WARNING

If you didn’t follow instructions on the previous page, run Merge Plugins Hide now!

Oh! You’re Almost There!

Oh! Living On A Prayer!

The worst is behind you. Hours and hours of downloading is done. The Finishing Line is in sight… but there is still just that little bit more to go. You are another two or three hours from actually playing the game, if all goes well. Chin up. Keep that upper lip stiff. Take a deep breath. Let’s do this thing.

LOOT Rules

Rule 1 – Lexy gets all LOOT…

Likely one of the most invaluable tools created for any Bethesda Open World game, but certainly for Skyrim, LOOT (Load Order Optimization Tool) is a utility designed to assist users maintain a working load order for their mod list. It uses user-submitted meta data to determine the “best” load order for a given set of modifications… which is great when you only have a few dozen, but nowhere close to sufficient when your list has over 1,000 plugins, like we do.

To help it out, we have the ability to provide “LOOT Rules”, specialized sets of instructions on how to order certain mods and what order to do the sorting in. You might remember when you installed LOOT back in the beginning (oh so many hours of work ago…) that you set up a network of LOOT Groups – this is the moment you did that work for.

For each of the plugins listed below, RIGHT-CLICK on the plugin and select “Edit Metadata“. In the new window, add the plugin listed to the group they are listed with, then add any Load After rules that might apply as well.

Note that you are only ADDING or CHANGING things. Anything listed in grey is part of the LOOT Masterlist and CANNOT be altered. So don’t worry about those.

New to LOOT? There’s a great introduction video available by well-known Streamer “GamerPoets”!

Watch

Village Mods Group

Creation Club Group

Fixes and Resources Group

Early Loaders Group

ID-10-T Check

Make sure you edit Landscape Fixes for Grass Mods.esp NOT Water for ENB – Patch – Landscape Fixes for Grass Mods.esp

Low Priority Overrides Group

Trivial Smelters of Skyrim Group

CCOR Patches Group

CACO Patches Group

OWL Group

Snazzy Patches Group

Merge Patches Group

Lighting Enhancers Group

LUX Group

LUX Orbis Group

LUX Via Group

NPC Retextures Group

Consistency Patches Group

Conflict Resolution Group

Leveled List Modifiers Group

Load After LOOT Rules

NOTE

The mods in this section need to stay in the groups they are in by default. The only change necessary is the specified Load After rules.

Running LOOT

Take the Money and Run

Take another deep breath – you are now ready to actually sort your load order.

  1. In the top Left of the LOOT window, there should be an icon that should display “Sort Plugins” if you mouse over it.
    • Click this icon to begin the sorting process.
  2. After the sorting process has finished, it should update the window with the calculated load order and an Apply Sorted Load Order button should appear in the menu at the top of LOOT.
    • Press Apply Sorted Load Order and then close out of LOOT to continue.
WARNING

Make sure you have applied your load order changes, not just sorted them. Until you apply the changes, your plugins have not been sorted!

NOTE

LOOT may show a number of warning messages which may relate to SKSE version mismatches, mod incompatibilities, and so forth. IGNORE THESE LOOT WARNINGS.

This process has sorted our mods to be loaded in the order recommended by the LOOT master list, along with our necessary adjustments. This doesn’t handle the order that the plugins themselves require. To fix this, we need to do a small adjustment in xEdit.

  1. Open xEdit through Mod Organizer 2 and click OK.
  2. Select all Plugins.
  3. Right-click on any Plugin and select Sort Masters from the menu.
  4. Once processing has finished, click the X in the upper right-hand corner.
  5. Uncheck Backup plugins
  6. Click OK to exit xEdit.

Nemesis

It’s Not Really The Enemy

NOTE

This tool requires .Net Framework v3.5 to be installed in order to function properly

Here is a link to .Net Framework v3.5

Skeleton Animation changes, for the longest time, required a program called FNIS. Over the years since both Skyrim’s and the mod’s release, however, it gradually came to be unsupported. In the meantime, animation changers suddenly became a huge thing in the Skryim modding world again. Fortunately, a new modder gave us the completely-inappropriately-named Nemesis Unlimited Behavior Engine. It’s not your arch-enemy (that would be the NPC Merge), and it will let all kinds of neat things happen in Skyrim that couldn’t happen before, including new animations, gender-specific animations, poses, walks, weapon grips, weapon placements, and much more.

This involves the use of an external patcher program, but it’s very straight-forward and won’t take long at all.

Setup Instructions

Because Nemesis will be creating new .HKX files (files used by Skyrim for animation and motion), we want these files to be automatically sent to a mod instead of being tossed in the Overwrite folder. We can set this up by:

  1. In your Mod Organizer 2 file folder, locate and open the Mods folder.
  2. Create a new folder called “Nemesis Output”
  3. In Mod Organizer 2, press the Executable button and select Nemesis.
  4. In the 'Create Files in Mod instead of Overwrite' drop down menu, select "Nemesis Output"
  5. Select "Apply".
  6. Close the window.
  7. Make sure to activate "Nemesis Output" in the left pane, or MO2 won’t run the executable.

Running Nemesis

Run Nemesis Unlimited Behavior Engine by:

  1. Select Nemesis in the executable selection box, and click [Run].
  2. The main Nemesis interface should appear.
    1. If it does not, review the installation section for Nemesis on the Mod Page.
  3. From the list of mods in the top panel, select the following:
    • Archery Gameplay Overhaul
    • Magelock (Null)
    • Book of Shadows
    • Precision
    • Precision Creatures
    • True Directional Movement - 360 Horse Archery
    • True Directional Movement - Procedural Leaning
    • True Directional Movement - Headtracking
    • Ultimate Combat/TK Dodge
    • Animation Teleportation Bug Fix
  4. Click the [Update Engine] button.
    • Wait until the Engine update complete message appears.
  5. Click [Launch Nemesis Behavior Engine].
  6. to Wait until the Behaviour Generation complete message appears, then you can close Nemesis.
    • The bar in the middle is NOT a progress bar – that is a graphical representation of how many animations it created vs. how many the game can handle.
  7. Verify that Mod Organizer 2 has automatically placed the generated files into the Nemesis Output folder in Mod Organizer.

For reference, the Nemesis Output folder should contain the following:

  • a meshes folder, containing new hkx behaviour files.
  • a Nemesis Engine folder
  • a scripts folder, containing 2 compiled scripts for version tracking.
  • a FNIS.esp for XP32 Compatibility.

A Quick Test

Did It Work?

CAUTION

The purpose of this test is ONLY to ensure the game does not crash. Graphical issues are to be expected and will be resolved later on! DO NOT PANIC!

You’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. Before we do the last bits of Guide installation, we’re going to actually load the game. We have chosen several locations that will test the install. To conduct this test, do the following:

  1. Deactivate the following plugins:
    1. A Clear Map of Skyrim.esp
    2. ACMOS – Falskaar.esp
    3. ACMOS – Wyrmstooth.esp
  2. Start Skyrim using the Skyrim Legacy Launcher option.
  3. From the main menu, open the console (` key).
  4. Type coc and then the appropriate cell IDs from the list below to visit each of the shrines.
    1. Azura Statue: ShrineOfAzuraExterior01
    2. Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon: Mehrunes01
    3. Temple of Dibella: MarkarthTempleofDibella
    4. Temple of Meridia: KilkreathRuinsExterior03
    5. Shrine of Talos: MarkarthShrineofTalos
    6. College of Winterhold: WinterholdCollegeExterior

If Skyrim crashes, something has gone wrong.

  1. Reactivate the following plugins:
    • A Clear Map of Skyrim.esp
    • ACMOS – Falskaar.esp
    • ACMOS – Wyrmstooth.esp

Main Menu CTD

If you crashed at the main menu on load, three main possibilities exist:

  • You have a missing master.
    • Check your Load Order in MO2, looking for a red triangle next to any file in the list.
    • If these appear, identify the missing master and activate it.
  • You have not extracted a BSA archive associated with a Skyrim:LE file that you converted earlier.
    • Go through the Mod Pages to identify these mods, and verify that you have extracted the BSA files associated with them, if they exist.
  • You have a mismatched version of SKSE and an SKSE required mod.
    • Check all mods that have any SKSE plugins and make sure they are for the correct version of SKSE and Skyrim.

Former Staff-Member “Wartortle” walks you through how to troubleshoot CTD causes during “A Quick Test”.

Watch

Auto-Generated SKSE Files

After completing the Quick test and exiting the game, you may notice that an SKSE folder with a load of the files was auto-generated and placed into the Overwrite folder. We suggest creating a new mod out of these files by:

  • Right-click Overwrite in left pane of MO2 and selecting Create mod
  • In the new pop-up window, insert SKSE Output
  • Click OK
  • Activate SKSE Output in Left Pane.

Once that is done, perform the following Tweaks:

OpenAnimationReplacer.ini

[UI]
uToggleUIKey = 210 (this will change the hotkey to open the menu to Insert)
uToggleUIKeyShift = 0

PapyrusTweaks.ini

[Experimental]
bSpeedUpNativeCalls = true
WARNING

Do not run LOOT past this point. If you have to re-run LOOT for an update, disable all Finishing Line elements from Wrye Bash onwards before re-sorting.

NOTE

For those who are updating their installation: ensure that SSE-TERRAIN-TAMERIEL-EXTENDED.ESM is disabled in the LEFT PANE until it is required for xLOD generation.

Wrye Bash

Wrye Not?

Wrye Bash is a old tool – it’s been around since at least Oblivion – that can be used to install and manage mods. That, obviously, isn’t how we are using it. It can also be used to merge leveled lists and other various objects without all the tedious mucking around in xEdit records and can even (if we needed it to) merge entire mods together.

Setup Instructions

Before we start, we need to setup MO2 so it will save the Bash Patch to a mod and not in Overwrite.

We do this by:

  1. In Mod Organizer 2, press the Exectuables button to edit your executables.
  2. In the Wrye Bash executable, add the following to the Argument line:
    -o “Drive Letter:\steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition”
  3. In your Mod Organizer 2 install folder, locate and open the Mods folder.
  4. Create a new folder called "Bash Patch"
  5. In Mod Organizer 2, press the Executables button and select Wrye Bash
  6. In the 'Create Files in Mod instead of Overwrite' drop-down menu, select "Bash Patch"
  7. Select "Apply"and Close the window.
  8. Make sure to activate "Bash Patch" in the left pane otherwise MO2 won’t run the executable.

Building The Bash Patch

Now we can run Wrye Bash by:

  1. Select Wrye Bash in the Executables drop-down menu, then select [Run]
  2. Locate Bashed Patch, 0.esp
  3. Right-click on this mod and select “Rebuild Patch”. NOTE: This will always appear this way, even if it is your first time building the patch.
  4. A popup box might appear telling you to deactivate plugins prior to building the Bash  Patch; just click Skip.
  5. In the options list that appears, ensure that ONLY the following have checkmarks:
    • Import Actors
    • Import Actors: AI Packages
    • Import Actors: Factions
    • Import Actors: Perks
    • Import Actors: Spells
    • Import Cells
    • Import Graphics
    • Import Inventory
    • Import Keywords
    • Import Names
    • Import Object Bounds
    • Import Races
    • Import Races: Spells
    • Import Sounds
    • Import Stats
    • Import Text
    • Tweak Settings
    • Levelled Lists – Make sure Remove Empty Sublists is Unchecked.
  6. Click on “Tweak Settings” in the left pane. The following settings are recommended but can be set otherwise if you so choose. Right-Click on each setting listed to set the value indicated – if the value does not appear, enter it manually via the “Custom” setting:
    • AI: Max Active Actors => 40
    • Actor: Training Limit => 15
    • Arrow: Speed => 1.4
    • Combat: Max Actors => 30
    • Crime: Alarm Distance => 1200
    • World: Timescale => 15
  7. Ensure that there are checkmarks next to the following settings:
    • AI: Max Active Actors.
    • Actor: Training Limit.
    • Arrow: Speed.
    • Combat: Disable Projectile Dodging.
    • Combat: Max Actors.
    • Crime: Alarm Distance.
    • Msg: Cannot equip item fix.
    • World: Timescale.
  8. At the bottom of the interface, click [Build Patch]. This process generally takes about 10 minutes to run.
  9. Exit Wrye Bash by clicking the X in the upper right of the screen.

Bashed Patch, 0.ESP should have been automatically added to the Bash Patch Mod. If it does not appear there, Refresh MO2 and/or check in your MO2 Overwrite folder.

The Bashed Patch – as good as it can be – doesn’t always get everything quite the way we want it. Rather than make you do the fixes in xEdit, we’ve created a Bash Patch Override that will fix the issues.

Bash Override

Lexy’s LOTD SE – Bash Override

   

This Mod fixes some mistakes when generating the Bash Patch.

Optional FilesLexy's LOTD SE - Bash OverrideVersion:2.02

Lexy’s LOTD SE – Leveled List Override

   

This mod fixes some mistakes when generating the Bash Patch Leveled Lists.

Optional FilesLexy's LOTD SE - Leveled List OverrideVersion:1.01

Lexy’s LOTD SE – Navmesh Override

   

This mod fixes some of Lexy's LOTD broken Navmeshes.

Optional FilesLexy's LOTD SE - Navmesh OverrideVersion:1.0

Synthesis

Creating Patches Is Easy!

Setup Instructions

Before we start, we need to setup MO2 so it will save the Synthesis to output a mod and not to the Overwrite folder.

We do this by:

  1. In your Mod Organizer 2 install folder, locate and open the Mods folder.
  2. Create a new folder called "Synthesis Output"
  3. In Mod Organizer 2, press the Executables button and select Synthesis, In the 'Create Files in Mod instead of Overwrite' drop down menu, select "Synthesis Output"
  4. Select "Apply"and Close the window.
  5. Make sure to activate "Synthesis Output" in the left pane otherwise MO2 wont run the executable.

Generating Synthesis Output

Now is the time to generate the Synthesis Patches.

  1. Make sure you have set up Synthesis as detailed on the Prerequisites page.
  2. Select Synthesis from the executable dropdown and hit Run.
  3. Once Synthesis has finished loading the preloaded patchers under the Synthesis group section, click the Run Group Pipeline Button.
  4. Once Synthesis has finished running, exit the program.
  5. Active Synthesis.esp in the Right Pane of MO2.
  6. We now need to Run Synthesis again.
  7. Once Synthesis has finished loading the preloaded patchers under the Owl Synthesis Output group section, click the Run Group Pipeline Button.
  8. Once Synthesis has finished running, exit the program.
  9. Active OWL Synthesis Output.esp in the Right Pane of MO2.

Ruddy88 ESLify

The ESM/ESP Count is going DOWN! DOWN, DOWN, DOWN!

Despite all the things we’ve done and all the best intentions of the Mod Authors, we still have a relatively high count of ESM/ESP files. We’ve driven it down a lot through the use of zMerge, but… WE CAN DO MORE! As it turns out, many of the files we have can be turned into ESPFE files, sometimes called ESL (though, really, that’s a different file entirely). ESPFE files are ESP files that are “flagged” in xEDIT to be run as an ESL – all plugins with this flag will be combined at game runtime and loaded in the FE slot of the game’s load order (which is why the limit is 254, not 255, BTW).

By running this script (as shown below), all the plugins that meet the criteria to become ESPFE will be automatically flagged, giving us a bit more breathing room in the ESM/ESP counts.

  1. In MO2, click the Gears button to edit your executable paths.
  2. Create a new executable and call it Ruddy88 ESLify
  3. Under the executable path, direct it to SSEEdit/R88_eslify.bat
  4. Close the window, ensure all plugins are active in the right pane and choose Ruddy88 Eslify in the executable bar. Click Run.
  5. At the command window type sse
  6. When prompted to Choose Modules, ensure everything is checked and click Okay.
  7. The script will then run. A window will appear with a list of plugins the script will flag as ESL.
  8. Click Okay.
  9. Close xEdit.

New to Ruddy88 ESLify? There’s a great introduction video available by GamerPoets!

Watch

Dark Face Issue Reporter

One Last Time – This Time With Feeling

Run Dark Face Issue Reporter

All the merges are made. The Bash Patch is created. Everything that can possibly mess with our poor NPC’s faces has been done…

Which means it’s time to run Dark Face Issue Reporter one last time.

  1. Open xEdit and load all plugins.
  2. In the left pane, highlight only:
    1. The Game’s base ESMs (7 files)
    2. Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch.esp
    3. 3DNPC.esp
    4. LegacyoftheDragonborn.esm
  3. Right-click any of those plugins, and choose “Apply script“.
  4. From the drop-down menu, select DarkFaceIssueReporter and choose OK.
  5. Select Option 2: Run only for selected files or records
  6. Once the script has finished running, scroll to the bottom of the left pane and expand DarkFaceCollector.esp.
    1. If no DarkFaceCollector.esp appears, the ini wasn’t edited or saved properly
  7. Expand the Non-Player Character (NPC) row if there is one.
    1. Any NPC listed has Dark Face, and you will need to troubleshoot what went wrong.
    2. Always delete DarkFaceCollector.esp if you saved it, before running Dark Face Issue Reporter again.
    3. Additional help can be gotten on Discord in the #installation-help channel.
  8. If the Dark Face Issue Report returns clean (only the File Header is listed), you can delete darkfacecollector.esp and proceed with the guide.

Fixing NPCs with Dark Face Bug

New to Dark Face Issue Reporter? There’s a great introduction video available by former Staff-Member “Wartortle”!

Watch
  1. Is NPC Retexture Merge Consistency Patch active in your left pane?
    • If not, activate it.
  2. Are all NPCs shown from Interesting NPCs?
    • If so, you forgot to merge the hotfix with the main file and so the main file is not active on your merge profile.
    • Manually activate the main Interesting NPCs file.
  3. Check that the mods from page 4 of the guide are all in the correct order in your left pane on both your main and merge profiles.
  4. If you still have NPCs in your darkfacecollector.esp, take a screenshot (just the top of the list is fine if it’s very long) and post it in the #installation-help channel of the Discord for support.

OWL – Randomized Special Loot

This Loot is a Hoot!

OWL Randomized Special Loot

   

Randomized Special Loot Addon is a new mechanic now divides the loot into three tiers: Low, Mid and High.

Update FilesOWL Randomized Special LootVersion:1.2.5

Open World Loot (OWL) – aMidianBorn Content Addon (AMB CA) Patch

   

This patch includes items from aMidianBook Content Addon in Open World Loot and Open World Loot Randmoized Special Loot leveled lists.

Main FilesOpen World Loot Randomized Special Loot __ AMB CAVersion:0.0.2

OWL – Randomized Special LOOT – MLU Patch

   

This mod applies some Morrowloot logic to OWL - Randomized Special LOOT.

Optional FilesOWL - Randomized Special LOOT - MLU PatchVersion:1.0

Bodyslide

No Longer Confined To One Person’s Idea Of Body Shape Perfection!

Lexy’s LOTD SE – Bodyslide – Pre-Selection

    Bodyslide

This mod has all the bodyslide options pre-selected for use with Lexy's LOTD.

Main FilesLexy's LOTD SE - Bodyslide - Pre-SelectionVersion:1.0

Setup Instructions

Before we start, we need to setup MO2 so it will save the Bodyslide Ouput to a mod and not to the Overwrite folder.

We do this by:

  1. In your Mod Organizer 2 install folder, locate and open the Mods folder.
  2. Create a new folder called "Bodyslide Output"
  3. In Mod Organizer 2, press the Executables button and select "Bodyslide", In the 'Create Files in Mod instead of Overwrite' drop-down menu, select "Bodyslide Output"
  4. Select "Apply" and Close the window.
  5. Make sure to activate "Bodyslide Output" in the left pane; otherwise, MO2 won’t run the executable.

Generating Bodyslide Output

  1. Select Bodyslide from the executable dropdown and hit Run.
  2. from the Outfit/body drop-down menu, Select CBBE 3BBB Amazing Underwear.
  3. from the Preset drop-down menu, select Lexy’s LOTD SE – CBBE Preset.
  4. Click Batch Build.
  5. on the pop window, Right Click and Select ALL, then hit the Build Button.
  6. On the next window, make sure CBBE 3BBB Amazing Underwear is selected.
  7. Click the OK Button.
  8. Once Bodyslide has finished processing, you can Exit the application.

xLODGEN

Distant Mountains Have Never Looked This Good

xLODGen Resource – SSE Terrain Tamriel

   

This plugins add back terrain for Skyrim (Tamriel worldspace) at the outer edges so there is no missing terrain meshes/textures when generating terrain LOD for Skyrim.

Main FilesSSE Terrain Tamriel ExtendVersion:2.0

Running xLODGen

NOTE

Before running xLODGen make sure you have added process exclusions for xLODGenx64.exe and Texconvx64.exe to your antivirus software and Windows Defender.

  1. In the Plugins tab, manually place SSE-Terrain-Tamriel-Extend.esm so it is the last Master file to be loaded (These are the plugins in BOLD).
  2. Select xLODGenx64 from the executable dropdown and hit Run.
  3. In the Select Worldspace(s) box, check everything.
  4. Make sure only Terrain LOD is checked.
  5. Format should be applied to both Build Diffuse and Build Normal.
  6. Select LOD4 and set the following options:
    • Quality: 2
    • Build Diffuse Size: 256
    • Build Normal Size: 256
    • Format: BC7 Max
    • Optimize Unseen: 500
    • Protect Borders: Checked
    • MipMap: checked Both.
    • Gamma: 1.25
    • Raise steepness: Checked
    • Bake Normal-Map: Checked
    • Default Size Diffuse: 4
    • Default Size Normal: 4
  7. Select LOD8 and set the following options:
    • Quality: 4
    • Build Diffuse Size: 256
    • Build Normal Size: 256
    • Format: BC7 Max
    • Optimize Unseen: 525
    • MipMap: Uncheck Both.
    • Gamma: 1.25
    • Default Size Diffuse: 4
    • Default Size Normal: 4
  8. Select LOD16 and set the following options:
    • Quality: 6
    • Build Diffuse Size: 256
    • Build Normal Size: 256
    • Format: BC7 Quick
    • Optimize Unseen: 625
    • MipMap: Uncheck Both.
    • Gamma: 1.25
    • Default Size Diffuse: 4
    • Default Size Normal: 4
  9. Select LOD32 and set the following options:
    • Quality: 0
    • Build Diffuse Size: 2048
    • Build Normal Size: 2048
    • Format: BC7 Max
    • Optimize Unseen: 550
    • MipMap: Uncheck Both.
    • Gamma: 1.25
    • Raise steepness: Unchecked
    • Default Size Diffuse: 4
    • Default Size Normal: 4
  10. Ensure that Bake normal-maps is checked on all LOD Options.
  11. Ensure that Occlusion is unchecked.
  12. Click Generate.

xLODGen Road Generation

  1. Select ACMOS Road Generator from the executable dropdown and hit RUN
  2. From the Drop down menu select Paths Only
  3. For “Path to LOD,” browse to the SSELODGen_Output folder.
  4. Click Generate.
  5. At the prompt to “Overwrite LOD Textures,” choose Yes.
  6. At the prompt “Would you like to zip the output,” choose No.
  7. Wait until it says “All Done!” and then close.
  8. Profit.
  9. Once the generation finishes, exit ACMOS Road Generator tool, navigate to where you created the SSELODGen_Output directory and copy it to your MO2 mods directory.
  10. Refresh your mod list in MO2, and activate the newly created SSELODGen_Output mod.
  11. Deactivate SSE-Terrain-Tamriel-Extend.esm at this point. It is only needed for xLODGen operation.

DynDOLOD

The Reason Why You Can See Solitude’s Windmill Turn

DynDOLOD Error Fixes

DynDOLOD TexGen Fixes

   

I noticed that when I created my specific LODs, one of my problems was having to go through each and every individual mod. However, I would be happy to provide patches for the general public to utilise and use.

Main FilesDynDOLOD TexGen FixesVersion:2.0

LOD Model Library for DynDOLOD

   

Matching LOD models for SMIM, Happy Little Trees, FYX Shacks, Praedy's Soul Cairn, Skyrim Remastered and more.

Main FilesLOD Model Library - FOMODVersion:1.2.2

DynDOLOD Error Fixes

   

Fixes some errors highlighted by DynDOLOD.

Miscellaneous FilesDynDOLOD Error FixesVersion:1.01

DynDolod – Darken texture for generation

CAUTION

This mod is used only during DynDOLOD generation. Once that has been completed, deactivate this mod. Failure to do so will result in overly dark textures on some trees in the Reach and near Solitude.

DynDolod – Darken texture for generation

   

This Mod Darkens some LODs so they look better with the guide ENB.

Miscellaneous Files — DynDolod - Darken texture for generation - The good one last one

DynDOLOD – Dynamic Distant LOD Generation

Running DynDOLOD is really a two part process. The first – TexGen – creates texture atlases based on the games installed textures. These atlases are required for the second step, DynDOLOD itself, which uses them so that when distant LODs transition to closer ones, the texture sets match up in a better way. That, by itself, would make this worth running, but it does more! It also is responsible for allowing you to see running water, waterfalls, windmills turning, and other dynamic motions from a long distance – something that Vanilla Skyrim doesn’t do.

WARNING

If using an AMD GPU/Adrenalin, it’s recommended to revert to v22.5.1 or update to the latest version prior to running dyndolod to prevent OpenGL errors. Search or ask in the discord for any clarification.

NOTE

If you aren’t familiar with DynDOLOD, Gamerpoets has a tutorial video that is well worth watching. It can be viewed here.

TexGen64

NOTE

Before running TexGen and DynDOLOD make sure you have added process exclusions for TexGenx64.exe, DynDOLODx64.exe, and Texconvx64.exe to your antivirus software and Windows Defender.

CAUTION

Ultra Trees will significantly increase your VRAM usage. If your graphics card has less than 6GB of VRAM, consider generating traditional tree LOD. This can be done by NOT altering HD TREE and ULTRA settings in TexGen and DynDOLOD (leave both unchecked).

  1. Select TexGenx64 from the MO2 executable dropdown and hit Run.
  2. Change Stitched Object LOD Textures “Base size” to 256 (1440p).
  3. Change Rendered Object Textures “Base size” to: 256 (1440p).
  4. Change Tree/Grass LOD Billboards to the following:
    – Units per pixel: 11.0 (1080p).
    – Grass: Unchecked.
    – Tree: Checked, Direct – 135, Ambient – 55.
    – HD Tree: Checked, Direct – 135, Ambient – 55, Smoothness – 0.
    – Rendered: Checked, Direct – 50, Ambient – 150, Smoothness – 0.
  5. Diffuse alpha: Default (BC7 Quick).
  6. Diffuse: Default (BC7 Quick).
  7. Normal specular: Default (BC7 Quick).
  8. Normal: Default (BC7 Quick).
  9. Click Start and allow TexGen to run.
  10. Once it has finished, click Exit to exit TexGen.
  11. Copy and paste the TexGen_Output to your MO2 mods folder (i.e. MO2\Mods) .
  12. Activate the newly created TexGen_Output mod in MO2.

DynDOLOD64

  1. Select DynDOLODx64 from the MO2 executable dropdown and hit Run.
  2. In the top left section of the popup window, scroll through and check all Worldspaces.
  3. In the Options category in the bottom section, check Object LOD, Dynamic LOD, Glow windows, and High.
  4. For Ultra trees (guide default) check Ultra and uncheck Tree LOD. For traditional tree LOD check Tree LOD and uncheck Ultra.
  5. Set “Max tile size LOD” to 1024.
  6. Set “Max tile size full” to 256.
  7. Set “Billboard brightness” to -5.
  8. Set “Max tile size billboard” to 1024.
  9. Check Fake lights child world.
  10. Check Upgrade NearGrid large references to FarGrid.
  11. Check Occlusion data.
  12. Below “Occlusion data” set “Quality” to 3.
  13. Check Plugin.
  14. Check Terrain underside.
  15. Uncheck Seasons.
  16. In the top right section, check Candles and FXGlow.
  17. Click the High button to load mesh rules for your load order based on settings for the High preset and earlier selected options.
  18. locate Tree mesh rules then change LOD 8 to Billboard4 and LOD 32 to Billboard6.
  19. Next, we need to add a new rule for the Azura Statue: locate \ mesh rules then right-click and select insert rule.
  20. Under Mesh Mask \ Reference FormID box insert man_azura\shrineofazura01.nif 
  21. Make sure VWD Checkbox is checked
  22. LOD 4: From the Drop down Menu Select Full
  23. LOD 8: From the Drop down Menu Select Full
  24. LOD 16: From the Drop down Menu Select Full
  25. LOD 32: From the Drop down Menu Select Level 0
  26. Grid: FarFull
  27. Click OK
  28. locate \ mesh rules then change LOD 32 to Level0
  29. In the bottom right section, click the OK button to begin LOD generation. This will take a while.
  30. Once generation has completed, select Save and; Exit to close the window to exit DynDOLOD.
  31. Copy and paste the DynDOLOD_Output to your MO2 mods folder (i.e. MO2\Mods).
  32. Activate the newly created DynDOLOD_Output mod in MO2.
  33. In the Plugins tab, manually place DynDOLOD.esm so it is the last Master file to be loaded.  (These are the plugins in BOLD).
Note

Ensure that “DynDolod – Darken texture for generation” is disabled in the LEFT PANE.

Congratulations!

It took a long while, but the game is no joke ready for you to jump in and play. All you have to do is press play, create your character, make your MCM Changes (we have some recommendations on the next page), and finalize the Ljoss ENB Install (it will provide an in-game tutorial on how to do this).

You’ve worked long and hard for this… enjoy the fruit of your labors. And, if something still seems off… come talk to us. We’re waiting for you.

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