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ElmoRim

Contents

What is ElmoRim?

ElmoRim is for players who want to enhance their Skyrim experience without adding massive amounts of content. A compact and performance-friendly list that offers improved visuals, modernized combat, and increased immersion. NO CC-MODS REQUIRED.

This readme provides instructions for installing and configuring ElmoRim. A detailed gameplay guide, issue tracker and options for tweaking game settings can be found in the ElmoRim wiki.

Disclaimer: ElmoRim puts vanilla content at center stage. However, it is first and foremost Skyrim the way I, Elmo, want it. So if a certain mod is included, it is because I want it there.

Feature overview

ElmoRim consists of around 650 mods. This overview provides an idea of what to expect from the list.

Feature Core Mods
Visuals Skyland AIO, Modular Armory, Berserkyr ENB
Combat MCO, Valhalla, Precision, Valravn
Gameplay SimonRim, Experience, ElmoRim Lite Needs*
Quests Skyrim Unbound, JaySerpa's Quest Expansion-series, At Your Own Pace, College For Non-Mages
Immersion Immersive interactions, EVG Animated Traversal, Animated Eating Redux
Audio AOS, ISC, Regional Sounds Expansion, Yet Another Music Merge
UI Untarnished UI, BTPS
New lands Nope
Followers Nope
NSFW Nope

*Not a mod but a combination of features from several mods. Read the wiki to find out more.

Pre-installation

System requirements

First a word about performance. QuagaarWarrior, author of QW's Grass Patch 2 and more, sums it up perfectly:

I find discussions of performance a little pointless.
...
saying whether an individual mod is performance heavy or not is difficult because there are so many other factors at play such as the other mods you use, ENB, resolution you play at and your system specs to name just a few. I encourage you to try the mod and see how it performs in your individual set up.

Key phrase being "individual set up".

With that said, ElmoRim has been carefully designed to offer a balance between visual quality and performance.

The list was developed on an upper-mid tier laptop with the following specs:

Category Specs
CPU AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
Video Card Nvidia RTX 3070
Ram 16GB
Storage SSD

With these specs the game runs at 60fps@1080p and at around 45fps@1440p (in exteriors, 60 fps in interiors).

Recommendations on how to tweak the balance between visual quality and performance are provided in the wiki.

Modlist size: X GB (of which Y GB are downloads)

Software setup

The first step of installing ElmoRim is making sure all required software is installed and that Steam is configured correctly.

  1. Install Visual C++ x64 & .Net Runtime v6 desktop x64.
  2. Disable Steam auto-updates.
  3. In Steam, right click on Skyrim SE and click on Properties, untick Enable Steam Overlay while in-game.

Setting up pagefile

Due to the resources required to run modlists like these, the system pagefile needs to be configured in order to avoid crashes and bugs that may occur from running out of memory.

A 40GB fixed-size pagefile for ElmoRim is recommended.

To set up the pagefile, complete the following steps:

Click to see required steps
  1. Press Win Key + R
  2. Type sysdm.cpl ,3 and hit ENTER
  3. Navigate to Performance and click the box "Settings..."
  4. Click the Advanced tab at the top
  5. Under Virtual Memory click the box "Change..."
  6. Uncheck Automatically manage if it is checked
  7. Choose a disk drive, ideally the fastest solid state drive
  8. Click the Custom size: button
  9. In the box next to Initial Size (MB) type 40960
  10. In the box next to Maximum Size (MB) type 40960
  11. Click the Set button
  12. Click OK
  13. Click Apply
  14. Click OK
  15. Restart the computer in order for the changes to take effect.

Setting shader cache size

Users with an NVIDIA GeForce Graphics Card need to complete the following steps:

Click to see required steps
  1. Right-click on the desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel
  2. Navigate and click on Manage 3D settings. It is the 2nd one to the top.
  3. Scroll down in Global Settings to Shader Cache Size
  4. Double Click Driver Default to the right of Shader Cache Size and select 10 GB
  5. Click Apply in the bottom right hand corner.
  6. Exit the application.

Installation

Wabbajack installation

Once pre-installation is completed, download the latest version of Wabbajack and place it in a folder such as C:\Wabbajack. DO NOT place it in Program Files, User folders (such as Desktop, Documents, Downloads, etc.) or in Skyrim's Steam folder. Placing it on an SSD will speed up the installation process.

Downloading and installing ElmoRim

Installing ElmoRim is a straightforward process. A Nexus Premium account is strongly advised. Download and installation can take a while depending on internet connection and computer specs. To install ElmoRim, complete the following steps.

Wabbajack automatically downgrades the Skyrim installation version 1.5.97. Do not downgrade the steam install or the modlist manually.

  1. Open Wabbajack and click Browse Modlists.
  2. Tick the Show Unofficial lists option in the top right corner of Wabbajack.
  3. Press the download button on ElmoRim and wait for it to download.
  4. Set the installation folder to be somewhere like C:\Games\ElmoRim. DO NOT place it in Program Files, User folders (such as Desktop, Documents, Downloads, etc.), or in Skyrim's Steam folder

The download location does not need to be on a SSD, but it makes installation go a lot faster.

  1. Press the play button to begin.
  2. If the installation is successful, prosper, and move onto Post-installation. If the installation is unsuccessful, follow what is below.

Problems with installation

It is possible to encounter errors when installing with Wabbajack.

Click here to see common issues

  • Could not download x:

    • Big files can fail to download due to connection issues. Either run wabbajack again or download the file manually. If downloading manually, make sure to place it in the same folder as the other downloads.

  • X is not a whitelisted download:

    • This may happen when the modlist is being updated. Please check if there is a new update or wait for a release ping.

  • Wabbajack could not find the game folder:

  • Antivirus reports a virus:

Post-installation

Game folder

ElmoRim uses a Wabbajack feature called Stock Game to keep the Skyrim installation folder clean. All the files needed to run the list are in a folder called Game Root. No manual copying of files is required.

Antivirus exceptions

Generally speaking, using Windows Defender is advised as it is a solid antivirus software that will have minimal interference with the game. Antivirus programs can be notorious for false flagging MO2's VFS as problematic, causing crashes or other problems.

If using Windows Defender, it is advised to set up an Exception for the modlist. To do this, complete the following steps:

Click here to see required steps 1. Press the Windows Key.

  1. Type "Windows Defender" in the search bar and select Windows Security.

  2. Click Virus & threat protection in the left pane.

  3. Click the Manage settings option under Virus & threat protection settings.

  4. Scroll down to Exclusions and click Add or remove exclusions.

  5. Windows Defender will prompt with a run as administrator screen, select Yes.

  6. Click the Add an exclusion button at the top and choose Folder.

  7. Navigate to your Install folder for the list and click Select Folder.

  8. (OPTIONAL) Repeat these steps for the ModOrganizer.exe ("Path to Modlist"\ModOrganizer.exe), the Nemesis Executable ("Path to Modlist"\mods\Project New Reign - Nemesis Unlimited Behavior Engine\Nemesis_Engine\Nemesis Unlimited Behavior Engine.exe), and Synthesis ("Path to Modlist"\tools\Synthesis\Synthesis.exe)

Compatibility settings

Nemesis, xLODGen and DynDOLOD have a tendency to fail even when added to virus exceptions. To avoid this issue, complete the following steps:

Click here to see required steps

  1. Navigate to the Nemesis Executable.

  2. Right click on the Nemesis Executable, select Properties.

  3. Go to the Compatibility tab.

  4. Under the Compatibility mode section, check Run this program in compatibility mode for: and select
    Windows 8 from the dropdown menu.

  5. Click Apply and then OK.

  6. Repeat steps 1-5 for xLODGenx64.exe and DynDOLODx64.exe (These are located in "Path to Modlist"\tools..)

Optional: Resolution settings

By default, ElmoRim is configured to run in exclusive fullscreen. This is because Detection Meter is incompatible with the BorderlessUpscale feature of SSE Display tweaks. For users who absolutely want to play in borderless mode, complete the following steps:

Click here to see required steps

  1. Set Fullscreen = false in SSEDisplayTweaks.ini. This is found in the mod SSE Display Tweaks - High performance configuration.

  2. Set Resolution to the desired value in SSEDisplayTweaks.ini.

  3. Right click on the Windows desktop.

  4. Select Display settings.

  5. Set Display resolution to the same value as in step 2.

This is not an ideal solution since it means users who play at 1080p, but use 1440p for Windows, need to switch back and forth when playing ElmoRim. However, Detection Meter is too good a mod to skip.

Optional: Widescreen & gamepad support

ElmoRim features mods that provide widescreen & gamepad support. Activate the mods under the Ultrawide & Gamepad Support separator and complete the following steps:

Click here to see required steps

From Untarnished UIs modpage:

"Most menus have native ultrawide support, thanks to Dear Diary Dark Mode. However, you will need to position some of the elements from SkyHUD and TrueHUD manually.

SkyHUD (located in Data/interface/skyhud/skyhud.txt) (requires a restart) fMessageInfoPosX (right-aligned, increase).

TrueHUD (located in the MCM) Player Widget Anchor X (left-aligned, decrease). Recent Loot Anchor X (right-aligned, increase).

21:9 configurations

  • fMessageInfoPosX=1030
  • Player Widget Anchor X = -0.155
  • Player Loot Anchor X = 1.17"

Playing the list

Obligatory DAR Cache warning: due to the nature of this list and the amount of DAR based animations it uses, it does take some time (usually 15-30 seconds) at the start of each play session for DAR to cache all the folders and animations. Please note that this is an issue with DAR itself since it does not allow for pre-cacheing animations via Nemesis or during loading screens.

Starting the game

  • Navigate to the installation folder and launch ModOrganizer.exe.
    If the message Registry Key does not match appears, press Yes. Once it's launched, there will be a dropdown box on the top right and a big run button next to it.

  • Launch the ElmoRim executable in MO2

MCM configuration

Almost all of ElmoRim's MCM menus are pre-configured. This section outlines the few mandatory manual tweaks that are required.

Skyrim Unbound

ElmoRim uses Skyrim Unbound as the alternate start mod.

  • Open up the Skyrim Unbound MCM menu after loading in. Customize Standing Stone, whether or not the player is a vampire/werewolf, equipment, spells and starting location.

    • It is possible to choose whether or not the player is the Dragonborn and, if they are not, whether or not they are able to use shouts.

  • Once finished setting up the MCM, click Start Your Adventure under the Main tab to start chargen.

    • If the player character is frozen in RaceMenu, swap race or gender and swap back to unfreeze them. This is an issue with DAR Cacheing.

  • Once finished with chargen, choose Continue to start the game.

Valravn

Disable (or set to 0) everything except Attacks of Opportunity and Bow Stamina Cost.

Optional MCM Settings

In addition to the mandatory settings, several optional tweaks are available:

Click here to see optional MCM Tweaks
AYOP - College of Winterhold

Non-mages looking to access Saarthal and the Archmages quarters should make the following changes:

  • Starting Requirements>First Lessons: Set to 0
  • Starting Requirements>Under Saarthal: Set to 0
SunHelm

Disable powers under General>Enable/Disable powers. Only Sunhelms Cold system is enabled as part of the ElmoRim Lite Survival setup.

Serio's Cycle Hotkeys

Set up cycles for managing spells/shouts/weapons. See modpage for details.

Incremental Gains

Set Soft Cap Base to 125.

Skyrim Unbound

Dragons are set to appear after 7 to 21 days by default. They will appear at word walls before appearing in the wild. They can be configured to spawn faster/slower/instantly or spawn based on level instead.

Better Third Person Selection

Enable/disable the filters that prevent the player from accidentally stealing items when trying to interact with the world.

Favourite Howls Menu

Customize which powers will be in the favorites menu (for werewolves).

Improved Alternate Conversation Camera

Tweak the dialogue camera. Notable settings include Switch Target (for Witcher-Style Dialogue Camera), Force Third/First Person and Camera Offsets.

Optimal Potion Hotkey

Customize Health potion hotkey (Default: H). Add a hotkey for stamina/magicka potions.

Simplest Horses

Customize Horse Control hotkey(Default: V).

SmoothCam

By default the list uses Adventurer's Preset. Feel free to download and install other presets.

Survival Control Panel

Enable/disable Sleep to level up.

True Directional Movement

Customize Target Lock keybind here (Default MB4).

XPMSSE

Customize equipment slots, such as placing one-handed swords on the players back.

Valhalla Combat
  • Stamina: The settings here have been configured for what has been determined to be the most balanced gameplay. Feel free to tweak them.
  • Timed Block: Enable or disable the Tackle mechanic (Default: Disabled).

Congratulations, ElmoRim is now ready to go! Check out the wiki for a detailed gameplay guide, beginner tips and customization options.

Updating the modlist

Before updating, please check the changelog and back up any saves. A new game may be required after certain updates. To check if an update is save safe or not, refer to the version number. The first digit indicates major version, second digit indicates minor version (these are unlikely to be save safe unless otherwise specified) and the third digit will represent bug fixes etc.

  • If the modlist is updated from 1.0.0 to 2.0.0, then this version is likely a major overhaul of at least one system and will not be considered save safe.
  • If the modlist is updated from 1.0.0 to 1.1.0, then this version is save safe unless the changelog states otherwise..
  • If the modlist is updated from 1.0.0 to 1.0.1, then this version is save safe

In cases where the update is save safe, performing additional steps my be needed to maintain the health of the save. These steps will be provided in the changelog.

Updating is like installing the list. Simply check that the file paths are the same and tick overwrite existing modlist. Note: Any mods added to the installation will be deleted when updating. To ensure that Wabbajack does not delete added mods upon updating, prefix the mods with [NoDelete].

ALWAYS back up saves before an update.

FAQ

Q: This isn't vanilla?!

A: Indeed not. The list is centered around vanilla content and provides a platform for enjoying said content by leveraging a decade of contributions from awesome mod makers.

Q: BUG!

A: If a suspected bug or weird behavior is encountered, check the issue tracker. If the issue isn't listed there, please register a new one.

Q: Why do all daedra sound like they're on Insert Illicit Substance?

A: One of the most daunting things about starting a new playthrough in Skyrim is the prospect of having to listen to all the unskippable dialogue in daedric quests. The mod Speedy Daedric Dialogue alleviates this by making all dialogue play at 2x speed. To revert to vanilla, simply disable the mod.

Q: I can't level up, what do I do?

A: You have Sleep to level up enabled, go sleep in a bed or disable it through Survival Control Panel in the MCM.

Q: How do I start the main questline?

A: If you have chosen to be Dragonborn in the Skyrim Unbound MCM settings, then upon killing your first dragon, you will be summoned by the Greybeards. If you have chosen to NOT be the Dragonborn, then you can not proceed with the main questline.

Q: When do dragons start spawning?

A: By default, dragons are set to be delayed in their spawns from 7 to 21 days after you leave the starting room. By default, dragons will begin showing up at their Word Walls before you will encounter them in the wild.

Q: How do I become the Thane of Whiterun? How do I get Lydia?

A: You must complete The Blessings of Nature and talk to Jarl Balgruuf when the Gildergreen tree is repaired/the sappling blooms. He'll thank you and allow you to buy the Breezehome after which the standard thaneship quest (help people of the hold and buy a house to become a thane) will be available.

Q: How do I enable my crosshair?

A: Disable the Contextual Crosshair mod, under the Interface separator in MO2.

Removing the Modlist

Delete the ElmoRim folder.

Contact

ElmoRim Discord

Credits and thanks

  • YOU for reading this.
  • Noggog for Mutagen and the xEdit team for xEdit and their tools.
  • Halgari and the WJ Team for this amazing platform.
  • Aljoxo, author of Arisen for letting me use Arisens README as a template.
  • Phoenix, author of The Phoenix Flavour for letting me use the Appearance setup from LotF.
  • Maia, for teaching me Git and Markdown.

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