About SSE version 1.6.1130 & 1.6.1170 (WIP)

Another update for Skyrim, now version 1.6.1130, and didn't it stirr up things quite a bit. Is it that bad? Are there things you can do yourself?

INTRODUCTION

Skyim Special Edition's latest update (version 1.6.1130) gives many users a headache and causes a lot of ranting on the forums. Is the new update really that bad?

Since I recently completely messed up my SSE 1.6.640, I needed a complete re-install of SSE and had to install the latest version. I didn't want to downgrade my install, but decided to move forward. But, as with any SSE update this had various consequences.

Actually this is not only a guide, but also my journey dealing with the update. This guide may remain a work in progress (WIP) for some time, until relevant mods have been updated to be compatible with the new version of SSE.

Let's face it! This is a game that can be modded, will be modded, and sometimes even needs to be modded! Though Bethesda seems to be doing their best to take the game engine to another level, be it only small steps at a time. We may expect a new patch sooner or later because Bethesda seems to have forgotten all about the Steam integration. But, as almost always, the fixes seem to preceed Bethesda's patches.

What are the updates about?

Yes, there is a lot of ranting, in particular about the "payed marketplace", but the marketplace addition is just a small part of the update. You can buy those or not. Your choice. There are lots of FREE mods available on several sites like AFK Mods and Nexus. But, there's more to it and you can read all about it on this page[en.uesp.net].

Clean Install

If you need to do a complete re-install of your game, don't look any further than the following guide: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2743619856

Questions and problems

If you have questions or want to report issues with the latest patches, post those in this thread:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/489830/discussions/0/4031350196521219646/
That way you will have a larger audience and maybe a faster way of finding a solution. I certainly don't have all the answers as I have created this guide based on my own experiences with the last patches.

CHANGES IN VERSION 1.6.1130/1.6.1170

Personally I think several changes are for the best as it seems to make differences between the various file types: ESL, ESM, ESP and the ESLified files. This is what we have found sofar:

• Pure master files (ESM) and pure plugin files (ESP) can have an "unlimited" number of records, if the header version is 1.71
  
• Pure ESM and ESP files with header version 1.70 cannot contain records in the 0x800 range
  
• Light plugins (ESL), Eslified ESMs and Eslified ESPs can have a maximum of 4096 records, when their version number is 1.71
  
• Light plugins (ESL), Eslified ESMs and Eslified ESPs can have a maximum of 2048 records, when their version number is 1.70

See DynDOLOD Record Is Being Overriden[dyndolod.info] for additional information about the 0x800 range.

This new version of the game also seems to require the new version of the Creation KIt. I'm not really sure about this, but when starting up this new version I received a notification that my load order lacks the installed Creation Kit.

What's "unlimited"? Technically it means the maximum number of records can be 2^24 = 16,777,216 records (version 1.71) and 2^24 - 2048 = 16,775,168 records (version 1.70). But ... the actual maximum number of records will probably be somewhere between 1 and 2 million records, if the system is capable of handling that amount of records.

For a complete overview of all new features and bug fixes in patch 1.6.1130+ see this page[en.uesp.net].

ABOUT CRASH LOGS

Introduction

Because of the updates from Skyrim Special Edition 1.6.640 to 1.6.1130 and 1.6.1170, we see quite a lot of crashlogs lately, either from CrashLogger or Trainwreck. Many of those crashlogs are insufficient or can't be read properly. Both CrashLogger and Trainwreck provide an enormous load of information which are beyond any possible help. Useless information I would say. Also, there is no use in posting Papyrus logs. These logs do not provide any useful information regarding crashes.

CrashLogger and Trainwreck

The author of CrashLogger states their mod is obsolete and should be replaced by Trainwreck, although it is still too much to make the crashlogs readable. This also makes it harder to read the information given or provide useful advice.

First things first

Crashes can be caused by many things, so you first have to make sure your operating system, GPU drivers, SKSE, SKSE plugins. Address Library, etc. are up to date! Still crashing, then it's time to publish your crashlog. See below what to include, what to remove and what not to remove. Crashlogs can be several hundreds of lines in length, even over a thousand lines, but most of these lines are completely irrelevant and do not provide any relevant information.

What to include in your crashlog?

Most important parts of the crashlog are:

• the first 4 lines (Skyrim version, Crashlogger/Trainwreck version and Unhandled Exception)
  
• the Probable Call Stack
  
• the Registers
  
• the Stack
  
• the SKSE Plugins

Additionally, always provide your load order as exported from LOOT (Load Order Optimization Tool). If someone is not able to read the crashlog, they may be able to find inconsistencies in your load order. Any other section in the crashlog can be ignored and removed from the log.

What to remove and what not!

Remove any line that doesn't provide relevant information, where it just provides assembly code or referring to an instruction from SkyrimSE.exe or any Windows DLL, such as:

mov edx,[r8+10h]
test al,al
RAX 0x0 (size_t)
RBX 0x24CD7EBE800 (void*)
[RSP+1B0] 0x7FF70439D008 (void* -> SkyrimSE.exe+315D008)
[RSP+170] 0x7FF700000002 (size_t)

But, always include every line referring to anything related to Skyrim, either a SKSE DLLplugin or anything that looks likes it's coming from Skyrim or any installed mods, such as:

[RSP+1E8] 0x24D9D3CB4D0 (FaderMenu*)
[RSP+328] 0x7FFC054DD58D (void* -> skse64_1_6_1170.dll+009D58D)

Remove any line that refers to a DLL NOT in your SKSE Plugins list.
Look for lines with the following keywords:TESObjectREFR, TESNPC, TESObjectCell, the prefix 'hkp' and the prefix 'BS'. Always include those lines!

Can your issue be solved?

It's hard to say if your issue can be solved. Issues can be caused by many things. It doesn't always have to be a SKSE DLL plugin. It can be an asset (mesh, texture, NPC, etc.) that may not even show up in the crashlog. The issue may occur in a single specific cell or random.

Additional info can be found in my other guide:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3243076806

MOD (IN)COMPATIBILIY

Address Library for SKSE DLL Plugins

Be aware that Skyrim SE version 1.6.1170 has received a minor 132K update. Major version of the game is still 1.6.1170. In your Data/SKSE/Plugins folder should now "versionlib-1-6-1170-0-1.bin" be present. If not, update Address Library.
SSE v1.5.x requires Address Library v2
SSE v1.6.x requires Address Library v11

Dear Diary Dark Mode

Dear Diary DM (Squish) Fixes[www.nexusmods.com] has been released for text and warm color only.

DLL Plugin Loader

DLL Plugin Loader[www.nexusmods.com] needs to be replaced by SSE Engine Fixes[www.nexusmods.com].

Dynamic Animation Replacer (DAR)

Dynamic Animation Replacer (DAR)[www.nexusmods.com] needs to be replaced by Open Animation Replacer[www.nexusmods.com].

FISSES

The original (latest) version of FISSES can be used, but has to overwritten by FISSES Patch for Skyrim AE 1.6.1130 (or later)[www.nexusmods.com].

Mods version 1.70

Various mods with a number of records outside the forementioned ranges and a version number of 1.70, may give unpredictable errors, ranging from CTDs to "whatever". You may be able to update these yourself. See the section "Update crash course".

Pure asset replacers

Pure asset replacers without an accompanying ESL, ESM or ESP, such as mesh/texture replacers can be used without any updates.

SKSE Plugin Status

For the current status of (in)compatible SKSE Plugins, see SKSE Plugin Status[modding.wiki].
SSE v1.6.1170 requires SKSE v2.2.6
SSE v1.6.1179 (GOG) requires SKSE v2.2.6
SSE v1.5.97 requires SKSE v2.0.20
SSE VR v.1.4.15 requires SKSE 2.0.12
Skyrim Classic (Oldrim) requires SKSE v1.7.3

SkyUI

SkyUI 5.2 still needs an update, but you can already get rid of the difficulty persistence in the main menu by using the following fix: SkyUI SE - Difficulty Persistence Fix[www.nexusmods.com]. For some details about the necessary SkyUI update, see this[www.nexusmods.com] sticky post by ianpatt.

SSE Engine Fixes

ONLY FOR SSE 1.6.1130
Pickysaurus has written a workaround, which can be found here[forums.nexusmods.com]. In short, open the file "EngineFixes.toml" in your "Skyrim Special Edition/Data/SKSE/Plugins" folder and change the following line under [Patches] to false:

EnableAchiementsWithMods = false

Follow the link for an explanation.
The SKSE Plugin Status page also suggests setting the following entries to false:

SaveAddedSoundCategories = false
SaveScreenShots = false

in respectively [Patches] and [Fixes]. This workaround prevents mods from being deactivated when using SSE Engine Fixes.

SSE Engine Fixes (Part 1) : install with a mod manager
For Skyrim SE v1.6.1170 requires SSE Engine Fixes v6.2 (make NO changes to EngineFixes.toml)
For Skyrim SE v1.5.39 - 1.5.97 requires SSE Engine Fixes 5.9.1
For Skyrim SE v1.6.629 - 1.6.640 requires SSE Engine Fixes 6.1.1
SSE Engine Fixes (Part 2): install manually in the main game folder

Achievements

To enable achievements with the latest updates, install Achievements Mods Enabler[www.nexusmods.com]. Requirements at the description page indicates to use xSHADOWMANx's DLL Loader. You should however use SSE Engine Fixes. See above.

CREATION CLUB CONTENT

Creation Club content has been updated and is now available for download through the Creation Club menu on game startup. Although, some CC mods are still on version 1.70 instead of 1.71, meaning that not every mod should be on the new version 1.71, depending on mod limitations.

If you do not want all CC content activated at once, you can move the extra content to a backup folder and move those back one at a time to prevent the courier harassing you with an overload of letters. Many of those letters will start quests after reading or may even start quests without reading.

Do not move CC content which is already part of the base game:

• Fishing (ccbgssse001-fish.esm & ccbgssse001-fish.bsa)
  
• Rare curios (ccbgssse037-curios.esl & ccbgssse037-curios.bsa)
  
• Saints and Seducers (ccBGSSSE025-AdvDSGS.esm & ccBGSSSE025-AdvDSGS.bsa)
  
• Survival (ccqdrsse001-survivalmode.esl & ccqdrsse001-survivalmode.bsa)

It is often claimed that the known DLCs and the CC content (the above 4 or the additional CC content from the upgrade) are essential. I have serious doubts about those claims and am preparing a new guide and test playthrough, but that has to wait until problems with the new patches are solved. The guide may be published in due time, testing has to wait.

A short time ago I played one small testrun without those 4 CC mods in version 1.6.1170. Actually it was a very, very small testrun as the game immediately CTD'ed after starting the game. SkyrimSE.exe may have some code to prevent those CC mods and the DLCs from being removed. But, this is a premature conclusion. I will have to do some extensive testing in the near future, when the last update for the game will be released.

CREATION KIT

If you are using or going to use the Creation Kit, and have dowloaded the latest version for Skyrim SE version 1.6.1130, be sure to download the Creation Kit Platform Extended for Skyrim[www.nexusmods.com].

Extract the archive in Skyrim's game folder where you will also find SkyrimSE.exe and CreationKit.exe.

It has added support for the new format for older editors, and fixes cell view, ATXT sections landscape and BNet.

If the ENBProtect option does not help you or leads to CTD, you can use the following utility (SSECKLoader 0.1), which can be found on the same page. It will rename DLL files, launch the CK and return names back within 15 seconds.
NOTE: When the game is open, this will not work. You will have to start the CK before starting the game.

UPDATE CRASH COURSE

As far as mods are not (yet) updated for the new patches, it is possible to update these mods yourself, although ONLY FOR PERSONAL USE! Without the original author's permission you are not allowed to distribute the updates for those mods. But, first check the header version in SSEEdit.

After opening your mods in SSEEdit, in the left pane click on a mod. In the right pane, below the Record Header, you will see the header information (HEDR - Header) with the version number and number of records. If the header version is 1.71 and the form version is 44, you don't have to do any of the following. This method should not be used on mods that depend on an SKSE DLL plugin.

Open the Creation Kit and load the mod you want to update. Skip any errors/warnings with "Yes to All". Or, use the ini setting below. Once the mod is loaded, save, and exit. Continue to the next mod. Do not change the version number in SSEEdit, as it may not make the necessary changes to the mod. Only use the Creation Kit to update a mod from version 1.70 to 1.71. The Creation Kit will also update the form version to 44 if needed.

You can also check if a mod can be Eslified (turned into an ESPFE) in the Creation Kit with Creation Kit Platform Extended. In the top bar you will see an addition mentioning if a mod can be turned into an ESPFE and the number of records remaining to be able to do so. To Eslify a mod, closely follow the instructions of SSEEdit. Some mods just need you to add the ESL flag, others also need you to update FormIDs. The latest version of the Creation Kit also allows you to create ESL (tagged) mods.

With ESM files version 1.70 you need to take a small detour. Open the ESM file in SSEEdit and remove the ESM flag in the file header (temporarily). Open the file in the Creation Kit, save the file and exit. Open the file again in SSEEdit and flag the file header as ESM.

*To get rid of the annoying warning messages, create a new file called CreationKitCustom.ini in the main game folder, and add the following line under the section Messages

[Messages]
bBlockMessageBoxes=1

or use the Creation Kit Platform Extended for Skyrim (see above).

Steam not registering achievements and playtime

According some confirmed posts, this can be solved by creating a small text file. Create a text file named "steam_appid.txt" with the following content

489830

and place it in your main game folder (where you also find SkyrimSE.exe). See also the section on Mod (in)compatibility.

STILL HAVING ISSUES?

If you are still having issues and need help, start a new post in the Discussion section and provide enough information for your audience:

• Is your operating system up to date?
  
• Are your GPU drivers up to date?
  
• What is your game version?
  
• If using SKSE, what is the version?
  
• If using SKSE DLL plugins, what is the last Address Library binary in the Data/SKSE/Plugins folder?
  
• Always include your load order as processed by LOOT.

If you experience CTDs, include the following sections of the crashlog by CrashLogger:

• All sections up to MODULES.
  
• SKSE PLUGINS

Remove the MODULES and PLUGINS sections.

FINALLY

Absolutely no ranting in the comments section. Those comments will be removed as soon as we spot them. There is already more than enough ranting about this update in way too many other threads.

You're very welcome to add additions and/or changes to this guide in the comments section, but provide sources as detailed as possible.

I may not be able the provide an answer to all questions. In that case post your question in this thread. That way you may receive more views and hopefully more answers.

[Zebruh]

My bad, I just found Kezyma's Root Builder for Mod Organizer in my modpack. Now that I know how it works I highly recommend it as a way to have a downgraded skyrim version for a single mod organizer instance while having the regular latest version still here on steam.

[Altbert]

@Zebruh
Not as far as I know. I'm still on 1170.

[Zebruh]

Strange, i just installed skyrim AE and steam says its fully up to date yet my game version is 640 and not 1170. Did they roll it back?

[LostME]

There's a new version of engine fixes 6.2 for 1170. It works for me without changing the toml file.

[Altbert]

I haven't seen this issue either (also on 1170). It's best to post your question in the forum, as more people will see it and the better chance you have for an answer. Try verifying game files first.

[Nocturnal™]

a problem for me, im on 1170 btw, is that the new creations menu doesn't even appear on the list in the main menu. i havent seen anyone else have this issue so far. no mods installed

[Altbert]

You're welcome!

[Voidling]

V. useful, thanks!

[Altbert]

I am currently working on rearranging the sections of this guide, which will probably be finished within a few hours. This will include removing (content in) sections and adding new sections.

[Altbert]

I wouldn't rely on Bethesda's in game mod manager too much. It doesn't take any third party mods into consideration. Try LOOT (Load Order Optimization Tool). But, if your load order grows, you can't always rely on LOOT also. That's when you have to thouroughly read the mods descriptions when it says "load before" or "load after", and you will have to change LOOT's metatags accordingly.