Step Guide (PDF)

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LATEST CHANGES:

*Older changelog can be found at the end of the guide, full changes history can be found in the “Full Changelog.txt” file.

Hotfix v2.1.1b:

Guide changes: (Things related to the guide only) -Improved note about alternate mods for RCRN. -Improved Step-2L (about texture optimization) with more detailes. -Improved Step-5A5 (about performance improvements). -Added a note for “Necessary Map Markers” being included in “Map Overhaul”. -Tweak fDecalLifetime= from SkyrimPrefs.ini tweaks (Step-3B) moved to Skyrim.ini tweaks (Step-3A). -Fixed donation link not working. -Other minor guide fixes.

From v2.1.0c to v2.1.1:

Guide changes: (Things related to the guide only) -Removed the old Step-2, since the official “Hi-Res Textures DLC” installation was outdated, Beth fixed the esp files override problem in the latest patch. “Optimized Hi-Res DLC” moved to Step-2 (actual mod section). -Because of the previous change, the whole guide structure (number-letters) is changed, also added borders to better separate item in lists. -Fixed the missing link to “Popular mods not included” section in Step-2H. -Added a big link to the STEP Wiki page, recommending newbies to read the Skyrim installation and modding guide before following STEP. -Added a more detailed guide explaining SKSE installation. -Other minor guide fixes.

Mods changes: (Required for updating your game) -Added More Dynamic Shadows and Striping Fixed. -Added back Psychosteves Golden Gods Shrines. -Added Small Crosshair (iHUD compatible version!). -Added note to “Static Mesh Improvement Mod” preventing to overwrite some files from “Skyrim HD”, also changed installing order of it and its order related mods (you don’t need to do anything to update). -Removed Esbern Talk Fix for fixing a bug occurring in pirated game versions only.

-Removed Higher Poly Skyrim for being redundant.

-Removed Vandr Presents - HD Spider Nest for being redundant.

-Removed QD Inventory for causing a grave enhancing bug.

-Removed Shadow Striping Fix for being already included in More Dynamic Shadows and Striping Fixed.

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Latest STEP version 2.1.1b - for Skyrim version 1.5.26.0

Guide updated on 08 May 2012

DESCRIPTION:

You have a decent rig and want to get the BEST from Skyrim, don't you?

INTRODUCTION: STEP is an extensive, step-by-step and monthly updated guide to enhancing TESV Skyrim with the actual best mods, tweaks and settings; the focus is quality, no quantity. The guide is a template, nothing more. You can add mods recommended in Step-2 to your installation if you want. I try to stay as close to vanilla Skyrim as possible while improving visual quality as well as fixing gameplay mechanics. There is nothing written in stone that you have to follow. It is just a suggestion and a collaboration of work compiled together by one person with hundreds of people placing thoughts and suggestions into a good, general guide. You can use this guide as a template and then work around personal choices of your own, or stick with the basic recommendations for maximum stability / game balance. Also, don’t forget to actually PLAY the game! Don’t make my same mistake: I’m modding Skyrim since November 11, and I’ve never even completed the game once!

SCOPE:

What STEP is about: -Texture replacements, vanilla friendly and possibly scalable in quality and performance. -Graphical mods (esps, plugins) which also can add new stuff that doesn't interfare with the vanilla feel (lanterns near bridges, for example). -Gameplay mods that only enhance a vanilla aspect of Skyrim, bug-free and with minimal edits. -Interface mods which improve the menus/UI both in utility and graphics. -Sound mods which improve the game atmosphere. -Fix mods, like "Unofficial Skyrim Patch" or the "Shadow Striping Fix".

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What STEP is NOT about: -Content mods: new weapons, armors, spells, monsters, npcs, etc (aside from pure aesthetic mods which do not alter the vanilla feel, for example "Birds and Flocks").* -Gameplay content mods such as new plot lines, quests, races, factions, cities, dungeons, etc.** -Gameplay mods which add new game mechanincs/features, or that deeply change the vanilla gameworld/gameplay.*** -Texture mods which differ too much from the vanilla feel, even if they're very well done. -Music replacers. -Overhauls.**** *, **, ***,****: Those kind of mods will be included in specific “packs”, which will ensure that those mods have maximum compatibility with STEP as well as working in synergy with each other.

IMPORTANT NOTES: 1) I'm not a native speaker, therefore my English isn't perfect; deal with it :D. 2) This guide will be updated till the release of TES6, unless I have a fatal accident and die. I'm compulsively refreshing the new/tracked mods and the trusted tweak websites every hour, updating the guide accordingly (after thoroughly testing). I'll release updates less frequently and in bigger chunks so as not to force users to check the guide many time a day. "Art is never finished, only abandoned." - Leonardo da Vinci 3) These tweaks WORK, many tweak guides have the bad attitude of speculating and suggesting experimental or total pointless tweaks, leading only to placebo effect or even game issues. Tweaks listed here are totally tested, more tweaks will be added if more are confirmed working. 4) Check the comparison SCREENSHOTS! Better if you watch them in HD to enjoy the differences, download the screenshots from the Nexus STEP page. You can also see the FPS pre/after tweaks in the up-left corner of the screenshots.

PS: Screenshots have been taken with the LITE version of every mod offering a reduced resolution option. 5) Check the videos: For now, STEP v2.x only features an early Preview video, more to come. 6) If you want to support my Project, leave suggestions on the Forum or on Facebook page and join the

polls; feedback is what this guide needs to grow and keep updated. Also, if you want, you can make a small

Paypal Donation.

A note regarding YOUR (essential) suggestions:

I got access to the notices for new mods like the rest of you. Where you can add valuable input is:

-Testing the recommended mod (rather than basing recommendation on "it looks good in the pics" or "in principle").

-Testing long enough to make sure bugs have a chance to kick in, or not.

-Being specific as to WHY the mod is good... details help!

-Being specific about how the recommendation stays in line (or doesn't) with the original theme of Skyrim and, if it

doesn’t, explain why you still feel it’s worth it.

-Where possible, flag any compatibility issues though your own testing.

Otherwise, I'll burn myself out dealing with twenty recommendations a day, and doing all of my own QA.

In order to suggest a mod, visit the MOD SUGGESTIONS section in the STEP Forums.

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FULL GUIDE

To install STEP you need: -Original TESV Skyrim (necessary, English version recommended)

-Official Patch v1.5.26.0 (necessary)

-Official Hi-Res Textures DLC (recommended but not necessary, check Step-2B1)

-Fast internet connection (necessary for downloading mods)

-Tons of patience (strongly recommended)

I recommend installing the game from scratch before installing STEP, in order to avoid any issue.

What we are going to do (plus FPS HIT for every step):

*You can safely skip one of more steps if you want, but I recommend following the whole process. Step-1: Tweak the Skyrim Launcher graphics settings. Step-2: Install mods I recommend in specific lists, plus mod managing and BOSS guide. (FPS HIT variable, depends on the location you are at and the mods you pick, huge VRam impact) Step-3: Tweak the INIs for both visual quality and gameplay improvement. (FPS HIT ~1-3) Step-4: Force Supersampling AA, Anisotropic Filter, and SSAO. (FPS HIT variable, depends on the feature you enable, SSAO is the most demanding) Step-5: Fix common issues, plus other tweaks. (FPS gain!) Overall FPS HIT (for me): 5-20, depending on the place you are ingame, your system, your RESOLUTION, and the steps you took. My game runs between 45 and 60 fps. My Rig: Resolution: 1440x900 OS: Win7 Ultimate, 64bit CPU: Intel i7 Core 860, 2.80 ghz RAM: 4gb DDR3, 1600 mhz Video: GTX 560 TI, oc'd 900mhz, 1gb GDDR5 *I'm using the last nVIDIA beta drivers 301.24

NOTE FOR USERS WITH A LESS POWERFUL RIG:

Basically, skip Step-4 of the guide (video card features) and avoid large textures mods from Step-2B (or pick the performance, non-HD version if available), in order to get most of the enhancements with minor performance loss.

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Newbie to modding? Check here before proceeding:

Installing & Modding Guide

1

LAUNCHER OPTIONS

Before reading any further, I recommend checking Tweakguides.com’s Skyrim Tweaking Guide to better

understand what the following changes look like.

-Run the Skyrim Launcher and change your game graphics settings:

*Choose "Ultra" settings.

*Choose 4x “Antialiasing”, as the difference between 4x and 8x is very subtle and not worth the performance

loss (from Tweakguides).

*Set the “Anisotropic Filtering” to 16 for now, we’ll come back to this in Step-3B and Step-4A.

-Click the Advanced button:

*Make sure "FXAA" is UN-CHECKED. FXAA reduces Anisotropic Filter effect as well as overall texture details, it is a

cheap AA replacement. Unless you need to turn off the standard AA because your system is not powerful enough, in

that instance, FXAA is awesome and recommended.

*You should now decide if setting “Shadow Detail” to “High” or “Ultra”.

Here’s a screenshot comparison for shadow settings: HIGH: Better performance (much better on some systems), sharper shadow, much shorter shadow view distance (therefore much worse long-distance landscape eye-candy). ULTRA: Worse performance, more pixelated and less definite shadows, much greater shadow view distance (long-distance landscape will look pretty)

-From the “View Distance” tab: *Make sure “Object Detail Fade” is turned off. *Tweak the view distances: remember that some objects don’t really make any visual difference for visual quality from high distance, instead they have a huge negative effect on performance even for very fast rigs, for instance Item Fade is a performance killer, which I recommend to set to half bar (8). All the other settings can be maxed. -Click ok and exit. -Now run the game once to fully create both INIs for the next steps.

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2

RECOMMENDED MODS

Here I'm recommending mods that, after proper testing, I consider must-have. I won't list any mod which can result in game unbalance, glitches, or anything that is weird or cheaty. Mods selection criteria are specified in the STEP scope in the description on page 3. Also, this guide isn't meant to test mods, but to actually enjoy them. Therefore I will not recommend mods in early alpha or beta stage; once a mod is fully completed and virtually bug-free, and if it is worth it, it will be added.

Installation method:

I personally install mods by hand (aside few mods requiring necessarly the Nexus Mod Manager, which I’ve marked as NMM mods), this both to learn the Skyrim modding file structure and to more easily tweak them for my suggestions, this also reduces the possibility of errors. I use Nexus Mod Manager for tweaking load order and installing some mods that require it.

Nexus Mod Manager (NMM) Guide by TheStigma You can also use Mod Organizer, which has more functions than NMM and can more easily track mod updates. It can be used to install mods with absolute control over any single mod component, and allows to update mods preventing them to overwrite files from other mods installed later, and which must have the upper hand. If you manage to learn using it, use it, it makes life much easier (I don’t use it because I’m a masochist).

IMPORTANT: Don't forget to keep TRACKING (using the Nexus tracking function: Files -> Tracking

Center, or Mod Organizer) all these mods, in order to keep them updated!

Mods prefix/suffix:

" COMPILER’S ADVICE " suffix is a link to an in-depth procedure I recommend to follow for a particular mod (using or removing specific .dds files, addons etc), following it is highly recommended, even if it may seem an hassle. You can of course decide to simply install or skip a whole mod instead of following my advice. "Install with NMM" note means it is highly recommended to install the mod using the Nexus Mod Manager tool, because it can offer options you cannot spot if manually installing the files. "CORE" prefix means that I consider the mod a "must-have", so if you don't want to install everything, you can pick-up only the important ones. "CORE!" (with an exclamation mark) is basically an enhanced version of the prefix, meaning I consider the mod not only important, but essential. "FPS" prefix warns about major FPS intensive mods, so if you have a slower machine, you can avoid them or select a "reduced" version (which most of those mods feature in the optional files). "FPS!" (with an exclamation mark) is basically an enhanced version of the prefix, means the mod is really a performance killer. Green "FPS" means a performance friendly (aka reduced) version for that mod is also available, along with the hi-res version.

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Summary: A) Utilities B) Texture/Graphics C) Interface D) Sounds E) Tweaks F) Fixes G) Optional Packs H) BOSS I) Optimization

A) Mod utilities: *Not mods, but must-have programs required for running mods that need special scripting.

(CORE!!)SKSE - Skyrim Script Extender (NOTE: In order to install SKSE, follow this brief GUIDE)

IMPORTANT: In order to successfully load Skyrim with SKSE, you need to run the game from the skse_loader.exe file in the Skyrim folder, and NOT from the default exe or the launcher!

B) Textures/Graphics:

*These are textures and general graphics mods, environment, weather, etc, that will improve, NOT change the game's visuals. I've included a detailed explanation on which mod should override the other ones. The listing order also represents the installation order. IMPORTANT NOTE: Some mods will have a “Loose” and a ”BSA” version of the files. When there are both, make sure to always pick the “Loose” version.

B1) Main texture mods that will be overwritten by the majority of the mods installed after them:

1-(CORE!-FPS!)Hi-Res DLC Optimized (NOTE: Follow carefully the instruction in the mod Nexus page. Requires the Official Hi-Res Textures DLC)

2-(CORE!-FPS!)Skyrim Realistic Overhaul (NOTE: Also install every available update. Overwrites “Hi-Res DLC Optimized”)

3-(CORE!-FPS!)Skyrim HD - 2K Textures (NOTE: Download all the packages. Overwrites “Hi-Res DLC Optimized” and “Skyrim Realistic Overhaul”)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Most of the following mods should overwrite the previous 3 main textures mods; I’ve not reported such mods because whether they overwrite or not depends on different factors and can vary. Just don’t be afraid to overwrite files when prompted.

B2) Texture/graphics mods that MUST overwrite each other, in installing order:

1-(CORE!)Accingite Vos - HQ Shields (NOTE: From Data/textures/armor, DELETE the glass folder)

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1-Better Turn Animation Only One Pose (NOTE: Also install any available fix)

1-Clothing Fixes by Request (NOTE: This is an optional file from “Static Mesh Improvement Mod” page, download only it for now, we’ll come back to SMIM later)

1-(CORE-FPS)Crimson Tide - Blood (NOTE: I recommend the “Dark Blood” version. When installing use the loose files, not the BSA, you can delete it)

1-Detailed Guard Shields and Banners (NOTE: I recommend the “Worn” version)

1-Fhaarkas Softer Animal Fur

1-HD Misc

1-(FPS)High Quality Food and Ingredients

1-(CORE-FPS)Hybrids Hires Plants and Herbs Retexture

1-Razor Scales Armor and Cannibal Lord

1-Realistic Hair

1-(CORE-FPS!)Re-Defined Dungeons

1-(FPS!)Riften HQ Textures (NOTE: Pick the “Loose Files” version)

1-(CORE!-FPS!)Static Mesh Improvement Mod -Install with NMM- (NOTE: When installing with NMM, DO NOT overwrite 3 files in Data/textures/architectures/whiterun when asked! I recommend using vanilla barrel textures, and the rest as you like)

2-(CORE-FPS)2X Clothing Re-Mix (NOTE: I recommend “Kobayashis Mix” version. Overwrites “Clothing Fixes by Request”)

2-(CORE)AOF Believable Hair (NOTE: Don’t use Optional. Overwrites “Realistic Hair”)

2-(CORE-FPS)AOF Farmhouses COMPILER’S ADVICE (Overwrites “Static Mesh Improvement Mod”)

2-(CORE)Bellyaches Animal Pack -Install with NMM- (NOTE: I recommend “Bellyache's Choice”. Overwrites “Fhaarkas Softer Animal Fur” and “High Quality Food and Ingredients”)

2-Casual Bow Animations (NOTE: Option “A” is for females, “B” for males. Overwrites “Better Turn Animation”)

2-Daedric Armor and Weapon Improvement (NOTE: I recommend “Blood Lite” version. Overwrites “Accingite Vos”)

2-Dragon Glyphs HD (NOTE: I recommend picking the “Dragon Smooth” version. Overwrites “Re-Defined Dungeons”)

2-Enhanced Blood Textures (NOTE: Pick ONLY "Blurry Screen Blood" optional file, not the actual “Enhanced Blood” mod. Overwrites “Crimson Tide - Blood”)

2-HD Dragon Priest Masks & Main Logo (Overwrites “Razor Scales Armor and Cannibal Lord”)

2-HiRes Glass Armor and Weapons Retex (NOTE: I recommend “Ice Blue - highres” version. Overwrites "Accingite Vos”)

2-(FPS)Hvergelmirs Shield Retexture (NOTE: Use the non-BSA version. Overwrites "Accingite Vos”)

2-(CORE-FPS)Ruins Clutter Improvement HD (Overwrites “Re-Defined Dungeons”)

2-Silly Level of Detail - Wine Cellar (Overwrites "High Quality Food and Ingredients")

2-(CORE!-FPS!)Skyrim Flora Overhaul (NOTE: Also install “Snowy Pine Addon”. If you don't like the new grass, remove the Data/textures/landscape/grass folder. Overwrites “Hybrids Hires Plants and Herbs Retexture”)

2-(CORE!-FPS!)Skyrim Realistic Overhaul [YES, AGAIN, we’ll take only landscape files from it] (CLICK HERE)COMPILER’S ADVICE(CLICK HERE) (NOTE: Also install every update available. Overwrites “Riften HQ Textures”)

2-(FPS)Snow and Rocks HD (NOTE: Take the “Full” version, then install only dungeons folder into Data/textures. Overwrites "Re-Defined Dungeons”)

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2-(CORE)Tattered Banners (Overwrites “Detailed Guard Shields and Banners”)

2-(CORE!-FPS)Tobes Highres Textures (Overwrites “HD Misc”, “Static Mesh Improvement Mod” and “High Quality Food and Ingredients”)

2-(CORE!-FPS!)WATER - Water and Terrain Enhancement Redux -Install with NMM- (Overwrites “Static Mesh Improvement Mod”)

3-(FPS)101Bugs HD (Overwrites “Bellyaches Animal Pack”)

3-(FPS)Better Dwemer Ruins WIP (NOTE: Pick only “Dwemer and Falmer related Stuff only” version. Overwrites “Bellyaches Animal Pack”)

3-(FPS)Dead Hare or Hanging Rabbit Retexture (Overwrites “Tobes Highres Textures”)

3-(FPS)Enhanced Noble Furniture (Overwrites “Tobes Highres Textures”)

3-(CORE)Hvergelmirs Armor Retexture - HAR (Overwrites “2X Clothing Re-Mix”)

3-Psychosteves Golden Gods Shrines -Install with NMM- (Overwrites “Ruins Clutter Improvement HD”)

3-Soul Gems Differ -Install with NMM- (NOTE: Choose colors as you like. Overwrites “Ruins Clutter Improvement HD”)

3-(CORE!-FPS!)RCRN (NOTE: I recommend “Classic” or “Pure” version. Also I recommend trying my ADDON for RCRN, which is much more FPS friendly. Overwrites “Skyrim Realistic Overhaul”)

NOTE: Don’t like RCRN? Want to use an ENB/RL mod instead? Check OTHER LIGHTING MODS and remember to remove RCRN if you do so, the site also shows detailed screenshot comparisons.

3-Thats Ice -Install with NMM- (NOTE: Also install the Mesh pack. Overwrites “Skyrim Realistic Overhaul”)

3-(CORE!-FPS!)TreesHD Skyrim Variation COMPILER’S ADVICE (IMPORTANT: Don’t install Meshes folder! I recommend picking up also "Dark Version treepineforestbark03" addon. Overwrites “Skyrim Flora Overhaul” and Tobes Highres Textures)

3-(CORE- FPS)XCE - Xenius Character Enhancement (NOTE: Don't use Optional files. Overwrites "Bellyaches Animal Pack”)

4-(FPS)Alternate Sun Glare (Overwrites “RCRN”)

4-(FPS)Intricate Spider Webs (Overwrites “Better Dwemer Ruins”)

4-(FPS)Natural Eyes (Overwrites “XCE”)

4-(CORE-FPS)Skyrim Redesigned COMPILER’S ADVICE (Overwrites “High Quality Food and Ingredients”, “Tobes Highres Textures” and “TreesHD Skyrim Variation”)

B3) Texture/graphics mods not requiring particular installation order: Textures/meshes only:

Advanced Alloys Dwarven Bow and Quiver

Advanced Alloys Dwarven Greatsword (NOTE: I recommend the “Galvanized” version)

Advanced Alloys Reinforced Dwarven Sword (NOTE: I recommend the “Galvanized” version)

Amazing Ebony Armor Redone Fix

(CORE-FPS)AOF Detailed Mountains

Ash Pile Retex

(CORE)Bellyaches Fur and Quilted Saddles -Install with NMM-

Better Bedrolls

Better Bones

(FPS)Better Circlets HQ

Better Decapitation Gore Texture

Better Freckles

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(FPS)Burial Urn Retexture

Celtic and Braided Rugs (NOTE: Extract in Data/textures/clutter/common folder)

Deadly Serious Shrouded Armor

(CORE-FPS)Detailed Chests Texture Replacers (NOTE: I recommend “Rich-Dirty” version)

(FPS)Dramatic Clouds

Enchantment Effect Replacer (NOTE: I recommend “Combined” version)

(CORE!-FPS)Enhanced Distant Terrain

(CORE!)Enhanced Night Skyrim (NOTE: I recommend picking only the “Medium Stars” optional file, not the galaxy)

(CORE)Eyebrows Match Hair

Finer Dust

(CORE-FPS)HD Baskets Retex

HD Cinematic Fire Effects

HD Linens

HD Sacks Retexture (NOTE: I recommend version “A”)

(FPS)High Quality LODs (NOTE: Use ONLY Meshes)

(CORE)HiRes Legible Road Signs

(FPS)HQ College of Winterhold

HQ Milky Way Galaxy

(FPS)HQ Skyrim Map

Improved Foot Wraps for Females

Improved Torches Textures

Lockpicking Interface Retex (NOTE: I recommend the “Anti-Leather” version)

(CORE-FPS)Lush Grass

Makers Mark Ingots

Millenia Weapon Retexture Project

New Children

New Thinner Torch

Nightingale Prime – Leather Version OR Non-Leather Version (NOTE: The mod is hosted outside Nexus, let me know if it gets re-uploaded there)

(FPS)Nordic Ruins Objects Retexture

Not Really HD Display Case (NOTE: I recommend the “Smudged Glass” version)

Not Really HD Keys (NOTE: I recommend the “Normal Maps” version) Not Really HD Mask of Clavicus Vile (NOTE: I recommend the “Wrecked” version)

Pond Fish Retexture

Quality SnowFlakes

Real Effect Candle (NOTE: I recommend “Real” version)

Realistic Instruments

Realistic Paper (NOTE: I recommend “Darker” version)

(FPS!)Realistic Smoke and Embers

Remade Hi-Res Ancient Nord Armor

(FPS)Ruins Urn Retexture

Septim HD

Shield of Ysgramor (NOTE: Put in Data/textures folder)

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Silly Level of Detail - Potions and Poisons (NOTE: Install both “Poisons” and “Potions”, I recommend “Ceramic” style)

(FPS)Super Realistic Ore Textures

Sweet Mother HD

(FPS)Vandr Presents - HD Imperial Tower

(CORE)Vibrant Auroras

(CORE-FPS)Visible Windows -Install with NMM-

(FPS)Yuril Rings HQ (NOTE: I recommend “Gold Circle” version)

Visual plugins:

Animated Weapon Enchants

(CORE-FPS)Burn Freeze Shock Effects

(CORE-FPS)Deadly Spell Impacts (NOTE: Select “Default”. If NMM popups an update window say “no”)

(CORE)DYNAVISION

Every City Have Various Guard Oufits

(FPS)HD Rabbits Plus

IMAGINATOR (NOTE: This mod adds a spell ingame that allows to change visual settings, use only if needed)

Lanterns of Skyrim - Around Cities

Lanterns of Skyrim - Bridges

Moon Size Tweeks (NOTE: I recommend size x0.5 for both masser and secunda)

(CORE-FPS)More Dynamic Shadows and Striping Fixed

Perfect Legionnaire - Imperial Armor Reforged -Install with NMM- (NOTE: I recommend “Red” version for all)

Pilgrims Delight

Projectile Soul Trap with Visible Impact Effect

Warmer Magic Lights

C) Interface mods: *Mods that modify games menus, UI and interface settings.

1-(CORE!)Categorized Favorites Menu

2-Categorized Favorites Menu - Extreme Compatibility Config (Overwrites “Categorized Favorites Menu”)

1-(CORE)Immersive HUD -Install with NMM- (NOTE: Select the options you prefer; if you are the “hardcore” kind of gamer, you can disable some UI features like the immersion-breaking compass)

2-Small Crosshair (NOTE: Pick the “iHUD Compatible” version. Overwrites “Immersive HUD”)

(CORE-FPS)A Quality World Map (NOTE: I recommend the “All Roads” version, pick also the “Clear Map” addon)

(FPS)High Quality 3D Map (NOTE: Pick both “Hi-Res” Meshes and Normals. If you want to tweak even further your world map, check Map Overhaul instead of “High Quality 3D Map”)

Interface Hard Coded Key Tweaks (NOTE: Pick “Standard Tweaks” only)

KENMod Time on Loading Screen

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(CORE)Main Font Replacement (NOTE: I personally use “Fertigo Pro” font)

Main Menu Spinning Skyrim Emblem (NOTE: I recommend “Avarage” version. Overwrites “HD Dragon Priest Masks & Main Logo” from section A2)

Necessary Map Markers (NOTE: Included in Map Overhaul, if you use that mod don’t use “Necessary

Map Markers”)

No Menu and Loading Smoke

Skill Interface Retexture -Install with NMM-

(CORE!)SkyUI -Install with NMM- (NOTE: Requires SKSE)

D) Sound mods: *Mods that change various sounds within the game.

1-(CORE)Sounds of Skyrim - The Dungeons

2-(CORE)Sounds of Skyrim - The Wilds (Overwrites other SoS files)

3-(CORE)Sounds of Skyrim - Crash fix (Overwrites both SoS mods)

Activate Fail Noise Removal

Ambient Seagulls

(CORE)Better Horse Pain Sounds

FSS Better Bards (NOTE: DON'T use Optional)

(CORE)Immersive Skyrim Thunder

Improved Combat Sounds (NOTE: Also PICK the “ICS Possible Fix” addon!)

Realistic Weapon Swing Sounds

Smooth Blade Draw and Sheathe SFX

(CORE)Sounds of Nature - Fire

(CORE)Sounds of Nature - Water

E) Gameplay tweaks:

*Mods listed here are not “overhauls” and only slightly affect game balance, those mods are “vanilla-friendly”, intended to address specific flaws of the original gameplay, not to change it. For now, I do not want to add potentially unbalanced mods. Again, read the STEP scope section at page 3 for more details.

(CORE!)Ars Metallica - Smithing Enhancement

Auto Unequip Arrows

Back off Barbas

Better Quest Objectives

Bring Out Your Dead

Centered Third Person Camera (INI tweaks)

(CORE)Clams Drop Pearls

(CORE)Cowardly Horses (NOTE: Pick ONLY “Cowardly horses.esp”)

Dark Brotherhood Forever Moved to Misc

Death Cam Duration Options (NOTE: Pick the “60 Sec” version)

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(CORE)Increased Character Height (NOTE: Must-have mod if playing a tall character like nord, orc or high elf)

Instant Camera POV Switching (INI tweaks)

More Interactive Items

More Village Animals

Move it Dammit (NOTE: Pick the “Less Wait Time” version only)

No NPC Greetings (NOTE: I recommend picking the “Slightly Reduced Distance” version)

Non-Essential Killable Children

(CORE)Paarthurnax Choices Plus3

(CORE)People Have Torches

Proper 3rd Person Horse Camera (INI tweaks)

Realistic Crime Radius

(CORE)Realistic Ragdoll Death Force (NOTE: I recommend picking the “Reduced” version)

(CORE)Skyrim Coin Replacer

(CORE)Skyrim -Community- Uncapper (NOTE: Put the SKSE folder in Data. Requires SKSE)

(CORE)SM Drop Lit Torches

(CORE)Smart Souls (NOTE: Requires SKSE)

F) Fixes:

*Must-have fixes/tweaks mods. Consider them all as (CORE!).

Ancient Nord Armor 1st Person Fix

Arrow Pickup Fix (Overwrites “Daedric Armor and Weapon Improvement” from Step-2B2)

Bowlegged Jump Animation Fix

Fixed Mannequins - Mesh

Invincible Hawk Fix (NOTE: Download from Curse)

Linwe Armor First Person Fix

Trainer Gold Exploit Fix (NOTE: Put the Script folder in Data)

Unofficial Skyrim Patch (NOTE: Pick the “Loose Files” version, do NOT overwrite if prompted. This mod will include more of the above fix mods in the future)

G) Optional PACKS: *Special mods “packs” designed to work with STEP, each will add a different taste to the game, thus potentially resulting in game umbalance or savegame corruption. It is recommended to use them for a new game.

WARNING: Those mods can corrupt your savegame! Better if you start a new game with those mods installed, or make sure to backup your save if willing to use them in an existing save!

G1) Hardcore Pack LITE *This pack features a very basic set of mods adding not too complex RPG elements (like hunger, cold, camping, weights) and realism (speed, fauna AI and not-instant potions). This pack will likely make the game slightly more difficult, more fun, and even more balanced (insta-potions during menu pause isn’t balanced, is it?). This is the pack I personally play.

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Camping Lite

Cloaks of Skyrim (NOTE: Pick “Cloaks.esp” only, plus textures and meshes)

GM Potions Heal Over Time (NOTE: Pick “Rebalanced Weights” version)

Hypothermia

SkyTEST - Realistic Predators and Animals

Total Realism - Basic Needs (NOTE: Also pick the “WATER” compatibility addon)

Weighed Items (NOTE: Pick the “More Realistic” version)

NOTE: More PACKS will come in future STEP updates!

H) Popular mods not included (and why):

*Popular mods I've not listed in previous categories because I find they are (still) not bringing a real improvement to the game or because they are not compatible or are bugged, but that many users are requesting. Feel free to check and use them. IMPORTANT NOTE: I'm not advertising against those mods, I'm just explaining why I feel they don't bring an improvement to my mods setup. They may still be a great addition if used alone or for different tastes.

MODS NOT INCLUDED (NOTE: This list will grow as you keep asking for mods)

I) Using BOSS to easily sort esms/esps:

*Sorting and enabling plugins.

Download BOSS. Install it and run "BOSS.exe", it will automatically sort the plugins in Data. Run NMM and enable all the deactivated esps/esms. Repeat this step every time you update/add an esp/esm mod.

NOTE: Some plugins might not be recognized by BOSS and put at the very end of the load order (the BOSS report will show them), don’t worry, usually it is not an issue, you can always manually reorder them if you suspect that a particular esp can conflict with a previously loaded mod. NOTE regarding Wrye Bash: Before many of you ask, Wrye Bash is still not needed, the load order isn’t very big and the tweaks offered by Wrye Bash for Skyrim are still very few. When the modlist will grow I’ll add a comprehensive Bashed Patch guide to STEP which will be an essential part of the modding process.

L) Texture optimization: *Optimizing your mods dds files for better V-Ram usage & performance. IMPORTANT: Remember to BACKUP your Data/textures folder! The following program doesn’t have a

backup function, and if it messes something you cannot revert back and you are screwed.

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Download Optimizer Textures. Extract it where you want, then run OptTextures.exe. In the upper side of the window, browse to your Skyrim folder. (Optional) Now on the bottom side of the window enable the resize feature; I recommend

keeping the “If > 2048” option, you can use a lower value like “If > 1024” to save even more V-Ram if your video card is less than 1gb.

Press “Start”, and wait (it can take from few minutes to even hours, depending on your CPU power and setting chosen).

Repeat this step when you have installed a big amount of new mods, in order to optimize their .dds files.

NOTE: Alternatively, you can use the more complex DDSopt, HERE a guide to how to use it.

!!REMEMBER!!: In order to successfully load Skyrim with SKSE (the script extender plugin needed by some mods), you need to run the game from the skse_loader.exe file in the Skyrim folder, and NOT from the default exe or the launcher!

3 INI TWEAKS

These tweaks WORK, many tweak guides have the bad attitude of speculating and suggesting experimental or total pointless tweaks, leading only to placebo effect or even game problems. Tweaks listened here are totally tested, more tweaks will be added if more are confirmed be working. NOTE: If you want some advanced tweaks (that I do not recommend, even if having a really powerful rig, because they'll bring stability issues) like u-grid tweaks, max visible trees/grass/clouds distance, etc, check HERE and HERE (this has screenshots).

A) Skyrim INI Tweaks:

-Go to "Documents/My Games/Skyrim" or "My Documents/My Games/Skyrim " (depends on your Operating System) and make a backup of the files "Skyrim.ini" and "SkyrimPref.ini". -Open "Skyrim.ini" with a txt editor (make sure the file is not tagged as READ-ONLY) and add these lines: Add under [Display]:

fSunShadowUpdateTime=0 fSunUpdateThreshold=2.0

*This tweak fixes the shadow flickering issue. Shadow flickering is caused by updating sun shadows; when those shadows update, they move around causing visible flickering. This fix is making this update instant and takes care of any visible shadow flickering. Shadows from flowers, trees and characters will still have normal and dynamic shadows.

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Add under [Display]:

fDecalLifetime=750.0000

*This will make blood decals stay for more time before disappearing (tweak from “Enhanced Blood Textures” mod).

Add under [General]:

sIntroSequence=

*This will disable the annoying intro sequence. Add under [Combat]:

fMagnetismStrafeHeadingMult=0.0 fMagnetismLookingMult=0.0 f1PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7 f3PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7

*This will shift the point of aim to the center of the aiming reticle (with this setting you'll hit targets dead on where you aim at around 100 feet). -Save, exit.

NOTE: If one of these sections is not present in your INIs, add it at the end of the file.

B) SkyrimPrefs INI Tweaks:

-Open "SkyrimPrefs.ini" with a txt editor (make sure the file is not tagged as READ-ONLY) and adjust the following values to your preferences:

iBlurDeferredShadowMask= (change to 1 or 2)

*Lower values (0, 1 or 2) will sharpen shadows (not the resolution), making vegetation more "vibrant". It gives a subtle increase in performance, but also gives more "pixelated" and “striping” effects to shadows. Higher values (4, 5, etc) will make shadows softer and more blurred. I recommend changing this value to 1 or 2. WARNING: In most cases, when changing any options from the Skyrim Launcher, this tweak will revert to the default value "3". You will have to re-apply it.

iMaxAnisotropy= (change to 1)

*Improves Anisotropic Filter quality if you force AF from your Nvidia card, if you are not going to force AF from the video card (like explained in Step-4A), do not use this tweak, and leave it to 16!

bTreesReceiveShadows= (change to 1)

*Improves tree shadowing by enabling (fake but nice) shadows ON trees!

bDrawLandShadows= (keep 0!!!)

*This will add land shadowing, which means two things: more shadow striping bug, and less performance (2-3 FPS drop). Do not touch this, also if many guides recommend enabling it.

iShadowMapResolution= (change to 4096)

*If you set shadow quality on “High” in Step-1, this tweak will improve shadows resolution at a huge performance cost. Shadow quality on “Ultra” already set this on 4096, but has a much longer radius.

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iMaxDecalsPerFrame= (change to 350)

*This will improve the blood decals number per scene (tweak from “Enhanced Blood Textures” mod).

iWaterReflectHeight= (change to 1024) iWaterReflectWidth= (change to 1024)

*Those subtlety improve water reflections, this is the only custom tweak that have an actual effect on water quality.

bEnableFileSelection= (change to 1)

*If this is not present in your INI, just add it under [Launcher]. This will allow to select plugins from your Data folder (even if mod manager programs can do it instead), but most important it will prevent Skyrim Launcher un-checking all previously checked esps.

bMouseAcceleration= (change to 0)

*If this is not present in your INI, just add it under [Launcher]. This will finally disable mouse acceleration, which is stupid. -Save, exit.

4 VIDEO CARD SETTINGS

A) NVIDIA USERS:

*NVIDIA users, download and install the latest drivers (beta if available) HERE.

-Download Nvidia Inspector.

-Follow the steps explained HERE, there is also a Performance SSAO example which explain how to

get a subtle and very performance SSAO without glitches or flickering (I personally don’t use SSAO

since my PC isn’t very powerful).

IMPORTANT NOTES: -In NVIDIA Inspector, when you look for TESV: Skyrim in the profiles list, search for "Elder Scrolls: Skyrim", not "The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim", otherwise you won't find it. If you still cannot find it, update your NVIDIA drivers to the latest beta. -Make sure Transparency Multisampling is DISABLED! It will make khajiit and other creatures ingame semi-trasparent as well.

FEATURES DESCRIPTION (and FPS HIT):

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-Supersampling: 2x (FPS HIT ~2-4): SS 2x is very performance friendly, but if you want an even better SS, try 4x/8x SS or 4x/8x Sparse-Grid SS (both are BIG fps killers). WARNING: Sparse-Grid SS may cause semi-transparent NPC/player/mobs glitch! Turn it off if you experience this issue ingame. -Anisotropic Filter: 16x (FPS HIT ~1-2): Forcing AF 16x from your video card settings improves water rendering, even if the game already uses AF 16x. Be sure to set AF to 0 using the Skyrim Launcher when forcing it (or just check Step-3B for INI tweaking). -LOD Bias: -0.250 (FPS HIT ~1): This setting sharpens the textures. While the sharpen quality is far superior to any Post Process Injector, this is more resource demanding. The best configuration is using a modest PP Injector sharpen plus a subtle LOD Bias negative setting, like -0.250 or -0.500 (the bigger negative number, the stronger it is). The final result is not only a fairly sharpened image, but a much more detailed distant textures quality, without an excessive, crispy effect usually obtained with a high PP Injector's sharpen. -SSAO: Performance, Quality or High Quality (FPS HIT Performance: ~3-5. Quality: ~7-10. H.Quality: 10+): Use “Skyrim compatibility” for Quality and High Quality modes, and switch to "Call of Duty 6 - Modern Warfare 2 compatibility” only for Performance mode, check the Performance SSAO image for more info.

BIG WARNING: SSAO in "Quality" and, even worse, in "High Quality" mode have a HUGE impact on performance!

!!IMPORTANT!!: Some Nvidia cards (like my GTX 560 Ti) stopped to render SSAO

outdoors in Skyrim after the official 1.5.24 patch, the problem hasn’t been solved so far, but NVIDIA is aware of it. For now, you can temporarly switch to Oblivion or Fallout 3 compatibilitiy to have back the SSAO outdoors.

B) ATI USERS:

*ATI users, download and install the latest drivers (beta if available) HERE. -Open your Catalyst Control Center: *If you have the ATI Catalyst Software installed, go to your desktop, right click on the background and select "Catalyst Control Center". Find the 'Gaming' section on the left then select '3D Application Settings'. -Change only these options (guides assumes all settings are at default):

Catalyst A.I.:

Texture Filtering to 'High Quality' Enable Surface Format Optimization: enabled -These are the only settings I know, for now.

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5 HINTS & COMMON ISSUES

A) TECHNICAL HINTS: A1) Fix game launch crash after installing S.T.E.P.: -Again, if you are experiencing crashes, please set the Skyrim executable (TESV.exe) to run as administrator. (Right click TESV.exe > Properties > Compatibility > Check "Run this program as administrator.") Also, if you are using RCRN or any other FXAA Injector / ENB Series mod, turn off any on-screen display programs and monitoring tools such as Fraps, ATI Tray Tools, MSI Afterburner, GPU-Z, etc. Make sure you have the latest DirectX runtime installed. A2) Defrag your Hard Drive with a proper defrag tool: -This is an ESSENTIAL step to take: check on Google a freeware (or if you can afford, payware) defrag tool, I recommend "Smart Defrag" by IOBit. Windows defrag utility sucks. Defrag your system in order to gain some performance and prevent game freezes/crashes. Defrag is NOT recommended for people using SSD, defragging an SSD may severely affects its lifetime. A3) Fix ATI semi-invisible people and messed walls: -Set ATI Antialiasing setting on multi-sample, do not set it on "adaptive". Also, remember to download latest ATI drivers. A4) How to switch to windowed mode (mainly for ATI): -If having stuttering problems or CTD in fullscreen mode, and want to switch to a "fullscreen" windowed mode, download Simple Borderless Window and follow the guide. IMPORTANT NOTE: The "Simple Borderless Window" launcher (SBW.exe) DOES launch SKSE, just start the game through SBW.exe. A5) How to increase performance: -If you followed the whole guide, you like the enhanced graphics, but your game is unplayable because of low performance, try disabling SSAO or Supersampling AA (or both) from Step-4 of the guide. This will considerably improve performance at the cost of a minor visual quality loss. -If you have V-Ram problems (stuttering) check again Step-2L, you can reduce all the textures to 1024 with the texture optimizer utility, this will improve performance saving video memory. -You can also reduce the “View Distance” settings from the game launcher, check again Step-1 for more info. A6) How to fix black circles, z-fighting and texture shimmering: -Check HERE.

B) IN-GAME HINTS:

B1) Fix the crappy console Field of View (FOV): -Press "`" (or "\", depending on your keyboard localization) key ingame to open the ingame console (it's usually right under or in the general vicinity of the Esc key), type FOV #, hit enter. Use a number from 66-100 in place of # depending on what looks the best for you (vanilla is 65 for me). I personally set FOV to 72 because I like it a bit wider than vanilla, and my resolution is just 1440x900.

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This change will be permanent in your saved game, other INI FOV tweaks don't require opening the console, but usually corrupt the game, this one is safe. Also note that high FOV can cause a huge performance drop for some configurations. B2) Fix ingame stuck downgraded skill: -When a skill appears in red and it's much lower than it is supposed to be (and you got no negative magical effect active), then you have encountered a game glitch. This is how to fix it: Once ingame, open console with the ~ or \ key. Type: player.modav marksman 1 (enter) (replace "marksman" with the bugged skill). Reopen the console. Type player.modav marksman -1 (enter) Your skill should be now fixed. B3) Fix the 1-5 frame drop (slow motion bug) when changing istance. -If your game, after changing cell, is suddenly stuck to 1-5 FPS like in slow motion, just press ALT+TAB to return to Windows, then click on the Skyrim tab on your bottom task-bar, press again ALT+TAB until you select Skyrim again. The game should resume and the bug should be disappeared.

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SPECIAL CREDITS

Bethesda Softworks - For this awesome game.

All the modders - For the mods recommended in Step-2.

The whole Nexus community - for supporting those modders.

My little STEP community - For delivering suggestions and supporting me in all possible ways.

Special thanks to Swyfter for helping with English grammar / proofreading the guide, testing mods and

reporting back with absolute scientific rigor.

Guide logos made by KiraKatRou and MontyMM.

Many more credits to come, please let me know if I forgot you!

TheCompiler (Daniel)

OLD CHANGES

*Full changes history can be found in the “Full Changelog.txt” file.

Hotfix v2.1.0c: -Added back Sounds of Skyrim - Crash fix, the swordslash sound bug it causes can be fixed (see next). -Added the “ICS Possible Fix” optional addon for Improved Combat Sounds, which fixes the previous bug. -Removed Detailed Cities, since has been reported to cause CTD with Skyrim 1.5 patch. -Fixed “Skyrim Redesigned” misleading note, there is no patch for that mod. -Other minor notes and grammar fixes.

Hotfix v2.1.0b:

-Added page numbers (finally!), and fixed some wrong page number references. -Added few missing mod notes and tags. -Added a link to the mod suggestions section in the STEP Forums.

-Added a note about how to temporary fix the missing SSAO in exteriors in Step-5A. -Fixed STEP WIKI wrong links. -Removed outdated STEP videos and added new ones. -Removed Sounds of Skyrim - Crash fix that was causing a slash sound script bug (UPDATE: Reinstall the other two Sound of Skyrim mods and run BOSS). -Removed Psychosteves Golden Gods Shrines, shrines HD texture are now included in the new version of “Ruins Clutter Improvement HD”. -Removed Leathers Weight Fix since no more present on Nexus. -Removed All in 1 Spell Fixes since included in “Unofficial Skyrim Patch” and no more present on Nexus and. -Swapped Esbern Quest Fix Tutorial with Esbern Talk Fix. -Other minor fixes.

From v2.0.1a to v2.1.0: *Not a detailed changelog since there’s too much to list!

-Major guide update, requires full reinstallation of Skyrim. -Expanded STEP description and added mod selection guidelines. -Slightly reorganized guide structure. -Step-2 adapted to the “HD Texture DLC Optimized” addon. -Added a lot of new mods, removed unnecessary mods. Improved mod selection. -Added the first optional “Pack” in Step-3F, focused on some lite “rpg needs” and realism mods. -Added back “non-included mods and why” section as external link. -Added two new important hints in Step-6. -Added new INI tweaks and remove some unnecessary. -Added STEP forum link and new logo by MontyMM.

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-Other minor guide improvements.