Mod Organizer 2

In this step, we will set up Mod Organizer 2 and INI files.

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What is Mod Organizer 2?

Mod Organizer 2 (MO2) is an open source game mod manager, mainly used for Bethesda games. Its main features are:

• Virtual Filesystem (USVFS): MO2 does not install mods directly into the game's folder, but rather creates a virtual filesystem that the game reads from. This allows for:
  • Safe mod installation and uninstallation,
  • Being able to modify mod install order at any point,
  • Having multiple profiles with different mod setups,
  • Keeping original game files clean.
  The downsides to USVFS are:
  • Mods installed through MO2 are "visible" only to programs launched using MO2,
  • Some programs may not work properly with MO2's virtual filesystem,
  • USVFS can cause performance overhead if you have tons of loose (not-BSA/BA2) files,
  • USVFS works by "hooking" into the game (similarly to mods such as F4SE plugins, ReShade, etc.). This method can be considered as unsafe by some antivirus software due to its memory-invasive nature.
• Profile System: MO2 allows you to create multiple profiles with different mod setups, saves, and settings.
• Two pane interface: MO2 is split into two sides, the left side is the mod list and the right side is the plugin list. This allows for easy conflict resolution and mod management.
• Portability: Thanks to the use of USVFS, MO2 has a "portable" mode that allows you to move the entire MO2 folder to another location with minimal setup.
• Modding Community Integration: MO2 has built-in support for Nexus Mods, allowing you to download mods directly from the Nexus.
  It also has a plugin system that allows for creation of custom plugins to extend its functionality.

  Mod Organizer 2 has NO support for Nexus' Collections feature, so you will have to download mods one by one.
  This is not a big issue, as the guide will provide direct links to the mods you need, and most collections are low quality and not curated.

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  The closest alternative to Collections is Wabbajack, which is a community-made modlist installer that can install entire modlists with a single click.
  Due to the higher bar of entry for modlist creations, those tend to be of higher quality compared to Collections.

Why Mod Organizer 2?

Mod Organizer 2 has been chosen for our guides due to its ease of use and its ability to keep the game's folder clean. This is important because it allows for easy conflict resolution and mod management, and makes correcting mistakes trivial - installed mods in the wrong order? Just drag them into the correct position!

Compared to Vortex, MO2 doesn't hide the most important parts of modding from the user, making it easier to understand what is happening and why, albeit at the cost of potentially looking scary at first.

That said, we are well aware that MO2 is not perfect, and it has its own set of issues and limitations, but it is the best tool for the job.

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Installing Mod Organizer 2

1. Download Mod Organizer 2 from here.
2. Once the download has finished, run the installer.
3. Accept the license, click Next.
4. When asked about the install location, change MO2 to Dragonborns Fate and click Next.
   

   If you wish to install Mod Organizer 2 in a different location, you can do so by clicking the Browse button and selecting a different folder.
   
   The folder MUST be outside of the default Windows folders (such as Program Files x86) and outside of the game's Root folder.
   
   It's discouraged to store MO2 on Desktop or Documents if you use OneDrive or similar cloud providers, due to potential issues and degraded performance.

5. On the install components page, use defaults.
6. When asked about the Start Menu folder, change the name to Dragonborns Fate and click Next.
   
7. Don't create a Desktop shortcut - we will create our own later.
8. On the final page, click Install.
9. Once the install is complete, ensure that Launch Mod Organizer is ticked and click Finish.

Configuring Mod Organizer 2

1. On the instance creation page, select Create a portable instance, click Next.

2. Select Skyrim Special Edition, click Next
3. Select the store where you bought the game, click Next
4. When asked about profile settings, enable all options and click Next
5. Keep the default Location file path.

If you have MO2 installed on an SSD or a HDD with little space, you can check the Show advanced options box and change the Downloads file path to a different drive with more space. This will not effect download/game performance, and the downloads can be deleted after the mods have been installed.

6. On the last page, select Finish.
7. MO2 will launch and prompt you with Category Setup, select Do Nothing.
8. If you see a pop-up called INI file is read-only, select Remember my choice from the drop-down at the bottom then click Clear the read-only flag.
9. If you see a pop-up called Register?, select Yes.

Configuring Settings

1. Select the X in the bottom right of MO2 to close the log window.
2. Select the button at the top of MO2 to open the settings.
3. If you wish, you can select a different Theme.
4. In the Nexus tab, select Connect to Nexus.

This option will not show up if you have already connected your Nexus account on a different MO2 instance.

5. MO2 will open your browser and prompt you to authorize the connection.
6. Once you authorize it, you can close your browser and of the MO2 settings.
7. Allow MO2 to restart.

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Configuring INI Files

Running BethINI

In this step, we will download and run BethINI Pie, which will allow choosing optimized presets and more specific options all through an easy to use interface.

1. Download BethINI Pie,
2. Extract the archive anywhere outside of the default Windows folders, such as C:\Modding Tools,
3. In MO2, click on the drop-down in the right pane next to the Run button,
4. Click <Edit...>, then click the + symbol in the top left and Add from file,
5. In the resulting explorer window, navigate to where you installed BethINI Pie and select Bethini.exe,
6. Press Apply in the lower right, then OK,
7. Select BethINI from the drop-down and run it,
8. Click Skyrim Special Edition then press Select Game,
9. Apply the following settings:
1. Select a BethINI preset depending on your hardware,

The BethINI High preset is recommended for most systems, use Ultra if you have spare GPU performance and want better visual quality.

2. Apply Recommended Tweaks,
3. Set Display Mode to Borderless Windowed,
4. Enable 64-bit Render Targets,
5. Select the resolution you want to display the game in,
6. Edit the other settings to your liking,
5. Click File then Save in the top left, then confirm the prompts and close BethINI.

Custom INI

1. Click the button at the top of MO2 and select INI Editor.
2. Select the SkyrimCustom.ini tab, which should be blank.

If you don't see the SkyrimCustom.ini tab, then you have not enabled profile-specific Game INI Files in Profile settings during MO2 configuration.

3. Paste in the following:
[General] ; Reverts BethINI default to fix edge cases of ILS bBackgroundLoadVMData=0 [Audio] ; No audio fade MusicDuckingSeconds=0.0 fMusicUnDuckingSeconds=0.0 fNonDialogVoiceDucking=0.0 fNonDialogVoiceDuckingFadeIn=0.0 fNonDialogVoiceDuckingFadeOut=0.0 [Display] ; Removes the ugly terrain fade bEnableLandFade=0 ; Better AO fSAOBias=1.0 fSAOExpFactor=0.9 fSAOIntensity=0.45 fSAORadius=235.0 fSAOValueDiffFactor=0.3 ; Reverts BethINI's halved SSR intensity fWaterSSRIntensity=1

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Mod Installation Instructions

If a mod is tagged it means that the mod is completely subjective and may not be suited for everyone. It can be skipped without any problems.
If a mod is tagged it means that the mod may be performance intensive on lower-end systems. It can be skipped without any problems.

When the guide says to install a mod, it will be formatted as follows: Main File - Example 1.5. This is referring to the mod's category on Nexus and file name.
The guide will list a mod's specific file name, category and version if you need to do more than just download the latest main file.



Standard mod installation procedure:

1. Unless instructed otherwise by the guide, download a mod's latest main file using the Mod Manager Download button.
2. Once the download has finished, open Downloads tab in MO2 (right pane, below executable selector).
3. Double-click on the mod to install it.
4. Enable the mod on the left pane.

Sometimes, a mod will not have a Mod Manager Download, or will be hosted on a site other than Nexus.
If that is the case, do the following:

1. Click the Manual Download button (or whatever the download button is for the respective site).
2. Once the download has finished, click the button at the top of MO2.
3. From the new window, navigate to where the file was downloaded to and double-click it.
4. Finish the install as you would with a Mod Manager Download mod.

When downloading multiple files from the same page, you will be prompted with a box in Mod Organizer 2 with the options Merge, Replace and Rename.

• You should select the Rename option and rename the mod to its respective file name, this will make MO2 install them as separate files for easier management.
• If you are updating from an old version of a mod, you should select Replace, this will automatically delete all the files from the old version of the mod and replace them with the ones from the new version.
• Merge should only be used when you are sure the mod will not be updated and in situations where a hotfix is uploaded as separate file.