Frequently Asked Questions - About the Project

[Arthmoor]

Frequently Asked Questions - About the Project

Will the unofficial patch ever cost money if paid mods return?

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: The unofficial patches are a community driven effort in probably the purest possible way. It would be wrong of us to attempt to capitalize on that by suddenly shifting to a for-profit model for these patches. Even if there were to be some super simple way to remove all of the logistical and legal barriers to trying it, we still wouldn't do it. Put simply: It would be wrong on so many levels. So no. The unofficial patches will never cost money. They will always remain free.

If we are involved in the effort to generate unofficial patches for Elder Scrolls VI, those will also remain free.

What platforms is this mod available on?

Currently the Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch is available for PC (Steam, GoG, Epic Games Store), XBox One (OG, X, and Series X), and PS4/PS5.

We do not provide support for Skyrim VR. The VR version of Skyrim was forked from an old code branch for Special Edition that does not even have support for Creation Club functions added to the game. The official ESM files are out of sync with the current data set, and there are numerous differences in meshes and scripts as well. Thus, support for VR is not practical and we cannot help with this. Bethesda has also clearly stated that VR does not support mods and that they have no plans to change this in the future. There isn't even a CK for it, so no reasonable expectation of support can exist. Anyone using SSE mods on VR is running a high risk of corrupting their saves due to the data mismatches. Not to mention the crashes and other problems caused by incompatible assets used in mods for the standard PC version of the game.

Will you be making patches for Creation Club DLCs?

We will not be making any patches for Creation Club content. Any legitimate bugs in these DLCs should be reported directly to Bethesda to be addressed.

There are likely to be far too many of these released over time for us to reasonably be expected to buy and support them all.

That being said, you can find unofficial patches for Creation Club DLCs made by Garthand here: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/18975

What happens if Bethesda releases a patch for something you already fixed?

Should this happen, then the next available release of the unofficial patch will remove the changes we've made - assuming the issue is completely fixed by Bethesda's patch. In cases where they are not completely fixed, we will remove only those portions of our changes that are confirmed to be fixed.

Does using this mod disable achievements while playing?

Yes. This is a decision that was imposed on Bethesda by Microsoft and Sony. It is not something we have control over and cannot address. If you have an issue with this policy, you need to take it up with Bethesda on their official Discord server.

If you are using this mod on PC, a bypass for this restriction exists. You will require the SSE Script Extender (SKSE64) to make this work.

Has the mod been cleaned?

Yes. The unofficial patch has been cleaned using the latest available version of xEdit. You do not need to clean it yourself.

Do I need to do a clean save when upgrading?

No! When upgrading the unofficial patch, you simply need to copy the new files in and overwrite the old ones. NEVER follow advice given by someone to do a "clean save". In Skyrim Special Edition, there is no such thing. Performing one can lead to corrupting your save, and nobody really wants that.

Is it safe to install the unofficial patch on an existing save?

Yes. The unofficial patch comes with scripts designed to go over the state of things we've fixed and make sure your save is up to date with those. You can install them at any point during your game, whether you've completed the entire main quest or you just left Helgen for the first time.

Some issues may not be possible to fix retroactively. Those which can't are listed in the version history with an [NR] tag. Only starting a new game will resolve those issues.

Will the mod be released as an ESM file?

No. Although this file has a .ESP extension, it is flagged as an ESM, a process often referred to as "false-flagging" a file. The game only cares about the flag itself and will load the mod in the proper section of your load order.

Have you included the source code to the modified Papyrus scripts?

Yes. All of the modified and added script source code is included in the .bsa. You'll need to unpack the file in order to be able to view them.

You used to have a patch for the hi-res texture DLC. Isn't that still needed now?

Not anymore. With Skyrim Special Edition, Bethesda folded all of the hi-res DLC content into the main distribution. The USSEP is a truly all in one package as a result and includes all relevant fixes from the old Unofficial Hi-Res Patch.

What if I want to use something the unofficial patch has provided? Can I do that?

Yes. You are allowed to use any assets contained in the mod: Scripts, meshes, textures, text, etc. You do not need to obtain permission beforehand. In fact, it is strongly encouraged that you check regularly with the unofficial patch and see if you have edited anything with your own mods that might cancel out a fix. If you find that you have, you may feel free to copy whatever is needed in order to retain the fixes.

In fact, with the nature of Papyrus, it is almost critical that you check to see if a script you intend to change has been updated by the project. Papyrus conflicts can result in CTDs, bloated saves, and performance degradation.

If you feel it necessary, you may also use the unofficial patch as a master to your own mod in order to be sure you're not overwriting a fix. It is up to you to inform your users of this, if you wish to use our file as a master for your own.

Do not include the USSEP's ESP file in your distribution if you use it as a master. ALWAYS refer your users to our downloads so they can be sure to obtain the proper files.

Am I allowed to modify your fixes and distribute supplemental packages based on that?

No. We do not permit modification of the actual bug fixes. This policy unfortunately had to come about because certain people took it upon themselves to "fix" things in the USKP they thought were broken but were not. This has led to a number of false reports of bugs attributed to our project that these people are actually responsible for causing. Since these folks have refused all meaningful attempts at communication to resolve this, we are making it explicitly clear we do not condone this type of behavior. It has always been the community's understood etiquette that permission to do things like this is required, and it's backed up by copyright law if you really need to go there. Nobody has EVER had standing permission to produce modified copies of the work this project has done, and it's extremely disappointing that we apparently need to spell this out clearly now.

This is not the same as the previous question though! If in the course of modifying the game you realize you need to incorporate a USSEP fix to prevent it getting lost, that's entirely fine and we encourage that.

If you are confused, ask us, don't just assume you can do as you please. Our Readme file also covers the details on this.

The unofficial patch changed something that conflicts with my mod. Can you fix this?

No, unfortunately not. The Unofficial Patch is only answerable to Bethesda's updates and to the bugs in the vanilla game. We are not responsible for any problems fixing a bug may cause in your mod, no matter how popular it may be. It would be best to incorporate the fix into your work so as to avoid the issue to begin with.

There can be certain exceptions made in some scenarios, but they will be handled on a case by case basis. If you feel you have grounds for such an exception, make your case on the AFK Mods forum. Do yourself a favor and don't waste your time trying to rally support by getting a bunch of Nexus or Reddit users to comment about it. Such tactics will be ignored.

Does text edited by the patch show up in English in non-English games?

Yes, it does, unfortunately. At the moment the only viable way to fix this is for translators to manually update the text in the ESP file and issue a translated package in their preferred language. It's a tedious process, but at present the only one available that doesn't risk corrupting the file.

As the state of translation tools progresses, it may become possible in the future to issue the ESP file in localized format with external string files that can be translated into other languages more easily, thus allowing for the possibility that the mod could be distributed in one location with multiple translation files available.
 
What is the proper load order for the Unofficial Patch?

As of September 2022, the load order for the mod has changed! It must now be loaded as follows:

Skyrim.esm
Update.esm
Dawnguard.esm
Hearthfires.esm
Dragonborn.esm
ccBGSSSE001-Fish.esm
ccQDRSSE001-SurvivalMode.esl
ccBGSSSE037-Curios.esl
ccBGSSSE025-AdvDSGS.esm
Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch.esp
[Everything Else]

For getting load order set with other mods loaded, please use LOOT. It will provide you a solid starting point for everything that you can then tweak as needed.

I'm getting errors when trying to install the patches using Nexus Mod Manager

If you get the following error:

BOSS_API_ERROR_INVALID_ARGS: Master files must load before other plugins. The mod was not installed.

You need to perform the following steps:

- Uninstall and delete all the Unofficial patches in NMM.
- Exit NMM.
- Launch NMM again.
- Download and install all of the unofficial patches.
- Run LOOT to sort your load order.

Any other errors you get are likely to be problems with NMM itself or some other issue unrelated to the change in archive formats.

It would be better to use a different mod manager though as NMM is no longer supported by Nexus.

Can I disable the 4 new DLCs and still use the patch?

No, you can't. These new DLCs have been a part of the basic game distribution since November of 2021 and that isn't going to change. Since they are now considered base game content, we need to treat it as such and patch things accordingly.

I don't like Survival Mode but you require it now. How do I deal with this so I can use another mod?

Survival Mode will prompt you after you advance the main quest far enough to ask you if you want to enable it or not. Say NO at the prompt. You will not be bothered by it again unless you want to turn it on later in the game options.

I have numerous mods that used one or more of your old patches. What do I do about this? My game won't load now!

Using mods intended for Classic Skyrim is not supported on Special Edition. Those mods need to be updated by their authors and run through the new CK and then properly adjusted to make use of USSEP as a master. This is NOT a process that can be done automatically by a script in SSEEdit and will lead to problems if that is attempted. Let the mod authors take care of it. If they do not, then don't try to use those mods anyway.