Load Order question

[ivanoff]

I use Vortex when I can and sometimes it asks the question "before" or "after". Most of the time it has suggestions.

I always get confused about patches, updates, addon and stuff like that. Do these come before or after the main mod?

I had read that the main mod always comes "after" because of the load order.  Thanks.

[Psalam]

44 minutes ago, ivanoff said:

I use Vortex when I can and sometimes it asks the question "before" or "after". Most of the time it has suggestions.

I always get confused about patches, updates, addon and stuff like that. Do these come before or after the main mod?

I had read that the main mod always comes "after" because of the load order.  Thanks.

In your load order something can only modify a thing that comes before it. That's why Skyrim is always the first "mod" in your load order. Anything that you want to have "the last word" needs to come later in your load order. For example, you have two mods (call them A and B). Both of these mods change the looks of an NPC (say Lydia). If A is loaded before B then the Lydia's looks will be defined by mod B (which comes after). Contrariwise, if B is loaded before A, her looks will be those of mod A.