User:DarkladyLexy/Lexys LOTD SE Prerequisites

Welcome to Lexy's: Legacy of The Dragonborn Special Edition

A STEP Hosted guide based of Neovalen's Skyrim Revisited: Legendary Edition

Created and maintained by Darth_mathias and DarkladyLexy With help from Nozzer66

Last Update: 2:40:55 18 May 2024 (GMT)

Help support STEP! ALL donations are applied to operating expenses.

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Prerequisites Page

Official Bethesda Content

• Skyrim Special Edition v1.5.16
• Creation Kit v2.0
• Dawnguard DLC
• Hearthfire DLC
• Dragonborn DLC

Steam Overlay

The Steam Overlay is known to cause issues while playing Skyrim Special Edition it is advised to disable it; to do this perform the following:

1. Load Steam.
2. In the Tool bar at the top of the left hand side Click Steam.
3. In the Dropdown menu Click Settings.
4. Then in the popup box find where it says In-Game.
5. Uncheck Enabled the Steam overlay while in-game then click OK.

Alternatively if you would just like to disable this for Skyrim Special Edition you may:

1. Load Steam.
2. Click LIBRARY.
3. On your Games list look for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Editon and Right Click.
4. In the Dropdown menu Click Properties.
5. Then in the popup box Uncheck Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game.

Configure Skyrim

Before we can actually start doing any modding, We need to setup Skyrim Special Edition first so we have a starting base to work from.

Start by opening Steam: then perform the following steps in order:

Start The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition through the Steam context menu to open the default Skyrim Special Edition launcher.

1. Click "Options".
2. Click the [Ultra] push-button.
3. Set "Aspect Ratio" and "Resolution" through the drop down box. Set these to the monitors optimal resolution.
4. Set "Antialiasing" to Off through the drop down box. This is in preparation for the ENB Install.
5. Set "Windowed Mode" make sure this is ticked.
6. Set "Borderless" make sure this is ticked.
7. Click the [OK] button to close and save.

We have just set Skyrim Special Edition up to a base to work on. We'll tweak this when we run the BethINI tool later in the guide.

Configure The Creation Kit

Creation Kit SE Tutorial (Installation) by Darkfox127

The Creation Kit is a valuable tool for Skyrim Special Edition as it allows users to create and/or edit mods. It can be used to fix and change things not possible with the other 3rd party tools. Similar to Skyrim Special Edition, the Creation Kit does not have default ini files until it is started for the first time and requires some basic setup to work properly for the purpose of this guide.

For the puroses of this guide the Creation kit will be required for proper mod conversion.

1. Download and install Bethesda.net Launcher.
2. Run the Launcher and sign in (create an account if you don't have one).
3. Users should see the grey "Creation" icon on the left. Click on it and install.
4. Users should now launch the CK, choosing NO when asked to extract the scripts, and close the program.
5. Navigate to the Skyrim Special Edition folder (where CreationKit.exe is located) and open CreationKit.ini.
6. At the top of the [General] section, add the lines bAllowMultipleMasterFiles=1 and "bAllowMultipleMasterLoads=1".
7. Locate the line starting with "SResourceArchiveList2=" and after Skyrim - Patch.bsa add ",Dawnguard.bsa, Hearthfires.bsa, Dragonborn.bsa".
8. Save and close the file.

These settings will remain set for each subsequent run. These settings have accomplished the following:

• Setup the ini files for multiple master loads and to properly load DLC content.

Script Extenders

[Skyrim Script Extender]

CORE

Skyrim Script Extender - 2.0.6 - by ianpatt, behippo, scruggsywuggsy the ferret, and purple lunchbox

Files to download :

• MAIN FILES - Current SE build 2.0.6 (runtime 1.5.23): 7z archive

Install only these files to the main Skyrim Special Edition folder at this time:

• skse64_1_5_23.dll
• skse64_loader.exe
• skse64_steam_loader.dll

SKSE is absolutely essential. It extends the scripting capacity of the game to allow mods to do things that would not normally be doable in the base Skyrim Engine. Many Mods depend upon it.

Tools

[7-Zip]

CORE

7-Zip - 17.01 beta

Files to download :

• MAIN FILES - 7-Zip for 64-bit Windows x64 (Intel 64 or AMD64)

[Bethesda Archive Extractor (BSA and BA2)]

CORE

Bethesda Archive Extractor (BSA and BA2) - 0.10 beta - by jonwd7

Files to download :

• MAIN FILES - BAE v0.10

[Champollion a PEX to Papyrus decompiler]

CORE

Champollion a PEX to Papyrus decompiler - 1.01 - by li1nx

Files to download :

• MAIN FILES - Champollion V1_0_1 64 bits

Special Installation: Manually install the contents of the main file to to Main Skyrim Special Edition Directory Folder

Mod notes: The function of this tool is to decompile pex scripts to source code. This is a prerequisite for Merge Plugins Standalone.

[LOOT]

CORE

LOOT - 0.12.1 - by WrinklyNinja et al

Files to download :

• MAIN FILES - LOOT v0.12.1

Mod notes: The programs allow you to sort and optimize your Load Order.

[Merge Plugins Standalone]

CORE

Merge Plugins Standalone - 2.3.1 - by Mator

Files to download :

• MAIN FILES - Merge Plugins

Mod notes: The programs allows you to Combine plugin as so reduce overall esp count.

[SSEEDIT]

CORE

SSEEDIT - 3.2 - by ElminsterAU and SSEEdit team

Files to download :

• MAIN FILES - SSEEdit 3.2

Mod notes: This program is an essential Tool that will help with cleaning mods of dirty edit and enable to creation of patches required by this guide.

[Wrye Bash]

CORE

Wrye Bash - Wrye Bash 307 beta1 - by Wrye Bash Team

Files to download :

• OLDER FILES - Wrye Bash 307 beta1 - Standalone Executable

Special Installation: Manually extract and install to the main Skyrim Special Edition directory.

Mod notes: The function of this tool is to manage mods and create Bashed Patches. Bashed Patches merge the leveled lists from the installed mods and has some limited functionality to merge mods and tweak game values. For the purposes of this guide, only the Bashed Patch functionality will be used.

Mod Manger

[Mod Organizer 2]

CORE

Mod Organizer 2 - 2.1.1 - by Tannin

Files to download :

• MAIN FILES - Mod Organizer 2 (Standalone Version)

Mod notes: This is the tool we'll actually be using to download, install and manage the mods. Don't worry if it looks daunting, we'll set you right shortly.

Installing Mod Organizer 2

Once Mod Organizer 2 is downloaded some manual setup is required:

• Create a folder called Mod Organizer 2 in the Skyrim Special Edition Main Directory (so you have some like Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Mod Organizer 2).
• Once created, create 4 new folders inside the new Mod Organizer 2 folder called:

downloads - (so you have some like Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Mod Organizer 2\downloads)
mods - (so you have some like Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Mod Organizer 2\mods)
overwrite - (so you have some like Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Mod Organizer 2\overwrite)
profiles - (so you have some like Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Mod Organizer 2\profiles)
webcache - (so you have some like Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Mod Organizer 2\webcache)

• Extract the contents of the downloaded Zip file to Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Mod Organizer 2.
• Run ModOrganizer.exe
• A popup box should appear asking to "choose an Instance" pick New
• A 2nd popup should appear from the drop down menu pick SkyrimSE
• Click OK Read the 3rd popup box.
• A 4th popup should appear select Skyrim Special Edition
• A 5th popup should appear asking if you want see the tutorial. Those who are new to Mod Organizer 2 should select Yes those who are very familiar with it should Select No.

Congratulations Mod Orgainzer 2 is installed now we need to configure it properly.

Configuring Mod Organizer 2

Now that Mod Organizer 2 is installed to setup up correctly

• From the tool bar click the Spanner and screwdriver icon.
• From the popup box tab over to Path
• Under paths section change the following:

downloads - Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Mod Organizer 2\downloads
mods - Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Mod Organizer 2\mods
overwrite - Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Mod Organizer 2\overwrite
profiles - Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Mod Organizer 2\profiles
webcache - Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Mod Organizer 2\webcache

A Popup box should appear click Yes

• Under the Nexus tab make sure the Automatically login to Nexus is Ticked
• Input your Nexus User Name and Password.
• Click OK

Congratulations Mod Orgainzer 2 should be properly configured. Next we need to setup a base profile.

Mod Organizer 2: Base Profile Creation

Now the Mod Organizer 2 is insatalled and configured correctly need to create a Base Profile to work from.

1. Click the [Configure Profiles] button at the top of the window. The icon looks like an id card.
2. Click [Create] and type "Vanilla Skyrim SE" in the text box.
3. Verify that "Default Game Settings" is unchecked then click [OK]. The "Vanilla Skyrim" profile will appear in the list.
4. Select the "Default" profile and click [Remove]. Select [Yes] when prompted.
5. Close the dialogue by clicking [Close].
6. Verify that "Vanilla Skyrim SE" is the currently selected profile in the "Profile" drop-down above the left-pane of the Mod Organizer window.

Setting up Base Tools for Mod Organizer 2

Now to setup the tool's UI and other such settings. Follow the steps below

1. Click the [Executables] button at the top of the main Mod Organizer window. The icon looks like a pair of cogs.
2. In the "Title" text box type "TES5Edit". (Or whatever you renamed FO4Edit.exe to as part of the Tools installation)
3. In the "Binary" text box type <TES5Edit Path>\TES5Edit.exe or select it using windows explorer by pressing the [...] button.
4. Do not select any of the optional check boxes.
5. Click the [Add] button. TES5Edit should appear in the list.
6. Repeat this process for both Merge Plugins and Wrye Bash replacing the appropriate fields then close the dialogue by clicking [OK].

Next we'll fix the default left pane order, which is scrambled from how it should look. Drag and drop the files in the left pane until they look like this:

 * Dawnguard
 * HearthFires
 * Dragonborn

We now need to run LOOT to organize the right pane so it depicts the correct order also. Perform the following steps:

1. Select LOOT from the drop down list of executables.
2. Click the [Run] button
3. Towards the top right hand corner is an icon that looks like 3 horizontal lines. Mousing over it shows it's for 'Sort Plugins'. Click it.
4. LOOT will now download any updates to it's masterlist file and compare the files it sees to this masterlist file.
5. The calculated load order is then displayed. Click 'Apply' to accept this order. If no changes are necessary there may not be an 'Apply' option as no changes are needed.
6. Close Loot using the Red X.

This process has loaded LOOT via Mod Organizer. This enables LOOT to act upon any and all of the .ESM and .ESP files in Mod Organizer's virtual file system. It compares what files it sees to the Master-List of all .ESM and .ESP files and suggests tweaks as required. Some files need to load before others or after others for their effects to be fully noticeable. LOOT helps this to happen. If you look at the Right pane of Mod Organizer now, you should notice that the files are in the same order that you just sorted them into on the Left pane, with Skyrim.esm and Update.esm above them. This is the correct formation.

This process has enabled the Dawnguard, Hearthfires, and Dragonborn DLCs for use in the game.

Congratulations Mod Orgainzer 2 Base Profle should now be properly setup. Next we need to setup a Modding Profile.

Creating Legacy Of The Dragonborn: Special Edition Profile

We've made a Vanilla Skyrim profile. This means you can play vanilla unmodded Skyrim via Mod Organizer at a single mouse click. Now we'll make the profile with which we'll mod Skyrim. This is how we proceed:

* Click the [Configure Profiles] icon at the top of the main Mod Organizer window. The icon looks like an id card.
* Select "Vanilla Skyrim" then click [Copy].
* Type "Legacy Of The Dragonborn - Special Edition" in the text box and hit [OK].

A couple of points to be made here: Firstly, when you make a new profile, Mod Organizer makes new copies of Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPrefs.ini. If and when you make ini files changes, you will be making them to THESE files. Secondly, we installed the base three files of Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE) earlier, but didn't install the script files. We will do this now to show how to install a mod via Mod Organizer. Ensure you have your newly made profile active and then perform the following steps:

* Click the small screwdriver and wrench icon adjacent to the "Profile" drop-down and select "Install Mod...".
* Navigate to the downloaded SKSE archive and click [Open].
* Replace the default text, if any, in the "Name" text box with "Skyrim Script Extender". This is the name that will be displayed in the left pane post-installation.
* In the file tree, navigate to the "Data" folder inside the archive, right-click and select "Set Data Directory". Only the Scripts folder should be visible and checked.
* Click [OK].

The mod will now be displayed with an empty check box in the mod window. This mod is now installed but not yet enabled for use by the game. Also, note that Mod Organizer does not have a version number or category set for this mod. To resolve this, perform the following:

* Right-click the mod and select "Information...". (Alternatively, double click the mod name.)
* In the "Categories" tab, check the box next to "Patches" to add that category to this mod.
* In the "Nexus Info" tab, set the version number to the installed SKSE version number but set the Mod ID to -1.

This has set the proper version number and category for this mod. The color of the text also indicates that SKSE is not available on the Nexus. Look at the [File Tree] tab to see the contents of the folder that will be virtually placed inside the Skyrim/Data folder. Note the meta.ini file is shown which Mod Organizer uses to store all the related data for the mod and it will not be visible to the game when executed.

* Click [Close] to save and exit the window.

Mods version numbers that can be verified by the Nexus will be either Green(Current+) or Red(Out Of Date). To make the mod visible to the game:

* Check the box adjacent to the mod name.

The files located inside this mod folder will now be visible to any programs executed through Mod Organizer as if they were placed inside of the Skyrim/Data folder. Any conflicts are handled by Mod Organizer in priority order (higher priority overwrites lower priority). Give this a try now:

* Select "SKSE" in the drop down above the right pane then click [Run].

This will execute the game through Mod Organizer using the SKSE_Loader.exe. The Mod Organizer window will close as SKSE is automatically configured to do so. At this point, SKSE is now properly installed with all included script functionality. There is also a way to check you have SKSE loaded and working:

* When the game loads to the menu, open the console. This is usually one by pressing the key directly above the [Tab] key. It's often the ` or ~ key. This will open a small command prompt in the lower left corner. It may be hard to see but it should be there. Type the command "getskseversion" without the quotes. It should give output as to the version you have installed. If it's anything other than 1.7.3 then recheck the original SKSE install and the scripts install just performed.

Exit the game, and if needed ensure SKSE is correct again after checking install. Do not continue until you're sure SKSE is correctly installed.

We've now set up the profile we wish to install mods to. We've also set up a Vanilla Profile. Either a modded game or the vanilla game can be played just by changing the profile. Additionally, should you wish to make any other profile, you can simply copy that Vanilla Skyrim profile, rename it and start with that new profile.

Clean the Bethesda ESM's

With profiles now set up properly, it is time to begin modding some vanilla game files. To increase stability, SSEEdit will be used to clean ITMs and UDRs from Bethesda 's ESMs. This improves compatibility between the various DLCs and lessens the chance of instability in Skyrim. Perform the following:

Before we start cleaning the ESMs we need to backup the originals, navigate to Skyrim Special Edition\Data folder and backup the following:

* Update.esm
* Dawnguard.esm
* HearthFires.esm
* Dragonborn.esm

Once the original ESMs are backed up we can start the cleaning process:

* Start Mod Organizer.
* Select "SSEEdit" from the drop down above the right pane and click [Run].
* Right-click inside the file listing and select "None".
* Check the box adjacent to Update.esm and click [OK]. Wait for the message "Background Loader: finished" to appear in the right pane.
* Right-click Update.esm and select "Apply Filter For Cleaning". Wait for the message "[Filtering Done]" to appear in the right pane.
* Right-click Update.esm and select "Remove Identical To Master Records". Wait for the message "[Removing Identical to Master records done]".
* Right-click Update.esm and select "Undelete and Disable References". Wait for the message "[Undeleting and Disabling References done]".
* Click the [X] on the title bar to close SSEEdit.

Update.esm has now been cleaned, meaning that any improperly removed records or edited records that were identical to the base Skyrim.esm file have been fixed. Repeat the process above for all of the DLC ESMs in order selecting only one at a time. Do NOT attempt to clean Skyrim.esm itself.

Dawnguard.esm must also be cleaned twice to remove all duplicate records. When you clean Dawnguard.esm the first time, check "Backup Plugins". Do not check it the second time.

Manual SSEEdit Cleaning For Dawnguard.esm Also Required:

Open SSEEdit and load only Dawnguard.esm
Once loaded Left click and open CELL > Block 5 > Sub-Block 3 > select 00016BCF. Scroll down the view window on the right to find XEZN subrecord referring to RiftenRatwayZone [ECZN:0009FBB9]. Right click and select Remove.
Next Left click and open CELL > Block 2 > Sub-Block 1 > select 0001FA4C. Right click and select Remove.
Last Left click and open CELL > Block 8 > Sub-Block 1. Right click and select Remove.
Click the [X] in the upper right hand corner, uncheck "Backup plugins", and click [OK].

Once you have finished the cleaning process you will notice the ESMs would have been moved to the Overwrite folder with Mod Organizer 2. These files need to place a a mod by:

* Right clicking on overwrtie then left clicking Create mod called Cleaned Vanilla ESMs

Once you have cleaned and created a mod from the Cleaned ESM' restore the original UNCLEANED ones backed earlier to the DATA folder.

This preserves an absolutely clean Skyrim/Data directory and also allows our modded profile to run with the modified, cleaned vanilla ESM files. To finish up the cleaning, perform the following:

* Start Mod Organizer.
* Verify the Legacy Of The Dragonborn - Special Edition profile is the currently selected.
* Drag the newly created mod "Cleaned Vanilla ESMs" Above the "SKSE Scripts" mods in the left pane and activate it by checking the box.

To recap the current set up:

* Running Skyrim through Steam results in a completely vanilla experience.
* Running the "Vanilla Skyrim" profile through Mod Organizer with "Skyrim" selected in the drop-down results in a completely vanilla experience.
* Running the "Skyrim Revisited" profile through Mod Organizer with "SKSE" selected in the drop-down results in a SKSE enabled experience using the cleaned base ESM files. 

So, now to start your modified game, always start Mod Organizer, select SKSE and press [RUN].