Skyrim SE issues on my setup that just started.

[Raven 54]

Disclaimer/Rules.... since I have seen other threads devolve into smack talk.  

1. no talk of which Mod manager is better.

2. no running down of said mod manager.

3. be constructive not destructive, please.

 

I use Vortex, Skyrim SE downgraded to 1.5.97 the hard way using depot codes from Steam.

I have Fallout 4 and Skyrim SE on Vortex, nothing else.

Pop ups about choosing the priority of a mod has stopped for the most part.

A few weeks ago I started getting a warning that Vortex failed to update master list, and if one selects more a drop down tells you what to do, online it says aw it will only happen on occasion, mine is every time I open it.

Well I followed the directions for Fallout 4 and then Vortex could not find Fallout 4 esm so the game would not launch, getting to my SSE trouble, reloaded and downgraded F4, then SSE started acting weird too.

 

By weird I mean it starts but mods I know I have installed and used for the last couple of years act like they are missing, as in makeup suite, slave tats, dirty deeds, to name a few.

If I download a new copy of the mod it will work until I start a new game, then back to not working.

Is Vortex broken?  I have used it for five years with no issues.

Do I need to uninstall it, Version 1.14.8 just updated the other day and scan it it says it is happy and healthy.

 

Sooo Confused as to what is going on, any pointers would be very helpful.

Thanks     

Edited July 19, 2025 by Caveman 74

[Grey Cloud]

Can you rollback Vortex to a previously working version?

[traison]

1 hour ago, Caveman 74 said:

Pop ups about choosing the priority of a mod has stopped for the most part.

A few weeks ago I started getting a warning that Vortex failed to update master list, and if one selects more a drop down tells you what to do, online it says aw it will only happen on occasion, mine is every time I open it.

 

Not a Vortex user but this to me sounds like they're related. Sounds like it has lost or corrupted its state information, i.e. which file from which mod was linked where.

 

I'd tell you to locate where its hiding this information and nuke it, and the Skyrim Data directory, but chances are you got other things in the Data directory than just the vanilla files and Vortex created hardlinks. If you're brave or got the disk space to spare for a backup, this may yet be worth a try. Have it rebuild this information by forcing it to completely reinstall all mods is what I'm thinking.

 

Also if the Vortex source code is available, and you can get the literal error message (not an approximation) one could check in the code what it actually means by a "master list".

 

1 hour ago, Caveman 74 said:

Well I followed the directions for Fallout 4 and then Vortex could not find Fallout 4 esm

 

Use Process Monitor from Sysinternals (Microsoft). Have it monitor file and registry IO, and it'll tell you where its expecting to find it.

 

1 hour ago, Caveman 74 said:

By weird I mean it starts but mods I know I have installed and used for the last couple of years act like they are missing...

 

If we just ignore the previous issues, this is most likely the plugin or stdio limit. You'll have to fix the first one by hand, the other one can be postponed with SSE Engine Fixes. With Vortex in the state that it's apparently in though, I wouldn't waste any time on this yet.

 

1 hour ago, Caveman 74 said:

Is Vortex going mental?

 

Bad question to ask considering your rules.

Edited July 19, 2025 by traison

[Raven 54]

39 minutes ago, traison said:

Bad question to ask considering your rules.

Edited, you are correct. I just didn't want this to turn into a "Bash" the mod manager thread.

 

39 minutes ago, traison said:

Also if the Vortex source code is available, and you can get the literal error message (not an approximation) one could check in the code what it actually means by a "master list".

  

Spoiler

 

 

 

39 minutes ago, traison said:

Have it rebuild this information by forcing it to completely reinstall all mods is what I'm thinking.

I did that for F4 but still have some issues there too.

Plugins under the 250 count rule for both games.

Like I have stated I really am lost, adjustments made for the belly bulge during sex, tattoo overlays adjusted so more can be used in skee64ini has reset themselves among other things.

Uninstall and reinstall games, mod manager, mods?

Try a different mod manager?

Thanks for any more assistance that you can give.  

[Raven 54]

45 minutes ago, Grey Cloud said:

Can you rollback Vortex to a previously working version?

There for a while Vortex was having an update weekly for games to be added, games I will never use or purchase.

I don't have the skills to even imagine how to do that.  

[traison]

Had a peek in the Vortex source code on github and there's no mention of "Failed to update masterlist" nor "masterlist" (outside of CHANGELOG.md but that's irrelevant). This is coming from somewhere else, the code has been altered (as in, you're running an old version or the code on github is old), or the code on github is partial.

 

Edit: ...or that piece of text is an image, but that would be silly.

 

Edit again: Doesn't LOOT use "master lists"? I mean the terminology. This could fit LOOT's M-O because it too downloads a sort of reference plugin list when it sorts them. If this is a LOOT error, I'd ignore it, it's not important.

 

Edit again: So what I'm saying is, you got the file path in that error message, open masterlist in notepad and see what it contains. If there's plugin names, especially names that you don't have installed, I would assume this is a file that belongs to LOOT.

Edited July 19, 2025 by traison

[traison]

I had a peek inside my LOOT files here (from MO2) and they contain several instances where "master list" is written as "masterlist". While that exact error is nowhere to be found here, I'd still say 95% certain that error message about masterlist is from LOOT and can be ignored.

[Raven 54]

10 hours ago, traison said:

I had a peek inside my LOOT files here (from MO2) and they contain several instances where "master list" is written as "masterlist". While that exact error is nowhere to be found here, I'd still say 95% certain that error message about masterlist is from LOOT and can be ignored.

This still leaves me with a broken MM, Guess I'll figure something out.  Thank You.   

[traison]

Yeah I'd have to see that problem for myself to figure it out. TeamViewer or RustDesk, I bring my own tools where necessary. Sounds reasonable? Make sure you understand the risks and what this means before you agree to anything.

[Grey Cloud]

This is a LOOT problem for me. I had a similar problem some months ago.

 

Either rollback LOOT or install a later version if there is one.

 

To rollback LOOT just uninstall and then install the older version.

 

Latest version is v0.26.1

Here

[traison]

2 minutes ago, Grey Cloud said:

This is a LOOT problem for me. I had a similar problem some months ago.

 

Are you specifically talking about the masterlist error, or all errors mentioned in the OP? It seems odd to me that Vortex would have integrated LOOT so deeply that it completely breaks if LOOT is unable to download its reference list from wherever it gets it (github last I saw it I think).

[Grey Cloud]

25 minutes ago, traison said:

 

Are you specifically talking about the masterlist error, or all errors mentioned in the OP? It seems odd to me that Vortex would have integrated LOOT so deeply that it completely breaks if LOOT is unable to download its reference list from wherever it gets it (github last I saw it I think).

(I've not touched Skyrim for 2 or 3 months).

 

A few months ago I installed a mod and suddenly I couldn't run LOOT either through MO2 or as a standalone. Same error message about masterlists. If I deselected the mod LOOT worked. 

I posted on the mod's page on Nexus and the author said it was down to the version of LOOT. I thought I had the latest version but there was a slightly later version available - e.g. I had v1.2.3e and there was a version 1.2.3f available. I installed the correct version and the problem went away as did a couple of other problems I had been having.

 

From what I recall, the problem wasn't LOOT per se but that some technique or something that had become available to mod authors but which LOOT didn't recognise/couldn't work with. Once LOOT was tweaked to use/work with this new thing the problem went away.

 

If I could remember what the mod was or if I knew how to see all my Nexus posts I might be able to come up with some better info.

 

[anjenthedog]

FYI, Vortex 1.14.7 had a bug that was reportedly screwing up deployments, which was then ostensibly fixed in version1.14.8

 

I held off on updating the earlier (bugged) version after luckily seeing a report in Nexus's SE forum just prior to firing up Vortex, from a user who HAD updated to that version (and encountered issues either during or following a deployment), and so I waited until the new (fixed) version was confirmed to be working by someone else (a long time forum participant for whom I have a certain level of trust) 

 

Anyway, I'm using the new version now and it seems to work fine.

 

fwiw... ymmv all that

 

Edit: BTW, re: "Vortex failed to update master list" . it happens sometimes during startup. In MOST cases, closing Vortex and then restarting it solves the issue (as long as you're online while doing so)

Edited July 20, 2025 by anjenthedog

[traison]

12 minutes ago, anjenthedog said:

Vortex 1.14.7 had a bug that was reportedly screwing up deployments, which was then ostensibly fixed in version1.14.8

 

And this, children, is why we don't allow automatic updates; if it ain't broken, don't fix it.

 

The OP does state 1.14.8 is already in use, but that a previous version might have been used when it broke. This would line up with what you said. It would be interesting to know if the damage done by 1.14.7 is permanent, or if things can be recovered. It seems installing 1.14.8 is not doing it on its own.

[Raven 54]

17 minutes ago, traison said:

And this, children, is why we don't allow automatic updates; if it ain't broken, don't fix it.

With Vortex one gets a pop up saying update now, got tired of seeing it so that was all me.

Yes I have installed all updates 1.14.7 and now .8 I thought I was doing a good thing keeping the manager updated as well as mods to my current versions of the games I run, SSE 1.5.97 .... F4 downgraded after esm loss through Vortex.

 

38 minutes ago, anjenthedog said:

Vortex 1.14.7 had a bug that was reportedly screwing up deployments,

Which I believe is baked in to my updated version.

 

1 hour ago, Grey Cloud said:

To rollback LOOT just uninstall and then install the older version.

Thanks for the link! Loot is part of the Vortex program, (as you know) I don't quite know how to force it to use an older version as it is not a downloaded mod.

 

Thank You all for the posts, help and your time.  

[Raven 54]

25 minutes ago, traison said:

And this, children,

I believe you need to add Grandpa to the list!    

[Grey Cloud]

31 minutes ago, Caveman 74 said:

Thanks for the link! Loot is part of the Vortex program, (as you know) I don't quite know how to force it to use an older version as it is not a downloaded mod.

It's about 18 months since I used Vortex for Skyrim so I can't remember how it works with LOOT versions therefore maybe my advice was not applicable. 

 

1 hour ago, anjenthedog said:

Anyway, I'm using the new version now and it seems to work fine.

Do you know how I can get to see all my Nexus posts?

[Grey Cloud]

10 minutes ago, traison said:

 

If there's no built in way (couldn't see one), consider using Google:

 

Example for SkyrimSE related things:

"+GreyCloud site:https://www.nexusmods.com/games/skyrimspecialedition"

DDG saying 'No results found'.

[anjenthedog]

1 hour ago, Grey Cloud said:

Do you know how I can get to see all my Nexus posts?

No clue to be perfectly honest. I don't know of any website that offers that level of scrutiny over one's own posts any more, aside perhaps from Reddit.

 

In any case, it doesn't seem germane to this particular "Is Vortex busted?" thread.

 

However, If you have librarian-grade search skills, (I don't personally know how, but I've seen some pretty impressive search terms on occasion in various threads here and there, with all the librarian-grade search engine bells and whistles) you can probably whip up some search term that'll cough up all your results from nexus or any website.

 

Note: I have no affiliation with Nexus outside using it as a source for mods, and for posting in the help forums, at this point primarily due to the dearth of actual qualified authorities willing to help support floundering players... and ftr, I do not consider myself to be an authority wrt Skyrim SE even remotely, just a random player who engages TradHacking (ie Yankee problem-solving by any other name) to "make it go"

Edited July 20, 2025 by anjenthedog

[anjenthedog]

1 hour ago, Caveman 74 said:

Which I believe is baked in to my updated version.

 

If you mean the gameplay conducted after using the broken version of Vortex, I'd suggest redeploying using the current version, then punting back to a save file made prior to the broken deployment made under Vortex's broken predecessor version.

 

idk for sure, but that's how I'd approach it.

[Raven 54]

10 minutes ago, anjenthedog said:

If you mean the gameplay conducted after using the broken version of Vortex, I'd suggest redeploying using the current version, then punting back to a save file made prior to the broken deployment made under Vortex's broken predecessor version.

I meant into Vortex, I have started three new games, no saves, and am experiencing these issues, purged mods and re deployed, still not working properly, reinstalled all of F4, game and mods from scratch, still having some issues but not as many as Skyrim SE.

Thanks

[anjenthedog]

2 hours ago, traison said:

 

And this, children, is why we don't allow automatic updates; if it ain't broken, don't fix it.

 

The OP does state 1.14.8 is already in use, but that a previous version might have been used when it broke. This would line up with what you said. It would be interesting to know if the damage done by 1.14.7 is permanent, or if things can be recovered. It seems installing 1.14.8 is not doing it on its own.

I'd think it'd only be permanent, or at least possibly permanent, IF the OP was able to use it, broken or not, then play on the results of that brokenly deployed vector, then create a working save from that broken deployment vector, and then expect to continue that vector. 

 

If however, the game was redeployed with the unbroken newer version, then saves made during/after the broken deployment were discarded and only save files made prior to the aforementioned scenario were used, and although I'm not an actively employed (or even interested) programming professional, let alone one who is intimate with Skyrim and all things skyrim,  I don't see how it could be corrupted.

[Raven 54]

Let's use makeup suite as a point... It was not showing up in Race Menu so I downloaded a new copy of the same mod, uninstalled the one in Vortex, restarted the game, saved, left and installed Makeup suite, restarted the game, there it was for that game. I played till other things quit working as in, I know I am supposed to be able to do this but could not, messed with Vortex some more, started a new game and poof... no makeup suite.

If I launch through Vortex it shows up, if I launch from SKSE64 launcher on my desktop it does not.

Either way I launch I have broken mods, some on desktop launcher some through Vortex launcher.

This all started around the 1.14.7 update, also coincided with uninstalling SL Survival and SD+, at first I thought it was left over files, then questioned if my PC was having issues, but the more I work/use it I am convinced it's Vortex. 

Almost like when a mod breaks and it doesn't work right till you download a new copy and install, wish I could do that to Vortex without loosing my games and installed mods.

[anjenthedog]

14 minutes ago, Caveman 74 said:

I meant into Vortex, I have started three new games, no saves, and am experiencing these issues, purged mods and re deployed, still not working properly, reinstalled all of F4, game and mods from scratch, still having some issues but not as many as Skyrim SE.

Thanks

idk. I have accidentally updated to broken Vortex versions prior, and the subsequent repaired versions seemed to have worked just fine.

 

The bolded content... sounds ToMe(tm) like you may have done far too much fiddling.  I don't even know where to start with that. Check and verify all dependencies ("requirements" in Nexus jargon), make sure that all mods are qualified for the version of Skyrim SE you're using, check for and address known mod contentions, make sure any bug patches are installed, don't flood install (ie don't install a hundred mods at a time, not even ten at a time imo), test mod stability before doing further mod installations... etc.

 

As for other titles, (in case these are being brought into the conversation) I have zero idea. I have not used any other games from Steam that allow mods or require deployment phases.

Edited July 20, 2025 by anjenthedog

[Raven 54]

1 minute ago, anjenthedog said:

idk. I have accidentally updated to broken version prior and the subsequent repaired versions seemed to have worked just fine.

 

The bolded content... sounds ToMe(tm) like you may have done far too much fiddling.  I don't even know where to start with that. Check and verify all dependencies ("requirements" in Nexus jargon), make sure that all mods are qualified for the version of Skyrim SE you're using, check for and address known mod contentions, make sure any bug patches are installed, don't flood install (ie don't install a hundred mods at a time, not even ten at a time imo), test mod stability before doing further mod installations... etc.

 

As for other titles, (in case these are being brought into the conversation) I have zero idea. I have not used any other games from Steam that allow mods or require deployment phases.

One at a time install here, don't even know how to do more than that, I use 1.5.97 SE all my mods are for that version.    Thanks for your knowledge.