Mod Install Order ?

[vK63]

I have read and watched videos till I'm stupider then I was before I started, I'm using MO 2 and is there a install order with mods or does it matter? I'm wanting to use all kinds of mods ( new towns, interiors, creatures, roads, lighting and more ) thanks for helping a F.N.G. out ~

[th]

Load order and install order are VERY important. Have no doubt about it.

[Ilja]

In MO2.

- Left panel manages loose file resource priorities. Folder loaded lower in the list have higher priority and will win conflicts against files above them.

- Right panel manages load order, which handles records/forms and resource priorities for archived files. Files in archives will load according to position of their respective plugins.

It does matter. Think about it: if you want up to date script to take effect, then it will have to load against old and obsolete ones. If you want to replace a texture, then it will have to load after the texture you want to replace etc.

[Ihateeverybody]

I think (And OP correct me if I am wrong) is how you determine what goes where?

Honestly I have been modding Skyrim for over 10 years and I don't have an answer. I have more than 10k hours between the versions and still am unsure.

Some rules of thumb. Read the mod page. Check Compatibilities and Incompatibilities. Read the Authors Sugestions.

Most importantly don't add alot of mods at once. Add one or two, TEST your game to ensure no problems. Add a few more and Reevaluate. Get experience and a feel for what goes where.

Ask advice if you have questions and concerns. Community here is good for that.

[alexander_dougherty]

Originally posted by Ihateeverybody:

I think (And OP correct me if I am wrong) is how you determine what goes where?

Honestly I have been modding Skyrim for over 10 years and I don't have an answer. I have more than 10k hours between the versions and still am unsure.

Some rules of thumb. Read the mod page. Check Compatibilities and Incompatibilities. Read the Authors Sugestions.

Most importantly don't add alot of mods at once. Add one or two, TEST your game to ensure no problems. Add a few more and Reevaluate. Get experience and a feel for what goes where.

Ask advice if you have questions and concerns. Community here is good for that.

There is a rough guide to what type of mod goes where in "Skyrim SE: Guides and Resources" in the pinned topics.
MO2 and Vortex use a sort function based on LOOT (Load Order Optimisation Tool), which helps, and can use custom rules to put specific mods in the right place.

Other than that, read what the mod author recommends, and use trial and error.

[vK63]

Thank you people I have one more question, in my MO2 left panel I have the mods loaded I show nothing under the conflicts column and under the Flags Column I have hearts with a ? mark in them ... what does that all mean ?

[mikk011]

The hearts icon means that you haven't endorsed the mod yet. If you hover your pointer over any icons or version numbers, MO2 will give you a brief explanation of what the icon means. For example, if you hover your pointer over a lightning bolt with a plus icon, MO2 will tell you that the mod in question is overwriting an archive or loose files.

[Death Approaches]

Please: If you don't want to learn about using mods, at least learn your tools. It's important to your continued fun. It will break, eventually, and if you don't know, it's maddening.

https://stepmodifications.org/wiki/Guide:Mod_Organizer
and
https://github.com/ModOrganizer2/modorganizer/wiki

Great starting points.

Look dude, if you think MO2 and LOOT are magic and you can just d/l to your heart's content, dozens, hundreds, even thousands, random mods just picking by name or "ooh that looks cool!", not reading anything, not knowing what works with what, what requires what? And then expect to run it, and off you go, no problems, just a happy gaming experience?

You are in for anger and tears and cussing and eventually giving up and playing something else because you'll have broken the game beyond repair and likely the only way to fix is a fresh start.

You are hereby warned.
---

PS: Great username, though. That they're still going does my heart some good. Can you imagine Rammstein at Wacken 2023 to a whole new generation of muddy slutty metalheads?

Sieben Kilo Reiterhose
Und Bauchfett in die Biotonne
Der Penis sieht jetzt wieder Sonne

(Americans - Zick Zack off Zeit (2022) - rough translation -
seven kilos of bulging trousers,
belly fat in the bio bin,
Your penis sees the sun again!)

[vK63]

Originally posted by mikk011:

The hearts icon means that you haven't endorsed the mod yet. If you hover your pointer over any icons or version numbers, MO2 will give you a brief explanation of what the icon means. For example, if you hover your pointer over a lightning bolt with a plus icon, MO2 will tell you that the mod in question is overwriting an archive or loose files.

Thanks for the info ~

[vK63]

Originally posted by Death Approaches:

Please: If you don't want to learn about using mods, at least learn your tools. It's important to your continued fun. It will break, eventually, and if you don't know, it's maddening.

https://stepmodifications.org/wiki/Guide:Mod_Organizer
and
https://github.com/ModOrganizer2/modorganizer/wiki

Great starting points.

Look dude, if you think MO2 and LOOT are magic and you can just d/l to your heart's content, dozens, hundreds, even thousands, random mods just picking by name or "ooh that looks cool!", not reading anything, not knowing what works with what, what requires what? And then expect to run it, and off you go, no problems, just a happy gaming experience?

You are in for anger and tears and cussing and eventually giving up and playing something else because you'll have broken the game beyond repair and likely the only way to fix is a fresh start.

You are hereby warned.
---

PS: Great username, though. :devilskiss: That they're still going does my heart some good. Can you imagine Rammstein at Wacken 2023 to a whole new generation of muddy slutty metalheads?

Sieben Kilo Reiterhose
Und Bauchfett in die Biotonne
Der Penis sieht jetzt wieder Sonne

(Americans - Zick Zack off Zeit (2022) - rough translation -
seven kilos of bulging trousers,
belly fat in the bio bin,
Your penis sees the sun again!)

I understand what you are tell me and like stated before by Ihateeverybody, I'm gonna start small and see what works and learn from that experience ... and yeah love Rammstein never seen them though live and that would be a wicked show indeed ~

[vK63]

Wanted to ask, how do I reopen a mod that's already installed ( JK's Skyrim ) and select what I didn't to begin with inside of that mods installer ?

[smr1957]

Originally posted by rammstein_2651:

Wanted to ask, how do I reopen a mod that's already installed ( JK's Skyrim ) and select what I didn't to begin with inside of that mods installer ?

You would have to reinstall the mod - that's the only way to access the FOMOD (installer) options again once a mod has been installed.

[vK63]

Thanks !

[vK63]

If I have no caution light in the MO2 installer does that mean all's good to play ?

[mikk011]

If you are talking about Notifications (the triangular symbol in the upper left of the toolbar), these should be resolved before playing. Common notifications are Missing Masters, and files in your Overwrite folder. Files in your overwrite folder are usually tool outputs (bodyslide files, fnis output, xedit output etc) and these outputs need to be assigned to a mod and activated to be seen in game, or in some cases for the game to run at all without malfunctions..

Conflict flags are case-by-case. The simplest method of choosing witch meshes or textures you want to see in game is to place that mod lower in the resources list (ie lower in the left pane). When you are more familiar with the file contents, you can turn off individual files in the mods information>filetree screen by setting them to hidden. I'm not going to go into detail about how to do any of this because its done better by either the STEP guide that Death approaches linked, or by Gamerpoets excellent youtube series on MO2 (6 or 7 10-20 minute videos.

[vK63]

Thank you sir ~