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Have you or someone you loved been afflicted with any of the following:
- A desire to play a modded Skyrim game?
- No experience with modding?
- No time to learn how to mod?
- Experience with modding, but don’t have the time to actually create a modlist?
- No idea where to start with what mods to try?
- The desire to try out a particular modded style of gameplay, but any or all of the above?
- Download and install Wabbajack and browse their gallery to see which modlist you want to try out. I also suggest you join the Wabbajack Discord. You can see which mods are included in a particular modlist by either looking at the manifest in the Wabbajack program or the archive search on the gallery page (some modlists include a spreadsheet with their readme, as well). Also keep in mind that the Wabbajack program itself gets updates and you will always need to run the most recent one; so if you get an error when trying to download a list, check that you have the most up-to-date version of Wabbajack itself.
- While the general download process is the same across all options, each modlist has it’s own instructions and I highly suggest you read through all of the specific readme before even beginning. The following steps are very generalized; Make sure to follow the specific ones in each ReadMe!
- First off, I check the Discord to see if the list is down; sometimes they take them down to update, but they usually are back up in a few days if not hours. The best thing to check is the pinned messages on the server for that particular list.
- If it appears to be working, I open up Wabbajack (the downloaded program; not the website, as the website does NOT show if a list is under maintenance) and go to “Browse Modlists” and select the one I want to download. There is a link to the gallery page on Wabbajack and a download button. All modlists show a download size and installation size when you hover over them. Make sure you have enough space available (this does NOT include your Skyrim game, that is in addition to the modlist).
- For every list I’ve downloaded, I read the entire readme and then downloaded and started the installation. It will take a while, but nowhere near as long as it would take you to do this all yourself. I suggest that while you are waiting for it to download/install, you familiarize yourself with any other related information, including what the discussion is on the Discord for that modlist. I also highly recommend you have a premium Nexus account, as it speeds up the process. My download/installation usually takes an hour or two, depending on the size of the list, if you have premium or not (I HIGHLY suggest it), and if you already downloaded the mods before. I actually have a separate folder on my SSD where I keep all my downloaded mods (from every Wabbajack list and personally curated list I’ve ever made); this saves me a LOT of time when I download a new modlist. There are a few other steps you have to manually do once it is completed (thanks to stock game or root builder, you usually don’t need to move anything to your game folder, but there are often some configurations to do regarding ENB, AE content, optional mods, etc), but it is all explained on the readme.
- Once you have finished the final steps, you should be able to start the game up and actually start playing. You will be running the game through SKSE through Mod Organizer (found in the folder you created for installation), and I suggest creating a shortcut because you will quickly become addicted.
- Once you get the game loaded, you will need to set up the MCM. Usually a modlist will include suggested MCM settings. Some of these settings are to prevent bugs, some are to make sure that all the mods installed play well together, and some are pure user-preference. It might not be obvious which are which, so until you are comfortable, I recommend using the suggested settings. You can always tweak as you play.
- Adding to the modlist is NOT supported for any modlist, so if you do want to attempt to add ANYTHING, you will need to know what you are doing. Some of the other information on the more manual build would help, but honestly, I generally suggest either doing a Wabbajack list or a manual list. Would you want a mammoth/mudcrab hybrid? Well, maybe that would be pretty cool…but it for sure would be dangerous.
- I can hear your thoughts: “Well I can add that one follower or armor or teeny tiny tweak mod and it won’t break anything.” If you do not do your due diligence (just as you would with a manual modlist), it will most likely break your game. Do you want to try anyway? It’s your game, your modlist, your computer and I cannot stop you. But remember, if you add ANYTHING, you will no longer receive support from the creators.
- A few notes:
- If you get an error during download/installation, try to start it over; if it happens again, most likely it is because a mod has been updated/removed from the Nexus. Usually the modlist just needs to be updated. Check the Pinned section on the Discord channel for more info.
- I put everything relating to Skyrim on my E drive (SSD): my steam has its own folder (with just Skyrim SE; I have all my other games on a separate drive, but that is personal preference!) at the root of that directory, as does wabbajack itself, and the modlist of choice. My E Drive looks like this: E:\Steam, E:\Wabbajack, E:\Living Skyrim 3, E:\QWEST!,E:\The Phoenix Flavour,etc.
- You can have multiple modlists at once, but be sure you know what you are doing. More details in the next section.
- I like to look through the modlist manifest while waiting (or some lists have a spreadsheet that is a little easier to read), so I can see exactly what I am getting myself into.
- If you choose a list that is graphically demanding, make sure that your computer can handle it. Usually a baseline is included on the readme/Discord. I used versus.com to compare my specs to their baseline to see if it was comparable.
- Keep an eye on your download/installation; if it does error out, it is much less frustrating to find out right away. Trust me, it’s quite a mood-killer to wipe away your happy tears when Thanos/Voldemort/Sauron/Palpatine have been defeated for good, only to discover that while you were enjoying your movie and waiting for the Wabbajack to do its thing, it errored out in the first 5 minutes.
- When posting to the Discord, make sure you have followed these steps first:
- Look at the Pinned messages because your question might be answered there.
- Make sure you have read through the entire readme, FAQ, any other resources provided, and I suggest looking at the bug report on the github as well, because often your question will be answered there.
- Look through the more recent posts, and/or use the search function, because often your question can be answered there.
- Make sure you follow the Discord Server rules! (These are specific per server, and there are some very grumpy people that don’t respond nicely if you break them, mostly because they are broken constantly.)
- Remember! There is no Lydia on Discord; no one there has sworn to carry your burdens, so be polite and show your gratitude for all the hard work that has gone into these modlists.
Notes:
These change regularly as more are added and sometimes some are removed. (List last updated August 2, 2022)
Due to a variety of reasons, sometimes the lists are down for maintenance; look for pertinent information on the Wabbajack Discord, or the specific list’s Discord.
Unofficial lists are now included in the gallery, but you will need to check a box to have them show up in your search.
Lists marked with an asterisk * are NSFW.
Skyrim SE:
- Aldrnari
- Animonculory Dev Tools
- Animonculory Visual Overhaul
- Animonculory Visual Overhaul – Anniversary Edition
- Arkay’s Commandment
- Elysium Remastered
- Halgari’s Helper
- Journey
- Keizaal
- Krahven
- Legends of the Frost
- Librum SE
- Licentia*
- Living Skyrim
- Lost Legacy
- Masterstroke*
- Path of the Dovahkiin
- The Phoenix Flavour
- The Phoenix Flavour – Dragon’s Edition
- Relics of Hyrule – GAT Edition
- Ruvaak
- Septimus 3
- Serenity 2
- Skybax*
- Slidikins’ Strenuous Skyrim
- Skyrim Modding Essentials
- Tales from the Northern Lands
- Tempus Maledictum
- Total Skyrim Overhaul
- Tranquility
- Tsukiro*
- Wildlander
Skyrim VR:
- Consider supporting this amazing tool that has literally changed the modding game: Wabbajack Patreon
- Wabbajack is used for more than just Skyrim; the list of games it supports is growing all the time!
- These are Modlists, NOT Modpacks! While it might not seem like much of a disctinction to you, it is REALLY important to many, so please use the correct terminology.
- Due to the ever changing landscape of modding, it is important to remember that modlists can go into maintenance often and with little warning. This could be due to changes in the list, a mod being updated or removed, a mod itself going into maintenance, and more. Please be patient when this happens. The people that create mods, create modlists, and support Wabbajack itself do so because they want to, not because they are paid to.
- If you have a support issue with a modlist, make sure you are following the correct avenue to receive support. Mod authors, Modlist creators (of the non-Wabbajack variety, i.e. Lexy’s LOTD), etc are NOT responsible for helping solve issues with a Wabbajack list. Only the proper server (on the Wabbajack Discord OR if the list has its own Discord) will offer help.
- Support will NOT be provided by anyone if you add to the list in any way!
- Other rules to follow include (these are directly from the Discord Server):
- Be a polite participant and respect others. This is a friendly and welcoming place so treat everyone with respect. Excessive cursing or any kind of abuse, hate speech, doxxing or discrimination against others is not welcome. Violators will be warned and repeat offenders will be banned.
- No brigading, doxxing, trolling or harassment of any kind toward other websites, servers, groups, individuals or mod authors. Poor behaviour reflects on the community as a whole and impacts how Wabbajack is perceived and treated by the wider modding community which in turn undermines the entire point of Wabbajack – to make modding more accessible and open to everyone. Wabbajack moderators reserve the right to take action against members who are found to be disruptive in the wider community.
- No political or religious discussion.
- No NSFW content outside of designated channels. Real world explicit content is not allowed under any circumstances – breaching this will result in an instant ban. All content, including your messages, links, images, avatars and nicknames, may not contain explicit or implied sexual or gory content unless it is in a specifically designated NSFW flagged channel and is relevant to game modding. Any content such as illustrated or digitally altered pornography which depicts minors such as lolicon, shotacon, or cub is prohibited server wide. Moderators reserve the right to change your nickname and request an avatar change.
- No spamming. This is not Twitch chat, offenders will be muted, kicked and/or banned as appropriate. Spamming @ mentions will result in mute. Spamming links to websites or other servers etc. is prohibited as are self-promotion links.
- No impersonating Wabbajack Staff or other users. Do not try to impersonate a developer, moderator, mod author or any other member.
- Game and mod piracy is strictly prohibited. Use of pirated content and/or unauthorised redistribution of content will result in a permanent ban.
- DO NOT CONTACT MOD OR GUIDE AUTHORS FOR SUPPORT. Support will only be provided in the relevant channels on this server.
- DO NOT CONTACT MOD AUTHORS FOR OLD VERSIONS OF THEIR MODS. Do not ask how to bypass/obtain a mod that has been updated, wait for the Wabbajack installer to be updated.
- All support queries should be directed to the appropriate channel in this server. Any conflicts/bugs/issues that arise are likely to result from the specific combination of mods in a given list, therefore mod authors and mod guide authors who are not familiar with the specific installer should not be subjected to helping Wabbajack users if they do not wish to.
- If you make modifications to these Modlists, you do so at your own risk. Unless otherwise specified, no support or advice will be provided. Any discussion of changes to modlists should be done in general channels only and not support channels.
June 2022 Update: I did not have the time/energy/patience to actually do the reviews as I intended. While I haven’t completely given up on this endeavor, in the meantime, there is a great alternative: DroppedIceCream has a YouTube series that reviews the current Wabbajack lists: Skyrim Modlist Showcase
August 2022 Update: After all the updates I did to the website in June, I was burnt out and went back to ESO for a bit. That didn’t last too long as I felt the siren call of Skyrim once again and decided to try out the Septimus 3 Wabbajack list. I fell in love all over again (like I do everytime I play!), so I am gonna try to expand this section a bit. I will hopefully do a real review soon, but you can find some screenshots in the next section.
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Please remember to endorse any mods you download and like, and if you appreciate all the hard work that goes into creating a mod, consider giving kudos to the author on Nexus as well (the Give Kudos button can be found on the user’s page).