User:DrPharmDawg/SkyRem Guide How To

Skyrim Roleplay Enhancement Mod Guide for Special Edition

How To

Current Version: 1.00

Created and maintained by DrPharmDawg

Last Update: 21:10:32 12 April 2025 (GMT)

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Template:TOC right

SkyRem Home: Information about the SkyRem Guide.
Preparation: Start here to ensure proper installation, settings, and Tools are setup.
How Tos: Reference guides for utilizing tools.
Core Guide: This section focuses on Stability, Performance, Mechanics, and Content mods.
Extended Guide: This section contains optional mods that build on the core of SkyRem.
Visuals Guide: This section focuses on Aesthetic mods.
Final Steps: The final steps to complete, including in-game MCM Setup prior to starting your journey.
Discord: Discord Channel for all things SkyRem (Guide and Mods).
Patreon: Support SkyRem development via Patreon.
PayPal: Support with a one-time donation via PayPal.
Trello: See guide development progress on Trello.

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CLEAN MOD

The latest verion of SSEEdit is now able to clean mods in a single step using the QuickAutoClean executable. How do you know a mod needs to be clean? LOOT will generally identify the mod has having ITMs or UDRs which can be fixed with this method.

To Clean a Mod:
  - Open MO2.
  - Select SSEEdit QuickAutoClean in the executables drop-down box and click [Run].
  - In the mod list that opens, check the mod that you want to clean and click [OK].
  - SSEEdit will run for a few moments. Once you see the the completed message, Close SSEEdit.
  - In the final pop-up, make sure the mod you cleaned is selected so it will save.

If you need to clean multiple plugins, you will need to do so one at a time. Simply repeat this process with each mod.

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EXTRACT BSA

BSAs (Bethesda Archive files) contain ....... There are several options to extract a BSA file.

Allow MO2 to extract BSAs during install:
  - Open the Configure settings and workarounds (wrench and driver icon) and go to the [Plugins] tab.
  - In the upper-left window, click [BSA Extractor].
  - In the window directly to the right, update [enabled] to [true].

With this set to true, any mod you install that contains a BSA will prompt you whether to extract it or not. If a mod is tagged

BSA

, select [Yes]. If not, select [No]. The downside to this method is you have to remember to turn this on and off, or you have to answer the prompt every time a mod is installed containing a BSA, the majority of which you do not need to extract. I prefer to keep it enabled and sacrifice the time of one additional click.

Extract BSA within MO2:
  - Click the [Archives] tab in the right pane.
  - Locate the BSA you want to extract. Right-click it and select [Extract].
  - Navigate to the location you want to extract the BSA (extract to the mods folder).
  - Delete the BSA.
This option is good as you do not have to remember to turn a setting on/off or constantly be asked, but the navigating to the mods folder can be even slower, and you must delete/hide the BSA afterwards.

Utilize external BSA extractor. I will not be covering these, but there are a couple out there. Their respective pages provide all the information you need to install and utilize the tool.

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OPTIMIZE NIF

One of the most common causes of CTDs - Meshes. This step needs to be done with any mod flagged or

PORT

. The problem is that NIF files (mesh files) need to be optimized to be used with SSE (if you are using LE mods containing NIFs).

Optimize NIF Files:
  - Navigate to your Tools/Asset Optimizer folder.
  - Run [Cathedral_Assets_Optimizer.EXE].
  - Click [Open Directory], navigate to the mods folder, and click [Select Folder].
  - You only need the [Textures] and [Meshes] options checked, with [Necessary optimization] selected.
  - Click [Run].
  - When complete, simply close the window.

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PORT MOD

Mods that are flagged

PORT

need to be completely converted to SSE. This is a two step process.

Fix the Form Number (from 43 to 44):
  - In MO2, use the executables drop-down to run the [Creation Kit].
  - Once open, select [File] and [Data] in the tool bar.
  - In the window that comes up, double click the mod you are converting, and click [Set as Active] and [OK].
  - This may take a few moments to load. Ignore any errors that show in the additional window.
  - After the mod is loaded as the active load, all you need to do is re-save the file ([File] and [Save].
  - Exit CK.

Optimize Assets:
  - Use the procedure above for optimizing NIFs.
  - If the mod has a BSA, check the [BSA] option with [Extract old BSA] and [Create BSA] checked.
  - Exit optimizer when complete.

MERGE MODS

In MO2:
  - Run [zEdit] from the executables drop-down.
  - On the opening screen, select [zMerge] in the first drop-down and click [Start Session].
  - Click the [Create Merge] button.
  - In pop-up's [Details] tab, name the merge (the filename will update automatically. Leave the Merge Method as the default.
  - Go to the [Plugins] tab, select all the plugins to be merged, and click [OK].
  - There is no need to change anything under the [Load Order] or [Data] tabs if following the guide.
  - Find the box containing the merge you just created. In the upper-right area of that box, click [Build].
  - When zEdit finishes running, exit.
  - In MO2, the new merged mod will be located at the bottom (you may have to [Refresh] your view.

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