Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch (USSEP)

[smr1957]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2909719179

[Black Album]

Skyrim is a great game ... that's why you bought it...
The problem is that it is filled with 1000's of little bugs and mistakes. That's Bethesda's fault for releasing it in that state and never coming back to fix it. If you play long enough you'll encounter many of them and have no idea how to fix them. You may already have found one.

So what do you do ???

Luckily for you ... there's a wonderful team out there who's life's work appears to be fixing these bugs for you ... so you can enjoy the game even more.

There are some luddites out there who will tell you not to use it because it fixes an exploit they used to cheat whilst playing. That is their choice ... if they want to cheat there's no way to change their mind.
But you have a choice ... do you install this wonderful mod that fixes so many things that are well above your paygrade and that, frankly, you'd be a fool to ignore ... or do you follow the advice of fools and decide not to install it ... it's that simple.

Edit:
Much later in this thread .. after a few arguments .... someone else sums the issue up far better than I ... I'll quote it here now.

Originally posted by Buckholms:

The patch isn't for everyone, but there's no doubt if you're playing the game vanilla you should have the patch installed.

You see, many people, such as myself, who've played the game since 2011 there were a lot of noticable bugs, if you were able to pay attention long enough to catch them, but back then everyone was so mesmerized by the hype no one cared until this mod showed up.

Fast forwarding close to 7 years later, those who buy the game and play it for the first time or to replay it have the the golden opportunity to experience the game almost bug free so it's nice that the OP posted this since there's a sale and that will bring additional people.

To dismiss the other tens to thousands of problems the patch does truely fix, not recommending the patch is perplexing.

[SpeedFreak1972]

I agree completely the unofficial patch solves so many bugs that I can't play without it.

[BarbarianHeart]

I agree as well. The individuals who made the unofficial patches really know what they are doing, and are the real experts.

[Trehek]

As a mod, the Unofficial Patch is somewhat unique in the sense that you probably don't notice it working. You're only able to notice when you DON'T have it and things go wrong in your game.

I played many playthroughs without the mod before I found out about it, and I ran into a multitude of bugs which made me restart or resort to console commands. I also ran into many things which I simply wrote off as silly game design, and only when I read the fix list of the Unofficial Patch did I think "Oh, that was actually a bug! Makes sense!"

After I installed the mod, I never went back. To me it's essential. It makes the playthrough much smoother, with much less problems. With much less need to accomodate to gamebreakers and sillyness (except the things which remain beyond the scope of the Patch, of course). You can just play.

[Surfblasted]

If you need to use console commands to continue a game, it's already broken :(

[SpeedFreak1972]

Originally posted by Surfblasted:

If you need to use console commands to continue a game, it's already broken :(

indeed and probably with the unofficial patch you would never ever encounter those bugs and wouldn't have to resort to console commands.

[Ilja]

Is someone actually still recommending console commands as general bug fixes, despite the threat of bypassing quest triggers and messing up with alias checks?

We had this conversation about 7 years ago. Skyrim SE didn't stop being a Creation Engine game in between.

Don't mess with console, unless UESPWiki lists command as potential solution, which marks it safe(ish) to use in that situation.

I recommend using the Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch. Console commands can not prevent fun things like:

• In-game(!) save bloat from uncleared faction quests. Yes, you can potentially wreck the save just playing unmodded game. Rare, but plausible.
  
  
• Messed up aliases. 95% of reasons why some NPC is messing around. About 100% of second wave posts saying "I fixed (so to speak) one thing with console, but now these things are broken" happen, because people tried to fix these things with console.
  
  
• Broken AI calls. You can move someone there with your console, but you can't force them to continue the quest. Changing quest stage with console risks bypassing quest triggers again.
  
  
• Script loops. These things are something that BGS should have dealt with themselves. How exactly is someone going to fix them with console?
  
  
• DragonActorScript. I wouldn't actually need to continue this list after that note. In fact, I could have just mention this and leave it here as sole reason to use the patch.
  
  
• Extra: Esbern. Even patch can't fix Esber, but it doesn't stop people from trying to bypass the problem with console. Then they return telling how messed up the Blades part of MQ is. If official patch (released long time ago and merged to both Skyrim LE and SE releases) isn't working, then redo the INI-file and stop breaking things further with console.

That is just a very, very small take of things patch fixes, or why console isn't a good idea. I tried to pick ones that most people reading the thread would understand outright from the reply.

Whole version history was posted above.

Originally posted by smr1957:

and the complete change log:
https://afkmods.iguanadons.net/Unofficial%20Skyrim%20Special%20Edition%20Patch%20Version%20History.html

[SpeedFreak1972]

the funny thing is I never encountered those bugs in the first place due to the unofficial patch .... so I don't have to use console commands.

[Ondjage]

The list of fixes speak for themselves: Click here [afkmods.iguanadons.net] to see for yourself. I warn you though, it's gargantuan.

Fixing the alias problems was one of the many great things about it. The creators and all who've contributed have gone far above and beyond fixing the many issues that plagued skyrim.

Having played with this patch for so long I could never go back. Nope.

[Ilja]

No one is interested of your game. You can do what ever you like with that. Install horny Khajiits, if you like. No one cares.

Bugs are properly documented. You are talking about your personal perfectnesses, without providing any care to potential issues for others. You are not even talking of same thing what we are talking about. I didn't mention save corruption with a single word in my reply.

Save corruption another matter. It will not cause alias issues, AI problems or even crashing. Corrupted save simply fails to load. You know that it is corrupted, when game especially mentions that your save file is corrupted and will not be loaded.

We would all be super chilled and enjoying our games, if bugs were persistent. That would make them easy to fix. Most issues as are conditional and based on problems building up.

Let's speak about the save bloat, which you brought back as example.
- Companion quests are not cleared properly. Game causes bloat each time you visit Whiterun. You do not need to visit the mead hall at all.
- Turned down quests from Vex are not cleared.
- Picked up Nirnroot entries are not cleared.
- College of Winterhold radiant quest entries are not correctly cleared.

Faction quest line choices can cause save bloat in your game. That is a fact. You haven't experienced them? Once again: no one cares. You do not see the problem, if your gameplay choices do not build up the problem. That does not mean they wouldn't be there for other players.

Originally posted by DrNewcenstein:

Unlike those who lost the choice to use the exploits the patch removed because players shouldn't have a choice.

It is you who are robbing their choices to play the game as they like. You are limiting other people playing style with your attitude toward exploits, which can be added in better form and usability by anyone knowing how to open xEdit.

[★Kelvy★]

I have only used console once and that was before unofficial patch fixed it, now I never have to or need to use console in my game/s. Games is where I try new mods out and always with restarts, most errors/issues are of my own making.

[Ilja]

I should be in bed, but it might be best to explain the difference in savegame issues. I don't want anyone being left unaware of them.

Save bloat
File sizes for saved games will naturally increase in size, when the game progresses forward. Save bloat means uncontrolled linear growth of a save file size, which will lead issues, like game crashing, while failing to load the save. Game will not give "corrupted file" warning, because save isn't actually corrupted.
- Vanilla save bloat issues (for example: faction quest issues mentioned above.)
- Poorly made mods that do not clear obsolete entries.
- Bunch of well made mods, which do not actually cause notable save bloat on their own, but will cause the save bloat effect together.
- Carelessly uninstalled mod, which left a bunch of uncleaned entries in to ongoing game.

Papyrus bloat
Script issue, where one or more scrips is reserving notable time from Papyrus, stalling it or completel preventing Papyrus from loading other scripts for the game.
- Vanilla script loops.
- Poorly made mod, with constant script loops, overly active invisible cloak effects and overly active cell checks.
- Broken file. Vanilla or modded.
- Uninstalled scripted mod. Game bakes script data to save file. Uninstalling mod from the game does not remove script data from the save file.

Save file corruption
Broken save data. Not bloated, not stressed by overly active scripts in Papyrus, but honestly broken save.
- Hard drive issues.
- Virus.
- Poorly converted mod from 32bit to 64bit.
- In extremely rare cases: engine issue corrupting the save file.
- A complete sausage finger making a mod, by using obsolete tools and methods.

[drwatson1873]

If having the Restoration loop exploit available is deemed necessary...or useful...or desirable...or whatever...here's a simple enough fix.

Step A. Install USSEP via whatever means you prefer.

Step B. Go to this mod page https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/4391, read the installation notes, download/install with your favored method (direct via mod manager, archive and install via mod manager of choice, manual install, rely on osmosis or the power of suggestion) and run the game with the beloved exploit back in place.

As an added bonus, the USSEP would do away with the need for a whole lot of other 'fixit/patchit' .esp plugins. Just think of all the other overpowered booster items that would make space for.

[Mringasa]

Unofficial Patch stops game breaking bugs before they become Forum posts. It's a Roach Motel for Skyrim. It's like an Ant Trap. They take the poison back to the nest, and no more little bugs either! All that in one tiny little download. It takes care of the bugs, so you don't have to!

[Mringasa]

Console commands can, and will, fix your game. At that point in time. But when the rest of the things that were supposed to occur don't, you'll end up breaking your game beyond repair at a later point in time. I've been on the receiving end of this. It is much better to prevent that bug or glitch in the first place.

The console should only ever be used as a last, and final, resort. It should never be mentioned as a first attempt to fix something. Sometimes, it won't even fix anything even though you use the proper commands. It's a shot in the dark if you can fix things in this manner.

Most times looking at the Wiki will provide a better work around. Usually it's "Load your previous save" which is the best solution for most quest bugs. That way you take no chances on breaking something further down the line with a console command that didn't complete a quest properly. Cannot stress how much better it is to load a prior save and continue from there instead of having the heartbreak of losing 5 or 6 hours after a console command failed to complete a quest properly for me. It's not a lot of time, but it is irritating.

The Patch does the best job possible though of preventing you from ever having to touch the console. I've always been a firm believer in "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." I'd rather take a few minutes to install that Patch and know that an enormous chunk of bugs is now taken care of and I am that much closer to a bug and glitch free playthrough.

Making sure players know that the Patch is available, and where to get it from, will help them now and in later playthroughs to get the best experience possible. I'd rather regurgitate "Install the Unofficial Patch" now and not have to walk them through the steps to fix their borked up quests, with no prior saves, later.