IMPORTANT:
Everything in this guide is written down for a reason! It is vital to read everything!
You can NOT skip any paragraphs/instructions and expect your game to function as it should.
Wabbajack
What Is Wabbajack?
Wabbajack is an automated modlist installer, it will allow you to install the entirety of The Midnight Ride Extended in a matter of minutes and with extras such as better LOD.
Introduction And Setup
Read the Introduction first, then proceed to the Setup page. Once you're done, keep following this page.
Installation
- Download the latest Wabbajack.
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Create a new folder anywhere outside of any default Windows folders, and the game folder itself.
Example: C:\Modding\Wabbajack - Place the downloaded Wabbajack.exe in this folder, then run it.
- Click Browse Modlists, then tick the Show Unofficial Lists box in the corner.
- Locate The Midnight Ride in the gallery and click the download button in the corner.
- In Installation Location select an empty folder that is NOT the following:
- The Steam folder,
- Any default Windows folders,
- The game folder,
- The folder where you put Wabbajack.exe.
- Begin the installation.
- Accept the Nexus Mods API request.
- If you are not a Premium user you will need to manually click download for each mod.
- Once complete, the installation will show a green Installation Complete screen.
- If you see a red Installation Failed screen, try log-in again through the Wabbajack settings, then reinstall the list to the same folder. If that doesn't work please join the ModdingLinked Discord server for support.
Post-Install Steps
Exclusions
This operation is required because Windows can block MO2 and mod files from loading due to how MO2's virtualized filesystem works. It's not part of the manual guide because exclusions are handled by the MO2 installer, which Wabbajack doesn't use.- Open Windows Security.
- Open Virus & threat protection.
- Click Manage settings under Virus & threat protection settings.
- Scroll down and click Add or remove exclusions under Exclusions.
- Add a Folder exclusion and point it to the Installation Location folder.
If you are using a third-party antivirus, you will need to find the exclusions menu and add one to the same folder.
Root Mods
- In your Installation Location, open the Root Mods folder.
- Copy everything to the game's Root folder.
- Still in the game's Root folder, double-click on fo4downgrader.exe to run it.
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A command prompt window will open and it should say:
Patching successful
- Close the command prompt and backups with _downgradeBackup appended to their name should appear in the game's Root folder.
Mod Organizer 2 Setup
- Launch ModOrganizer.exe from your Installation Location.
- If you see a pop-up called Register?, select Yes.
Game Settings
- Open the game launcher using the Fallout Launcher option in MO2.
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Inside the launcher, click Options and do the following:
- Select Ultra Preset.
- Close the launcher.
- Still in the Executables menu of MO2, select BethINI Pie.
- Click Fallout 4 then press Select Game.
- Apply the following settings:
- Select a BethINI preset depending on your hardware.
- Apply Recommended Tweaks.
- Set Display Mode to Borderless Windowed.
- Select the resolution you want to display the game in.
- Make sure Text Language is set to English both in BethINI Pie and on Steam (other languages are not supported by the guide).
- Edit the other settings to your liking.
- Click File then Save in the top left, then confirm the prompts and close BethINI.
The BethINI High preset is recommended for most systems, use Ultra if you have spare GPU performance and want better visual quality.
You can check this complete comparison if you are unsure.
The NVFlex setting (weapon debris) in BethINI is disabled by default.
If you plan on enabling this and you have a newer Nvidia GPU, be sure to download and install Weapon Debris Crash Fix later in the guide.
High FPS Physics Fix Configuration
- Locate High FPS Physics Fix in the Utilities separator, then double-click it.
- In the INI-Files tab, open F4SE/Plugins/HighFPSPhysicsFix.ini
- Change the following options:
- Set AllowTearing to true (line 26)
- Set DisableBlackLoadingScreens to true (line 37).
- Set DisableAnimationOnLoadingScreens to true (line 44).
- Set PostloadingMenuSpeed to 3.0 (line 51).
- If you use VRR (G-Sync/FreeSync), set InGameFPS (line 58) to any value close to your lowest FPS and not exceeding your refresh rate - (refresh rate x 6.8%)
- If you use fixed refresh rate (meaning no VRR), set InGameFPS (line 58) to your refresh rate - 0.005 or fractions of your refresh rate. For example on 60hz you can lock to 59.995 or 30. Just like on VRR, choose whether to lock to a fraction or RR-0.005 based on which is closest to your lowest FPS.
- If you set InGameFPS to a value higher than 60, do the following as well:
- Set DynamicUpdateBudget to true (line 264).
- Set BudgetMaxFPS to the same value as InGameFPS (line 283).
Enabling AllowTearing allows the mod to disable VSync during loading in order to make it faster, since the game loading time is largely limited by current framerate (up to a certain point). Enabling it will NOT lead to any tearing during gameplay. This setting is also a requirement for VRR.
Enabling DisableAnimationOnLoadingScreens will freeze loading screens and any overlay you use, this is intended and will lead to way faster loading times. You can omit it if you prefer looking at animated loading screens.
You can check if you are using VRR by going to the Nvidia Control Panel if you're on Nvidia or Adrenalin's Display Settings if you're on AMD. If the G-Sync tab is missing from NVCP, your display doesn't support it or doesn't have the feature enabled in OSD.
NVIDIA USERS ONLY:
Make sure that G-Sync is set to Fullscreen and that Display Specific settings are enabled in the Control Panel, the Windowed option is problematic due to it being a hacky method. Both of the settings are wrongly named so they do not actually directly refer to the display method.
NVidia Fixes
If you have an NVidia GPU, enable Godrays Performance Fix Redux - ESPless under the NVidia Fixes separator.If your NVidia GPU is from the Turing generation (2000) or newer, also enable Weapon Debris Crash Fix.
You won't need the Weapon Debris Crash Fix if you kept NVFlex (the debris feature) off when using BethINI Pie previously.
Launching The Game
Go to the modlist's Installation Location folder you chose at the beggining and run ModOrganizer.exe.If you intend on playing The Midnight Ride without the Extended section, now is the time to switch profile by using the drop-down menu on the top of your modlist.
Due to the way Mod Organizer 2 works, running programs through it is a requirement in order to load mods. This is done in the top-right corner of the manager, where the program to run is chosen. Here, select F4SE.
If you don't see F4SE then you haven't followed the Root Mods instructions correctly.
For the sake of convenience you may also create a shortcut (right below the Run button) so that you won't have to manually open MO2 each time before playing.
MCM Configuration
Once you are in the game, head to the Mod Configuration menu, then the MCM Settings Manager menu and click Apply.You have now installed the The Midnight Ride Wabbajack list. If you don't want to mod your game further, you can now start playing. Have fun!
Finishing Notes
Adding mods independently and without the help of a guide is only recommended after you have learned the required information and workflow. These range from general technicalities about the game, to solving conflicts with xEdit through The Method.You can find sources for all this information and more in the Resources section. You should also be aware of the Tools and Mods to Avoid.
We may not provide support for setups that have added mods, especially if you went overboard!
Modlist Update
Updating The List
Whenever a new version of the list is released, you can update your current installation by following these steps:- If you added any mods to the list after installation, add the [NoDelete] prefix to their name in the left pane.
- Verify files on Steam or GOG Galaxy.
- Reinstall the list from Wabbajack with the "Overwrite Installation" checkbox enabled.
- Re-run the Downgrader as instructed above.
Make sure that the update is marked as Safe Mid-Game before playing with the same character!