Skyrim Initial Setup (VR) An infernalryan Skyrim Modding Guide
Overview This guide will provide instructions for the initial setup of Skyrim VR. I will cover how to bring the most recent game files (e.g. 'masters') and Creation Club content from Skyrim Special Edition over (if applicable), as well as essential mod installations, whether you choose to use a Wabbajack mod pack, prefer the manual approach, or a combination of both. These steps may vary slightly from those you may have seen before, but they will provide arguably the best possible initial setup to support your modding journey.
This guide is for Skyrim VR for Steam. For the Skyrim SSE/AE version of this guide, click here. For the Skyrim SSE/AE GOG version of this guide, click here.
While every attempt was made to keep this guide short and to the point, I have added additional context to some of the steps where I felt appropriate, and there may be information, and/or steps/sections which may not apply to your specific case. This has resulted in the guide growing larger than anticipated, but do not be overwhelmed! I have added spoiler tags where possible, and steps that may not apply have been noted and can be skipped entirely.
Guide Contents:
Install Skyrim VR (and/or update to latest version)
(Optional) Prepare SSE game files from the latest build, and set them aside
Final setup including Mod Manager selection and installation of updated SSE masters, CC content, and/or other essential and optional mods
Run the game and verify SKSE is running
Further reading including compatibility notes and other helpful information
Soft copy is also available for download from the files tab. Please consider ENDORSING if you found this guide helpful!
In this guide, there are several references to your ' <SkyrimVR game folder>' as well as your Skyrim ' /Data' folder. These folders refer to your specific Skyrim VR installation folder and its /Data folder inside. For example, if you install Skyrim VR into the C:\Games\Steam folder, your <SkyrimVR game folder> would refer to C:\Games\Steam\steamapps\common\SkyrimVR, and the /Data folder would refer to C:\Games\Steam\steamapps\common\SkyrimVR\Data.
1 Install Skyrim VR First things first, Skyrim VR needs to be installed. By default, Steam installs all games into C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common. DO NOT DO THIS! If Skyrim VR is currently installed here, you will have to move it. Set up an alternate installation location with the steps below (if you haven't already), and either install or move an existing installation there. I have provided these steps below, but the full official guide from Steam can be found here.
IMPORTANT NOTE – Never install Skyrim VR into the C:\Program Files (x86) or C:\Program Files folders! Many mods and plugins cannot function when games are installed here and/or may cause crashes as they are system protected folders. A new Steam library folder must be added and Skyrim VR must be installed there to prevent these issues.
1.1 Add a Steam library folder Skip to section 1.2 if you have done so already, otherwise, follow these steps to create a new location which can be selected for your game installations within Steam.
Navigate to your Steam client 'Settings' menu.
Select the 'Storage' tab.
From here, you can view your default installation drive, as well as create a new path by selecting the '+' button at the top.
Once you have created the new path, all future installations can be installed there (e.g., 'C:\Games\Steam').
1.2 Install latest version Unlike Skyrim SSE/AE, there is only one version of Skyrim VR used by the larger playerbase (1.4.15), and it is extremely unlikely it will ever be updated. The good news is that there is no need to perform a "downgrade" with Skyrim VR. This makes initial setup considerably easier. Follow only one of the two options and their associated step(s) below (expand their respective 'Spoiler' tag).
1.2.1 Option 1: New installation If you do not currently have Skyrim VR installed, simply run the installer from within Steam. Be sure to select an alternate installation location and DO NOT install in Program Files. This will install the latest version of Skyrim VR. Skip to section 2 when done.
1.2.2 Option 2: Existing installation For existing installations, there are a couple of steps you want to complete before proceeding.
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1.2.2.1 Purge mods (Vortex) Skip to section 1.2.2.2 if you have never previously used Vortex Mod Manager, otherwise, if it is still installed, you will need to check to ensure the program does not have any mods deployed to the SkyrimVR folder. If it does, this could cause Vortex to complain that changes were made outside of the program the next time you open it, requiring you to manually resolve each issue.
Open Vortex.
Ensure Skyrim VR is the active managed game – This is found under the 'Games' tab. If it is not, hover over the Skyrim VR game and click the 'Activate' button.
Navigate to the 'Mods' tab.
Click the 'Purge Mods' link in the top toolbar.
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If you are still having issues, or receive an error that indicates issues already existed prior to starting this guide, you may simply need to stop managing the game via Vortex. Do this by navigating to the 'Games' tab, clicking the 3 vertical dots on the Skyrim VR game, and selecting 'Stop Managing'. If you are STILL having issues, you may simply need to uninstall Vortex altogether.
1.2.2.2 Move Skyrim VR out of Program Files folder Skip to section 1.2.2.3 if Skyrim is not installed here, otherwise, you will need to move it (you don't need to perform a complete uninstall). You can do this using Steam's "Move" feature. To use this option do the following:
Make sure you have a different Steam Library path created to move to (see section 1.1 (Add a Steam Library folder) above for instructions).
Navigate to your Steam client 'Settings' menu.
Open the 'Storage' tab.
Select the drive where Skyrim is located.
Select ' The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR' from this list, and click 'Move'.
From the dropdown box, select the new drive/location, and click 'Move'.
1.2.2.3 Delete and Verify Integrity of Files Next we will ensure that all files are stock Skyrim VR files and any previous modding activities, if applicable, are undone.
Open your root <SkyrimVR game folder>.
Delete all files and folders in here except for the /Data folder.
Open the /Data folder.
Delete all files and folders in here except for the following:
Dawnguard.esm
Dragonborn.esm
HearthFires.esm
Skyrim - Animations.bsa
Skyrim - Interface.bsa
Skyrim - Meshes0.bsa
Skyrim - Meshes1.bsa
Skyrim - Misc.bsa
Skyrim - Patch.bsa
Skyrim - Shaders.bsa
Skyrim - Sounds.bsa
Skyrim - Textures0.bsa
Skyrim - Textures1.bsa
Skyrim - Textures2.bsa
Skyrim - Textures3.bsa
Skyrim - Textures4.bsa
Skyrim - Textures5.bsa
Skyrim - Textures6.bsa
Skyrim - Textures7.bsa
Skyrim - Textures8.bsa
Skyrim - Voices_en0.bsa
Skyrim.esm
Skyrim_VR - Main.bsa
SkyrimVR.esm
Update.esm
Right-click Skyrim VR in your Steam Game list and select 'Properties...'.
Select the 'Installed Files' tab.
Click the 'Verify integrity of game files' button and wait for files to finish downloading. This will re-download any missing files and update any existing files to the current game version, if applicable.
2 (Optional) Prepare SSE game files Skip to section 3 if you do NOT have Skyrim Special Edition, otherwise, you will want to use its latest game files (.esm, .esl, .bsa) to ensure maximum compatibility with newer mods (i.e., "best of both worlds"). These are essentially mod files themselves, so even older versions of Skyrim and Skyrim VR have no issues running them (there are a couple of exceptions which we will address, one specific to Skyrim VR as well as on extremely important exception with the plugin version which we will get to in section 3 (Final setup) below). We will want to save these files for later.
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Some popular mods require these updated files due to referencing records only found in newer (SSE/AE) versions of them (and not the Skyrim VR version, for example), which could cause issues and/or CTDs if they are not found. Two such examples of popular mods doing this are JK's Castle Dour and JK's Sinderion's Field Laboratory, which both use a record from a recent version of update.esm which does not exist in the 1.4.15 (or even SSE 1.5.97) files, making the mod incompatible with a base Skyrim VR or SSE 1.5.97 install. To get around this, we will later copy these updated master files into our Mod Manager along with applicable AE Creation Club content. This also makes compatibility with mods such as USSEP much easier. This is what is effectively known as the "best of both worlds" (using an older Skyrim game version with the latest master files + CC content).
2.1 Download latest Skyrim SSE game files In this step we're going to download the latest version of Skyrim SSE. Don't worry if you have an active Skyrim SSE/AE game/mod list as we can use the Steam console to do this, which will not overwrite anything in your Skyrim SSE/AE game folder. Follow only one of the four options listed based on your specific conditions (expand their respective 'Spoiler' tag).
2.1.1 Option 1: Skyrim SSE owned but not installed If you own Skyrim SSE and it is not installed, the easiest way to obtain the latest game files is to install the game. Simply run the installer from within Steam. Be sure to select an alternate installation location and DO NOT install in Program Files. This will install the latest version of Skyrim SSE.
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In later steps in this section, when referring to ' <Latest game files location>', you will use your <Skyrim SSE game folder>.
Open this folder and set it aside for a moment.
Once completed, skip to section 2.2 to continue.
2.1.2 Option 2: Skyrim SSE installed and already the latest version If Skyrim SSE is installed and is already updated to the latest version (whether you are modding this or not), no action is required. You will know the game is fully up-to-date if the 'Play' button in Steam For Skyrim SSE does NOT say 'Update'.
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In later steps in this section, when referring to ' <Latest game files location>', you will use your <Skyrim SSE game folder>.
Open this folder and set it aside for a moment.
Once completed, skip to section 2.2 to continue.
2.1.3 Option 3: Skyrim SSE installed and NOT the latest version If your Skyrim SSE instance is "downgraded" (for modding purposes or personal preference), we will want to utilize the Steam console to grab the updated master files so that we do not interfere with your existing install. Follow the instructions below.
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2.1.3.1 Open Steam console
Enter the following in your browser (or Windows Run box with Win+R) to open the Steam Console: steam://nav/console
If opened in a browser and prompted to open the Steam Client Bootstrapper, click the 'Open Steam Client Bootstrapper' button.
2.1.3.2 Download latest version At the time of writing, the version listed (1.6.1170) is the latest version of SSE/AE. If this has changed and this guide has not yet been updated, please refer to my Skyrim Manifest List to see if the newer version exists there, and if not, how to determine the proper commands for the latest version yourself. Note that we don't need depot 489833 (the .exe file) because we're only pulling the .esm, .esl, and .bsa files for our purposes.
Refer to section 2.1.3.2.1 below for complete commands for the latest version.
Run each command and wait for it to fully complete before running the next!
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You will know it has completed when you see the text that says (example): 'Depot download complete : "C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\content\app_489830\depot_489831" (1 files, manifest 2289561010626853674)'
2.1.3.2.1 Version 1.6.1170 commands Run the following in the Steam console.
download_depot 489830 489831 1914580699073641964
download_depot 489830 489832 8042843504692938467
2.1.3.3 Merge depot folders Once the depot downloads are done, we want to merge the two folders to simplify later steps.
Refer to the Skyrim console to locate where your depots from above have been downloaded to. By default this is:
Open this folder. There should be 2 folders inside of it:
depot_489831
depot_489832
Create a new folder called ' Skyrim Latest Game Files'
Open each of the ' depot_xxxxxx' folders listed above and MOVE the files and folders inside here into the ' Skyrim Latest Game Files' folder.
Once all files have been moved, delete the ' depot_xxxxxx' folders.
In later steps in this section, when referring to ' <Latest game files location>', you will use this ' Skyrim Latest Game Files' folder we just created.
Keep the ' Skyrim Latest Game Files' folder open and set it aside for a moment.
2.2 Master game files These are the updated master game files that we will be saving for later.
2.2.1 Prepare master files
Open the '<Latest game files location>' folder from the previous step if it is not still open and set aside and open the 'Data' folder inside.
Create a folder inside 'Data' called 'Skyrim Updated Masters'
Copy the following files in the 'Data' folder into this new 'Skyrim Updated Masters' folder – if you used the Steam console to download the files, Move the files instead.
Dawnguard.esm
Dragonborn.esm
HearthFires.esm
Skyrim - Animations.bsa
Skyrim - Interface.bsa
Skyrim - Meshes0.bsa
Skyrim - Meshes1.bsa
Skyrim - Misc.bsa
Skyrim - Shaders.bsa
Skyrim - Sounds.bsa
Skyrim - Textures0.bsa
Skyrim - Textures1.bsa
Skyrim - Textures2.bsa
Skyrim - Textures3.bsa
Skyrim - Textures4.bsa
Skyrim - Textures5.bsa
Skyrim - Textures6.bsa
Skyrim - Textures7.bsa
Skyrim - Textures8.bsa
Skyrim - Voices_en0.bsa
Skyrim.esm
Update.esm
NOTE – There are files intentionally left out the list above, so leave those in the 'Data'.
Move the 'Skyrim Updated Masters' folder into your Skyrim VR /Data folder.
2.3 Creation Club content Skyrim VR technically does not have Creation Club content (since it is based off of SSE, and not Anniversary Edition), but we can still use these files (Survival Mode has a small exception which we will get to later). Follow the steps below.
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The Anniversary Edition was released in November of 2021, and as a free upgrade to existing Skyrim Special Edition owners, it provides 4 DLC mods (Survival Mode, Saints and Seducers, Rare Curios, and Fishing). Additionally, it has an optional paid DLC upgrade (referred to as the Anniversary Upgrade) which contains 70 community mods. The Anniversary Upgrade is purchasable on its own, or together with Skyrim Special Edition in a bundle called "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition". When referring to the 'Anniversary Upgrade', I am referring to this paid DLC content, regardless of how it was purchased.
2.3.1 Prepare Anniversary Upgrade content files Skip to section 2.3.2 if you did NOT purchase the Anniversary Upgrade DLC, otherwise, proceed if you wish to bring this content over. This step can be a bit tricky. If you own the Anniversary Upgrade and want to bring these files over, but don't already have them downloaded, you will have to launch Skyrim SSE version 1.6.1130 or above and download them from the in-game store (Bethesda servers are not reachable on versions earlier than this!). This can be problematic if you are currently running a modded and/or "downgraded" version of Skyrim SSE already. If your version is lower than 1.6.1130, you are out of luck without performing an upgrade (with optional re-downgrade). Additionally, some users will mod their interface files to remove access to the Creations/Creation Club store menus. I cannot account for all of these variables. If you are currently running a modded SSE setup and/or have already downloaded these into your SSE/AE game instance, I will assume you know how and where to locate these files, if applicable, otherwise, I have provided steps to download these from the in-game store. Follow only one of the two options below depending on your specific scenario (expand their respective 'Spoiler' tag).
2.3.1.1 Option 1: Locate existing files If you have already downloaded all of the Anniversary Upgrade files, follow the steps below.
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These should exist in your Skyrim SSE (NOT Skyrim VR) /Data folder. If you are managing these files separately with a Mod Manager, or have otherwise already copied these files to a separate folder on your computer for backup, verify the files exist there.
When referring to ' <Anniversary Upgrade location>', you will use the applicable folder from above.
Open that folder and set it aside for a moment.
Once complete, skip to section 2.3.2 to continue.
2.3.1.2 Option 2: Download files from Skyrim SSE If your Skyrim SSE installation is running at least version 1.6.1130, you can download the files directly in-game.
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Launch Skyrim SSE.
If you receive the 'Thanks for buying Skyrim Anniversary Edition!' prompt when opening, click the 'DOWNLOAD' button, exit when done, and skip to section 2.3.2.
If not, navigate to the 'Creations' menu.
Select 'Options' from the bottom center of the screen.
Select 'Download all Creations in my Library'.
No matter how these files are obtained, when referring to ' <Anniversary Upgrade location>' later in this guide, you will use the Skyrim SSE (NOT Skyrim VR) /Data folder.
2.3.2 Prepare Creation Club content files
Open your Skyrim VR /Data folder.
Create a folder inside /Data called 'CC Content'.
If you prepared Anniversary Upgrade files, open the '<Anniversary Upgrade location>' folder from the previous step and copy all ccXXXsse0XX-filename.xxx files (.bsa, .esl, .esm) into this new 'CC Content' folder (example: ccKRTSSE001-Altar.bsa).
Open the '<Latest game files location>' folder from the previous step if it is not still open and open the /Data folder inside.
Copy the following files from this folder into the new 'CC Content' folder and overwrite if asked – if you used the Steam console to download the files, Move the files instead.
ccBGSSSE001-Fish.bsa
ccBGSSSE001-Fish.esm
ccBGSSSE025-AdvDSGS.bsa
ccBGSSSE025-AdvDSGS.esm
ccBGSSSE037-Curios.bsa
ccBGSSSE037-Curios.esl
ccQDRSSE001-SurvivalMode.bsa
ccQDRSSE001-SurvivalMode.esl
The 'CC Content' folder should contain all free DLC mods as well all mods contained in the Anniversary Upgrade (if applicable).
At this time, you can close your '<Anniversary Upgrade location>' and '<Latest game files location>' folders.
We will come back to this 'CC Content' folder later.
2.4Remove Skyrim SSE files (optional) If you used the Steam console to download these files, or had to install Skyrim SSE to grab updated files and do not wish to keep it installed, follow these steps to remove and/or clean up applicable files. Skip to section 3 if this does not apply to your specific case, otherwise, follow only one of the two options and their associated step(s) below (expand their respective 'Spoiler' tag).
2.4.1Option 1: Uninstall Skyrim SSE
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In your Steam games list, right-click ' The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition', and select 'Manage > Uninstall'.
Follow on-screen prompts.
2.4.2Option 2: Steam depot files
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Refer once again to the Skyrim console from the previous steps to locate where your depots from above have been downloaded to. By default this is:
Delete all ' depot_xxxxxx' folders inside. There should only be a few files left in here as we had previously moved all of the relevant updated game files into our Skyrim VR /Data folder in section 2.2.1.
2.5Remove Anniversary Upgrade SSE files (optional) If you already had Skyrim SSE installed and downloaded the Anniversary Upgrade files specifically for this Skyrim VR modlist, and wish to remove them from your SSE installation folder, refer to my Skyrim Game Files List and remove all applicable files from the 'Anniversary Upgrade' section that you do not wish to keep.
3 Final setup Your Skyrim VR game folder is now ready, but before you start modding, you will need to install and/or verify the following essential mods with your Mod Manager. See below.
IMPORTANT NOTE – Whether you plan to use a pre-built Wabbajack mod pack, manually download and install mods, or a combination of both, to ensure maximum compatibility with newer mods, you will need to download and install the Skyrim VR ESL Support plugin (this is because in addition to enabling ESL support it includes a patch for the 1.71 plugin version update). Failure to install this and/or lack of inclusion in your Wabbajack mod pack WILL RESULT IN A CTD at game launch. DO NOT SKIP THIS. These steps are found later in this section.
3.1 Install Mod Manager Skip to section 3.2 if you intend to use a Wabbajack mod pack since this will typically come pre-built with a portable version of Mod Organizer 2 (so this decision will have been made for you). For everyone else, the two options are Vortex and Mod Organizer 2. Nexus Mod Manager (NMM) has been sunset and is no longer supported, so do NOT attempt to use that with modern Skyrim modding. If you need help deciding between Vortex and MO2, there are several threads on this on the internet. Personally, I prefer MO2, and believe that what appears initially to be a steeper learning curve inevitably reveals itself to be a bit more intuitive overall, especially for larger mod lists, with the main benefit being you can keep your /Data folder (and root folders with Root Builder) completely free of files and/or links. Ultimately this is up to you, and my guides will support both applications. Install your Mod Manager of preference and then proceed.
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Your Nexus account should be connected to your installed Mod Manager. Additionally, all steps below assume Nexus downloads (nxm links) have been associated with the program so that mods are automatically downloaded to the proper folder when using the 'Mod Manager Download' buttons on nexusmods.com. This should be automatic following installation, but if this association changes, MO2 will ask at startup, and Vortex will reclaim this automatically. Follow your chosen Mod Manager's installation guide for more information on either topic above.
3.1.1 Install Root Builder for MO2 Skip to section 3.2 if NOT using MO2. Unlike Vortex, MO2 does not have the native ability to manage files in the <SkyrimVR game folder>, only the /Data folder. This functionality is provided by the Root Builder plugin, allowing you to leave the entire <SkyrimVR game folder> in "pristine, vanilla condition!", and the steps to set it up are quite simple. All the remaining steps for MO2 in this guide assume this is installed. Follow the instructions below by expanding the 'Spoiler' tag.
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Download the latest version from the main mod page 'FILES' tab – ensure you click the 'MANUAL DOWNLOAD' link (this will not install with your Mod Manager).
When completed, open this file from your web browser downloads folder (it is a .zip file).
Extract the contents of the file into the /plugins folder of your MO2 folder. For example, if you installed MO2 into 'C:\Modding\MO2', extract this to 'C:\Modding\MO2\plugins'.
If done correctly, you should now have a 'rootbuilder' folder inside of /plugins (example: 'C:\Modding\MO2\plugins\rootbuilder').
Close MO2 if it is open.
Re-open MO2.
Verify this is installed correctly by navigating to the 'Tools > Tool Plugins' menu of the main menu bar. You should now see a 'Root Builder' entry.
You are done!
3.2 Install core mods Before you start adding your own mods to your mod list, you will want to set up core mods which will serve as the foundation for any future mods added. For Wabbajack, this is an entire mod list which you can later build off of, whereas if you are looking to create your mod list manually from scratch, there are several mods which should be installed first. Follow only one of the two options and their associated step(s) below (expand their respective 'Spoiler' tag).
3.2.1 Option 1: Wabbajack mod pack If using Wabbajack, simply download the Wabbajack modlist file, open it with Wabbajack for download, and follow any specific instructions on the mod pack page to configure. Be sure the mod pack is compatible with your selected game version. Skip to section 3.3 when done.
3.2.2 Option 2: Custom mod list Follow the instructions below to download the listed essential mods.
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3.2.2.1 Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE) SKSE is installed differently depending on the Mod Manager chosen. In general, we are doing the same thing for each: downloading, enabling, and then telling the Mod Manager to launch Skyrim VR with the SKSE launcher when we run the game. Follow only one of the two options based on your Mod Manager of choice (expand their respective 'Spoiler' tag).
Click the 'Start Download' button on the following page after clicking the link above to download into your Mod Manager.
This will automatically install and enable SKSE. In addition, it will also automatically set the primary launch tool as SKSE.
Restart Vortex (exit and re-open). This will remove the notification that SKSE is not installed and the visual bug that does not show SKSE as the primary launch tool.
Deploy mods by clicking the 'Deploy Mods' button in the main toolbar at the top of the application.
Click the 'Start Download' button on the following page after clicking the link above to download into your Mod Manager.
Double-click the file in the 'Downloads' tab in MO2 to install – When installing, you will be informed that ' The content of <data> does not look valid.'.
If the tutorial pops up, feel free to read through this if this is your first time or just exit by clicking the 'Exit Tutorial' box.
In the 'Install Mods' dialog, expand both the ' sksevr_x_xx_xx' and ' Data' folders, then right-click the ' Data' folder and select 'Create directory…'.
Name the directory 'root' (without quotes).
Drag the ' sksevr_x_x_xx.dll', ' sksevr_loader.exe', and ' sksevr_steam_loader.dll' files along with the ' /bindings' folder into the ' root' folder you just created.
Next, right-click the ' Data' folder and select 'Set as <data> directory'.
Your 'Install Mods' window should now look something like this (with ' root' expanded).
Click the 'OK' button.
Enable the mod by clicking the checkbox to the left of the mod name in the mod list on the left side of the main MO2 window.
Next, click the executables dropdown (next to the 'Run' button), which by default should either say 'Skyrim VR' or 'SKSE', and select '<Edit...>'.
On the dialog that opens, if this list on the left already contains an entry for 'SKSE' (or similar, which it may by default), you can optionally change the name to something like 'Play Game (SKSE)'. Ensure both the 'Force load libraries (*)' and 'Use application's icon for desktop shortcuts' checkboxes are selected, click 'OK'. and skip to section 3.2.2.2.
If the entry does not exist, click the '+' icon on the left and select 'Add empty…' (we have to do this because the SKSE loader file does not exist in your game folder, instead it is managed by Root Builder).
For 'Title', give this a name like 'Play Game (SKSE)'.
Click the '...' button in the 'Start in' row and select your root <SkyrimVR game folder>.
In the 'Binary' field, use this same path followed by '\sksevr_loader.exe', for example, ' C:\Games\Steam\steamapps\common\SkyrimVR\sksevr_loader.exe'.
Select both the 'Force load libraries (*)' and 'Use application's icon for desktop shortcuts' checkboxes.
Optionally, click the green 'up' arrow in the left list to bring this entry to the top.
Your screen should look something like this (with your actual paths).
Click 'OK'.
3.2.2.2 Address Library This process is the same for both Vortex and MO2, and should download automatically into your Mod Manager.
Download the latest version from the main mod page 'FILES' tab using the 'MOD MANAGER DOWNLOAD' button. Be sure to press any 'DOWNLOAD' buttons on the following page if the mod does not start downloading automatically.
Install and enable the mod (Vortex should do both automatically, but confirm).
Deploy mods (Vortex only).
3.2.2.3 Engine Fixes VR Skip to section 3.3 if you do not wish to install this. While not required, this mod fixes a lot of game bugs and additionally allows achievements when mods are enabled, which most people want. This mod is installed differently depending on the Mod Manager chosen. Follow only one of the two options based on your Mod Manager of choice (expand their respective 'Spoiler' tag).
3.2.2.3.1 Option 1: Vortex
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Download the latest version of Part 1 from the main mod page 'FILES' tab using the 'MOD MANAGER DOWNLOAD' button. This should be the very first file on the page if it does not explicitly say 'Part 1'. Be sure to press any 'DOWNLOAD' buttons on the following page if the mod does not start downloading automatically.
Enable the mod if it does not do so automatically.
Download the latest version of Part 2 from the main mod page 'FILES' tab using the 'MOD MANAGER DOWNLOAD' button as well. Be sure to press any 'DOWNLOAD' buttons on the following page if the mod does not start downloading automatically.
Enable the mod if it does not do so automatically.
Double-click the ' Part 2 Engine Fixes VR vX.XX' entry in the list to open its properties panel.
Under the 'Mod Type' dropdown, select 'Engine Injector' – This will install the mod into the root <SkyrimVR game folder> (instead of the /Data folder).
Close the properties box.
Deploy mods.
Skip to section 3.3 when done.
3.2.2.3.2 Option 2: Mod Organizer 2
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Download the latest version of Part 1 from the main mod page 'FILES' tab using the 'MOD MANAGER DOWNLOAD' button. This should be the very first file on the page if it does not explicitly say 'Part 1'. Be sure to press any 'DOWNLOAD' buttons on the following page if the mod does not start downloading automatically.
Double-click the file in the 'Downloads' tab in MO2 to install.
Enable the mod by clicking the checkbox to the left of the mod name in the mod list on the left side of the MO2 window.
Download the latest version of Part 2 from the main mod page 'FILES' tab using the 'MOD MANAGER DOWNLOAD' button as well. Be sure to press any 'DOWNLOAD' buttons on the following page if the mod does not start downloading automatically.
Double-click the file in the 'Downloads' tab in MO2 to install – When installing, you will be informed that ' The content of <data> does not look valid.'.
Right-click the '<data>' folder and select 'Create Directory…'.
Name the directory 'root' (without quotes).
Drag the ' d3dx9_42.dll', ' tbb12.dll', and ' tbbmalloc.dll' files into the ' root' folder you just created.
Your 'Install Mods' window should now look something like this (with ' root' expanded).
Click the 'OK' button.
Click the 'Ignore' button on the prompt that comes up (don't worry, this will work).
Enable the mod by clicking the checkbox to the left of the mod name in the mod list on the left side of the main MO2 window.
Finally, right-click the mod name in the mod list and select 'Ignore missing data' – Since we are using Root Builder, and no 'Data' folder was set during install, MO2 will complain about this, even though it is configured properly. Performing this step will fix that.
3.3 Install ESL Support for VR Because some mods (including the updated masters we prepared earlier) use the new plugin header version 1.71 which came with the Skyrim SSE 1.6.1130 update, you must install this mod (or ensure your Wabbajack mod pack has it installed, if you went that route) otherwise you will likely suffer an immediate CTD when launching the game with any such mods enabled. Despite the name (providing long-awaited ESL support for Skyrim VR), this mod also includes a fix which allows Skyrim VR to load mods with the new header version, similar to what Backported Extended ESL Support provides for Skyrim SSE/AE.
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On December 5, 2023, Bethesda released the Creations update for Skyrim Special Edition. Not only did this break compatibility with SKSE mods, it also broke compatibility with plugins (.ESP, .ESL, .ESM) by incrementing their header versions from 1.70 to 1.71. Attempting to use a version 1.71 plugin on an old game build will likely crash. So why did they do this? To expand the maximum number of new records in an ESL from 2048 to 4096 (source).
Download the latest version from the main mod page 'FILES' tab using the 'MOD MANAGER DOWNLOAD' button. Be sure to press any 'DOWNLOAD' buttons on the following page if the mod does not start downloading automatically.
For Wabbajack users, if you receive an error in your Mod Manager indicating the file already exists when downloading, you can safely assume this is already installed and can skip (re-)installing this mod. Skip to section 3.4.
For everyone else, Install and enable this mod.
Deploy mods (Vortex only).
3.4 Install prepared masters Skip to section 3.5 if you did not prepare SSE masters earlier, otherwise, proceed. Follow only one of the two options based on your Mod Manager of choice (expand their respective 'Spoiler' tag).
3.4.1 Option 1: Vortex
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Open your game folder by clicking the 'Open…' button in the main application taskbar, and select 'Open Game Folder'.
When inside the main <SkyrimVR game folder>, open the /Data folder. In addition to other files, you should see the following folder we created earlier:
/Skyrim Updated Masters
Drag the ' Skyrim Updated Masters' folder into the 'Drop File(s)' section of Vortex, which is found at the bottom of the 'Mods' tab. This may take several minutes to fully import as the file size for this folder is quite large. Watch the notification area in the top right of Vortex to see when completed. Since the mod contains multiple plugins, when asked whether you'd like to enable these, select 'Enable all'.
This will create a mod for the dragged folder and add it to your list. Additionally, this appends a .7z extension to your mod name and actually creates an archive (which we will delete later).
Double-click the ' Skyrim Updated Masters' entry in the list to open its properties panel.
Remove the '.7z' from the name and/or rename it entirely (based on your preference) and change the 'Source' to 'User-Generated' (to get rid of the warning icon).
If you want to to delete the .7z files automatically generated when dragging and dropping these folders (they are not required and are needlessly taking up space), navigate to ' %appdata%\Vortex\downloads\skyrimvr' (without quotes – you can paste this in an explorer window, the Windows Win+R Run dialog, or the start menu search bar) and delete the following file:
Skyrim Updated Masters.7z
Skip to section 3.5 when done.
3.4.2 Option 2: Mod Organizer 2
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From the folder dropdown icon at the top right of the mod list window within MO2 (next to the 'wrench' dropdown), select 'Open Mods folder'.
Move this folder aside for a moment.
From the same folder dropdown icon in MO2 select 'Open Game Folder'.
When inside the main game folder, open the /Data folder. In addition to other files, you should see the following folder we created earlier:
/Skyrim Updated Masters
MOVE the above folder into the mods folder we opened in the previous step.
When finished, select MO2 to ensure it is the active window and hit the 'F5' button on your keyboard. This will refresh the application and display our new folder added at the bottom of the mod list on the left.
Enable the mod by clicking the checkbox to the left of the mod name in the mod list on the left side of the main MO2 window.
Feel free to move the mod higher in the list to better organize it with your other mods. There should not be any mods overwriting any of the files in this mod, so just ensure it is below the 'DLC: Dawnguard' entry at the top of the mod list.
3.5 Install prepared Creation Club content Skip to section 3.6 if you did not prepare SSE Creation Content earlier, otherwise, proceed. There are several options on how to perform this listed below in the order of most to least recommended. Follow only one of the options and their associated step(s) below, based on your preference (expand their respective 'Spoiler' tag).
IMPORTANT NOTE – If using Wabbajack, determining what Creation Club content to bring over will depend 100% on the requirements of the mod pack itself. Since I cannot account for all possibilities, be sure to enable ONLY the content which the Wabbajack pack requires in the steps below.
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If Creation Club files are left in the Skyrim VR /Data folder, they cannot be enabled or disabled with your Mod Manager at all. Even if you copy the files directly into a "mod" that can be managed by your Mod Manager, many (but not all) of the Creation Club mods cannot simply be toggled on and off in the plugin list for some reason. Mod Organizer 2 can get around this by allowing you to 'hide' and 'unhide' files themselves in the mod's 'Filetree' list, but Vortex has no native ability to do so. This requires Vortex users to either delete files which cannot be toggled off or manually copy each mod to its own respective mod entry in the 'Mods' tab. There are 70 Anniversary Upgrade mods alone, so this is both tedious and even confusing given it must be done by filename, which may not be intuitive. It is for this reason that following the steps in this section is (highly) recommended. The final option below will allow you to keep these mods unmanaged, if desired.
3.5.1 Option 1: Curation Club plugin (MO2 only) The Curation Club plugin will separate all Creation Club content into their own individual mods within MO2 automatically with a single click so that you can easily toggle them on or off, depending on preference. This option is for MO2 users only since it is a plugin specifically for that application. NOTE – This plugin requires MO2 version 2.5 or greater so will not work on version 2.4.4 or below.
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3.5.1.1 Install Curation Club for MO2 Skip to section 3.5.1.2 if the Curation Club plugin is already installed, otherwise, proceed with the steps below.
Download the latest version from the main mod page 'FILES' tab – ensure you click the 'MANUAL DOWNLOAD' link (this will not install with your Mod Manager).
NOTE – Ignore the message on the mod page stating the plugin does not work, I have tested this prior to posting instructions.
When completed, open this file from your web browser downloads folder (it is a .zip file).
Extract the contents of the file into the /plugins folder of your MO2 folder. For example, if you installed MO2 into ' C:\Modding\MO2', extract this to ' C:\Modding\MO2\plugins'.
If done correctly, you should now have a ' curationclub' folder inside of /plugins (example: ' C:\Modding\MO2\plugins\curationclub').
Close MO2 if it is open.
Re-open MO2.
Verify this is installed correctly by navigating to the 'Tools > Tool Plugins' menu of the main menu bar (you can also click the "puzzle" icon in the main icon bar). You should now see a 'Curation Club' entry (Skyrim SSE image shown, but Skyrim VR is the same).
You are done!
3.5.1.2 Run Curation Club
Open the Skyrim VR /Data folder.
Open the ' CC Content' folder inside.
MOVE all files in this folder back to the Skyrim VR /Data folder (cut and paste may be easier).
DELETE the ' CC Content' folder when finished.
Click the 'Curation Club' entry from the 'Tools > Tool Plugins' menu of the main menu bar (you can also click the "puzzle" icon in the main icon bar).
The following window should be shown:
NOTE – There are no manifest files for GOG so the 'Root Builder Support' option can be ignored altogether.
Click the 'OK' button. It may appear the program is frozen but give it a few seconds to complete.
You should now see individual entries in your mod list for all 4 free DLC mods as well all mods contained in the Anniversary Upgrade (if applicable).
These can be moved higher in your mod list in MO2 to organize them better with your other mods.
Optionally, you can organize these with separators. For example:
Creation Club Content - Free DLC
Creation Club - Fishing
Creation Club - Rare Curios
Creation Club - Saints & Seducers
Creation Club - Survival Mode
Creation Club Content - Anniversary Upgrade
All other CC mods
Enable any/all of these mods that you would like to use by clicking the checkbox to the left of the mod name in the mod list on the left side of the main MO2 window.
3.5.2 Option 2: AE Creation Club File Organizer This is a PowerShell script that I wrote which provides the exact same functionality as the Curation Club plugin, but does not require MO2 (which means Vortex users can also use it). It works on a file and folder level (rather than a mod level within your Mod Manager), so should never break as a result of future Mod Manager and/or Skyrim game updates.
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3.5.2.1 Download and install scripts
Download the latest version from the main mod page 'FILES' tab – ensure you click the 'MANUAL DOWNLOAD' link (this will not install with your Mod Manager).
NOTE – Ignore the Installation and Usage instructions on the page as we are covering those here.
Extract the files to your Skyrim VR /Data folder.
3.5.2.2 Open PowerShell and run the script In order to execute the script, we have to launch PowerShell a certain way to ensure we bypass the system's execution policy (otherwise the script will not run). This will affect the current instance only, so when PowerShell is closed, the current system policy will be reinforced again.
Open your Skyrim VR /Data folder (the scripts should already be in here).
Click on the address bar at the top. This will highlight the location (Skyrim SSE location shown as example, make sure you select your Skyrim VR folder).
With the folder highlighted, type ' powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass' to replace the text and hit enter.
This will open PowerShell directly in this folder.
Type the following and hit enter:
.\ae_creation_club_file_organizer.ps1
NOTE – you can simply type 'ae' and then press the 'TAB' key until the .ps1 file above is shown.
You will be prompted with this screen (again, the rest of these steps will show a Skyrim SSE folder, make sure you are in your Skyrim VR folder, the process is the same):
If you are OK to proceed, type 'Y' (or just hit 'Enter'). This will start processing the files.
If you are using Steam, and the Anniversary Upgrade manifest files are detected, you will be prompted with the following:
Enter your preferred selection from the list of options. This will determine your mod folder setup depending on the Mod Manager you are using. Once you enter your selection, the script will continue to process.
When finished, the script should show the following (your output may differ slightly depending on the number of files moved and/or manifest file selection):
Close PowerShell.
Open the Skyrim VR ' .\Data\CC Content' folder that was just created. You should now see a list of applicable folders for the mods detected by the script (see example image below):
Keep this folder open and move it aside for a moment.
3.5.2.3 Import mods into Mod Manager The next step is to import these folders into your Mod Manager. Follow only one of the two options based on your Mod Manager of choice (expand their respective 'Spoiler' tag).
3.5.2.3.1 Option 1: Vortex
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Open your mod staging folder by clicking the 'Open…' button in the main application taskbar, and select 'Open Mod Staging Folder'.
From the ' CC Content' folder we set aside in the previous section, COPY (or MOVE) ALL folders into the mod staging folder.
Note – Do NOT drag these files/folders into the "Drop File(s)" section of the Vortex application as this could modify our intentional file structure of the mods in a way that makes them unusable (this is the case when opting to manage the .manifest files). Additionally, dragging a folder into Vortex also automatically creates a .7z file which unnecessarily takes up space.
Close Vortex.
Re-open Vortex.
When opening, you will be prompted with the following message (example image below, your prompt may differ depending on the name of your mods):
Click the 'Apply Changes' button.
In the 'Mod Name' field of the mod list, type 'Creation Club'. This should filter your list to show the mods we just imported (they are all currently disabled).
Double-click the first entry in the list to open its properties panel and make the following updates.
IMPORTANT – If manifest files were found when running the script and you selected option 2 (Manage them with Vortex), you MUST change the 'Mod Type' in the properties list to 'Engine Injector'. This will ensure the mod is installed in your main Skyrim VR game folder, rather than the /Data folder, otherwise, these mods will not load properly.
Optionally change the 'Source' to 'User-Generated' (to get rid of the warning icon in the list).
Repeat this process of updating properties for ALL files you imported. Don't worry, although tedious, you only have to do this once. If you are not managing manifest files you can effectively skip the above step entirely as long as you don't mind seeing the warning icon.
Enable any/all of your preferred CC mods in Vortex.
If you were previously managing any Creation Club content with Vortex, disable and/or delete those mod(s) now since the process we performed will completely replace the old mod(s) (assuming they were included for processing with the script).
You can now delete the ' CC Content' folder from your Skyrim VR /Data folder. If you moved the files in the previous section, the folder should be empty. If you copied all files (rather than moving them), you can optionally keep this folder as a backup for all of your CC content.
Skip to section 3.6 when done.
3.5.2.3.2 Option 2: Mod Organizer 2
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From the folder dropdown icon at the top right of the mod list window within MO2 (next to the 'wrench' dropdown), select 'Open Mods folder'.
From the ' CC Content' folder we set aside in the previous section, COPY (or MOVE) ALL folders into the mods folder.
When finished, select MO2 to ensure it is the active window and hit the 'F5' button on your keyboard. This will refresh the application and display our new folders added at the bottom of the mod list on the left.
Feel free to move the mods higher in the list to better organize with your other mods. There shouldn't be any other mods conflicting if you did not have these files previously.
Optionally, you can organize these with separators. For example:
Creation Club Content - Free DLC
Creation Club - Fishing
Creation Club - Rare Curios
Creation Club - Saints & Seducers
Creation Club - Survival Mode
Creation Club Content - Anniversary Upgrade
All other CC mods
Enable any/all of your preferred CC mods by clicking the checkbox to the left of the mod name in the mod list on the left side of the main MO2 window.
If you were previously managing any Creation Club content with MO2, disable and/or delete those mod(s) now since the process we performed will completely replace the old mod(s) (assuming they were included for processing with the script).
You can now delete the ' CC Content' folder from your Skyrim VR /Data folder. If you moved the files in the previous section, the folder should be empty. If you copied all files (rather than moving them), you can optionally keep this folder as a backup for all of your CC content.
Skip to section 3.6 when done.
3.5.3 Option 3: Anniversary Edition Content Picker mod This mod provides an easy-to-use FOMOD installer with names and descriptions for each Creation Club mod, allowing you to easily decide which mod(s) you want to actually install and use. The only downside here is that you cannot simply enable and disable mods at will, you have to re-run the installer to select which content you'd like. This comes with a little bit less granularity than the above options, and also requires an additional 3.5GB of space (with all Anniversary Upgrade content) since a copy of the files also needs to remain in the.zip file/installer so that the reinstall can be re-run at another time. That said, if you have the space, the inline descriptions can be of huge benefit when selecting which content to enable.
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3.5.3.1 Prepare mod installation files This mod is special in that you need to unpack it, add files to it, then repack it before it can be installed. The steps below provide instructions for this process.
Download the latest version of 'Anniversary Edition Content Picker' from the main mod page 'FILES' tab – ensure you click the 'MANUAL DOWNLOAD' link (this will not install with your Mod Manager).
Extract the files to a temporary location (e.g., ' C:\temp').
MOVE the ' CC Content' folder from the steps above to this temporary folder. The folder should already contain its own ' CC Content' folder, so you are just adding your files to it.
Select all 3 folders within the temporary folder. These folders are:
CC Content
fomod
Images
With the folders selected, re-compress into a .zip file.
This can be done using a 3rd party tool (such as 7zip, Winrar, etc.) or by the 'Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder' option in the default Windows right-click context menu. Be sure to (re-)name the file ' Anniversary Edition Content Picker.zip'.
Move this folder aside for a moment.
3.5.3.2 Install the mod Follow only one of the two options based on your Mod Manager of choice (expand their respective 'Spoiler' tag).
3.5.3.2.1 Option 1: Vortex
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Drag the ' Anniversary Edition Content Picker.zip' file from the above temporary folder into the 'Drop File(s)' section of Vortex, which is found at the bottom of the 'Mods' tab. NOTE – This may take several minutes to fully import as the file size for this mod is quite large.
The FOMOD installer should automatically open when the file is done importing.
Proceed through the FOMOD installer and select all of the content you wish to use.
When completed, double-click the 'Anniversary Edition Content Picker.zip' entry in the list to open its properties panel.
Remove the '.zip' from the name and change the 'Source' to 'User-Generated' (to get rid of the warning icon).
Ensure the mod is enabled (Vortex should auto-enable this after installation).
You can now completely remove the temporary folder you created earlier (e.g., ' C:\temp').
NOTE – You can always reinstall this mod if your requirements change at any time by right-clicking the mod in the mod list, and selecting 'Reinstall' to re-run the FOMOD installer and re-select which CC content you wish to enable/disable, so your current selections are not permanent.
Skip to section 3.6 when done.
3.5.3.2.2 Option 2: Mod Organizer 2
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Drag the ' Anniversary Edition Content Picker.zip' file from the above temporary folder into the 'Downloads' tab on the right side of the main MO2 window. NOTE – This may take a minute to copy as the file size for this mod is quite large.
Double-click the file in the 'Downloads' tab in MO2 to install. The FOMOD installer should open.
Proceed through the FOMOD installer and select all of the content you wish to use.
When done, it may take a minute to extract/copy all of the selected mod files.
Enable the mod by clicking the checkbox to the left of the mod name in the mod list on the left side of the MO2 window.
You can now completely remove the temporary folder you created earlier (e.g., ' C:\temp').
NOTE – You can always reinstall this mod if your requirements change at any time by right-clicking the mod in the mod list, and selecting 'Reinstall Mod' to re-run the FOMOD installer and re-select which CC content you wish to enable/disable, so your current selections are not permanent.
Be sure you do NOT delete the ' Anniversary Edition Content Picker.zip' file from the 'Downloads' tab of the main MO2 window, otherwise you won't be able to perform the reinstall later.
Skip to section 3.6 when done.
3.5.4 Option 4: Do not manage with Mod Manager If you do not wish to manage these files with your Mod Manager (and keep them all enabled), follow the steps below. You can always choose to perform one of the other options above at a later time.
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Open the Skyrim VR /Data folder.
Open the ' CC Content' folder inside.
MOVE all files in this folder back to the Skyrim VR /Data folder (cut and paste may be easier).
DELETE the ' CC Content' folder when finished.
3.6 Installing Unofficial Patches The following patches are recommended due to the number of mods which also require them as masters, however, these require some consideration depending on the game version and/or CC content options you have chosen above. If you decide to install these, follow the steps below.
3.6.1 Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch (USSEP) Skip to section 3.6.2 if using a Wabbajack mod pack as the proper version should have already been included in your mod pack. For everyone else, see below for download links for your specific setup requirements.
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There are misconceptions with this mod and Skyrim VR specifically due to the lack of knowledge surrounding Survival Mode compatibility. Since the latest versions of USSEP require all 4 free AE creation Club DLC content, it is incorrectly assumed that because of this CC Survival Mode incompatibility, this version is off limits to VR users. While it is true there are some issues with CC Survival Mode and Skyrim VR, even when the mod is enabled in-game, these are not likely to cause a CTD. This means if the mod is never enabled via the in-game prompt (or permanently suppressed by a mod such as Survival Mode Prompt Removed), we can enjoy the benefits of having the mod enabled in our modlist (without actually enabling its functionality) so that other mods that depend on it, such as USSEP, can also work properly without having to perform any strange compatibility patching procedures, etc.. As long as updated game masters have been brought over to your Skyrim VR installation, the latest version of USSEP will work fine, and is recommended. There are other versions available for those that have slightly different setups or opted out of bringing masters over, which are also listed below.
If you prepared and installed updated game masters in the previous section above and have enabled all 4 of the free CC DLC mods (Survival Mode, Saints and Seducers, Rare Curios, and Fishing), download the latest version from the main mod page 'FILES' tab using the 'MOD MANAGER DOWNLOAD' button.
If you prepared and installed updated game masters in the previous section above and disabled at least one of the free CC DLC mods, you will want to download this version (4.2.5b) instead. This version covers fixes up to Skyrim SSE version 1.5.97, and none of the free DLC mods.
If you did NOT prepare and install updated master files in the previous section above, you will need to follow instructions to create a compatibility patch on this page. This process is inferior to our method of preparing updated masters but is the only option to carry 1.5.97 changes over to users without Skyrim SSE.
3.6.2 Unofficial Creation Club Patches Skip to section 3.7 if you did NOT prepare SSE and CC content earlier, if you do NOT own the Anniversary Upgrade, or are using a Wabbajack mod pack, as the proper version(s) should have already been included, if applicable. For everyone else, see below for download links for your specific setup requirements.
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This mod fixes many bugs with the Anniversary Upgrade Creation Club content, and has a few other mods which use it as masters. The issue is that as of version 7.8, this mod has converted to an all-in-one model (single plugin). If you have disabled ANY of the Anniversary Upgrade CC content, using the all-in-one version will result in missing master(s), and likely CTDs. To get around this, you will need to instead download version 7.7, which has a FOMOD installer allowing you to select individual plugins for each CC content mod, enabling fixes for only the mods you have installed. The downside to this is that version 7.7 will receive no further updates from the mod author.
If you did NOT disable any AE CC content (all mods enabled) – Download the latest version from the main mod page 'FILES' tab using the 'MOD MANAGER DOWNLOAD' button. Be sure to press any 'DOWNLOAD' buttons on the following page if the mod does not start downloading automatically.
If you DID disable some CC content, Download this version instead (7.7) – This version contains multiple plugins and a FOMOD installer to select which patches to apply.
3.7 Additional Mods The mods below are recommended but optional, and should all simply need to be downloaded via Mod Manager links and installed/activated unless otherwise noted. This is by no means an extensive list, but those listed are typically seen as 'essential' mods and/or bug fixes. Be sure to check the mod requirements before downloading and installing, and install their prerequisite(s) where applicable. Some of these may or may not be included with all Wabbajack packs.
Survival Mode Prompt Removed (Grab the 'Survival Mode - Disable Permanently' file from the 'FILES' tab) – Permanently disables the prompt in-game to enable CC Survival Mode. This allows you to keep CC Survival Mode in your modlist so that other mods with dependencies (such as latest versions of USSEP) can load properly.
Skyrim VR Tools – Providing OpenVR input information and control as a service to other Skyrim VR mods. Many VR-specific mods require this.
SkyUI VR – Elegant, PC-friendly interface mod with many advanced features, made for VR. Requires Skyrim VR Tools. There are other alternatives out there (such as Dear Diary VR) but SkyUI provides the most compatibility with other mods out of the box.
VRIK Player Avatar – VRIK will display the player character's body in SkyrimVR and animate it to match your movements. Also has additional features.
HIGGS Enhanced VR Interaction – Hand/weapon collision, weapon two-handing, realistic object grabbing, and gravity gloves-style mechanics for Skyrim VR.
Spell Wheel VR – Selection wheel mod for Skyrim VR. It allows you to select spells, weapons, shields, and more without going into a menu. Additionally has immersive wrist bars for Health/Magicka/Stamina and survival mods (warmth, hunger, thirst, etc.).
No Stagger Mod – This mod makes your character unstaggerable which is important in VR as staggering was very poorly handled in this version by Bethesda. Stagger in VR is annoying, confusing and in general makes melee playstyles worse.
VR Menu Mouse Fix – Enables mouse for SkyUI-VR. You can use your controllers to control the cursor like a smart tv remote. Requires Skyrim VR Tools.
VR Perk Extender – Vanilla VR Skyrim does not allow more than 18 perks in a single tree. Having more perks would cause an instant CTD. This mod extends the number of available perks to 72, enabling the use of many perk overhauls on the nexus.
Dwarven Ballista Missing Texture Fix – This fixes an USSEP issue which causes the Dwarven Ballistas from Dragonborn to appear gray and textureless. Can skip if USSEP 4.2.5b is not installed.
Poached Bugs VR – A collection of engine bug fixes and patches.
Dual Casting Fix VR – SKSE plugin that fixes a vanilla bug which causes the game to treat dual cast spells as if they were single cast. Requires Visual C++ Redistributable.
BethINI Pie – This is a tool, rather than a mod, that makes editing INI configuration files simple via a graphical user interface. In particular you can apply recommended "Tweaks" which can in some cases drastically improve game performance. SPECIAL NOTE – if using MO2, special action is required. You will need to add this as an executable in a similar fashion that we did in section 3.2.2.1.2 with SKSE, and launch it from within MO2 itself. This will ensure that even if the 'Use profile-specific Game INI Files' option is checked under your current profile, you are modifying the correct .ini file.
3.8 Download latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Unlike SSE, Engine Fixes VR does not require this (which we installed earlier), but since many other mods do, you may want to have the latest redistributable installed. This is a windows installer so is not something even a Wabbajack install can provide for you automatically.
At the time of writing this guide, the current redistributable is for 'Visual Studio 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022'.
Scroll down to the 'Latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Version' section, and follow the link for your specific version – This is likely the x64 build.
Download and install.
4 Run the game! After all of this prep work, you're finally ready to test launching the game from your Mod Manager. We will launch the game and verify SKSE is working.
4.1 Launch Skyrim Note that when using Mod Managers, you MUST launch the game via their respective SKSE loader location. This is how you will launch the game each and every time you wish to play (with mods). Follow only one of the two options based on your Mod Manager of choice (expand their respective 'Spoiler' tag).
4.1.1 Option 1: Vortex
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Open Vortex if it is not already open.
Deploy mods (if any changes have been made since the last time you performed this).
Launch the game via the 'play' button icon in the main Skyrim VR graphic at the top of the Vortex Application.
Skip to section 4.2 when done.
4.1.2 Option 2: Mod Organizer 2
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Open MO2 if it is not already open.
Select the SKSE executable you set up in previous steps (or that came with your Wabbajack installation) from the executables dropdown list. Example:
Click the 'Run' button.
4.2 Verify SKSE is running Once in the game, you will need to make sure SKSE is loaded properly. If it is not, you will need to revisit the steps above to ensure you are launching with the SKSE launcher, and additionally review steps in section 3.2.2.1.2 for MO2 users to ensure folders have been set up correctly for Root Builder. Note that you will need access to a keyboard as we will be using the console. Follow the steps below.
At the Skyrim VR main menu (or in-game if you've started or loaded a game), press the tilde ('~') key to open the console – This key is typically directly to the left of the '1' key, although this may be missing on custom/small form-factor keyboards and accessible only with a function key combination – See your specific keyboard documentation for more info).
With the console open, type 'getskseversion' (without quotes) and press <Enter>.
This should show the SKSE version number if you've done everything correctly up to this point.
NOTE - REMEMBER THIS VERSION OF SKSE! While this should be visible in your Mod Manager (under the 'Version' column), this is the version which may be referred to by other mods when noting their compatibility (example, "Compatible with SKSE 2.0.20"). You don't have to commit this to memory, just remember where to find it before grabbing additional mods which require SKSE to prevent crashes.
Exit the console by pressing the tilde ('~') key again, and quit Skyrim VR. If you are stuck in the opening carriage ride (and cannot open the main menu), you can either press the 'Steam menu' button on your left controller (default) and exit, or just open the console again and type 'qqq' (without quotes) and press <Enter> to exit the game.
Skyrim VR is now ready for modding!
5 Further reading See below for some last minute information and recommendations before proceeding with your modding setup.
5.1 Compatibility and troubleshooting I have created a separate guide on compatibility and troubleshooting which covers many topics to help you prevent, identify, and fix common problems. While I recommend reading this at some point to gain a better understanding of possible issues you may encounter through the course of your playthrough, the topics below cover more immediate compatibility notes specific to Skyrim VR.
5.1.1 Skyrim VR and survival mode mods As mentioned previously, CC Survival Mode is not fully compatible with Skyrim VR. Keeping it enabled and turning it on in-game won't cause any crashes, but many of the features simply won't work since Skyrim VR is running a (much) older version of the Skyrim game engine which does not have access to some functionality added in version 1.5 required to fully support the mod. Since these are engine-level features, they can not all simply be "fixed" with other mods. The misconception is that keeping Survival Mode enabled will cause CTDs (which is why many users omit this mod from their mod list entirely) but this is simply not the case. It is in-fact highly recommended that you keep the mod enabled (so you can use the latest version of USSEP), but just never enable it when prompted in-game. Below are the features that do NOT work with CC Survival Mode, along with comments as to whether other mods can correct and/or workaround these limitations for Skyrim VR.
HUD indicators – Things like temperature level, cold penalty (health), hunger penalty (stamina), and sleep penalty (magicka) HUD elements. Other survival mods can workaround this by implementing their own UI elements.
Inventory UI – Things like warmth values in item cards and the bottom bar, as well as any descriptions that only show up when Survival Mode is enabled. Other mods can technically workaround this by implementing their own custom warmth system(s), but the one introduced in later game engines is off limits.
Sleep to level up – Prevents leveling up until you sleep. Not fixable by standard mods, but may be possible with an SKSE or other .dll based plugin.
Arrow and lockpick weights – Allows these to have weight (normally 0.1). These can be set manually with other mods, but this native functionality when enabling CC Survival Mode does not work.
Toggling survival mode – This menu option also does not work in the game even if using a UI replacement that shows the option – it simply does not "stick". Other mods of course can have working toggles for their own survival systems.
Even mods which use the survival "spoof" (such as Sunhelm) suffer from these limitations. Sunhelm in particular can work around some of the limitations above (except for the sleep to level up feature), but is hindered by its inability to display values from the 'warmth' system since it uses the same system as CC Survival Mode. While the game/mod still acknowledges objects with this property (clothing, food, etc.), there will be no way to display it directly on the user interface, so the mod author has implemented a system for VR users that will display your warmth rating when armor is equipped and unequipped as a status message. Additionally, using the 'Continuance' power now also shows your total warmth rating. This makes the experience playing with a survival mod like this less than optimal. Conversely, a mod like Frostfall (which uses its own custom warmth and coverage systems) has no such issues, but this mod places survival at the forefront which may feel like a hindrance to some. These are just a couple of examples, so in general, you will want to review any survival and/or basic needs mods (and their requirements) to see specifically what VR compatibility is before installing them.
5.1.2 Skyrim VR and Wabbajack Skyrim VR only received ESL support via this mod on December 15, 2023. Prior to this, the hard plugin limit of 255 was enforced, and all Wabbajack packs released prior to this date were stuck with this limitation, forcing many mod pack authors to utilize some tricks to ensure their plugin count did not exceed this number. One such trick is through the creation of merged plugins and/or patches. For example, if you have 5 dialog overhaul mods, you could merge them into a single mod and save 4 plugin slots, etc.. While this is a completely valid method of reducing plugin count, where compatibility issues arise is when attempting to build upon this initial mod list by installing your own mods which require a mod as a master that has already been merged in your pack. As this mod no longer technically "exists" in your load order (it has been merged into a new mod with a new name), you cannot install those mods without some effort of restoring the original mod(s), making sure they don't conflict with other mods in the load order, removing those records from the merged plugin, etc.. Additionally, many Wabbajack packs are missing compatibility patches due to this plugin limit, and/or it is not clear whether they exist due to merging, etc.. All of this said, my personal recommendation would be to avoid any Wabbajack packs released without ESL support in mind as they are much more difficult to expand upon, and are much more likely to be missing compatibility patches.
5.2 Have fun! Lastly, be sure to have fun! Many people consider modding Skyrim a game in itself, and spend more time modding Skyrim than playing Skyrim. Just remember that many countless hours have been put into creating the mods you are downloading, so taking a second to ENDORSE those mods really goes a long way. You can do this easily within your Mod Manager with selected mods (via a 'thumbs up' icon in Vortex, or by right-clicking and selecting 'Endorse' in MO2).
5.3 Other Guides See my guides page on Nexus for other helpful Skyrim modding guides.
5.4 Changelog See below for changes made to this document.
Version 1.13.3 (04/27/2024)
Fixed section 3.5.1.2 subtext which affected Nexus article only
Version 1.10.6 (04/24/2024)
Removed one of the options to obtain updated SSE game files as the option to download these from the Steam console will cover that option as well
Added list of all options into each applicable section for soft copy version for easier navigation as there are no spoiler tags available for use
Rewrote Creation Club content sections to be more streamlined and included additional content picker options
Updated Vortex images
Other minor corrections and formatting changes
Version 1.9.3 (04/13/2024)
Updated all sections referencing CC Survival Mode to provide more accurate compatibility information and better recommendations
Updated USSEP section to reflect CC Survival Mode compatibility updates
Added (optional) section for removing Anniversary Upgrade source files
Other minor corrections and formatting changes
Version 1.6.5 (04/04/2024)
Update section 3.6.1.1 since xEdit script was removed from Nexus / the USSEP team
Slightly increased default font size for article readability
Other minor corrections and formatting changes
Added changelog
Version 1.3 (03/14/2024)
Updated Steam Console section for clarity
Version 1.2 (03/13/2024)
Minor corrections and formatting changes
Version 1.0 (03/10/2024)
Initial release
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