Modding on a Steam Deck

[Avo]

I'll cut to the chase all I wanted to do was install 3 simple mods on the Anniversary Edition of Skyrim that is installed on my Steam Deck. Mods so simple that I checked their requirements and apparently SKSE is optional for all 3.

Inigo
Legacy Of The Dragonborn
Murasama weapon mod I found (Inigo's accent sounds similar to Jetstream Sam so I thought it would be funny)

So now, I'll tell you what I've tried:
Manually installing these mods (Downloading them on my computer, then transferring them via flash drive into the data folder, no effect)

Installing Vortex to install the mods for me after transferring them (Vortex Setup is an exe file which apparently is not allowed to be run due to "security concerns")

Searching for an alternate mod manager that can run on Linux (Turned up nothing)

Attempting to download the mods via Skyrim SE's recent built in modding function designed for console players (This is a little extreme to me, as I only want to install these 3 mods. That may change in the future, but their selection of mods that have been "Approved" is also meager. I also hate the idea of them preventing me from getting achievements, and labelling the save as "modded")

There is one option that I know will work, but it's such a waste. By completely wiping all of the 200 mods I have spent a long time sorting out, making sure they play nice with each other, re-downloading the game so it's nice and fresh, I can then use the mod manager I already have to mod the game on my computer, then replace the entire install on my Steam Deck.

As of now, downloading what I can through Bethesda seems like the most practical option. But I'm hoping for something better. Any advice would be appreciated.

[HazakTheMad]

Well, lot to answer and advise about.

As far as I know there are no mod managers for SSE for Linux.

There are fewer mods on Bethesda.net, aka the built in modding thing, because less modders upload their mods there compared to other sites.

To install the mods manually you would have to put the contents inside the data folder, you’d have to extract the archives, zip’s 7z’s rar’s, first of course, then enable the esps by using the in game mod manager or tracking down where the pluginlist.txt is stored on steam deck to enable it that way.

Installing and using a mod manager made for windows on Linux is hard as you have to properly setup proton/lutris/wine/other thing for running windows programs on Linux.

The exe not being allowed to run is likely something to do with permissions blah blah that someone who uses Linux and a steam deck could much better explain than me.

[alexander_dougherty]

do a search for solutions for Linux and WINE (windows emulator), because this is the system the steam deck uses apparently (found out yesterday)

[HazakTheMad]

Originally posted by alexander_dougherty:

do a search for solutions for Linux and WINE (windows emulator), because this is the system the steam deck uses apparently (found out yesterday)

Technically it’s properly Steam OS, but it is indeed a variant of Linux.

[sdack]

One can run most Windows applications under Linux by using WINE. SteamOS aka Linux uses WINE. Only there it is called Proton, which is a modified version of WINE with some patches of the staging area (not yet approved patches) plus DXVK. You should be able to run a mod manager by using Proton. What you need to find out is where Proton keeps its directories. Plural, because one can have multiple versions of Proton installed to allow different games to run with different versions of Proton. I do not know from my own experience where these are, but a Google search gave me this:

Internal:
/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/{auto generated id}/pfx

SD card:
/run/media/mmcblk0p1/steamapps/compatdata/{auto generated id}/pfx

If you can get a terminal to open can you set the WINEPREFIX variable to the directory. When you can find the wine executable can you start any windows application with "wine {name of app}.exe". In a terminal shell would this look like this:

> export WINEPREFIX=/home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/{auto generated id}/pfx
> /path/to/wine {name of app}.exe

An alternative may be to try and install Vortex as a non-Steam game and select a Proton version in the properties to use with it. This may work, too. You would then have to tell Vortex where to find Skyrim as it will most likely not be able to auto-detect it.

Again, this is all without me having any experience of SteamDeck. You will have to find someone who has or make your own.

Some links worth following are:
Skyrim SE at ProtonDB - https://www.protondb.com/app/489830
SKSE at protonDB - https://www.protondb.com/app/365720

You may be able to find some additional information there. ProtonDB is the database to Proton and contains information on how well games run under Proton or what workarounds are needed to get a game or an app working with it. Alas, I could not find an entry for the Vortex mod manager there.

[Avo]

Seems I had to do a lot less than I thought. I apparently did correctly install them manually, I just didn't know they had to be activated in the load order afterward. Something I've never had to do before. The luxuries of a mod manager.

Thanks for your help though.