This is part two of my Skyrim Special Edition modding guide, covering the installation of Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE), which is needed for MANY mods, both quality-of-life and essential.

Note: This page is obsolete and is here for archival purposes. I will be compiling a guide elsewhere at some point; not sure when.

Part II – SKSE

SKSE can be downloaded from HERE. Make sure to select the Latest SE build (which at this time is version 2.0.16 for Skyrim SE version 1.5.80, but it changes every so often as Skyrim SE is updated.)

Once you download the .zip, open it and drag the two .dlls and skse64_loader.exe into the root of your Skyrim SE install folder, where the launcher and game .exes are. Drag the Data/ folder somewhere, like your desktop, and create a new .zip file with it. If you have 7-zip (and you should!) you can do so in its context menu by right-clicking the folder. Name it something useful so you can tell when it needs updating (I generally go for SKSE_Scripts_2.0.16.zip or something similar, depending on the version.)

The game now requires the attendant scripts to run. Open Mod Organizer, and click the second button from the left in the top left corner. It’s the one with the disc on it. Browse to where your zipped up scripts are and click it. In the dialogue that follows, make sure the name is correct and hit OK. The scripts will now show up on the left pane of MO2. Click the checkbox next to them to activate them. Success! SKSE should now be fully installed and ready to accept plugins. Let’s test it.

Once Skyrim starts, press the tilde key ~ and type skse into the prompt. You should see something like the picture below. If not, something’s gone wrong, but the game probably would have crashed or given you an error beforehand.