This is a modlist which is based on 11 years of mostlygraphics modding, and finding the collection of mods to get the most realistic feel and graphics. What is unique is that I always created not only a written tutorial version, but also supported everything by video tutorial explanations.This time however for the first time in all these years after so many requests,I can say we finally have a Wabbajack auto installer and the guide is mostly focused on it ! :)

Wabbajack auto-installer? What is that?

Wabbajack is a tool that lets you install automated pregenerated big mod lists.

Normally before Wabbajack the manual installs always took ahuge amount of time since people had to download every individual mod, and Ihad to explain how to do the full guide install mod by mod.

This Wabbajack list is an auto installer for more or less 98% of the entire modlist we are going to use, so this means the install/modding effort has been drastically reduced compared with the previous tutorials! After the Wabbajack only a few manual steps have to be done which can be done in 5-10 mins.

But can I still add/remove/edit mods afterwards like I could before?

I would like to point out that Wabbajack is not just a dumb tool which can only download a 1:1 mod package, Wabbajack does literally everything including downloading Mod Organiser 2 and installing everything for you!  So my Wabbajack modlist will download Mod Organiser 2 Portable, and will literally install all the mods from this list so you dont have to anymore!

This means that after the Wabbajack auto-installer is complete, feel free to install any mod on top, or change anything you want like you would normally do in Mod Organiser 2!

Will there be a manual tutorial for MO2 users?

I can understand this question, EVEN after I explained itjust in the section above :)    So I will explain it happilly again: my Wabbajack modlist will literally download Mod Organiser 2 Portable, and will literally also install all the mods from thislist so you dont have to anymore. So again, you will end up with a fully set up Mod Organiser 2 with all the mods to change/add/edit anything you like.   Originally I planned to do a manual videoseries, but to be honest I see no reason for this anymore.

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How to install + requirements

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Watch these instruction videos, they will provide you with all the required info from below!

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Requirements:

A clean up to date English version of Skyrim: Anniversary edition , or  Skyrim Special Edition upgraded to v 1.6.x.x.   This Wabbajack modlist has been compiled for Skyrim:AE , but should work without the AE Creation Club content for Skyrim: SE 1.6.x.x just as well.

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‍Regarding the Skyrim: Anniversary Edition paid upgrade: The Skyrim: Anniversary Edition paid upgrade is pretty much just Skyrim Special Edition 1.6.x.x, but with some extra Creation Club stuff. All the exact extra content that is included in the Anniversary Edition can be found here. I didn't care much for this extra AE content, but for just 10 Eur I guess it was oke to get all this extra content and have the latest and most ''ultimate'' version. (Whatever that still means after all these re-releases.) But what is most important is this new framework and the improvements by Bethesda which is a good thing in the end.  But again, the most important thing for this tutorial: Make sure your Skyrim Special Edition is v 1.6.x.x! !!

‍Please note: If you require your Skyrim:SE to be on the downgrade patcher level (1.5.x.x) for some specific gameplay mods, then you can not use this Wabbajack auto-installer!!!!

‍A Nexusmods account.Nexus Premium is not necessary, but definitely recommended a lot since you don't need to confirm everything 1 by 1, and have unlimited download speed. Also you can get premium for just a month only if you want to use it just for this Wabbajack/tutorial.

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‍Minium specs:
CPU:  Recent(ish) i5 with decent clockspeed

RAM: 16GBGPU:  GTX 1080 ti  (RTX 2080 or higher recommended!!!! Or something similar from AMD.  Note that in general (older) AMD hardware has a harder time running ENB's and other mods than Intel/Nvidia does. Modern AMD hardware should be more than fine.

HDD/SSD: +-120GB   (SSD recommended)

So yes, you do read this correctly! for guaranteed 60+ FPS with all these mods/ENB/ and 4k textures at least a GTX 1080ti is Recommended! And this is for 1080p/1440p.  For 4k I would even recommended a RTX 2080 or better! I want to point this out on forehand to prevent disappointing framedrops on older hardware.  Indoor locations are usually smooth as butter, but outdoor areas with a lot of vegetation like Riften and Falkreath are very performance heavy with this mod list.

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Preparation

Make sure your Skyrim: AE is clean before you start!  (If this is your first time modding, you can skip this.)

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Steps to uninstall properly:

Get rid of your current mod manager

Make sure to first uninstall all mods from your mod manageryou are using. (Nexus, Vortex, or Mod Organizer).

In case of Mod Organizer(2)the other data you want to have removed might be located in:

X*:\Users\*yourUser*\AppData\Local\ModOrganizer  

Where X is your Windows drive, (usually C) and *your User* is your windows useraccount.  I

n my case: C:\Users\Renzo\AppData\Local\ModOrganizer

Get a clean version of your Skyrim:AE

Go to your Steam, right-click Skyrim:SE/AE and select uninstall.  Delete the remaining stuff inyour \Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition folder. (Save thescreenshots if you created some ;) )

Clean ini files

Go to your X:\Users\*your user*\Documents\My Games\SkyrimSpecial Edition , and delete everything there. If you do NOT have the Steam version, just to be sure to make a back-upof your save game folder.  If you havethe Steam version Steam should automatically create a backup of your save gamesin the cloud. ​

Installing Skyrim: AE clean

Then once you have a clean sheet and no trace of an oldmodded Skyrim AE, you can now safely install Skyrim AE again from Steam. Please do not install it in X:\Program Files (x86) or any C:\Windows folder!Start the launcher, and set everything to max settings in the launcher.Start the game atleast once to create required .ini config files.  If you have used mods before this tutorial,you most likely have a modded save game as well. If so, then preferably start anew game to be sure you wont get any compatibility issues.  Use that new empty save game to test yourmods until the end of the tutorial to be 100% sure you can easily troubleshootif something might go wrong.   (At theend of the tutorial feel free to load your old savegames of course.)

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‍Installing the Wabbajack list

Experienced modders, just follow the steps below. New modders, lazy people, and everyone else, just watch the video at the start of the tutorial. Its easier! ​

Installing Wabbajack

Download the Wabbajack setup file here.

Download the Wabbajack list from the files section on this mod page. (Download link in a new tab here)

Create a new folder somewhere, where you will download and save the Wabbajack.exe.

Please note: Don't create the folder in the Skyrim AE game folder,   Program files (x86),  C:\Program Files, C:\Users or C:\Windows.Create a shortcut to this folder on your desktop, and create a shortcut to yourSkyrim AE game folder as well for quick access. (So your game folder is the   \Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim AnniversaryEdition folder. )

Then run the downloaded Wabbajack.exe.

Locate Skyrim Anniversary edition on the gallery and when ready to install the Wabbajack, click on the big 'install from disk'' button to download the modlist file. In Installation Location select an empty folder that is NOT under C:\Program Files, C:\Users, or C:\Windows.

Do not install this list in your Steam folder, Skyrim AE, ora folder that contains Wabbajack.exe.

The downloads location will auto filled in. This can bechanged if preferred, then click the button with the Play Arrow to begin the process.

Accept the Nexusmods API request if asked, after that Wabbajack will now automatically download and install every necessary mod.

If you don't have Nexus Premium, you'll have to manually click download with mod manager for all the mods, but Wabbajack will still install them. When Wabbajack completes you will see either a green Installation Complete screen or a red Installation Failed screen. If successful, proceed with the manual steps after Wabbajack section, if it fails then don't worry andplease note the following below:  

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If your Wabbajack install fails:

It for sure is possible and even normal sometimes that the Wabbajack install fails a couple of times which can be a bit frustrating. This can happen for example because a certain mod link times out or is temporarily not available to connect. But don't worry, everything is cached so you don'thave to start all over again with indexing/compiling if Wabbajack fails.Usually the issue is fixed by just restarting Wabbajack, and run the installeragain.  Good tip is to go to the settings menu, (its the little gear icon in the upper right corner next to the versionnr) and check the box: Use network workaround (slow) .  This is more reliable and helps for a lot of people.    If you are still experiencing errors when installing, click the logout button for Nexus Mods in the settings menu, wait 5 seconds, and log back in. The last thing you can try is a PC reboot and then try the above stepsagain.

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Once finally successful, you should see a complete screenlike this:

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DONT START THE GAME YET, IT WILL CRASH WITHOUT THE NEXT STEPS AND MANUAL MODS! SO MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW THE BELOW SECTION FIRST!!!!!!!​

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‍Manual steps after Wabbajack

Experienced modders, just follow the steps below. Newmodders, lazy people, and everyone else, just watch the video. Its easier!

Manual steps:

Okay, 98% of all the mods are now being installed, but we still need to install some mods manually which are not in our Wabbajack list.

Don't worry however,this will not take longer than 5 -10 minutes max.

Open the following :

1: Your Skyrim AE main game folder located at \Steam\steamapps\common\SkyrimAnniversary Edition folder

2: The MO2 program in the installed files from theWabbajack, called ModOrganizer.exe

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1: Installing Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE).

Download SKSE from here,    (Select AE edition! 1.6.x.x.) , and install it like you normally wouldinstall SKSE.  (Watch the video if you don't know how)

2: ENB files and SSE Engine Fixes

Download the following mods, and copy the files to your maingame folder:

- Download the ENB binaries here, then open the archive andcopy and paste d3d11.dll and d3dcompiler_46e.dll to your main game folder.

- Download The Perfect VisualTeacher Approved ENB Cocktail here. Also here copy the files from the archive to your main game folder.

- Download from this mod SSE Engine Fixes the file (Part 2)Engine Fixes - skse64 Preloader and TBB Lib here. After that copy and paste the files from this mod to the Skyrim AE main game folder.

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3: Skyrim 2021 Patch Wabbajack modlist

- Skyrim 2021 Patch - Download the mod, add and activate itin MO2 and drag it in between the mods: Rally's Riekling Outposts and JSLockpicking UI SE.  Like this:

Mirror - (valid till 13/aug/2022)

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Plugins Sorting:

‍The last step then is to sort these plugins. Go to MO2, go to the plugins tab, and click 'sort'.  Press yes and let MO2 do its work. (see below)I know the plugins sorting isn't perfect in MO2, but it suits for now.

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Plugins Sorting:

‍The last step then is to sort these plugins. Go to MO2, go to the plugins tab, and click 'sort'.  Press yes and let MO2 do its work. (see below)I know the plugins sorting isn't perfect in MO2, but it suits for now.

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Once done, I usually always reboot my PC just to be sure to have cleaned everything from my Windows tasks and RAMThats it!​

Oke, that should be it regarding Wabbajack and the post steps!  Good practice now is to make sure to disable Steam overlay, and make sure you put the Skyrim AE auto-update on hold. The reason for this is that SKSE and some other mods will stop working, and need to be updated again, and that can take days. Yikes! So, make sure to disable updates in Steam. Do that by going to Steam, rightclick Skyrim:Special Edition , select properties, updates, and select only update this game when I launch it.  We will launch game only with SKSE from MO2, Steam does not see that as a 'game launch' since Skyrim.exe or Skyrim laucher.exe are not being launched. While this should work fine, please also check out this extra method to make sure your game can not be updated anymore.Setting ''only update this game when I launch it'' in Steam:

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To launch the game from now, make sure to only start the game after this with the SKSE64_loader in MO2!

You can create a shortcut to desktop as well. its the icon at the right side. (See second screenshot above from the plugin sorting)

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For the most recent updates, screenshots, and videos, check this page!

For my Youtube channel, go here.

For questions and much more, join our Discord here.​

Liked the content? Please consider a donation. :)  All the tutorials, Website, video content, Discord, and the rest is pretty much a full time job for me x2.     But I will NEVER put my content behind a paywall like some other modders do!!!

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FAQ

Q: Will this work with Skyrim Special Edition instead of only Anniversary Edition?

A: Note that Skyrim Special Edition upgraded to 1.6.x.x. isconsidered as Anniversary Edition already. The *real* purchased AnniversaryEdition only contains extra Creation Club content and some minor other things.A full overview of the extra content that is included in the AnniversaryEdition can be found here.  

Q: Can I run other (gameplay) mods with this mod list?  

A: Yes, install on top of this graphics modlist in MO2, andmake sure they are compatible with the AE framework. (1.6.x.x)  

Q: How are LOD's being handled? Are we not using Dyndo LOD or SSELODGEN?

A: All the LODS are downloaded and generated already duringthe Wabbjack  So running SSELodgen orDynDOLOD is not needed per se.

Q: Can I run this with CPU xx and GPU xx?  

A: Check the system requirements section at the start ofthis page.

Q: I don't like the realistic camera shaking and the adjustedcombat.  

A: In Mo2, just uncheck the mod: Combat Gameplay Overhaul SE at the end of the installed mod order

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