Your first modded game

A mod changes a game: a new follower, a home, a fix, a whole new system. You can add one or a hundred. Here is how to start without breaking anything.

Use a mod manager

A mod manager keeps every mod in its own folder and puts them into the game only while you play, so you can switch any mod off again cleanly. For Skyrim and the other Bethesda games most players use MO2 and Wabbajack. Other games often have their own manager or a simple mods folder: the mod's page says how it installs.

Read the page before you download

• Requirements come first. Many mods need another mod to work (a script extender, a framework). Modhold shows them before your download starts.
• Check the game version the mod was made for.
• Read Installation in the description, if there is one.

Add a few at a time

Add one mod, or a small group, then start the game and check it works. If something goes wrong you will know which mod it was.

Keep your saves safe

Back up your save folder before you add or remove mods in the middle of a playthrough. Some mods can be added mid-game and some can't; the mod's page usually says. Removing a mod with scripts from a save can cause problems later, so test new things on a fresh save first.

Loadouts

A loadout is a list of mods that someone has put together to work side by side. It is a good way to start: the work of picking mods that fit together is done.