Beginner's Guide To Wabbajack (or, how to run a thousand mods the easy way)

Ever wanted to make skyrim look like all those pretty internet videos where the landscapes are photo real and the people look like supermodels? Do you have a decent PC but the tech skills of a sleepy raccoon?

This guide is for you.

What The Hell is a Wabbajack??

Wabbajack is crazy uncle Sheo's wacky funtime stick.

It's also an automated modlist downloader that does nearly everything for you.

If you're a moron at modding and computers in general (like I was when I first started trying to figure this stuff out), then the word "nearly" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.

The people with the skills to make those awesome modlists don't write their install guides for people who have no idea what they're doing. So I'm going to try to dumb it all down for the people like me who's eyes glaze over when they see walls of text.

We're going to go through the process in "for dummies" mode. By the end you'll be running a completely unnecessary number of mods, and experiencing skyrim like it's a whole new game.

Before Getting Started

1) Clear some space. You're going to need about 200 GB on the same drive that Steam is on. For best performance, make sure Steam and Wabbajack are on an SSD drive. (Some of the more extensive mod lists can get up to 500 GB, so if you can clear that much space, do it.)

NOTE: Due to space constraints, you may be tempted to install Wabbajack on an external SSD drive. Don't do it. For most games, you probably wouldn't notice the delays installing and running from an external drive causes. With a heavily modded 500GB Frankenstein'd house of cards, you will. Due to reduced read/write speeds it will take literal days for Wabbajack to download and install to an external drive, and your load times during gameplay will be horrendous. I've tried it. Loading the game took 20 minutes, and it took about 2 minutes everytime I went into a new area. Technically, you can still do it, but you won't like the results.

2) Do a clean install of Skyrim SE. Here's a quick video on how to do that.

3) Run Skyrim from your steam library. Start a new game. When the cart ride loads, you can quit out. (When the game loads for the first time after a clean install it builds a file structure for saves and other info. Wabbajack needs that to work)

4) On the same drive Steam is on, make a folder titled Wabbajack. Make sure your Wabbajack folder IS NOT in your system files folder.

5) Download Wabbajack. Here's the link. [www.wabbajack.org]

6) Install Wabbajack inside your new Wabbajack folder. (I take the compressed installer file and drop it right into the folder, then Extract the installer right there, so if I need to reinstall it or update Wabbajack, it's right there)

7) Open Wabbajack. It will take a while the first time. After it opens you'll see a dropdown menu at the top. Pick Skyrim SE and brows the lists. If you're like me you'll spend a while looking up youtube videos and reddit reviews before finally picking the one you like best.

(If you're following along step by step, DON'T CLICK DOWNLOAD YET. There's still a couple steps first.)

Picking a List

There's quite a few lists, they update and change constantly. Their descriptions are sometimes lackluster, so if there's one that catches your eye I'd recommend looking them up on YouTube or Reddit. Most of them have Let's Play videos and/or reviews. Some of them have drastically different system requirements than vanilla Skyrim. Make sure you look up the hardware specs your system needs before you waste a bunch of time downloading 200 GB of mods your computer can't handle.

On the left there are options to include the NSFW lists and Unofficial lists. Unofficial lists are usually lists that are considered "still being worked on" before being submitted to Wabbajack for official publication. They tend to be newer, and sometimes less stable, but also receive the most frequent updates, and the developers of the lists tend to receptive to feedback in their discords. So if helping develop a list is something you're interested in, getting active in a discord community for a new unofficial list is a great way to start.

Downloader Goes Brrrrr

8) After you've chosen a list, go to your Wabbajack folder and make 2 new folders. Name one Mods. Name the other [Modlist Name] Install. (Example: Phoenix Flavor Install). This isn't absolutely necessary, but it's good for bookkeeping, especially if you're planning to try multiple lists.

9) Go to Nexus Mods and make yourself a profile. Sign up for a premium account. Technically, you can use Wabbajack without one, but you'll have to manually install every mod one by one. I did that once, then decided that my time was worth more than $4 $10 a month. (Nexus raised it's prices since I started this guide. It's still worth the money)

10) Go back to Wabbajack. Click the Download button on your chosen list. After some loading it will take you to an install location screen. In the Installation Location tab, pick your [Modlist Name] Install folder. In the Download Location tab pick your Mods folder. Click the Download button.

11) After Wabbajack does all it's setup stuff, you'll get an Install Failure and it will open a prompt to connect your Nexus account to Wabbajack. Do that, then go back to your list and hit Download again.

12) Watch the slideshow. Take a break. Make dinner. Maybe play some vanilla Skyrim to give yourself a fresh comparison to what you're going to experience next.

Troubleshooting

Sometimes things get weird during the download process. I'm going to try to address a few common issues, and give you some resources to sort out anything that goes wrong. Hopefully you can just skip this section entirely.

Creation Club/Anniversary Edition Content. Like everything else about Skyrim, the Creation Club downloader is a bit janky. Sometimes when you download AE mods, there will be an error, and it won't tell you. Then Wabbajack will spit out an error that will look something like "Data_ccbgssse012-hrsarmrstl.bsa"

Anything that starts with "Data_cc" is creation club stuff. The best way of dealing with it is to open Skyrim's main menu, select Creations, look for any AE mods that are missing, and download them manually. Usually it's just a matter of seeing with mods aren't already downloaded, and clicking on them.

After all the AE mods are downloaded, Wabbajack should work normally. If this kind of troubleshooting is too annoying for you, I'd recommend looking for a mod list that doesn't use AE content.

Other Mod Sites. If your list pulls mods from sites that aren't Nexus, you'll need to make accounts on those sites, and then connect them to Wabbajack the same way you did with Nexus. LoversLab is notorious for randomly disconnecting. Just connect again, and restart the download. Repeat as necessary. It will work after a few tries.

Mods from other sites do not load automatically. You'll be prompted to download them manually. It's pretty straightforward, but sometimes there will be a bunch of different versions of the mod on the prompted downloads page. Make sure the one you pick matches the description exactly. The versions matter.

The mods you have to manually download are the ones most likely to cause installation to fail. In most cases your chosen list's Read Me will have a troubleshooting section with links to the mods that fail most frequently. Manually downloading them from that list and dropping them into your Mods folder is usually faster and less of a headache than dealing with Wabbajack's finicky prompts.

Outdated Mods. Sometimes lists use older versions of mods. Sometimes that means the mod you need isn't easily available or needs to be manually downloaded. (High Poly Head and Ultimate Dodge Mod are the ones that gave me trouble). Other people have had these issues, and discussed them, on sites like Reddit. A quick google search of Wabbajack, the modlist name, and the name of the mod that is causing problems should be enough to find a source for the mod you need. Just download it, and drop the compressed file right into your Mods folder. Then start your download again. if it's the right mod, Wabbajack will find it there and keep going.

Technical Support. When you started downloading your list, it probably opened a long read-me in your internet browser. Somewhere in all that is a Discord link (it's probably near the beginning, or in the troubleshooting section of the readme). If you're having trouble, join the Support channel for your modlist and ask around. Chances are it's a common problem.

(If you've never used Discord, it's pretty simple. Make an account. Click the link to the channel in the readme document, and head to the Role Select thread to get added to the Support channel you're looking for. If you're downloading a NSFW list you might need to do some verification/permission stuff too.)

Some modlist servers have different channels for Install problems and other troubleshooting. Also, make sure to read the rules. If you start asking questions about how to alter the list in the wrong channel, you're going to have a bad time.

That Big Ass Readme. Yeah, I know. They're textwalls full of jargon. Look for a section about installing. Then look for an FAQ or Troubleshooting section. Your issue is probably in there.

Verifying Your List. With how prone to crashes, graphical glitches, and file corruption Skyrim is, the number one concern of anyone making a modlist is stability. Because of the way mods often interact or overwrite each other, sometimes errors happen during installation. That's why I advise Verifying your list after the install is done.

On the Wabbajack installation page, in the lower left corner there's a box that says Validation. Click it and press play. Wabbajack will then go through everything and make sure there are no errors. It will take a while, but it's better than discovering an unfixable error 20 hours into your awesome new playthrough.

Post-Install

Wabbajack says Install Complete!

You're almost there. This next section requires the most computer nerd know-how, so I'm going to break it down as simply as I can. DON'T SKIM THIS SECTION. Missing a step will screw up your whole game.

NOTE: IF your modlist uses a Stock Game folder, you can skip steps 13, 14, and 15. The Stock Game folder is a copy of the core Steam game files. It's used so the modlist can alter them instead of your core files. That way you don't have to reinstall Skyrim when you're done with the modlist. You can check if your modlist uses this feature by going into your modlist install folder and seeing if there's a folder called Stock Game.

13) If your Modlist uses an ENB, you can find it here.[enbdev.com] Make sure you find the one specifically for Skyrim. Finding it is a bit of a pain because the developer keeps rearranging his site architecture, and site navigation isn't very intuitive. You might need to use a search engine to find the right one.

After you download it and extract the contents, you'll see two different ENB files. Unless you're running a potato PC, pick the Wrapper version. ONLY PICK ONE.

14) Copy the files for your chosen ENB into your Skyrim SE folder (it's inside your Steam folder. Click Steamapps, then Common, then Skyrim Special Edition).

15) Go into your Modlist Install folder and find the folder named Game Files. Open it. Select everything in that folder, and copy it.

Open the same Skyrim SE folder where you put the ENB files, and paste the stuff you just copied.

Now you're ready to launch your Modlist.

Here We Go!

16) In your Modlist Install folder there's an .exe file called ModOrganizer. Open that program. Depending on the size of your mod list, opening it could take a while, especially the first time. Just let it run. Even if task manager says (not responding) just let it work. I've seen it take 5 minutes or more to open. There's a lot of processing happening under the hood to make sure all those mods are in the right order and ready to launch.

17) In the Profile section you should see the name of your Modlist. Some lists have variations. Pick the one you want. It should load up with all the mod names and boxes checked and section dividers.

This is also where you might need to activate or deactivate specific mods to customize for things like Ultra wide, controller support, or graphical quality. It's usually just a matter of clicking a couple check boxes on the left column. One of the dividers towards the bottom will say something like "Options"
Check the read me for specific details. Most of the time these options are fine to adjust later, so feel free to skip this part for now.

The list order is critically important. Skyrim mods are a house of cards. If you don't know what you're doing, changing the order or turning mods off can cause the whole stack to collapse and become unplayable. Don't mess with the list. At all. Just don't.

18) On the right there's a big button that says Run. Next to it there should be a big dropdown menu that says SKSE. If it says anything else, change it to SKSE.

(Don't worry about all the other things in the dropdown menu. They're stuff the list designers use to make all the mods play nice together. You won't be needing them)

19) Click the Run button.

20) Wait. Loading might take a while. If you get a crash to desktop, try again. (If you keep getting crashes, something is wrong and you'll want to go to the support Discord for your modlist).

21) Start a NEW GAME. Nearly all Modlists use some kind of Alternate Start mod to skip the opening cart ride scene. Don't worry about making a character right now. First, we want to make sure everything works. If the game successfully loads all the way to your character's POV it means everything worked! You can keep playing. If there's a problem loading in, you'll need to do some troubleshooting. Most modlist ReadMe's have a specific section about that. There's too many variables for me to cover in this guide, so let's just assume everything worked and move on.

22) After your character is made, you'll start seeing messages tick through on the upper left. DO NOTHING until those messages are done. That's all your in-engine mods loading. It will take a while. If you start trying to play the game during the loading process it can mess things up. Just let it run until it's finished.

During this step, you may be prompted to make choices. Most of them will be straightforward, like picking a god to worship, or enabling certain options. If you aren't sure what to do, refer to the modlist readme.

23) You'll probably be prompted to pick your starting location/background. Then you'll need to sleep/escape the prison/use a portal/whatever your alternate start mod does instead of the cart ride. This is probably also where character generation will happen. (If your modlist uses High Poly Head, you'll need to look up which preset option it is. In most of them it's a Mouthpart. Check the Readme if you aren't sure)

24) Save the game and quit out. This is to make sure all the various game parameters save properly and can be loaded later.

25) Load everything back up again. If it works, you're ready to play! (almost)

The MCM Menu

At this point you have a character made and you can wander around exploring, but there's one last step. A bunch of those mods you downloaded have menu options that need to be configured.

So hit pause. In the gameplay settings menu, you'll see a new section called Mod Configuration or MCM.

That's where all your mod options are. Your modlist readme will have instructions about the important settings to use. Some of them will be pre-loaded, but some have to be manually configured. There may be choices you need to make.

Some lists use a mod called MCM Recorder to make this part easy. Scroll down the MCM and see if Mod Recorder is on the list. If it's there, click it, look for a record to run, click it, then exit back to the game. You should see a prompt telling you it's running, and when it's finished. Don't do anything while it's running. Just wait. Depending on the size of your list there maybe be more than one record to run, sometimes in a specific order. It should be obvious in the Mod Recorder options.

What the Recorder does is set all the other mods up the way the list creator likes them. It's the way the list is intended to be played. You can still mess with options later if you want. After playing for a bit you'll probably want to. That's how you'll really make the game what you want it to be. As long as your list's readme isn't super specific, feel free to mess with stuff. Definitely go though the MCM and check out all the mods and options just to get an idea of what they do. You'll probably discover things you didn't realize were part of the list.

In particular, check out your key bindings. Between things like dodge buttons, potion slots, spell wheels, follower commands, and photo modes, there's a lot of extra button possibilities. (Protip: I have a programmable RGB keyboard. When I'm learning a new list with a lot of extra stuff, I like to color code my keys to help me remember what button does what.)

Most ReadMe's will have sections about the list's MCM settings. Don't skim it. There's important details there.

Remember to save afterward. With so many mods, messing with the MCM menu can take a while. It can be interesting and fun to learn about all the various changes, but after you've done it a few times it becomes a chore. Making a baseline save with an easily identifiable name will give you an easy launch point if you decide to make a new character. It's a pain to do this step every time you want to try a new playthrough, so save yourself the headache.

Protip: If you have restartitis like I do, and frequently find yourself wanting to make a new character after a few hours of trying one and changing your mind, here's what you'll want to do: Start a game. Don't bother with character creation, just go with the default, name your character Blank Slate or something like that, and do all the MCM setup stuff. Then run to Whiterun, take a carriage to Riften, go to the Ragged Flaggon, stand in front of the face sculptor, use console commands to give yourself 1000 gold, and THEN save your game. Here's your new character creation menu, AFTER all the setup is done.

There! You did it! You're ready to play supermodded Skyrim like the fancy youtube stars.

Have fun storming the castle!

[ExtraordinaryApe]

Fuck around with mod organiser and make your pc crach five times installing argonian sex slaves like a REAL man

[KingOfHalves]

@aidnar, the stock game folder is essentially a copy of the core game files, so that they can be modded without messing up the actual files in your steam folder (so if you delete the list you don't have to reinstall Skyrim).

The Stock Game feature is intended to make step 15 obsolete.

You can check for yourself to be sure by opening up your game folder in Stock Game, and opening up your game folder in steamgames/Skyrim, and comparing them.

If your Stock Game folder has a bunch of extra stuff in it, you're good to go.

[Aidnar]

Here’s to hoping I get a response on an older thread, but I see the author was here about a week ago so fingers crossed.

I got up to step 15, but I can’t find “game files” in my mod list install folder. Closest thing I have is a folder called Stock Game. I don’t want to mess this up sorry if this is obvious

[KingOfHalves]

@[SIN] Sintei, you can install to an HDD, but with a large modlist you'll probably experience long load times.

[KingOfHalves]

@magneticgerbil, you shouldn't be unzipping anything. The installer will do that for you. Just leave the compressed files alone in your mods folder.

[magneticgerbil]

the mods download as zipped up files and i have to manually unzip them, should this be happening ?

[[SIN] Sintei]

To expand. I have a 500 Mb SSD C drive with windows and all Game library clients installed on and 2 HDD 8 TB internal Drives for the games storage. The SSD is at 400 MB full but i have no games installed on it just the clients like steam, GOG, Epic etc

[[SIN] Sintei]

So i have Steam client on a small SSD which would not have enough space. ALL my steam games are on internal HDD drives. Can i just install wabbajack on the same drive i installed the game?

[crayon]

really helpful guide, thanks!

[GioGio]

@Kingofhalves thank you for answering my question. I have fixed it the next morning after my comment was put out. Thank you for this guide and i can finally enjoy skyrim now.

Now time to find a fallout tale of two wastelands guide