Odin's clannfear and daedroth with models and textures from 4thUnknown's Clannfears SSE and Daedroths SSE. As these models use different skeletons, it was also necessary to update their attack data.

Vokrii - Minimalistic Perks of Skyrim[www.nexusmods.com]. Vokrii is a lightweight "vanilla-plus" perk overhaul that improves build diversity, but respects the vanilla vision and balance. It is lightweight and uses clean scripting.

*Make sure you install
"Odin - Vokrii Compatibility Patch" from the Vokrii[www.nexusmods.com] mod page optional files section.

Grab these 2 patches
* Vokrii - Scrambled Bugs Compatibility[www.nexusmods.com] IF You installed "Scrambled Bugs" (which I hope you did)

* Odin - Misc Audio Tweaks[www.nexusmods.com] Odin conjuration sounds need tweaking as some feel they are a bit too loud. This is the fix.

This next mod is sorely needed for soul trapping.
Acquisitive Soul Gems Multithreaded[www.nexusmods.com] Addresses a problem by changing the soul trap spells and enchantments so you never underfill a soul gem. Full support for trapping multiple souls at once, as well as never needing compatibility patches for other mods. (Scrambled Bugs, which we installed earlier has an optional patch that will make sure you don't waste souls gems as well. Acquisitive Soul Gems also allows trapping multiple souls at once - so I prefer both mods - your choice).

"True Directional Movement - Modernized Third Person Gameplay"
is included later in the "DAR, FNIS, Nemesis" section of this guide. We will install it there then run Nemesis.

ABT SE - Arrows and Bolts Tweaks Special Edition[www.nexusmods.com] Lots of options for arrows and bolts in one handy NMM installer, pick and install the tweaks you want!

ADD these lines
to your Skyrim.ini file, they work great. If you are not sure how to edit the file check the video tab on the ABT mod page, Gopher was kind enough to explain how to do it (the video was made for Skyrim, same settings for Skyrim SE). You need to add these lines to your Skyrim.ini file, which is located in /Documents/My Games/Skyrim Special Edition/
(backup Skyrim.ini before editing it!!!):

[Actor]
fVisibleNavmeshMoveDist=12288.0000
[Combat]
fMagnetismStrafeHeadingMult=0.0
fMagnetismLookingMult=0.0
f1PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7
f3PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7
bForceNPCsUseAmmo=1
Note: If you don't have an [Actor] and/or [Combat] section in your Skirim.ini file already, just add them (after [General] section for example).

Enjoy using Bound Weapons?
IF you are someone who enjoy using the Bound Weapons in this game OR if you don't like carrying around the added weight of a Pickaxe or even a Woodcutter's Axe.

Better Bound Weapons[www.nexusmods.com] Makes the Bound Battleaxe and the Bound Sword similar to the Bound Bow in terms of quality and damage.

Bound WoodAxe and Pickaxe[www.nexusmods.com] This mods adds two spell tomes to the novice conjuration level list to use them as bound weapons. You'll find them at merchants or as loot the same as you would the spell tomes of flames, frost, and sparks.

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Campfire - Complete Camping System[www.nexusmods.com] RULE: BEFORE PapyrusUtil. Campfire is the most feature-rich stand-alone camping mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, created from Frostfall's immersive and detailed camping system.
We can copy & Paste "PayrusUtil.dll" into Campfire and/or Simply Knock (see video)
https://youtu.be/vo_okaGQzec

Add-ons for " Campfire - Complete Camping System"
Tentapalooza for Campfire[www.nexusmods.com] Themed player tents, furniture, storage, follower tents and pet beds for Campfire. Options for vampires, shamans, relic hunters and more. FROSTFALL COMPATIBLE.

SanityCkeck Cooking Pot[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: After Noble Skyrim. I chose Rusty and 2K although 1K is fine.

ElSopa - Campfire HD SE[www.nexusmods.com] Options for Campfire items like a plain campfire waterskin, campfire cloaks, campfire ornaments. I took the 2nd file ElSopa - 2k Campfire Clean Waterskin

Campfire Backpack HD[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: After Elsopa - Campfire HD. I grabbed the 2K backpack only.

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Frostfall - Hypothermia Camping Survival[www.nexusmods.com] Frostfall is a survival-style mod that adds cold weather survival gameplay elements to Skyrim.
MUST TAKE THE NEXT MOD FOR CAMPFIRE AND FROSTFALL TO WORK TOGETHER

Campfire and Frostfall - Unofficial SSE Update[www.nexusmods.com] Required if using both Campfire & Frostfall. This package contains all files needed to obtain a full functional Campfire & Frostfall mod. It brings back Interface widgets, display about warmth & rain protection and a full working MCM menu. Rule: After Campfire

Once in game you don't have to start Frostfall right away - For example if you've never used it before you can't wait until you're in a warm area before you start it in the MCM.

This would be the place to add Hunterborn SE[www.nexusmods.com] if you want that mod (you should clean this mod with xEdit's QuickClean).

Thanks to "Bubonicus Plague, M.D." for the following suggestions
Craftable Torches[www.nexusmods.com] A small mod which enables you to craft torches out of linen wrap and a firewood.

Linen wrap recipe[www.nexusmods.com] Adds the linen wrap recipe. You can select the weight of a linen wrap in the FOMOD Installer.

Note: with the perk overhaul mod Vokrii, which we will be adding later in the guide, you have a smithing perk that will allow you to craft linen

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Note: you can add mod like Hunterborn or iNeed if you're seriously considering a Survival playthrough. For more suggestions see the Survival section my SSE Pick & Choose guide.

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Here we try to evenly spread our locations across the map rather than all bunched together
(We already installed the much needed Mannequin Movement Fix earlier at mod at mod # 37)

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Four locations to choose from - or take all 4 strategically spaced all across Skyrim (I do).

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Beginner's Shack in Riverwood[www.nexusmods.com] Might be the best starter player home Mod adds a very tiny house with all the basic amenities just outside Riverwood main gate. Includes ALL crafting stations, 1 Bed, 1 Mannequin, Great storage considering this is basically a shack. Leave it to Elianora.
The house is free and the key is on the burnt body outside the door at Helgen
Go ahead and give it a QuickClean in SSEEDIT (takes 2 seconds) to remove the 9 ITM's or you can grab the cleaned esp below but if you do then don't forget to delete the original .esp
Beginner's Shack in Riverwood -CLEANED-[www.nexusmods.com] RULE: After Beginner's Shack. This .esp has 9 ITM's removed from the mod (with permission from Elianora).

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Elysium Estate SSE[www.nexusmods.com] Might be the best player home in the game and has a small quest to gain ownership. Elysium Estate is a mid-sized, lore friendly home located near Whiterun for you, or with family and followers. Full of foliage, fountains, features to customize, optional displays, crafting and plenty more. Now includes a short introductory quest in order to obtain the key.

*We will be adding a Patch for Realistic Water Two & the Elysium Estate later when we add RW2

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Riften Fishing Shack[www.nexusmods.com] Obtaining a player home in Riften can take some time, couple that with the fact that Riften is a tad out of the way you very well may want a place to rest your head. This is a small, completely exterior cabin (no loading door) on the lake behind the Riften Stables. The key is in the satchel on the table by the door
ALSO BE SURE TO GRAB THE 1.5 UPDATE FILE. RULE: AFTER THE MAIN MOD

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The Scrivener's Croft[www.nexusmods.com] I also like to have a player home on the other side of the map and this small/medium sized home located just outside of Dragon Bridge has workstations for cooking, baking, alchemy, enchanting, and staff enchanting - newest version also includes a cellar with a bath and smithy, with an anvil, smelter, workbench, grindstone and tanning rack, a stable to park your horse in, a room for either 2 followers or 2 children if you use the Hearthfire Multiple Adoptions mod a cot in the hall for an extra follower to use. The house is free and the key is in the flower pot by the door.

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*NOTE: There is also a Player Home in Skaal Village on Solstheim as part of Elianora's Skaal Village Overhaul that we will be adding later in the next (Solstheim) section of this guide.

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Hearthfire - Buy more from stewards[www.nexusmods.com] This small mod allows you to buy more building materials and cooking ingredients from your steward. -Iron Ingots -Corundum Ingots -Glass -Straw -Goat Horns. -Butter -Chicken's Eggs -Jugs of Milk -Sacks of Flour -Salt Piles (Added in 1.1).

DON'T FORGET THESE 2 IMPORTANT MODS

1 for moving in your followers, spouse & children & 1 for multiple adoptions

My Home is Your Home[www.nexusmods.com]

With MHiYH you can give each of your followers their own home
• The new home can be any place, including custom player homes.
  
• They will wander around, eat, sleep, use furniture and tools.
  
• Dismissed followers will return to their new home.
  
• Compatible with Amazing Follower Tweaks, Extensible Follower Framework & others
  
• Supports up to 250 followers
  
• Supports custom followers like Inigo etc.

*Hearthfire multiple adoptions - Now with custom home support for kids and spouse[www.nexusmods.com]
Allows adoption of up to 6 kids, instead of just 2 that the vanilla game allows
Move your family into suitable custom homes
Gives children a last name

*It is strongly recommended you start a new game when using "Hearthfire multiple adoptions". If not, you might not be unable to adopt any extra children, because Skyrim stores the vanilla scripts in your save game if they were already running. Custom home support will work regardless. If you've adopted less than 2 you should be fine.

Lanterns Of Skyrim II[www.nexusmods.com] Lanterns of Skyrim II is a completely redesigned version of the old MannyGT LoS. This new edition includes many improvements and additions, more compatibility, improved light sources, snow-covered lighposts and lanterns in snowy areas for a more immersive experience, all lanterns are moved by the wind and much more.

FOMOD Main Files installer: Choose the following:
"LoS II - Lantern Workers Addon" I took this but it's up to you (will add some workers & worker shacks)
"LoS II - 3DNPC Addon" if you installed Interesting NPCs
"LoS II - Campfire Addon" if you installed Campfire
Main Patches
"LoS II - SMIM patch" Required
Miscellaneous Patches
"LoS II - Beginner's Shack in Riverwood" if you installed this
"LoS II - Cutting Room Floor patch" if you install Cutting Room Floor
"LoS II - ELFX patch"

If you installed the Player Home "Elysium Estate"
Elysium Estate - Lanterns of Skyrim Patch[www.nexusmods.com] Grab the first file For v5.0.1 of Elysium Estate

WiZkiD Signs [www.nexusmods.com] FOMOD installer Choose Lanterns of Skyrim II version. this mod is not only complete retexture of all the Skyrim signs, they also react to wind. Rule: AFTER SMIM

*Optional
Apachii Divine Elegance Store[www.nexusmods.com] Adds a store located in the Reach near Old Hroldan Inn by the water. There is also a map marker for fast travel.
MUST READ MOD PAGE REGARDING PATCHES FOR UNP, CBBE. Merchants sell all kinds of custom made outfits for males, CBBE and UNP females. - Weight slider support, inventory model and ground object. - Armour rated outfits can be crafted and upgraded. - Silver swords, arrows can be crafted and upgraded.
Grab "ApachiiDivineEleganceStore_USSEP_Patch_new"

*Optional
UNP Clothing Merchants SE[www.nexusmods.com] Adds a Store on the road between Dragon Bridge and Solitude. SEE MOD PAGE FOR PATCHES. Male & Female. UNP/UNPB only.

Gildergreen Regrown[www.nexusmods.com] With this mod the Gildergreen sapling in Whiterun will fully grow displaying all it's beauty regardless of which path you take during the quest The Blessing Of Nature.

Lights Out. Solitude Lighthouse Fix[www.nexusmods.com] Bethesda forgot to turn the light on.

Relationship Dialogue Overhaul - RDO SE[www.nexusmods.com] (RDO) Adds over 5,000 lines of completely voiced dialogue for NPCs using the original voices. Also fixes dialogue bugs and restores cut dialogue that has never been heard before!
In the Optional Files section we need the following:
+ (EFF Users ONLY)
Grab "RDO - EFF v4.0.3 Patch Final" (works fine with v4.0.5)
+ All Users: This *patch comes with 2 patches for the USSEP. One is for "USSEP + Cutting Room Floor users" and the other is for USSEP only users.
*RDO - CRF and USSEP Patches Final
so you'll have to delete one of the plugins depending on your set up
Here's a video on how for Vortex users (simple process): https://youtu.be/j2G5JChWJqM

Relationship Dialogue Overhaul - Update and MCM[www.nexusmods.com] Adds an MCM to RDO, ALSO comes with some Fixes.
+
IF you installed the Unofficial High Definition Audio Project then also Grab:
"Relationship Dialogue Overhaul - UHDAP Patch"

AI Overhaul SSE[www.nexusmods.com] Similar to the mod "Immersive Citizens" although a bit more mod friendly (AI-O) Changes many of the Vanilla NPCs AI to act more realistic and immersive. Over 250 new unique packages for the NPCs in Skyrim. See mod page for details which are too long to list here. Great Mod.

Interesting NPCs SE - AI Overhaul SSE Patch[www.nexusmods.com]
Grab "Interesting NPCs SE - AI Overhaul SSE Patch"

AI Overhaul SSE - Official Patch Hub[www.nexusmods.com]
Grab the following:
AI Overhaul - Cutting Room Floor Patch 1.0.2
AI Overhaul - Relationship Dialogue Overhaul Patch"

NPC AI Process Pos Fixed - AI Overhaul Patch[drive.google.com] A must have patch I made for these 2 mods (we installed NPC AI Process Pos Fixed earlier).

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Guard Dialogue Overhaul SE[www.nexusmods.com] Make sure this stays below both RDO and AI-O in your load order.
+ (totally optional)
Guard Dialogue Overhaul MCM[www.nexusmods.com] I took the 2nd option in the FOMOD Installer. Either option gives you a little more control over when the Guards react to the Dragonborn. See mod page for details.

(Please read)
Player Headtracking SE[www.nexusmods.com] Comes with an MCM. ANOTHER OPTIONAL MOD BECAUSE TRUE DIRECTIONAL MOVEMENT (TDM) HAS HEADTRACKING AND MFG FIX WORKS WELL WITH IT. That said this mod will work with them. I'll leave this mod here for those who do not use TDM and/or MFG Fix and for those who after seeing how the other mods work in game feel they want this as well.

Heimskr only preaches on weekends[www.nexusmods.com] This guy will drive you crazy. Let's keep him preaching only on the days of rest.

Extended Encounters[www.nexusmods.com] A simple mod that adds to the pool of random roadside, wilderness and location encounters in a way that makes the world seem a bit more dynamic and alive, without affecting game performance or save bloat.

Hunters Not Bandits[www.nexusmods.com] Grab the Hunters Not Bandits for RDO If you installed Relationship Dialogue Overhaul. NPC's will not use taunts or insults when fighting animals. Hunters will behave in a more realistic manner, as well as fixing some odd behavior.

Realistic Conversations[www.nexusmods.com] Every social logic in Skyrim for npcs is changed, they talk more often to each other, are less likely greet to you from a distance, they will greet less often, making them to not act as much as robots.

A Proper Thane for Winterhold[www.nexusmods.com] Sad there is no player house or housecarl for Winterhold? Cheer up and install this mod! I mean heck, we do the quest as part of the story line anyway. Nice home with everything you need including a Housecarl.

Dovahkiin Relaxes Too[www.nexusmods.com] This simple mod enables your Dovahkiin to greet someone or play relaxed idles (in vanilla). Invoke lesser power 'Dovahkiin's Relax' by shout button, and your character will play the idle.
+
Dovahkiin Relaxes Too - Patch form44 and multilanguages[www.nexusmods.com] Patch for Dovahkiin Relaxes Too for SE as the original mod is form 43 and we need form44 for SSE. Also, now supports multiple languages.

Civil War intro scenes run only once[www.nexusmods.com] Much needed Fix Makes the scene with Ulfric and Galmar, and the scene with Tullius and Rikke, discussing Whiterun play only once.

New Game only
The Notice Board SE[www.nexusmods.com] This mod adds new and alternative radiant (and side) quests. It was inspired from other good games like The Witcher which make use of notice boards in their gameplay. There are two kinds of notice boards: • Quest notes Notice board – always on a pole with candles • Messages Notice board – it’s the one without the pole. These notice boards can be found outside inns in every town of Skyrim. A patch for Raven Rock in Solstheim is also available.

The Notice Board SMIM 3D Ropes Fix[www.nexusmods.com] A mod that fixes the position of the board models from The Notice Board to avoid clipping with SMIM 3D ropes.

AuraCrimson's Patches[www.nexusmods.com] Grab the "Notice Board_Riften Patch" only.

(2K) 4K Notice Board[www.nexusmods.com] I grabbed the 2K version.

Point The Way[www.nexusmods.com] Major crossroads that were lacking signs including some smaller towns & villages. Others were pointed the wrong way or had the wrong city on the sign. Arthmoor fixed all of this. Next a retexture.

HD Road Signs - 2K and 4K[www.nexusmods.com] RULE: After Noble. - I chose 2K - perfect retexture to compliment Arthmoor's "Point the Way" road signs to
Grab the two patches in the Optional Files section of the mod page
"Cutting Room Floor Signs"
+
"Point the Way - Kynesgrove Sign" for the sign Point the Way fixes.

WiZkiD Wells with real water[www.nexusmods.com] adds real water inside all skyrim wells and with mods like iNeed you can draw water from wells. Flagged as ESL so does not take up a load order slot.

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This section is entirely optional and here's why:
I'm giving Solstheim it's own section for a few reasons. 1) it's totally optional 2) players may not spend that much time in Solstheim for whatever the reason(s) so they may not care, couple that with 3) Vanilla is not that bad to begin with for how little time we spend there (imo). However, if you are a stickler about the way your game looks or simply want a consistent look across your game then this section is for you.

Of course there are options to the options so let's take a look.

I usually use a few mods from the very talented Mod author Rallyeator for my Solstheim look. Earlier this year he came out with an All-in-one mod that combines his various Solstheim mods in one mod package, "Rally's Solstheim AIO". That said something to consider is the fact that this is a very large file, 1.6 GB's to be exact. So if that is more than you care to use then simply choose from the individual files of which I'll also provide down below:

*LET THESE MODS OVERWRITE (Load "AFTER") ANYTHING VORTEX ASKS
as these mods are compatible with everything and use similar assets in many cases

I Chose 2K for everything and 2K dark for the Shrines
Rally's Solstheim AIO[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: AFTER Noble. Includes Raven Rock, Tel Mithryn, Riekling Outposts & clutter, Landscapes, Plants, Furniture, Shrines & Banners. Comes with a FOMOD & optional LOD files.

NOTE: The above AIO comes with options for 4K or 2K and also comes with LOD files but if you do not intend to generate your own LOD simply choose the 256 versions of each instead of the 512 (you can install 256 even if generating your own LOD).


DO NOT use any of the next 3 mods IF you are using the above AIO mod
you also can look on any of Rally's mod pages under the "Description" sections for a complete list

IMPORTANT NOTE: the next 3 mods are INCLUDED in the above AIO mod by Rallyeator

Choose from what I consider the 3 most important (or choose all 3):
1) Rally's Raven Rock[www.nexusmods.com] Texture overhaul for Raven Rock in Solstheim. It covers all buildings, the temple, redoran houses, docks, banners and basalt piles, furniture, ash-hanging moss, roads and ash. DONOT USE WITH HIS AIO as it's already included. LOD in the optional file section.

2) Rally's Solstheim Landscapes[www.nexusmods.com] Texture replacer for Solstheim Landscapes. DONOT USE WITH HIS AIO as it's already included.

3) Rally's Tel Mithryn[www.nexusmods.com] Texture replacer for Tel Mithryn. DONOT USE WITH HIS AIO as it's already included.

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I also use Rally's Lava
Rally's Lava[www.nexusmods.com] Texture replacer for Lava. Also improved Chaurus spit, Spider spit, Small bird, Wisps, Dragon skin disintegration, & Chaurus cocoon effects.

Here's a great option for the Strider and the Netches from ElSopa (not included in Rally's):
ElSopa HD - Strider And Netches SE[www.nexusmods.com]

IF YOU DOWNLOADED Rally's AIO, or Rally's Raven Rock, or Rally's Tel Mithryn
I tested in game and although nothing is really as good as SMIM these improve the vanilla assets.
Solstheim Objects SMIMed - High Poly Dark Elf Furniture[www.nexusmods.com] A SMIMlike improvement for Dark Elf furniture models.

Skaal Village Overhaul[www.nexusmods.com] Elianora does it again. This Mod completely overhauls the architecture in the Skaal Village on Solstheim and adds a new player home for you to acquire!
+ (READ)
Skaal Village Overhaul Patch Collection[www.nexusmods.com] Two ways to do this and depending on how you're using this guide we need no more than 5 patches.
#1. Use the very top Main file which is a FOMOD that should auto select everything for you (check it anyway) Simple enough. IF you use this option simply disable the patches in the Vortex plugin section and I'll remind you later when we install the related mod (ELFX)
#2. Use the individual Patches listed in the Optional Files section of the mod page.
Here's the patches that pertain to this guide.
IF you use individual patches I'll remind you to add individual patches when we install the related mod later in the guide (ELFX).

• Skaal Village Overhaul - AI Overhaul Patch
  
• Skaal Village Overhaul - ELFX Patch (we will be adding ELFX in the lighting section)
  
• Skaal Village Overhaul - LoS II - TML Patch
  
• Skaal Village Overhaul - USSEP Patch

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As you go forward remember this when you are deciding on 1K-2K-4K or even 8K textures. Indoors has very little if any bearing on the hit your system takes so keep that in mind if you're worried about performance issues (VRAM). I usually choose 4K inside & 2K outside although 4k is also usually best used on things that are large enough to see the fine details on, like mountains, dragons, city gates, etc. 4K for Weapons & Armors as well, but I would only use it on items that are going to be often in your view (although this time I took 2K for armor & weapons as well). Also, remember, pure textures which usually have no plugin (.esp) can safely be removed mid-playthrough then replaced with another. These are a couple of notes I wanted you to keep in mind. Shutt3r, the mod author of the very popular Noble Skyrim Mod HD-2K wrote a short article[forums.nexusmods.com] on texture choices. Check it out if you'd like more info on this.

This section plays a huge part in the beautification of Skyrim
I ADVISE ALL TO LOOK THROUGH THESE GREAT TEXTURES

For rules always let these load AFTER Mods Like "Noble Skyrim" & "SMIM".
I choose 2K for everything unless a 4K-2K version is offered - your choice

Wall Fix for Noble Skyrim Vanilla and Other Retextures[www.nexusmods.com] A simple mesh fix to get rid of the melting or drooping visual on interior walls in Whiterun. Later we will this overwrite ELFX

CleverCharff's High Hrothgar 4K 2K[www.nexusmods.com] RULE: After Noble Skyrim. Just a simple retexture of High Hrothgar inside and out. I chose 4K you choose according to what your system can handle.

CleverCharff's Soul Cairn 4K 2K[www.nexusmods.com] A retexture of all Soul Cairn assets. Be sure to grab the additional "Bone pile color fix for SMIM" (let this overwrite SMIM) in the Optional File section of the mod page.

JS Shrines of the Divines SE[www.nexusmods.com] Replaces vanilla divine shrines with completely remade, higher resolution versions. Comes in 2k and 4k.

RUSTIC FURNITURE - SPECIAL EDITION[www.nexusmods.com] GRAB THE SMIM version & for Rules After both "SMIM" & "Noble". Pick your resolution. Best furniture mod out there.

RUGNAROK - Special Edition[www.nexusmods.com] Just wow, an overhaul and expansion of the rugs of Skyrim. 2K or 1K.

PELTAPALOOZA - Special Edition[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: After Noble Skyrim (means Noble Before Peltapalooza) Gamwich excellence continues. Expands from the 3 default pelt used in farmhouses and inns to have as many as 9 different pelts in the game at one time (I use Full Version).

Orc Strongholds by CleverCharff[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: After ALL. Retexture of orc strongholds interior and exterior.

DON'T FORGET TO STOP AND TEST IN GAME

Northfire's Castle Volkihar[www.nexusmods.com] RULE: After Noble Skyrim. Texture overhaul for Castle Volkihar from the DLC Dawnguard.

CleverCharff's Caves 4K 2K[www.nexusmods.com] Remember we are letting Everything overwrite (Load After) Noble Skyrim and SMIM. Retexture of caves and ice caves. 2K OR 4K IF your system can handle 4K. I use the 4K option but you know the drill. Choose what your system can handle.

NORDIC TENT 4K RETEXTURE [www.nexusmods.com] Your choice and they are Also available in 2k. Retexture & mesh UV remapping of the small Nordic Tents. Looks great.

RUSTIC WINDOWS - Special Edition [www.nexusmods.com] RULES: Before CleverCharff's High Hrothgar and AFTER Noble. This mod retextures the Skyrim and Dragonborn windows in a lore-friendly way. The window glass has been revised to be thick, textured and insulating. The "opaque" nature of the glass has a purpose. 2K and 1K versions.

Skyrim 3D Furniture[www.nexusmods.com] RULES: Before: WiZkiD Riften, & Orc Strongholds, After: Noble Skyrim, SMIM, & other patches.
+
Grab SMIM Patch. Rule: After All

Realistic Horse Breeds by KrittaKitty has been moved to the Horse section of this guide.

WiZkiD Carriages [www.nexusmods.com] Rules: After All. A complete replacer for all carriages with high quality textures. 4K or 2K also includes the prisoner cart fix for the Skyrim opening scene.

Basic Dining Set Replacer[www.nexusmods.com] Nothing basic about these. Worth it for the tankards alone. Comes in 1K, 2K or 4K. RULE: After both SMIM mods. (we always overwrite SMIM).

DK's Realistic Nord Ships SSE[www.nexusmods.com] Realistically replaces the meshes & textures. Install and enjoy

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RUSTIC RELIEFS[www.nexusmods.com] RULE: After Noble. This package includes the textures for RUSTIC MONUMENTS & TOMBSTONES, RUSTIC NORDIC MURALS, RUSTIC STANDING STONES, and RUSTIC WORD WALLS.

RUSTIC COOKING - Special Edition[www.nexusmods.com] RULE: Before Cooking Pot, and After Noble. retexture of the main cooking stations, the spit, stewpot, and oven. Includes retextures for the stew, cooked beef, cooked venison, and cooked goat. Also included are retextures for cheese and cabbage. 2K and 1K versions available.

RUSTIC CLUTTER COLLECTION - Special Edition[www.nexusmods.com] RUSTIC POTTERY, and RUSTIC SILVERWARE. There are also a few other clutter items like mead bottles, wine bottles, the satchel, knapsack, coin purse, strongbox, safe, prisoner cage, and the dwemer lexicon cubes. 2K and 1K versions available.

Whiterun Trellis Redesigned SE[www.nexusmods.com] (remember, we are always overwriting Noble Skyrim) This replaces the low quality trellis structures in Whiterun with redesigned, high quality, wooden lattice.

Nordic Carving - Dragon Throne Wall[www.nexusmods.com] Take the base mod (first one) then I overwrote it with the 2nd optional file "UHP_Rallyeator_Rough" which blends best with Dragonsreach (without the need to download the 165.5MB file) A monumental carved wooden arch behind the Jarl's throne of Whiterun. Available in ultra-high and ultra-low poly versions and several wood colours.

Renthal's workbench[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: AFTER Noble & SMIM QA. New high poly mesh and texture for the workbench.

Renthal's tanning rack[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: AFTER Workbench. New high poly tanning rack with new textures.

ElSopa - HD Medieval Anvil SE[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: AFTER All. GRAB THE EMBERS XD PATCH & THE HOTFIX. AFTER AFTER. These are New Model & Textures For The Anvil, Hammer & Tongs.

ElSopa HD - Grindstone SE[www.nexusmods.com] for Vortex: AFTER Noble.

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Ruins Clutter Improved SE Mod Manager[www.nexusmods.com]
RULES:
AFTER: SMIM, Noble Skyrim, Enhanced Blood.
BEFORE: ELFX, CleverCharff's Caves, Rustic Clutter, JS Shrines, Basic Dining, WiZkiD Carriages, Northfire's Castle Volklihar, Rustic Reliefs.

Ruins Clutter Improved - Fixes[www.nexusmods.com] A patch for Ruins Clutter Improved SE that allows to install other retextures for Enchanting Table and Bloody Rags etc.

(IF "Ruins Clutter Improved" causes large FPS drop (can happen on low end systems when approaching Enchanting tables) grab this mod Candle Lag Fix[www.nexusmods.com] but I have not seen this mod make a huge difference. your mileage may vary)

CleverCharff's Nordic Ruins[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: After ALL. Retexture of Nordic ruins and catacombs interior, exterior and clutter.

CC's HQ Carts[www.nexusmods.com] RULE: After Noble (in spite of what Loot/Vortex says). I like Skyrim's carts NOT to look like they just came from Home Depot.

MD's Photoreal Mines[www.nexusmods.com] RULES: After Everything! Best looking mines on the net.

MD's Farmhouses[www.nexusmods.com] I chose 2k. RULE: Before Peltapalooza After everything else. Just the way they should be, Weather worn textures with 4k-2k options

Rudy HQ - Hay SE[www.nexusmods.com] I chose "2K version 2" in the FOMOD installer.
RULE: After Assorted Mesh Fixes. A new hay and chicken nest textures (three variants to choose from) and tweaked hay meshes (no seam if you use ENB)

Glorious Doors of Skyrim (GDOS) SE[www.nexusmods.com] RULES "After" everything Vortex asks. 22 unique new door meshes, replacing 42 door meshes ingame used in hundreds of instances! You choose all options.
THEN GRAB THE UPDATE FILE. for Rules; After the main mod.

RUSTIC ARMOR & WEAPONS SE[www.nexusmods.com] a hi-res retexture of select armors and weapons of Skyrim SE. 4K and 2K resolutions available.

HD Reflective Ebony Armor and Weapons[www.nexusmods.com] Dark but reflective ebony armor and weapons based on upscaled and modified textures from SkyRealism - Shiny and Cathedral Armory. There is a CBBE BodySlide patch in the optional files if needed.

CC's HD Daedric Weapons and Armor[www.nexusmods.com] RULE: AFTER Rustic Weapons & Armor. A 4K retexture of the Daedric Weapons and Armor. Also available in 2K. Optional add-ons for CBBE and BHUNP.

Remiros' Scimitar HD[www.nexusmods.com] Replaces the textures of the scimitar with higher quality ones. Believable weapons will use this texture thus making a nice scimitar

RUSTIC CLOTHING - Special Edition[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: After SMIM. High resolution RUSTIC CLOTHING texture overhaul for Skyrim Special Edition.

Dark Brotherhood Armor SE[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: After Caliente's. Retexture for DB Armor. Note: Arnbjorn's (Astrids husband) armor is still vanilla as the mod author has not yet decided what he wants to do with his unique sleeveless armor.

Whenever you use the optional CBBE version just make sure it loads after Caliente's
This means the load order for the main file and Caliente's won't matter.

Frankly HD Dawnguard Armor and Weapons[www.nexusmods.com] High resolution (4k & 2k available) retexture of Dawnguard's armor & weapons (the faction, not DLC). Includes all variants of the armor & shield; weapons including crossbow, steel bolts and the unique rune items. Optional add-on for CBBE

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Frankly HD Thieves Guild Armors[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: After Rustic. High resolution (4k and 2k available) retexture of Thieves Guild's armors. Includes all variants of the armor: standard, Guild Master, Linwe's/Blackguard and Karliah's.

Frankly HD Nightingale Armor and Weapons[www.nexusmods.com] High resolution (4k and 2k) scratch-made retexture of Nightingale weapons and armor with heavily enhanced normal maps. Improved sword model with higher polycount and better proportions as well as a custom unique scabbard. Optionals for full glove and capeless cuirass. Options for CBBE & BHUNP if applicable. Also choose options for weathering no cloak and full glove during install.

Frankly HD Imperial Armor and Weapons[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: After Rustic. Visual overhaul of Imperial armor and weapons. Featuring high resolution textures (4k/2k), mesh improvements and fixes and optional sleeves and pants for Skyrim's weather. Includes heavy, studded, light, Penitus, Tullius and General Carius (with complete matching set); all for both genders; imperial shields; sword, bow and Champion's Cudgel. CBBE in Optional files.

Believable weapons[www.nexusmods.com] RULES: After Everything (the Elsopa Anvil is only a loading screen picture). CHOOSE: Believeable for Stalhrim, None for Glass and for Other check each Frankly Mod and Reflective Ebony Armor. This is a mesh replacer for 85 of Skyrim's original axes, maces, swords and warhammers.

ElSopa - Iron Weapons Redone SE[www.nexusmods.com] RULES: AFTER Believable Weapons. Every Iron Weapon Redone. New Meshes. New Textures.

4K (2k) Torture Rack[www.nexusmods.com] Grab the 2k first. RULE: After SMIM.
then Grab the 2K Dirty and Bloody in the optional file section as it looks much more realistic. RULE: After the main file.

Improved Dwemer Glass[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: After SMIM (if you use the Unofficial Material Fix grab the patch)

Elder Scroll HD - SE[www.nexusmods.com] FOMOD: Take - ESPFE, Elder Scroll Chest, IDG UMF Patch, Cube Map File. RULES: After All files Vortex asks.

Rally's Farming Tools[www.nexusmods.com] RULES: After Noble Skyrim and Ruins Clutter Improved. This mod replaces the textures of the different farming tools in game. It covers shovels, pitchforks, hoes and brooms.

CleverCharff's Photorealistic Ash Pile[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: After Ruins Clutter Improved. A retexture of the ash piles with buried pieces of bone and sharper ash texture. With or without bone pieces, 1K or 2K: Your choice.

High Poly Sweet Rolls SE[www.nexusmods.com] Just take the 2K Sweet Roll and be done with it. Replaces the sweet rolls we all know and love with custom high poly meshes and HD textures.

There are more re-textures in the "Creatures / Animals" section of this guide

Rally's Werewolf Totems[www.nexusmods.com] Texture replacer for the: Drum, Bone-Wand and Werewolf Skull.

TROLL[www.nexusmods.com] Skin and armor texture overhaul of all the Trolls, including the dlc01 armored trolls

RUSTIC DRAGONS - Special Edition[www.nexusmods.com] Besides being the best dragon re-texture on the net this mod also fixes the mess Bethesda made on the Blood (Green) Dragon with the missing alpha.

Crispy Dragon Bones[www.nexusmods.com] My new favorite mod. Crispy Burned Dragon Bones corpse replacer.

Alduin Enhanced[www.nexusmods.com] RULE: After Rustic Dragons. Now Alduin becomes the REAL black dragon he wasn't.

Simple hawk replacer[www.nexusmods.com] Vortex Rule: After SMIM

GIANT[www.nexusmods.com] Giant body and Giant outfit lore-friendly textures overhaul.

Ice Wraiths Retexture 2k[www.nexusmods.com] 2k version ported over from the Classic Edition.

RUSTIC SPRIGGAN - Special Edition[www.nexusmods.com] I grabbed the 2K version. A hi-res retexture of the four types of Spriggans found in Skyrim. (New animated leaf effect textures added as an optional download).

WISPMOTHER[www.nexusmods.com] I use the Wispmother.2x1k it's the very top file. For the FOMOD installer take the "Recommended" setup. I used the 4K in the past but there really is no need as you don't see Wispmother that often but it's up to you. Kajun's work is outstanding.

DRAGON PRIEST[www.nexusmods.com] I took the Dragon.Priest.2k it's way down at the bottom and that's the only file you need. For the FOMOD installer take the Recommended setup.

Sigils of Skyrim[www.nexusmods.com] This mod retextures every banner and hold shield in the game including ones from DLCs in a way to allow them to feel worn, desaturated, look better with ENBs and changes the designs to fit the theme of each hold and faction. Now each new holds sigils are proudly presented on both their banners and guard shields for consistency.
Grab both files:
Sigils of Skyrim - Banners - Rules: After Noble, Frankly HD Markarth, Rugnarok. Before: Rally's.
Sigils of Skyrim - Shields - No Rules

Much Better Night Mother[www.nexusmods.com] Title says it all.

SavrenX Gore[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: After SMIM. Enhance gore, much better.

Skyrim 3D Misc[www.nexusmods.com] This mod includes some objects, all listed individually, (sorry no all-in-one) not covered by other mods in this guide (other than SMIM in a few instances). What I like about these models is the fact they are not perfectly symmetrical. These objects all have that handmade feel to them which looks hammered, dinged and also weathered. Grab these 6 files:

"Skyrim 3D Misc - Buckets v2"

"Skyrim 3D Misc - Butterchurn"

"Skyrim 3D Misc - Chopping Block and Axe"

"Skyrim 3D Misc - Giant Mortar and Pestle" Rule: After SMIM

"Skyrim 3D Misc - Mammoth Cheese" Rule: After SMIM

"Skyrim 3D Misc - Traps"

"Skyrim 3D Misc - Wooven Fence"

+ then go grab
Skyrim 3D Misc Chopping Block Texture Map Fixes[www.nexusmods.com] Much needed fix for the Chopping Block we just downloaded from "Skyrim 3D Misc".

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Let me say this in advance. WiZkiD has made this section absolutely rock the game
Get ready for a great lighting experience!
Skyrim has no electricity
Lighting can make or break the look of your game. By default Skyrim's lighting is very bright both indoors and outdoors. Since there was no electricity back then how in the heck can interiors be so bright? Skyrim loses her realism & beauty when it's too bright inside or outside. Let's fix that.

Make sure the Lighting Mod & patches are in this order (they don't have to be consecutive)

40) Enhanced Lights and FX [www.nexusmods.com] Only take base mod + the 'Enhancer' (which makes interiors darker - so if you don't want darker interiors then skip the enhancer option), DO NOT Take the outdoor lighting & DO NOT take the weather options. as we will be using a weather mod for that. Leave all of the Player Homes selections blank (unless you want them bright or did not use the enhancer) Select SMIM & SMIM Lantern, and No Candle Smoke.
RULES: BEFORE: Whiterun Wall Fix for Noble Skyrim Vanilla and Other Retextures. AFTER Everything else Vortex asks(do not listen to Loot/Vortex on this one).

*Now go to the plugins section of Vortex
enable "landscape and water fixes - patch - elfx.esp" which we had disabled earlier

Now Double Check the Vortex Plugins section order should be:
lanterns of skyrim ii.esm, enhancedlightsandfx.esp.
(there will be other mods between them but that should be the order)

DON'T FORGET TO EITHER ACTIVATE THE ELFX PATCH YOU DISABLED FOR THE "SKAAL VILLAGE" MOD WE INSTALLED EARLIER (if you installed it) OR INSTALL THE INDIVIDUAL PATCH NOW from this mod page Skaal Village Overhaul Patch Collection[www.nexusmods.com]

40A) Unofficial Enhanced Lights and FX ELFX SMIM fps patch for SE[www.nexusmods.com] RULE: Before Rugnarok. Higher end PC's may not need this. Fixes FPS drops in: Jorrvaskr basement, Solitude Radiant Raiment, Faldars Tooth, Shadow Green Cavern and the Whiterun Dragonsreach light on/off issue is fixed.

41) ELFX Fixes[www.nexusmods.com] FOMOD Choose; Vanilla, and IF you're using or will be using ENB take ENB ELFX Meshes. For RULES: After ALL

42): ELFX Dwemer Floor Footsteps Fix[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: after ELFX (overwrite)

Now let's eliminate some flickering in the distance and reduce heavy particles.
Go to your SkyrimPrefs.ini and set this (you can do this thru Bethini if you're using it)

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43) Embers HD- WiZkiD Enhanced Edition XD - Inferno (ELFX Edition)[drive.google.com] This is my Google Drive file that has been scanned. Click "Download" then "Download Anyway".
Then Drag the the file to the bottom of Vortex to the download box & in the install.
for RULES: place this after SMIM and anything else it asks. Outstanding work as usual by WiZkiD.

43A)Go Back to the Elsopa Anvil[www.nexusmods.com] page and in the files tab grab the:
"ElSopa - Medieval Anvil Embers XD Patch"

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We will be installing "ENB Light WiZkiD Edition" in the ENB section of this guide.

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44) Transparent and Refracting Icicle and Frost Atronach[www.nexusmods.com] FOMOD: I checked the first two, your choice on Atronach, I took small on the last choice. RULE: Before ENB Light

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Now let's add some "outstanding" to the waters of Skyrim
45) Realistic Water 2 (RW2)[www.nexusmods.com]
from OLD Files section use Realistic Water Two SE v4.0.1 RULE: After SMIM. FOMOD Installer: Take added "rain" textures IF you'll be using ENB (rain may look funky until you install ENB). I take extended ambience.
+
From Optional Files section. you pick the percentage and it's ok to change as you go until you're set on a strength. For more info see this Article[www.nexusmods.com]
We are adding ENB & Weather later in the guide. There are some enbseries.ini settings you'll be checking when we get to that page.
+
Grab Realistic Water Two SE - Darker Gradient Textures v4.0.1[drive.google.com]

Grab Realistic Water Two SE - Flowmap Fix Update v4[drive.google.com]

The Following Patch is only if You chose the player home Elysium Estate earlier in this guide:
45a) Realistic Water Two Forge Water for Elysium Estate - Patch[www.nexusmods.com] Make sure you place this patch after Realistic Water 2

Launch the game and look at the fire & IF your fire has flickering use this fix:
EmbersXD Fire Animation Fix[www.nexusmods.com] BUT you should not need this.

And Finally - A Much needed Fix
Hearthfire Light - Reshaped[www.nexusmods.com] This mod aims to bring better visual experience at buildable houses from Hearthfire dlc. It can be called remastered version of Improved Hearthfire Lighting SE, but it's made from scratch with dozen of dozens adjustments and much more complex light model. FOMOD Installer, Pick as listed below:


Main Plugin: Fixed | Optional Files: Fixed, New Terrace | Glow Light from Windows: Fixed Meshes

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Some Cities in Skyrim need more visual help than others. Noble Skyrim is a great base. Between it and SMM they cover so much of the game including some things that other mods just don't cover. Here we will give some cities much needed help with mods that cover slightly more than a simple retexture so to not change the overall feel of the game. dare we say "Lore Friendly"

We will test after each of the following setups - best time to find out we did everything correctly and if the city mods play nice with your PC. They should but lower end PC's may struggle.

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THIS GUIDE IS NOT SETUP FOR THE PARALLAX VERSIONS - DO NOT USE THEM

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*WiZkiD Riften and Ratway[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: After Everything including LOS II. MAKE SURE you grab the NON-Parallax version. This guide does NOT use parallax so using mods that depend on parallax will not work. Texture and Meshes replacer for the city of Riften and the Ratway, its underground area. Do NOT use the Parallax version for this guide.

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*Icy Windhelm[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: After Everything. This mod gives Windhelm an appearance more suited to the region in which it is located, also fixes a significant amount of aesthetic inconsistencies (fixes ugly seams with piles of snow = brilliant).

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*Skyland Whiterun[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: AFTER: Noble Skyrim, SMIM, & Rustic Windows. BEFORE: Majestic Mountains, Whiterun Trellis Redesigned, & Rustic Cooking. Once you DEPLOY the "Redundant" messages in Vortex will go away.
+
*Skyland Whiterun - SMIM wood color patch SE[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: After Everything.

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*HQ Solitude[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: AFTER: "Noble Skyrim". BEFORE: "Glorious Doors of Skyrim".

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*Frankly HD Markarth - The White City Redux[www.nexusmods.com] (FOMOD: check both options) Rule: AFTER Noble Skyrim
Rule: After Noble Skyrim
+ from update files
Frankly HD Markarth - The White City Redux - Missing texture patch
Rule: After Noble Skyrim
+
Frankly HD Markarth - The White City Redux - Wood beams fix
Rule: After Majestic Mountains

*Frankly HD Markarth and Dwemer Ruin Expansion[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: AFTER: Noble Skyrim, "WiZkiD Riften and Ratway". BEFORE: "Rugnarok".

This next group looks best with an ENB (looks very good without ENB but much better with)
*Dwemer Pipework Reworked[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: AFTER: "Noble Skyrim", "ELFX", "Frankly HD Markarth and Dwemer Ruin Expansion".
+ (ENB users take this as well)
Grab *"Dwemer Pipework Reworked - optional ENB Lights" in the optional files and for
Rules place it After "Dwemer Pipework Reworked" main file, "ELFX".

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The following is an overhaul aimed at giving the College a professional, simple and enchanted look! -- Some rooms are lightly changed, some dramatically. -- Personally I think it's perfect

Magical College of Winterhold[www.nexusmods.com] A lightly magical, aesthetic overhaul for the College of Winterhold! Use the ESM version if NOT running DyndoLOD
Also Grab these needed patches from the Optional Files section of the mod page :
MCoW - AI Overhaul Patch
MCoW - Campfire or Frostfall Patch (if you installed 1 or both Campfire + Frostfall earlier)
MCoW - Cutting Room Floor
MCoW - ELFX and ELFX Enhancer
(unless you didn't take the enhancer, in that case simply take MCoW - ELFX instead)

ONLY IF you do not like the magical effect on the Courtyard statue that comes with "Magical CoW" then grab this MCoW - Remove Magic From Courtyard Statue file.

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GO IN GAME AND CHECK THE COLLEGE FOR LIGHT FLICKERING (I had none).
I DOUBT you'll have any but IF you do see light flickering then remove the entire main Magical College of Winterhold mod and install the 2nd main file instead which has an .esm and a .esp
(see mod page for details).

Either go to the LOD section After or read each mod page in this section for details on LOD creation.

ALL CAN USE THIS SECTION BUT
IF YOU'RE NEW TO MODDING USE THIS SECTION FOR SURE

Oh those beautiful trees. The first time I modded Skyrim and added trees to my game I was hooked on modding and that was before I knew a thing about LODS so I didn't generate them, not being able to add your own LOD is a downside of modding on Consoles. But fear not for those of you who DO NOT want to tackle generating LOD, the following is still one of my favorite setups:

In 2016 I used Simply Bigger Trees (SBT) add in a tree bark texture, later I found Realistic Aspen Trees (RAT) and added that mod as well. I switched to Enhanced Vanilla Trees (EVT) in 2017 which among it's many improvments to SSE also makes trees 50% larger and has RAT included. Month's later switched back to my 2016 set up on my next load order for no particular reason (I do that sometimes).

The verdict is in and EVT wins IMO and here are some reasons; 1) cost of FPS (lower). 2) EVT is compatible with more 'other mods' (you still need to read and see which pertain to your load order). 3) EVT comes with RAT support. 4) EVT also has an option during install to let the mod take care of your LODS for you if you like or of course you can choose the 'I'll add my own LOD' option.

First
Better Dirt Cliffs and Alphas (2K)[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: After Noble, SMIM, Skyrim Landscape & Water Fixes. Before: ELFX, CleverCharff's Caves.

46 Nordic Snow (aka HQ Snow Texture)[www.nexusmods.com] These textures are 2048x2048 which is also the same as the original snow textures in SSE.

47 Simplicity of Snow[www.nexusmods.com] RULES: After Everything. A light-weight snow mod designed to minimize conflicts. Uses your own snow texture and removes snow from under roofs. NOTE: IF you installed this earlier in the guide then remove it and place it here. Rule: After Snow mod.

*Optional
Cleaner Bridges - No More Bridge Dirt[www.nexusmods.com] Removes the dirt along the sides of bridges for a "cleaner look" so for example the bridge just outside of Windhelm will now have snow along the edges. Go in game and take a look if you like.

48 You'll need an account with LH Mods[lhmods.com] for the next mod.

49 Forests of Dibella HD 2K-4K Manual download then install with mod manager. The best tree mod out there. (Comes with the LODS in case you want to generate with DyndoLOD)

50 Realistic Aspen Trees SE[www.nexusmods.com] .

51 Immersive Fallen Trees SSE [www.nexusmods.com] Immersive Fallen Trees is a mod that adds more fallen trees all over Skyrim for a beautiful immersive expierence. You'll find them most commonly on rivers, or in canyons.

52 Immersive Fallen Trees Patch [www.nexusmods.com] Grab this patch that Fixes a handful of Immersive Fallen Trees wild edits.

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LOAD UP YOUR GAME AND TEST

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53 Paradise City for Vanilla Skyrim -- Great Trees for Cities SE v3.5 [www.nexusmods.com] For 1.5.97 you must use v3.5 Are Skyrim cities too barren for you? Want a dash more of shade under the sun? Well, this is for you. This mod turns many of the province's cities -- and the village of Rorikstead -- into leafy paradises

54 HD LODs Textures SE [www.nexusmods.com] New HD LODs for the buildings and the landscape of Skyrim, Dawnguard and Dragonborn. Looks great with Noble Skyrim which we installed earlier in this guide. Install ONLY the standard version as a regular plugin

55 Terrain LOD redone [www.nexusmods.com]Terrain Lod Redone is aiming for a complete terrain lod overhaul. It features high res lod textures, high res lod normals and high poly lod meshes wich are almost eliminating the stripe effect. Use the terrain textures ONLY because in this case you are NOT using DynDoLod or SSELODGEN.

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LOAD UP YOUR GAME AND TEST

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56 I went Back to Kyne's Grass now I can't use anything else
Kyne's Grass[www.nexusmods.com] This mod Combines several grass mods (including the 3 listed below) into one. Best Grass mod out there and performance friendly at that. Stunning.
(I'll eventually be removing the 3 below grass mods)
*Optional = Northern Grass SE [www.nexusmods.com]
*Optional = Verdant [www.nexusmods.com]
*Optional = Veydosebrom Regions [www.nexusmods.com]

You CAN change the density of your grass. You can change it in your Skyrim.ini found here: C:UsersOwnerDocumentsMy GamesSkyrim Special Edition open Skyrim.ini with notepad, look for [Grass] and under that find iMinGrassSize=X the "X" is where the number is set, yours may be 40 which is default. The smaller the number the denser the grass cover. I like to set mine to 60 so it's not too dense. Don't go over 100 or under 20. Anything over 70 is considered Low. Under 30 is HIGH density. (You CAN'T change the length of your grass)

*Then add this
57 Landscape Fixes For Grass Mods[www.nexusmods.com] Change landscape to reduce grass clipping through objects and restore lost details. Improve performance by removing grass where it cannot normally be seen. Reduces overgrown sections of some roads.

While you're there
*Grab Patches for Arthmoor's Town add-ons which includes
ALT Start and Cutting Room Floor in the FOMOD.
Then Grab this next patch z Vanilla Military Camps

*Now go to the plugins section of Vortex and enable the
"landscape and water fixes - patch - lffgm.esp"
which we had disabled earlier in the guide.

58 Dead Shrubs Replacer[www.nexusmods.com] Replaces the horrible dead shrubs with something less... dead. Flagged as light plugin. Rules: Before WiZkiD Wells with real water.

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LOAD UP YOUR GAME AND TEST

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Next, let's improve the flora in the game.

I did not replace all the flora in Skyrim, just the ones I thought really needed help
I use 2K versions for all.

Sufficiently Optimized Snowberries 3D[www.nexusmods.com] If using ENB pick the darker version in the FOMOD installer.

3D Junipers - Trees and Berries[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: After SMIM.

Mountain flower by Mari SE[www.nexusmods.com]

Hanging moss by Mari SE[www.nexusmods.com]

Nightshade by Mari[www.nexusmods.com]Several colors to choose from I usually choose "burgundy"

Lavender by Mari SE[www.nexusmods.com]

Thistle by Mari SE[www.nexusmods.com]

Ivy by Mari[www.nexusmods.com]

Tundra cotton by Mari[www.nexusmods.com] Tundra cotton 4k, 2k, or 1k.

Mora Tapinella 4k[www.nexusmods.com] Really the only mod for Mora Tapinella and the vanilla is just so ugly.

Mushroom Retextures Revamped[www.nexusmods.com] The jury is in and cunny1975 has the best mushroom retextures (does not include Blackreach mushrooms)

Rally's Blackreach Mushrooms[www.nexusmods.com] ONLY use Just the Blackreach mushrooms file.

Waterplants[www.nexusmods.com] ONLY TAKE the 2nd file "Waterplants - lily only" we do not need a grass patch or any other patch from it's mod page. We will grab an optimized texture from Pfuscher next.

Waterplants Improved WI by Pfuscher[www.nexusmods.com] RULE: After the above file. Saves half the VRAM, due to the original mod using the wrong file format Dxt5 instead of dxt1 on some files and better light on waterdrops and wet waterplants thus making raindrops appear on the waterplants when it rains.

More plants & flowers if you feel something should be added
Also by Mari
ArtByMari[www.nexusmods.com]

Wiseman303's Flora Fixes - Revamped[www.nexusmods.com] Important Only use the 2 files listed below:
WM's Flora Fixes - Revamped (No Scripts) RULES: AFTER Assorted Mesh Fixes & SMIM
(Must be the "No Scripts" version)
+
WM's Flora Fixes - SMIM Patch RULES: AFTER Wiseman's Flora Fixes & SMIM

I'm as excited about this section as any in this guide.

None of the mods on this page will take up a load order slot as they are all sound files - Also, most of the mod pages have a sample file for you to listen to. In-Game they are not as loud.

And if you added the High Definition Sound at the beginning of this guide all the better but for the following files you're good either way as these are all Remastered High-Definition.

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Great option to add a little bit of immersive music to the game
The Northerner Diaries - Immersive Edition (music by Jeremy Soule)[www.nexusmods.com] That's right, this is some music by Skyrim's composer Jeremy Soule that fits seamlessly into the game. Adds some great music to the chill/relaxing moments. Adds a nice variety to the game.

*Optional - Bard Instrumentals Mostly - Sing Rarely[www.nexusmods.com] instead of completely removing the singing, it lowers the chances of singing happening to 3.3-4%. Bard tracks are very short so you're still going to be hearing some singing even with this low of a chance.

The Inner Light Flute Solo SSE[www.nexusmods.com] Bards will sometimes play the short, but beautiful melody from the Beloved episode "The Inner Light" of Star Trek the Next Generation. Fits the game seamlessly and lore wise imo.

*Optional - Talkative Dragons [www.nexusmods.com] This mod fixes the fact that Mirmulnar, Odahviing, and Paarthurnax all speak in the vanilla game but none of the other dragons do.

*Optional - Immersive Dragon Sounds -iDS- (Enigma Remaster)[www.nexusmods.com] Goes well with the above mod. I can't play without them.
Also ~ grab the 2 Update files "iDS RE Update 1.3.2" Hotfix for fire breathing sounds
AND the "iDS RE Alternative Wings Sounds".
No worries these are all sound files & do not take up a load order slot. Let each overwrite original mod.

Then grab these patches for two mods we installed earlier in the guide (if you installed them):
"Talkative Dragons" which we just installed and "Paarthurnax - Quest Expansion" which we installed back in the quests (Worldspace - Immersion) section.
Enigma Series Compatibility Patches (Official)[www.nexusmods.com]
1. Grab "Paarthurnax - Quest Expansion -Enigma Patch-" (NOT for arthmoor's version)
2. Grab "Talkative dragons Enigma patch"

*Optional - Falmer Sounds -The Betrayed Remaster-[www.nexusmods.com] A Remaster Of it s Predecessor Falmer Sounds - the Betrayal Legacy Edition- Reworked from scratch full replacement for Vanilla Falmers sounds to more fearsome Sounds FX!

*Optional - Bow Before The Dead - Draugr Sounds- (ENIGMA REMASTER)[www.nexusmods.com] a full remastered replacement for Vanilla Draugrs sounds to a more fearsome and Demonic Sounds FX / Voices Reworked From Scratch which means new Sound FX and more talking..maybe laughin too!
Also Grab the last file Bow Before The Dead Update 5 (Unless you want 10% Lower Volume then grab the middle file which also includes the update - I don't see a need for lower volume up to you).

*Optional - Colossus -Giants SFX Voice Rework [www.nexusmods.com] I took the "Leviathan -Giants SVFX Rework" version (listen to them both and decide)

*Daedric Voices[www.nexusmods.com] Adds dialogue from the Daedric Princes when using their artifacts (we will rework and patch it next).

Daedric Enigma -Daedric Princes Voice Rework- SSE[www.nexusmods.com] Daedric Enigma Aims to rework all Daedric Voices into a more deep demonic. Fitting which differs for each Daedric Prince/Princes. I suggest grabbing them all. Here's a list of the files for this mod"
1. Daedric Enigma - Full Release
2. Daedric Enigma -Legacy- RULE: After the "Full Release" file
3. Author's Cut -Black Door-
4. *Daedric Enigma -Daedric Voices Mini Patch - RULE: After "Daedric Voices - Hircine" file (gives the excellent Enigma Rework to the Daedric Voices mod).

The Book Of The Wild -Enigma Series Chapter 3 (AIO)[www.nexusmods.com] Reworks the vanilla Wild animals voice & sound FX! includes: Wolf (vanilla howl is terrible), Bear, Sabrecat, Mammoth, Troll

Penumbra -Vampire Lord Sounds Rework[www.nexusmods.com] A full Vicious Vampire Lord sounds FX/Spells Sound Rework.

The Prophecy -Lord Harkon Voice Rework[www.nexusmods.com] Compliments the above mod by adding total voice rework for Lord Harkon and his vampire lord form conversations! "Just what the hell really bethesda? he sounds the same in both human & vampire lord form!! Not anymore.

Unfaithed -Miraak's Voice Rework[www.nexusmods.com] Enigma Series Chapter 2: Large total HQ Voice rework for Miraak and his Shouts!

Elementi - Flame Atronach VSFX Rework[www.nexusmods.com] A very small Flame Atronach Voiced Sound Rework

Make sure you look this section over as you may see something you want in your game

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*Optional Section for animations
Please read: When it comes to animations it's important to think about which type of animations you need or for that matter "want". If you're relatively new to modding don't give yourself headaches, keep your animations simple, wait until you have a better feel for modding before you get too deep in animations. With that thought in mind you have some very basic choices in this section

THREE CHOICES HERE - BEST TO PICK ONE SETUP OR THE OTHER FOR NOW
(you "can" use Nemesis & DAR together however but please start with one if you're new)
I'm not saying it's not possible to use more than of them at a time but you had best know what you are doing. If you are not sure then I'd use Nemesis.
LL users seem to lean a tad towards FNIS while users geared towards just about everything else seem to prefer Nemesis.

Let's Talk about Animation Framework
https://youtu.be/BrTKg6ZLAlI
Take the Poll: Which one or combo are you using?[strawpoll.com]

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I've been receiving many questions about Nemesis. Conclusion: Excellent mod
Nemesis[www.nexusmods.com] "Nemesis.Unlimited.Behavior.Engine.v0.84-beta.rar". You can use Nemesis in place of FNIS if you like. When it comes to PCEA do not use the FNIS version as Nemesis has its own version of PCEA:
Note: The video shows also installing CGO which we are not doing at this time (but you can).
Vortex
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9hrvc8ync4
VORTEX USERS MAKE SURE YOU HIT THE "DEPLOY MODS" BUTTON WHILE IN THE MODS SECTION OF VORTEX AFTER INSTALLING NEMESIS FOR THE FIRST TIME

MO2
https://youtu.be/iEgndAj1jKk
Here's how to run Nemesis after you've set it up in either Vortex or MO2
Running Nemesis:First install animation mod then Update Engine (tick any relevant boxes) then Launch Nemesis Behavior Engine. Close Nemesis. (Always do this each time you add a animation mod). Now let's add an animation mod. Remember to follow the above steps.
(Take your choice or take them all)
1. You can start by ticking the box in Nemesis "Retimed Hit Frames" YOU DO NOT need the actual Retimed Hit Frames mod - tick the box and run Nemesis as usual.
2. Ice skating fixed for real - No more attack sliding movement (NEMESIS compatible)[www.nexusmods.com] Nemesis will detect this mod when you open Nemesis so be sure to tick it's box then run Nemesis as usual.
3. PCEA[www.nexusmods.com] A complete revamped version of all other PCEA made from scratch. Nemesis PCEA's new design eliminates many bugs haunting other PCEA as well as greatly improves the performance. The day of Alternate Animation mods messing with your PCEA is over. 10 slots is not enough? Fear not, Nemesis PCEA supports up to 20 slots.

Nemesis in action with PCEA2 also installed:
https://youtu.be/BGa_RSN8HOo
This next mod (TDM) does not require Nemesis but but highly recommended to fix issues caused by headtracking
MCM Helper[www.nexusmods.com] Required (TDM).

*optional TrueHUD - HUD Additions[www.nexusmods.com] Required for the target lock reticle widget to work in TDM. HUD additions formerly included in True Directional Movement, completely reworked and improved! Very customizable actor info bars, boss bars, player widget, recent loot log and an API for other plugins to use. Modular and customizable through MCM.

*optional True Directional Movement - Modernized Third Person Gameplay[www.nexusmods.com]
Install with Mod Manager then OPEN/RUN NEMESIS & TICK ALL 3 TRUE DIRECTIONAL MOVEMENT BOXES INSIDE NEMESIS AND let's also select RETIMED HITFRAMES since we don't actually need that mod to be installed, then select and run UPDATE ENGINE then select and run LAUNCH NEMESIS ENGINE BEHAVIOR, then close Nemesis DEPLOY MODS AFTERWARDS. TDM overhauls the third person gameplay similarly to modern action RPGs, entirely through SKSE. Move and attack in any direction. Includes a custom target lock component and an animated target reticle widget, target headtracking, projectile aim support during target lock, mount support and more

Best to pick one between FNIS, Nemesis
you can use Nemesis & DAR together

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Another alternative for animations is Dynamic Animation Replacer - it's also used many times in conjunction with Nemesis. Again, don't get too complicated especially if this is your first time modding SSE. Keep it Simple & Stable.

Here's a Simple set-up: just use your mod manager
Dynamic Animation Replacer[www.nexusmods.com] This mod dynamically replaces the actors' animations depending on various conditions. Supports most actors, including creatures. Actors and animations added by mods are also supported. No ESP file.
EVG Conditional Idles[www.nexusmods.com] Handmade animations that only play in specific conditions. Unintrusive, no gameplay changes.
Here's a video on EVG Conditional Idles v1.4 (Requires DAR)
https://youtu.be/XgtfmLYdNOk
DAR - Dynamic Swimming[www.nexusmods.com] Changes the Swimming-Animation depending on Stamina-Level and Armor-Weight. Separate file with Special Features if you are playing as an Argonian. Either file Requires DAR.
https://youtu.be/BQy9o8EA1PM

ALSO WITH DAR
Comes with 10 female animations
You also can install Female idles if you don't mind renaming a bunch of files, by using:
Dynamic Random Female Idles V2[www.nexusmods.com] You MUST have Dynamic Animation Replacer installed first! Install this mod using your mod manager. Right click and open the mod in explorer. Add your idle animations, renaming each as you go, to the folder containing the script "DynamicRandomFemaleIdles.jar". Once you are done adding your idles, run the DynamicRandomFemaleIdles.jar file by double clicking it (Java required). Once the script has finished, launch your game and enjoy! SEE MOD PAGE FOR DETAILS.

REMEMBER to pick one set-up between DAR, FNIS, Nemesis

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Fores New Idles in Skyrim SE - FNIS SE (by fore) [www.nexusmods.com]
Makes Custom Animation possible for Skyrim. FNIS Behaviors allows to add different types of animations to the game: idles/poses, sequenced, furniture, paired, killmoves, creatures, & more.
Important Note: You will have to run the generator tool GenerateFNISforUsers.exe (part of FNIS) every time you INSTALL OR UNINSTALL A FNIS based mod (animations).

*NOTE: You will not need the XXL add-on shown in this video and I do not recommend it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYEAnTdZb-s&feature=youtu.be

Vortex users: Go to "Settings" under "Interface" & check "Run FNIS on Deployment Event".
FNIS PCEA2 - Player Exclusive Animations (dynamic) SE[www.nexusmods.com] allows you to define animations which are dedicated to the player only. Selected DURING THE GAME, distributed into up to 10 different subfolders.

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LOAD UP YOUR GAME AND TEST

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I moved RaceMenu, XPMSSE and the Optional CBPC Physics to this section so the installation of these mods and their requirements flow smoothly for everyone.

Once you have "Nemesis" (or FNIS) installed from the previous section let's install "RaceMenu" and we'll install "XPMSSE" which will need that FNIS plugin that Nemesis provides (or FNIS of course provides as well) in order for you to be able to use the Styles settings in XPMSSE's MCM settings.

IF YOU'RE ON SSE VERSION 1.5.97 GO TO THE OLD FILES SECTION AND USE:
RaceMenu Special Edition v0-4-16
RaceMenu (by Expired) [www.nexusmods.com] Requires XPMSSE (XP32) WHICH WE WILL BE INSTALLING NEXT. RaceMenu is a complete overhaul to the character creation menu including new customization features. Just install with your Mod Manager, done.
RaceMenu High Heels[www.nexusmods.com] Many female outfit/armor mods require this file which is why I use it. The mod corrects the sitting and swimming height while wearing high heels, since when you equip high heels that make use of equipable transforms, the root node (called "NPC" in the skeleton) is moved upwards. There are adjustments that can be made in Outfit Studio (I don't). See Mod page for details.


XP32 Maximum Skeleton Special Extended - XPMSSE [www.nexusmods.com] On install choose: Physics Extensions, Racemenu, Out of Sync. Never let anything overwrite XPMSSE except where this guide specifically notes. Other mods rely on xpmsse to animate actions which are not otherwise present in vanilla. You also can adjust weapon positions & more in the MCM. Important Note: You must have either FNIS or Nemesis installed as a requirement for this mod to work. 2nd Note: As you build your load order, Vortex and/or Loot, should make sure XPMSSE is lower in your load order. For best results and to avoid dreaded crashes it should load after all body mods please make sure this is the case.

NOW RUN NEMESIS (IF USING it) SO IT CAN DETECT YOUR SETUP AND INSTALL A DUMMY FNIS PLUGIN - REMEMBER: 1. UPDATE ENGINE 2. LAUNCH NEMESIS BEHAVIOR ENGINE

You should already know if you want and need this next optional mod as it gives physics to your character so please proceed accordingly: (I'm not a big fan of HDT as this is a more stable option)

*Optional - CBPC - Physics with Collisions for SSE and VR[www.nexusmods.com] CBPC provides physics with collisions for characters. This mod features Breasts, Butt, Belly bounce and Breasts, Butt, Belly, Vagina collisions with NPC or Player hands, schlongs etc. It has configuration files to make collision spheres to fit your body shape. If you use a custom body, refer to the pdf guide to modify spheres to fit your custom body shape.

Playing as a Female Character?
IF you have a heavily modded game it can take some time changing from the default male character to female during character creation. This mod fixes that.
Avoid the Wait When Changing to Female in Character Creation[www.nexusmods.com] This is, basically, just to help those who have heavily modded games and have to wait up to a minute or so for the character to switch to female. It's just a time saver and a frustration avoider if you always play a female character and get annoyed by the wait.

This section is also optional:
*if you simply want a vanilla Character then ignore this section - or grab what you need

We will also be using the following mods later in this guide for Northbourne NPC's:
(which also apply to your character)
So Download Beards, Brows, & Eyes now:
The Eyes of Beauty[www.nexusmods.com]
Beards[www.nexusmods.com] FOMOD: Full Install - I chose 2K
Brows[www.nexusmods.com] Full install I chose 2k

Here you have many Hairstyles for more choices during in game main Character Creation:
KS Hairdos SSE[www.nexusmods.com] Grab what you like here (also used by Northbourne NPCs). Male only, Female only, or the All-in-one version.

ApachiiSkyHair SSE[www.nexusmods.com] Male & Female Hair-Styles. Download the first set: "ApachiiSkyHair_v_1_6_Full_optimized" - Also grab "ApachiiSkyHairMale_v_1_3" used by Northbourne NPCs which is listed later in the guide in the NPCs section (Recommended).

you also can add in the Next Mod for more choices or only take the next one
so take one or the other OR both. up to you.

The next few mods are for the body type & skin of your character. If you are playing as a male make sure to get what's needed for the male body type & if you want your female NPC's to have a special body type then download that as well. The same goes for the skin.

IMPORTANT: what you choose below will be used when you get to the NPC Section
(so we obviously won't be downloading them again)

Here's the set-up
in other words here's How the skins should be downloaded & installed
1. download either "Bjin Skin" or "Tempered Skins for Females"
2. download & install Male Skysight Skin - let it overwrite Rustic Clothing (if you chose it)
3. download & install Mild Complexions & let it overwrite Bijin and UNP Female Body Renewal

Q: Can my vanilla character wear any body style clothing & armor? A: Sure, however this depends, for example if your vanilla female character equips a dress or armor that covers the whole body you should be fine. But know that the shape is in the armor/clothing meshes, so if your naked UNP character equips CBBE armor her shape will change. If you use the wrong type of armor & it shows some flesh the visible skin textures may be messed up due to trying to fit a different mesh to the one they were not made for.

*IMPORTANT: Only choose 1 Female Body Type you can't have both
Caliente's Beautiful Bodies Enhancer -CBBE-[www.nexusmods.com] In the installer: Body shape is your choice, choose Underwear: None is nude (your choice), Outfit options check Vanilla, Eyebrow Options none, Miscellaneous is your choice. Optional Features leave unchecked.
Grab the optional ESL flagged file and the Normal Map file and in Vortex for RULES choose AFTER the main file (Enhancer) for both. Note: Normal Map options v1.4 - not needed if you use a skin replacer.

OR (ATT: Pick one body type ONLY)
UNP Female Body Renewal - A female face and body replacer[www.nexusmods.com] (Includes skin but we will be overwriting the skin) Choose option but NO BROWS
Pinup or Skinny | Static or TBBP (HDT can be quirky) | Nude or Underwear type | 2K or 4K (I choose 4K) | Scars? Pubic hair? | Dark red or Black | No Eyebrows

Bijin Skin[www.nexusmods.com] FOMOD installer Choose CBBE or UNP (select realistic face textures option in fomod installer) then let this overwrite the UNP Female Body OR The CBBE Enhancer. (choose to load this "after" when prompted by Vortex). Let it overwrite UNP Female Body Renewal.


ONLY USE 1 OF THE NEXT 2 MODS FOR MALES
Skysight better matches our NPC overhaul
Skysight Skins[www.nexusmods.com] Choose, normal face textures, not younger option, and the less body veins option during install. Also let this overwrite Bijin and it really does not matter which mod wins when it comes to Rustic Clothing, it's underwear.
If you want a nude version (also comes in dressed version) then use this next mod although I would not recommend using either SOS version of this mod as it's much more difficult to get your character in a visual state with no body seams.
Tempered Skins for Males - Vanilla & SOS versions[www.nexusmods.com] This is a non-beast lore-friendly male texture replacement with optional hair, dirt & muscle smoothness in different combinations for both nude (from Better Males) & dressed (vanilla based) bodies. SOS (from loverslab) version also available.

We all need:
Mild Complexions: Choose to Let this Load After both Bijin & UNP or CBBE
Mild Complexions[www.nexusmods.com] Realistic facial complexions to add freckles, wrinkles, or other imperfections to your skin.
This is compatible with almost all skin texture mods. Applies to males & females.

*Required for CBBE

BodySlide & Outfit Studio[www.nexusmods.com] An easy to use tool for customizing bodies & outfits, creating new bodies & outfits, and converting outfits between body types. See FAQ on mod page
Vortex install vid[staticdelivery.nexusmods.com] For a detailed walkthrough see video below.

Here's a video by Gopher Learn more using Fallout 4 as an example - same principle applies.


Bonus
IF you should ever get the dreaded "Dark or Black Face Bug"
There is a guide on fixing this common bug in my SE Help Guide

OR

You can try the following excellent mod by by Parapets
Face Discoloration Fix[www.nexusmods.com]
Eliminates the dreaded "dark face" issue that occurs when the game encounters FaceGen errors.
good chance this mod will work - small chance to lose face sculpting - see mod page

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I'm putting this here by request
I've never used this mod so I personally will not be able to help you with it.
Highly Improved Male Body Overhaul -HIMBO-[www.nexusmods.com] Like CBBE, it comes with some presets that can be used in BodySlide to create your desired body shape. If you don't like any of the default presets, you can always use BodySlide sliders provided to build your body shape. Read the mod page for requirements.

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What is ENB?
Enhanced Natural Beauty (ENB) - This addon consists of two parts, the ENB binary file which contains all the actual processes and general settings and which can only be downloaded from one specific site run by the creator of these, and the preset which can be gotten at any modding site (though, of course, Nexus is the most used). The preset is just tailored settings and changes made to the actual ENB binaries to change the appearance - by itself, it is useless.

There are many ENB's for Skyrim SE & just about every one of them offer 3 versions to choose from contained in one file folder. They include 1 "High Quality" for higher end pc's, 1 "Quality" & 1 usually called something like "Performance" which is aimed at lower end pc's. This way you can start with the best quality and see how your pc handles it and if needed work your way down.

Now that we've removed numerous bugs and improved gameplay, by adding both a high quality ENB (Re Engaged) and lighting mod (ELFX) with the right combination of excellent texture mods and a weather mod your game comes alive and looks like a true 2021-22 video game that truly highlights Skyrim's beauty and brings it to life.

That said it is important to remember that Skyrim SE or AE really does not "need" an ENB and as a matter of fact compared to the Original Skyrim (Oldrim) it needs one even less.

*Note: You'll probably want the Weather mod from this section even if not using an ENB

Here are 2 ENBs for you to choose from: 1 specifically for Vivid Weathers and 1 for Obsidian weather. (Both ENBs are by firemanaf).

You also can consider alternates in the next section.

NOTE: if you are not using a weather mod but still want an ENB simply download the Vanilla version of Re-engaged, along with the binary listed below.

The creator, firemanaf, is also very active in not only keeping his mods up to date but also is active on his Nexus mod page.

There is a difference in the "Weather Supported" versions. Obsidian is weather supported.

Video Showcase #1:
Re-Engaged ENB for Vivid Weathers (no weather support) by firemanaf
https://youtu.be/biUUQt-VITY
Video Showcase #2
Re Engaged for Obsidian Weathers (with weather support) (version I currently use - just wow)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkCM98Rv2WE

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Go to your GPU control panel and make sure antialiasing is set to Application Controlled.

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>> VIDEO Installation Walkthrough << by firemanaf
https://youtu.be/4k_Pa3eZT6M
First: Everyone needs the Binary
*ENB Binary [enbdev.com] 1. Go to the website and click on the latest version. 2. This will take you to a new page. 3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the arrow. 4. manual install: unzip file & ONLY get 2 files that are inside the folder named "WrapperVersion": get - d3d11.dll & d3dcompiler_46e.dll - then put the file on your desktop and have your Skyrim SE folder open as well (This is a simple copy & paste or drag and drop). Watch the above installation video walkthrough by the author of Re Engaged ENB firemanaf - you can go straight to 6:45 mark in the above installation video.

We've already installed the required SKSE64 earlier in the guide

*ALSO PICK ONE OF THE NEXT SETS

*I highly recommend you use Set #1 as Obsidian comes with weather support - this means you will be using ENB Helper so you will NOT need the Particle Patch[enbseries.enbdev.com] & this is not the case with Vivid Weathers as it's not weather supported.
Note: "weather supported" means the settings will not be the same for every type of weather in all of Skyrim thus giving you a more realistic experience. (But the enb must of course support it).

Set #1
For Obsidian Weathers & Seasons (*my current and favorite set up)
Includes full weather support if you're also using "ENB Helper"
*Re-Engaged ENB for Obsidian v9.1a[www.nexusmods.com] *Make sure you download the Obsidian Weathers Version you can go straight to 7:39 mark in the above installation video.
Important: The very first thing you should do after installing Re Enaged is open enbseries.ini which is located here steamappscommonSkyrim Special Edition and find the line EnableTerrainParallax and set it to false before you launch your game for the first time otherwise it will remain in the enbcache folder. Again, make sure it looks like this: EnableTerrainParallax=false
*Obsidian Weathers & Seasons [www.nexusmods.com] This is the Weather mod - install with mod manager.
*Grab this *Alternate Obsidian Weathers MCM[www.nexusmods.com] RULE: After Obsidian Weather - This adds an MCM. Note: you can also remove the weather power if you like through it's MCM).
Set #2
For Vivid Weathers
this was my set-up for a long time before I discovered Obsidian
Re-Engaged ENB for Vivid V9.1c[www.nexusmods.com] Make sure you download the Vivid Weathers version. you can go straight to 7:39 mark in the above installation video.
Vivid Weathers Definitive Edition [www.nexusmods.com] This is the Weather Mod - install with mod manager.

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Install this after you set up one of the above
(THIS will make your game darker)
ENB Light WiZkiD Edition.7z[drive.google.com]This is a Google Drive file. RULES: After All. Nothing should overwrite this

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For those using the Obsidian set-up only
*ENB Helper SE [www.nexusmods.com] install with mod manager. ONLY FOR WEATHER SUPPORTED MODS (OBSIDIAN) This "helper" will assist Obsidian & Re Engaged in that each region in Skyrim will now have it's own type of weather, instead of a generic weather all across Skyrim + transition from one weather type to another is much smoother instead of the abrupt changes in a vanilla Skyrim.

Also install this:
Smooth Sky mesh - SSE [www.nexusmods.com] *Recommended For Obsidian (not for Vivid Weathers)

And this:
*Obsidian Weathers Watercolor Fix for RWT2[www.nexusmods.com] if you chose the water plugin for RW2 like I do you'll want this plugin

F O G optional
Do you like added fog?
Supreme and Volumetric Fog SE[www.nexusmods.com] MAKE SURE YOU ONLY TAKE THE OPTIONAL OBSIDIAN FILE - YOU DO NOT NEED THE MAIN FILE.
IF you installed Dynamic Volumetric Lighting & Sun Shadows go to it's .ini and change this line from true to false. EnableNightFadeOut = false
*Realistic Water Two Settings for enbseries.ini:
The core textures are designed to work out-of-the-box with ENBSeries water effects. Ensure your enbseries.ini file reflects the following:
your enbseries.ini is located here (we just installed it)
SteamLibrarysteamappscommonSkyrim Special Edition
You are looking for the .ini not the enbseries folder
Here's the setting
[EFFECT]
EnableWater=true

[WATER]
DisableDistantReflection=true
EnableCaustics=true (optional but adds a nice effect)
EnableParallax=true (although this guide is not using Parallax... with ENB we can turn this on)
EnableDisplacement=true

Don't forget to save before closing

IF you installed the mod "Footprints" earlier in the guide then go back to the mod page
Footprints[www.nexusmods.com] and install the optional Footprints - ENB file

That's it.

---

REMEMBER:
ENB's can in fact be switched midplaythrough Read

load up your game, enjoy the beauty then let's continue..

You should lock your FPS just below 60
I would set it no higher than 59 fps (recommended)

Note:You can lose anywhere from 5-25fps with an ENB depending on the ENB and it's settings
With any ENB, regardless of the version or mod author, you're definitely going to lose some fps with an ENB installed. How much depends on your PC, your mods and of course which ENB you are using. For that reason and the fact I want to first see my game without the enb's effect as I mod it, I add my ENB close to last. By the same token you could add it first, it really is a preference thing.

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https://youtu.be/BD8o_7kTI-c
IF you are using an ENB + Realistic Water 2 and your waterfalls are too bright this will be fixed after running DyndoLOD 3.0. IF you'll NOT be running DyndoLOD 3.0 or NOT running DyndoLOD at all - then use this fix:
Bright Waterfall Fix for ENB[www.nexusmods.com] See mod page for details.

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First here's a Lightweight ENB (alternative):

The truth ENB[www.afkmods.com] Excellent lightweight ENB. Link is to AFK Mods - you'll need an account

NOTE: IF you feel your rig is a bit too weak for ENB try some of the options below

Some other options

IMAGINATOR - Visual Control Device for Skyrim [www.nexusmods.com] Install with mod manager then adjust settings IN GAME. It allows you to separately control visual elements like Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Sky Brightness, Sunlight Output, Bloom and Tint all from within an easy-to-talk-to magic-man-menu.

Elder Edda [www.nexusmods.com] This is a preset to make Skyrim look more natural without losing any performance or the Norse fantasy feel. Does not require any 3rd party shaders ENB, Sweet-FX, ReShade. Still compatible with all 3rd party shaders.

Lucid-Icrous Lightweight Reshade[www.nexusmods.com] This is a lightweight Reshade preset for use without ENB. It only uses 2 shaders, and the frame rate hit is 0-2 depending on area. It will make your nights, and dungeons darker as well as enchance all the colors, and detail in your game. ***HARD REQUIREMENTS*** Reshade with PD80's Shader pack (link on mod page which also has images and a video)

IMAGINATOR - Visual Control Device for Skyrim [www.nexusmods.com] Install with mod manager then adjust settings IN GAME. It allows you to separately control visual elements like Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Sky Brightness, Sunlight Output, Bloom and Tint all from within an easy-to-talk-to magic-man-menu.

THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXTERIOR LIGHTING MOD THAT WON'T CONFLICT
This next mod can be used with other lighting mods ect. without conflicting

Read the mod page for more info.
CLARALUX SSE - Controllable Lights Everywhere [www.nexusmods.com] (From the same Mod Author as Imaginator). IN-GAME LIGHT ADJUSTERS! Adds 1000s of new light "fixtures" to WALLED CITIES, FORTS, ROADS, PATHS, and elsewhere. Increases the light output for improved visibility using dark night mods as well as allowing you to adjust the light temperature.

REMEMBER: Do Not remove mods midplaythrough (Read)

*New 8/1/2021 Culminated ENB[www.nexusmods.com] like a natural vibrant look? Check out this beauty

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We just added "Obsidian Weather" in the last section (before ENB). So now.......

True Storms Special Edition - Thunder Rain and Weather Redone[www.nexusmods.com] True Storms Special Edition is a complete overhaul of the storm systems in Skyrim SE, including new heavy and unique weathers, loads of new intense sound effects, interior sounds, particle effects, new rain, snow, and dust textures, heavy fogs, new weathers for Solstheim including dust storms, and much more! THERE ARE SOUND SLIDERS IN THE MENU This great mod has been in my load order since day 1

now let's make it compatible with Obsidian Weathers
Obsidian Weathers - TrueStorms Merged Compatibility SSE[www.nexusmods.com] A blended compatibility patch that completely integrates the intense storm effects, audio, and unique weathers from both True Storms and Obsidian Weathers. Comes in two separate versions for your visual preference.
FOMOD INSTALLER
(DO NOT choose MAIN version - (Skip it).
Under Alternate choose Spectral - Water's Edge Fix
Spectral gives the game a darker, eerier atmosphere and is basically the conglomeration of all of this mod author's previous patching & blending. See mod page for details.

Not required but Recommended - This mod with Obsidian and True Storms is incredible.
Storm Lightning for SSE and VR (Minty Lightning 2019)[www.nexusmods.com] This is a remake of Minty's Lightning mod as an SKSE plugin. The purpose of this mod is stability and scalability. It can summon up to 50 sheet lightnings and 50 fork lightnings per second and up to 31 cells distance. This results in a more natural and enjoyable storm experience. There is also an MCM for additional settings (see mod page for details)
FOMOD Installer
Choose Skyrim Special Edition.
Next choose 1.5.97
Next choose ESL Flagged.
Next few sections are for Halo so your choice.
In the following order I went with:
Halo On (Level 0)
Halo On (Level 0)
Halo Too Dim (Level 4)
Halo Too Dim (Level 4)


Go in game and test

*Left Hand Rings Modified SE[www.nexusmods.com]. Select Gemling Option as we will be adding it next. If not then grab it now in order to wear both left & right hand rings. Not only will this mod work for Gemling Jewelry, but for Ave's Jewelry as well.
Also grab "Left Hand Ring Icon for SkyUI SE" on the mod page under optional files.

Gemling Queen Jewelry SE[www.nexusmods.com] RULES: Make Sure for you load this AFTER SMIM. (Loot/Vortex is Wrong)
READ: Select Amulets, Circlets and Rings, and the Dawnguard Unobtainable items Add-on, Next select "Gamwich Amulet Textures 1024" Next "LH Rings Modified combined Textures" (Skip Optional Mesh pack Dawnguard) Next "Gamwich Ring Textures Combined 1k" DONOT SELECT "Vampire Beast Blood Ring Left Hand". For Rules: choose "After" for anything (if) Vortex asks. Now in Vortex ar the top (while in the mods section) choose "Game folder" open the Data folder and delete the file "GQJ_DG_vampireamuletfix.esp", Then in Vortex a "Deploy mods" message should be waiting for you, say ok and "Confirm" the changes. Now go back up top in Vortex and select MOD STAGING Folder and delete "GQJ_DG_vampireamuletfix.esp" there as well or Vortex will put it back in everytime you deploy mods.

This excellent Jewelry mod features textures made by Gamwich.

Please Read the sticky post in the comments section of the mod page for detailed instructions.

CBBE USERS: Here's what the author of Gemling Jewelry has to say:
"I *think* it will work if you let my mod overwrite CBBE's meshes, kinda. The vanilla chest sticks out more than in CBBE, so the amulets wouldn't clip, they'd just float a bit above the character's chest. Like I said though, I'm not entirely certain and you'd have to try it out. NMM backs up the meshes it overwrites, so if you don't like the result you can simply uninstall and reinstall my mod.

If you don't let my mod overwrite CBBE, female characters/NPCs will use the original fugly meshes for equipped amulets. It's a minor detail really, you'd still get the pretty meshes in your inventory. Only the amulets have this problem, circlets and rings should be fine either way."

Update: This *next mod was just set to "Hidden" on Nexus - let's wait and see for a few days
What I do is let Caliente's Beautiful Bodies overwrite Gemling and since I lose the Gemling Amulets by doing so I then use *Newmiller drake2 jewellery necklaces circlet CBBE for the excellent Amulets that come with it. You have to access them in a chest in Riverwood behind the sawmill near the water or you can access them thru the mod AddItemMenu we added earlier.
* Newmiller drake2 jewellery necklaces circlet CBBE[www.nexusmods.com] This adds new amulets and circlets to Skyrim and the next mod retextures vanilla circlets.

RUSTIC AMULETS - Special Edition[www.nexusmods.com] a retexture of the vanilla amulets found in Skyrim, including the ones from the Dawnguard and Dragonborn DLCs. This is a lore-friendly retexture that's meant to do justice to the original designs.

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Here's some great optional ideas:
The Jewelry in Skyrim has always been in dire need of some help. Fortunately the very talented avebrave[www.nexusmods.com] has given us some beautiful, outstanding, high quality choices. Most of these are replacers, some are add-ons.

The mods below include rings for male and female, as well as both right & left hand rings, & belly piercing. There are also other items like earrings, circlets, and necklaces.

CBBE USERS: Some of Ave's jewelry requires Bodyslide files which are included in each of her mod pages where applicable. Same for other body types like BHUNP. So you need to perform the bodyslide extra step in those cases. If you are new to BodySlide I would skip these.

Some add new jewelry to the world, some can be purchased at Radiant Raiment in Solitude, some can be crafted, some are quest items (see mod pages for details)
When installing Ave's Jewelry
Some files will overwrite and that's fine. For example Ave uses the same cubemaps for many items. Simply let the new file overwrite the last each time.

You can select from avebrave's great jewelry mods by checking out her work here[www.nexusmods.com]

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I'm adding OBIS to the guide but giving it it's own section due to the fact not everyone wants to deal with more bandits. I've been using the mod in all my load orders for years and lizrdfishr finally convinced me I should add it to the guide.

Fact is there are no scripts and OBIS does not add in any extra spawn points that will effect your game so the performance hit is minimal. It only effects bandits with no specific role so the ones that do not talk or have a quest are not effected. There are over 2500 new bandits, all with different faces so that you might never see the same person twice! But with the settings in the MCMenu you can increase the number of extra bandits that will dynamically spawn near bandits that are already there. This feature is off by default. Setting wildly high numbers will have potential to overwhelm.

Default settings are good to start with. If you are feeling adventurous / insane then use the menus to set extra bandits number to max 30. Save your game. Head out to a known bandit camp and see the mod in action. If you like what you experience then you are a bandit hunting fool indeed! If not - just go back to previous save and maybe try a milder number of extra bandits.

OBIS SE - Organized Bandits In Skyrim Special Edition[www.nexusmods.com] They are organized into gangs with 7 tiers from wannabes to the deadly Bandit Lords. Each gang has its own strengths, weaknesses and lore. OBIS Bandits reluctantly work together to ensure Skyrim never feels safe again.

You'll find a patch in the Optional files section of OBIS for the Notice Board (which we added in the Worldspace - Immersion section of this guide) .
OBIS SE - NoticeBoard - Addon so grab it if you like.

We added the mod Actor Limit Fix earlier in the guide (mod #36) so make sure you have it.

Let's take the monotony out of the creatures in vanilla Skyrim by adding some diversity in not only the look and strengths but by adding some lore friendly types of creatures/animals as well.

Some of these mods also add textures, some remain vanilla so may you grab some of the textures from the end of this section which had to be listed there in order for them to have a chance to spawn on a creature that is listed in the mod "Dynamic Animal Variants" as they must install after DAV. You don't have to add any as DAV uses Bellyache's textures and vanilla, so we can add to the variant.

Real Rabbits HD - Diverse[www.nexusmods.com] Must be the Diverse file located in the Old Files section. WE NEED THIS IN ORDER FOR THE NEXT MOD TO FUNCTION

Dynamic Animal Variants[www.nexusmods.com] (DAV) Grab the the main mod -
then grab the following 2 patches:
"Patch for No Spinning Death Animation"
"Patch for Violens - A Killmove Mod SE"

(I don't use this next patch but if you use a mod like Meeko reborn then you may want Dynamic Animal Variants - Unique Dog Companion Textures Patch[www.nexusmods.com] see mod page for details)

Grandiose Giants[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: After XPMSE (I know the old idea was to never overwrite XPMSE but in this case Loot/Vortex is wrong and it will be for all of rougeshot's mods in this section). This is NOT the same as the texture for GIANT we installed earlier.

Gritty Goats[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: Same as above which is AFTER XPMSE

we added "Butterflies Land true" earlier in the guide now we need to add:
Butterflies Unchained[www.nexusmods.com] grab the Butterflies Unchained (ESL Version) Butterflies Unchained makes butterflies and moths behave more like actual animals, rather than basic resource points. They now roam freely to explore the world alongside you.

Draugr Upgrades and Improvements (Draugr and Skeleton Overhaul)[www.nexusmods.com] QuickClean this mod in xEdit (takes 2 seconds) as it has 1 ITM that probably won't hurt anything but I clean it. Don't forget to hit the "Deploy Mods" button in Vortex after you clean it.
Grab the update as well Draugr Upgrades and Improvements 2.4.2
DUI - USSEP Patch[drive.google.com] Here's a patch located on my Google drive.
OR
(optional - the above mod makes Draugr pretty tough so if that bothers you then maybe you'll like Tougher Skeletons Meaner Draugr SE[www.nexusmods.com] which is still slightly more difficult than vanilla)

Seagulls of Skyrim[www.nexusmods.com] - I grabbed Seagulls of Skyrim - Riften Version - ESL which is the same as the main file except it adds Seagulls around Riften as well.

Flying Crows SSE[www.nexusmods.com] Grab the main file only.

SkyTEST - Realistic Animals and Predators SE[www.nexusmods.com] Grab "SkyTEST - Realistic Animals and Predators 1_65_02 NOSM (No SurvivalMode)" (UNLESS you own Creation Club Survival Mode - if you are using it then install the other file instead)

SkyTEST Integration Project SE - grab "SkyTEST No Extra Spawns"
Critters Aint Snitches v1.0 SSE-SkyTEST RAandP Patch[www.nexusmods.com] Earlier we installed the main mod (Critters Ain't Snitches) now we need the patch for Critters Ain't Snitches and Skytest located in the optional files section.

Now go back to Dynamic Animal Variants[www.nexusmods.com] and grab the patch Dynamic Animal Variants - "Patch for SkyTest - Realistic Animals and Predators SE"

Diverse Dragons Collection SE (DDCse)[www.nexusmods.com] 28 new dragons, each with a unique model & texture. 7 ranks of strength for each dragon, creating a challenge that scales with your level. Integrated into vanilla leveled lists to appear in your game seamlessly. Fully customizable MCM. See only the dragons you want to see!

Simply Stronger Dragons[www.nexusmods.com] Script-free. Simply stronger - NOT an overhaul. THE FOMOD INSTALLER USUALLY GETS BURIED UNDER YOUR MOD MANAGER SO DON'T PANICK - IT'S THERE. choose on install: Health, Meelee, Breath, and Alduin to twice as strong or higher for each. Health Melee & Breath are all configurable separately. (can safely reinstall and change these options at any time)

Savage Bear[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: After XPMSE

Splendor - Dragon Variants[www.nexusmods.com]
Drastically increases the visual diversity.

Savage Wolves and Feral Foxes[www.nexusmods.com] Rule: After XPMSE (same as earlier YES AFTER XPMSSE) I ONLY grabbed the 2nd file "Savage Wolves and Feral Foxes"

HAGRAVEN[www.nexusmods.com] Hagraven and Glenmoril Witches skin-outfit texture overhaul. Include the Hagraven Feathers Ingredient. RULE: After SMIM.

OH GOD BEES SE - More Bees-More Hives-HD Textures[www.nexusmods.com] Adds more bees and beehives to Skyrim's wilderness. Offers new HD textures for bees, beehives, and apiaries. (There is a separate optional file for even more Bee Hives on the mod page).

Been using this next mod since it came out on 5/26/2021 - love the feel it gives the game
Morrowind Creatures SE[www.nexusmods.com] These are big creatures, big enough to ride like a horse and some of them you can so don't add them if you don't think you'll like them. Morrowind is a mysterious, strange land with strange flora & fauna. This modification will add three types of new creatures to your game, & one riding guar.
You will meet them while traveling through Rift & Solstheim. Good luck & be careful (:
Don't Forget to get the "Fixes by Xtudo" file & of course tell Vortex to "Load After" the main file.

You may or may not want this next mod as it adds cats to Skyrim and you can also adopt these cats or just admire them, even pet and feed them treats. 2 Cat shops added as well.

A Cat's Life[www.nexusmods.com] brings cats into the land of Skyrim in a way no mod has before. You will find both domesticated and stray cats roaming the streets of the major cities and some smaller villages. Adopt a cat by earning its trust or purchase a furry companion from one of two stores. A Cat's Life comes packed with features, all controllable via MCM. (can be used with the mod Immersive Laundry). See mod page for more details.

DAV uses alternate textures from your load order for diversity so these will replace vanilla.
MAMMOTH[www.nexusmods.com]

SABRECAT[www.nexusmods.com] if you check both boxes in the FOMOD installer you will also get the Snow and the Vale Sabrecat.

Holy Cows - Improved HD Textures[www.nexusmods.com] Cows might be the worse part of the game and texture replacer mods are hard to find. This is

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LOAD UP YOUR GAME AND TEST

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Although you don't need a horse mod (and you'll be just fine) I suggest you use Immersive Horses (IH) for this guide as it integrates very well with this guide's setup and Extensible Follower Framework (EFF). So if you agree simply skip down to the Immersive Horses section below. However if you are someone who prefers Convenient Horses (CH) it too will work just fine with this guide. Let's take a look at the difference between Immersive Horses and Convenient Horses.
NOTE: if you don't want a horse mod but want better looking horses then scroll down and grab "Realistic Horse Breeds by KrittaKitty"

Comparison: Convenient Horses (CH) vs Immersive Horses (IH) https://youtu.be/2bM9lG7p7WI IH is a much lighter script load than CH.

ONLY USE ONE - HORSE SETUP FROM THE FOLLOWING 2 OPTIONS
In order to get the full experience of this guide set up IH as outlined below.
Immersive Horses[www.nexusmods.com]

While your there I grabbed the Immersive Horses 2K Horse Textures which are from Realistic Horse Breeds by KrittaKitty. YOU STILL MUST TAKE THE MAIN FILE. Rule: After main file. Immersive Horses is a lightweight overhaul for the horses in Skyrim built on SKSE64 and SkyUI SE. The goal of Immersive Horses is to improve on nearly every aspect of Skyrim's horses while remaining as true as possible to the original game. Immersive Horses adds a range of new commands and related options for horses as well as an integrated ownership and follower system designed specifically for horses.

While you're there
Immersive Horses Script Fixes[www.nexusmods.com] This fixes the infamous 'You need a horse to do that' bug which prevents the player from assigning a horse to a follower.

SkyTEST Integration Project SE[www.nexusmods.com] - grab "SkyTEST Immersive Horses" patch.

The next 2 patches are both from the same mod page (Miscellaneous Patches)
Miscellaneous Patches[www.nexusmods.com]
Misc. Patches Book Covers Skyrim - Immersive Horses Patch
Misc. Patches - Relationship Dialogue Overhaul - Immersive Horses Patch

USE THIS NEXT PATCH ONLY IF you installed the New Beginning Add-on to Alternate Start
New Beginnings - Live Another Life Extension SSE - Immersive Horses Patch[www.nexusmods.com]

Optional for Immersive Horses ONLY - Will not work with Convenient Horses
Craftable Horse Barding[www.nexusmods.com] This mod adds saddles and armors, also known as barding, for the horses in Skyrim. Barding can be crafted at forges or purchased at stables and then upgraded and enchanted just like any other armor. The relevant smithing perks are necessary in order to craft certain barding sets. GOING FORWARD DO NOT LET THIS OVERWRITE NORTHBOURNE NPCs. I'll remind you again when we install Northbourne NPCs later in the guide.

OR

For those that prefer Convenient Horses - This guide is best setup for Immersive Horses but for those that feel they must have Convenient Horses it will work.

Convenient Horses Setup

Convenient Horses[www.nexusmods.com] The introductory quest will start once you own a proper horse and have been riding it. There are two paths to follow, one for a new mod user allowing them to learn about mod features step by step, and other for veterans who want to skip the introduction and jump right into the action.
When you complete the introductory quest the mod will be fully open to you with all its features.

Here's a great retexture for Convenient Horses (or vanilla):
also perfect for those that are fine with the Vanilla horse system in Skyrim
Realistic Horse Breeds by KrittaKitty [www.nexusmods.com] All 7 types of horses have separate meshes and body textures: Each horse breed will have different coloured eyes, bodies and manes.

Convenient Horses Compatibility, Known Issues & Fixes
[:] Amazing Follower Tweaks: There have been few issues here and there and most of them have been prevented. It is important to have horse features disabled in AFT along with follower teleport on weapon draw setting.
[:] Realistic Horse Breeds: Should be loaded after CH. The only thing you lose is dynamic mane, so it will clip through the barding. This stands for any other horse mesh replacer.
[:] Conflicts with mods that alter the Steed Stone ability since CH v7. Load the other mod after CH and the only thing you lose is the description which states that horse training speed is increased by 50%. Training speed bonus will always work regardless of how you handle the conflict.
[:] There is no option to select horse name when purchasing. Horse naming is a new v7 feature and the most common issue is conflict with the "stables" quest. Only way to fix it is to make a patch (prefered if you know how) or tweak load order to give priority to this mod.
[:] Horse is stuck and cannot move. This is the game engine issue and only way to fix it is to exit the game completely.
[:] Horse is sliding and flying when saved game is loaded where player is mounted. Game bug countered in CH v6.0.3 by dismounting player on game load.
[:] Horse camera moves vertically making it impossible to aim with ranged weapon. This is another game bug which is caused by NPCs using horses, sending animation events that trigger player horse camera to change. This becomes more apparent when riding with followers and they engage in mounted combat. I coded a fix that will attempt to quickly re-draw player weapon when such animation events caused by followers are detected, which in turn fixes the camera position, but you can always sheathe and draw weapon manually if mod does not fix it for you.
[:] Follower returns to default outfit or becomes naked when dismounting or leaving mounted combat. This is related to CH keeping teammate status flag turned off on followers while controlling them, to prevent interference from player actions. I bypassed all known triggers for this problem in the update, but it still might happen when some other mod does something to follower equipment while they are mounted.

RS Children Overhaul[www.nexusmods.com]
1. Grab the 1st file: RSSE Children Overhaul 1.1.3 with hotfix 1 Overhauls the appearance of all children. Also adds some outfits and accessories (currently only for boys).

Now let's add the girls and improve on the rest.
Realistic RS Children Overhaul[www.nexusmods.com]
2. Grab 1st file Realistic RS Children Rule: AFTER "RSSE Children Overhaul 1.1.3 with hotfix 1"
+
3. then Grab Realistic RS Children 4.7 Update Rule: AFTER BOTH "Realistic RS Children"
and AFTER "KS Hairdo's"
+
4. RRSC - AI Overhaul Patch
+
5. RRSC - Cutting Room Floor Patch
+
RS Children Patch Compendium[www.nexusmods.com]
6. RS Children Interesting NPCs

---

I recommend the "Northbourne" series by Southpawe for lore friendly top notch work that does not make every NPC look glamorous while the NPCs themselves are of the highest quality.

Let's Set-up Northbourne NPC's
Expressive Facial Animation Female Edition[www.nexusmods.com] To avoid clipping with female mouth. NOTE: being tested for Skyrim Anniversary Edition
Expressive Facial Animation Male Edition[www.nexusmods.com] To avoid clipping with male mouth.
NOTE: being tested for Skyrim Anniversary Edition


Let's Give the NPC's some outstanding Lore Friendly Hair
Superior Lore-friendly Hair[www.nexusmods.com] (select rough version on install) This particular mod is fine for use in SSE even tho it's an LE mod.

MAKE SURE YOU INSTALLED THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS

Does not include children and beast races.
Also available in Males Only versions.
As you install the Northbourne series, after you install the first hold's npc's, Vortex will list conflicts because the Mod Author (MA) of course uses many of the same assets for all NPC's. This is normal. Just let each install overwrite the last.

Pro tip In the unlikely event should you run into a naked npc in your travels simply open the console (with the tilde key), make very sure you click exactly on the npc (their name and information will appear), type "resetinventory" (without the quotes), hit enter, close the console (tilde key). Done.

Northbourne NPCs of Whiterun Hold[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: After ALL. Redesign for all 102 named male and female NPCs in Whiterun Hold (includes Riverwood NPC's)
Northbourne NPCs of Falkreath Hold [www.nexusmods.com] Rules: After ALL. Redesign for all 60 named male and female NPCs in Falkreath Hold
Northbourne NPCs of the Rift[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: After ALL. Redesign for all 125 named male and female NPCs in the Rift Region
Northbourne NPCs of Winterhold[www.nexusmods.com] Rules: After ALL. Redesign for all 34 named male and female NPCs in the Winterhold Region
Northbourne NPCs of Haafingar [www.nexusmods.com] Rules: After ALL. Redesign for all 104 named male and female NPCs in Haafingar Hold.

IF you installed "Craftable Horse Barding: Earlier in the guide:
DO NOT LET "Craftable Horse Barding" overwrite Northbourne NPC's

Serana not included in the above. due to all the Serana mods out there as some users have their favorite Serana mods so the mod author left it up to you.
Southpawe recently added a separate Standalone version of Serana that keeps the "Serana look" with hair options and an alternate look, "Daughter of Coldharbour" (listed down below).

First let's add some patches
For SE 1.5.97 USSEP - Northbourne NPCs - AI Overhaul Patches' Compendium[drive.google.com]

(THIS PATCH IS FOR SAE
USSEP - Northbourne NPCs - AI Overhaul Patches' Compendium[www.nexusmods.com] )

Now we need a patch for Cutting Room Floor (CRF) and Northbourne - (if you installed CRF)
Patches for Northbourne NPCs[www.nexusmods.com] Grab "NB NPCs - CRF Patch AIO" patch.

IF needed for your load order there are some patches available in the PATCHES section of my
Pick & Choose Mods Guide in case you use other mods like "VHR - Vanilla Hair Replacer which are not part of this guide. Again, YOU'LL NEED a Serana replacer from the next section.

continue for serana hood fix and more npc options

Serana's Invisible Hood - no scripts and no NPC change[www.nexusmods.com] Makes Serana's Hood invisible without changing Serana herself or using/modifying any scripts. Should load near the bottom with Vortex (make sure it loads after after mods that change or edit clothing.

Here are some nice makeover mods for some popular individual NPC's: Place mods of this nature AFTER all your NPC mods in your load order. Always use only 1 replacer for each NPC

Again, load order is after all NPC overhaul mods regardless of what Loot/Vortex says.

*You'll need a Serana Mod or she will be vanilla (only pick one).
Only use 1

Serana - Daughter of Coldharbour[www.nexusmods.com] SAME MOD AUTHOR AS NORTHBOURNE MODS. Top notch work as always by Southepawe (only use 1 Serana replacer).
OR
Seranaholic by rxkx22 - SSE[www.nexusmods.com] FOMOD installer: Your choice. <I always use v1.7 w/blue eyes wgt. 100> Also pick body type. My favorite Serana Replacer for ages(Load order is after all NPC overhall mods) ONLY USE 1 SERANA REPLACER

*Serana Dialogue Add-ons in the next section

*Optional Serana Armor in the Weapons & Armor Section

You don't need a Aela Mod as Northbourne covers her, but here is an option.
SavrenX Aela [www.nexusmods.com] This one just came out and is already my favorite Aela replacer. Looks like her in game (imo) more than the screenshots seem to indicate. Load after NPC overhaul mods. Load order is after all NPC overhall mods.

You don't need a Rayya Mod as Northbourne covers her, but here is an option.
DJQ Zafira - Rayya Replacer by Djacko Quatro[www.nexusmods.com] Replacer for The Housecarl at Lakewood Manor. LOAD AFTER Northbourne NPC's in Vortex.

*You'll need a courier mod or he will be vanilla - Here's a male & a female to choose from.
Only pick one courier:
Female
Lilly - A fully-voiced female courier replacer & follower[www.nexusmods.com] Grab bsa version.
*****OR (do not use both)*****
Male
The Handsome Courier SE[www.nexusmods.com]

Face issues? (I doubt you'll have any)
First go back and read my intructions
See the "Face Discoloration" section in my SSE Help Guide:
SSE Help Guide

Serana is a very well known follower from the Dawnguard DLC - Here's some great dialogue add-ons:
All can be used together
Marry Me Serana[www.nexusmods.com] MANUAL INSTALL ONLY: simply manual download then DRAG IT to the bottom box of the Vortex "mod" section. I use this mod in every load order even if I'm not marrying Serana just for the added dialogue.

Serana Dialogue Edit - Skyrim Special Edition[www.nexusmods.com] An Overhaul of the Dialogue for Serana. This includes: Bug fixes, Custom Dialogue Branches, More Radiant Dialogue and Expansion into Hearthfire and Dragonborn.

Serana Dialogue Add-On[www.nexusmods.com] READ - Grab these patches from the mod page:
"SDA Serana Dialogue Edit Patch" & Make Sure it loads AFTER both Serana dialogue mods (regardless of what Vortex says)
+
Also - Grab the "SDA Relationship Dialogue Overhaul Patch" (IF you installed *RDO)
+
and if you like also get "SDA Clothed Sleep Patch" if you want to have Serana not unequip her armor when sleeping.

+ you might like (options to the options)
While you're there (if you like) see the following optional patches:
Nether's Follower Framework has an optional patch (if you installed NFF)
Campfire Snuggles are supported via an optional patch. (if you installed Campfire)

Note: everything on this page will work together.

(*RDO: Relationship Dialogue Overhaul)

I'll add Inigo to the mod list and let you pick the rest.
1. INIGO[www.nexusmods.com] Skyrim's most popular follower. DO NOT CLEAN INGO
+
2. elwaps' Patches and Fixes[www.nexusmods.com] Grab "Inigo - Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch -PATCH-"

Although Inigo is in the Riften Jail he's really not "in jail". Check him out and have fun.

---

Hey all,

So for followers the list is very long as far as choices go and I have used them all in my thousands of hours playing this game.

I am going to suggest you go to my Followers Section in my "Pick & Choose Mods" Guide for SSE
Then go to the sections titled "Followers - NPC's" and "Follower Framework - NPC's"

Why? The answer is simple. There is much information on those pages as to how followers work in Skyrim and of course I have listed some of the best Follower mods in SSE that I also have tested.

You'll agree with why I suggest you go there once you see the way it's set up:
https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2264913895
If I get enough requests I'll move some of that info over here but I feel this is best.

Followers can be very important to some players.

This section is of course entirely optional.

Pick what you like or take them all (I use this entire list in all my games)

Unique Uniques SE[www.nexusmods.com] I like to display my unique weapons in my player home(s) but the default weapons are so bland. This mod gives the unique weapons a truly unique appearance.

Thane Weapons Reborn[www.nexusmods.com] a mod which makes the Thane reward weapons truly unique with brand new models and equally unique abilities.

Skyforge Weapons SSE[www.nexusmods.com] Steel versions of the weapons are replacers for all Skyforge steel weapons in the game. Craftable version are standalone.

Fixes For Skyforge Weapons SSE[www.nexusmods.com] Vortex Rules: AFTER Skyforge Weapons

Hunter Archer Armor (by protese for SSE)[www.nexusmods.com] Contains two versions in one download, the normal default version (seen on the title screen) and a green version. Both are craftable at a forge. Can be worn by Male and Female.

Ancient Hunter - Modular Leather Armor - UNP UNPB Physics[www.nexusmods.com] Option to make this CBBE by adding Ancient Hunter - Modular Leather Armor - CBBE Bodyslide CBPC AND SMP (3BBB) Physics[www.nexusmods.com] if you like. (see mod page for details)

DX Witch Hunter Armor - UNP[www.nexusmods.com] I use to replace Serana's default armor as it matches the color scheme.
OR - IF you are using CBBE:
DX Witch Hunter Armor - CBBE BodySlide (with Physics) version[www.nexusmods.com] Requires original mod.
Use EFF or AFT to easily change her (or any followers) armor or use the Simple NPC Outfit Manager listed further down this page.

Zerofrost Ultimate Armor Collection[www.nexusmods.com] The Zerofrost Armor Collection & Zerofrost mythical Armor collection all in a single ESP. Male & Female Armors included. There is a CBBE slider option in the optional file section. The Odins Wrath armor has had users reported issues so you might not want to use it. See mod page for location of armors. They are also craftable or you can use the AddItemMenu we installed earlier.

Balanced Longcoats - SSE[www.nexusmods.com] Adds four longcoats and three sets of boots and bracers, available through crafting.

Northgirl Armor UNP - SSE[www.nexusmods.com] Female armor (UNP). There is a CBBE conversion Northgirl Armor Neko Edition - 3BA - BHUNP - CBBE[www.nexusmods.com] Requires original mod.

Ciri's Outfit (The Witcher 3) SE UNP-CBBE[www.nexusmods.com] Adds a UNP Ciri's outfit and sword from the game The Witcher 3. There is a CBBE body slide in the optional files (Main file Required).

Practical Pirate Outfit[www.nexusmods.com] Armor Outfit for both male & female characters. CBBE in optional file section (Requires main file) There's a chest next to the wreck of the Brinehammer, northwest of Dawnstar. Includes outfits and a pattern book for crafting.

Nordic Ranger Outfit by FrankDema for SSE[www.nexusmods.com] This mod adds a new set of armour and an accessory craftable under the leather category at any forge. Including a unique backpack.

College Prestige Mage Outfit SE[www.nexusmods.com] Also includes Armor version. An outfit especially designed for mages. 9 items for options. Body slide in optional files.
+
Make sure you add the College Prestige Mage Outfit by Xtudo SE UPDATE file.

Armor of Intrigue SE Updated[www.nexusmods.com] A highly detailed set of male armor, that you can modify with many addons and options. It features both Light & Heavy variants with bags, pouches, satchels, tools, potions and more., all packed in a new FOMOD installer.

Cloaks of Skyrim[www.nexusmods.com] Adds almost 100 new styles of cloak to the world of Skyrim, via crafting, levelled-lists, & static loot. They are lore-friendly & enchantable.

Cloaks of the Nords[www.nexusmods.com]
Rule: After Cloaks of Skyrim. aims to retexture all capes & cloaks added by other mods such as Cloaks of Skyrim.

Cloaks of the Nords for Guards[www.nexusmods.com] This mod makes (almost) all the guards to use textures from Cloaks of the Nords.

IF you installed OBIS earlier:
Organized Bandits of Skyrim and Cloaks of Skyrim Patch[www.nexusmods.com] Some heavier armored bandits won't get their helmets if you have cloak of skyrim installed.. also an issue with the book of bandits loot table..This resolves em... pretty minor stuff but hey..

Colovian Noble Clothes[www.nexusmods.com] a brand-new set of fine clothing to the game based on the colovian fashions found in Cyrodiil. Comes in two color variants, with an added set for vampire nobility. Every piece in the set will work for both males & female of every race, and is completely weight-slider compatible. The blue and green variants can be purchased from Radiant Raiment or found in wardrobes. The black vampire version will sometimes be worn by vampires - kill them to loot it off their corpse.

Maid Outfits by zzjay and GraceDarkling[www.nexusmods.com] A set of fine dresses based on barkeeper mesh. 23 colours. Maid Outfits - SSE CBBE BodySlide[www.nexusmods.com] Require original mod.

Sexy female clothing with pants by Giamel[www.nexusmods.com] 3 separate downloads. Includes "Sexy Merchant Clothes", "Sexy Tavern Leathers" and "Summer Miner Two-Piece". Bodyslide files included for each of them

Optional Opulent Outfits Vanilla Texture Replacer SE[www.nexusmods.com] Take a look at the mod page to see if you want these as Rustic Clothing also covers these Robes (you can simply overwrite Rustic to obtain these Robes, but use the rest of Rustic's outstanding Clothing). You pick your colors in the FOMOD installer.

NOTE: You can give any armor or clothing to any NPC by using a mod like
Simple NPC Outfit Manager[www.nexusmods.com] can change any NPC's outfit/armor. I use Utility version.

And you can obtain any of these mods by using "AddItemMenu" that we installed earlier in the guide.

For more Weapon, Armor, and Clothing mods see my Pick & Choose Guide under the appropriate category

---

Congrats - you're done

You should only attempt DyndoLOD if you skipped the "Landscape & Trees" section and either have some experience with creating LODS or feel you are up for the task. Either way Congratulations.

Here's a little bat (text) file you can put in your game folder.
(same folder you SkyrimSE.exe is located in). bat mcm[drive.google.com]
This way if you feel all your MCM mods are not appearing in your MCM you can use this.
To use:
Add the file as per above. Then when in-game simply open the console with the tilde (`) key and type bat mcm wait a few seconds and you'll see the message.

ONLY USE THIS SECTION IF YOU SKIPPED THE "LANDSCAPE & TREES" SECTION

Prerequisites
Finalize the load order. Install mods, sort and resolve conflicts. Clean and error check the load order with xEdit. The Batch Plugin Cleaner for Mod Organizer or the xEdit Cleaning Extension for Vortex help to automate some of that.

Typically create all other patches first. Especially all patches affecting worldspaces should be done before generating LOD.

Typically generate terrain LOD meshes and textures with xLODGen before generating the LOD mod with DynDOLOD. Any other existing generated LOD meshes or textures do not affect LOD generation and will typically be overwritten by the generated outputs.

For generating grass LOD, generate the grass pre-cache No Grass In Objects before generating the LOD mod with DynDOLOD.

Make Sure your snow is set up

What exactly is DyndoLOD and what does it stand for?
This 2016 video by Michael of GamerPoets explains it well:
https://youtu.be/1_5MWqeHIzw

Instead of confusing the issue by listing the mods needed in the following 2 videos I think it's easier for you to get the links directly from the videos
Both GamerPoets and WazaLang do an outstanding job of explaining step by step the "how to" process in adding LODS to your game. You can't go wrong with either.

THERE HAS BEEN AN UPDATE TO DYNDOLOD (3.3) PLEASE READ BEFORE PROCEEDING

Use DynDOLOD v3.xx for objects (including mtns) and trees. xLODGEN beta for terrain.
Unless of course you'll be using the previous version of DyndoLOD

DynDOLOD Beta for Skyrim Special Edition, Skyrim VR and Enderal[stepmodifications.org]
THAT SAID 3.3 IS STILL IN BETA SO IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME STICK WITH 2.88

New 3/28/2022
Here is a new guide for DyndoLOD 3.xx by Mephitic
https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2785222362
And a New video by GamerPoets
https://youtu.be/encZYHEeQrQ

Simpler of these two options
This video by GamerPoets is a step by step walkthrough (pause as needed). You can go back to the Landscapes and Trees section of this guide and grab some of those mods or what you see here but I wanted you to do this part of your load order inclusive of these type mods at the same time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMrjXivssso&feature=youtu.be
What you'll need
*UPDATE / NEW - This link Replaces [www.nexusmods.com] the first 2 links GamerPoets gives you in the beginning for "DynDOLOD Resources" and "DynDOLOD Tools"

You'll still use DynDOLOD Standalone [forum.step-project.com]

In other words; between the two links listed above you'll be getting 3 files.

The remaining links are listed in his Youtube page and you'll choose based on what you are using.

This option requires more mods than the simpler option (listed above) and a little more work.

---

THERE HAS BEEN AN UPDATE TO DYNDOLOD (3.3) PLEASE READ BEFORE PROCEEDING
DynDOLOD Beta for Skyrim Special Edition, Skyrim VR and Enderal[stepmodifications.org]
instructions[stepmodifications.org] Sheson's instruction page

---

I used the above method (option 1) and mods that GamerPoets shows in that video for a long while and my game looked great, then I stumbled on WazaLang's Youtube page as I was downloading mods for my new load order and one mod author liked his video so much he referenced it on his mod page and I absolutely loved it, so here you go. Choices are great.

This video uses DyndoLOD 2.88https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRlcZT5crgM&feature=youtu.be
Links to all mods used in WazaLang's video are listed on his Youtube page
IF a version of a mod does not match the version in the video = always check the "old files section" on said mod page

The Following is for the latest version DyndoLOD 3.00 Alpha 34
DyndoLOD 3 Installation Instructions[dyndolod.info]
DynDOLOD Resources SE 3[www.nexusmods.com] DynDOLOD Resources SE 3 required by DynDOLOD 3 for drastically improved tree and object LOD generation.

Dynamic Distant Objects LOD - DynDOLOD[www.nexusmods.com] Get DynDOLOD 3.00 Alpha 34 version

Aspens Ablaze Add-On - DynDOLOD 3[www.nexusmods.com]

USE DynDOLOD v3.xx for objects (including mtns) and trees. xLODGEN beta for terrain.

instructions[stepmodifications.org] Sheson's instruction page

Important
Make sure that when an update comes out for this game you won't receive it until you are ready as there is always a very high chance some mods won't function and you will not be able to play your game until the mod or mods are updated by that mod author. Fortunately we can avoid this very easily. Simply follow the link below and take a minute to protect your game.

Protect your Game from Updates until you're ready:
I wrote a short tutorial for this so simply follow the "These simple steps" link below.
These simple steps will let you play uninterrupted (also included - keeping a backup)

And please do not start removing mods mid game at the first sign of problems (you won't find problems with this guide if you follow it but I'm giving you this for future reference). Read more here.

There's no crying in modding

LET'S NOT GET CAUGHT IN THIS MESS AGAIN

If you've been following this guide for the past 2 years you realize how much emphasis we place on the importance of protecting your modded game from Bethesda updates. If you've visited the Steam Skyrim SE Forums and read the Pinned Topics you realize how much emphasis we place on the importance of protecting your modded game from Bethesda updates. If you've experienced an update on your modded game you realize the importance of protecting your game from Bethesda updates.

So now that we all agree on the the importance of protecting your game from Bethesda updates and understand that we do not know when the next update will be thrust upon us:

Let's review the steps you must take:

Step 1: Backup
Save copies of both your SkyrimSE.exe and SkyrimSELauncher.exe (which are located in your SteamLibrarysteamappscommonSkyrim Special Edition folder) to a backup location/folder as well as your .esm's (which are all located in your SteamLibrarysteamappscommonSkyrim Special EditionData folder) as follows: skyrim.esm, update.esm, dawnguard.esm, hearthfires.esm, and dragonborn.esm, to a backup location/folder.

What you also should do is backup your Skyrim "Data" folder (as noted above located here: SteamLibrarysteamappscommonSkyrim Special EditionData)

Step 2: Settings
Change Skyrim SE's update settings in your Steam Library to only update when launched. Then - Never launch Skyrim SE via Steam, only via the skse64_loader and only while Steam is running in the background.

(Step 3)
SEE SECTION TITLED "BACKUP & LOCK" FOR MORE IMPORTANT INFO

I'll post this information throughout the guide because we all realize the importance of protecting your game from Bethesda updates.

FYI
My current game is modded with all the mods in this guide and I've been playing on this save for about one month including the last week since the update. Everything is running excellent. Matter of fact I just added 2 more mods. I won't update any mods in my current game but that's nothing new, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Just wanted everyone to know that if you took the steps to protect your game as outlined in this guide as well as the Steam SSE Forums then you most likely are aware that everything is fine. I'll continue to play on this save until I feel enough mods have caught up to Bethesda's big update (of course many mods did not need an update).

*And remember this:
When one modder leaves the community, another one will rise up. This has always been the case so please be patient if your favorite mod is outdated and the mod author is nowhere to be found.

THIS SECTION IS FOR THOSE THAT WANT TO EXCEED 255 MODS (PLUGINS)

Let's talk about saving space in your load order for those of you that want to exceed the 255 plugin limit for modding Skyrim Special Edition but have limited experience as a mod user.

You may have heard of "Merging Plugins" as a way to reduce the number of plugins and this is true although but one way to accomplish (more on that later). What you may not have heard is that there are several factors that must be present before you start the process of merging mods.

"WARNING! Merging plugins requires experience - a LOT of it! If you are unsure of something - DON'T DO IT. And if you lack experience, then keep things small."

To save space here I'll simply direct you to our forum thread for solid information on this. However, please read on for a much simpler and most likely a better solution to what you're looking for.


Elsify: flagging .esp's as .esl's (FE)

What is ESP and ESL Skyrim?
In short, esp files are plugins that are loaded by the game engine, they contain for example, quests, scripts, the data for races and a lot of other stuff, there is a limit to the amount of esp/esm files that can be loaded by the engine (255). esl files are a variation of esp files that were created for the creation club.

You can simply reduce your number of plugins as long as you know which mods to flag as esl's.
Note: this is not the same as turning an esp into an esl, this is flagging.
Q: What do you mean "as long as you know which mods to flag"? What's the difference?
A: The file you are flagging cannot contain more than 2048 records in it or the form IDs will overflow into another FE slot and corrupt the save. So don't flag mods like followers, DLC's, quests, animation mods, NPC overhaul mods, etc. You need to pay attention to what you're doing.

There is now a script for xEdit that auto flags esl any plugins that are available to be Elsified. Download the script an added to your "Edit Scripts" folder which is in your xEdit folder you should have put inside the Modding Tools folder we made earlier.
You can find the file here[www.nexusmods.com]
And you can read more here[www.nexusmods.com]

What are esp's, esl's, esp's flagged as esl's, and how & when do I use them:
https://youtu.be/g_urrHrGQOY?list=PLlN8weLk86XiGXJI4DaRa1QIq1zhDpD8V

Vortex also has a feature in the plugins section that indicates which mods can be converted

Please Take a Moment

---

The feedback is much appreciated as it helps me with the guides going forward. Thank you.

1. How many Mods?[strawpoll.com] 2. AFT, EFF or NFF?[strawpoll.com]

3. *NEW - Which Horse Mod?[strawpoll.com] 4. FNIS, DAR or NEMESIS?[strawpoll.com]

Don't forget to give the guide a thumbs-up so it stays up top in view for newcomers to find

---

Use "Auto Saves" and "Quick Saves " at your own risk!

So Hard save only and hard save often
Sure you can use them but beware of the fact than many have experienced game breaking bugs using anything but "Hard Saves" on this game, myself included.
Furthermore, when you come to a point in the game where you simply want to go back to a recent stage of the game, for whatever reason (ex: you encountered a glitch in the game or you missed that Achievement), there is nothing more frustrating than not being able to do so because your last several saves are AutoSaves or QuickSaves from hours ago. This happens because Skyrim continually overwrites these saves meaning a previous save may not be available to you other than that hard save you made 3+ hours ago and now you either lose all that playing time or live with it going forward.

This is how I set up the in game Menu (Just remember to hard save early & often)

And do not save over saves

I'm not going to write a wall of text in this section on why all of the above is critical or get into detail on how it happens (see link below for detailed info).

Then there's the Cloud / One drive. You need to disable this.

For detailed information on "Saves" and on "The Cloud" regarding Skyrim see the section titled "Cloud & Save Problems - One Drive" in my SSE Help Guide

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

DO NOT UPDATE YOUR MODS UNLESS SAID UPDATE FIXES A CONCERN

Once you start your playthrough if you see one of the mods in your load order have been updated - LEAVE IT ALONE - don't be tempted UNLESS the update is fixing something that needed fixing.

Simply put: an update to 1 mod in your load order could potentially break or cause another mod react in an adverse manner. IF you must update read everything. if it ain't broke don't fix it

Once you are done with the playthrough then update your mods accordingly.

Want to import a mod from LE over to SE?
bchick3 Guide to Porting skyrim LE mods to SSE[www.nexusmods.com]

If this game is not recognizing your controller:

1. Go to: C:UsersOwnerDocumentsMy GamesSkyrim Special Edition
   
2. locate & open your SkyrimPrefs.ini with Notepad
   
3. find: bGamepadEnable=1 (make sure it's 1 and not 0)
   
4. *Launch game and open the >>>Menu>>>Settings >>> gameplay
   
5. make sure the Controller box is enabled/ticked (see image below)
   
6. exit menu & enjoy

*After performing steps 1 thru 3 Launch your game & use the in game menu as shown here

If that doesn't work
exit game
go back to
C:UsersOwnerDocumentsMy GamesSkyrim Special Edition
delete the 2 (configuration files) .ini files
1. SkyrimPrefs.ini
2. Skyrim.ini
Then Launch the game and open the Menu>>>settings >> gameplay >> and enable controller>>> then exit the menu and play your game.

If needed don't forget to right click on this game in your Steam library and go to the Controller section and find a controller set-up for you.

Going bonkers due to problems with your game? Crashing constantly? Maybe your game is freezing or you're seeing purple textures. Perhaps it's long loading screens or error messages? Every modder goes through this at one time or another but it's to what degree and frequency this happens that we can avoid. Worse yet it's no fun at all to constantly remove all your mods, wipe your Skyrim installation clean, re-install the game, and start all over again. Having installed many thousands of mods myself I know the feeling of experiencing mod conflicts all too well.

Basically I learned two things regarding any of the above symptoms. First, it's almost never the mod authors fault. Second, usually you have a load order conflict or missed an installation step.

There is no one "magic wand" tool that will resolve all your load order problems. The good news is having some basic knowledge of how load order works and access to the proper tools can allow you many hours of actually playing the game as opposed to tracking down and fixing problems.

There are proper tools for each job. But before we get into the tools you need let's make sure we know how to troubleshoot properly because if you don't know how, well things can get much uglier fast. Read this: Troubleshooting Your Load Order by smr1957

Load order is exactly what it implies, it is the order your game's files are loaded into the game. When you first fire up your game after modding it the game will read these mod files and to simplify it "the last mod wins" in a conflict. So sometimes, if two mods are trying to change the same thing this can cause visual conflicts or game-breaking conflicts, so a well organized load order can potentially remove many of these problems. Not every single conflict in the game needs to be fixed but all should be addressed.

Fortunately there are a couple of programs that will give you considerable help with this. A good mod manager is first and foremost. Before we get into that I would not be doing you any favors if I did not mention the fact that reading before installing any mod will avert most problems. Most decent mod authors will provide you with information they feel is necessary regarding load order and patches and they will all tell you that using a mod that alters the same file that theirs does will result in a conflict. So if you are not reading then you are not modding. To be blunt you must read if you want your modded game to function properly if at all. Fortunately there are tools that can and will help you with the rest of your load order requirements. Always read first.

It is highly recommended that you watch the "Dependencies and Conflicts" video by Gopher in the "Mod Manager Tutorials" section listed earlier in this guide.


*VORTEX [www.nexusmods.com]
This guide recommends Vortex not only because it's the official Nexus Mod Manager but more so because of it's simplicity of use over others. However, if you are currently using another mod manager and are comfortable with it, then by all means continue to use it. There are links in this guide under the "Links & Resources" section that will help you with Vortex. Since we are focusing on some basic information regarding conflicts in this section of the guide please take a look at the following video by Gopher:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSkurhkPSyw&feature=youtu.be


SSEEDIT [github.com] is one in a series of xEdit tools (the x is replaced by the game version, for example the Fallout 4 version is called FO4Edit). xEdit is an advanced graphical module viewer/editor and conflict detector. With this Skyrim Special Edition version of xEdit (SSEEDIT) you can execute actions that Loot alerts you to, you can patch mods and more. There are several links to SSEEDIT in the links and resources section but first let's take a look at a Video by Michael of GamerPoets on setting up xEdit. He coversxEdit setup for both MO2 and Vortex with the Vortex steps at the 1:33 mark of the video.
https://youtu.be/wA5IlESvtCM?list=PLlN8weLk86XiGXJI4DaRa1QIq1zhDpD8V (ALSO: Please see the section in this guide titled: Cleaning Masters and mods with xEdit)



*Loot [loot.github.io] which is short for "Load Order Optimization Tool" is yet another powerful and important tool in modding your game. Setting the right load order for your mods is a crucial step to enjoying a stable modded game. LOOT can help with that by providing automated load order sorting that's easy to use. Yes, LOOT load order sorting code is built into Vortex but having the separate LOOT program in your arsenal of tools is important since LOOT does more than simply sort your load order. LOOT performs other functions for example it scans for required patches and ITMs requiring SSEEdit cleaning.
Michael of GamerPoets explains Loot from A-Z including installation:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I35nNK8PWlw


MO2 [www.nexusmods.com] is also a very popular mod manager. MO2 users swear by it and Vortex users swear by Vortex, they are both exceptional so if you are already using MO2 by all means stick with it. Some say MO2 is better for larger load orders like 100 mods or more. I use Vortex with over 500 mods and have zero problems with my game so it's a matter of choice. They both have learning curves and many say Vortex is the easier of them to learn. Choices are great. See the "Mod Manager Tutorials" section for more info on MO2.
Watch this Video by GamerPoets (Michael has a way of explaining clearly) on MO2:
https://youtu.be/ruq6hQIAvB8?list=PLlN8weLk86Xh3ue76x2ibqtmMramwQmHB

https://youtu.be/d2Lgncza9AI
https://youtu.be/HdPQiOiWfSA
https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1868336179
10 Things We Wish We Knew Before Playing Skyrim For The First Time Link[gamerant.com]

Sneak, Muffle, Invisibility, and why you need all 3
Good discussion. Although this is an Oldrim thread the same principles apply Link

Skyrim spouses: The good, the bad and the ugly
The Divines have blessed a total of 30 female marriage candidates and 37 male marriage candidates in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and official expansions...... read more[jlhilton.com]

There are a decent amount of abbreviations, acronyms, keywords, and terms (whatever you want to call them) for Bethesda's 5th installment of The Elder Scrolls. Let's familiarize you with a few of them as they can be confusing at first.

listed alphabetically

BSA - Bethesda Softworks Archive. A compressed file you'll often see in many mods. Can include sounds, textures, models, etc. BSA install-order doesn't matter, only Load order.

CK - Creation Kit. This tool is used to edit & create Bethesda mods.

CTD - Crash to Desktop.

*CBBE - Caliente's Beautiful Body Enhancement. A popular female body type by Caliente. You'll also need a Skeleton and Texture for this mod as this is strictly a mesh.

*Directory - The location Skyrim is installed to on your PC. Your "root" Skyrim directory is where your Skyrim.exe file is located. see "Root"

.dds is a texture file.

DLL - Dynamic Link Library. Used often in mods. A DLL is a library that contains code and data that can be used by more than one program at the same time.

DyndoLOD - Dynamic Distant Objects Level of Detail: A program that goes through your installed mods and automatically creates a dynamic Level of Detail for the entirety of Skyrim. DyndoLOD basically stops the landscape pop-in you see in your game as your character travels through the games grids. DyndoLOD "just works" as Todd would say.

ENB - a lighting program that uses post process.

*ESP, *ESM, - not always acronyms; usually file types .esp, .esm, - (These are the basics if you want more info research them separately). The ESM file format stands for Elder Scrolls Master file. It has been in use since The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, & is used in conjunction with the ESP (Elder Scrolls Plugin). All ESPs require an ESM file in order to work. For example, Skyrim's ESM file is labeled Skyrim.esm, & is required to run all mods for Skyrim. BSA is an acronym for Bethesda Softworks Archive, There are also .esl files that are light plugins & do not take up a slot in your load order's 255 plugin limit.

*FOMOD - You will see this associated with some mod downloads. FOMOD is a mod-manager-specific archive format originally for the Fallout Mod Manager. The term "FOMOD Installer" has been adopted more recently by mod authors in Skyrim and Skyrim SE for their mods as an installation option for their mods that have various options during the install process (after download of course). These so called FOMOD installers in Skyrim are actually known as "Scripted Installers".

FPS - Frames Per Second

HKX - is a compressed XML data file used in Havok Physics engine video games. Data used to simulate real-world physics.

INI - A configuration file composed of sections, settings, and values.

ITMs - are Identical To Master records, ie. data in a plugin for something that is identical to the data for that thing in the plugin's master(s). Usually a type of unintended edit, known as a dirty edit, which can break the functionality of other mods that require the record in question to have a specific value, but which have that value overridden by an ITM record.

*Loot - Load Order Optimisation Tool. Does as the name implies, optimises your Load Order. So if someone should ask you if you sorted your load order with Loot you'll know what they mean. Loot will also give you plug-in warning & usage notes while telling you which plugins need cleaning with SSEEDIT
note: Vortex utilizes Loot code (built in) to automatically sort your load order. This does not mean you won't need Loot for detailed messages.

MCM - Mod Configuration Menu. Allows you to customize certain aspects of a mod in game.

.nif is a mesh file.

*Oldrim - (Also referred to as Legendary Edition) This is the way many in the modding community refer to the original 32bit version of Skyrim. For example you often will see text telling you to make sure you are not using the Oldrim version of a mod for SSE. This is because oldrim (Skyrim) is still very active in the community. This guide refers to the newer 64bit version, Skyrim Special Edition. Confused yet? Don't be, it all becomes second nature in no time.

*PLUGIN ESL ESM and ESP are all plugins however ESL's do not take up a load order slot. Most mods have a plugin and there is a 255 plugin limit for Skyrim however some mods like textures don't have a plugin unless for example the textures are particular in where they are to be placed. Usually texture mods do not have a plugin however. For more on plugins & the 255 limit you can read Arthmoor's information if you like. Plugin Files & You [www.afkmods.com]

*Root Folder - also called the root directory or sometimes just the root of any partition or folder is the "highest" directory in the hierarchy. You can also think of it in general as the start or beginning of a particular folder structure. It can be likened to the trunk of a tree, as the starting point where all branches originate from. For us it's the "Skyrim Special Edition" folder found at SteamLibrarysteamappscommonSkyrim Special Edition

*SSE and *SKSE64 - I am grouping these 2 together because the terms look so much alike to many that are new to the Skyrim modding community that they can be confusing. You should get used to these 2 terms as you will see them early and often. The First term SSE refers to this game, Skyrim Special Edition and the second term SKSE64 refers to the Skyrim Script Extender for SSE . Worse yet, there are several Script Extenders for example Oldrim uses SKSE. You must ALWAYS use SKSE64 with Skyrim Special Edition (SSE). Do not use SKSE for SSE. Got it? (I knew you would :))

UDR - Undeleted & Disabled References. Deleted References can cause crashes, and this can be avoided by first undeleting & then disabling them instead. A type of dirty edit. Note that this acronym does not refer to the deleted references themselves - it actually refers to their fixed counterparts. For example, Scan For UDRs will scan for deleted references, not undeleted and disabled references, and LOOT will report the UDR count for a plugin, which is actually the number of deleted references that can be fixed.

*UNP - Dimonized UNPretended (Variations: UNPB (UNP Blessed) UUNP etc.) female Body type (mesh replacer) by dimon99. You also need a Skeleton mod & Texture mod for this mod.

*USSEP - Refers to the "Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch" : a mod that should be at the top of the list of most intelligent load orders. The USSEP is a mod that patches many of the problems that Bethesda did not address in the game originally. You'll read more about this later.
(Note: never use USLEEP, the "Unofficial Skyrim Legendary Edition Patch", for SSE)

*xEdit or *SSEEdit (in our case) - This tool is used for many functions which include editing and cleaning mods, creating patches, and applying scripts to mods. xEdit is the generic term and is used for various Bethesda games that are based on the same game engine. xEdit then takes on the name of that game accordingly, F4Edit for Fallout 4, SSEEdit for Skyrim Special Edition, FNVEdit for Fallout New Vegas, etc.

There you have it, if any were left off the above list you'll learn them soon enough or they will be added as needed in our ongoing update process.

I've already included patches and patching instructions for you in the step by step process of following this guide. If you added mods & should need additional patches I provided this link for you.

When manually placing patches you should always place them after the mods you are patching and I would say as close to the end of your load order as you can.

FOR A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF POPULAR PATCHES look under the "Patches" section in my "More Mods - Pick & Choose" Guide

This section will patch AI Overhaul with Northbourne NPC's

First let's install and setup Synthesis

1. Requirement (this is not a mod) If you haven't already done so go ahead and install
NET 6.0[dotnet.microsoft.com] We need both the x64 version and the x86 version. You should already have them from earlier in the guide.

2. Download Synthesis[github.com]

3. Install Synthesis patcher

4. reboot your PC

5. Launch Synthesis and select AI Overhaul (video and written instruction below)
Note: Vortex users - no need to create an empty mod as shown in video (that's for MO2)

Video Instructions https://youtu.be/s7luh0hMMAU
Now let's patch AI Overhaul and Northbourne NPCs
Synthesis AI Overhaul instructions[www.nexusmods.com]

Need more help?
Synthesis/Mutagen discord[discord.gg]

The following tools are NOT "essential" to this load order but may be important for future use

---

For the Creation Kit you'll first need the Beth Launcher
If you don't have a Bethesda account sign up then down load the Beth Launcher which you'll find using the 3 horizontal lines in the top left hand corner of the site (download to downloads folder) Tes Alliance tutorial[tesalliance.org]
Q: How to install the Creation Kit? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq1F62MOviY
Download Bethesda Launcher for CK[bethesda.net]
More on the Creation Kit
SSE CreationKit Fixes[www.nexusmods.com] You'll need after installing CK

And you'll need to add this line to your new CreationKit.ini located in your SSE folder

Not a tool but if trying to convert Oldrim animations to SSE see this:
Guide to Animation.hkx conversion for Skyrim Special Edition
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2970

---

BSA Archive Browser & Extractor
BSA Browser (with .BA2 support)[www.nexusmods.com]

and fixes issues. Can also scan textures for compatibility.
SSE NIF Optimizer[www.nexusmods.com]
Download (manual) main file. Extract the download and place the executable in your Modding Tools folder, this program is useful if you ever see an Oldrim (original Skyrim) mod that you'd like to convert for use in Skyrim Skyrim Special Edition. Main NifTools[www.niftools.org]

Newer Nif Optimizer
Cathedral Assets Optimizer[www.nexusmods.com] An automation tool used to optimize BSAs, meshes, textures and animations. It helps quickly porting an Oldrim mod to Skyrim Special Edition, and can optimize assets for many Bethesda games.

---

Merging plugins requires experience - a LOT of it! If you are unsure of something - DON'T DO IT. And if you lack experience, then keep things small."

Merge Plugins by Mator
MERGE PLUGINS[www.nexusmods.com] works for SSE

zEdit
Not Required for casual users (you'll know when you need it)
New version v06.6[github.com] released 8/25/2021
Download zEdit[github.com]

Wrye Bash
THIS JUST IN FROM AVRIE (6/2/2021)
Wrye Bash v 309 full release is now out. It is actually a preperation for the full release of version 3.10 which will be based on a newer version of Python.

https://github.com/wrye-bash/wrye-bash/releases/tag/v309

It is highly recommended you do the update because it preps and converts your settings for the imminent full release of V3.10

OLD INFO REGARDING THE OLD VERSION OF WB
highly advisable to NOT use this version. this info is here for old users
*Advisory Regarding Using Wrye Bash To Make A Bashed Patch

There are many more optional mods listed in the full version of the mod list.
All the mods included in the load order have not yet been added to this section - I'm working on it.
the guide itself is fine as it is always in real time, then I update this section. Much going on atm.

---

This is important for those that are not using the guide as was intended!

---

See the section of the guide titled "Let's Get Started" for the all important base game required files!
Including the first "Load Order" section.

---

1) SKSE64[skse.silverlock.org]
2) Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch (USSEP) [www.nexusmods.com]
3) Address Library [www.nexusmods.com]
4) SSE Engine Fixes [www.nexusmods.com] (by aers - Nukem - Ryan)
5) SKY UI [www.nexusmods.com] (by SkyUI Team)
6) Remove QuickSave Button from SkyUI System Menu[www.nexusmods.com] includes the important flashing saves game fix for SKUI also allows you to reorder how the in-game systems page menu displays. IF you feel you must have the QuickSave button which is known to possibly cause issues then use SkyUI SE - Flashing Savegames Fix[www.nexusmods.com] instead.
7) A Quality World Map[www.nexusmods.com] *Only use one of the Classic versions.
8) Static Mesh Improvement Mod - SMIM [www.nexusmods.com] (by Brumbek)
9) Noble Skyrim (NSM) [www.nexusmods.com]
Optional add-on. Stockades of Skyrim 3D[www.nexusmods.com]
10) NSM - SMIM Patch* [www.nexusmods.com] found on Noble Skyrim page.
11) JContainers SE [www.nexusmods.com]
12) Multiple Floors Sandboxing [www.nexusmods.com]
13) Left Hand Rings Modified SE [www.nexusmods.com]
14) CleverCharff's AIO[www.nexusmods.com] 2K OR 4K (or see his individual mods on his main mod page)
15) JS Shrines of the Divines SE[www.nexusmods.com] Comes in 2k and 4k. Outstanding work as usual from johnskyrim. These are by far the best I've seen Let this overwrite anything if asked by Vortex.
16) RUSTIC FURNITURE - SPECIAL EDITION[www.nexusmods.com] Best furniture mod out there. Pick your resolution.
17) RUGNAROK - Special Edition[www.nexusmods.com] an overhaul and expansion of the rugs of Skyrim. 2K or 1K.
18) PELTAPALOOZA - Special Edition[www.nexusmods.com] Expands from the 3 default pelts used in farmhouses & inns to have as many as 9 different pelts in the game.
19) Enhanced Blood Textures (by dDefinder) [www.nexusmods.com]

GO TO "ENB & WEATHER SECTION AND CHOOSE YOUR SET-UP
(important mods included)

25) Enhanced Volumetric Lighting and Shadows (EVLaS) [www.nexusmods.com] See mod page for instructions and more details
26) Enhanced Lights and FX [www.nexusmods.com] Only take base mod + the 'Enhancer'
27) Realistic Water 2 [www.nexusmods.com]
28) Majestic Mountains - Cathedral Concept [www.nexusmods.com]
Skyrim - A Mountainous Experience[www.nexusmods.com] Made With Majestic Mountains in mind Improves and fixes many of the issues found in the mountain meshes around Skyrim (use instead of Mesh Tangent Space Fixes found on MM mod page).

GO TO LANDSCAPE AND TREES
(important mods included)


38) Better MessageBox Controls (by ecirbaf) [www.nexusmods.com] This mod is a much needed improvement
39) Better Dialogue Controls [www.nexusmods.com] Improves your experience when in Dialogue
40) Dialogue Movement Enabler[www.nexusmods.com]
41) pt.1 - DOWNLOAD UI Extensions [www.nexusmods.com]
42) pt.2 - AddItemMenu - Ultimate Mod Explorer [www.nexusmods.com]
43) Unread Books Glow SSE [www.nexusmods.com]
44) Race Menu (by Expired) [www.nexusmods.com]
45) XP32 Maximum Skeleton Special Extended - XPMSSE [www.nexusmods.com]

GO TO "BODY, FACE & HAIR" (CHARACTER CREATION) SECTION
(important mods included)

55) D13 Faster GET UP STAND UP SSE [www.nexusmods.com]
56) Run For Your Lives [www.nexusmods.com]
57) Fast Travel Speed Fix [www.nexusmods.com]
58) *Simply Knock [www.nexusmods.com]
*Simply Knock SKSE64 DLL PLUGIN REQUIREMENT[www.nexusmods.com]
59) Alternate Start - Live Another Life [www.nexusmods.com]
60) The Paarthurnax Dilemma[www.nexusmods.com]
61) Adds voice to the above quest The Paarthurnax Dilemma - Voiced Dialogue[www.nexusmods.com]
62) VioLens - A Killmove Mod SE [www.nexusmods.com]
63) Better Jumping [www.nexusmods.com]

64) EFF - Extensible Follower Framework (EFF) [www.nexusmods.com]
OR
64) AFT - Amazing Follower Tweaks SE (AFT) [www.nexusmods.com]

65) Fores New Idles in Skyrim SE - FNIS SE (by fore) [www.nexusmods.com]

*GO TO BOTH "NPC" SECTIONS
(important mods included)

IF you are someone who enjoy using the Bound Weapons in this game OR if you don't like carrying around the added weight of a Pickaxe or even a Woodcutter's Axe.

Better Bound Weapons[www.nexusmods.com]
Bound Tools[www.nexusmods.com]

Want more immersion with Dragons?

Talkative Dragons [www.nexusmods.com] Mirmulnar, Odahviing, and Paarthurnax speak but none of the other dragons do. This mod changes that by using some vanilla voice lines to make other dragons speak during combat.

Immersive Dragon Sounds -iDS- (Enigma Remaster)[www.nexusmods.com] A Remaster Of Immersive Dragon Sounds! Replaces Every dragon sound also fixes the old bugs.

Need Help with All Things SSE?

Check out my All-New comprehensive Help Guide for Skyrim Special Edition.

ASK FOR HELP WHERE YOU DOWNLOADED THE MOD OR IN THE STEAM FORUMS

There are many helpful people in the above mentioned Steam Forums. Always be patient and courteous because the people in these Forums are giving their time to help yet they are under no obligation to do so. But how do you know the person helping you knows anymore than you? This can be a tough one. A good rule of thumb when in the Steam Forums is to check for the little mouse icon next to the name of the person that is offering you help (see note below). That icon means they own the game. While you're there check and see how many posts that person has by clicking on the dropdown but make sure that person is actually knowledgeable instead of trying to rack up posts (yes it happens especially with younger players). Reddit and Nexus show you the number of posts along with the user name in plain sight. While this is not a fool proof check it can be very helpful if you have any doubts or if you are receiving conflicting information. A few of my top choices are Ilja, cfs111, Rez Elwin, Avrie, and smr1957.

IF YOU DON'T SEE THIS


Many of the same people who offer help in the Steam Forums have written Guides (like this one) that you'll find in the "Pinned Topics" section located at the top of the Steam Skyrim Special Edition Forums. Take advantage of the information as they have a wealth of knowledge, written by people who have many thousands of hours of modding experience in this game. You will find the link to Pinned Topics and many other helpful links in the "Links & Resources" section of this guide.

Same goes for you regarding the mouse icon and lack thereof. So in your case anyone worth their salt probably won't be helping you with your questions and there are very good reasons for that regarding overall performance issues as well as potential game fixes along with the fact that the Steam code of conduct prohibits it.

Just thought this should be mentioned so nobody gets offended. This is a Steam thing.
(This also might be more important if you have doubts about the advice you are getting from someone, ie; they should have the same icon.)

Make sure you installed SKSE64 Properly:

From Pinned Topics; SKSE64 Installation by Avrie

*Excellent Installation Video walkthrough by Gopher

SKSE64 Old school Installation video by Vlad 254 (Vortex)

Here's a Great tutorial by Ilja for MO2 users Troubleshooting SKSE64 and MO2

Excellent VIDEO by GamerPoets on SKSE64 for MO2 & Vortex users

https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2225149260

IF NOT? Please leave a comment if there is something you would like added to this guide.

Did this guide help you?

If so, please leave a rating - thumbs up - or favorite this guide.
So that others may find it as well

I DO NOT RECOMMEND UPDATING YOUR COPY OF SKYRIM SE FOR AWHILE
so if you have not done so you're good to go

1) Make sure your game version is 1.5.97

2) Make sure your Script Extender (SKSE64) is version 2.0.20
which is linked in the guide just make sure you grab that version

Once everything is updated as far as mods are concerned and after the dust settles we will re-evaluate but for now if you follow these steps you can begin using the guide.

Added Note:
3) As you build your load order using this guide:
Look at the dates of each mod and don't take a version that was updated later than 11/10/2021 just to be safe. Right now that should not be a problem. We just want to make sure.

IF YOUR GAME UPDATED FOR WHATEVER REASON - ROLL BACK
https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2641648930

And of course there's always this:
Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Downgrade Patcher
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/57618
An automated patcher to downgrade your Skyrim install from the new AE version to the previous SE version, without redistributing files or requiring any sort of complexity. Just download this, and click "Patch" and it'll do the work.

I'll post this throughout the guide

Hey folks, I'll try to not bore you with a bunch of technical garb.

IF you did not protect your game from the 11/11/2021 update for Skyrim Special Edition (SSE) and you had "x" number of hours invested in your current playthrough I feel your pain because this means you are most likely someone who does not visit Skyrim game forums all that much if at all. But if you had then you would have know the update was coming. Yes many of us had our game protected so we could continue to play while waiting for various mods to update to match the current/new version but you are here because you're looking for some answers at this point.

What was this update?
By now you may have heard that Bethesda basically gave free Creation Club content (link is a video review of the CC) to current Skyrim Special Edition (SSE) owners in the update. The content basically consists of four medium to large mods: Saints & Seducers, Rare Curios, Survival Mode, and Fishing adding plenty of new items and features to the core game. Great news? Not if you had certain mods installed that now need updating to work with SSE's updated compiler. In short the script extender SKSE 64 was the the most notable to be effected by this. Then each mod that depends on SKSE64 needs an update. Oh I could go on but you get the point. Bottom line the update process for these mods can take anywhere from days to weeks. Some may never be updated. Many of you simply want to play the game right now. Here's another well done video review on SAE.

What fixes were included in the update? Answer .

Want you can do in the mean time
The good news is that you can either rollback your version of the game and add some mods that work with the pre-update version of SSE (v1.5.97) or you can play the new updated version (v1.6.342) vanilla or add some mods that have already updated. When it comes to adding mods regardless of which version you decide to mod you'll have to check for version compatibility on each mod as you build your mod list.

In the next two sections I have more information for you including a small mod list you can build for the New version. And if you decide to rollback you can use the guide as was originally intended for now as I will be updating this guide once enough mods have caught up to the latest version.

The correct Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE) is Preliminary AE build 2.1.3 (runtime 1.6.342)
(see table in next section)

Game updates and SKSE64 This is an excellent technical post by Ilja about what happens when game executable updates and SKSE64 goes out of date.

If you've installed the latest patch released from Bethesda on 11/23/2021 and are still experiencing problems with your game try verifying the integrity of your game files through your Steam Library.

Here's a Guide I started with a list of mods for the Anniversary Edition
https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2664164755

Important - the difference between update & upgrade: If you just "updated" Skyrim to AE you will ONLY get the four 4 creation club add-ons. If you buy the "upgrade" you will get a lot of creation club add-on to include the assets that many "AE ONLY" mods require.

Remember: If you did buy the AE "upgrade" then launching the game will greet you with a download screen for the creation club add-ons which you need to complete in order to use many of the mods (if you use mods). So if by chance you were not greeted with the download screen you will then need to log in to the Creation Club and simply download them manually.

FYI: not all CC will appear immediately, it appears naturally as you progress through the game, some are tied to level while others are tied to Main quest.

SSE Steam Pinned Topics & Forums
SSE Nexus Help Forums [forums.nexusmods.com]
Steam SSE Discussion Forums
[SSE] Recommended fixes and adjustments
Bethesda SSE Forum [bethesda.net]
Reddit SSE
Old Farts' Coffee House

AFK Mods [www.afkmods.com]
ENB Binary[enbdev.com]
Script Extender (SKSE64)[SKSE.silverlock.org]
LH Mods (These Mods moved to Schaken and Mod DB)
Mod DB
Schaken Mods[schaken-mods.com]
TES Alliance[tesalliance.org] SE & LE
Vector Plexus[vectorplexus.com] Make sure you're downloading SE or LE
[SSE] Where to find Nexus mod refugees?
Halo Mods[dysintropi.me]

Nexus Mods - Free Sign-up [www.nexusmods.com] *You never pay for mods here (unless you donate)
USSEP Download [www.nexusmods.com]
SKSE64 Download [skse.silverlock.org]
SSE Engine Fixes Download [www.nexusmods.com]
PapyrusUtil SE [www.nexusmods.com]
Add your own Personalized Music - Skyrim SE [www.nexusmods.com] Takes a little work so read mod page
Bethini [www.nexusmods.com] watch this video by Dirty Weasel Media about Bethini and be sure to read the mod description & the instructions on Bethini's mod page regarding this fantastic mod

How to update your computer Graphic Drivers [pcgamer]
How to update your computer Audio Drivers [www.wikihow.com]
How to Verify the integrity of your game files on Steam [steam support]
Microsoft Visual Studio 2015, 2017 and 2019 [support.microsoft.com]
Java - download - install - remove - troubleshoot [www.java.com]
How to rollback your Skyrim - New steam update fix [www.nexusmods.com]

7zip Download (Get 64bit) [www.7-zip.org]
Winrar Download (Get 64bit) [www.win-rar.com]

Vortex Mod Manager Download [www.nexusmods.com]
Vortex vs Nexus Mod Manager [steam guide]
Mod Organizer 2 Download [www.nexusmods.com]
Wrye Bash Download [www.nexusmods.com]
SSEEDIT Download [www.nexusmods.com]
Loot Download [loot.github.io]
The Creation Kit is now a Steam download
Creation Kit
Q: ok I have the launcher now what? A: See the Creation Kit section of my SSE Help Guide

Troubleshooting & Installing SKSE64
Skyrim SE Clean Re-Install by GamerPoets
Vortex Mod Manager - Beginner's Guide #1 : Getting Started
Vortex Mod Manager - Beginner's Guide #2 : Installing Mods
Vortex Mod Manager - Beginner's Guide #3 : Scripted Installers
Vortex Mod Manager - Beginner's Guide #4 : Plugins and Load Order
Vortex Mod Manager - Beginner's Guide #5 : Dependencies and Conflicts
MO 2 - Installation & Setup
MO 2 - Installing Mods
How to Convert .esp's to .esl's
How to set up xEdit
How to Clean Mods & DLC
Wrye Bash || Mod Installation || Tutorial
How to Use DynDOLOD SE || Basics || MO2 & Vortex
Creation Kit SE || Installation & Setup || Tutorial Tuesday

Other Tutorials:
bchick3 Guide to Porting skyrim LE mods to SSE[www.nexusmods.com]

When watching these video's or any video linked to them if trying to get a mod
make sure it is a SSE mod and not an Oldrim mod
Gamer Poets Video's
Gopher's Video's
Mod Skyrim with MO2 - Ai Cave
Dirty Weasel Media
Skyrim Walkthroughs - by ESO
Mod Reviews by Brodul EVERY MOD FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO IS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR SSE

Dynamic Distant Objects LOD - DynDOLOD SE BETA [forum.step-project.com]
SSELODGen [www.nexusmods.com]
Indistinguishable Billboards for SSE [www.nexusmods.com]

IsThereAnyDeal[isthereanydeal.com]

No Link Section would be complete without Wiki [en.uesp.net]

---

Also: Keep this guide handy for future reference and troubleshooting for this or any other load order.

---

https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2944593951
This Next Guide is for the previous version of Skyrim SE (AE) v1.6.353
https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2636368499
https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2266129651 https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2264913895 https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2225149260 https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1977191236 https://steamoss.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2456651059


If you found this guide helpful
So that it stays near the top of SSE Guides so others may find it as well

---

---

Change log

*10/06/2021:
• Added "The Book Of The Wild -Enigma Series Chapter 3" to FX Sound section
  
• Added "Penumbra -Vampire Lord Sounds Rework" to FX Sound section
  
• Added "The Prophecy -Lord Harkon Voice Rework" to FX Sound section
  
• Added "Unfaithed -Miraak's Voice Rework" to FX Sound section
  
• Added "Elementi - Flame Atronach VSFX Rework" to FX Sound section
  
• Moved XPMSSE, RaceMenu, & CBP Physics to their own section
  
• Updated requirements for new version of Scrambled Bugs

*10/07/2021:
• Added "Invisibility Glitch - Eyes Fix SE with Support patches" as mod #13

*10/09/2021:
• Added " Opulent Outfits Vanilla Texture Replacer SE" to "Weapons, Armor & Clothing"

*10/14/2021:
• DO'NT FORGET to set how this game update's in your Steam Library as per the guide instructions
  
• Added "Vanilla Script (micro)Optimizations" as optional to mods 1-4 section

*10/15/2021:
• Added video "Simply Knock" on properly deleting it's outdated PapyrusUtil.dll

*10/16/2021:
• Added "Ice skating fixed for real - No more attack sliding movement" to the Nemesis section

*10/17/2021:
• Added "No Spinning Death Animation" as mod #35

*10/18/2021:
• Added "Simple hawk replacer" to Models & Textures 2
  
• Relpaced Invisibility Glitch - Eyes Fix SE with Invisibility and Eyes Mesh Fix by HHaleyy
  
• Added "TROLL" to Models & Textures 1

*10/19/2021:
• Added an entire NEW "Creature" section - Dragons, Horses, Draugr, Crows, etc.
  
• Added "GIANT" to Models & Textures 2
  
• Moved "Holy Cows" to the "Creatures / Animals" section
  
• Gave Serana Dialogue Add-ons it's own section
  
• Added "Lilly - A fully-voiced female courier replacer and follower" to Lore friendly NPCs
  
• Added "The Handsome Courier SE" to the Lore friendly NPCs section
  
• Added "WiZkiD Wells with real water" to Worldspace & Immersion 2 section

*10/21/2021:
• Replaced "Bound Tools" with "Bound WoodAxe and Pickaxe" (Magic section)
  
• Added "SanityCkeck Cooking Pot" to Camping section
  
• Added "Campfire Backpack HD" to Camping section
  
• Added "Book Covers Skyrim - USSEP Update"
  
• Added "Book Covers Skyrim - Lost Library" as optional

*10/22/2021:
• Added "OH GOD BEES SE - More Bees-More Hives-HD Textures" to the creature section
  
• Added "Ice Wraiths Retexture 2k" to Models & Textures

*10/24/2021:
• Moved "Morrowind Creatures SE" to the Creatures section
  
• Added "Elysium Estate - Lanterns of Skyrim Patch" to Worldspace Immersion section

*10/25/2021:
• Added "Avoid the Wait When Changing to Female in Character Creation"
  
• Added "4K (2k) Torture Rack" to Models & Textures 2

*10/26/2021:
• Added "New Beginnings - Live Another Life Extension SSE" as optional
  
• Added "HAGRAVEN" to the Creatures section
  
• Added "High Poly Sweet Rolls SE" to Models & Textures 2

*10/27/2021:
• Added "Guard Dialogue Overhaul MCM" as Optional in Worldspace - Immersion 2
  
• Added "Point the Way - Kynesgrove Sign" to Worldspace - Immersion 2
  
• Added "Skaal Village Overhaul Patch Collection" to the Solstheim section
  
• Changed Rules for "Ruins Clutter Improved" this is and has always has been a matter of choice
  
• Added "CleverCharff's Photorealistic Ash Pile" to Models & Textures 2

*10/28/2021:
• Added "Alduin Enhanced" to Models & Textures 3
  
• Added "Rally's Farming Tools" to Models & Textures 3
  
• Added a new section Quests which includes:
  Cutting Room Floor
  Interesting NPCs
  Fossil Mining
  The Brotherhood of Old
  Bring Out Your D

*10/30/2021:
• Added "MCoW - Cutting Room Floor patch" to the Cities section
  
• Added a New Section - "True Storms for Obsidian" (with Minty Lightning)
  
• Added "Acquisitive Soul Gems Multithreaded" to the Magic section

*11/01/2021:
• Added "OBIS SE - Organized Bandits In Skyrim Special Edition" to the OBIS section

*11/02/2021:
• Added "Interesting NPCs Visual Overhaul" to the "Quests section
  
• Added "Interesting NPCs (3DNPC) character Zora Fairchild's voice boosted" to "Quests section
  
• Added New section "More Mesh Fixes"

*11/04/2021:
• Added "RUSTIC SPRIGGAN - Special Edition" to Models & Textures 3
  
• Added "DRAGON PRIEST" to Models & Textures 3
  
• Added "WISPMOTHER" to Models & Textures 3

*11/05/2021:
• Added a New Section "Optional UI"
  
• Added "Orc Strongholds by CleverCharff" to Models & Textures 1
  
• Added "Skyrim 3D Furniture" to Models & Textures 1

*11/07/2021:
• Added "Mushroom Retextures Revamped" to the Flowers & Plants section
  
• Added "Rally's Blackreach Mushrooms" to the Flowers & Plants section
  
• Added the optional mod "Craftable Horse Barding" to the Horses section

*11/08/2021:
• Added "RUSTIC CLOTHING - Special Edition" to Models & Textures 2
  
• Added "Realistic Water Two SE - Flowmap Fix Update v4" as per RW2 mod page update
  
• Added "Realistic Water Two SE - Darker Gradient Textures v4.0.1" as per RW2 mod page update
  
• Added "Cleaner Bridges - No More Bridge Dirt" as optional to Landscape section
  
• Added "Better Dirt Cliffs and Alphas (2K)" to Landscape section
  
• Added "Cloaks of Skyrim" to Weapons, Clothing & Armor section
  
• Added "Cloaks of the Nords" to Weapons, Clothing & Armor section
  
• Added "Cloaks of the Nords for Guards" to Weapons, Clothing & Armor section
  
• Added "Organized Bandits of Skyrim and Cloaks of Skyrim Patch"
  
• Added "Dark Brotherhood Armor SE" to Models & Textures 3
  
• Added "Sigils of Skyrim - Banners" to Models & Textures 3
  
• Added "Sigils of Skyrim - Shields" to Models & Textures 3
  
• Moved "Timing is Everything" & "The Choice is Yours" to the end of the Quests section.

*11/10/2021:
• Cleaned up the Nemesis section
  
• Cleaned up the Serana Dialogue section
  
• Added additional notes to the Northbourne NPCs section
  
• Added "RS Children" and "Realistic Children" (new section)
  
• Added "3D Chopping Block + a Fix" to Models & Textures 3.
  
• Added "SavrenX Night Mother" to Models & Textures 3.
  
• Added "SavernX Gore" to Models & Textures 3.
  
• Added "Inigo" to the Follower section

*11/11/2021:
• Made & Papyrus video & posted at Simply Knock and Campfire.
  
• Added text for "bat mcm" to generate MCM - (section at the end of the load order)

*11/14/2021:
• Added: "Hearthfire Light - Reshaped" to the Lighting section

Also added the following from Skyrim 3D Misc ("Chopping Block & Axe" already in guide)
• "Skyrim 3D Misc - Buckets v2"
  
• "Skyrim 3D Misc - Butterchurn"
  
• "Skyrim 3D Misc - Giant Mortar and Pestle"
  
• "Skyrim 3D Misc - Mammoth Cheese"
  
• "Skyrim 3D Misc - Traps"
  
• "Skyrim 3D Misc - Wooven Fence"

*11/15/2021:
• Added: "Hearthfire - Buy more from stewards" to the Player Homes section

*01/03/2022:
• Removed: "The Brotherhood of Old"

*03/25/2022:
• Added: Be a Milk Drinker - SPECIAL EDITION
  
• Added: Be A Milk Drinker with USSEP

*03/26/2022:
• Added: Odin Cleaned Textures
  
• Added: Odin - Summons Redone

*04/22/2022
• Added: SSoB USSEP incorporation (patch)
  
• Added: Alternate Start Voiced

05/24/2022
• Added: "Wiseman303's Flora Fixes - Revamped"

05/24/2022
• Updated "Frankly HD Markarth - The White City Redux"