Installing Wildlander

Welcome to Wildlander, and thank you for your interest in the project! This page will guide you through the install.

If you’re unsure about any part of the process, feel free to visit our Discord for help!

Recommended Specs:

GeForce GTX 1080ti or higher

Intel Core i7-9700K or higher

16gb or more RAM

Minimum Specs:

GeForce GTX 660
or equivalent

AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
or equivalent

8gb or more RAM

Note: If you don't have a lot of RAM, you may want to increase your pagefile size.
This allocates more memory to the modpack, and prevents memory-related crashes.

BEFORE WE BEGIN

You’ll need a few things before we begin. Please ensure that you have:

• At least 135 GB of free space. The size on disk is 85 GB, with 45 GB of mod downloads.
  Note: You can delete the downloads after, but they'll re-download with each update.
• Version 1.6.640 of Skyrim Special Edition, in English, on Steam.
  This version and language is required for Wildlander to function!
  
  Important: If you downloaded Skyrim after December 2023, you'll need to downgrade.
  If you need to downgrade your version, click here for instructions.
  If you need to change your language, click here for instructions.
  
• A Nexus Mods account.

Warning: The GOG version of Skyrim is not compatible at this time.

Warning: The Medal.tv recording application is currently incompatible with Wildlander.
We recommend using OBS or NVIDIA Shadowplay instead.

Note: We strongly recommend a Nexus Premium Membership, which speeds up the install by auto-downloading mods. (Without Premium, you are looking at a twelve hour manual task!)

Note: If you are updating from a previous installation, click here for update instructions.

STEP ONE:

RUN THE GAME

First, we need to run Skyrim. This generates files that Wildlander needs to function.

1. Select The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition within your Steam library, then click "Play".
2. The Skyrim launcher will offer to auto-detect your settings. When this happens, click "OK" and then click "OK" again. These settings don't matter, since Wildlander uses its own settings.
3. Click "Exit" to exit the Skyrim launcher.

STEP TWO:

INSTALL WABBAJACK

Next, we're installing Wabbajack – a modpack auto-installer for Skyrim and other games.

1. Click here to download the install package, then open the download.
2. Drag and drop the "Wildlander" folder into the location you'd like to install Wildlander.
   ‍
   Note: The ideal install location is a fast drive, on which you've also installed Skyrim.
   A good location would be something like "C:\Games\Wildlander".
   
   Warning: There are some restrictions on install location. ‍You CANNOT place the folder in:     • Program Files or Program Files (x86), or their subfolders;
        • the Users folder, or its subfolders;
        • the Steam folder, or its subfolders;
        • the Skyrim folder, or its subfolders;
        • the Desktop folder, or its subfolders;
        • the Documents folder, or its subfolders;
        • any folders with non-English characters;
        • any cloud storage folders (e.g. Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.).
   
3. After choosing a location, open the "Wildlander" folder and run "Wabbajack Installer.exe".
4. Once Wabbajack installs successfully, select "Browse Modlists".

STEP THREE:

INSTALL WILDLANDER

1. Click the Wabbajack search box, type "Wildlander", and then click the download button.
2. Click "install location", and then select the "game-files" folder within your "Wildlander" folder.
3. Click the play button to begin installation. If you are a Nexus Premium member, Wildlander will download and install automatically.
   
   Note: If you are not a Nexus Premium member, this gif will help you install manually.
4. Wait for installation to complete, then click the "Install Folder" button to open its folder.

STEP FOUR:

RUN THE WILDLANDER LAUNCHER

1. Within the Wildlander installation folder, double-click "Wildlander-Launcher-Setup.exe".
   This also creates a shortcut for the launcher on your desktop.
2. Click the dropdown in the launcher to locate your install, then select your "game-files" folder. (The folder should appear automatically, but if it doesn't, it looks like this.)
   
3. Configure the launcher to your liking, and then click "Launch Game" to play!
   

Important: Always run Wildlander through the launcher. If you run Wildlander outside the launcher, you will not benefit from the launcher's settings, shaders, and other useful features.