
We've only picked the very best Skyrim mods, but there are so many available that we've had to break them down by category. The fewer mods you’ve installed, the easier it will be to pinpoint any problems or conflicts. You don’t need to fire up the save after every mod, but it’s worth checking a few times during the process to make sure everything’s working. What I like to do is create a new, unmodified game, get somewhere like Riverwood and then create a save that I can use for testing. It’s also recommended to do a clean install of Skyrim and start a new game, especially if you’re going to be throwing a lot of mods into the mix.
On Skyrim Nexus, read the mod's description ( Desc) tab thoroughly for any installation advice from the modder.Before you start turning dragons into 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, there are a few things you’ll want to install first. Again, this is a step that you should perform for all mods regardless of the installation method. Now that we have all our mods appropriately named and tidied into one folder, we need to check for any conflicts, dependencies, or patches for our mods. That way if something goes wrong you can roll back without re-installing the game. Finally, and most importantly, copy your entire Skyrim folder so that you have a backup. If you are using Skyrim Nexus, it is also a good idea to mirror their categories to make mods easier to sort and also to find. We will use the folders during the mod installation process. Also, create a folder called Installed and a folder called New.
Next, create a folder and copy all your correctly named mods into it. Otherwise, in a few months' time, you may have no idea what the mod is. The zip file is called Compatibility Patches-2 so I renamed it Sounds of Skyrim – Compatibility patches. So for example, Sounds of Skyrim has patches for popular mods. Ensure that the mods are renamed if the original zip file has a name that doesn’t match the mod itself. This is true whether you use Mod Management tools or choose to install your mods manually. Prepare Your Mods for Installationīefore you install mods, it is a good idea to organize the mods that you have and any that you download. It will give you an idea of what is popular and also show you some of the best mods made. A good place to start is the Top Files section, which can be found in the sub-menu of the Files category. The best place to find mods is the Skyrim Nexus website which can be found on Nexus. You become more familiar with how mods work by installing them manually. You can pick and choose what you use from mods, installing just the parts you want to use. You can install parts of mods rather than the entire mod (you may for example, really like the iron armour from an armour replacement mod but not like the rest).
Manually installing mods gives you a number of advantages over using Mod Management tools: