Should I switch from oldrim to SE

[Saintarious]

5 minutes ago, Grey Cloud said:

It is not called 'Legacy'. The original Skyrim plus the DLCs was released as, and is called, 'Legendary Edition'.

But calling it vanillarim or oldrim seems fine i guess, but let's get this nonsense aside.

 

23 minutes ago, chaimhewast said:

Like you, I haven't touched SE since shortly after its release. However, if I were starting from scratch, I would probably go with SE. The only reason I have left to not migrate is the time it takes to set up a fresh install - Bethesda hasn't updated it in over a year, most mods have been or can be ported, the new "lite" plugin flag allows many small plugins to share the FE plugin slot, there's a few SE-exclusive mods, and most LE mods have been or can be ported.

I keep that in mind, I think I'll try SE instead of going for LE again.

36 minutes ago, Just Don't said:

Already existing thread about this question.

 

Threads with links to SE mods (ported or new releases) as well as more info

https://www.loverslab.com/topic/94228-se-compatibility-tracking-jan-10-5988/

https://www.loverslab.com/topic/126227-sexlab-index-se/

 

My advice: check the mods you want to use, if you're comfortable in LE stay there. If you see the things you want to use are available for SE try it, as you say you got SE for free. Pick a mod manager, learn to use it and read every bit of instruction and info you can get about the mods you intend to use.

Ah thanks for those links, didn't expect that thread to go on for 2years at the end haha.

[Grey Cloud]

1 hour ago, Saintarious said:

But calling it vanillarim or oldrim seems fine i guess,

I've never heard it called 'vanillarim' in over four years of playing the game. Personally, I don't think calling it 'oldrim' is fine.

SE has been around for four years and you arrive as if you are the first person to think of this issue.

[Kitty]

tl;dr version - Getting a lot of conflicting info, much of which is (at least) 2 years old, and I figured I'd ask for opinions that may be a bit more pertinent and (hopefully) less fraught with contratictions.

 

So...  I loved Morrowind.  Not to mention the games all the way back to Arena, even though they were vastly different to the evolution that has become Elder Scrolls from Morrowind forward.

I did, however, eventually come to a point where I couldn't bear to even LOAD Morrowind without a plethora of mods.  Most of them for that title just to clean things up and increase the poly count since a few years after release, 3d games had really made some advances and Morrowind started to show it's horridly angular, pixelated age really fast.

 

Due to that, I'm no stranger to the absolute nightmare that can be Elder Scrolls modding, though obviously I realize there's going to be a bit of a new learning curve and a lot of things that have changed since then, but I'm pretty confident I'll be able to dive in and get it sorted out eventually, which is a good thing, since I seriously doubt any out-of-the-box ES title will hold my interest very long, if at all.

 

Case in point, I did actually attempt to get into Oblivion, way back when it was nearly-new.  I say nearly because I did actually even wait until there was a year or two of solid modding out there because I KNEW it was basically a console port, and from previous experience with other, similar titles, I knew that was going to annoy me in a lot of ways, none of which could possibly be fixed without some good mods, so..  I spent, oh.. probably two weeks pretty solidly downloading, installing, merging, operating on, and refining mods to attempt to make Oblivion playable.

 

It never really worked out.  For whatever reason, I just never came up with anything that was ever any damn fun.  It was somewhere between horribly annoying and just too much damn work for no real gain or.. I don't know exactly, but in the end, I stuck the box in a drawer and haven't looked at it since.

 

Thus, when Skyrim came out, I pretty much ignored it.  Kept myself busy with other things and just stayed away.  Something has recently made me wonder though if maybe it's not time to give it a go, quite possibly the volume of activity the Skyrim sub-sections get around here, but anyways.. I still believe there's no way I'm going to enjoy it for long (if at all) vanilla out-of-the-box, which means that modability is going to play a huge role to this whole endeavor.

 

Now from what I've been able to dig up, there's a LOT more mods released and/or stable on LE, though I expect that's probably getting (gotten?) better, as like I said, most info I could dig up at all was 2+ years old to begin with, and even if that's still true, final quality is far more important than final quality.  That in mind, there also seems to be some "core choices" I'd need to make really early in any modding process.  I was able to get some information, but sadly, most of it was a bunch of whiny fangirls just screaming at one another about how their choice was best, with very little supporting evidence, and I mean.. it's a little dizzying - UNP, UUNP, BBP, 7BASE, RBS CBBE, Bodyslide...  just to mention a few of the terms tossed around while trying to sort this mess out, and from what I could gather, most of these seem to be "framework" systems or bases or.. whatever the proper term here is, that all do similar, yet different things, and none of the systems seem to be co-compatible?  Worse yet, it sounded as if some were ONLY LE, some SSE, some buggy on both, blah blah..  lol  Basically, I'm totally lost, and just hoping someone's put up with enough of my verbosity and babbling to understand what I'm asking here and give me some actual informed opinions as to what direction I'd likely want to go in once I decide to plunge back into the world of ES.

 

My rig, if that sways the choice much is a little dated, but not too bad.

Spoiler

Desktop Specs that should matter at all:

4th Generation Intel Core i7-4771 CPU @ 3.50GHz

16 GB DDR3 1333Mhz Ram

ASUS ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 EVO

250 GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD + 10 TB WD Caviar Black HDD RAID5

Win10 x64

 

I also have an Alienware M17R3 Laptop that's *technically* "better", but due to the mobile aspect, it works a LOT harder to keep up with demanding games, but key specs there are:

10th Generation Intel Core i9-10980HK @ 5.3GHz

32GB DDR4 2666MHz Ram

NVIDIA GeForce RTX2080 SUPER 8GB GDDR6

2TB (2x 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD) RAID0 + 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD

Win10 x64

 

Anyways, so yeah... just looking for some (informed) opinions and a little steering in this mess before I commit to a purchase, let alone the process of modding the damn thing up.

Thanks muchly for any advice, and oh..  not saying there's anything *wrong* with being a fangirl, just for the record.  Been known to be one myself.  Just.. looking for more substance, less shameless screaming of "my game is the best, senpai!" than I was finding with google and reddit and the rest of the mess out there.  ~_^

[Psalam]

28 minutes ago, Kitty said:

(informed) opinions

I claim nothing more than that.

 

I still use Skyrim LE. It does require more work to get stable but fortunately LL has THE source for how to do that.

 

It does have more options, in terms of mods, although this gets to be less and less an issue over time and with the development of tools that make porting easier. Nonetheless, there are still many mods which are available in LE which will never be in SE since they have (apparently) been abandoned.

 

Finally, and I think this is telling, it is easier to get answers to questions in Technical Support (both here and on Nexus, ha, ha) for LE than it is for SE. That's not just an opinion, it's a fact (since I've had to go to SE to answer questions). However, with your background you might not find THAT particular argument persuasive.

[27X]

 

[Kitty]

Thanks for that link, @27X.  I did actually try a few searches, but I'm still not quite at the point where the search function here and I get on all that well, so it didn't provide much of interest.

 

I skimmed through some of the beginning and end of that thread -and honestly I don't plan on reading all of it, since again, much of the information there is based on the situation back a few years ago, but from the general tone I'm getting I'm leaning heavily towards just jumping in with SSE and seeing what I can make happy there.

 

Unless I really missed something, the take-away seems to be that:

1.  LE can look better and can have more (if not perhaps better) content, but getting it there while keeping it close to stable will also be much more work.

2.  The primary reason to choose LE would seem to be if you'd already been using it and really didn't want to migrate and/or lose access to things that haven't been or cannot be ported to SSE, which is obviously a non-concern for a Skyrim virgin like myself.

3.  No one seems to be trying to argue that in most cases, SSE (with or without mods) runs better, more stable, and even out-of-the-box looks "pretty damn good", and if that is indeed the case, I suspect I should be able to find plenty of body/landscape/water mods to satisfy any complaints I may have at least in those terms.

 

So.. As I said, not quite ready to start the process yet anyways, which leaves some time to wait and see if anything will significantly change my perspective, but for now, it's looking like SSE will probably win out in the end.

 

Apologies again for a duplicate thread and what's likely a really old question everyone's sick of answering, from the sound of it.  lol  That's what you get for trying to ignore a game series for two releases and what?  Like a decade and a half?  xD

[Guest]

I went to the Gamestop midnight release party for Skyrim and I still play it ever since.  Even before using mods I had issues keeping LE up and running.  I had to use a mod just to keep hair mods from crashing while in Racemenu.  I have a better experience with SE when it comes to keeping it running.  Most of the time my issues are simple to figure out and are mod related.  I rarely have crash to desktop issues with SE, unlike LE where they were frequent.

 

My PC specs are in the spoiler below.  The only thing I have changed since getting Skyrim is a bigger ssd and a video card(~5 yrs ago)

and Windows 10.

Spoiler

Intel Core i7 950 @3.07 GHz

12 GB RAM

Win10 Pro x64

500 GB SSD / 500 GB HDD

GeForce GTX 970 4GB

 

I have used CBBE/3BBB/3BA in both LE and SE.  I have tried UNP/UUNP/BHUNP.  CBBE is well supported in both versions.  UNP is also well supported, but mostly for LE.  UUNP provides a customizable UNP style body, however the creator of UUNP isn't bringing it to SE.  BHUNP is the SE equivalent to UUNP.  BHUNP is still new and has limited outfit options.  It is gaining a lot of support though.  As far as the difference between CBBE and UNP;  CBBE(plus variants) has a more fantasy feel, while UNP(plus variants) has a more natural feel.  It really boils down to a personal preference. I currently use CBBE-3BA due to I like all the moving parts.  I also use it because I am too lazy to figure out converting outfits BHUNP.

 

For visual mods I really don't use that many.  I mostly use ones for the character models, equipment, and lighting/ENB.

 

Gameplay wise, I found just as many mods for SE as for LE.

 

For the most part my experience with LE and SE hasn't been that different other than stability improvement.

[27X]

I've routinely argued 3 into the ground without even having to use all facts available.

 

The exactly three upsides of SSE are ESL functionality, stability in regards to memory usage and the fact you can't actually buy LE without jumping through hoops.

 

That's it, period. end of. full stop. Any other argumentation revolving around SSE's superiority is utter horseshit and confirmation bias, especially external code interaction up to an including SKSSE and SSE's graphic offering in range of customization and number of presentation options looks like an open garbage fire compared to LE, and that's an objective fact that confirmation bias cannot change, and will continue to be until such time as ENB/RSE/DXVK support identical graphic options with agnostic code, which is very likely not going to happen any time soon. As soon as Bethesda committed to dx11 because SSE is actually a console port first and PC anything about fifth, this was how things were going to be.

 

SSE modding is generally easier because Bethbryo's largest flaw that they have yet to fix even in Starfield is memory bandwidth and allocation, and by design and general software architecture 64 bit apps are an order of magnitude more stable in this regard, provided you have appropriate hardware to leverage.

[Grey Cloud]

Four years on since the release of SE and people are still asking this question as if it's never been asked before. It seems to me that the people who ask this question aren't really interested in whether they use LE or SE, they just want to be using the one which the herd uses so they are in with the in-crowd.

[Cema]

I had to switch to SSE a few days ago when my new rig arrived after playing with LE for 8 years. So I can tell you a bit

 

First of all and because this is the mos important part :

 

Legendary is a Directx9 game. Which means it has 4GB memory limit. This memory limit can be bypassed in Windows 7 using a script that is quite famous among the community (but it can make the game unstable and you will get CTD sometimes). In windows 10 you can't bypass that 4GB memory limit at all.

 

In short you can't really play Legendary with lots of mods on windows 10. You need windows 7.

 

 

Special Edition is a Directx11 game. Which means it uses as much VRAM as your graphic card has independantly of the Windows you use. The biggest graphic card, the better !

 

In short Special Edition is more stable whatever windows you use.

 

 

 

Now ...

 

Both are not too difficult to modify once you get used to Mod Manager 2.

 

 

Pro Legendary

- More mods available (especially everything related to sex mods on this website)

- Better graphic enhancement and ENBs (Snapdragon ENB ❤️ )

- More people with experience to help you and answer your questions

 

 

Pro Special Edition

- Some well crafted new mods

- You are not stuck with windows 7

- More stable

 

 

 

To be honest I wish I could keep using Legendary, because so far after 100 mods on Special Edition my game looks worse than LE because of the lack of truly good ENB

 

And don't get me started on the topic of body mods and HDT Physics stuff ...

 

[hellblueboy]

If you are new, SE.

 

I still use LE because i put so much effort to make it stable, but i almost reach the limit of what i can do with it.

I also like ENB on LE more than ENB for SE.

[decaluka]

@Cema If you are referring to the 4GB VRAM limit, it was fixed back in 2018 on Windows 10. And the 4GB RAM limit is fixed by using ENBoost (or any ENB since they include it).

 

 

Overall, I'd recommend SE for a new player with a modern PC. In addition to what other said, it also has a more active modding scene nowadays with mods that are exclusive to it.

[Grey Cloud]

1 hour ago, Cema said:

In short you can't really play Legendary with lots of mods on windows 10. You need windows 7.

That, like the most of the rest of your post, is nonsense.

[Cema]

41 minutes ago, Grey Cloud said:

That, like the most of the rest of your post, is nonsense.

 

oh hi !

 

 

With ENBoost installed and on latest windows10 of course

 

Ok Shithead?

[Just Don't]

Okay but

 

So memory shouldn't be an issue either way (LE needs some extra settings/files to solve the issue, SE is better just for being a 64bit program as already mentioned, but you still need to tweak settings and pick some mods because Bethesda engine...). The only decisive factor IMO is mods available/familiarity. If you'll miss some stuff from LE don't go for SE. If you have no attachments to LE you can try SE and see if everything you want to accomplish is there. That's it, pure preference and convenience.

[Grey Cloud]

31 minutes ago, Cema said:

With ENBoost installed and on latest windows10 of course

Ditto

8GB VRAM + 32GB RAM

The 4GB limit is with the 32-bit Skyrim.exe not DX9 and it is RAM not VRAM.

 

3 hours ago, Cema said:

In short you can't really play Legendary with lots of mods on windows 10. You need windows 7.

No?

Just because you cannot do something does not mean no one can do it.

[27X]

4 hours ago, Cema said:

 

In short you can't really play Legendary with lots of mods on windows 10. You need windows 7.

 

Categorically false.

 

 

[27X]

 

4 hours ago, Cema said:

 Which means it uses as much VRAM as your graphic card has independantly of the Windows you use. The biggest graphic card, the better !

 

Factually false.

[Psalam]

It is amazing to me that a topic which all here agree has been "done to death" could generate so much heat. While I am sure that everyone here is absolutely certain that they are right you are just adding to the issue that the OP started with, to wit:

9 hours ago, Kitty said:

tl;dr version - Getting a lot of conflicting info, much of which is (at least) 2 years old, and I figured I'd ask for opinions that may be a bit more pertinent and (hopefully) less fraught with contratictions.

 

[Cema]

I want to officially apologise for calling that man a shithead

 

I don't like insulting people and I don't want to go to sleep before apologizing

 

So :

 

Sorry for that. Really.

 

 

But that's unfortunately how thing are on my Windows10 and after asking around a lot for the last 2 weeks, uninstalling windows, drivers and game twice and having still things locked at 4064.

 

Maybe I kept asking the wrong people though.

[27X]

Never ask an upvote whore anything. Evangelists are inevitably, every time, without fail, full of shit.

 

Anyone telling you how to play a single player game that only you will ever play on your hardware has an agenda, and that agenda is tied directly to self worth and attention received. Which means it's hot melty garbage.

 

Here's how much memory DX9 >utilizes< at 8K, without injection. With injection you can expect that to increase by up to 6 gigs, application dependent.

[Guest]

I think I had close to a thousand hours on Oldrim so have got a lot out of both. I stuck with SE because it's just way more stable, I can't even remember the last time I had a CTD on SSE and I can be *really* sloppy with my modding, it's just very, very forgiving compared to LE.

 

In LE I had to start saving in small cells in many games after a while, because otherwise it was a CTD loading the game for the first time. That or use the QASMOKE then load into my main save method. I used to crash every few hours or so, again probably in part to some sloppy modding here and there- but again, unless you really mess up, SSE lets you get away with it.

 

For me every necessary mod has been ported over, and any that haven't are easy enough to convert over myself (for the most part). I doubt i'll need to play LE again.

[Elizinator]

for my two cents,

 

i was reluctant to switch to SE for quite a while. didnt much like the thought of rebuilding my whole installation, getting all the finicky mods to work right again, yada yada,

 

but boy am i glad that i did.

while it is true that LE probably has more mods, most of the popular and high-quality ones have either been converted, rebuilt, or replaced with similar or even superior alternatives. plus, the community has learned a lot over the years, which SE disproportionately benefits from,

and as far as stability, it is night and day. SE is still a bethesda game, and is still skyrim, but it is way less janky. not NOT janky, but way less.

so while switching to SE might be a lot of work, it is rewarding. completely revitalised my interest in the game.

[merryMalfunctioning]

On 1/22/2021 at 6:52 AM, Elizinator said:

for my two cents,

 

i was reluctant to switch to SE for quite a while. didnt much like the thought of rebuilding my whole installation, getting all the finicky mods to work right again, yada yada,

 

but boy am i glad that i did.

while it is true that LE probably has more mods, most of the popular and high-quality ones have either been converted, rebuilt, or replaced with similar or even superior alternatives. plus, the community has learned a lot over the years, which SE disproportionately benefits from,

and as far as stability, it is night and day. SE is still a bethesda game, and is still skyrim, but it is way less janky. not NOT janky, but way less.

so while switching to SE might be a lot of work, it is rewarding. completely revitalised my interest in the game.

 

Yes to every word of this. Perfect summary.

[hexenhaus]

Hey folks,

 

for a long time I was a daily (or at least weekly) visitor on LL, Nexus and Co, a sucker for every new release and content. But for the last 2 years I didn't touch skyrim at all and my visits were rather infrequent. Now I got the idea of getting back into Skyrim and I am wondering what happened in the last 2 years (19/20).

I see that SL is still the same version and there is development on some mods and re-releases of older mods, but I did not see any major new mods or approaches here on LL or on Nexus at a 1st glance or browsing the mod of the months etc.

 

So what did I miss or what mods are worth revisiting now, gameplay- or "smut"-wise, and it is worth the time setting up.

I am especially interested in story-rich content (e.g. Slaverun, BAC, Captured Dreams) and less in radiant-content like SL Kidnapped.

 

Greetings