So on Silenus's suggestion i thought of making this thread... a quick guide towards Skyrim modding. Though the base of the concept can be applied to the other Bethesda modable games like Fallout 3 and Oblivion (well to be honest even to games like dragon age).
1st. The best thing is if possible to have the full game with all DLC's and additions included, it will ensure the best compatibility with mods that you can have (since some may even accidentally use resources from DLC's).
2nd. After Installing the game for the first time always make a backup of the whole game. Note that: if you already have a modded Skyrim (and have issues with modding) i suggest remaking a clean install (that means deleting even files in the documents folder like ini's and saves). Then proceed to backing it up.
3rd. Install and use a mod manager like Nexus's mod manager, Mod Organizer or Wyre Bash in Skyrim's case.
Mod Managers are programs that replace the basic adding game launcher. The dfault manager the game comes with was only intended for official packs or small addons, it has limited use as far as mods go. That's when Mod Managers come it, they basically have extended functionality and allow a better management for mods, they also preserve load orders and link better to the overall resources used by the mods or official dlc's. That's why they are always recommended over the stock launcher. Out of all of them i recommend to get acquainted with Mod Organizer, as it stores mods separate from the actual game directory thus not having to backup as often.
4th. Always use Unofficial Patches. For skyrim they are as follow:
Main Game:
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/19/?
DLC:
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/23491/?
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/31083/?
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/25127/?
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/31255/?
5th. Always take care of your load order (if your not sure you can use software like boss)
I suggest after this installing SKSE and then SkyUI (basically i mean script extenders and UI improvements), after which proceeding with another backup. Since this will be the core on which you will actually start modding according to your needs... And this is as far as i can go... For a bit more help i will give some links to playlists that have some very useful tips and tutorials on Skyrim modding which will be useful especially for newcomers:
The basics:
On how to use Mod organizer:
I also suggest checking out all of his modding related vids (according to the game you want) because at the end of each video he has tutorials on how to install them:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1CSCMwaDubQ4rcYCpX40Eg
6th. About ENB mods:
So enb is basically a 3D graphics modification addition, it uses a modified D3D dll to inject various effects into games such as Skyrim, GTA, Oblivion etc. The mod itself can be tweaked and modified in various ways thus on the nexus you can find a lot (and by that i do mean a lot) of enb mods. This mods however do not have included the main files or better said the core enb files, this is mainly because the author of the original enb mod does not allow hosting of the core files on any other site other then his (probably due to revenue). In other words, to use ENB mods you first need to get the original core files and afterwards override with the desired enb presets and additions from nexus. However do be careful on which ENB core files version the ENB mods from nexus use, because with enb mods most of the time you got to use the version whit which the nexus mod was made with, newer isn't necessarily better and can result with conflicts and bugs. The reason is that between versions many of the core modules of the the main enb files can be changed/revised and linked differently, resulting in broken settings when merging two different versions.
Important: As far as ENB mods go i suggest you always backup your game (including saves and settings/ini's) before trying one out, because one mistake can really mess up your game (i know from experience).
-------------------------------------------END---------------------------------------------------
PS: Last thing you'll need for modding is patience and i mean lots of it.... This is as far as i can think to cover basics wise, the rest is based on user experience, needs and problems.
----------------------------------------Changes----------------------------------------------------
Update 1: fixed a bit the spelling...
Update 2: Added a quick/small ENB guide.
Update 3: Expanded a bit on mod managers.
1st. The best thing is if possible to have the full game with all DLC's and additions included, it will ensure the best compatibility with mods that you can have (since some may even accidentally use resources from DLC's).
2nd. After Installing the game for the first time always make a backup of the whole game. Note that: if you already have a modded Skyrim (and have issues with modding) i suggest remaking a clean install (that means deleting even files in the documents folder like ini's and saves). Then proceed to backing it up.
3rd. Install and use a mod manager like Nexus's mod manager, Mod Organizer or Wyre Bash in Skyrim's case.
Mod Managers are programs that replace the basic adding game launcher. The dfault manager the game comes with was only intended for official packs or small addons, it has limited use as far as mods go. That's when Mod Managers come it, they basically have extended functionality and allow a better management for mods, they also preserve load orders and link better to the overall resources used by the mods or official dlc's. That's why they are always recommended over the stock launcher. Out of all of them i recommend to get acquainted with Mod Organizer, as it stores mods separate from the actual game directory thus not having to backup as often.
4th. Always use Unofficial Patches. For skyrim they are as follow:
Main Game:
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/19/?
DLC:
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/23491/?
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/31083/?
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/25127/?
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/31255/?
5th. Always take care of your load order (if your not sure you can use software like boss)
I suggest after this installing SKSE and then SkyUI (basically i mean script extenders and UI improvements), after which proceeding with another backup. Since this will be the core on which you will actually start modding according to your needs... And this is as far as i can go... For a bit more help i will give some links to playlists that have some very useful tips and tutorials on Skyrim modding which will be useful especially for newcomers:
The basics:
Code:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxQ1JN_X-_Y&list=PLE7DlYarj-DdhDG41roBVJfNCqvO5MmKP
Code:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4ZQpzf_iAE&list=PLE7DlYarj-DcLS9LyjEqOJwFUQIIQewcK
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1CSCMwaDubQ4rcYCpX40Eg
6th. About ENB mods:
So enb is basically a 3D graphics modification addition, it uses a modified D3D dll to inject various effects into games such as Skyrim, GTA, Oblivion etc. The mod itself can be tweaked and modified in various ways thus on the nexus you can find a lot (and by that i do mean a lot) of enb mods. This mods however do not have included the main files or better said the core enb files, this is mainly because the author of the original enb mod does not allow hosting of the core files on any other site other then his (probably due to revenue). In other words, to use ENB mods you first need to get the original core files and afterwards override with the desired enb presets and additions from nexus. However do be careful on which ENB core files version the ENB mods from nexus use, because with enb mods most of the time you got to use the version whit which the nexus mod was made with, newer isn't necessarily better and can result with conflicts and bugs. The reason is that between versions many of the core modules of the the main enb files can be changed/revised and linked differently, resulting in broken settings when merging two different versions.
Important: As far as ENB mods go i suggest you always backup your game (including saves and settings/ini's) before trying one out, because one mistake can really mess up your game (i know from experience).
-------------------------------------------END---------------------------------------------------
PS: Last thing you'll need for modding is patience and i mean lots of it.... This is as far as i can think to cover basics wise, the rest is based on user experience, needs and problems.
----------------------------------------Changes----------------------------------------------------
Update 1: fixed a bit the spelling...
Update 2: Added a quick/small ENB guide.
Update 3: Expanded a bit on mod managers.