SkyrimLE:2.2.1

Template:TOC right

About S.T.E.P.

A Forward

STEP is an extensive, STEP-by-STEP, guide to enhancing TESV Skyrim with the some of the best, tested mods, tweaks and settings. The focus is quality not quantity. STEP tries to stay as close to vanilla Skyrim as possible while improving visual quality as well as fixing game-play mechanics.

Created by TheCompiler, STEP is a collaboration of community members, technical volunteers, and project administrators. The goal is to provide tested and validated instructions for establishing and maintaining an enhanced modded Skyrim. Thus, the guide represents a confirmed tested/compatible and playable template. New modders can follow STEP explicitly, or more experienced modders can use it as general guide.

The STEP team collects mod suggestions from the community. Detailed reviews, feedback, suggestions and general input are exchanged on the STEP Community Forums (link located at upper left of this wiki). Posting rules apply, so be sure to read and follow the posting rules and enjoy a warm welcome and plenty of high-quality support from a large community of experienced STEPers.

Alterations suggested by this guide WORK. Many modding guides speculate, suggesting experimental or often pointless tweaks, leading only to placebo effects or even game issues. Tweaks listed here are tested and verified, and more tweaks are discovered or invented and added if they are confirmed to be useful and dependable.

Check out the comparison screenshots on the Nexus. But remember: the only way to experience STEP ... is to actually experience STEP.

Don't forget to visit the Step Forums and provide feedback related to STEP. Also visit The STEP Facebook page. Assistance and feedback are what is needed in order for STEP to grow and improve.

To support hosting and maintenance of the STEP Community Project, contributions are welcome.

S.T.E.P. Mandate

A Commitment

STEP is about enhancing vanilla Skyrim

- Texture replacements at minimized performance cost and true to vanilla Skyrim

- Continuity of all in-game textures, reducing immersion-breaking variation in texture quality (i.e., comparable resolution and style across all armors, weapons, clutter, terrain, etc.)

- Graphical mods (ESPs) including new content that "fits" vanilla Skyrim

- Gameplay mods that improve the consistency and the authors' perceived intent of vanilla Skyrim

- Interface mods which improve the menus and UI for the PC interface

- Sound mods that enhance the authors' perceived intent of vanilla Skyrim

- Fix mods that truly "fix" malfunctioning aspects of vanilla Skyrim

STEP is NOT about...

- Content mods that conflict with vanilla Skyrim and/or TES lore

- Mods that change the perceived intent of vanilla Skyrim

- Graphics mods that contrast with vanilla Skyrim in terms of appearance and practicality

- Music replacement mods

- Gameplay overhauls (unless they truly enhance the authors' perceived intent of vanilla

Performance, Baseline & Extreme STEP

Step provides a stable foundation or for an enhanced vanilla experience. STEP consists of a minimum or “Core” set of game enhancements adhering to the original vanilla feel of the game according to the STEP Mandate. All Core mods are considered essential to STEP. Non-Core mods are optional but highly recommended. STEP is delineated at three levels according to relative performance:

Performance STEP: ALL Core mods only; performance options wherever possible; my poor box needs all of the mercy that I can spare it, but I must have STEP!

Baseline STEP: ALL Core and non-Core mods; performance/quality and balanced options wherever possible; my box is nice but I hate FPS drops and stuttering!

Extreme STEP: ALL Core and non-Core mods; highest-quality options wherever possible; my box is omnipotent!

STEP Packs

Optional "STEP Packs", designed with specific themes are now in development. A pack will be a set of mods selected to work together and with STEP to achieve a specific goal (in some cases possibly following less strict guidelines than those listed above). For example, a "Hardcore pack" can easily be added to the STEP base. STEP Packs will be released as they become available after sufficient compatibility testing.

S.T.E.P. 1

Pre-Installation Setup

Requirements

> Official Patch v1.7

> Familiarity with the Guide:Skyrim Installation

> Patience and diligence

Baseline System

The STEP Guide is written with the following system (or comparable) in mind, and performance-friendly versions of mods are considered default Baseline STEP. Performance cost relative to vanilla is between 10 - 30 FPS, depending on location in-game:

> Windows 7 64-bit

> Intel i5/i7 quad core

> 4+Gb DDR3 system RAM 1 Gb

> Resolution: 1440x900 - 1920x1200

1.A. Install Steam & Skyrim

---

This guide assumes that the reader has installed Steam as recommended by the Skyrim Installation Guide (SIG). Please take a moment to properly set up and configure Steam as recommended by the guide before continuing. Likewise, please refer to the Skyrim installation section of the SIG to establish a recommended Skyrim installation for STEP.

Reestablish a clean and UPDATED Skyrim install.

1.B. Skyrim Launcher Options

---

IMPORTANT: Launch Skyrim from Steam and click on "Options". This will establish the INI file configurations according to the detected hardware. It will also establish the registry entries necessary for utilities and applications used downstream.

1.B.1. Launcher Settings

1. Click the [Ultra] button.
2. Under Antialiasing, select 4 Samples, as the difference between 4 Samples and 8 Samples is very subtle and not worth the performance loss (per Tweakguides). Drop down to 2 Samples as a last-resort to improve performance.
3. Under Anisotropic Filtering, select 16 Samples (adjust down to 8 Samples to improve performance.).
4. Click the [Advanced] button and make sure FXAA is UN-checked. FXAA reduces the Anisotropic Filter effect as well as overall texture detail. It is a huge performance improvement over AA, but comes with a quality cost. For more information on FXAA, and to see if it is right for you, see this post.
5. Consider setting shadow detail to High rather than Ultra for video cards with less than 1.5 Gb VRAM ...
• HIGH: Better performance (much better on some systems). Shadows are sharper, and shadow view distance is reduced (less mid-distance landscape eye-candy).
• ULTRA: Worse performance. Shadows are more pixelated with less definition, but shadow view distance is increased (mid-distance landscape will look pretty).
6. Click on the [View Distance] tab. Make sure Object Detail Fade is UNchecked and tweak the view distances by adjusting grass to 100% with all other settings around 50%.

1.B.2. Establish Baseline Vanilla Performance

Template:Notice Small Fine-tune and test settings; remember to create save games in populated areas such as Riverwood and Whiterun to use as staging areas for screenshots and FPS comparison. Save this data for later comparison after each stage of tuning later in this guide. If there is not a minimum of 50 FPS in all areas, then reduce Launcher settings accordingly, as forthcoming adjustments and mods will tax performance substantially, depending on choices made. For more comprehensive instructions, visit the Mod Testing Guide.

1.C. Install Utilities

---

1.C.1. Skyrim Unplugged

Since each STEP release is configured to a specific Skyrim TESV release, it is important that Steam is not allowed to update Skyrim. Unfortunately, the Automatic Updates setting in Steam can not be used to prevent these updates. Skyrim Unplugged is a utility created by STEP Team member, stoppingby4now, and will prevent such updates from occurring without the user's explicit approval.

1.C.2. BOSS

Better Oblivion Sorting Software (BOSS) is the recommended utility for managing mod plugins for Skyrim. Download BOSS and install according to the instructions provided by the author.

1.C.3. BOSS Userlist Manager (BUM)

The Boss Userlist Manager helps to make BOSS even easier by providing a GUI to edit the BOSS masterlist, which is used to define load order. Includes automated BOSS masterlist management as well and more.

1.C.4. Mod Manager(s)

There are several utilities that may be used to install mods for Skyrim and to maintain the STEP modded setup. The user also has the option of installing mods manually. Use of one of a mod-management utility is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED but optional.

1.C.4.1. Wrye Bash

Wrye Bash is perhaps the most powerful mod-management utility, and is full of features for both modders and advanced mod authors alike. Additionally, Skyrim development is progressing rapidly. A comprehensive STEP-installation walkthrough is presented in the Wrye Bash Guide. Presently, Wrye Bash lacks a mod update management system, so this will need to be managed by the user (or the following solutions can be used for that piece).

1.C.4.2. Mod Organizer

Mod Organizer (MO) is a feature-rich management utility. See the MO Guide to learn more. MO does keep track of mod updates on the Nexus, and is as accurate as long as the Nexus metadata is current.

1.C.4.3. Nexus Mod Manager

The Nexus Mod Manager (NMM) is a mod-management utility from Blacktree Gaming, and provides a convenient download manager, and mod tracker. The Nexus Mod Manager (NMM) Guide By TheStigma provides good instructions for using this tool.

1.C.5. SKSE

Skyrim Script Extender is a mod utility required for STEP. SKSE is an app that exposes console commands and the internal scripting language (Papyrus) to modders. Follow the instructions in the ReadMe to install. NOTE: It may be necessary to create a new directory called SKSE in skyrim\Data and an additional subdirectory in SKSE called plugins (skyrim\Data\skse\plugins is where all SKSE plugins must be installed).

1.C.6. Script Dragon

Script Dragon is another external program that puts the full power of C++ into the modders hands. To install, copy and paste the "dinput8.dll" and "scriptdragon.dll" into the Skyrim directory (alongside TESV.exe). Create a new directory called "ASI" in skyrim\Data (skyrim\Data\asi is where all Script Dragon plugins must be installed).

1.D. INI Tweaks

---

INI files can be used to managed many aspects of the game and also ancillary mods to Skyrim. Following are relevant tweaks that apply to Baseline STEP.

1.D.1. Skyrim INI

Go to Documents/My Games/Skyrim or My Documents/My Games/Skyrim (depending on Operating System) and find “Skyrim.ini” and “SkyrimPref.ini”. Make sure they aren’t tagged as read-only, and make a backup of the files. Using Mod Organizer, you edit your INI files by clicking “Edit Ini”, there’s no need to edit the originals.

Open "Skyrim.ini" and add the following under [Display]:

↓ These tweaks fix the shadow flickering issue. Shadow flickering is caused by updating sun shadows:

fSunShadowUpdateTime=0
fSunUpdateThreshold=2.0

↓ This will increase the time that blood decals remain visible (tweak from “Enhanced Blood Textures” mod):

fDecalLifetime=750.0

Add the following under [General]:

↓ This will disable the annoying intro sequence:

sIntroSequence=

↓ This prevents crashes when loading into a large interior area:

iLargeIntRefCount=999999

↓ This helps prevent lighting “pop-in” by pushing back the distance at which the flicker/pulse animation loops begin:

fFlickeringLightDistance=8192

Add the following under [Combat]:

↓ This will shift the point of aim to the center of the aiming reticule for arrows and crossbows (with this setting targets will be hit where the cursor is placed at approximately 100 feet from the target):

fMagnetismStrafeHeadingMult=0.0
fMagnetismLookingMult=0.0
f1PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7
f3PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7
f1PBoltTiltUpAngle=0.7
f3PBoltTiltUpAngle=0.7

Add the following under [Camera]:

↓ These settings put the camera just above your character's head in third-person view. (From "Centered Third Person Camera"):

fOverShoulderAddY=0.0
fOverShoulderPosZ=10.0
fOverShoulderPosX=0.0
fOverShoulderCombatAddY=0.0
fOverShoulderCombatPosZ=10.0
fOverShoulderCombatPosX=0.0

↓ This corrects the camera angle in third-person view while on horseback. (From "Third Person Horse Camera"):

fOverShoulderHorseAddY=-72.0
fOverShoulderHorsePosZ=50.0
fOverShoulderHorsePosX=35.0
fActorFadeOutLimit=-100

↓ This provides instant camera-angle switching when switching view types or when mounting/dismounting your horse. (from "Instant Camera POV Switching"):

fMouseWheelZoomSpeed=60.0
f1st3rdSwitchDelay=0.95
iHorseTransitionMillis=001

Save the file and exit.
Template:Notice Small

1.D.2. SkyrimPrefs INI

Open "SkyrimPrefs.ini" and adjust the following values under [Display]:

↓ Lower values (0, 1 or 2) will sharpen shadows (not the resolution), making vegetation more "vibrant." It gives a subtle increase in performance, but also gives more pixelated and striping effects to shadows. Higher values (4, 5, etc.) will make shadows softer and more blurred. Recommend changing this value to 1 or 2. WARNING: In most cases, when changing any options from the Skyrim Launcher, this tweak will revert to the default value "3". You will have to re-apply it:

iBlurDeferredShadowMask=2

↓ NVIDIA users ONLY! Improves Anisotropic Filter quality if you force AF from your NVIDIA card. If you are not going to force AF from the video card (see 1.E.1. NVIDIA Users), do not use this tweak, and leave it to 16!:

iMaxAnisotropy=1

↓ Improves tree shadowing by enabling (fake but nice) shadows on trees:

bTreesReceiveShadows=1

↓ ENB users ONLY (see section 2.B)! Enabling this setting without an ENB will add land shadowing, which means two things: more shadow striping bug, and less performance (2-3 FPS drop). If using an ENB then shadow striping is no longer an issue:

bDrawLandShadows=1

↓ Together with setting shadow quality set to High in Step-1, this tweak will improve shadows resolution at a huge performance cost. Shadow quality on Ultra already sets this to 4096:

iShadowMapResolution=4096

↓ This will improve the blood decals number per scene (from “Enhanced Blood Textures”):

iMaxDecalsPerFrame=350

Add the following under [Water]:

↓ Subtlety improves water reflections:

iWaterReflectHeight=1024
iWaterReflectWidth=1024

Add the following under [Launcher]:

↓ This will allow selection of plug-ins from the Data folder (even if mod manager programs can do it instead), but more importantly, it will prevent Skyrim Launcher from un-checking all previously checked ESPs:

bEnableFileSelection=1

Add the following under [Controls]:

↓ This will disable mouse acceleration:

bMouseAcceleration=0

Save the file and exit.

1.E. Video Card Settings

---

1.E.1. NVIDIA Users

1. Download and install the latest NVIDIA drivers (beta if available).
2. Download NVIDIA Inspector.
3. Follow these steps.

-> Also see the NVIDIA Inspector Guide on the Wiki (a WIP).

1.E.2. ATI Users

1. Download and install the latest AMD drivers (beta if available).
2. Open Catalyst Control Center, and click on the "Preferences" button in the upper right. Select "Advanced View".
3. Click on "Gaming" section on the left then select "3D Application Settings".

-> Follow the ATI Pictorial Guide on the Wiki (a WIP).

Reminder - Essential Guides

The following guides form the base from which STEP builds so that what is being done and why is fully understood. These guides will also empower the user to make decisions while installing STEP that will lead to a setup that is most appropriate for particular hardware and play style.

♦ Skyrim Installation Guide (SIG) – Detailed info on installation and optimization of Steam, Skyrim, utilities, and mods. A must read prior to installing STEP!

♦ Skyrim Tweaking Guide – Graphics, performance data, and detailed explanations of the most useful tweaks and INI settings for Skyrim.

♦ Wrye Bash Guide (WBG) – A detailed guide for the most powerful mod management tool.

♦ Nexus Mod Manager (NMM) Guide – A guide to using NMM by TheStigma

♦ Mod Organizer Guide (MOG) – The official guide by Tannin, hosted on the STEP Community website (WIP)

Final Notes

A Final Consideration

Unless the reader is a highly experienced TES modder, install mods in the order that they are presented in the following tables. Installation mistakes will more often than not require a clean Skyrim installation as a starting point.
Learn how to reestablish a clean Skyrim installation.

One crucial fact to understand about Skyrim, is that information from the mods you use can be written into your save games, and may continue to affect your game even after the mods are removed or updated. From the Bethesda document, “Skyrim Mod Troubleshooting: Best Practices”:

"When you play Skyrim with a mod, in most cases, the new data for the mod will be written into any new saved games you create. For example, if you play Skyrim with Mod X and create a save, the next time you load that save, the game will expect Mod X to also be loaded. If you no longer want to play Skyrim with Mod X, it is best to unload Mod X (by unchecking the plugin under Data Files in your Skyrim launcher) and loading a save that does not require Mod X, usually an older save or a backed up save."

The short version is, “Never continue with a save once a mod it relies upon has been removed.” Although this is good advice, there may be occasions when it is inconvenient to revert to an older save. The Skyrim Troubleshooting Guide provides a procedure for attempting to ‘clean’ the effects of a removed mod from a save.

AND FINALLY ....

ALWAYS read the ReadMe and other mod-related documentation that comes packaged with almost all individual mods. This includes the mod's description on the Nexus. If the mod author has seen fit and taken time to create these reference materials, then they are relevant and important in the eyes of the mod author. This means that they are relevant and important to US!

S.T.E.P. 2

Mod Installation

Installation Table-Header Definitions
Core Mod	Core mods are indicated by the presence of a blue bar in the row at the immediate left-hand column of the table.
Mod Name	Nexus mod name (where applicable) presented as a link links to Nexus for download. Mods with colored text (other than standard blue) indicate problematic mods according to TES5Edit.
Baseline	This notes the STEP Baseline version or option of the corresponding mod.
Impact	Denotes if there is a performance impact associated with the corresponding mod.
		A performance-"friendlier" version also exists as another option.
		A performance-"costing" version also exists as another option.
		Both performance friendlier and costing versions of the mod exist.
Notes	Brief notes that apply to the mod or installation.

Template:Warning Template:Notice Small

Installation Tables

Post-Installation Housekeeping

Once all mods have been installed and ready to play, be certain to either: ? Start a new game, or ? Load an existing game, and P Save the game including all of the new mod info P Sleep within an interior cell for 31 days, and ... P Save AGAIN (this will be the new modded save to fall back to)

S.T.E.P. 3

Hints & Common Issues

3.A. Technical Tips

All of the following may be helpful, but be certain to also check the STEP Troubleshooting Guide on the Wiki.

3.A.1. Using BOSS to easily sort ESMs/ESPs

Ordering and enabling plug-ins 1. Download BOSS. 2. Install it and run "BOSS.exe", it will automatically sort the plug-ins in Data. 3. Run NMM and enable all the deactivated ESPs/ESMs. 4. Repeat this step every time you update/add an ESP/ESM mod. Some plugins might not be recognized by BOSS and will be positioned at the very end of the load order (the BOSS report will show them). This is not an issue, and plugins can always be manually reordered.

3.A.2. Maximizing STEP

A heavily modded Skyrim can bring even a very powerful system to its knees. Maximum visual quality is highly dependent upon total on-card graphics-dedicated video memory (VRAM) divided by number of GPUs along with native monitor resolution. First, try using SSAO for better quality graphics and note the performance hit. If FPS is still 50 or higher, install the higher-resolution textures a few at a time until performance and quality are balanced. The goal should be to maintain 32 or more FPS on average. Again, the Skyrim Installation Guide (SIG) provides a rather comprehensive overview of Steam and Skyrim installation. The guide also provides information on the installation and setup of several useful utilities that will make installing and maintaining STEP relatively simple and reliable. Users relatively new to TES modding are required to be familiar with the contents of the SIG.

3.A.3. Fix game launch crash after installing S.T.E.P.

If you’re experiencing crashes to desktop (CTDs), set the Skyrim executable (TESV.exe) to run as administrator. (Right click TESV.exe > Properties > Compatibility > Check "Run this program as administrator"). Also, if using RCRN or any other FXAA-Injector/ENB mod, turn off any on-screen display programs and monitoring tools such as Fraps, ATI Tray Tools, MSI Afterburner, GPU-Z, etc. Be sure to get the latest DirectX runtime installed.

3.A.4. Defrag your Hard Drive with a proper defrag tool

For hard drives (not SSDs), this is a very important task once most/all mods are installed. The Windows defrag utility may be used, but it is substandard. A couple of the best free utilities are Auslogics Disk Defrag and Puran Defrag Free Edition. Defragging is NOT recommended for people using a SSD, defragging an SSD may severely affect its lifetime.

3.A.5. Semi-Invisible People & Misbehaving Walls (ATI)

Be certain that ATI Antialiasing is set to "Multi-Sample" and NOT "adaptive". Also, remember to download the latest ATI drivers.

3.A.6. Using Windowed Mode (ATI)

If having stuttering problems or CTDs in full screen mode, try "full screen" windowed mode by downloading Simple Borderless Window and follow the guide. IMPORTANT NOTE: The "Simple Borderless Window" launcher (SBW.exe) launches SKSE, so start the game through SBW.exe.

3.A.7. Increase Overall Performance

If after following the whole guide and installing the enhanced graphics, the game is unplayable due to low performance, try one or more of the following: ? Disable SSAO or Supersampling AA (or both) if enabled. ? Reduce shadow quality from the Skyrim Launcher. ? Install the performance-friendly versions of textures where applicable. ? Consider texture optimization. There is also a useful thread on DDSopt that provides good advice and a sound methodology. NOTE: REDUCE THE “VIEW DISTANCE” SETTINGS FROM THE GAME LAUNCHER (REVISIT THE “LAUNCHER TWEAKS” SECTION ABOVE).

3.A.8. Texture Shimmering, Etc.

Visit the z-Fighting Wiki Reference Guide.

3.B. In-Game Tips

3.B.1. Optimize Field of View (FOV)

Press the tilde key in-game to open the in-game console upper-left key, usually beneath Esc key). Type:

FOV # 

... and hit Enter Use a number from 66-100, depending on resolution and screen ratio. Default is 65 (4:3 screens), but 70-75 works nicely for 16:10 screens and 75-80 works nicely for 16:9 screens. This change will be permanent in the saved game. Other INI FOV tweaks don't require opening the console, but they don’t 'stick' and can corrupt the game. Also note that high FOV can cause a performance drop for some configurations.

3.B.2. Downgraded Skill

When a skill appears in red and it's much lower than it is supposed to be (and this is NOT caused by an active negative spell effect), this is probably a game glitch. Once in-game, open console with the tilde key (upper-left key, usually beneath Esc key). Type: player.modav <skill> 1 ... and hit Enter Reopen the console and type: player.modav <skill> -1 ... and hit Enter Hit the tilde key again Done.

3.B.3. BIG Frame Drops During Cell Loading

For large FPS drops (from 32+ down to 5- FPS) when loading new cells during transitions in-game, ALT+TAB to Windows, click on the Skyrim tab on the task-bar, and ALT+TAB back to Skyrim. This seems to be a game bug for some. It can also indicate that VRAM is too often operating at or beyond capacity (see Increasing Overall Performance).

User Contributions

How YOU can help

STEP can only get bigger and better with help from the STEP-wide user community. Even simply maintaining the current STEP is too much work for a single person to ensure that the highest quality is maintained. We need people to help us identify mods that are thought to improve Skyrim while adhering to the STEP Mandate. We also need ongoing reviews and updates on mods that may be causing problems or stray from the STEP philosophy. STEP has always been about creating a better Skyrim through community resources. More detail is presented in the Mod Testing Guide now in development. NOTE: In order to suggest a mod, visit the MOD SUGGESTIONS section in the STEP Forums.

Special Credits

• Roogal for the darker PDF theme concept • MontyMM for the guide's dragon logo and z929669 for the new STEP-brand logo • Authors of mods recommended in STEP • The core STEP Community for feedback, suggestions and input • The STEP beta testers for their good humor ... & rigorous analyses • The Nexus community • Bethesda Softworks for Skyrim (and TES overall) • The STEP Community administrators for establishing the STEP community & specifically ... ? Farlo for mod informatics and wiki development ? frihyland for workflow solutions and general application development ? Stoppingby4now for forum operations/development and wiki skinning ? z929669 for the major PDF content rewrites ? TheCompiler (Daniel) for creating STEP!

2.2.0a {{#css:MediaWiki:StepGuide.css}}