Skyrim: Tweaks and Utilities
Skyrim Launcher
Any time you have performed a clean install or deleted the Skyrim and SkyrimPref ini files, you need to load up the Skyrim Launcher once prior to playing or modding your game to generate new ini files and set up default graphics settings. While open, disable Antialiasing and Anisotropic Filtering. These functions are better handled by either an ENB preset (best option) or your video card's controller.
Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPref.ini
For essential tweaks I recommend following the STEP Project. (For advanced tweaks I recommend EWIs High SkyrimPrefs and inis, although the file may currently be blocked on Nexus. If it doesn't reappear in the future I may upload a custom version.) MO users need to copy/paste the contents of these files into your ini editor. Be sure to look over the notes included with the settings for optional changes you may want or need to make to screen resolution, graphics card and specific ENB or grass mod-related settings. I recommend starting with the high inis.
Skyrim Creation Kit (SkyrimEditor.ini)
Find the CK in your Steam Library under Tools and download it. Find the SkyrimEditor.ini file in your main Skyrim folder and edit or add the following settings.
[General]
bAllowMultipleMasterLoads=1 ;Add to allow multiple masters
[Messages]
bBlockMessageBoxes=1 ;Edit to disable error messages
[Archive]
SResourceArchiveList2=Skyrim - Shaders.bsa, Update.bsa ;Add any bsa files to this list that are used by the mods or DLC you wish to load into CK. (For example: SResourceArchiveList2=Skyrim - Shaders.bsa, Update.bsa, Dawnguard.bsa, HearthFires.bsa, Dragonborn.bsa, EMCompViljaSkyrim.bsa) Any bsa files misspelled or not listed here that are required by the mods or DLCs you attempt to load will cause the CK to freeze up and crash.
7-Zip
If you don't already have compression software to open and manage archives, which is how Skyrim mods and utilities are packaged, I recommend grabbing this free, open-source program before continuing.
Mod Organizer [$] (video tutorial)
Anyone who has modded Skyrim for any length of time knows that one of the biggest challenges is managing an ever-growing list of mods. Back when I played Oblivion I'd just copy mods directly into my Data folder, overwriting whatever was already there. Uninstalling a mod meant digging through Data sub-folders or deleting the whole game and reinstalling it. That's where this essential utility comes in. Similar to Nexus Mod Manager, MO allows you to manage each of your mods, track their updates on Nexus and safely install and uninstall them without messing up your Data folder directory. MO goes several steps further by putting any number of saved mod lists into a virtual directory, tracking conflicts and integrating all other utilities and programs associated with Skyrim. MO can even track and manage mods originally installed through Steam. Wrye Bash and Nexus Mod Manager are two other viable options but I definitely prefer MO for its balance of functionality and relative ease of use. NOTE: MO now integrates the Load Order Optimization Tool (LOOT) which is the successor to the popular BOSS mod.
Download either the compressed files or installer and place the program in the directory of your choice. I recommend the C: drive's main directory. Find the executable ModOrganizer.exe in the ModOrganizer folder, right-click on it and select "Send to" and "Desktop (create shortcut)." This will become your primary executable for running Skyrim from now on.
While fairly intuitive and user-friendly, MO has a slight learning curve and first-time users may want to watch a tutorial online before using. A basic overview of operation is as follows. Upon activation, the program will load up and list at right any esp, esm or bsa files already in your Data folder. With a clean start this should only be Bethesda's own game files including any DLCs. Activate all the files listed on the Plugins and Archives tabs. MO can be synced to your Nexus account to download and manage files from within MO.
Installed mods will be listed in the left panel in a default profile (any number of custom profiles can be added). In this space you can rename mods, change their order and search for conflicts between mod assets such as texture, mesh or sound files with the same names. Putting a mod lower on the list will cause its assets to overwrite anything above it. Activating mods in the left panel will move them over to the right panel which can be thought of as a virtual Data folder.
The executable dropdown menu in the upper right-hand portion of MO is where you can add links to any programs such as Bodyslide, TES5Edit or patchers. This is necessary for these programs to register and interact with the mods in MO's virtual Data folder. Any changes made by these programs will appear in an Overwrite section at the bottom of the mod list in the left panel. You can either leave them there where they will be overwritten by future changes or turn them into their own mod file which can be toggled off and on and saved from being overwritten.
ENBoost
Allows Skyrim to benefit from as much VRAM as your hardware supports by taking advantage of all available video memory and optionally turning unused system memory into additional virtual video memory. This will improve game stability as you add texture upgrades and other mods that demand extra video memory. Also allows for the optional application of advanced graphical enhancements to the game. These come in the form of ENB presets, of which there are many on Nexus. If you do not intend to use an ENB preset you should install ENBoost for its VRAM management feature. If you do intend to use an ENB then ENBoost is already included and you can ignore the setting changes listed under "Global."
On the mod page, click on the latest version from the list at the bottom. On the next page, scroll to the bottom and click on the download link with the arrow icon next to it. Open the downloaded archive and next open the "WrapperVersion" folder. Drag "d3d9.dll," "enbhost.exe" and "enblocal.ini" files into your main Skyrim game folder. This will install ENBoost. See the section on ENB Presets for details on how to install ENB graphical enhancements.
Open enblocal.ini and change the following lines.
[GLOBAL]
UsePatchSpeedhackWithoutGraphics=true ;Disables graphical effects while keeping the memory fixes. Only set to true if no ENB preset is being used.
UseDefferedRendering=false ;Performance reducing function only used with graphical effects. Only set to false if no ENB preset is being used.
[MEMORY]
ExpandSystemMemoryX64=true ;Keep set to false if you have a 32-bit operating system.
ReservedMemorySizeMb=512 ;Reduce to 128 or 64 if stuttering occurs.
VideoMemorySizeMb=???? ;For 64-bit systems combine VRAM (in KB) with system RAM and subtract 2048 KB (ie. 4 GB VRAM + 8 GB RAM - 2048 KB = 10240). For 32-bit systems put the total VRAM (ie. 2 GB VRAM = 2048).
AutodetectVideoMemorySize=false ;If setting VideoMemorySizeMb size manually is too much trouble, leave it blank and change this setting to "true."
[ENGINE]
ForceAnisotropicFiltering=true ;Ensure that anisotropic filtering in Skyrim's launcher settings and your video card's settings are disabled. ENBoost is more effective and efficient at moderating this function for Skyrim.
MaxAnisotropy=16 ;Leave at the max setting of 16 for optimal texture blending with minimal performance loss.
EnableVSync=true ;Enable to eliminate screen tearing when your framerate starts to exceed your monitor's refresh rate, usually at high framerates in excess of 60 FPS. If stuttering at lower framerates occurs or you rarely go above 60 FPS, consider leaving this function disabled for better performance.
SKSE
Description: The Skyrim Script Extender is a powerful tool for allowing authors to build script-intensive mods with features that go beyond the capabilities of the vanilla game's scripting platform. It is a requirement of many of the most popular mods for Skyrim and also now has built in support for a Skyrim Memory Patch that resolves CTDs and infinite loading screens (ILS) as a result of bad memory management when moving between game cells. On the downside, SKSE scripts added by mods can easily overtax the game's weak scripting platform and/or introduce innumerable bugs into a particular game save. This can lead to scripting lag in game, framerate loss, odd NPC behavior, CTDs, and similar problems that can ultimately break your game save. Sensible use of SKSE scripts should allow you to avoid most of these problems.
Install: Download the current build. I recommend the 7z archive version. Follow the included install instructions. Optionally install the Data folder contents with MO.
Skyrim Memory Patch
Description: Skyrim uses two 256 MB blocks of memory to manage content that loads within each game cell the player passes through. When the first block fills up, it begins using the second one. With mods installed or extra ugrids loaded (not recommended for other reasons), these blocks may fill up completely, resulting in frequent freezing crashes and infinite loading screens (ILS). The patch simply changes the first block to 512 MB which resolves most of these problems. The patch is now incorporated into SKSE (which is necessary to make this work) but still requires a custom ini file to activate the function.
Install: Make sure that the current build of SKSE is installed first. Then go into the Data folder in your main Skyrim game folder and create a new folder called "SKSE." From inside this new folder, right click and select "New" and "Text Document." Rename the document "SKSE.ini" and make sure you overwrite ".txt." Open the ini file and add the following lines. (I have included two other helpful settings in addition to the memory adjustments.)
[General]
ClearInvalidRegistrations=1 ;This gradually removes orphaned events left behind by uninstalled mods that can cause bloated/broken saves. It does not remove orphaned scripts.
[Display]
iTintTextureResolution=2048 ;Allows Skyrim to make use of higher resolution makeup for character faces.
[Memory]
DefaultHeapInitialAllocMB=768 ;These two lines are the all important memory patch activators.
ScrapHeapSizeMB=256
To test if the memory patch is working, download the Memory Blocks Log and install with Mod Organizer (see Utilities). Run the game through MO and do whatever you can to stress test the game's memory usage. I recommend boosting your running speed in the console and heading for a populated, resource intensive area like Whiterun or Windhelm. You can also use the console to spawn in lots of NPCs. Keep it up until your game grinds to an unacceptable framerate or crashes. Reload MO and check out the red highlighted Overwrite files that have been added in the left panel. Open this directory up and find the Memory Block log that has been generated. Open it up and you'll see two columns of numbers that gradually increase in size. Scroll to the bottom. If the left column stopped counted at 256 your patch wasn't active. If the number is above 256 and anywhere near 512 then you're good. At this point you're more likely to suffer unacceptably low framerates than a crash or frozen screen as a result of reaching a memory limit. CTDs from here on will most likely be a result of mod conflicts, scripting problems, corrupt saves, and so on. Of course, part of the purpose of this guide to help you avoid such problems.
Now it's time to make sure we have installed all the necessary support programs for modding Skyrim by visiting the Utilities section.
TES5Edit (video tutorial)
Description: While more often used by mod authors, this helpful program can be a very useful tool for experienced mod users as well, primarily to clean mods containing dirty edits. The purpose of cleaning dirty mods is to reduce redundancies and unintended edits that can cause various problems including portions of one mod mistakenly overwriting portions of another. This is all explained very well by Gopher in his video tutorial on cleaning mods with TES5Edit. Most of its features can be ignored by general mod users. I'll cover the essential tools in the Operation section below.
Installation: After downloading the 7z file from Nexus, create a folder named "TES5Edit" in your C: drive directory. Open and copy the contents of the 7z file to this folder. Load up MO and add TES5Edit to the executable dropdown menu.
Operation: Before running TES5Edit, run LOOT to generate a log that lists all mods in your virtual Data folder with notations of any dirty edits. Even without mods loaded, you'll notice that Bethesda's own Update.esm and DLC esms contain a lot of dirty edits. We're going to clean them all. Run TES5Edit and a list of all esms and esps in MO's virtual Data folder will be displayed. Select only the ones with dirty edits and click "OK." After these plugins load they will be listed in the left panel with a complete rundown on changes made to the vanilla game. This alone makes this tool useful for modders but as mod users looking to clean up these plugins we're going to focus on quick fixes to dirty edits.
Right click on the first plugin, which in this example would be Update.esm. Select "Apply Filter for Cleaning." If you expand the plugin to view its contents you'll now see red highlights on all the items with dirty edits. You can view each of these and optionally clean them one at a time but we're going to skip to the quick fix. Right click on Update.esm again and select "Remove 'Identical to Master' records." This will fix all of the dirty edits in that plugin. An additional cleaning step would be to right click on Update.esm and select "Undelete and Disable References." This restores vanilla assets manually deleted by a plugin or mod and disables them instead so that any mods that load after can make use of those assets. Repeat these steps for each mod and when you're done close the program to save the changes.
While cleaning mods is often recommended, not all mods with dirty edits should be cleaned as they may be intentional. This is one more reason to read all the documentation provided by mod authors. It's also recommended that you contact the mod author and let them know they have dirty edits before cleaning them yourself. They know their mod best and will hopefully know which dirty edits are intentional or accidental.
FRAPS
This is a small game video recording utility that comes with one particularly useful feature in its freeware version. That is the ability to toggle the display of the frames-per-second on or off screen while in game. This is helpful for quickly testing your game's performance while trying out mods that might slow performance.
[$] Indicates a mod that I have donated money to in support of the author(s) work to make Skyrim a better game. I encourage everyone to support their favorite mods with a donation that can usually be made by clicking on a link on the mod's main Nexus page. Donations will encourage mod authors to create new mods and maintain support and improve their existing mods. It will also help keep the mod community commercial free so that collaboration and asset sharing can continue to thrive.
Any time you have performed a clean install or deleted the Skyrim and SkyrimPref ini files, you need to load up the Skyrim Launcher once prior to playing or modding your game to generate new ini files and set up default graphics settings. While open, disable Antialiasing and Anisotropic Filtering. These functions are better handled by either an ENB preset (best option) or your video card's controller.
Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPref.ini
For essential tweaks I recommend following the STEP Project. (For advanced tweaks I recommend EWIs High SkyrimPrefs and inis, although the file may currently be blocked on Nexus. If it doesn't reappear in the future I may upload a custom version.) MO users need to copy/paste the contents of these files into your ini editor. Be sure to look over the notes included with the settings for optional changes you may want or need to make to screen resolution, graphics card and specific ENB or grass mod-related settings. I recommend starting with the high inis.
Skyrim Creation Kit (SkyrimEditor.ini)
Find the CK in your Steam Library under Tools and download it. Find the SkyrimEditor.ini file in your main Skyrim folder and edit or add the following settings.
[General]
bAllowMultipleMasterLoads=1 ;Add to allow multiple masters
[Messages]
bBlockMessageBoxes=1 ;Edit to disable error messages
[Archive]
SResourceArchiveList2=Skyrim - Shaders.bsa, Update.bsa ;Add any bsa files to this list that are used by the mods or DLC you wish to load into CK. (For example: SResourceArchiveList2=Skyrim - Shaders.bsa, Update.bsa, Dawnguard.bsa, HearthFires.bsa, Dragonborn.bsa, EMCompViljaSkyrim.bsa) Any bsa files misspelled or not listed here that are required by the mods or DLCs you attempt to load will cause the CK to freeze up and crash.
7-Zip
If you don't already have compression software to open and manage archives, which is how Skyrim mods and utilities are packaged, I recommend grabbing this free, open-source program before continuing.
Mod Organizer [$] (video tutorial)
Anyone who has modded Skyrim for any length of time knows that one of the biggest challenges is managing an ever-growing list of mods. Back when I played Oblivion I'd just copy mods directly into my Data folder, overwriting whatever was already there. Uninstalling a mod meant digging through Data sub-folders or deleting the whole game and reinstalling it. That's where this essential utility comes in. Similar to Nexus Mod Manager, MO allows you to manage each of your mods, track their updates on Nexus and safely install and uninstall them without messing up your Data folder directory. MO goes several steps further by putting any number of saved mod lists into a virtual directory, tracking conflicts and integrating all other utilities and programs associated with Skyrim. MO can even track and manage mods originally installed through Steam. Wrye Bash and Nexus Mod Manager are two other viable options but I definitely prefer MO for its balance of functionality and relative ease of use. NOTE: MO now integrates the Load Order Optimization Tool (LOOT) which is the successor to the popular BOSS mod.
Download either the compressed files or installer and place the program in the directory of your choice. I recommend the C: drive's main directory. Find the executable ModOrganizer.exe in the ModOrganizer folder, right-click on it and select "Send to" and "Desktop (create shortcut)." This will become your primary executable for running Skyrim from now on.
While fairly intuitive and user-friendly, MO has a slight learning curve and first-time users may want to watch a tutorial online before using. A basic overview of operation is as follows. Upon activation, the program will load up and list at right any esp, esm or bsa files already in your Data folder. With a clean start this should only be Bethesda's own game files including any DLCs. Activate all the files listed on the Plugins and Archives tabs. MO can be synced to your Nexus account to download and manage files from within MO.
Installed mods will be listed in the left panel in a default profile (any number of custom profiles can be added). In this space you can rename mods, change their order and search for conflicts between mod assets such as texture, mesh or sound files with the same names. Putting a mod lower on the list will cause its assets to overwrite anything above it. Activating mods in the left panel will move them over to the right panel which can be thought of as a virtual Data folder.
The executable dropdown menu in the upper right-hand portion of MO is where you can add links to any programs such as Bodyslide, TES5Edit or patchers. This is necessary for these programs to register and interact with the mods in MO's virtual Data folder. Any changes made by these programs will appear in an Overwrite section at the bottom of the mod list in the left panel. You can either leave them there where they will be overwritten by future changes or turn them into their own mod file which can be toggled off and on and saved from being overwritten.
ENBoost
Allows Skyrim to benefit from as much VRAM as your hardware supports by taking advantage of all available video memory and optionally turning unused system memory into additional virtual video memory. This will improve game stability as you add texture upgrades and other mods that demand extra video memory. Also allows for the optional application of advanced graphical enhancements to the game. These come in the form of ENB presets, of which there are many on Nexus. If you do not intend to use an ENB preset you should install ENBoost for its VRAM management feature. If you do intend to use an ENB then ENBoost is already included and you can ignore the setting changes listed under "Global."
On the mod page, click on the latest version from the list at the bottom. On the next page, scroll to the bottom and click on the download link with the arrow icon next to it. Open the downloaded archive and next open the "WrapperVersion" folder. Drag "d3d9.dll," "enbhost.exe" and "enblocal.ini" files into your main Skyrim game folder. This will install ENBoost. See the section on ENB Presets for details on how to install ENB graphical enhancements.
Open enblocal.ini and change the following lines.
[GLOBAL]
UsePatchSpeedhackWithoutGraphics=true ;Disables graphical effects while keeping the memory fixes. Only set to true if no ENB preset is being used.
UseDefferedRendering=false ;Performance reducing function only used with graphical effects. Only set to false if no ENB preset is being used.
[MEMORY]
ExpandSystemMemoryX64=true ;Keep set to false if you have a 32-bit operating system.
ReservedMemorySizeMb=512 ;Reduce to 128 or 64 if stuttering occurs.
VideoMemorySizeMb=???? ;For 64-bit systems combine VRAM (in KB) with system RAM and subtract 2048 KB (ie. 4 GB VRAM + 8 GB RAM - 2048 KB = 10240). For 32-bit systems put the total VRAM (ie. 2 GB VRAM = 2048).
AutodetectVideoMemorySize=false ;If setting VideoMemorySizeMb size manually is too much trouble, leave it blank and change this setting to "true."
[ENGINE]
ForceAnisotropicFiltering=true ;Ensure that anisotropic filtering in Skyrim's launcher settings and your video card's settings are disabled. ENBoost is more effective and efficient at moderating this function for Skyrim.
MaxAnisotropy=16 ;Leave at the max setting of 16 for optimal texture blending with minimal performance loss.
EnableVSync=true ;Enable to eliminate screen tearing when your framerate starts to exceed your monitor's refresh rate, usually at high framerates in excess of 60 FPS. If stuttering at lower framerates occurs or you rarely go above 60 FPS, consider leaving this function disabled for better performance.
SKSE
Description: The Skyrim Script Extender is a powerful tool for allowing authors to build script-intensive mods with features that go beyond the capabilities of the vanilla game's scripting platform. It is a requirement of many of the most popular mods for Skyrim and also now has built in support for a Skyrim Memory Patch that resolves CTDs and infinite loading screens (ILS) as a result of bad memory management when moving between game cells. On the downside, SKSE scripts added by mods can easily overtax the game's weak scripting platform and/or introduce innumerable bugs into a particular game save. This can lead to scripting lag in game, framerate loss, odd NPC behavior, CTDs, and similar problems that can ultimately break your game save. Sensible use of SKSE scripts should allow you to avoid most of these problems.
Install: Download the current build. I recommend the 7z archive version. Follow the included install instructions. Optionally install the Data folder contents with MO.
Skyrim Memory Patch
Description: Skyrim uses two 256 MB blocks of memory to manage content that loads within each game cell the player passes through. When the first block fills up, it begins using the second one. With mods installed or extra ugrids loaded (not recommended for other reasons), these blocks may fill up completely, resulting in frequent freezing crashes and infinite loading screens (ILS). The patch simply changes the first block to 512 MB which resolves most of these problems. The patch is now incorporated into SKSE (which is necessary to make this work) but still requires a custom ini file to activate the function.
Install: Make sure that the current build of SKSE is installed first. Then go into the Data folder in your main Skyrim game folder and create a new folder called "SKSE." From inside this new folder, right click and select "New" and "Text Document." Rename the document "SKSE.ini" and make sure you overwrite ".txt." Open the ini file and add the following lines. (I have included two other helpful settings in addition to the memory adjustments.)
[General]
ClearInvalidRegistrations=1 ;This gradually removes orphaned events left behind by uninstalled mods that can cause bloated/broken saves. It does not remove orphaned scripts.
[Display]
iTintTextureResolution=2048 ;Allows Skyrim to make use of higher resolution makeup for character faces.
[Memory]
DefaultHeapInitialAllocMB=768 ;These two lines are the all important memory patch activators.
ScrapHeapSizeMB=256
To test if the memory patch is working, download the Memory Blocks Log and install with Mod Organizer (see Utilities). Run the game through MO and do whatever you can to stress test the game's memory usage. I recommend boosting your running speed in the console and heading for a populated, resource intensive area like Whiterun or Windhelm. You can also use the console to spawn in lots of NPCs. Keep it up until your game grinds to an unacceptable framerate or crashes. Reload MO and check out the red highlighted Overwrite files that have been added in the left panel. Open this directory up and find the Memory Block log that has been generated. Open it up and you'll see two columns of numbers that gradually increase in size. Scroll to the bottom. If the left column stopped counted at 256 your patch wasn't active. If the number is above 256 and anywhere near 512 then you're good. At this point you're more likely to suffer unacceptably low framerates than a crash or frozen screen as a result of reaching a memory limit. CTDs from here on will most likely be a result of mod conflicts, scripting problems, corrupt saves, and so on. Of course, part of the purpose of this guide to help you avoid such problems.
Now it's time to make sure we have installed all the necessary support programs for modding Skyrim by visiting the Utilities section.
TES5Edit (video tutorial)
Description: While more often used by mod authors, this helpful program can be a very useful tool for experienced mod users as well, primarily to clean mods containing dirty edits. The purpose of cleaning dirty mods is to reduce redundancies and unintended edits that can cause various problems including portions of one mod mistakenly overwriting portions of another. This is all explained very well by Gopher in his video tutorial on cleaning mods with TES5Edit. Most of its features can be ignored by general mod users. I'll cover the essential tools in the Operation section below.
Installation: After downloading the 7z file from Nexus, create a folder named "TES5Edit" in your C: drive directory. Open and copy the contents of the 7z file to this folder. Load up MO and add TES5Edit to the executable dropdown menu.
Operation: Before running TES5Edit, run LOOT to generate a log that lists all mods in your virtual Data folder with notations of any dirty edits. Even without mods loaded, you'll notice that Bethesda's own Update.esm and DLC esms contain a lot of dirty edits. We're going to clean them all. Run TES5Edit and a list of all esms and esps in MO's virtual Data folder will be displayed. Select only the ones with dirty edits and click "OK." After these plugins load they will be listed in the left panel with a complete rundown on changes made to the vanilla game. This alone makes this tool useful for modders but as mod users looking to clean up these plugins we're going to focus on quick fixes to dirty edits.
Right click on the first plugin, which in this example would be Update.esm. Select "Apply Filter for Cleaning." If you expand the plugin to view its contents you'll now see red highlights on all the items with dirty edits. You can view each of these and optionally clean them one at a time but we're going to skip to the quick fix. Right click on Update.esm again and select "Remove 'Identical to Master' records." This will fix all of the dirty edits in that plugin. An additional cleaning step would be to right click on Update.esm and select "Undelete and Disable References." This restores vanilla assets manually deleted by a plugin or mod and disables them instead so that any mods that load after can make use of those assets. Repeat these steps for each mod and when you're done close the program to save the changes.
While cleaning mods is often recommended, not all mods with dirty edits should be cleaned as they may be intentional. This is one more reason to read all the documentation provided by mod authors. It's also recommended that you contact the mod author and let them know they have dirty edits before cleaning them yourself. They know their mod best and will hopefully know which dirty edits are intentional or accidental.
FRAPS
This is a small game video recording utility that comes with one particularly useful feature in its freeware version. That is the ability to toggle the display of the frames-per-second on or off screen while in game. This is helpful for quickly testing your game's performance while trying out mods that might slow performance.
[$] Indicates a mod that I have donated money to in support of the author(s) work to make Skyrim a better game. I encourage everyone to support their favorite mods with a donation that can usually be made by clicking on a link on the mod's main Nexus page. Donations will encourage mod authors to create new mods and maintain support and improve their existing mods. It will also help keep the mod community commercial free so that collaboration and asset sharing can continue to thrive.