Mod Organizer 2

In this step, we will install and configure Mod Organizer 2.

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What is Mod Organizer 2?

Mod Organizer 2 (MO2) is an open source game mod manager, mainly used for Bethesda games.

MO2's main characteristics are:

• Virtual Filesystem (USVFS): MO2 does not install mods directly into the game's folder, but rather creates a virtual filesystem that the game reads from.
  This allows for:
  • Safe mod installation and uninstallation.
  • Being able to modify mod install order at any point.
  • Having multiple profiles with different mod setups.
  • Keeping orignal game files clean,.
  Nothing is perfect, and USVFS is no exception. There are some downsides to it, such as:
  • Mods installed through MO2 are "visible" only to programs launched using MO2.
  • Some programs may not work properly with MO2's virtual filesystem.
  • USVFS can cause performance overhead if you have tons of loose (not-BSA) files.
  • USVFS works by "hooking" into the game (similarly to mods such as NVSE plugins, ReShade, etc.).
    This method can be considered as unsafe by some Anti-Virus software due to its memory-invasive nature.
• Profile System: MO2 allows you to create multiple profiles with different mod setups, saves, and settings.
• Two pane interface: MO2 is split into two sides, the left side is the mod list and the right side is the plugin list. This allows for easy conflict resolution and mod management.
• Portability: Thanks to the use of USVFS, MO2 has a "portable" mode that allows you to move the entire MO2 folder to another location with minimal setup.
• Modding Community Integration: MO2 has built-in support for Nexus Mods, allowing you to download mods directly from the Nexus.
  It also has a plugin system that allows for creation of custom plugins to extend its functionality.

  Mod Organizer 2 has NO support for Nexus' Collections feature, so you will have to download mods one by one.
  This is not a big issue, as the guide will provide direct links to the mods you need, and most collections are low quality and not curated.

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  The closest alternative to Collections is Wabbajack, which is a community-made modlist installer that can install entire modlists with a single click.
  Due to the higher bar of entry for modlist creations, those tend to be of higher quality compared to Collections.

Why Mod Organizer 2?

Mod Organizer 2 has been chosen as The mod manager for our guides due to its ease of use, and its ability to keep the game's folder clean.
This is important because it allows for easy conflict resolution and mod management, and makes correcting mistakes trivial - installed mods in the wrong order? Just drag them into the correct position!
Compared to Vortex, MO2 doesn't hide the most important parts of modding from the user, making it easier to understand what is happening and why, albeit at the cost of potentially looking scary at first.
That said, we are well aware that MO2 is not perfect, and it has its own set of issues and limitations, but it is the best tool for the job.

Installing Mod Organizer 2

1. Download Mod Organizer 2 from here.
2. Once the download has finished, right click the file and open its Properties.
3. In the properties window, if present, tick the Unblock checkbox at the bottom of General section.


This operation is required because Windows can block MO2 files from loading.
If you used the installer, this action is not needed as it handles it automatically.

4. Extract the archive into a folder where you want your VNV instance to be, for example C:\Modding\MO2\The Best of Times.

Folder MUST be outside of the default Windows folders (such as Program Files x86) and outside of the game's Root folder.

It's discouraged to store MO2 on Desktop or Documents if you use OneDrive or similar cloud providers, due to potential issues and degraded performance.

Configuring Mod Organizer 2

1. Run ModOrganizer.exe inside the Mod Organizer 2 folder you extracted before.
2. You will be prompted with a pop-up called Creating an instance, in which you should just select Next.
3. Create a portable instance.

4. Select TTW.
5. Select the store where you own the current game installation.
6. Enable both profile-specific options.
7. Keep the Location file path as default.

If you have MO2 installed on an SSD or a HDD with little space, you can check the Show advanced options box and change the Downloads file path to a different drive with more space. This will not effect download/game performance, and the downloads can be deleted after the mods have been installed.

8. On the last page, select Finish.
9. MO2 will launch and prompt you with Category Setup, select Do Nothing.
10. If you see a pop-up called INI file is read-only, select Remember my choice from the drop-down at the bottom then click Clear the read-only flag.
11. If you see a pop-up called Register?, select Yes.

Adding Exceptions to Defender

1. Open Windows Security.
2. Open Virus & threat protection.
3. Click Manage settings under Virus & threat protection settings.
4. Scroll down and click Add or remove exclusions under Exclusions.
5. Add a Folder exclusion and point it to the folder Mod Organizer 2 is in.
6. Add another exclusion for your game folder (the game's root folder, not documents).

This operation is required because Windows can block MO2 and mod files from loading due to how MO2's virtualized filesystem works.
If you used the installer, this action is not needed as it handles it automatically.

If you are using a third-party antivirus, you will need to find the exceptions menu and add those 2 folders mentioned previously.

Setting Up Plugins

1. Once Mod Organizer 2 has loaded, right-click in the right pane and select Enable all.
2. If there is a plugin called FalloutNV_lang.esp in the right pane, navigate to the game's Data folder and delete it.
• If you do not know what the game's Data folder is, read the Key Terminology section from the Setup page.

The translation plugin must be deleted because it directly edits thousands of records to change the language, which will cause many incompatibilities with most mods. Because of conflicts like this, the guide unfortunately only supports the English version of the game.

Configuring Settings

1. Select the X in the bottom right of MO2 to close the log window.
2. Select the button at the top of MO2 to open the settings.
3. In the Theme tab, you can select a different style of your choosing from the drop-down menu at the top.
4. In the Nexus tab, select Connect to Nexus.

• This option will not show up if you have already connected your Nexus account on a different MO2 instance.
5. MO2 will open your browser and prompt you to authorize the connection.
6. Once you authorize it, you can close out of your browser and of the MO2 settings.
7. Allow MO2 to restart.

Configuring Game's Settings

1. Launch the game launcher using the Fallout Launcher option in MO2.

2. Inside the launcher, click Options and do the following:
   1. Select Ultra Preset.

      If you have a very weak PC, you can select Medium Preset instead.

   2. Set Resolution to your monitor's native resolution.

      Launcher's resolution list can be pretty limited - if your resolution is not present, you can set it manually by following these steps:

      1. Click the button at the top of MO2 and select INI Editor.
      2. Select the FalloutPrefs.ini tab.
      3. Change following settings in the Display section:
         iSize W = your screen width
iSize H = your screen height

3. Close the launcher.

Mod Installation Instructions

When the guide says to install a mod, it will be formatted as follows: Main File - Example 1.5. This is referring to the mod's category on Nexus and file name.
The guide will list a mod's specific file name, category and version if you need to do more than just download the latest main file.



Standard mod installation procedure:

1. Unless instructed otherwise by the guide, download a mod's latest main file using the Mod Manager Download button.
2. Once the download has finished, open Downloads tab in MO2 (right pane, below executable selector).
3. Double-click on the mod to install it.
4. Enable the mod on the left pane.

Sometimes, a mod will not have a Mod Manager Download, or will be hosted on a site other than Nexus.
If that is the case, do the following:

1. Click the Manual Download button (or whatever the download button is for the respective site).
2. Once the download has finished, click the button at the top of MO2.
3. From the new window, navigate to where the file was downloaded to and double-click it.
4. Finish the install as you would with a Mod Manager Download mod.

When downloading multiple files from the same page, you will be prompted with a box in Mod Organizer 2 with the options Merge, Replace and Rename.

• You should select the Rename option and rename the mod to its respective file name, this will make MO2 install them as separate files for easier management.
• If you are updating from an old version of a mod, you should select Replace, this will automatically delete all the files from the old version of the mod and replace them with the ones from the new version.
• Merge should only be used when you are sure the mod will not be updated and in situations where a hotfix is uploaded as separate file.