Skyrim Mod Managers | MO2 vs Vortex | How To Install 2022

THE COMPLETE GUIDE To Modding Skyrim Special & Anniversary Edition

Episode 2: Installing A Mod Manager & Comparing Mod Organizer 2 (MO2) and Vortex

New To Modding?
Fed Up With Errors?
Not Sure Where To Begin?
Need To Start Over From Scratch?

This Mini-Series will provide you will all the answers and guide you through the process from the first installation to advanced modding. All in one place

No steps are missing and the same example is used so you can follow exactly and create a stable build. Hopefully your LAST 'First' Install for modding Skyrim

Let's take the frustration out of modding, remove the complex terms and confusing programs and go through it step by step

Attributes:
Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0

[thecreed]

using Vortex for 2 years. Last night an accidental mis-click of the Purge Mods options caused issues to where I needed to re-install skyrim completely. Vortex isnt bad, but can (and likely will) cause issues if you make a mistake. As he said in the video. It manipulating the actual game files can potentially fuck everything up.

[DopeArt]

been looking for an easy explanation since i've never tried mo2. appreciate the concise and thorough video!

[babab_m]

I forgot to mention, just to add to the video, copying mods from computer to computer or when you reinstall skyrim, if you use MO2 it keeps the mods and their configurations just as they were it's literally drag and drop. With vortex there might be issues and you'll lose all config files

[DerpyRedneck]

I could not get Mod Organizer 2 to recognize or find the GOG version of Skyrim Special Addition with the anniversary edition patches and updates included.

So I'm going to try to use Vortex in its place to see how that goes.

[babab_m]

to me the MO2 UI is simpler - minimalistic even, it shows in order which mods are overwriting which, and shows warnings neatly next to plugins... but the reason i like using it is the fact that i can change or update mods without needing to 'deploy mods'' every single time.
i'll say this though, the way Vortex lets you choose exactly which files to override when 2 mods conflict can help with customization, personally i don't have a use for this but it's nice
another small advantage to using vortex is you don't have to keep an eye on the "overwrite" directory, MO2 uses it to store files created by executables like FNIS and mod configuration presets
it really comes down to the small differences which makes the two really similar, if you'r new to modding just stick to one and learn how to use it, can be done in an hour or even less.

[firstname]

Love your videos! Seriously though, when are we getting a tutorial on how to make the perfect Brew? <3

[RoroHano]

You are making this so easy for me 😊
I hope I'm doing everything right
(Got a little confused with the new steam library but it should be I
Fine)

[longjohn]

Interesting how you came to the same conclusion as I did .... Sometimes I feel like Vortex was developed with more emphasis on looking pretty than being functional whereas MO2 is kind of ugly and old looking but man is it functional and so much better to use. I've had as many as 3 standalone versions of MO2 for Skyrim SE and you can run any one of them without effecting the others and each can have it's own custom INIs. I can have a "Lore Friendly" version, a "Hardcore Survival" version and an "Adult" version all at the same time. I've spent the last hour or so just trying to find out if Vortex uses the main game INIs or has it's own so I know where to point BethINI. I wish there was a way to convert Nexus Mods Collections so they will work with MO2 so I didn't have to fight with Vortex which I really don't like

[susinok]

I just blew away all of my games and uninstalled Vortex and all of my mods. I will learn MO2 now. Now I know why my games messed up so badly.

[azy]

good channel, love your music and explanations

[alexanderbayer]

great video man, helped me out a lot!!

[alaamohamed]

In the past, I used NMM ((Nexus Mod Organizer)) which is Vortex's predecessor, but it was hellish, janky and it messed up my games more times than I can count. It forced me to always opt for simple and minimalistic mods or software, until I witnessed how the mods for Skyrim were getting much better than just retextures or adding new armors to patchers, quest mods and game changers in general.

That's when I took a leap of faith and tried MO2, and boy, my faith was rewarded. I kept using MO2 for years until I stopped playing and modding games for a while. When I heard that Tanin moved on from MO2 to work on Vortex, I hoped he would implement the virtual mod installation prcoess that MO2 has for Vortex.

When I recently returned to modding, I wanted to try Vortex, but I have to say that I am disappointed. NMM's worst point is/was that it DIRECTLY applied mods to the games folders, and overwritting mods on it and the more complicated mods became was a nightmare. Not everyone has the luxury of unlimited internet to keep redownloading a game to fix it, and keeping a back up of the whole game wasn't very practical. Now hearing that Vortex still follows the same strategy of applying mods directly to the games folders, if maybe a bit better....that's very frustrating. I know it's the simpler and less costly approach, but it's not the best experience.

Now, MO2 isn't perfect, and it may seem complicated at the beginning, but from my experience, it is MUCH simpler than it feels. The fact that it doesn't touch your games is alone enough to convince me to use it over Vortex or any other mod manager. The only con I saw with MO2's virtual modding is that it could take more space, since mods are installed in a different folder from games' folders, while applying them directly with NMM/Vortex could shave much of the used space. The only thing that Vortex seems better than MO2 at, is the collections thing ((But we all know that this is not something favorable among most mod users on Nexus)). I personally don't like or use collections since I like to have control on what I mod into my game without some large guide telling me how to mod it. But that's a personal preference.

My conclcusion: If you are a beginner, use Vortex to mod games. If you are a veteran modder, use MO2. But, personally I recommend MO2 directly. Overwitting or modding your game files directly is a recipe for despair.

Anyways, sorry for my rambling essay, and thank you for briefly explaining the difference between MO2 & Vortex. I will stick with MO2.

[axlvanaudenhove]

The location you chose at 5:09. Is that an important location, does it have to be in Gaming, do I have to make an extra folder for it or can I use the default? (sorry I want to have all the details right now, with all this work I've put into it by now)

[sdunned]

I can’t get FNIS to work on vortex. (Could it be because I’m trying to use nemesis at the same time?)

[Draego]

yo bro please can you make a video how to install milk mod economy mod on AE version

[yourneighborhoodfriendlyme]

Vortex has symlinks now since Starfield came out it seems. So.... Does this difference matter anymore or can i use Vortex in peace now?

[tgongloff]

any tips i bought skyrim AE on xbox and i am trying to use MO2 as instructed. loot recognized the Bethesda net mods from my mod folder but i am a tad lost any help would be phenomenal

[HatsODoom]

Maybe I'll try MO2. I assume with it it's still not safe to add/remove mods mid save?

[aidanjordan]

I know I'm kinda late to asking questions but does it matter where exactly mod organizer is told to download its files and mods, like should I have set my steam to download in its own folder?

[sir_christopher_owls]

I installed vortex and the skse was not working. So much for ease of use.