SkyUI - For the MCM to set up other mods. If you don't want the menus and just want the MCM, use
Hide SkyUI.
Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch - Fixes a ton of bugs with the game, many of which are gamebreaking. Required by many of the mods mentioned within this guide.
Kireina Skyrim SE - Human & Elf Facegen Overhaul - Subtle improvements to the human/elven faces without the need for an esp. Load just after USSEP in both left pane and right panes of MO2.
High Quality Tintmasks for Vanilla NPCs - What it says on the tin. When combined with the above, makes skyrim's npcs look much nicer while still retaining a vanilla feel. Load just after Kireina Skyrim SE in both the left and right panes of MO2.
Skyrim Supplemental Patch - As an LE mod, requires a port. Fixes many more issues with the landscape and placements of objects around the world. Load directly after USSEP and before Landscape and Water Fixes.
Skyrim Landscape and Water Fixes - Fixes various glitches with Skyrim's landscaping, navmeshes, and much more. I personally use the ESM version.
Landscape Fixes for Grass Mods - Even if you don't plan on using a grass mod, this gets rid of a lot of clipping and random objects that aren't even visible ingame, improving performance and visuals in many areas.
Cutting Room Floor (CRF) - Hard requirement and really should have been vanilla. Adds back previously cut content from the game, without feeling like a mod at all.
High Quality Tintmasks for Cutting Room Floor - Same concept as High Quality Tintmasks for Vanilla NPCs. Load directly after CRF in both the left and right panes of MO2.
Relationship Dialogue Overhaul (RDO) - Expands upon npc dialogue. Follow the load order instructions on the page. Grab the USSEP+CRF patch from the optional files.
High Quality Tintmasks for Various Mods - Grab the RDO patch. Load directly after RDO in MO2's left and right panes.
WARP - World Assets Recycle Project - Load after CRF and RDO, this re-purposes many vanilla actors that are barely used, and breathes more life into the game. Patches for other mods further down on this guide page are available. Patch for Skyrim Landscape and Water Fixes found on
WARP - World Assets Recycle Project - Patch Collection.
Hunters Not Bandits - Improves hunter/bandit dialogue. Grab the RDO version.
Guard Dialogue Overhaul (GDO) Kels Version - Now guard comments will make much more sense! Fixes many of the conditionals on vanilla comments, and keeps the annoying ones to a minimum.
Skyrim Particle Patch for ENB - Doesn't matter if you aren't using an ENB, the patch will work the same and the fixes are invaluable. Delete or hide the ESP that comes with it. Make sure you are downloading the SE version of the particle patch!
Enhanced Textures Detail (UV-tweaks) - Improves the UVs of lots of meshes, making textures look better as a result. Minimal performance impact.
Static Mesh Improvement Mod (SMIM) - Improves a ton of meshes all over the game, fixing seams, placements, and in general making things look nicer.
Skyrim Ultimate Eye Meshes Ruhmastered - Fixes eye meshes, includes the invisibility eye glitch fix and other changes.
Eyes AO Clipping Fix - Main file, and overwrite with the ruhmastered patch.
ENB Brow Fix - Fixes eyebrows, much like the ENB Particle Patch, this is perfectly fine to use even without an ENB.
Double Sided Vertex Human Mouth Fix - What it says on the tin.
Wiseman303's Flora Fixe - Revamped - Fixes non-respawning flora and the various flora meshes. Grab the SMIM patch and load directly after SMIM.
Unofficial Material Fix - This is essentially the USSEP, but for meshes. Load after SMIM. Includes patches for many other mesh mods, should you choose to use them.
CWtowerwall01.nif Fix - Alters a texture path on the offending mesh, which isn't touched by any other mods on this list.
Improved Redbelly Mine Mist Fix - Improves upon the fix already included in USSEP.
Smooth Sky Mesh - Greatly improves the sky mesh from vanilla.
SE Snow Shader Patch - Fixes material settings on several meshes, and works well with the following handful of mods.
No Snow Under The Roof - What it says on the tin.
No Snow Under The Roof - Hall of the Vigilant Fixes - Grab all the options from within the main file's FOMOD, as well as the static material fixes listed under optional files. Load after No Snow Under The Roof.
Cutting Room Floor - No Snow Under The Roof - Load after No Snow Under The Roof.
Better Dynamic Snow - NSUTR and SMIM patches, and Majestic Mountains replacer ESP provided from the installer. Makes snow-covered objects look like they have actual snow on them instead of the weird plastic thing often seen in vanilla. Consistency patch for CRF found on
Useless Patches Collection - Because Who Cares About Conflict Resolution & Consistency.
Make sure you disable BDS and all of its' patches before generating DynDOLOD.Better Dynamic Ash - Does the same thing as the above, but for ash. I recommend grabbing
Ashbound - Solstheim Enhanced to go along with it.
Windhelm Improvements - Really helps to hide the seams and general atrociousness that are Windhelm's meshes with a pretty layer of snow, making Windhelm look like less of a dump. Works with all texture mods and will use whatever snow mod you are currently using for the projected textures. Make sure to grab the improved snow shader from the installer as well. Load after Unofficial Material Fix and Better Dynamic Snow.
Blended Roads - Really Blended option is what I use, though it's up to preference.
Cleaner Bridges - No More Bridge Dirt - Removes the weird strip of dirt on the sides of bridges that often stands out and doesn't match with many landscape mods. Install the patches for SMIM and Blended roads, load after both.
Snowy Roads for Snowy Regions - What it says on the tin; matches the non-snowy roads to their surroundings. Load after CRF.
Point The Way - Places road signs in logical spots throughout skyrim.
Bring Out Your Dead (BOYD) - Adds burial sites for various npcs.
Provincial Courier Services - Gives the poor couriers a home, and allows you to choose how your mail is delivered
Siddgeir's Rare Gifts and Hearthfire BYOH Quest Compatibility - Fixes a bug where Rare Gifts could not be completed if the player started Hearthfires quest.
Rude Imperial Soldiers Escort Prisoner Fix - Fixes the Imperial soldiers escorting prisoners to not be so dickish to their fellow legionmates.
Windhelm Segregation - Stay at the New Gnisis Cornerclub - Lets dark elves stay at the cornerclub, something that really should have been in vanilla skyrim.
More Racism in Windhelm - Pairs up perfectly with the above mod, adding more depth to Windhelm and showing off the harshness of the city towards outsiders.
Grey Quarter Shop Displays Redone - Appropriately-themed shop displays for the Grey Quarter in Windhelm.
Dragon Stalking Fix - Fixes the bug where previously-killed dragons keep popping up.
Modern Brawl Bugs Fix - Fixes bugs with brawls, hard requirement.
Mannequins Stay Put - Keeps the mannequins from moving around.
Tavern AI Fix - Simple changes that make taverns less annoying to stay in.
Realistic Conversations - Alters the pauses between lines to be more natural.
Don't Talk With Your Mouth Full - Should have been vanilla, prevents npcs from eating/drinking while talking to you.
Bard Instrumentals Mostly - Sing Rarely - Lessens the frequency of bards singing in a compatible, non-obtrusive way.
Critters Ain't Snitches - Animal and Monster Crime Reporting Fix - Fixes the bs of animals being able to report crime.
Leanwolf's Better-Shaped Weapons - Alters and greatly improves the meshes of many weapons.
Unique Uniques - Makes some of the unique weapons have unique appearances.
Unique Zephyr - Gives Zephyr a unique appearance.
Unique Grimsever and Stormfang 2k Retexture - Gives these two weapons unique models.
Improved Closefaced Helmets (ICH) - Makes the helmets more believable.
Open Faced Guard Helmets - Load after ICH.
Rank & File and
Diverse Skyrim - Combined, these two mods add much-needed diversity among town guards and generic npcs. The above helmet mods let you see more of your npcs faces, these two mods will take advantage and compliment them perfectly. Requires a bashed patch for their leveled lists.
Book Covers Skyrim - And
Lost Library. Patch for CRF found on
Qwinn's Unified Automatic Self-Installing Patch Compendium (QUASIPC). Always keep the graphics of BCS and LL when making bashed patch.