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Modding, modding never changes


Don't Blame Bethesda or Steam - Take Control of your game!

We constantly see users in the forums and in the Nexus comment sections shouting at Bethesda for updating Skyrim Special Edition and ruining their modded game that took them weeks or even months to get just right. Why? Because they didn't take the responsibility of protecting their modded game from updates.

The Issue
Updates to Skyrim SE temporarily break the Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE64) until SKSE is updated. Then, once SKSE64 is updated we have to wait for mods in our load order that rely on SKSE64 to update as well. This process can take days, weeks, months, and some mods may never update. This has been the case since SKSE first came out several years ago.

However there are users who to this day are still playing on their same load order, interruption free since last year, some even from 2019, some wait until the mods are all updated and then replace them in their load orders. Many play uninterrupted and then eventually start a new load order from scratch after SKSE updated and with updated versions of the mods they want to include in their load orders. But they all have one thing in common, they all performed simple preventative maintenance on their games in order to protected their game from updates until they were ready.

This guide will walk you through the steps they took in order to protect their games from updating until they were ready to address it so that in the mean time they could continue to play uninterrupted.

Protect your load order


The Method
You'll of course need to have the Script extender (SKSE64) installed on your game.
Change Skyrim SE's update settings in your Steam Library to only update when launched. Then - Never launch Skyrim SE via Steam, only launch via the skse64_loader and only while Steam is running in the background.

1. From your Steam Library Go to: Skyrim Special Edition / right click / Properties / Updates
Under Automatic Updates use the dropdown & select "Only update this game when I launch it"

2. Going forward ONLY Launch Skyrim SE from your skse64_ launcher.exe
And make sure you are signed into Steam (Steam must be running in the background)
You can make a shortcut in your mod manager's Dashboard under "Tools" & launch from there and it is important that Steam is running in the background!

For those that are not familiar with modding you need to have the Script Extender (SKSE64) installed or all of this means nothing. You need to protect your game and then ALWAYS launch your game from SKSE64. IF you are not sure how to install SKSE64 Vortex makes it simple. Just watch this video.

Also: As a precaution occasionally check your game from your Steam Library and make sure Steam did not revert your setting "Only update this game when I launch it" Make sure it has not changed.

Here's a video by Michael of GamerPoets if you're not sure how to perform the above steps
https://youtu.be/3gAiLABNoIA Don't forget to backup your executables and your Data folder.
We'll walk you through that process later in the guide.

*See an alternate method in the next section (some use a combination of both)

Appmanifest

This is another method that many are much more comfortable with and has been used for some time now. Back on December 13th, 2021 this method was also posted by Steam user "Lydalia". Some users combine both methods.

Originally posted by Lydalia:

It seems many people aren't aware of this method. So I'll be explaining how to permanently stop Skyrim from updating. However it's worth noting that you should only consider using this method if you launch the game via skse64_loader.exe and not through the Steam launcher.

Step 1 - Find your steamapps folder:

Generally on Windows it will be located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps
Or if it's not on your C Drive then check whatever drive you have Steam installed to.

Step 2 - Find the appmanifest_489830.acf file within your steamapps folder:

Inside your steamapps folder you'll see multiple different appmanifest files. The one you're looking for is 489830 which is the app ID for Skyrim.

Step 3 - Make the appmanifest_489830.acf file Read-only:

Right click your appmanifest_489830.acf file and select Properties. Then click the checkbox for Read-only down towards the bottom so that it becomes marked and hit Apply.

Final statements:

Once you've followed all the steps above Steam will be unable to update Skyrim ever again. However, you will be unable to launch Skyrim through the Steam launcher anymore. Since trying to launch it via the Steam launcher will cause it to attempt an update and display an error due to being unable to update.

If you ever want to make it so Steam can update Skyrim again for some reason simply just uncheck the Read-only box mentioned above and hit Apply.

Whichever method you choose to protect your game from updates DO NOT forget to backup your executables and your Data folder as described in the next section.

Just Remember:
Once you set your appmanifest as described above you can not launch your game through your Steam Library (which is fine since we are launching thru SKSE64). However you can of course change the setting back at anytime which will then allow you to do so.

Protect your work - protect your game

You also should check your Steam settings after each Steam update (I'm not talking about a game update as it would be too late if you had already launched your game). to make sure the update did not revert your settings. A Steam update probably would not revert your appmanifest settings but can revert your Steam Library settings. Don't leave your modded game to chance.

Always Backup the following:
Important Preventative Maintenance
Save copies of both your SkyrimSE.exe and SkyrimSELauncher.exe (which are located in your \steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition folder) to a backup location/folder.
For complete protection also backup your entire Data folder. The Data folder is just as important as your exe's.

Now Create a folder called "SSE Backups" then Place these 2 exe's and the Data folder in that folder. Then if you're game should update you can simply copy and paste the 2 exe's in your Skyrim Special Edition root folder letting overwrite the existing files. You'll also have your Data folder just in case but may not even need it. Better safe than sorry.

Again, the 2 exe's are:
SkyrimSE.exe
and
SkyrimSELauncher.exe
also
Backup your Data folder for good measure

MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS AS WE DO NOT WANT TO RELY ON STEAMDEPOT.

See the "Rolling Back is not always a good option" section of this guide as to why.

I have not had a single forced update in 5 years since I started using this method. This means I always keep my load order and can continue playing on it as is until I decide to rebuild.

By taking the steps outlined in this guide your game will not only remain intact/uninterrupted so we can continue playing until the appropriate mods that were affected by any game updates are updated, we can then, at that time or at a time that we choose, accept those updates and seamlessly continue playing.

Whenever you want to take an update simply use the game's update button from your Steam Library or verify the integrity of your game files. Just make sure the mods in your load order that rely on SKSE64 are updated as well.

Important
Remember: continue to launch Skyrim SE ONLY thru the Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE) while you're signed in to Steam (Steam must be running in the background) and your existing mods will all continue to work. Once the modding community has caught up with the changes you can then update your mods if you so desire. So if you're happy with your current modded game you can choose to never update.

Why rolling back might not be a good idea
See the following post by Fear2288:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/app/489830/discussions/0/3371530631526442244/

OK, so your game is protected from updates but how do you update when you finally decide it's time to update to the latest game version?

Normally launching your game from your Steam Library as opposed to launching through SKSE64 would do it, or simply by reinstalling the game.

Your game will update when you verify the integrity of your game files through Steam. I prefer a Clean Vanilla Reinstall inbetween load orders but verifying the integrity of your game files will indeed update your game.

Or you can temporarily remove the "Only update this game when I launch it" setting we outlined earlier in this guide. Don't forget to set it back after the game updates.

Now go have fun with piece of mind.

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