Introduction to ESLs

ESLs (Elder Scrolls Light Plugin) are a type of plugin used in Fallout 4 and Skyrim Special Edition, they allow plugins within a certain size to have an index limited to 4096 instead of 256.

Mod Organizer 2 will indicate these plugins with a yellow circle in the plugins tab and with an italic font.

Limitations

• To be flagged ESL, a plugin can't have more than 4095 new records (the range is from 001->FFF).
• If a plugin's header is version 0.95, the max amount of new records is 2048 (800->FFF).
• ESL on Fallout 4 has 2 bugs:
  • Cells originating in a light plugin cannot use the PreVis/Precombine system.
  • Voiced dialogue overriddes in a light plugin might result in silent dialogue audio.
• Working with ESL plugins in Creation Kit might result in more work due to the CK totally ignoring ESL space when creating new records. This means that after making new records in CK you'll have to compact forms in xEdit.

Batch Flagging

In order to have more space for non-ESL plugins in your load order, you'll have to make sure everything that can be flagged ESL, is. xEdit can do this natively thanks to it's PseudoESL argument and the SetESL script, which flags everything that can be flagged safely.

1. If you haven't already, read the xEdit guide to avoid confusion with the next steps.
2. Add -PseudoESL to the arguments field of xEdit in MO2.
3. Run xEdit and load all of your mods.
4. Once loaded, select all plugins on the tree-view with CTRL+A, then right-click and Apply Script...

5. Type SetESL in the filter and the script will automatically be selected.

6. Click OK and wait for it to process everything.
7. Close xEdit, if it asks you to save then that means the plugins listed received the ESL flag.