Like the rest of Earth’s population, I had a wonderful time with Skyrim when it released in 2011, and for hundreds of hours afterwards. Then one fateful Sunday I realised I’d spent six hours smithing weapons and mining for ore, and decided it was probably time to stop playing now.
  1. Skyrim Forgotten Retex Project System
  2. Skyrim Forgotten Retex Project 1
It turns out I got off the train early: in the intervening years the modding community has gone from strength to strength, doing its best to keep The Elder Scrolls V looking like it was released last week. With Skyrim Special Edition’s arrival in 2016 those modders have a new and improved base game to work with, and the results are getting seriously close to the hyperbolic promises made in my YouTube sidebar. ‘PHOTOREALISTIC SKYRIM: INSANE MOD!’ they shout. And ‘ULTIMATE SKYRIM GRAPHICS 2017’. And ‘Justin Bieber FORGETS words to 'Despacito' LIVE’, although I’ll concede that’s not immediately pertinent here.
Curiosity got the better of me. Exactly how good can you make Skyrim look these days, using Special Edition as the new baseline and cherry-picking the finest community-made visual mods? achieved a frankly fearsome level of fidelity with the original version, but years have passed since then and graphics cards have gained multiple zeros on all their spec sheets. Is it possible to get Skyrim looking so realistic that it takes a second for your brain to distinguish it from reality?
The results of my own personal quest surprised me: not only did I get the game looking beautiful enough that I want to play it all over again, but those gorgeous graphics mods have fundamentally changed the way I play now.

Finding the right mods

Skyrim SE Mods
It's not all about the graphics. Here's our guide to the best Skyrim Special Edition mods. And if you're playing the original version, here's our guide to the best Skyrim mods.
There’s a particular alchemy to selecting a series of mods that work well together. Very often one mod will want to overwrite another’s files, or there’ll be some overlap between seemingly disparate mods (like a snow replacer and a water overhaul) which will end up cancelling each other out. I’ll throw my hands up at this point and admit I let YouTube’s sizable Skyrim mod content creator community do the hard work for me on this front. Taking the recommendations of , , , and others, I compiled a list of texture mods, weather mods, flora overhauls, water improvements, armours, and NPCs—in addition to essentials like the Static Mesh Improvement Mod—that looked believable, consistent with Skyrim’s world, and above all, beautiful.
Personal preference is the ultimate deciding factor in any mod list like this, but to make Skyrim SE look like my screenshots, these are the ones to use:
- Really high-quality, high-resolution and lore-friendly apparel for NPC and player alike.
- In all honesty the vanilla hairs were fine by me, but this hair overhaul is required by Diversity (see below).
- If you only install one mod, make it this. It squashes bugs and refines things you never noticed were broken or clunky before. It won’t make your game look better, but your experience will be much more polished.
- A water overhaul that improves everything from transparency effects to foam texture resolution and coloring. I like the watercolor version, but that’s just my preference.
- Fills the outdoors with wonderful grasses, mosses, ferns, bushes and flowers to frolic in. One of the most immediately transformative mods on the list.
- I tried out a few different weather mods, and nearly prevailed, but to my eye Vivid Weathers produces the more realistic lighting conditions in conjunction with the lighting mods below and my chosen ENB (more on that later).
- A lot of unused assets were found in Skyrim’s code after release, probably relics of content that Bethesda ran out of time to include. This mod puts it all back into your game, and is required by several other mods.

Skyrim Forgotten Retex Project System

- Sprawling new four-hour expansion which… just kidding. It makes the trees bigger.
- Improves the textures of commonly found items and quest items.
- Turns the vanilla weapons into artisanal masterpieces. You can see the individual marks on each blade and the texture where it’s been hammered into shape. Incredible. Works well with Immersive Armors to make the game feel new (and look new in screenshots).
- Improves snow textures to higher-resolution images, simply.
- Like Forgotten Retex Project, this mod improves a lot of the incidental items used as set dressing throughout Skyrim—specifically, in this case, those found in dungeons and caves.
- Another hugely transformative mod, with enormous scope. Retextures much of the wild and several cities up to 4K. Use this as your base retexturing mod, upon which other more specific textures can be added.
- More lovely plant life to populate Skyrim’s once brown and barren tundras. It’s compatible with Verdant, but be careful which files you overwrite when installing. Load Verdant after this to get the best from both mods.
- An absolutely staggering piece of work which improves the 3D modelling of items and architecture throughout Skyrim.
- Diversity completely changes the appearance of every NPC in Skyrim. The end result is a slightly disconcerting uniform attractiveness, but if you’re sick of everyone you encounter looking like Danny Trejo this is the mod to fix it.
- It’s not an ENB, but more of a pre-ENB lighting mod which changes light values so that all lights look better after you apply an ENB. To be honest I’m not sure whether I have this working with the below mod or whether one is cancelling the other out, but I’m really pleased with the end result so I’m too scared to upset the apple cart.
- Removes all lights that don’t have sources, and modifies the values for the lights that do. That means it gets really dark outside at night and in unlit areas of dungeons. It also means, together with all the other mods in this list and my chosen ENB/Reshade, the lighting always looks believable.
- An incredibly clever mod that doesn’t overwrite any of your current textures but instead uses actual magic to make them look nicer in your game. Magic or .ini file values, at least.
Using the to install these mods and set their load order is basically essential. It’s theoretically possible to do it all manually, but in the time it would take you to modify the .ini files correctly and ensure the right files live in the right locations, you could have coded The Elder Scrolls VI from scratch. It also affords you the advantage of swapping particular mods in and out to observe their effects.
On to the installation.

Choosing an ENB

Initially I was almost disheartened when I installed this giant list of mods, loaded my game, and found a familiar-looking Skyrim staring back at me. The textures were much improved, yes, and the landscapes populated by much more realistic plant life. But it didn’t look like a generational shift. It was still recognisable, and that was exactly what I wanted to avoid. Applying an ENBSeries preset, a popular community lighting mod available for games like Fallout, Skyrim, and Grand Theft Auto, would change all that in an instant.
You’ll hear it said a lot among the modding community, but there’s no more dramatic change you can enact on your game than applying an ENB to it. Therefore, my particular pick would be paramount. There are so many competing ‘photorealistic’ or ‘next-gen’ variants of Boris Vorontsov’s famous lighting mod that you could lose days watching those transitional wipe videos on Youtube demonstrating them all, but in the end I landed on one I was very happy with: the catchily named . While the majority of ENBs feature way too much contrast and bloom for my taste, this one works beautifully with Vivid Weather and my existing lighting mods. It produces dramatic but believable lighting conditions at any time of day, indoors or outdoors, and also exaggerates the depth-of-field and ambient occlusion effects for a more cinematic view.

Downsampling

At this point Skyrim started throwing out some really impressive imagery, so it was time to take things to the extreme. from will let you render games at resolutions far exceeding your monitor’s native output, and then ‘downsample’ the image so that it fits back on your screen. But you likely already know that, because you’re reading an article about making Skyrim look photorealistic. The question, really, is how much closer it can bring us towards that goal.
My monitor’s native resolution is a slightly unusual 2560 x 1600, so I used GeDoSaTo to render Skyrim at twice that: a retina-seducing 5120 x 3200. All those high-res texture replacements really come into their own at this resolution, and the confluence of ENB, mods, and resolution produced natural landscapes that approached photorealism, given the right framing.
It’s a frame rate killer, of course. My specs (GTX 1070, i7 2600K, 16GB RAM) were no match for that downsampled resolution and could only render the game at around 14fps. Attempting a 12K resolution resulted in a single-figure frame rate, which was frankly too unwieldy even for screenshot-hunting.

Making Skyrim playable again

My longstanding reservation with mod collections like this when I see them elsewhere is: yes, but is it actually playable? There’s fun to be had by being a photojournalist in Skyrim and scouting out the best locations for screenshots, but after you’ve spent all that effort imbuing all that beauty into the game, it’d be a shame if you didn’t actually play it.
I was able to pull it back to around 45 fps (I know, I know) by disabling downsampling and making use of . Simply put, it’s a handy tool that modifies your prefs.ini file and comes with new graphics presets which really boost performance. Using BethINI’s ‘ultra’ preset is much kinder to frame rates than the vanilla ‘ultra’ setting, without compromising any visible fidelity.
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Skyrim

Meaningful gameplay improvements

I was surprised by how far I could push Skyrim, which is another way of saying I was surprised by the sheer talent and enduring commitment of the modding community. What surprised me even more, though, was that the concessions I made on my photorealistic screenshot quest actually improved the gameplay experience, too.
Firstly: play without the HUD. Really. I disabled it just to take screenshots at first, and my inherent laziness meant that it stayed disabled while I played. I soon found that not having a bunch of quest markers, a crosshair, dialogue subtitles and health meters is, to use the Skyrim modder’s favourite word, a hugely immersive experience. Archery was suddenly satisfying again, and in the absence of a big quest arrow guiding me forth I engaged with the environments properly, looking for signposting cues and navigating using landmarks.
All my efforts to produce realistic lighting changed the way I played, too. Suddenly going out at night without a torch was a terrible idea (a mechanic I always loved about Dragon’s Dogma), and certain areas of caves and dungeons were simply pitch black unless I illuminated them. It meant I had to treat lighting like a game mechanic, like Skyrim had suddenly become a Thief game.
Having those little moments of revelation as I realised I had to play the game differently was a wonderful thing. It’s inspired me to go through Skyrim all over again, which is what I always secretly hoped the right collection of mods would do. And now as I do it, I’ll perpetually be on the lookout for killer screenshots.




Instructions

Ctvtt live stream. █ Mods with black text - Essential mods for a bug-free game that look exactly like the screenshots
> Recommended for systems with 4GB+ video memory
█ Mods with a green square - Not absolutely necessary, but highly recommended mods that won't have any FPS impact
>Recommended for systems with 4GB+ video memory
█ Mods with a blue square - Highly recommended mods, but might impact FPS on low-end systems. (When installed on top of black/green mods)
>Recommended for systems with 6GB+ video memory
█ Mods with a red square - Performance heavy mods, only recommended for high-end systems. (When installed on top of black/green/blue)
>Recommended for systems with 8GB+ video memory

NexusModManager (NMM) info:

When starting NMM, use the username and password from the Nexus site.
The links in the mod-list will take you to the description page of every mod. Click the 'Files' tab and you will get to the download section.
NMM will automatically catch the file(s) and start downloading right away after clicking 'Mod Manager Download'. NMM will then save the file, and the mod will show in the 'mods' tab in the main window. Right click the mod, and you can choose to install, uninstall or permanently delete it. When a mod has been installed, a green check mark will show next to the mod, and if the mod contains esm/esp/esl files, then they will then show in the 'Plugins' tab.
Note: If at any time, NMM shows an 'upgrade' dialog box (See example image), claiming that another version of a mod has already been installed, and asks: 'Would you like to update?'. ALWAYS select 'No'. No exceptions. 'No' will install the mod normally, which is the only correct way.

The SSEBP Mod-List
Unless otherwise specified, find the latest 'Main File' and click

The following mods are to be installed one by one, in listed order. This is important, as some mods overwrite files from others. If nothing else is specified, install the latest 'Main File' and click 'YES' to overwrite if asked.

Recommended: After installing each section of mods, launch the game to see if everything works. The list is long, and it's easy to miss an item or install a wrong file. If the game doesn't work, at least you will know which chunk of mods you need to look at, to figure out what went wrong.
*Just make sure to sort the load-order (NMMs plugin window) correctly before launch. *Correct load-order: (LINK)
Note: Some links will point to mods that were made for the 'old' Skyrim (Referred to as: LE - Legendary Edition). These mods has to be downloaded manually and added to NMM via 'Add mod from file'.
*Proper conversions and fixes are included where needed. (Everything with correct form 44 and optimized nif files. No fast sloppy half-solutions.)

Mods 1: Bug-Fixes

Achievements Mods Enabler (LINK)
Havok Fix (LINK)
Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch (LINK)
Skyrim Project Optimization SE (LINK)
Skyrim particle patch for ENB (LINK)
Under 'SPECIAL EDITION', download 'PARTICLE PATCH ALL-IN-ONE INSTALLATION'
Add the file to NMM via 'Add mod from file'. Then install the mod as usual
*Newly added files will show up under 'Unassigned'
Blacksmith Forge Water Fix - Special Edition (LINK)
Install: 'Blacksmith Forge Water Fix SE - USSEP'

1st Person Candlelight Fix (LINK)
Critter - Simply script fixes (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Download 'Critter - Simply script fixes (6.02)', add the file to NMM and install as usual (Same method as with 'Skyrim particle patch for ENB')
Culling data glitch fix (LINK)
Install: 'English version'

fxDustDropRandomSCRIPT (LINK)
Download '_bugfix_FXdustDropRandomSCRIPT.rar', add the file to NMM and install as usual

Dragon Stalking Fix (LINK)
Flora Respawn Fix (LINK)
Modern Brawl Bug Fix (LINK)

HearthFires Display Case Fix SE (LINK)
Potema Spawn Crash Fix (LINK)
Fix Merge (LINK)
Download the file manually, add it to NMM and install as usual
*This file merges together the previous 3 mod's esp files into one
After installation, click the 'Plugins' tab and uncheck the previous 3 items. See image
Note: The merged mods still need to be installed. The file ONLY merges the esp files, so they can be unchecked to save space in the load-order
*See load-order for reference as well (LINK)

Invisibility and Eyes Mesh Fix by HHaleyy (LINK)
Install: 'Invisibility and Eyes Mesh Fix'
*This mod comes with a custom installer. Installation settings:
Less ugly Solitude Catacombs Stone (LINK)
Misc Fixes SSE (LINK)

PapyrusUtil SE - Modders Scripting Utility Functions (LINK)
Quest Conflict Fixes (LINK)
Riften Mausoleum corner mesh collision fix (LINK)
WoodElf - MaleHair - Fix (LINK)

Mods 2: Base Textures

Clutter Textures Pack (LINK)
D.E.R.P. - DarShonDo's Eyesore Retex Project (LINK)
Forgotten Retex Project (LINK)
Installation settings:
Skyrim HD - 2K Textures (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: 'COMPLETE FULL'
Download the file manually, add it to NMM and install as usual

Riften Ratway HD (LINK)
Chris2012s Whiterun HQ Texture Pack (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Download the file manually, add it to NMM and install as usual
Detailed Chests Texture Replacers SE (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'Chests_WashedOut_2048'

HD LODs Textures SE (LINK)
Install: 'HD-LODs-Textures-SE V7.0 1k (1k near - 512 far)'
HQ Towns and Villages (LINK)
Leather details and other things (LINK)
Terrain LOD redone (LINK)
The Beauty of Skyrim - Caves and Mines (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Download the file manually, add it to NMM and install as usual
Static Mesh Improvement Mod - SMIM (LINK)
Installation settings (LINK)

SMIM Merge (LINK) *Note: This merge is ONLY for SMIM version 2.08
Download the file manually, add it to NMM and install as usual
*This file merges together 5 of the 7 SMIM esp files into one
After installation, click the 'Plugins' tab and uncheck the 5 SMIM items. See image
High Hrothgar Floating Pot Fix broken by SMIM (LINK)
Recommended installation settings:
Better Dynamic Ash SE (LINK)
Better Dynamic Snow SE (LINK)
Installation settings:

Better Dynamic Snow - Patches (LINK)
Vivid Landscapes - All in One - Special Edition (LINK)
Install: 1 'Vivid Landscapes - Special Edition'
Install: 2 'Vivid Landscapes - Special Edition - LOD correction'
Vivid Landscapes - Texture Optimization (LINK)
*In case you wonder about the quality of the texture optimization, info and details can be found here: (LINK)
Download the file manually, add it to NMM and install as usual
Arri's Snow Elf Ruins Retexture Special Edition (LINK)
Solstheim landscape and furniture (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: 'All in one'
Download the file manually, add it to NMM and install as usual

Raven Rock HD (LINK)
4K HD Fine Mines (LINK)
4K HD Fine Mines - Texture Optimization (LINK)
CC's HQ Caves (LINK)
Install: 'CC's HQ Caves - 4K - 1.1'
Recommended installation settings:

CC's HQ Caves - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Cave Floor (LINK)
BetterFalmerCaveCeilingGlow (LINK)
Northfire's Castle Volkihar (LINK)
LHs Dungeons Remaster HD 2K-4K (LINK)
Rudy HQ - Nordic Ruins SE (LINK)
Install 1: 'Rudy HQ - Nordic Ruins SE version'
Install 2: 'Ruin Levers addon SE version'
Rudy HQ Nordic Ruins - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Nordic Ruins UHD - SSEBP-Repack With optimization (LINK)
Note: This is a repack of 'Nordic Ruins UHD' (LINK) - Made to compliment 'Rudy HQ - Nordic Ruins SE'. *Don't download from Nexus
Ruins Clutter Improved (LINK)
Install 1: 'Ruins_Clutter_Improved_SE_NMM_v3-1' *
Install 2: 'Falmer Temple Chandelier'
Install 3: 'Ratway Wood Fix SE'
Install 4: 'Ruins Linen Normal Map Fix SE'
*Installation settings(LINK)
Imperial Forts HD (LINK)
Imperial Forts HD - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Sovngarde HD (LINK)
Install: 'Sovngarde HD 4K'
CC's HQ Fort Dawnguard (LINK)
Install: 'CC's HQ Fort Dawnguard - 4K - 1.0'
CC's HQ Fort Dawnguard - Texture Optimization (LINK)
College of Winterhold HD (LINK)
HQ College of Winterhold (LINK)
College Of Winterhold - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Skyrim Textures Redone - SkyHaven (LINK)
Install: 'STR - SkyHaven'
Skyrim Textures Redone - SkyHeaven - 2K-Normals (LINK)
4K Parallax High Hrothgar by Pfuscher (LINK) *LE
Install 1: 'High Hrothgar'
Install 2: 'Update1'
4K Parallax High Hrothgar - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
4K Parallax High Hrothgar - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Misc Retexture Project (LINK)
Install: 'Misc Retexture Project'

Better prisonerstuff (LINK)
Install: 'better prisoner stuff including smaller cage'

Detailed Rugs (LINK)
Install: 'Detailed Rugs clean SE v1-5'
Rugnarok - Special Edition 2K-1K - SSEBP-Repack (LINK)
Note: This is a repack of 'Rugnarok - Special Edition' (LINK) - Made to compliment 'Detailed Rugs'. *Don't download from Nexus

Windhelm HD (LINK)
Install 1: 'Windhelm HD'
Install 2: 'Puddles 2k'

Windhelm HD Retexture 4K (LINK)
Installation settings:
More Dwemered Textures - The Markarth and Dwemer ruins (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: 'More Dwemered Textures 2K V02'
Markarth HD - 4K-2K-Mix - SSEBP-REPACK (LINK)
Note: This is a repack of 'Markarth HD' (LINK) - Made to compliment 'More Dwemered Textures'. *Don't download from Nexus

Solitude HD (LINK)
Install 1: 'Solitude HD'
Install 2: 'Solitude HD alternative stonewall textures'
Solitude HD - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Solitude - Better Ground And Wood Textures (LINK)
Riften HQ textures (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: 'Riften HQ textures 1_86 2048'

Riften HD (LINK)
Riften In High Definition - 4K - SSEBP-REPACK (LINK)
Note: This is a repack of 'Riften In High Definition' (LINK) - Made to compliment 'Riften HD'. *Don't download from Nexus
Whiterun HD (LINK)
Install 1: 'Whiterun HD'
Install 2: 'Whiterun Shields Texture Fix'
Install 3: 'Whiterun HD alternative street textures granite stones'
Whiterun HD - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Whiterun HD Retexture - 4K-2K-Mix - SSEBP-REPACK (LINK)
Note: This is a repack of 'Whiterun HD Retexture' (LINK) - Made to compliment 'Whiterun HD'. *Don't download from Nexus

Mods 3: Environment

Reverb and Ambiance Overhaul (LINK)
HD Lava for Dawnguard (LINK)
Skyrim SE Improved Puddles (LINK)
Recommended installation settings:
Gecko's 4K Mountain Textures (LINK)
Gecko's 4K Mountain Textures - Better Grey Color (LINK)
Nordic Snow (LINK)
Quality SnowFlakes HD V2 - Luminous (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Sea of Ghosts 3D Icefloes (LINK)
Sea of Ghosts 3D Icefloes - Better Ice Texture (LINK)
Skyrim 3D Icefloes (LINK)
█ The Great Forest of Whiterun Hold (LINK)
*This turns the bland tundra surrounding Whiterun into a lush pine forest instead. It does come with a small performance decrease, but in my opinion it's definitely worth it
Enhanced Vanilla Trees SSE (LINK)
Recommended installation settings (LINK)
Enhanced Vanilla Trees SSE - ESP Fix (LINK)
Better PineTree Branches (LINK)

TreesHD Skyrim Variation - Ultra - SSEBP-REPACK (LINK)
Note: This is a repack of 'TreesHD Skyrim Variation - Ultra' (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod
*It's repacked to compliment 'Enhanced Vanilla Trees' and 'Better PineTree Branches'
LH's Realistic Field Grass HD (LINK)
LH's Realistic Field Grass HD - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Veydosebrom - Grasses And Groundcover (LINK)
Installation settings (LINK)
Veydosebrom - 1K Normals (LINK)
Realistic Water Two (LINK)
Recommended installation settings(LINK)
Realistic Water Two - Falskaar ESP Fix (LINK)
Realistic Water Two LOD Fix (LINK)
Water Flow Lines Fix Patch SE for Realistic Water Two (LINK)
Just Ice (LINK)
Install: 'Just Ice 4k-2k Hybrid'

Birds of Skyrim SSE Edition (LINK)

Dandelions - Realistic Dandelion Seeds (LINK)
Install: '2K Dandelion Seeds'
Leaves (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install 1: 'LEAVES v4 x1024'
Install 2: 'Aspen to Cherry Blossom compatability x1024'

Skyrim 3D StoneWalls (LINK)
Hybrids HD Plants and Herbs Retexture (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
EEKs Renthal Flora Collection (LINK)
Install 1: 'EEKs Renthal Flora Collection v1'
Install 2: 'EEKS Renthal Flora Collection Update v1 - v1.2'

Deathbell HD - All-New Textures (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: 'Deathbell HD - 2K'
Flora Mod Collection (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: 'Mountainflowers - 2K'

HD Photorealistic Ivy (LINK)
HD Photorealistic Ivy - Texture Optimization (LINK)

Hanging Moss replacer into plant (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install 1: '2K'
Install 2: 'Update 1.1'
Hanging Moss Replacer - More Green (LINK)
Mora Tapinella Retexture - SSEBP-REPACK (LINK)
Note: This is a repack of 'Mora Tapinella 2k' (LINK) - Made to compliment 'Mushroom Retextures'. *Don't download from Nexus
Mushroom Retextures (LINK)
Falling Gildergreen Petals - SE (LINK)
Install: 'Falling Gildergreen Petals - ESL file'

Fire and Frost Impact Decals HD (LINK)
Skyrim Textures Redone - Enhanced Night Sky (LINK)
Recommended installation settings (LINK)

8K Night Skies - Vanilla Blue - SSEBP-REPACK (LINK)
Note: This is a repack of '8K Night Skies - Stars and Galaxies' (LINK) *Don't download from Nexus
*It's repacked to compliment 'Skyrim Textures Redone - Enhanced Night Sky'
Aurora SE (LINK)
Install: 'AURORA v5 x2048'
Rallys Solstheim Scathecraw 2K (LINK)
I recommend installing 'Rallys Solstheim Scathecraw 2K - Vanilla Colors'

Skyrim Better Roads (LINK)
Install: 'Skyrim Better Roads SE (FOMOD Installer)'
Installation settings:
*The bridges will conflict with 'CLARALUX SSE', so choose only the roads, unless you don't plan to install CLARALUX SSE

Smoking Torches and Candles (LINK)
Install: 'Smoking Torches'

Ultimate HD Fire Effects (LINK) *LE
Install: 'Ultimate HD Fire Effects -Medium Resolution-'
Ultimate HD Fire Effects - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)

█ Skyrim Is Windy (LINK)
Install 1: 'Skyrim Is Windy'
Install 2: 'Skyrim Is Windy - Enhanced Vanilla Trees Patch'
Skyrim Is Windy - Enhanced Vanilla Trees Patch - ESP Fix (LINK)
Landscape Fixes For Grass Mods (LINK)
Wolfskull Cave Fix (LINK)
█ CLARALUX SSE - Controllable Lights Everywhere (LINK)
Install 1: 'CLARALUX for SSE'
Install 2: 'CLARALUX for SSE - Support Patches'
Installation settings:

 █ Towns and Villages Enhanced - Riften SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of this mod (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod

█ Towns and Villages Enhanced - Riverwood SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of this mod (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod

█ Towns and Villages Enhanced - Solitude SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of this mod (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod

█ Towns and Villages Enhanced - Villages SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of this mod (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod

█ Towns and Villages Enhanced - Whiterun SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of this mod (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod

█ Towns and Villages Enhanced - Windhelm SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of this mod (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod

█ Towns and Villages Enhanced - Markarth (LINK)
Gildergreen 4K Parallax (LINK) *LE
Gildergreen 4K Parallax - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)

Mods 4: New Buildings, Lands and Quests

Multiple Floors Sandboxing (LINK)
█ Helsmyrr Village SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of this mod(LINK) *Don't download the LE mod

█ Ebonvale Settlement (LINK)
█ Solitude Public Bathhouse (LINK) *LE
Solitude Public Bathhouse - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
█ The Evil Mansion - Final Edition (LINK)
█ Wyvern Rock Castle (LINK)
Wyvern Rock Castle - ESP Fix (LINK)
█ Castle Mendoza (LINK) *LE
Castle Mendoza - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
█ Ravenscale Castle (LINK) *LE
Ravenscale Castle - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
█ Blood and Silver - Cidhna Mine Expanded (LINK) *LE
Install: 'Cidhna Mine Expanded - Deluxe Version'
Blood and Silver - Cidhna Mine Expanded - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
█ House Whitewatch SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of this mod(LINK) *Don't download the LE mod

█ Inns and Taverns SE (LINK)
█ Baths for Hearthfire Homes Redone (LINK)
Install: 'Hearthfire Baths (All)'

█ Missives (LINK)
Install: 'Missives 4.0 SSE'

█ New Treasure Hunt SSE (LINK)
█ Distinct Interiors (LINK)

█Falskaar (LINK)
Falskaar - Addons and Patches (LINK)
 Installation settings(LINK)

█ Hill House Returned SE (LINK)
Install 1: 'Hill House Returned SE'
Install 2: 'Hill House Returned - Flower Girls Patch' *Install this only if you plan to install the Flower Girls mod (See: 9 - New NPCs & Quests)
█ Whistling Mine (LINK)
█ Nordic Ruins of Skyrim SSE (LINK)
█ Northshore Landing Ghost ship - ESL Version (LINK)
█ Magical College of Winterhold (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'Magical College of Winterhold', but choose any main file

█ Raven Castle SSE (LINK)

█ Rayek's End - SSE Expanded Edition (LINK)
I recommend installing 'Rayek's End - SSE Expanded Edition 1.7 (Medium)'

█ Rigmor of Bruma (LINK)

█ River Rock Village (LINK)
█ Showers in Inns SSE (LINK)
█ Skyrim Underground SSE (LINK)
█ The Great City of Solitude SSE (LINK)
The Great City of Solitude - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ The Paarthurnax Dilemma (LINK)
█ White Lighthouse (LINK)

Mods 5: HD Textures

2K Imperial Tents Retexture (LINK)
I recommend installing: '2K Imperial Tents Retextured', but choose any main file

2K Nordic Tents Retexture (LINK)
Install: 'Desaturated Alternative Tents 4K or 2K Option Version 2'
2k Retextured Ring Of hircine (LINK)
2K Ring of Namira Retextured (LINK)
Install: '1K Ring of Namira'
4K Dragon Priest Masks of Immersion (LINK)
Install: '2K_D.P.M.I_2.0'

4K Hagraven House (LINK)
4K Hagraven House - Texture Optimization (LINK)
A Quality World Map (LINK)
I recommend installing: '8.4 A Quality World Map - Classic with All Roads', but choose any main file

Aetherial Crown SE (LINK)
Recommended settings:

Ancestor Glade Boulders HD (LINK)
Ancient Dwemer Metal - 4K-2K-Mix SSEBP-REPACK And SSE Conversion (LINK)
Note: This is a repack of 'Ancient Dwemer Metal' (LINK) - 4K Diffuse with 2K normals. *Don't download the LE mod

Apple Retextures for SMIM (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Ashes and Flames - Spawn and Guardian Retex SE (LINK)
Install 1: 'Ash Guardian Retexture'
Install 2: 'Ash Spawn Retexture'

Awesome Apiaries - Retextured Beehives (LINK)
Bee HD (LINK)
Bellyaches Animal and Creature Pack SSE (LINK)
Recommended installation settings(LINK)
Bellyaches HD Dragon Replacer Pack (LINK)
Better Signage - Inns and Shops (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Better than Nando's (LINK)
Better Candle Glow (LINK)
Boiled Creme Treat Sweet Roll and Pies (LINK)
Book Covers Skyrim (LINK)
Install: 'Book Covers Skyrim SE - Original'

Burned Book 2K (LINK)

Corpse burned UHD (LINK)
Install: 'Diffuse 2k, Normal 1k.'
Corpse burned UHD - Texture Optimization (LINK)
CC's HQ Buckets (LINK)
Install: 'CC's HQ Buckets - 2K - 1.1'

Chappers Demonic Alduin Mashup (LINK)
Ships HD (LINK)
Better Ship Window (LINK)
Dark Brotherhood Tenets (LINK)
Install: '4K Dark Brotherhood Tenants'

Detailing the Eldrich - Higher-Res Riekling Architecture (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
ElSopa HD - Grindstone SE (LINK)
 Install: '4K ElSopa HD - Grindstone'
ElSopa HD - Grindstone SE - 2K Normals (LINK)

ElSopa HD - Strider And Netches SE (LINK)
Install: '4K ElSopa HD Strider And Netches'
HD Strider And Netches SE 2K Normals (LINK)
Embrace cabbage (LINK)
Ennead - Banners (LINK)
Install 1: 'Ennead - Banners 4K'
Install 2: 'Ennead Banners - 2K Clean Detailed Rugs Patch'
Ennead - Banners - 2K Normals (LINK)
Falmer Ear and Hagraven Claw (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: 'Falmer Ear 1K'
Falmer Texture Overhaul (LINK)
Install 1: '4K Falmer Overhaul'
Install 2: 'Falmer Hut 4K Red Cloth'
Falmer Texture Overhaul - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Finer Dust (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Five Cities Roadsigns 2K (LINK)
Gemling Queen Jewelry SE (LINK)
Recommended installation settings(LINK)
HD Better Instruments (LINK)
HD Better Instruments - Texture Optimization (LINK)
HD Charcoal for Smelter - 2K and 1K texture replacer (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: 'HD Charcoal 2K - SMIM compatible'
HD Dragonborn Skull Variants SE (LINK)
Recommended settings:
HD Giant Mortar Texture SE (LINK)
HD Hanging Elves Ear SSE (LINK)
HD Horker (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: '2k Version with filepath'

HD Leatherrack SSE (LINK)
HD Meridias Beacon SE (LINK)
I recommend installing '2K HD Meridias Beacon'

HD Reworked Baskets (LINK)
Recommended installation settings:
HD Ruined Book Retexture 4k - 2k (LINK)
Install: 'Ruined Book 2018 2k'
HD Ruined Book Retexture - Texture Optimization (LINK)
HD Sabre Cat Tooth Mesh and Texture (LINK)
HD Skeleton Key SE (LINK)
HD Serpentine Dragon and Mesh Fix SE (LINK)
Recommended installation settings:

HD Stone Quarry and Clay Deposit for Hearthfire (LINK) *LE
Install: 'HD Stone Quarry and Clay Deposit 2K'
HD Stone Quarry and Clay Deposit - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
High Definition HAY (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
HQ Paper (LINK)
Business Ledger HD Retexture (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Imperial Metal Replacer - Love for Sconces (LINK)
Iron 1836 Real Textures SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE Conversion of 'Iron 1836 Real Textures'

Iron and Steel Ingots - Retexture (LINK) *LE
Iron And Steel Ingots - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
JS Dragon Claws SE (LINK)
Install: '2k Textures'
JS Dragon Claws SE - Texture Optimization (LINK)
DRAUGR (LINK)
Install: 'Draugr.4k-2k'

FALMER (LINK)
Install: 'Falmer.4k-2k'
GIANT (LINK)
Install: 'Giant.4k-2k'

HAGRAVEN (LINK)
Install: 'Hagraven.4k-2k'

SABRECAT (LINK)
Install: 'Sabrecat.4k-2k'
SKELETON (LINK)
Install: 'Skeleton.and.Human.Bones.4k-2k'

TROLL (LINK)
Install: 'Troll.4k-2k'

WISPMOTHER (LINK)
Install: 'Wispmother.4x2k'
M7 Striped Sabrecats (LINK)
LH's Bed Pillows Textures (LINK)

LH's HD High Hrothgar Shrines With Optimized Textures (LINK)
LH's Noble Nordic Bed Texture - Red Blanket (LINK)
LH's Noble Nordic Bed Texture - Texture Optimization (LINK)
LH's Orc StrongHolds (LINK)
Install 1: 'LH's Orc StrongHolds HD 4K'
Install 2: 'Matching Stockade 4K'
Install 3: 'SMIM Patch 4K'
LH's Orc StrongHolds - Texture Optimization (LINK)
LH's Soul Cairn HD - Complete - 4K-2K Texture Optimization (LINK)
Note: This is an All-in-One repack of 'LH's Soul Cairn HD' (LINK) - Including fixes, updates and texture optimization. *Don't download from Nexus
LH's Torch HD 2K - Alternative New (LINK)
Lockpicking Interface Redone SSE (LINK)
Magic Runes HD (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
I recommend installing: 'Full Pack - All Magic Runes HD V2'
Mammoth Cheese Retexture - 4k and 2k (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'LESS SLIME 2k'

Maps (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: 'MAPS 4K-2K'
MM - Real Skeevers (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
I recommend installing: 'MM- REAL SKEEVERS 2K'
Nightingale circle (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
I recommend installing: 'More wet version'

Noble Furniture Improved (LINK)
Install: 'Noble Furniture Improved - Replacer.'
PELTAPALOOZA - Special Edition (LINK)
Install: 'PELTAPALOOZA Special Edition - FULL'

Photoreal Foxes 2K HD Retexture (LINK)
Photoreal Foxes 2K HD Retexture - Texture Optimization (LINK)

Pretty Gemstones SSE (LINK)
Install: 'Pretty Gems'
Rally's Ants HQ (LINK)
Rallys Dark Elf Furniture 2K (LINK)
Realistic HD Mushrooms Remastered (LINK)
Realistic HD Ores Remastered (LINK)
Realistic HD Pickaxe Remastered (LINK)
Realistic HD Woodcutter's Axe Remastered (LINK)
Realistic horse saddle (LINK)
Remiros Shrines HD (LINK)
Remiros Shrines HD - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Retexture for Soup (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: 'For SMIM Mesh - Fancy Version'

R's Windmill (LINK)
Superior Silverware - HD Textures (LINK) *LE
Install: 'Superior Silverware 2K High Quality'
*SSE Conversion-files are included in the following mod
Rudy HQ - Miscellaneous SE (LINK)
Install 1: 'Rudy HQ - Misc SE - Imperial Candles'
Install 2: 'Rudy HQ - Misc SE - Lanterns'
Install 3: 'Rudy HQ - Misc SE - Pottery Vanilla 4K'
Install 4: 'Pottery Vanilla - Texture Optimization' (LINK)
Install 5: 'Rudy HQ - Misc SE - Sliverware for Superior Silverware'
Install 6: 'Superior Silverware - Texture Optimization' (LINK)
Install 7: 'Rudy HQ - Misc SE - The Rest'

Ruins Linen Sheet SSE (LINK)
RUSTIC AZURA'S STAR - Special Edition (LINK)
Install: 'RUSTIC AZURA'S STAR - SSE - 2K'

RUSTIC CLUTTER COLLECTION - Special Edition - SSEBP-REPACK - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Repack of 'RUSTIC CLUTTER COLLECTION - Special Edition' (LINK)
RUSTIC COOKING - Special Edition (LINK)
Install: 'RUSTIC COOKING - Special Edition - 2K'

RUSTIC DAEDRA - Special Edition (LINK)
Install: 'RUSTIC DAEDRA SSE - VANILLA - 4K'
RUSTIC DAEDRA - Special Edition - 2K Normals (LINK)
RUSTIC DEATH HOUND and GARGOYLE - Special Edition (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'RUSTIC DEATH HOUND AND GARGOYLE SSE - DARK - 4K-2K'

RUSTIC DRAGON CORPSE - Special Edition (LINK)
Install: 'RUSTIC DRAGON CORPSE SSE - 4K'
RUSTIC DRAGON CORPSE - Special Edition - 2K Normals (LINK)
RUSTIC EAST EMPIRE COMPANY SIGNAGE (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
I recommend installing: 'RUSTIC EAST EMPIRE COMPANY SIGNAGE - Dark Version'

RUSTIC ELDERSCROLL - Special Edition (LINK)
Install: 'RUSTIC ELDERSCROLL - Special Edition - 4K-2K'
RUSTIC FURNITURE - SPECIAL EDITION - SSEBP-REPACK - 4K-2K-Mix (LINK)
Note: This is a repack of 'RUSTIC FURNITURE - SPECIAL EDITION' (LINK) *Don't download from Nexus
RUSTIC NORDIC MURALS (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: 'RUSTIC NORDIC MURALS 2K-1K'

RUSTIC POTIONS and POISONS (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install 'RUSTIC POTIONS and POISONS - 2K-1K'
RUSTIC SOULGEMS - Special Edition (LINK)
Install: 'RUSTIC SOULGEMS - Special Edition - 1K Unsorted'
RUSTIC SPRIGGAN - Special Edition (LINK)
Install: 'RUSTIC SPRIGGAN - Special Edition - 4K'
RUSTIC SPRIGGAN - Special Edition - 2K Normals (LINK)
RUSTIC STANDING STONES - SSEBP-REPACK (LINK)
Note: This is a repack of 'RUSTIC STANDING STONES' (LINK) *Don't download from Nexus
RUSTIC WINDOWS - Special Edition (LINK)
Install: 'RUSTIC WINDOWS - Special Edition - 2K'
Note: Don't overwrite files from '4K Parallax High Hrothgar by Pfuscher'
Note: Don't overwrite files from 'HQ college of Winterhold'

Salmon Retex (LINK)
Septim HD SSE (LINK)
Serious Mammoth Bone Retex HD (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Silky Spider Eggs SE (LINK)
Recommended installation settings(LINK)

Simple Sacks SE (LINK)
Recommended installation settings (LINK)

Snazzy Bloody Rags (LINK)
Soul Husk Retexture (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Spell Tome Replacers (LINK)
Install: 'Spell Tome Replacers HQ Paper Compatible v2.1'

Stalhrim Source (LINK)
Install: 'Stalhrim (4K)'

█Stunning Statues of Skyrim (LINK)
Recommended installation settings(LINK)
Take clam shell (LINK)
Recommended installation settings:

Taproot 1K (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: 'Taproot 1K'
Training Dummies Retexture 4k and 2k (LINK)
Install 1: 'Training Dummies 4k Texture Replacer'
Install 2: 'Rain Barrel Fix and Retexture'
Training Dummies Retexture - 2K Normals (LINK)
Transparent and Refracting Icicle and Frost Atronach (LINK)
Install: 'Loose Clear refracting icicle and FrostAtronach'
Vampire Coffins 2k-4k (LINK)
Vampire Coffins - 2K Normals (LINK)
Vampire Coffins Lighter Retexture (LINK)
Vampire Lord Retexture (LINK)
WEBS S.E. (LINK)
Install: 'WEBS SE x2048'

White Phial Replacer SE (LINK)
Windhelm Enhanced - HD 4k Metalwork (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Windhelm Enhanced - Texture Optimization (LINK)

Mods 6: UI

SkyUI (LINK)
RaceMenu (LINK)
█ Immersive HUD - iHUD Special Edition (LINK)

Mods 7: Character and Race
Retex

Supreme Chaurus Hunters (LINK)
Eye Normal Map Fix SSE (LINK)
Install: 'Eye Normal Map Fix SSE'

█ Fixed body collision (LINK)
Mannequins Stay Put (LINK)

█ NARC Remade - No Animals Report Crimes for Skyrim SE (LINK)
Installation settings(LINK)
Superior Lore-Friendly Hair - HD textures (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: 'Superior Lore-Friendly Hair - HD 2K - Straight hair'
KS Hairdos SSE (LINK)
Install 1: 'KS Hairdos SSE'
Install 2: 'KS Hairdos SSE - .esp only'

ApachiiSkyHair SSE (LINK)
Install 1: 'ApachiiSkyHairMale_v_1_2_Optimized'
Install 2: 'ApachiiSkyHairFemale_v_1_5_Optimized'
Install 3: 'ApachiiSkyHair_v_1_6_Full_optimized'
Install 4: 'Fix Khajiit_ApachiiSkyHairFemale'
Install 5: 'Fix_Hair_82_ApachiiSkyHairFemale'
RaceCompatibility (LINK)
Installation settings:

XP32 Maximum Skeleton Special Extended - XPMSSE (LINK)
Installation settings (LINK)

Lazy Tools (LINK)
Install: 'LazyTools 0.10.1'
CBPC - CBP Physics with Collisions for SSE and VR (LINK)
*During installation, select your version of Skyrim, and choose 'CBBE Curvy' as body.
HDT SSE Physics (LINK)
*The mod should be downloaded from here (LINK)
However, to be able to download it, you have to register and make an account, post and ask for the code, use the code to gain access to another site, make another account, download a program (in Chinese language), get yet another code and use in for the program to download the files from a Chinese online service. - To save everyone the trouble, I decided to upload the files here together with my own fix instead.
Install 1: 'hdtSSEFramework_1_5_53'
Install 2: 'hdtSSEPhysics_1_5_53'

RaceMenu High Heels (LINK)
Better Males Remesh for Skyrim SE (LINK)
Install 1: 'Better Males Remesh for Skyrim SE 2.3 - FOMOD installer'
*Recommended installation settings (LINK)
Install 2: 'Better Males Flaccid Cut FULL with vertice correction included'

Caliente's Beautiful Bodies Enhancer -CBBE- (LINK)
Install 1: 'Caliente's Beautiful Bodies Enhancer - v1.5.1'
Install 2: 'CBBE SMP Config v1.0.6'
Installation settings(LINK)
CBBE - Texture Optimization (LINK)
M7BBP - MayheM7 Bootyful-Body with Physics (LINK)
Install the main-file only: 'M7BBP - MayheM7 Bootyful-Body with Physics'
Note: The other files has to be installed later
*If you don't want to use this body, just skip this, and all the M7BBP patches later on

Feminine Argonian Textures (LINK)
Install: 'Feminine Argonian Textures (Chameleon and Lizard) CBBE'
Recommended installation settings (LINK)
Feminine Khajiit Textures (LINK)
Install: 'Feminine Khajiit Textures (Grey Cat and Leopard) CBBE'
Recommended installation settings (LINK)

Fores New Idles in Skyrim SE - FNIS SE (LINK)
Install 1: 'FNIS Behavior SE 7_4_5'
Install 2: 'FNIS Spells SE 7.0'
After installation, open the Skyrim SE game-folder, and go to 'DatatoolsGenerateFNIS_for_Users'. Make a shortcut to 'GenerateFNISforUsers.exe'. You will need this tool after installing animations and NPCs. .But not yet.

FNIS Sexy Move SE (LINK)
█ D13 Faster GET UP STAND UP animation vanilla friendly SSE (LINK)
Install: 'D13 Faster Get Up Stand Up SSE - BSA'
█ Feminine Pickup Animation SE (LINK)
Install 1: 'Feminine Pickup Animation SE'
Install 2: 'Animated Harvesting'
Animated Dragon Wings (LINK)
Recommended installation settings:
NOTE: This doesn't add dragon wings to the character. It's just a resource needed for the Succubus Race and some of the NPCs

Better Females Eyebrows - Standalone (LINK)
Better Females Eyebrows - ESP Fix (LINK)
SG Female Eyebrows (LINK) *LE
SG Female Eyebrows - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
Coverwomen (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: 'coverwomen look_1'
Coverwomen - Look 1 - CBBE Face Match (LINK)
The Eyes Of Beauty SSE (LINK)
Install 1: 'The Eyes Of Beauty - Player'
Install 2: 'esp update for Player edition'

Improved Eyes Skyrim (LINK)
Installation settings(LINK)
Covereyes - SSEBP-REPACK (LINK)
Note: This is a repack of 'Covereyes' (LINK) - Made to compliment 'Improved Eyes Skyrim'. *Don't download the LE mod

Female Vampires Have Fangs (LINK)
Fangs and Eyes - A Vampire Appearance Mod (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'Fangs and Eyes - Red', but choose any main file

█ Lunari Race - SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE Conversion of 'Lunari Race' (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod
Installation settings(LINK)
Lunari Race - SSE Eye Fix (LINK)
Lunari Race - M7BBP Replacer And Texture Optimization (LINK)
*Optonal M7 Bootyful-Body with Physics replacer & optimized textures. Install only if you chose the recommended installation-settings for the Lunari Race
█ Succubus Race SSE (LINK)
Note: Don't overwrite files from 'racecompatibility'
Succubus Race SSE - M7BBP Replacer And Texture Optimization (LINK)
*Optonal M7 Bootyful-Body with Physics replacer with optimized textures
█ Temptress Race CBBE - SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE Conversion of 'Temptress Race' (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod
Temptress Race - M7BBP Replacer And Texture Optimization (LINK)
*Optonal M7 Bootyful-Body with Physics replacer & optimized textures
ENB Brow Fix (LINK)
No More Ugly Effects SE (LINK)
Ugly Bronze Shine Remover SSE (LINK)

Skyrim Forgotten Retex Project 1

Mods 8: Weapons & Armor
Some of these mods are not 100% Bethesda-policy-lore-friendly (marked with pink text), meaning, not all of them are as far from being attractive as humanly possible. However, non of them are unimmersive or out of place, and they are all high quality mods.

Accingite Vos - Shields HQ Retextures (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Weapons Armor Clothing and Clutter Fixes (LINK)
Install 1: 'Weapons Armor Clothing and Clutter Fixes'
Install 2: 'WACCF 4K-2K Textures'
Installation settings:
Weapons Armor Clothing and Clutter Fixes - CBBE Patch (LINK)
aMidianBorn - Book Of Silence - SSE Conversion (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE Conversion of 'aMidianBorn Book of Silence' (LINK) All mods/patches included. *Don't download the LE mods
aMidianborn Skyforge Arrow Fix (LINK)
Auriel's Bow HD (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'Auriel's Bow HD'

Auriel's Shield HD (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'Auriel's Shield HD'

Better Circlets HQ (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Dark Brotherhood Armor Male 2k (LINK)
Dragonbone Armor and Weapons HD by Natterforme (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'Dragonbone Armor and Weapons 2K HD'
Falmer Weapons for aMidianBorn Book of Silence (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
LH's Imperial Arsenal HD - Complete (LINK)
Nightingale Pride - Bow And Blade Reincarnation (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Install: 'NightingalePride - ULTRA'
Nightingale Pride - Bow And Blade Reincarnation - 2K Normals (LINK)
Nightingale Prime HD (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
Remiros' Wabbajack HD (LINK)
Remiros' Wabbajack HD - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Vanilla-friendly Spellbreaker Retexture (LINK)
RUSTIC CLOTHING - Special Edition (LINK)
Install: 'RUSTIC CLOTHING - Special Edition - 4K-2K'
Frankly HD Thieves Guild Armors (LINK)
During installation, choose 4K textures
Frankly HD Thieves Guild Armors - 2K Normals (LINK)

ElDruin Dawnbreaker - mesh and texture replacer (LINK)
Elven Weapon for Silence - SSE Conversion (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE Conversion of 'Elven Weapon for Silence' (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod
Recommended installation settings:
Riekling Spears Revamped Texture (LINK)
Install: 'Riekling Spears Black Leather 4k'

█ Eidolon's Edge (LINK)
█ Nameless Light (LINK)
█ Skycutter (LINK)
█ Sword of the Seeker (LINK)
█ Ygrayne (LINK)
█ Weapon Merge (LINK)
*This file merges together the previous 5 esp files into one
After installation, click the 'Plugins' tab and uncheck the previous 5 items. See image
█ Elven Silver Daggers by ClipsyMoon (LINK)
Elven Silver Daggers by ClipsyMoon - ESP Fix (LINK)
█Ghosus Weapon Pack (LINK) *LE
Ghosus Weapon Pack 1.8 - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
█ Nightingale Forever (LINK)
Nightingale Forever - ESP Fix (LINK)
█ Shields of the Holds (LINK)
█ Ultimate Assortment by FavoredSoul-SSE (LINK)
Install 1: 'Ultimate Assortment by FavoredSoul - Core Files'
Install 2: 'Ultimate Assortment CBBE Amulet Mesh Pack_SSE'

█ Unique Uniques SE (LINK)
█ Valkyrja - Viking sword (LINK)
Valkyrja - Viking sword - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Weapon Merge 2 (LINK)
*This file merges together the previous 7 esp files into one
After installation, click the 'Plugins' tab and uncheck the previous 7 items. See image
█ Weapons of the Third Era SSE (LINK)
█ Frankly HD Miraak (LINK)
Install 1: 'Frankly HD Miraak 1.0' *
Install 2: 'Frankly HD Miraak HOTFIX 1.11'
Install 3: 'Frankly HD Miraak - CBBE SE'
Frankly HD Miraak - Texture Optimization (LINK)
*Recommended installation settings:
█ Frankly HD Silver Sword (LINK) *LE
Frankly HD Silver Sword - SSE Patch And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Ghorzas Armory (LINK)
Install 1: 'Ghorzas Armor SSE - CBBE'
Install 2: 'Ghorza's Weapons 1.1'
Install 3: 'Ghorzas Armor - Retextures by Undeadgoblin'
Recommended installation settings (LINK)

█ Battle Claws - Normal Damage SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of this mod (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod
█ SPOA Silver Knight Armor SE (LINK)
Install: 'SPOA Silver Knight Armor 2.0 VERY HIGH 4K-2K'

█ SPOA Silver Knight Shield SE (LINK)
Install: 'SPOA Silver Knight Shield SE 4K Ultra'

█ SPOA Silver Knight - Texture Optimization with Loose Files (LINK)
█ Zerofrost Mythical Armors and Dragon (LINK)
Install 1: 'Valkyrie Armor'
Install 2: 'Valkyrie Armor SE HotFix'
Valkyrie Armor - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Crimson Twilight Armor - CBBE SSE (LINK)
Install: 'Crimson Twilight Armor - CBBE SSE'
I also recommend installing: 'White Textures'
Crimson Twilight Armor - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Scarlet Dawn Armor - CBBE SSE (LINK)
Install: 'Scarlet Dawn Armor - CBBE SSE'
I also recommend installing: 'White Textures 1'
Scarlet Dawn Armor - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ The Witcher 2 - Eilhart Dress (LINK)
Install: 'Eilhart_Dress'
I also recommend installing: 'Eilhart_retexture_BLACK'
The Witcher 2 - Eilhart Dress - ESP Fix (LINK)
Note: If you want the BodySlide files, here is a repack with correct file-paths (DOWNLOAD)
█ Armor Merge 1 (LINK)
*This file merges together the previous 7 esp files into one
After installation, click the 'Plugins' tab and uncheck the previous 7 items. See image

JS Barenziah SE (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'JS Barenziah SE - 2K Textures'
█ Lustmord Vampire Armor - SSE CBBE BodySlide (LINK)
█ Merta Assassin Armor - CBBE BodySlide (LINK) *Almost lore-friendly
 Install 1: 'Merta Assassin Armor - CBBE SE (Physics)'
Install 2: 'Merta Assassin Armor - CBBE SE - No Heel Addons'
Merta Assassin Armor - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█Merta Black Rose - CBBE BodySlide (LINK) *Not lore-friendly
Merta Black Rose - 4K Ultra Texture SSEBP-REPACK (LINK)
█ Daedric Chainmail - CBBE SSE Bodyslide (LINK) *Almost lore-friendly
Install: 'Daedric Chainmail (LazyHeels)'
█ Demon Hunter Armor by Jojjo (LINK)
Install: 'Demonhunter Armor CBBE' (Version 1.1 from 'Old Files')
*The latest version doesn't have Bodyslide support

█ Justice Glass Armor - CBBE SSE BodySlide (LINK) *Almost lore-friendly
█ Justice Stalhrim Armor - CBBE SSE BodySlide (LINK) *Almost lore-friendly
█ Dragon Priest (LINK)
Install: 'Dragon.Priest.4k-2k'
Recommended installation settings:

█ Kozakowy's Steampunk Outfit - SSE CBBE BodySlide (LINK)
Kozakowy's Steampunk Outfit - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Light refracting Glass armor and weapons - UNP CBBE 7Base (LINK) *Almost lore-friendly
Install 1: 'Light Refracting Glass Armors and Weapons Loose'
Install 2: 'Light Refracting Glass Options'
Installation settings:

Light refracting Glass armor - M7BBP Replacer (LINK)
Note: If you want the BodySlide files, here is a repack with correct file-paths (DOWNLOAD)

█ Refracting Stalhrim Armors and Weapons - UNP CBBE 7Base (LINK) *Almost lore-friendly
Install 1: 'MAIN Stalhrim mesh and texture loose files'
Install 2: 'Refracting Stalhrim Options'
Installation settings:
Refracting Stalhrim Armors and Weapons - M7BBP Replacer (LINK)
█ Schwertleite Armor and Weapons (LINK) *Almost lore-friendly
Recommended installation settings (LINK)

█ Tera Rogue Armor - CBBE-TBD SE (LINK)
Install: 'Tera Rogue Armor - CBBE SE'
Tera Rogue Armor - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Tera Succubus Armor - CBBE-TBD SE (LINK) *Not lore-friendly
Install: 'Tera Succubus Armor - CBBE SE'
Tera Succubus Armor - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Armor Merge 2 (LINK)
*This file merges together the previous 10 esp files into one
After installation, click the 'Plugins' tab and uncheck the previous 10 items. See image
█ Modular Nereid Pirate (LINK)
Modular Nereid Pirate - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ The Amazing World of Bikini Armor - CBBE SE (LINK) *Not lore-friendly
M7BBP - The Amazing World of Bikini Armor Replacer (LINK)
█ The Amazing World Of Bikini Armor Level List Integration (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'TAWOBA Level Lists No Chance Topless'

█ Vampire Leather Armor - CBBE SSE BodySlide (LINK)
█ White Leopard Forsworn Armor Replacer - M7BBP - SSE Conversion (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of 'TroubleMakers Forsworn Armor' (LINK) - M7BBP non-topless version. *Don't download the LE mod
█ Witch of the Wild - CBBE SSE BodySlide (LINK)
Install: 'Witch of the Wild - CBBE SSE BodySlide'
I also recommend installing: 'Light version - Black'

The next couple of mods are not exactly Bethesda-policy-lore-friendly, and one could definitely argue that they don't bring any significance to the story. However, absolute and complete absence of even remotely appealing apparel, is not entirely 'realistic', considering the rest of the universe. If the game had a category for lingeries, that's where these mods would fit. They are fairly moderate in terms of materials and presence in the world. If you want more explicit and 'not so moderate' mods, of which there are plenty, try these sites:
Sky TM (LINK)
Killingdoll (LINK)
Ninirim (LINK)
EiheiSpot (LINK)

█ Charles Rene from BDO SE CBBE (LINK) *Not lore-friendly
█ Aradia Lace Dress SSE - CBBE (LINK) *Not lore-friendly
Install: 'Aradia Lace Dress SSE - Craft - CBBE (SE) Curvy - Physics - v1.0.0'

█ Aradia Lingerie Dress SSE - CBBE (LINK) *Not lore-friendly
 Install: 'Aradia Lingerie Dress SSE - Craft - CBBE (SE) Curvy - Physics - v1.1.1'

█ N8k Black Rose II - CBBE BodySlide (LINK) *Not lore-friendly
█ Nausicaa Lingerie Set - CBBE SE - Bodyslide - Physics (LINK) *Not lore-friendly
█ Queen Bikini - CBBE BodySlide (LINK) *Not lore-friendly
Queen Bikini - Red Retexture (LINK) *Makes the fabric red instead of blue. Optional of course

█ Undies - SSE CBBE BodySlide (LINK) *Not lore-friendly
█ Void Armor by Hentai - CBBE - BodySlide (LINK) *Not lore-friendly
█ Armor Merge 3 (LINK)
*This file merges together the previous 5 esp files into one
After installation, click the 'Plugins' tab and uncheck the previous 5 items. See image
█ M7BBP - Vanilla Outfits Replacer (LINK)
*Install this only if you installed the M7BBP-Body mod
█ M7BBP - Mods Outfit Replacer (LINK)
*This will make most of the armor/clothing mods fit the M7BBP-Body. You can still use it, even if you didn't install all of the armor/clothing. You will just get a few extra files that the game won't use. They won't cause any issues what so ever.

Mods 9: New NPCs & Quests
These mods are all optional, so just pick any you like. I highly recommend installing at least some of them, so Skyrim won't feel so 'empty'. You can of course use any standalone follower mods from the Nexus. However, these mods have all been tested to work together and with the rest of the guide. I have made texture optimizations where needed, making them less demanding. In short, these mods are guaranteed to work, and they will perform well

█Populated Forts Towers Places Remastered Edition(LINK)
█ Populated Lands Roads Paths for SE (LINK)
█ Populated Skyrim Prisons Cells Legendary Edition (LINK)
█ Populated Solstheim (LINK) *LE
Install: 'Populated Solstheim 2'
Populated Solstheim - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
█ Immersive College NPCs (LINK)
█ Seedy Merchant SSE (LINK)
█ Arien Starsong - SSE (LINK)
Install: 'Arien Starsong Follower SSE - CBBE (SE) - Physics - v2.0.1'
Arien Starsong - SSE - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Astana - Combat Sorceress Follower - SSE (LINK)
Install: 'Astana SSE - CBBE Curvy (SSE) Physics'
Astana - Combat Sorceress Follower - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Queenieangels Cousins - Athenyaa Athos (LINK) *LE
Install: 'Athenyaa Athos CBBE TBBP'
Athenyaa Athos - SSE Conversion Patch - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Aurora and Twilight Followers - Voiced with Body Changer - SSE (LINK)
Install: 'Aurora and Twilight SSE - Custom Voice - CBBE (SE) or 7Base Bombshell - Physics - v1.0.1'
Aurora And Twilight - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)

█ Blonde's mansion (LINK) *LE
Blonde's Mansion - SSE Conversion - With Texture Optimization (LINK)
Blonde's Mansion - SSE - M7BBP-BBW Replacer (LINK)

█ Calista Summerstar - Combat Mystic Companion SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of this mod (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod
█ Dallas and Xevaria - Sexy Sisters of Battle by Kayden87 - SSE (LINK)
Install: 'K87 - Dallas SSE - CBBE (SE) - Physics - v1.1.0'
Dallas and Xevaria - Dallas - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Danariel Stormbow Follower with Body Changer - SSE (LINK)
Install 1: 'Danariel Stormbow SSE - CBBE (SE) Curvy and 7BB - Physics - v2.2.1'
Install 2: 'Danariel Stormbow - M7BBP And Texture Optimization' (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'Danariel Stormbow SSE Optional - Dark Hair - v2.2.1'
I recommend installing: 'Danariel Stormbow - Eyes Bright_Blue Vampire Option - v2.2.1'
█ Dark Elf Melissa Follower - Normal Eyes - UUNP SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of this mod (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod
█ DJQ Frozen by Djacko Quatro - Ported to SSE by bchick3 (LINK)
Install: 'DJQ_Frozen SSE UNP HDT with outfits'
DJQ Frozen - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ DJQ Princesses by Djacko Quatro - Ported to SSE by bchick3 (LINK)
Install: 'DJQ Princesses-C SSE'
I also recommend installing: 'DJQ Princesses No Panties patch'
DJQ Princesses - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ DJQ Zafira - Rayya Replacer by Djacko Quatro (LINK)
Install: 'DJQ Zafira SSE'
DJQ Zafira - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Mvpbeserker's Elise - SSE (LINK)
Install: 'Elise SSE - CBBE Curvy (SE) No physics - v1.1.1'
Mvpbeserker's Elise - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ YuiH Standalone Follower - Emily - SSE (LINK)
Install: 'Emily YuiH Follower SSE - CBBE (SE) Curvy - Special Physics - v1.0.0'
YuiH Standalone Follower - Emily - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ YuiH StandAlone Follower - Eva - SSE (LINK)
Install: 'Eva - YuiH StandAlone Follower SSE - CBBE (SE) - Physics - v1.0.0'
YuiH StandAlone Follower - Eva - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Eveline Winters Standalone Follower SE (LINK)
Install: 'Eveline Winters CBBE SE'
Eveline Winters - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)

█MBWS Yamato Nadeshiko Followers ACT2 by Ria - SSE (LINK)
Install: 'MBWS Yamato Nadeshiko Followers ACT2 SSE - CBBE (SE) - Physics - v1.1.2'
Followers ACT2 SSE - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█GK Orc Followers - SSE (LINK)
Install: 'GK Orc Followers - SSE - CBBE SE - v1.1.0'
GK Orc Followers - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ GK Redguard Followers - SSE (LINK)
Install 1: 'GK Redguard Followers SSE - CBBE (SE) - Physics - v1.1.0'
Install 2: 'GK Redguard Followers SSE Optional - No Face Tattoo - v1.1.0'
GK Redguard Followers - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█Hanali Fire and Ice Lunari Follower (LINK)
Install: 'Hanali CBBE_TBBP_HDT SSE'
Hanali Fire And Ice - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Kat Frol Standalone Follower - SSE (LINK)
Install: 'Kat Frol Follower SSE - CBBE (SE) - Physics - v1.0.0'
Kat Frol - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Kellece - Redguard Follower - SSE Conversion (LINK)
Install: 'Kellece SSE - CBBE'
Kellece - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
Kellece - M7BBP-BBW Replacer (LINK) *Optional alternative body model (Install after 'M7BBP And Texture Optimization')
█ Khorah Orc Standalone Follower (LINK) *LE
Install: 'Khorah Orc CBBE HDT'
Khorah Orc - SSE Conversion - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Lady Arkay - standalone follower (LINK)
Lady Arkay - CBBE - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Lamae Beolfag the First Vampire SE (LINK)
Lamae Beolfag The First Vampire - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Legend Of Andromeda SE (LINK)
Install: 'Legend Of Andromeda SE Redguard UNP BSA 1.0'
Legend Of Andromeda - CBBE - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
Legend Of Andromeda - Weight 60 (LINK) *Change weight from 0 to 60
█ Thedoodlebob aka PillowFun's Lendri Follower - SSE (LINK)
Install: 'Lendri SSE - CBBE (SE) - Physics - 4k - Naked - v1.0.0'
Lendri Follower - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█ Lilla - Standalone follower - UNP-CBBE (LINK)
Install: 'Skykix Follower Lilla SSE CBBE curvy'
Lilla - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
Lilla - M7BBP-BBW Replacer (LINK) *Optional alternative body model (Install after 'M7BBP And Texture Optimization')
█ Lullaby - Vampire Follower - SSE (LINK)
Install: 'Lullaby SSE - CBBE Curvy (SSE) Physics - Original Hair'
Lullaby - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█Lunari Warriors 6 Standalone Followers - REBORN (LINK)
Install: 'Lunari Warriors SSE - CBBE Curvy (SE) - 7Base Bombshell - v1.1.0'
Lunari Warriors - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█Marie - A Redhead Follower - SSE (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'Marie Redhead SSE - CBBE (LE) Physics - Weight 0.9 - v1.1.0', but choose any CBBE main-file
Note: Don't overwrite files from the 'Amazing world of bikini armor' mods
Marie - A Redhead Follower - Texture Optimization - No Freckles (LINK)
█Marie - A Vampire Follower SSE (LINK)
Marie - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█Milla curvy girl (LINK)
Milla - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█Mona Follower SE (LINK)
Install: 'Mona Follower SE CBBE HDT'
Mona - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
Mona - M7BBP-BBW Replacer (LINK) *Optional alternative body model (Install after 'M7BBP And Texture Optimization')
█Nicola Avenicci (LINK) *LE
Install: 'Nicola Avenicci CBBE TBBP v0.2'
Nicola Avenicci - SSE Patch And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█Noirslate's Follower Fever SE (LINK)
Install: 'Noirslate's Follower Fever - Default'
Noirslate's Follower Fever - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█Pandorable's Heroines (LINK)
Install 1: 'Pandorable's Heroines SE'
Install 2: 'Pandorable's Heroines SE - eye fix'
Pandorable's Heroines - UUNP Replacer And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█Rayne Standalone Follower (LINK)
Note: Don't overwrite files from any previous mods. NO to all
█Sassy Teen Girls - SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an English SSE conversion of this mod (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod

█Seductress Elizabeth SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of this mod (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod
Recommended installation settings (LINK)

█YuiH Standalone Follower - Sha (Renewal) SSE (LINK)
Install: 'YuiH StandAlone Follower - Sha v1_1 (Renewal) - SSE - CBBE Curvy (SE) No Physics'
Sha - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█SKY Standalone Followers (LINK) *LE
Install: 'SKY Standalone Followers CBBE'
SKY Standalone Followers - SSE Patch - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█SKY Follower Merge (LINK)
*This file merges together the 4 esp files from 'SKY Standalone Followers' into one
After installation, click the 'Plugins' tab and uncheck the 4 items. See image

█SKY Standalone Uniques (LINK) *LE
Install 1: 'SKY Standalone Uniques CBBE'
Install 2: 'SKY Relocation Uniques Dragonsreach'
SKY Standalone Uniques - SSE Patch - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█The Karlov Brood SSE- Vampire Followers b5 (LINK)
Install 1: 'Karlov Brood CBBE SSE'
Install 2: 'The Karlov Brood - M7BBP And Texture Optimization'(LINK)
Install 3: 'Karlov Brood Family Jewels SE'
█Tish Stone-Flower Redone SSE - Nord Follower (LINK)
Installation settings(LINK)
Tish Stone-Flower - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█Unicorn SE (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'Unicorn SE - Vulnerable'

█Xana the Succubus follower SSE (LINK)
Install: 'Xana Succubus SSE - No Tail - CBBE (SE) Curvy - Physics - with Bodyslide - v1.4.2'
Xana the Succubus - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█Vaelishna Ranger Follower - SSE (LINK)
Install: 'Vaelishna Follower SSE - CBBE (SE) Curvy - Special Physics - v1.0.1'
Vaelishna Ranger Follower - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█Vanmoriel - Standalone Follower - SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of this mod (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod

█ Victoria Velina SSE (LINK)
█Immersive Wenches (LINK)
Install 1: 'Immersive Wenches SE'
Install 2: 'Immersive Wenches -Apachii hairs- Patch_SE'
Note: Don't mind the screenshots on the Nexus page. The mod uses default body model, so the NPC's won't look like the screenshots

█Deadly Wenches (LINK)
█Buxom Wench Yuriana -Tank Healer Support Follower- and Captured Wenches (LINK)
Install: 'Buxom Wench Yuriana'
I also recommend installing: 'Buxom Wench Yuriana -optional hair 01-'
Note: Don't overwrite files from any previous mods. NO to all

█Immersive Wenches -Enslaved Wenches patch- (LINK)
█Buxom And Enslaved Wenches - Texture Optimization (LINK)
█Enslaved Wenches - Immersive Posters (LINK)
Posters replaced with lore-friendly style

█High Quality Tintmasks for Immersive Wenches (LINK)
Install: 'High Quality Tintmasks for Immersive Wenches - Loose' (From 'Old Files')
Installation settings:

█Interesting NPCs SSE 3.42 (LINK)
Click 'Download' and select 'SSE - Interesting NPCs v3.4.2 Beta'
*Don't add this file to NMM, as it contains too many files for NMM to handle. Just unpack the file into the Skyrim SE game-folder manually.
Note: Don't overwrite any existing files
█Hott Interesting NPCs (LINK)
█Interesting NPCs Zora Customizer SSE (LINK)
Installation settings(LINK)
Interesting NPCs Zora - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
█Flower Girls SE and VR (LINK) *Lore-friendliness depends on usage
Install 1: 'FlowerGirls SE and VR Main File'
I recommend installing 2: 'Amorous Adventures FG SSE 3.4.1'
Install 3: 'FlowerGirls SE Adventures'
Install 4: 'FlowerGirls SE Immersive Wenches Patch'

Mods 10: NPC Changes

█ Marry Me Serana (LINK)
Inhabitants of Skyrim - NPC Overhaul(LINK) *LE
Install: 'NPC Overhaul - Version 1'
NPC Overhaul - Version 1 - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
The Kids Are Alright SE (LINK)
Install 1: 'The Kids Are Alright - The Director's Cut' *Either version
Install 2: 'The Kids Are Alright Loose File Facegens 4.8'
Install 3: 'Falskaar TKAA Patch'
Install 4: 'Rigmor Of Bruma TKAA Patch'
The Kids Are Alright - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Pandorable's NPCs (LINK)
Install 1: 'Pandorable's NPCs SE'
Install 2: 'Pandorable's NPCs SE - USSEP'
Pandorable's NPCs - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Pandorable's NPCs - Dawnguard (LINK)
Install: 'Pandorable's NPCs - Dawnguard SE - USSEP'
Pandorable's NPCs - Dawnguard - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Improved Bards - Special Edition (LINK)
Install: 'Improved Bards 1.3 - CBBE SFW'
Improved Bards - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
Bijin NPCs SE - M7BBP And UUNP - With Optimized Textures (LINK)
Note: This is a repack of 'Bijin NPCs SE' (LINK) - Includes M7BBP And UUNP body models and optimized textures. *Don't download from Nexus
Installation settings (LINK)
Bijin Merge (LINK)
*This file merges together the 11 esp files from 'Bijin NPCs SE' into one
After installation, click the 'Plugins' tab and uncheck the 11 items. See image
Migal's Housecarl Beauties SE (LINK)
Install: 'Migals Housecarl Beauties CBBE 3-0'
Migal's Housecarl Beauties - Texture Optimization (LINK)
Skyrim Beautiful Followers - SSE - SSEBP-Pick (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion and repack of 'Skyrim Beautiful Followers - SBF' (LINK). *Don't download the LE mod

SBF Merge (LINK)
*This file merges together 16 out of 18 esp files from 'Skyrim Beautiful Followers - SSE - SSEBP-Pick' into one
After installation, click the 'Plugins' tab and uncheck the 16 items. See image
█Hott Ildari - Ash Witch of Tel Mithryn - Villain-Follower (LINK)
█Khaliza of Gilane - Redguard Housecarl of Markarth SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of this mod (LINK) *Don't download the LE mod
MBWS NPC Replacer Karliah and Vex by Ria (LINK)
Install: 'MBWS NPC Replacer Karliah and Vex SSE - CBBE (SE) - Physics - v1.0.1'
MBWS NPC Replacer Karliah and Vex - M7BBP And Texture Optimization (LINK)
Superb Serana (LINK) *LE
Install: 'Serana CBBE'
Superb Serana - SSE Conversion Patch - M7BBP Replacer (LINK)
Note: The SSE version on Nexus(LINK), doesn't have proper conversion of esp and nif files

Mods 11: Game-Play Alterations

█Amazing Follower Tweaks SE (LINK)
Install 1: 'Amazing Follower Tweaks'
Install 2: 'AFT_iNPC Alpha SSE Fix'
█ Relationship Dialogue Overhaul - RDO SE (LINK)
Install 1: 'Relationship Dialogue Overhaul - RDO Final'
Install 2: 'RDO - CRF and USSEP Patches Final'
Install 3: 'RDO - AFT SE Patch Final'
Relationship Dialogue Overhaul - Texture Optimization (LINK)

█Rich Skyrim Merchants (LINK)
█Troll Tweaks (LINK) *LE
Troll Tweaks - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
█Vampire Faction (LINK) *LE
Install: 'Vampire Faction 1.1 Dawnguard'
Vampire Faction - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
█Stones of Barenziah Quest Markers (LINK)
█JK Crafting Breakdown - Junk Melting Smelting (LINK) *LE
JK Crafting Breakdown - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
█Craftable Torches (LINK)
█Lost Art of the Blacksmith (LINK) *LE
Lost Art of the Blacksmith - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
█Carry Weight Modifier (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'Carry Weight x100'
█Dibellas Compulsion - Nude Spell (LINK) *LE
Dibellas Compulsion - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
█Resurrect Dead Spell (LINK) *LE
Resurrect Dead Spell - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
Shorter Cell Respawns SSE (LINK)

█Final Merge (LINK)
*This file merges together the previous 9 esp files into one
After installation, click the 'Plugins' tab and uncheck the 9 items. See image

█Teleportation Spell with Menu and Mark and Recall with Menu (LINK) *LE
Install: 'Teleport Menu Spell_DLC' (v4.0) from Old Versions
*The newer versions require 'JCONTAINERS', which can make problems with certain player homes. Version 4.0 works perfectly and has no requirements
Teleportation Spell - SSE Conversion Patch (LINK)
█Brighter torches and toggle-able brighter CandleLight (LINK)

█Timescales Close to Real Life (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'Timescale Value 3'

█Faster Mining (LINK) *LE - No conversion needed
█Realistic Melee Range (LINK)
█Combat Evolved (LINK)
*This mod makes combat significantly more difficult (and interesting). If you are new to Skyrim, maybe skip this mod until the original combat becomes too easy

█Sneak Tools SE Edition (LINK)
I recommend installing: 'Sneak Tools - Minimal Edition'

█Deadly Damage (LINK)
█Customizable Camera (LINK)

Mods 12: Lighting

Remove Interior Fog (LINK)
█Rudy HQ - More Lights for ENB SE - Bthardamz (LINK)
█Rudy HQ - More Lights for ENB SE - Chaurus Eggs and Sacs (LINK)
█Rudy HQ - More Lights for ENB SE - Deathbells and Nirnroots (LINK)
█Rudy HQ - More Lights for ENB SE - Moths (LINK)
█Rudy HQ - More Lights for ENB SE - Soul Gems (LINK)
Install 1: 'Rudy HQ - More Lights for ENB SE - Soulgems'
Install 2: 'Rudy HQ - More Lights for ENB SE - Patch for Rustic Soulgems'

Mods 13: Weather (Option 1 - Highly Recommended)
Very diverse weather system, ranging from clear blue skies to heavy fog and rough storms. Includes a much better fog system, which makes it look like real fog instead of just a distance-fade. See screens (LINK)

Climates Of Tamriel 3.1 SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of 'Climates Of Tamriel 3.1'(LINK) *Don't download the LE mod
*This version is needed for the Weather Patch and Supreme Storms to work.
Falskaar - Climates of Tamriel Patch SSE (LINK)
Supreme Storms SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of 'Supreme Storms'(LINK) *Don't download the LE mod
Climates Of Tamriel - Weather Patch - SSE (LINK)
Note: This is an SSE conversion of 'Climates Of Tamriel - Weather Patch'(LINK) *Don't download the LE mod

Expanded Snow Systems - CoT - SSE (LINK)
Install 1: 'Expanded Snow Systems - SSE'
Install 2: 'Expanded Snow Systems - Patch for CoT DG - SSE'

Mods 13: Weather (Option 2)
 Lite-on dvdrw sohw-1213s atascadero. The latest version of CoT. A more modest system without the rough weathers. See screens (LINK) *The most noticeable disadvantage compared to option 1, is the fog. The fog looks more like distance-fog instead of real fog, which just makes the scenery bland

Climates Of Tamriel Special Edition - Weather - Lighting - Effects - Audio 5.7 (LINK)
*This latest version of CoT does have some minor improvements compared to CoT 3.1. However, in my opinion, this mod by can't compare to the changes brought by 'Climates Of Tamriel - Weather Patch' and 'Supreme Storms'.

End of Mod-List
Proceed to the ENB

Hey guys I have decided to confirm since most probably have guessed by know that an SSE guide based of the popular SRLE Extended LOTD is currently in a 'pre-Alpha'
you can find out mad plans I have here https://docs.google..dit?usp=sharing
The pre-requites guide is mostly built still needs some ironing out and tarting up you can find that here https://wiki.step-pr..E_Prerequisites
the main guide is under construction but will be written over the next few weeks and months but you can watch the progress here https://wiki.step-pr..y/Lexys_LOTD_SE
Before you all nuke your game and start building a few things to beware of, this new guide is currently untested and as such I am saying for now it is for TESTERS AND EXPERIENCED MODDERS ONLY. I just wanted to get it out into the wild cos I am very excited about this project.

This is not the BEST guide to having the BEST looking game. This is just a LIST of mods that will make your game look better and not a step by step modding process. The guide can be confusing for beginners because of all of the textures, meshes, and in which order you install them. We recommend you fiddle around with some of these mods first to understand the basics. I̶f̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶m̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶-̶d̶e̶p̶t̶h̶ ̶g̶u̶i̶d̶e̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶g̶r̶a̶p̶h̶i̶c̶s̶,̶ ̶c̶h̶e̶c̶k̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶K̶n̶o̶t̶s̶'̶ ̶S̶k̶y̶r̶i̶m̶ ̶g̶u̶i̶d̶e̶,̶ ̶S̶T̶E̶P̶,̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶T̶e̶x̶t̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶C̶o̶m̶b̶i̶n̶e̶r̶.̶ Actually nevermind, those guides have not been updated in YEARS. So don't even look at them anymore.
If you read the Essentials guide (as you should have) it says that you should get an ENB. If you haven't gotten an ENB or read the ENB page, you should do that now before moving on.
Mods for NPCs and characters are located in the Waifu and Husbando guides and are NOT in this one.
This might seem out of place, but we also recommend you to check out Hodilton's channel. He showcases many mods and ENBs. but what seperates him from every other person who does this is that his rig is AMAZING and it shows in his videos. He has one of the BEST looking modded Skyrim games out there and his videos will help find you new mods and give you inspiration to make your game look as good as his!
  1. ****I installed these mods in order from Bottom to Top***
  2. +DynDOLOD Output
  3. +DynDOLOD Patches
  4. +PapyrusUtil - Modders Scripting Utility Functions
  5. +HDT and Bodyslide conversion for VRDaphni's Ashara PotW CBBE
  6. +HDT Breast And Butt Physics - TBBP BBP Supported
  7. +FNIS Updates
  8. +XP32 Maximum Skeleton Extended
  9. +Lifelike Idle Animations
  10. +Sovngarde - Mist's Font Replacer
  11. +Dragon.Priest.by.Kajuan
  12. +Skeleton.and.Human.Bones.by.Kajuan
  13. +KS Hairdos - HDT Physics bpp fix
  14. +Embers HD
  15. +Kai's Makeup and Warpaints
  16. +YY Anim Replacer - Natural Jump
  17. +YY Anim Replacer - Mystic Knight
  18. +Lanterns of Skyrim - Skyrim Bridges Patch
  19. +Lanterns of Skyrim - All In One
  20. +TK Dodge
  21. +Improved Combat Sounds Bows
  22. +Creepier Daedric Princes
  23. +Immersive Dragon Sounds -iDS-
  24. +Dark Mode - Intense Combat Music - Dark Angel's Edition- ALPHA
  25. +Realistic Primitive Horse Breeds - 2k
  26. +Diverse Dragons Collection 3 (DDC3)
  27. +Skyrim Immersive Creatures
  28. +Riverside Lodge
  29. +Sulfuras - The Reclaimed Hand
  30. +Doomhammer
  31. +Darkburned Blade
  32. +Isilmeriel LOTR Weapons Collection resize
  33. +Blaqk Horizon presents_NorthGirl CBBE_Bodyslide_plus optional HDT
  34. +Northgirl Armor UNP and the Retexture from clethcleth and Gamwich
  35. +VIGILANT Retexture - GREYmarch
  36. +VIGILANT
  37. +Gray Cowl of Nocturnal Alikr Flora Overhaul
  38. +Moon and Star
  39. +Moonpath to Elsweyr
  40. +Typo Patch - Darkend
  41. +Better Falskaar and Wyrmstooth Map With Roads
  42. +Typo Patch - Falskaar
  43. +Falskaar
  44. +Fuz Ro D-oh - Silent Voice
  45. +Clothing and Clutter Fixes
  46. +Skyrim -Community- Uncapper
  47. +Remove Underwater Grass - A Performance Mod
  48. +Less Intrusive HUD II
  49. +A Matter of Time - A HUD clock widget
  50. +Simple Children LE 2K-1K Textures
  51. +TK Children
  52. +Seductress Serana
  53. +Pandorable's NPCs CRF patch
  54. +Bijin NPCs
  55. +Bijin Wives
  56. +Bijin Warmaidens
  57. +HDT Physics Extensions
  58. +Hvergelmir's Aesthetics - Beards
  59. +Community Overlays 1 (0-30) Bodypaints Warpaints Tattoos and more made for the Community
  60. +Superior Lore-Friendly Hair - HD textures
  61. +The Eyes Of Beauty NPC
  62. +SkySight Skins - Ultra HD Male Textures and Real Feet Meshes (4K2K HIGH)
  63. +Calientes Beautiful Bodies Edition -CBBE-
  64. +Corrupted NIFs Patches
  65. +Frankly HD Stormcloak and City Guards fix
  66. +Final Fantasy VII Remake Buster Sword
  67. +Dawnguard Rewritten - Arvak
  68. +Windhelm Enhanced - 500 Companions Wall 8k HD Retexture
  69. +Windhelm Enhanced - HD 4k Grey Quarter Flags
  70. +Optional Falmer Glow
  71. +HD Dragonborn Skull
  72. +ElSopa HD - Realistic Dark Elf Urns
  73. +Storm Atronach - Creature Retex
  74. +Lurker - Creature Retex
  75. +Ren's HD Shrines by Rengel
  76. +PELTAPALOOZA - Pelts of Skyrim Expansion
  77. +Better Shape Creature
  78. +Magic Runes HD
  79. +JS Dragon Claws
  80. +Designs of the Nords
  81. +WEBS extended
  82. +Frankly HD Miraak
  83. +Fine Lute Texture
  84. +Giant
  85. +Large Nordic Tent HD Retexture
  86. +Hagravens
  87. +Wispmother.by.Kajuan
  88. +Taproot 1K
  89. +ELECTRIFY
  90. +Marvelous Windhelm Gate
  91. +Less ugly Solitude Catacombs Stone
  92. +ElSopa HD - Workbench
  93. +DOOR
  94. +Detailing the Eldrich - Higher-Res Apocrypha - Temple of Miraak - Black Books
  95. +RUSTIC DEATH HOUND
  96. +Arri's Snow Elf Ruins Retexture
  97. +Ancient Dwemer Metal Auto
  98. +SkyFix - HD Blacksmith Signs
  99. +Beautiful Honey Signs - 2K Overhaul - 1K Optional
  100. +Flora Mod Collection
  101. +HD Ore And Ingots
  102. +Langleys Textures Workshop
  103. +Hanging Moss replacer into plant by Pfuscher
  104. +Frankly HD Dragonbone and Dragonscale - Armor and Weapons
  105. +Frankly HD Nightingale Armor and Weapons [Oldrim]
  106. +Frankly HD Dawnguard Armor and Weapons
  107. +Frankly HD Imperial Armor and Weapons
  108. +Enhanced Blood Textures
  109. +RUSTIC ANIMATED POTIONS and POISONS
  110. +Forgotten Retex Project
  111. +No more ugly Vines
  112. +Snow Shrub Thicket Replacer
  113. +Rudy HQ - More Lights for ENB - Deathbells and Nirnroots
  114. +Rudy HQ - More Lights for ENB - Torchbugs and Moths
  115. +Dark Brotherhood Tenets 2K
  116. +MIST
  117. +Better Dynamic Ash
  118. +Target re-texture
  119. +Constellations Redrawn
  120. +RUSTIC FURNITURE
  121. +RUSTIC STANDING STONES
  122. +RUSTIC SOULGEMS
  123. +RUSTIC NORDIC MURALS
  124. +RUSTIC FORSWORN
  125. +RUSTIC EAST EMPIRE COMPANY SIGNAGE
  126. +RUSTIC CLUTTER COLLECTION
  127. +LeanWolf's Better-Shaped Weapons - All in One Installer
  128. +RUSTIC ALCHEMY and ENCHANTING TABLES
  129. +Real Snow HD 2k
  130. +Hand and Vendorcarts 4k
  131. +RUSTIC WINDOWS - 2K and 1K Textures
  132. +DK's Realistic and Lore-Friendly Nord Ships
  133. +CL's Lord Harkons Blade Replacer
  134. +Truly Light Elven Armor (female) - Replacer - Standalone
  135. +Truly Light Glass Armor (female) - Replacer - Standalone
  136. +Auriel's Bow HD
  137. +Auriel's Shield HD
  138. +Iron things
  139. +Elven Weapon for Silence
  140. +Skyforge Hotfix
  141. +Ashara Princes of the Woods CBBE Conversion With Extra Pieces and Bodyslide
  142. +Ashara Princes of the Woods for UNP
  143. +aMidianBorn Book of Silence - DragonDLC
  144. +aMidianBorn Book of Silence - Armors
  145. +RUSTIC CLOTHING
  146. +Frankly HD Dragon Bones
  147. +Unique Barbas Retexture
  148. +Thanatos as Durnehviir
  149. +Bellyaches HD Dragon Replacer Pack
  150. +Immersive Smilodons
  151. +83Willows 101BugsHD Butterfly Dragonfly Luna-Moth Torchbug
  152. +luxor's Sky HD
  153. +Skygazer Moons - Masser and Secunda Ultra HD 4K (2K and 1K) Moon Textures
  154. +Ultra HD Transparent Snowflakes - Vivid Weathers Compatible
  155. +Obsidian Mountain Fogs For Legendary Edition
  156. +Imperial Stone-The Forts of Skyrim Redone
  157. +Arthmoor's Skyrim Villages - All In One
  158. +Quaint Raven Rock
  159. +The Great City of Solitude
  160. +JKs Cities - Lite and SuperLite
  161. +Wonders of Weather
  162. +Dust Effects
  163. +Skyrim Bridges
  164. +Master the Summit
  165. +Majestic Mountains - Lod
  166. +Tamriel Reloaded - Mountains and Rocks
  167. +aMidianBorn Solstheim Landscape
  168. +ClearWater for ENB and RWT
  169. +Watercolor for ENB and Realistic Water Two
  170. +Realistic Water Two
  171. +Replacement Ivy
  172. +Cave Grass Fix
  173. +Landscape Fixes For Grass Mods- 32bit Skyrim(LE) version
  174. +Fences of Skyrim - No more flickering fences
  175. +4K Parallax Treebark
  176. +Enhanced Vanilla Trees
  177. +Skyrim Flora Overhaul
  178. +Rudy HQ - Nordic Ruins
  179. +aMidianBorn Caves and Mines
  180. +NobleSkyrimMod HD-2K SMIM PATCH
  181. +Skyrim HD - 2K Textures
  182. +Ruins Clutter Improved
  183. +Skyrim Particle Patch for ENB
  184. +VioLens - A Killmove Mod
  185. +Ultimate Combat
  186. +Smart Souls
  187. +Lost Grimoire of Skyrim
  188. +More Apocalypse - An expansion for Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim
  189. +Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim
  190. +Atlas Map Markers - Updated with MCM
  191. +Atlas Map Markers for Skyrim Blackreach Dawnguard and Dragonborn
  192. +Better Dialogue Controls
  193. +A Quality World Map and Solstheim Map - With Roads
  194. +Skyrim Supplemental Patch
  195. +Cutting Room Floor
  196. +Truly Abosorb Dragon Souls
  197. +No more Radial Blur - Performance optimization
  198. +Unofficial Skyrim City Patch (USCP)
  199. +Load Game CTD Fix
  200. +Bug fixes
  201. +Immersive HUD - iHUD
  202. +ElSopa - Animated Celtic Icons For SkyUI
  203. +UIExtensions
  204. +Optimized Vanilla Textures - HD
  205. +Optimized Dawnguard Textures - HD
  206. +Optimized Dragonborn Textures - HD
  207. +Optimized HearthFires Textures - HD