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So, you might be using multiple patches, and may want to reduce your load order.
It is easy to merge these patches back into the parent mods, and will also help prevent load order conflicts. (Mod Organizer-specific steps will be in Orange)
All you need is a copy of Mator's Merge Plugins Standalone found HERE. Don't worry that it says Skyrim, it works for ALL of Bethesda's RPGs, and so does this tutorial.
Other Requirements:
While not absolutely required, the following tools will ensure that any script-heavy mods are properly merged and compiled:
Orvid's Champollion Papyrus Decompiler.
Orvid's Caprica Papyrus Compiler.
Extract both tools anywhere inside your game folder. We'll use them later.
Create a folder for Merge Plugins anywhere you'd like, then extract all of its files into it.
Mod Organizer users will need to add the application to its executables. You can do this by hitting the Gears icon at the top. Enter the title "Merge Plugins", and hit the "..." button next to "Binary" to browse for the "Merge Plugins.exe" file. When everything's set hit "Add". You can now launch the application from the Drop-down list from the top-right. You can also create a shortcut for quick-access.
Make sure your Load Order is correct, and launch Merge Plugins. It'll autodetect what games you have installed, and ask you which one you want to load. I'll be using Fallout 4 for this tutorial. Click the icon for the game you'd like to work with, and hit OK.
The application will now show you your plugin load order. This is where we check the plugins we want to merge. I'll be merging Endor's Custom Combat Armor, its patches, plus our BBS compatibility patch.
NOTE: Start by selecting your plugins from the bottom-up. Any plugins that have Masters, will also require that their Masters are selected. Masters will be shown in Bright Red as you scroll up your load order. Likewise, any plugins that are designated as children of a Master plugin will be displayed in Dark Red. Bright Red plugins must be selected, Dark Red ones don't, (Though, in some cases, you'll probably want to select and merge those as well.)
Hit OK, and wait for the application to load the plugins you've selected. When done, you'll get a message about configuring your profile. Let's do that. Hit OK, and the Options window will appear.
In the Options window, switch to the "Merging" tab. For the first option here, "Merge Destination Directory", you'll want to create a new folder somewhere that you can easily remember, and quickly access. Select that folder by clicking the Folder icon to the right of the input box. (You can also leave it set to the default, which is a folder named "merges" in your Merge Plugins application folder) If you use Mod Organizer, you can select your "mods" folder. Also, while in the "Merging" tab, select the option "Extract BSAs".
Now, head over to the "Integrations" tab. Here, you'll tell the application whether you are using Nexus Mod Manager, or Mod Organizer. (or, neither) Put a check mark in the box that applies, and hit the "Detect Integrations" button at the window. It should automatically enter the proper information in the input boxes. If anything is wrong, you'll have to correct it manually.
If you also grabbed the optional Champollion and Caprica tools, you'll specify their locations here under the "Papyrus" section. If they're both placed in your game folder, the "Detect Integrations" button should find them. If not, you'll have to manually specify their paths. With Papyrus options properly set, head back over to the "Merging" tab, and also enable the "Handle Script Fragments" option.
That's the setup done. Hit OK. We'll never have to do that again. :)
Back in the application's main window, you'll see all of the plugins we selected earlier. Hold "Ctrl" on your keyboard, and in the left panel, click the plugins you want to merge. All you desired plugins should be highlighted.
Right-click on them, and select the option "Add to Merge - New Merge". A new window should pop up. This is where we'll give our Merged plugin a name. I recommend you don't get too creative, so you remember what the mod, and its contents are. Name it, and hit OK. You don't need to change the Merge Method or Renumbering options.
(You can also select only some of the plugins for 1 merge, and the rest of the plugins for a separate merge.)
The plugins you selected are now marked to be merged! In the left panel, switch over to the "Merges" tab, and your merge will be shown in Orange. This means that the merge has not been created yet. It is still pending.
Next, we're going to check the merge for errors. This is to ensure there won't be any conflicts after the merge is created. So, to do that, Right-click on the Orange merge, and select "Plugins - Check Plugins For Errors". A log window will pop up, detailing the process, and if everything is good, when you close the log, your merge should now be Green.
A Green merge means everything is good to go, and we can actually BUILD our merge now. Right-click on the Green merge, and choose "Build Merge". You'll see another log window pop up, with much more information on the processes it going through. Double-check here that there are no major issues during the build. Most of the messages that will appear here should not be troubling.
Now, your merge should be Black, and Black means done! You can now close the Merge Plugins application.
Mod Organizer users are done at this point. You can activate your newly created plugin, and deactivate ALL of the plugins that were merged.
You should now have a new folder with the name you created in the previous steps. For Nexus Mod Manager users, you can either archive the folder into a .zip or .7z, and install it with NMM, OR just copy the .esp plugin into your game's "Data" folder. The new plugin may have a .save extension on it, you can remove that to make it an .esp.
Back in your Mod Manager of choice, you can test out your new plugin by enabling it, and deactivating ALL of the plugins that were merged.
If the parent mod had any other assets, textures, meshes, etc..., you must keep them all in their original locations. You've only replaced the plugin, not the assets.
Remember to move your new plugin to where it should be in the load order, and start your game. Make sure everything is as it should be. If all is well, congratulations!
You're good to go from there. A thing to keep in mind is that, if any of the plugins you merged are updated, you will have to merge them again.
13 comments
https://www.reddit.com/r/FalloutMods/comments/prfmt3/fo4_is_it_safe_to_rename_esp_files/
That said, what you could try is a 2 stage process - not loading any dependents you plan to involve, merge modxxx-a into modxxx, save and exit, then just load your new merged modxxx and then deal with merging any dependencies as a separate new merge operation. Please note I've never merged - I've only ever renamed a few small esp in FO3. I'm merely trying to help as I'm an old timer and (very) retired modder (from back when games were far simpler), and no one else has answered you. Make a backup of your game folder before starting. And good luck.
One thing though, if you are using NMM, you still have to fill in the 'Mod manager path' and 'Mod manager mods path'. Those were not detected automatically for me and had to be located manually. I misread it as Mod organizer path...d'oh!
Also if a mod uses only .ba2 files you have to open it with B.A.E.
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/78/
to unpackage them into loose files into your data folder, then it will work. Otherwise, you will turn invisible. If the author could add this to the tutorial that would be great because I was stuck on it for some time
You're a BOSS.