Skyui Skse64 installation guide

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Revision as of 05:41, 6 December 2022 by Wolfpack49 (talk | contribs) (Step Four: Launching Skyrim with SKSE64 and SkyUI)
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Overview

A guided set of steps for installing SKSE64 and SkyUI, as well as instructions for launching the game with SKSE64.

Before You Start

There are a few things you need to know before you do anything, especially if you are new to modding:

  1. There is no direct dependency between SkyUI and the game version itself, only on a correctly installed working version of SKSE64. This means that SkyUI is compatible with ALL versions of the game, as long as the appropriate version of SKSE64 is installed correctly. 99% of problems with SkyUI are due to an incorrect SKSE64 installation, not SkyUI itself. If you are new to modding, please visit Gopher’s introduction to SKSE64 on YouTube.
  2. Understand now that once you have completed the following installation steps, you will change how you launch the game forever. Steam users will no longer use the Skyrim SE page to launch the game, and instead use the SKSE64 launcher. You will get errors, and SkyUI will not work if you insist on using the Steam launcher. More information on how to launch the game with SKSE64 and SkyUI in STEP FOUR below.
  3. There is a lot of confusion and misinformation about “SE” vs “AE” with the release of the “Anniversary Edition” of Skyrim SE (v1.6.x of the game). You will now need to be careful which version of the game you have installed, as well as which vesions of SKSE64 and SKSE64 plugins you must download and install. Since Steam can update the game in the background, don’t assume you know which version of Skyrim you have installed. More in STEP ONE below.
  4. It is highly recommended you STOP using the in-game (Bethesda) mod menu as it will DISABLE SkyUI anytime it is opened in game. If you insist on continuing to use it, you MUST install the SkyUI 5.2 SE Plugin with Master Added if you want to have SkyUI continue to work reliably. This is detailed in STEP THREE below.
  5. It is highly recommended you STOP installing mods manually to the /Data directory as it is more error prone in general. Installing manually is not supported in these instructions.
  6. It is highly recommended you START using a modern mod manager like Vortex or Mod Organizer 2 (MO2) instead of the in-game menu. Once you start using a mod manager, there is no need to ever open the in-game mod menu again. If you use Vortex it also makes installing SKSE64 much easier and much less likely you will install it incorrectly.

Step One: Downloading SKSE64

  1. The first step is understanding which version of Skyrim you have installed so that you can discover which version of SKSE64 to download:
    • For the Steam Edition: Open the Steam game page for Skyrim SE, select the Gear icon, Manage, then Browse Local Files. It will open the game folder to /steamapps/common/Skyrim Special Edition/
    • For the GOG Edition: Open the folder where Skyrim was installed, by default set to /GOG Games/Skyrim Anniversary Edition/
    • Open the properties of SkyrimSE.exe, then navigate to the Details tab where it displays the game version. Write the game version number down, you will need to remember it.
  2. Navigate your browser to https://skse.silverlock.org/
  3. Download the SKSE64 .7z archive that matches the game version you discovered in Step 1 and save it to your desktop:
    • Game version 1.5.97 = SKSE64 2.0.20 (see notes below)
    • Game version 1.6.353 = SKSE64 2.1.5 (found on the silverlock “archived builds” page)
    • Game version 1.6.640 = SKSE64 2.2.3 for Steam
    • Game version 1.6.659 = SKSE64 2.2.3 for GOG (see notes for MO2 below)

NOTES: If 2.0.20 presents any issues, use 2.0.17 from the Archived Builds page. 2.0.20 is considered stable but in some rare instances, most likely a conflict or interaction with a particular mod, a ctd could result. 2.0.17 is the stable fallback version of SKSE64 for 1.5.97 if you experience any issues with 2.0.20.

If you are using Mod Organizer 2 with the GOG version of Skyrim, be sure to install the GOG plugin for MO2.

From now on, any SKSE64 plugins you install MUST match the game version number you have identified in Step 1 (1.5.x or 1.6.x), or you will get crashes and other undesirable behavior. For example, the mod MCM Helper requires that you install the version that matches your game version; if the incorrect version of MCM Helper is installed, you will get strange behavior in SkyUI.

Step Two: Installing SKSE64

You have two options for installing SKSE64 depending on whether you are using the Vortex mod manager or not:

Installing with Vortex

  1. Drag and drop the .7z file to the Mods tab in Vortex, then Install, Enable and Deploy
  2. SKSE64 is installed!

Installing without Vortex

  1. Extract the .7z file to a folder on your desktop and open the folder.
  2. Open your Skyrim game folder:
    • For the Steam Edition: Go to the Steam game page for Skyrim SE, select the Gear icon, Manage, then Browse Local Files. It will open the game folder to /steamapps/common/Skyrim Special Edition/
    • For the GOG Edition: Open the folder where Skyrim was installed, by default set to /GOG Games/Skyrim Anniversary Edition/
  3. Copy and paste the following items from the extracted SKSE64 archive folder directly into the opened Skyrim root game folder (the folder containing SkyrimSE.exe). Select “Yes” when Windows asks if you want to overwrite. DO NOT copy the below items to the /Data directory in your root game folder.
    • The /Data folder (IMPORTANT: 99% of install problems are due to not properly copying this folder to the Skyrim root game directory)
    • The 2 files with .dll extensions
    • skse64_loader.exe
  4. SKSE64 is installed!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Many guides recommend typing getskseversion in the console to verify SKSE64 is installed. This is NOT a reliable way to verify SKSE64 is installed, as the SKSE version number will display even if you have failed to install the scripts in the /Data folder. Only carefully and correctly performing the steps above will guarantee a correct installation of SKSE64.

Step Three: Installing SkyUI

  1. Download SkyUI 5.2 from the Nexus page and install using Vortex or MO2.
  2. It is recommended you install the SkyUI 5.2 SE Plugin with Master Added as well to address any issues with the Bethesda mod menu for those who insist on continuing to use it. Again, it is highly recommended you use a modern mod manager like Vortex or MO2 instead of the in-game mod menu. Be sure to overwrite the SkyUI esp with the corrected version.
  3. Optional but recommended fixes (install with your mod manager):
  4. SkyUI is installed!

Step Four: Launching Skyrim with SKSE64 and SkyUI

  1. First and foremost, if you want to use SkyUI and SKSE64, you must launch the game with skse64_loader.exe from now on. Steam users will not use the Skyrim SE page to launch the game ever again.
  2. Steam users must have Steam open in the background before launching via skse64_loader.exe, or the old Steam launcher will open, which will in turn launch the game without SKSE64 and SkyUI. You may want to consider adding Steam to your startup programs so that it is always open in the background.
  3. The options for starting the game via skse64_loader.exe:
    • Double click the skse64_loader.exe icon in your game folder
    • Create a shortcut on your desktop to skse64_loader.exe
    • If you want to launch from Steam, add skse64_loader.exe as a non-Steam game
    • Add a shortcut to skse64_loader.exe in Vortex or MO2 (recommended)
  4. Enjoy Skyrim!

IMPORTANT NOTE: when you launch Skyrim with SKSE64 and SkyUI for the first time, be sure to allow time for all the menus in the MCM to register. This should take only a minute or two, but if for whatever reason registration is slow, you can type into the console: setstage SKI_ConfigManagerInstance 1

Troubleshooting

For more info on SkyUI Error Codes, please see the SkyUI Troubleshooting Page