Do I have to have vanilla Skyrim to get started?

[Tharmagon]

First of all I apologize if this has been covered already. I did a search and couldn't find anything that related to it. If this has already covered, please feel free to point me to the thread instead of answering.

 

I have the Steam version of Skyrim. Have been playing for some weeks. I have a several mods installed already. Some from Steam Workshop, but most from Nexus. I want to use Mod Organizer to help my Skyrim run better ... gettiing some CTDs and dont want them to get worse.

 

My question is: do I need to start with vanilla Skyrim before I install MO? That is, do I need to uninstall all of my mods. Install MO. Then reinstall the mods through MO? Or, if I follow the install and user instructions carefully, will MO use what I have already, organize it, and make my Skyrim better, without removing any mods?

[GrantSP]

Because of the advanced feature set MO uses, it is recommended to use it on a "clean, vanilla" installation, ie. no mods installed directly into the game's data folder.

[Tharmagon]

Thank you. One more question please. If I uninstall all of the mods through nmm and steam, will I lose my progress through Skyrim or my saved games? As you can tell, I am new to Skyrim and modding.

[Nebulous112]

No, you won't lose your save game. But yes, it would be much better for you at that point to start a new game, anyway.

 

A good guide to make sure there is nothing left over in your data folder to screw up an MO install is this: https://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:Make_Skyrim_Vanilla_Again

[Tharmagon]

Thanks to both of you