Special Thanks to XULLuxolid for their clear & concise Mod Loader instructions for their mods!

Preface

You want to start using some of these fancy FFXII (12) TZA (The Zodiac Age) mods but you have no idea how to do things?
Maybe the instructions are unclear?
Let Daedalus show you the way!  ;)
The DrakLab Mod Loader is the preferred way to easily add and remove mods from your install without constantly having to copy/paste/replace the VBF file whenever you want to change things around without bugs.

Preparation

A - Install Final Fantasy XII - The Zodiac Age if you have not already done so.  This guide presumes you installed it via Steam but if it is ever available elsewhere then it should work similarly.
B - To avoid file permission issues, the easiest method of installing games tends to be installing OUTSIDE of Program Files or Program Files x86.  The two Program File directories are 'protected' by Windows and require manual 'take ownership' to work properly with many games, otherwise you run into issues.
C - In addition, installing Steam outside of these directories AND running Steam as 'Admin' will also mitigate many of these potential file permission issues.
D - Be sure to run a FULL 'chkdsk' and 'defrag' on your system before doing modding.  Skip defragging if you're using a SSD (Solid State Disk).  I left chkdsk running overnight while I slept to do a detailed check of everything using the following command where X is your drive letter: 

CHKDSK X: /F /V /R /X /B

You want to run an administrative command prompt and then run the command.  If you have more than one drive, do it for each one.

Mod Loader Instructions

1 - Open DrakLab Mod Loader by RUNNING AS ADMIN.
2 - Click the 'Open VBF' button and then navigate to your FF12_TZA.vbf file and confirm.
3 - Click the 'Add Mod' button.
4 - Navigate to the directory where the mod is located.
4a - For example, for my Daedalus FF12 TZA Equipment Mod, I want to select the Mod folder, NOT the 'ps2data' folder inside!
4b - Here are the CORRECT and WRONG ways of doing mod loading.
5 - The mod will be loaded and appear in the mods list on the left side.  Select the mod in the list so it is highlighted.
6 - You should see the name of the mod appear in the box on the right side along with a green checkmark and a Recycle Bin icon.
7 - Click the green checkmark to 'Activate' the mod.
8 - After doing so for each mod you want to use, you will see 'Apply Changes' at the bottom of the mod list.
9 - Click the 'Apply Changes' button and if all works well it should be ready to go!
10 - Be sure to Click the 'Exit' button to exit the DrakLab Mod Loader before running the game!

Article License

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