This is a highly subjective question that can be answered in three ways: a short and easy answer, and a long and move involved answer, and a typical Lexy Answer.

Short Answer: "Yes."

Long Answer: "Realistically - it takes as long as it takes. The single biggest factor is download speeds - we have somewhere in the vicinity of 1400 mods or so in the list (varies from update to update, so don't quote us on this one), several of them fairly large. It takes time. More so, if your download speeds can be compared to tectonic movements. Even with that done, some of the tool runs take upwards of an hour to complete as well. This is NOT a short project. It WILL take lots of your time."

Lexy Answer: "How long is a piece of string? It will take as long as it takes you to install the guide."

Once upon a time, in the good ol' days, it would update as often as every two weeks or so. These days, we're shifted to bigger updates on a less frequent basis. Usually, though, you can expect that there will be an update of some kind every two to three months. Details on this are better tracked on the Discord, in the Announcements channel, where Darth Shadriss the Wise will regale you with tales of coming updates in a slightly funny fashion.

This is a conspiracy on the part of Mod Authors everywhere. As soon as the Guide updates, every MA on the Nexus updates their mod just to screw with us.

Seriously, though, this will be the result of one of two things:

1. The mod updated after the Guide did. In MOST cases, this means downloading and using the version listed, NOT the most recent version, as the custom patches we use are geared to be version specific. In short - ALWAYS USE THE VERSION LISTED IN THE GUIDE.
2. There are several places where - for a multitude of reasons - we intentionally use an older version. This can be because of compatibility, aesthetics, or other similar reasons. In short - ALWAYS USE THE VERSION LISTED IN THE GUIDE.

No one tool out there can do everything. On top of that, not all Mod Authors (or their creations) have equal amounts of quality. Some of them were even originally designed for Skyrim LE and need updating to play nice with SE/AE. Other mods have conflicting, redundant, or completely random changes that need addressing. The number of tools we use are the minimum required to deal with these kind of issues. We don't accept problems if we don't have to, and if there's a tool to fix a problem, we try to use it to do exactly that. Stability and Consistency are two of our most important watchwords here.

That is unfortunate, but not something that will sway the Guide. You see... well... you know what? We'll let Lexy tell you.

"The guide includes that mod because I want it! Yes, I understand that not everyone is a fan of every mod. Yes, I know that some people won't like the way I choose to do something or a specific mod I decide to include. If you fall into that category, I apologize. I do try to accommodate the majority of my users, but I also know it's impossible to please every player all of the time. When it comes right down to it, this is my guide, so I decide what mods it includes."

There are any number of reasons a mod may not be in the Guide. Where very popular mods are concerned, it is usually because there is a severe conflict with something that Lexy thinks is more important or, more commonly, because it doesn't fit with Lexy's vision for the Guide

At times, the mod you are thinking of has already been in the mod at some point, but was removed for various reasons. It's also possible that we haven't heard of it. If you think that highly of a mod and think it should be included, then feel free to post about it in the "Off Guide" modding channel. Worst that can happen is that Lexy says no.

1. Most of the mods we use do not have a direct equivalent in LE.
2. Lexy doesn't use LE. Neither does anyone currently on the staff. We can't write for something we don't use.

Generally speaking, we don't ask for mod recommendations. However, as noted earlier in the FAQ, if you REALLY WANNA make one, then post it in the "Off Guide" portion of the Discord and we'll see what Lexy thinks. Worst she can do is say no. Or bite. She does that sometimes. And there is that whip she carries around...