Which Skyrim LE/AE should i use to get the best sexlab functionality/mods variety.

[IanVanDeGosh]

Hello guys. So i wanted an advise from you. I have both LE and AE Skyrim. I haven't played LE since 2019.
So i was curious which version is better to use with sexlab mods. I'm looking into more immersive/roleplay gamestyle with variety of animations and interactions.
For example: For NPCs to have sexual preferences, dialogues/interactions between NPCs, variety of immersive sex animation mods, maybe even AI generated extra voices/lines.
I don't use bestiality and trying to keep it the old fashioned way
I would really appreciate your opinion on that. Thank you ❤️

Edited October 6, 2025 by IanVanDeGosh
literal errors

[belegost]

AE.

 

LE only in two cases:

• your name is Littlefoot and you refuse to leave the Great Valley
• you're German and insist on still using fax machines even though we're 25 years into XXI century

Edited October 6, 2025 by belegost

[Echi Corsair]

Now, the real question is what version of AE do you want to use? This is where I'll go ahead and tell you don't give yourself a headache and downgrade all the way to 1.5.97, and stick to it, permanently. This is ESPECIALLY true if you want play older LL mods that haven't been updated in years, which are yes, many mods! If you don't care about that extra choice, I believe there is a certain 1.6 version which a portion of the community have decided to stick to which is not the most recent update.  

 

A lot of mods don't play nice with 1.6, not just sex mods. 99.9% of new mods can be played on 1.5. Whoever tells you to go for 1.6 and not look back is a Bethesda shill or has put too much time into trying to make things work on 1.6 they're operating on a 'sunk cost fallacy'.

 

I WILL DIE ON MY 1.5 HILL because I have literally zero, no, not zero, but negative reasons to update to 1.6. Every time I read the replies to a mod on Nexus, I tell myself "ah, I'm so glad I'm running on 1.5" unlike some arrogant buffoons on 1.6 who think they're all high and mighty because they "updated' their game. They see us 1.5 folk and think to themselves', "ah, look there, a gypsy, a beggar, a poor man or woman"!. "Mama, why don't they update to 1.6?" The mother pulls them away, "DON'T LOOK" she yells, "they're not normal" she whispers to her daughter. "NOT normal - why would you backtrack to several versions of the game, not by one update, not by two updates, but by 3 or more updates. That's not normal, no, everyone on 1.5 is a maniac" the mother explains to her daughter. I AM NOT NORMAL?! Possibly. But you know what's not normal? Updating an ancient game like skyrim 12 years later for fucking 'creation club' content that exchanges quest dialogue through damn notes! Notes, I say! What are we? A bunch of adolescent lovebirds in highschool exchanging notes between crushes!? No, I will not lose my titty milk simulator mod for this nonsense. Us few on 1.5 stand tall and mighty as the figures of the resistance against corporate greed and control over the masses. Bethesda will not dictate my titty mods with their late-stage capitalistic illness. I will enjoy my skyrim 1.5 while some few creators see the 1.5 community and wonder to themselves' "should we even cater to these guys?". The truth of the matter, yes, they do cater to us, and I'm happy to see it. The resistance stands, strong and well against the new Bethesdian Dominion and we need YOU to join the struggle!

 

Sign up here: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/57618?tab=files 

and Read this: 

Godspeed comrade

 

 

 

 

Edited October 6, 2025 by Innocent_Squirrel
Comedic

[Miauzi]

Vor 16 Minuten sagte Innocent_Squirrel:

Die eigentliche Frage ist nun, welche AE-Version Sie verwenden möchten. Hier rate ich Ihnen: Machen Sie sich keine Sorgen und wechseln Sie auf 1.5.97 und bleiben Sie dauerhaft dabei. Das gilt insbesondere, wenn Sie ältere LL-Mods spielen möchten, die seit Jahren nicht mehr aktualisiert wurden – und das sind tatsächlich viele Mods! Wenn Ihnen diese zusätzliche Auswahl nichts ausmacht, gibt es meines Wissens nach eine bestimmte Version 1.6, bei der ein Teil der Community bleibt und die nicht das neueste Update ist. 

 

Viele Mods funktionieren nicht gut mit 1.6, nicht nur Sex-Mods. 99,9 % der neuen Mods sind mit 1.5 spielbar. Wer Ihnen sagt, Sie sollten 1.6 ausprobieren und nicht zurückblicken, ist ein Bethesda-Shill oder hat zu viel Zeit investiert, um die Dinge mit 1.6 zum Laufen zu bringen. Er unterliegt einem „Sunk-Cost-Fallacy“. 

 

I strongly disagree with that!

 

I'm playing the latest AE version (1.6.1170) and use plenty of "old" SE mods – which isn't a problem thanks to backport tools.

 

Six months ago, I decided to finally leave the SE era (1.5.97) behind me and take advantage of AE's benefits.

 

Meanwhile, several old SE mods are being reworked by their authors -> and updated to 1.6.1170.

Edited October 6, 2025 by Miauzi

[Miauzi]

Vor 5 Stunden sagte IanVanDeGosh:

Hallo Leute. Ich wollte einen Rat von euch. Ich habe sowohl LE als auch AE Skyrim. Ich habe LE seit 2019 nicht mehr gespielt.
Ich war also neugierig, welche Version sich besser mit Sexlab-Mods verwenden lässt. Ich interessiere mich für einen immersiveren Rollenspielstil mit einer Vielzahl von Animationen und Interaktionen.
Zum Beispiel: Damit NPCs sexuelle Vorlieben haben, Dialoge/Interaktionen zwischen NPCs, eine Vielzahl immersiver Sexanimations-Mods, vielleicht sogar von der KI generierte zusätzliche Stimmen/Zeilen.
Ich benutze keine Bestialität und versuche, es auf die altmodische Art zu halten
Ich würde mich sehr über deine Meinung dazu freuen. Danke ❤️

 

According to your profile, you've been registered here for 10 months – but apparently, many forum discussions have passed you by.

 

I see it the same way as the user directly below you... except that, as a "German," I actually rejected fax machines 35 years ago and connected my PC to the data world via modem.

[Echi Corsair]

10 minutes ago, Miauzi said:

 

I strongly disagree with that!

 

I'm playing the latest AE version (1.6.1170) and use plenty of "old" SE mods – which isn't a problem thanks to backport tools.

 

Six months ago, I decided to finally leave the SE era (1.5.97) behind me and take advantage of AE's benefits.

 

Meanwhile, several old SE mods are being reworked by their authors -> and updated to 1.6.1170.

Let us agree to disagree then. It's sad to see a fellow comrade leave the 1.5 society.

[NymphoElf]

25 minutes ago, Miauzi said:

I decided to finally leave the SE era (1.5.97) behind me and take advantage of AE's benefits.

 

This is a genuine question. I'm not here to argue. What exactly is the benefit of 1.6+ over 1.5.97, assuming the 1.5.97 user also has BEES?

[belegost]

39 minutes ago, Miauzi said:

I actually rejected fax machines 35 years ago

I salute you, because you seem like a rare gem.

I had a business opportunity for a major German company this summer and they insisted I faxed them all the preliminary paperwork, stating it will take them 2 weeks to process it, go through whatever bureaucracy and formalities were necessary,  and they will mail me the final documents for signing and wanted me to mail them back. I had to actually ask them twice what they meant by "mail". They did not mean e-mail.

 

Needless to say, I found another company next door, in Poland, that did the same thing and used all the benefits of current age technology. The "paperwork" and formalities took 2 hours. They started delivering on their end of the deal the next day.

Edited October 6, 2025 by belegost

[Miauzi]

Vor 23 Minuten sagte Innocent_Squirrel:

Dann sind wir uns einig, dass wir anderer Meinung sind. Es ist traurig, einen Mitstreiter die 1,5-Gesellschaft verlassen zu sehen.

 

When Skyrim switched from the SE to the AE version, I initially let it pass me by... and waited until the chaos of the different versions settled down.

 

Now, with 1.6.1170, we seem to have the final AE version, and authors are creating their mods specifically for these versions or updating their old SE mods to this AE version.

 

Vor 11 Minuten sagte NymphoElf:

 

Das ist eine ernst gemeinte Frage. Ich bin nicht hier, um zu streiten. Was genau ist der Vorteil von 1.6+ gegenüber 1.5.97, vorausgesetzt, der 1.5.97-Benutzer hat auch BEES?

 

Pure joy of experimenting - and I wanted to go to the "Shivering Isles" ... but for that I need an active version of AE.

[Raven 54]

21 minutes ago, NymphoElf said:

I'm not here to argue. What exactly is the benefit of 1.6+ over 1.5.97, assuming the 1.5.97 user also has BEES?

Well there is one in every crowd.    

I use 1.5.97 on my PC and AE on my console, for what was added I don't feel the need to switch.

Yes BEES is on my PC game build, could not do without it.

Really the choice is yours... Backing up to 1.5.97 using download depot is a major hassle as there are no downgrade mods for the current version.

How badly you want to fish, (rolls eyes  & ) or some of the other added features, latest mods to use, or other such things should tell you what you need to know.

Good Luck in choosing.   

Edited October 6, 2025 by Caveman 74

[Miauzi]

Vor 2 Minuten sagte belegost:

Ich ziehe meinen Hut vor Ihnen, denn Sie scheinen ein seltenes Juwel zu sein.

Ich hatte diesen Sommer eine Geschäftsmöglichkeit für ein großes deutsches Unternehmen. Sie bestanden darauf, dass ich ihnen alle notwendigen Unterlagen per Fax schicke. Sie sagten, die Bearbeitung würde zwei Wochen dauern, alle notwendigen Formalitäten und Bürokratieschritte erledigen. Sie würden mir die endgültigen Dokumente zur Unterschrift per Post schicken und wollten, dass ich sie zurückschicke. Ich musste sie tatsächlich zweimal fragen, was sie mit „per Post“ meinten. Sie meinten nicht E-Mail.

 

Unnötig zu erwähnen, dass ich eine andere Firma nebenan in Polen fand, die dasselbe tat und alle Vorteile der modernen Technologie nutzte. Der Papierkram und die Formalitäten dauerten zwei Stunden. Sie begannen am nächsten Tag mit der Umsetzung ihres Teils der Vereinbarung.

 

At the end of 1989, I found access to the "hacker" scene through the CCC (Chaos Computer Congress) in Hamburg – they had long relied on dial-up (remote data transmission) via modem, etc.

At the C-Bit 1990, I visited various booths with some of them – mainly those of modem manufacturers. One of my companions commented that it seemed to him as if the fax had been invented especially for Germany.

One month after the C-Bit, a conservationist from the USA (a member of a very reputable organization there) visited us – his business card also included his email address. When I asked him about it, he was very surprised – because I was the first German on his several-week trip to notice it. Well – I pointed to my "Trail Blazer" modem next to my office PC!

 

One should keep in mind that at that time, almost all telephone exchanges operated purely mechanically ("rotary dial")... while in the USA, everything had already been converted to digital electronics by the 1980s.

(I recommend reading Clifford Stoll's novel "Cuckoo's Egg"... especially since I unknowingly encountered one of the hackers mentioned in the book in 1990... it highlights the differences in technology and technology between the USA and Germany.)

 

In the early 1990s, I worked on several projects to build a pre-internet infrastructure in Germany – it was absolutely crazy what was thrown at me by small and large companies.

Why did the large German mail-order companies (Quelle, Otto, Neckermann) all go bankrupt? -> They were still sending out paper catalogs – when all their competitors were presenting their products in online stores and offering them for sale!

This attitude hasn't changed to this day – even among quite a few "technology" companies.

 

And now to come back to the discussion on the topic of "LE-SE-AE" ... I don't jump on every hype straight away - I observe and read ... then draw my conclusions ... and have decided to finally switch to AE - because in my opinion there is now NO argument AGAINST IT.

[Echi Corsair]

21 minutes ago, Miauzi said:

 

When Skyrim switched from the SE to the AE version, I initially let it pass me by... and waited until the chaos of the different versions settled down.

 

Now, with 1.6.1170, we seem to have the final AE version, and authors are creating their mods specifically for these versions or updating their old SE mods to this AE version.

 

 

Pure joy of experimenting - and I wanted to go to the "Shivering Isles" ... but for that I need an active version of AE.

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/72772 

if you are talking about this mod, it works on 1.5 and I have played it. Pure experimentation though is a fair argument and different story. Yes, sure, some mod authors are focusing on 1.6 but I have yet to see a mod that I personally wanted that I couldn't get on 1.5 especially with BEES

[El_Duderino]

7 hours ago, IanVanDeGosh said:

So i was curious which version is better to use with sexlab mods.

This is probably not the clearcut answer you're looking for, but I don't think any such answer even exists.

 

My advice would be to take a look at the mods that interest you, look at their requirements and go from there. I can't think of any right now, but a few mods may only work on 1170, or perhaps you find that those 1170-only mods are optional for your vision of the game. 

 

Personally, for my own playstyle, I am running 1170 and haven't found a single older mod that I wanted to use but couldn't. Then again, for 1.5.97 there's BEES which was already mentioned: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/106441 Thanks to that, many newer or "cutting edge" mods still work on 1.5.97. One great example here: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/86492?tab=description and one NSFW one here: https://www.loverslab.com/files/file/29779-devious-devices-ng/

Edited October 6, 2025 by El_Duderino

[NymphoElf]

1 hour ago, Miauzi said:

Now, with 1.6.1170, we seem to have the final AE version, and authors are creating their mods specifically for these versions or updating their old SE mods to this AE version.

 

I'm still not sure what specific benefit is gained. BEES allows you to use the AE "Light" plugin space, and therefore effectively use any mod made for AE

 

1 hour ago, Miauzi said:

I wanted to go to the "Shivering Isles" ... but for that I need an active version of AE.

 

I'm assuming, based on the other linked mod here, that this requires Creation Club content. Creation Club content is usable on SE. I know because I'm currently doing it. The only exception, as far as I'm currently aware, is Survival Mode, which very few mods have as a hard requirement due to the popularity of more hardcore and robust survival mods.

 

Again, I'm not here to argue, but I don't see what 1.6+ offers that can't also be achieved in 1.5.97.

 

--------------------------------------

 

1 hour ago, Caveman 74 said:

Well there is one in every crowd.    

I use 1.5.97 on my PC and AE on my console, for what was added I don't feel the need to switch.

Yes BEES is on my PC game build, could not do without it.

Really the choice is yours... Backing up to 1.5.97 using download depot is a major hassle as there are no downgrade mods for the current version.

How badly you want to fish, (rolls eyes  & ) or some of the other added features, latest mods to use, or other such things should tell you what you need to know.

Good Luck in choosing.   

 

I'm already on 1.5.97 - I simply wanted to know if anything changed since I last looked at AE as far as potential benefits. So far, that doesn't seem to be the case. The only thing you can't seem to get in 1.5.97 is the Survival Mode stuff introduced by AE, which isn't much of a loss for most people.

[Miauzi]

Vor 8 Stunden sagte NymphoElf:

Auch hier möchte ich nicht streiten, aber ich sehe nicht, was 1.6+ bietet, was nicht auch in 1.5.97 erreicht werden kann.

 

 

After a failed attempt to get the "Serana Dead Sexy" mod group to work, my SE Skyrim was so messed up that I practically needed a complete reinstall... the "atomic option."

 

At this point, I asked myself the question in reverse -> why do I always retrieve my unmodified SE installation from the "archive"?

I guarded it "like the apple of my eye" for five years - so that, among other things, Steam wouldn't just overwrite it "on a whim."

(yes - of course, we all used things like "offline mode," etc.)

 

For me, the question was -> what can 1.5.97 do more than 1.6.1170? - The answer, from my perspective, was -> nothing crucial.

So why don't I use the latest version for the reinstall that's now due?

 

I didn't throw away a full SE installation with 500 working mods... I just had a completely bare, unmodified copy—the bare vanilla game.

 

 

 

[belegost]

12 hours ago, Innocent_Squirrel said:

It's sad to see a fellow comrade leave the 1.5 society.

I will be leaving this club as well, since I got myself a brand new PC, first one in 14 years. High end stuff, probably good for another 10-15 years. Reason for this is simple: since I will be starting with a brand new instalation anyway, I really don't want to go through the hassle of downgrading again. And the Creation Crap can be disabled. I hate fishing.

[IanVanDeGosh]

21 hours ago, Innocent_Squirrel said:

Now, the real question is what version of AE do you want to use? This is where I'll go ahead and tell you don't give yourself a headache and downgrade all the way to 1.5.97, and stick to it, permanently. This is ESPECIALLY true if you want play older LL mods that haven't been updated in years, which are yes, many mods! If you don't care about that extra choice, I believe there is a certain 1.6 version which a portion of the community have decided to stick to which is not the most recent update.  

 

A lot of mods don't play nice with 1.6, not just sex mods. 99.9% of new mods can be played on 1.5. Whoever tells you to go for 1.6 and not look back is a Bethesda shill or has put too much time into trying to make things work on 1.6 they're operating on a 'sunk cost fallacy'.

 

I WILL DIE ON MY 1.5 HILL because I have literally zero, no, not zero, but negative reasons to update to 1.6. Every time I read the replies to a mod on Nexus, I tell myself "ah, I'm so glad I'm running on 1.5" unlike some arrogant buffoons on 1.6 who think they're all high and mighty because they "updated' their game. They see us 1.5 folk and think to themselves', "ah, look there, a gypsy, a beggar, a poor man or woman"!. "Mama, why don't they update to 1.6?" The mother pulls them away, "DON'T LOOK" she yells, "they're not normal" she whispers to her daughter. "NOT normal - why would you backtrack to several versions of the game, not by one update, not by two updates, but by 3 or more updates. That's not normal, no, everyone on 1.5 is a maniac" the mother explains to her daughter. I AM NOT NORMAL?! Possibly. But you know what's not normal? Updating an ancient game like skyrim 12 years later for fucking 'creation club' content that exchanges quest dialogue through damn notes! Notes, I say! What are we? A bunch of adolescent lovebirds in highschool exchanging notes between crushes!? No, I will not lose my titty milk simulator mod for this nonsense. Us few on 1.5 stand tall and mighty as the figures of the resistance against corporate greed and control over the masses. Bethesda will not dictate my titty mods with their late-stage capitalistic illness. I will enjoy my skyrim 1.5 while some few creators see the 1.5 community and wonder to themselves' "should we even cater to these guys?". The truth of the matter, yes, they do cater to us, and I'm happy to see it. The resistance stands, strong and well against the new Bethesdian Dominion and we need YOU to join the struggle!

 

Sign up here: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/57618?tab=files 

and Read this: 

Godspeed comrade

 

 

 

 

Oh wow. Quite a response. Well i like to stay up to date so i use the latest 1.6 AE 

Edited October 7, 2025 by IanVanDeGosh

[Just Don't]

It's very weird how some game updates made people take sides like it was a civil war.

 

1.5 and 1.6 are no different to other games updating. Mods will always have some amount of compatibility limitations. So regardless of the version you pick, keep an eye out for mods with DLL files (only relevant portion of a mod for the sake of compatibility between game versions, unless you're on an older game version, then also get BEES so your computer doesn't explode at the idea of using a newer plugin version).

Edited October 7, 2025 by Just Don't

[Echi Corsair]

On 10/7/2025 at 1:43 PM, IanVanDeGosh said:

Oh wow. Quite a response. Well i like to stay up to date so i use the latest 1.6 AE 

 

I feel like a jerk giving a comedic response to a legit question so here's something that may help if you're going with the latest skyrim AE version: 

 

 

Also if you're new/forgot how to mod skyrim, the PDF below is what I used to initially mod my skyrim from scratch like 6 years ago. It's a tad old but if I recall it only touches on the sex mods and setting up the framework. Oh yeah, don't use FNIS, switch to Pandora (even if you don't want beastie sex animations - it's a whole lot faster in animation generation AND you can use combat animations too with it). Instead of HDT-SMP, use FSMP if you can - its way faster. Everything else in that guide is still relevant besides maybe the Osex mod im not sure but if youre using sexlab you dont need it anyway...

Lustful Luna's Skyrim Modding Guide.pdf

Edited October 8, 2025 by Innocent_Squirrel
additional info

[Miauzi]

9 minutes ago, Innocent_Squirrel said:

 

Ich komme mir wie ein Idiot vor, wenn ich auf eine berechtigte Frage eine komische Antwort gebe, also hier etwas, das Ihnen vielleicht hilft, wenn Sie die neueste Skyrim AE-Version verwenden: 

 

 

Falls du neu bist oder vergessen hast, wie man Skyrim modifiziert: Das folgende PDF habe ich vor etwa sechs Jahren verwendet, um mein Skyrim von Grund auf zu modifizieren. Es ist zwar schon etwas älter, aber soweit ich mich erinnere, geht es nur auf die Sex-Mods und die Einrichtung des Frameworks ein. Ach ja, benutze nicht FNIS, sondern steige auf Pandora um (selbst wenn du keine tierischen Sexanimationen willst – die Animationsgenerierung ist deutlich schneller UND du kannst damit auch Kampfanimationen erstellen). Verwende statt HDT-SMP nach Möglichkeit FSMP – das ist deutlich schneller. Alles andere in dieser Anleitung ist weiterhin relevant, außer vielleicht dem Osex-Mod, da bin ich mir nicht sicher, aber wenn du Sexlab verwendest, brauchst du das sowieso nicht …

Lustful Lunas Skyrim-Modding-Handbuch.pdf 1.06 MB · 1 download

 

Another note about SMP:

For many mods, SMP only works with "Faster SMP" - otherwise, the game can crash.

At least once a month, there are requests for help with SMP problems here in the forum... usually due to the use of "hdt-smp."

Mod authors don't always point this out... because they assume (quite rightly, in my opinion) that this problem is now common knowledge.

 

A guide for installing a mod is always helpful - even if it "only" serves to compare your own approach.

 

I personally managed the transition from SE to AE using this guide: