is it better to mod skyrim special edition or anniversary edition downgraded?

[manu]

i'm so confused as to which option is currently the best. i'm aware that if i play anniversary edition i'll have to downgrade it, but is it better than just go with special edition?

[Ilja]

Special Edition and Anniversary edition are both up to date version of the game. There is not actual separate Anniversary Edition.

There is Anniversary DLC.

So, asking about playing with DLC?

[-={LG}=-]

Both are the same version. Anniversary Edition charges you a bunch more money for a bunch of really crappy Creation Club mods. I wouldn't bother paying the extra money, just get SE unless the only mods you want are Creation Club.

[Death Approaches]

There is no "best" there's just what's best for you, what you want.

this SE AE thing causes more confusion .... even if you downgraded to 1.6.640, you'd still be running AE even if you only had SE. See? Confusing. As they told you, AE just means like 78 bundled CC mods in the game. Same game, same executable. Different mods preinstalled.

Which is when you're going by mod definitions, try to use the release numbers and not the arbitrary, confusing SE AE stuff.

You only have to downgrade 1170 if you have some SKSE mod(s) that doesn't use Address Library that hasn't been recompiled for the latest version... in that very specific case, if the mod(s) are that important to you, tally up all the SKSE mods you want, see which ones run in 1170, 1130 and 640... highest number wins! That's what you downgrade to.

Cnversely, some mod makers are shooting for universal mod archives that work with everything in an all-in-one scenario, and others will only support the most current, so it's a 50/50 thing at best, which is the best way to go here.

You're going to have some homework. Sorry.

[FauxFurry]

The only separate Anniversary Edition is on Good Old Games. That version does have the advantage of version control but the downside of not having mods updated for it as frequently as the Steam version does.

[Siegfried]

do mods made for special edition don't work with anniversary edition?

[steventirey]

Originally posted by Siegfried:

do mods made for special edition don't work with anniversary edition?

There is no Anniversary Edition. Its all Special Edition. The Anniversary stuff is just a DLC for Special Edition.

The only thing that matters is the game version. At this point, its all the same version.

[armageddon]

I don't remember the one that works with everything but for a safe bet is 640. I know more previous versions that work with almost everything just don't remember the numbers.

[SpeedFreak1972]

Best bet is imho.640 and the mod for extended esl support so you can run .1170 mods