That means that if there are two identical files in each archive, the file contained in the last loaded plugin’s BSA will show up in-game. Load order also affects the order BSA archives are loaded into the game. Now if that was confusing, bear with me because there’s a little bit more. So, if plugins 1 and 2 both change Nazim’s clothes, only the plugin loaded last will have a noticeable effect in the game. With load order, on the other hand, we are dealing with the changes made internally, inside any of the plugin files we mentioned before. When we are dealing with installation order, we are only resolving the latter of these two types of changes. These changes have pointers in the plugins that tell the game where the external files can be found. The second type of change is one that is created with the help of other files, be it textures, meshes, scripts and so forth. Apart from that, these changes don’t need any other files to take effect.

The first type of change is one that is handled entirely by the plugin file, be it an ESM or ESP. To better understand the difference between load order and installation order, let’s break down game changes created by mods into two categories. And this is where things can get a bit confusing. But isn’t this conflict resolved by mod installation order? No. Sometimes, this kind of changes can cause game-breaking conflicts so a well-organized order can potentially remove many of these. Well, the mod loaded last would get the final say in the changes. Let’s say you have 2 mods that change an NPC, Nazim for example. You should have the information down pat, at this point.Īlright well, the next logical question is why does the load order of these files matter? To answer that, let me give you a hypothetical. If you need a better refresher of what these files do, and what files mods consist of, check out the MO2 intro video in the top right. Recall that these files are what tell the game what changes are included in a mod. This process occurs when you first start the game. Load order is exactly what it sounds like, it is the order ESP files and ESM files are loaded into the game.

But what does it do, and why is it important? More specifically, how does it compare to mod installation order? What is Load Order? I’m sure most of you have heard the term load order while modding your game, be it on a forum, mod page, or even my own Discord.

Mod organizer overwrite guide