How Do I Make A Clean Save In Skyrim

What is Salvage Cleaning?

If you've experienced whatsoever kind of crazy issues with mods, and so tried searching for some solutions to those problems, you've probably heard of something people call 'clean saving'. But what does that mean? I become the feeling that a lot of people think that the process of cleaning a save is a foolproof and guaranteed way to clean up stuff from your save when weird things outset to happen, and it's definitely a prophylactic step in the overall troubleshooting process. Today I want to clarify: It isn't any of those things.

Allow's kickoff past defining this process. Nearly of the fourth dimension when people talk about doing a clean save, they mean a relatively quick and simple process that more or less looks something similar this:

Load the save you wish to clean
Make a new save
Quit the game
Uninstall the mods you lot want to remove
Load the contempo save
Brand another new salve

And if you are putting the modernistic back in for any reason, yous would then quit the game, reinstall said modern(due south), and load up the 'clean' salvage. Pretty easy correct? Doesn't really seem like something that could exist potentially harmful, and I bet a lot of people may employ this every time they uninstall or even install mods as part of their 'best practices' in modding.

This is where I become frustrated at the lack of proper data in regards to Skyrim modding, especially when you mod the game heavily. Role of the reason I started this blog was that it was hard for me to find loads of data on a heavy modding set up up, and proper modding in general, all in one place. There is a ton of skillful info out there if you know where, and even when to look for it. Only there is no 'Heavy Skyrim Modding for Beginner's' rule book. Trust me, I looked.

Now, if y'all've got some weird glitches happening in your game, and you want to endeavor cleaning your save to get rid of them, in most cases the method I've outlined above doesn't actually exercise annihilation. To explain why, I'thousand going to delve a little bit into what happens when you start using sure mods, and how your save becomes dependent on them.

There are indeed some mods that are completely safe to install and uninstall from your game at whatever fourth dimension. In general, these mods are 'replacer' mods, ones that supplant things from the vanilla game without calculation or removing any objects. Texture packs, armor or weapon recolors, some audio mods will usually fall into this category. Texture replacements, for example, simply replace a texture file that is already in the game with a new or altered one. Merely the specific files that are included in the mod are changed, and because the vanilla game files are e'er in the game data, the relieve has files to retrieve if/when the new texture is removed. Saves volition never develop dependencies on these types of mods.

Some mods are relatively safe to add and remove from your game, but you may experience some problems. Mods that add together or remove whatsoever objects, equipment, buildings, NPCs, or fifty-fifty perks and abilities are in this category. In general, adding these into a salve is no problem. However, if you install a mod that heavily alters an outdoor world space, or an interior cell like an inn for example, and your character is in said space when you install and attempt to load the mod, you may accept some glitching or even crashing because you are trying to modify a cell that is already loaded. The aforementioned goes for when you remove said mods and your graphic symbol is again in the space you lot are trying to revert back to vanilla. In the case of mods that add together equipment or spells, again, installing them is generally painless. If you remove them, though, the objects that were added at present no longer be, and so they will exist missing from your game. If you utilise a modernistic like SkyRe, the perk changes information technology makes won't exist if y'all decide to take it out, but that ways any points you spent in those perks go on with it. Taking these types of mods out may cause you to lose some items or spells that you lot will have to observe or make again if y'all put the mod back, merely at that place shouldn't be likewise many game breaking problems (that tin can't be resolved through the in-game console, anyway).

And last we get to the illicit substances of Skyrim mods, the scripted ones. There are many, many different mods that require scripts to run. They are mods that require the game to carry in a style that is dissimilar than it does in vanilla. A mod may needs scripts to tell the game when to initiate sure events, like spawning an army, or lighting a lantern, or starting a snow storm. Popular mods like Frostfall, User-friendly Horses, Footprints, or Warzones are these types of mods, and things can become really hairy if you try to remove them. The reason for that is when you install scripted mods, the scripts will write themselves into your save data, and when you remove the mods, the scripts remain and continue to run. The issues start to occur when the scripts start calling on information that they need to piece of work properly, but they can't find annihilation because you've gone and removed the objects from your game. This can result in pretty consistent crashing, salvage game bloat, or other serious game breaking issues. Your save has get dependent on the mod and volition not function properly without information technology.

If you really demand to remove a scripted modern from your game, in that location is a method of cleaning your save to try an cease orphaned scripts or other issues, but it isn't the method I've outlined above. You lot can detect the complete cleaning process on the S.T.E.P. Project wiki here. This is an extreme method, and I would recommend but doing information technology if you actually accept a ton of junk in your save game and you lot want to try getting information technology all out. If whatsoever method of cleaning was going to work, it would exist that one. Not guaranteed though.

So When Should I Make clean My Relieve?

The guide I've linked higher up recommends using the method every bit a sort of preventative measure out every time you want to add together or remove mods, but as much equally I love the people at the Pace wiki I'one thousand going to have to disagree. In my stance, you shouldn't ever effort to clean your save unless it is completely necessary, and the uncomplicated method to a higher place should never, ever exist used every bit a way to remove scripted mods. Always use the overkill method if you lot absolutely need to remove a scripted modernistic, and fifty-fifty so in that location are ameliorate ways to deal with removing these. The simple cleaning method should only ever be used if it is required when you are updating a mod, and intend to reinstall it after you've made the clean save. This is only required if a mod has undergone some serious changes to it's functionality, and the mod data needs to exist 'reset' in your save in order for information technology work properly. Mostly, attempting to make clean a salve should be a last resort, and can be easily avoided if you know how to manage your mods properly. I'll try and give y'all some guidelines:

If it isn't broken, don't fix information technology. If a mod is operation properly, leave information technology solitary. Many times I see people recommending uninstalling or disabling mods all at once as a method of troubleshooting, and hopefully you can see now why that is such a terrible thought. If some mods broke due to an update or some other random act of the gods, don't go poking around the mods that are however working. If they aren't broken, you accept absolutely no reason to remove them, so don't. All it does is of a sudden take away objects or information that the salvage may demand, which can crusade more than problems than if you take left the mod alone.
Back up your saves. Before y'all install a modernistic, load upward your relieve without the modernistic. Press ` to enter the console and type 'relieve <insert name of salvage hither>'. Get in a unique name, and try to indicate it is a save that isn't dependent on whatever mod you are about to install, i.e. 'Clean Save Pre-SkyRe'. Something to that effect. Then navigate to your save folder and copy the salvage to a safe location. This volition ensure that y'all accept a save to return to should you lot determine you don't want whatever mod you were installing.
Exam each mod before y'all decide to continue it.After you have backed up yous save and installed a new modern, play around with it. I recommend betwixt 2-v hours of play testing. When I say play testing, I don't hateful that in the sense that you are a beta tester and trying to weed out bugs from the mod. I mean play as you normally would, keeping an eye open up for any issues that may occur, but keep in heed that you may lose whatsoever progress you make in that time if you make up one's mind to ditch the mod and get dorsum to your independent save. This will drastically reduce the demand for troubleshooting subsequently downwardly the line, and will brand your life infinitely easier if a mod does cause problems because you will know exactly what mod caused information technology, and you won't have any problems getting rid of it. This will remove the necessity of cleaning a save after trying to uninstall a scripted mod.
Follow instructions!Ever make certain yous read whatsoever information the writer provides on installing/updating/uninstalling a mod. Especially the uninstallation. Check the comments section for people having problems with the mod, read the changelogs. This volition aid you decide if you demand to backup your saves before trying a mod out, or if yous demand to make a clean save before installing an update. Once more, this will save headaches.

If you are having a problem with a specific modern (and you lot are certain that you know exactly what mod is causing the problem), you can endeavour doing a simple clean salvage to troubleshoot or sometimes resolve that problem. Like to updating a mod, you lot tin can endeavour a clean salvage as a method of 'rebooting' mod information to solve whatever problem you are having. Exist careful though, even if you put a mod back in, making a save without the modern tin ever cause even more problems, so brand sure yous fill-in your save before you remove anything. So uninstall or disable but the modernistic you are trying to reset, and make sure you follow any uninstall instructions provided by the author,so make a clean save and load the mod dorsum in. May or may not set your trouble, and it may or may not suspension something else entirely, but information technology is something you tin can effort.

To Recap

Attempting to clean your save is risky, and should simply be done if y'all admittedly demand to. The simple method should only exist used to clean a save from a single modern, and only when the mods needs to exist updated or reset. The extreme method should be used as a terminal resort to try to recover a save after damage has already been washed. If you lot backup your saves and test your mods properly, and read all instructions carefully, you should exist able to avoid breaking your game.

I promise that'southward been enlightening. Best of luck, and safe modding anybody.