(v1.5.1) Mod Organizer 2 & Other tools - From zero to "Hey Sexlab is working!"

[poisonmoni]

Greetings, I have a little question.
 

When I launch the game for the first time, it starts downloading a bunch of items from the Creation Club without giving me the option to decline. The game simply downloads them, and when I open MO for the first time, the mods section is already full of all of this. Can these things cause problems or conflicts with the mods?

[Just Don't]

4 hours ago, poisonmoni said:

When I launch the game for the first time, it starts downloading a bunch of items from the Creation Club without giving me the option to decline. The game simply downloads them, and when I open MO for the first time, the mods section is already full of all of this. Can these things cause problems or conflicts with the mods?

That's the Creation Club files. You likely got the AE DLC which includes all/most of them. MO2 lists them as other files from the base game (and the original 3 DLC which are included in the Special Edition by default).

It shouldn't cause problems. But it's a lot of content of varying quality. I'm not aware of any conflicts but also I don't own nor cover that content in the guide.

[poisonmoni]

So can I ignore it for now? Although I haven't finished reading the entire guide, by right-clicking, I noticed that there is an option in the MO to disable them.

[Just Don't]

7 hours ago, poisonmoni said:

So can I ignore it for now? Although I haven't finished reading the entire guide, by right-clicking, I noticed that there is an option in the MO to disable them.

Up to you. I don't mention them, I don't know what they all do, I don't have them installed. There are different ways you can manage them like with the AE Content Picker, but most methods start with moving all the CC files from your \Data folder into a dedicated mod in MO2 so you can fully manage it there. I'm not sure what this option to disable them does and I don't know if it will also remove the 4 free CC every 1.6+ game has which is a common requirement for other mods or even the unofficial patch nowadays. I wouldn't remove that at least.

[poisonmoni]

Okay, thanks.
 

One thing before continuing, I wanted to thank you for the guide. It's really well-structured and very clear, with English that isn't that complicated, especially for people like me who don't have a great understanding of English. Yet, I still manage to understand 99% of everything I read, so thank you very much.
 

That said, I have a little question. I already installed LOOT, but in MO 2, the executable doesn't appear in the list of executables. So I guess I can add it manually, right? I found in the executable options (the green and blue gears) that there's a way to add an empty executable, and I just have to enter the address. I guess if I enter the address, it would be the same, right?

[Just Don't]

30 minutes ago, poisonmoni said:

That said, I have a little question. I already installed LOOT, but in MO 2, the executable doesn't appear in the list of executables. So I guess I can add it manually, right? I found in the executable options (the green and blue gears) that there's a way to add an empty executable, and I just have to enter the address. I guess if I enter the address, it would be the same, right?

Yes, that should work. I never had to do it because MO2 usually picks it up automatically. But also I haven't used LOOT in a while. There are some examples of how to manually add executables (in the sections for FNIS, Bodyslide and such) so if you follow the same steps you should get a working LOOT executable for MO2 to launch.

 

30 minutes ago, poisonmoni said:

One thing before continuing, I wanted to thank you for the guide. It's really well-structured and very clear, with English that isn't that complicated, especially for people like me who don't have a great understanding of English. Yet, I still manage to understand 99% of everything I read, so thank you very much.

Thank you. Clarity is important to me because of the main focus of the guide and also because english isn't my main language so I need to work with what I have. That being said I'd change a couple of things but I haven't got the time. Other than rewriting some instructions and steps I'd like to add TNG as an alternative or to completely replace SOS. TNG works perfectly for all SL purposes out of the box and it doesn't has the issue of SOS where you need to hunt for an updated DLL file. If you have the time check that mod and maybe give it a try instead of SOS.

Edited May 13, 2025 by Just Don't

[Grey Cloud]

9 hours ago, poisonmoni said:

So can I ignore it for now? Although I haven't finished reading the entire guide, by right-clicking, I noticed that there is an option in the MO to disable them.

You could disable them and see if MO2 gives any 'Missing Masters' warnings. If there are any then re-enable just those CC mods which are the missing master. Later, once you have your mod list more or less complete you can think about uninstalling the CC content you don't want/need.

For the CC mods causing the missing masters warnings there are ways to deal with it but perhaps leave that until you have some more experience under your belt.

 

I too would recommend TNG (The New Gentleman)

Edited May 13, 2025 by Grey Cloud

[poisonmoni]

18 hours ago, Just Don't said:

Thank you. Clarity is important to me because of the main focus of the guide and also because english isn't my main language so I need to work with what I have. That being said I'd change a couple of things but I haven't got the time. Other than rewriting some instructions and steps I'd like to add TNG as an alternative or to completely replace SOS. TNG works perfectly for all SL purposes out of the box and it doesn't has the issue of SOS where you need to hunt for an updated DLL file. If you have the time check that mod and maybe give it a try instead of SOS.

I actually started installing SOS, but I completely discarded it because I realized it didn't give me any options for my game version, which is 1.....70 (sorry, I always forget the series of numbers in the middle), so I just went with the second option, which is SOS Light, if I remember correctly. I had to read a little more and understand a few more things, but I think everything went well.
 

One advantage I have in all this is that I started a degree in computer science several years ago, so some things are minimally intuitive to me. Not to mention that back then, I practically devoured an 800-page C++ book, but these days I'm a bit rusty. xD
 

Wandering a bit among my things, I regret not having finished this degree, and I think I'll restart it this year... But back to the guide stuff, I accidentally miss-clicked Run before the FNIS part, so I started the game and closed it without doing anything, but since then, MO2 has given me an overwrite message... I consulted ChatGPT, and it said something similar to what appears in the guide, but in the FNIS part... This isn't a problem, right?

[Just Don't]

4 hours ago, poisonmoni said:

But back to the guide stuff, I accidentally miss-clicked Run before the FNIS part, so I started the game and closed it without doing anything, but since then, MO2 has given me an overwrite message...

MO2 notifies you when you have files in Overwrite. It's not bad, it's just something you must be aware, because if you keep piling files in there it can get difficult to manage. It likely is a config file from something like Fuz Ro D'oh or something. I don't think you need to ask gpt about this, just double click in that Overwrite entry and check what's in there. Without knowing what's exactly in there I'd say you could delete those files, then keep following the instructions. Or take a peek at step 9.1 to see how to deal with files in Overwrite and move those files elsewhere, then go back to whatever step you were before.

[poisonmoni]

Yes, I followed the instructions in step 9.1 and the overwrite naturally disappeared. I just wanted to know if that could cause any conflicts.

I'm on 7.4 now, but I'm not really clear on what this Bodyslide thing is... But let's see if I understand correctly.

 

The CBBE and 3BA mods come with one body type by default, but it contains more options. So basically, instead of reinstalling these mods over and over again, Bodyslide lets you experiment with one and the other by filling in an empty mod that's previously created in MO. When the game is running, it directly reads the files from this mod instead of using the mesh bodies that CBBE comes with by default, right? Did I understand correctly or did I misunderstand anything?

 

Another thing I don't understand at all is this yellow message: meshes\actors\character assets\femalebody_0.nif(and_1.nif)

 

I know it's in the guide, but I don't understand it. The program also tells me to right-click to see other options, but I still get the same message for all the options.

[Grey Cloud]

41 minutes ago, poisonmoni said:

Yes, I followed the instructions in step 9.1 and the overwrite naturally disappeared. I just wanted to know if that could cause any conflicts.

I'm on 7.4 now, but I'm not really clear on what this Bodyslide thing is... But let's see if I understand correctly.

 

The CBBE and 3BA mods come with one body type by default, but it contains more options. So basically, instead of reinstalling these mods over and over again, Bodyslide lets you experiment with one and the other by filling in an empty mod that's previously created in MO. When the game is running, it directly reads the files from this mod instead of using the mesh bodies that CBBE comes with by default, right? Did I understand correctly or did I misunderstand anything?

 

Another thing I don't understand at all is this yellow message: meshes\actors\character assets\femalebody_0.nif(and_1.nif)

 

I know it's in the guide, but I don't understand it. The program also tells me to right-click to see other options, but I still get the same message for all the options.

You are allowed to watch videos on YT to help you gain a better understanding.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrGqMZcWJgEklIespJy8XhwFIXKsxv7VJ

 

[poisonmoni]

Oh, actually, I already found a tutorial in my own language. It's not as comprehensive as this one, but it helped me a bit.

 

Thanks ^^

[Just Don't]

5 hours ago, poisonmoni said:

The CBBE and 3BA mods come with one body type by default, but it contains more options. So basically, instead of reinstalling these mods over and over again, Bodyslide lets you experiment with one and the other by filling in an empty mod that's previously created in MO. When the game is running, it directly reads the files from this mod instead of using the mesh bodies that CBBE comes with by default, right? Did I understand correctly or did I misunderstand anything?

BS lets you build models for bodies and outfits using whatever preset you want. The preset defines the shape. The fact that every body part and outfit has BS support and is built using the same preset gives you the same body shape, otherwise a modded outfit could make your character's body look like a different shape because they're not using the same preset, or outfits with no BS support might be built with vanilla body shapes in mind, etc. Using BS and outfits with BS supports gives you consistency.

 

5 hours ago, poisonmoni said:

Another thing I don't understand at all is this yellow message: meshes\actors\character assets\femalebody_0.nif(and_1.nif)

It means there's more than one option to build that outfit (i.e. an outfit has a set with physics enabled and one with no physics). That yellow message isn't really needed because when you go to batch build all your stuff you'll get a list with all your outfits and if there's more than 1 set per outfit you'll get to pick which one you want to build from a list. It's just there if you're viewing outfits one by one, which isn't always needed.

Edited May 14, 2025 by Just Don't

[vxx0n]

Hey, i'm using Skyrim AE (the most current version) and something in this Tutorial screwed the whole setup for me. 

 

Whenever i wanna load a new game, i get the LAL Loading Screen with the Menu, though the selected NPC has no Head and the Background is blurry and blue.

 

When i then go ahead and name it and press to play, the whole starting room looks blue and not all room interiors are displayed and the game seems to have no collision. 

 

 

[vxx0n]

I went ahead and uninstalled the whole game with all mods etc. Then i reinstalled ModManager and currently only have these things available in there: and it still crashes when i do some testing such as coc commands.

 

 

[Just Don't]

2 hours ago, vxx0n said:

Hey, i'm using Skyrim AE (the most current version) and something in this Tutorial screwed the whole setup for me. 

Very weird considering I'm on the current version too.

 

Are you sure you started from a clean game? What you describe shouldn't happen with the 20-30 mods covered in the guide, regardless of versions. I could see it being a very specific Alternate Start bug, but it seems like something else. And your game crashing with USSEP and SKSE/Address Library alone is likely pointing at an issue with the original game files. Confirm your game install is clear of any other modded files and verify integrity on Steam. You might get some CC files back into the main install, so keep that in mind since you're also managing them with Curation Club (even though I don't cover that, and it seems to be outdated?).

 

You're also using Root builder, make sure you're installing mods properly with it. I guess you did the SKSE install with it, confirm the folder structure is correct as per Root builder requirements.

[ElinFan]

I wanted to ask, if you download mods from Wabbajack or nexus, can you somehow reuse these mods if you try to get another collection/modlist working?

[Grey Cloud]

21 minutes ago, ElinFan said:

I wanted to ask, if you download mods from Wabbajack or nexus, can you somehow reuse these mods if you try to get another collection/modlist working?

Neither this thread nor this site have anything to do with wabbajacks or Nexus Collections. Downloading individual mods from here or Nexus are essentially what modding Skyrim is about.

[Just Don't]

3 hours ago, ElinFan said:

I wanted to ask, if you download mods from Wabbajack or nexus, can you somehow reuse these mods if you try to get another collection/modlist working?

I think WJ has a central Downloads folder by default. I say I think because I've only used it once and that was a long time ago. There are many many better places to ask about this (i.e. the WJ discord, or the description/FAQ from the web). I don't use WJ and I don't cover its usage here.

 

As for downloads you make through MO2, these are stored in your portable instance folder (which is what this guide covers), so wherever your \mo2 folder ends up, there is a \mo2\downloads folder storing all the zipped files you got from Nexusmods. You could relocate this Downloads folder (in MO2 go to Settings>Paths and change the Downloads path to something else). If you have other instances of MO2 you can use the same folder so they all share downloads, if you don't have additional instances but just profiles in the same MO2 portable instance you don't need to change the default path, all your profiles from that instance will share downloads.

[ElinFan]

18 hours ago, Just Don't said:

I think WJ has a central Downloads folder by default. I say I think because I've only used it once and that was a long time ago. There are many many better places to ask about this (i.e. the WJ discord, or the description/FAQ from the web). I don't use WJ and I don't cover its usage here.

 

Yeah I think I am going to stop trying to use WJ as well. There are no modpacks there that are more reasonably sized.

18 hours ago, Just Don't said:

As for downloads you make through MO2, these are stored in your portable instance folder (which is what this guide covers), so wherever your \mo2 folder ends up, there is a \mo2\downloads folder storing all the zipped files you got from Nexusmods. You could relocate this Downloads folder (in MO2 go to Settings>Paths and change the Downloads path to something else). If you have other instances of MO2 you can use the same folder so they all share downloads, if you don't have additional instances but just profiles in the same MO2 portable instance you don't need to change the default path, all your profiles from that instance will share downloads.

This helped a lot thanks. I tried to just throw random mods left over from the other times I tried to get modpacks and MO2 is surprisingly more simple somehow than Vortex. I got it working for now but trying out MO2 made me feel like It's not that complicated as I thought.

Edited May 30, 2025 by ElinFan

[Just Don't]

I did the thing I said I'd do back in january. Went over the full doc to check links, instructions and changed a few mods. Most important change is replacing SOS for TNG. I can't think of any downside to this change. I might look into simplifying or removing some sections in the future too.

[Miauzi]

Dear author of this wonderful guide,

 

A few months ago, I decided to - upgrade my Skyrim from version 1.5.97 to version 1.6.1170.

I then reached my limits with "Vortex" and took the next logical step -> to implement this project in MO2.

 

After a first major hurdle a few weeks ago – which you also helped me overcome – this guide has become a useful monitoring tool for me.

 

Today, I encountered a problem – although I'm not sure whether my request already exceeds the scope of this guide:

I edited a newly created character in the race menu and then saved it as a new present.

 

Due to the virtual system, there is no longer a shared "CharGen" directory for all installed and self-edited character presents.

Accordingly, the data (jslot file) ends up in the "Overwrite" folder.

 

My idea:

I create an empty mod entry on the left side – working title "Race Menu CharGen" – and place it directly below the "race menu" entry.

and move the data from the "Overwrite" folder there.

 

A quick test shows that the present I created is loading correctly.

 

Is this just a workaround – or is this how it works in MO2?

[Just Don't]

1 hour ago, Miauzi said:

Is this just a workaround – or is this how it works in MO2?

This is how it works. You can create as many empty mods as you want and use them to store different files, if they follow the expected folder structure and are enabled MO2 will load them in game like any other mod.

 

You can leave files in Overwrite and they will always load in game with the highest priority (wins any conflict, overwriting files within other mods managed by MO2 or installed directly into your \Data folder). But it's recommended to keep a clean Overwrite because as you play and install new mods/use different tools you'll have more and more files in there so it might be hard to track what's in there (files in there are also not removed if you uninstall or change the mods or tools you used to create them).

 

Glad to know this was useful for you.

[Miauzi]

Am 19.09.2024 um 19:39 Uhr sagte Just Don’t:

Ich benutze TNG seit einigen Monaten und es funktioniert einwandfrei. Die Kompatibilität mit SOS ist mittlerweile nahezu 1:1, solange Sie bereits portierte SOS-Nischen-Add-ons finden (oder selbst portieren). Wenn Sie sich nicht für SOS-Add-ons interessieren, funktioniert es sofort. Gewöhnen Sie sich einfach an das MCM zur Verwaltung der Einstellungen, erstellen Sie die Add-on-Sets in Bodyslide und das war's. Es sollte sofort mit SL und jedem anderen Mod funktionieren, sofern es nicht ausdrücklich SOS (auch bekannt als SOS-Add-ons) erfordert. Der einzige Grund, warum ich TNG nicht in die Anleitung aufgenommen habe, ist, dass es sich damals noch in der frühen Release-Phase befand und alles noch nicht so ausgereift war wie heute.

Ich habe HIMBO einmal verwendet, aber ich möchte es nicht in meinem Spiel behalten, daher kann ich nicht viel dazu sagen.

 

Since I want to work with the ube body in addition to the cbbe body (3ba or 3bbb) with this Skyrim installation, I've also decided to switch from SOS to TNG.

 

A previous attempt based on Vortex failed.

 

Using this guide as a reference, I haven't gotten to the "SexLab" section yet... precisely because the problem with the missing SOS has arisen before.

There are two mods that require the SOS master:

1) the racial mod "Queen of Blades" -> Schlongs of Skyrim - core.esm ... I'd also like the "male" armor version or the "futa" companion.

2) the armor mod "TRX-Latex-Whith" -> Schlongs of Skyrim - core.esm ... contains a cover for the "futa" penis.

 

I installed TNG a few days ago... it also works "in the background" - (i.e., male NPCs have their penises).

 

I haven't completely read through the TNG Nexus page - but after the information "don't use both (SOS and TNG) at the same time," I stopped and postponed the solution until I tackle SexLab.

Other information sources mention using a "dummy" master for my problem (missing master).

 

Can you help me with further information here – or do I need to contact the authors of both mods?

[Grey Cloud]

4 hours ago, Miauzi said:

Can you help me with further information here

I use HIMBO, TNG and 3BA.

 

None of this is really something I use in my games but I also have:

TN Gentlewoman