MO2 vs Vortex | Skyrim Mod Managers EXPLAINED | Ultimate Guide

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Mod Organizer 2 and Vortex are two of the biggest Mod Managers used for modding Skyrim Special Edition and Anniversary Edition.

What Separates them?
How Are They Different?
Which Should YOU Choose?

This Guide will explain the difference between MO2 and Vortex and let you understand the differences between the two and which would be better suited for your Skyrim modded game.
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​🧔​ABOUT ME
Since I was a kid, I loved exploring into the files of games to see what I could play around with. What changes could be made just for fun. Modding Skyrim brings back that curious kid I was. If I can share that enjoyment of being able to Mod Skyrim, I’d consider myself lucky. There’s a world of Skyrim Mods out there.
Modding. Simplified. Welcome to your Skyrim Mod Guide Library
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CREDITS

Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

[Official_King_Penguin]

I'm definitely gonna switch to MO2. A tutorial on switching from one to the other would be nice.

[ZephrusPrime]

MO2 is unbeatable for me, I have 20 different mod builds all under one roof. I love the control and ease of use.

[MechaMan]

As someone who would describe himself as someone who has only lightly and casually modded BGS games so far in NMM/Vortex, I appreciate a video that isn't just "Vortex bad, rah rah rah". You actually went into the pros and cons of both and gave credit where credit is due. While I think I may stick with my current Vortex install, the next time I do a clean reinstall of everything, I'll consider giving MO2 a shot. I definitely do want to be able to have more direct control over things when I get more into modding, and MO2 at the end of the day does sound more up my alley once I graduate past my casual status.

[MrHuudis]

thanks, this explained why my skyrim is having issues... changed from vortex to MO2 and it just works!

[theepicduck]

Amazed a video like this hasn't been made before. Well done.

[nickFPultra]

I love how easy it is to understand vortex, when I tried to switch to MO2 it just seemed very complicated to me for no reason, I think that the vortex rules system along with knowing how to use SSEdit and FO4edit to manage the esp of the mods is perfect. my mod list isn't too big (only 200) but I don't have any problems using vortex, Furthermore, I consider that fnis is much more complete than nemesis, and I have not had any problems using it with vortex

[tealsummers]

I started modding about a month ago, so, I'm not sure how valuable my opinion is, however, I started out on Vortex and I do think it's good for BEGINNERS. However, I decided to just try MO2 and I was blown away with how much more involved it allows you to be. In other words, I think MO2 is better at actually TEACHING you how to do modding right. The ease of access to the files was the first thing I noticed and appreciated. I'm loving it. Just got a new gaming pc (had a mini gaming pc and it was OKAY, but, had to upgrade lol) and I'm very excited to continue learning.

[jayday]

Hey hey welcome back! I'm on the MO2 train, I just can't give up the level of control you can get out of MO2.

I'm actually pretty nervous about Starfield modding using only Vortex....

[AureliazPC]

Nicely put. A great deal of people would do well to know and watch that video when freshly getting into modding.

[daxxdog]

I don't comment on videos much but I have to say this was so informative for me. Very clear and concise. MO2 it will be for Starfield.

[charlyb.]

a simple example: you manage two mods and you find out they overwrite each other. vortex: this question of prioriy has to be answered before you completely installed both mods while using mo2 this question doesn`t matter because the two mods do not overwite each other physically. this difference matters if a mod changes and if your mod list is long.

[stricklywicked]

I’ve used both and just prefer MO2. Nothing wrong with vortex but I learned on mo2 and it’s just my preference

[abnerefraimrosavidal]

An amazing work. This channel is amazing. Great job!

[MR.BUGGLE]

Very informative and I will be switching to MO2 because I'm always changing things.

[FilipX]

Basically what it comes down to is, Vortex is great for people who don't have a lot of experience in modding their game who want to use collections as they can install a pre made mod list with a click of a button.
Meanwhile MO2 is great for people that prefer to install mods by themselves and actively update or tinker with their mod list.

[jefferyjens]

To be honest, I just started mod with my first pc, and I started using vortex it wasn't long when I switched to mod2

[chuckchuckerson]

I would love an unbiased review from someone who knows Vortex, and MO2. There is nothing you can do with MO2 you can't with Vortex, if you take time to learn the systems, xEDIT/Synthesis, and load order/rule management.

It's purely preference. If you prefer MO2, cool. I prefer Vortex for QOL, and easily run games with 1, 000 mods with absolutely no issues. Read what you're downloading, understand the manager you choose, and you'll have a good time.

[Tkohr]

I was a long year Vortex user, its a great universal Mod Manager, but MO2 is best for Skyrim Modding, multible mod setups with Profiles, so easy and fast, one click easy switch between loadorders, the virtual file system is absolutly the best thing, MO2 is much faster than Vortex, and has much less harddrive (SSD) stress than vortex. MO2 needs learning, but when you know how to use it, MO2 is epic, epic epic and has so much less errors.

[anthooktt]

after some time, am going to AGAIN mod skyrim now on a new pc, so I wanted to know what is new, cuz I had some problems with MO2 so I switched to Vortex, like you said super easy to use, very nice for starting(I was kinda new to modding then) but after some time and many mods later, Vortex was having a hard time keeping up.. so again I went back to MO2 and looks like this new build is going to be on MO2 aswell... Thank you

[brandon]

amazing vid, I used both mod managers once but i wanted to know once and for all which was the best lol