The Elder Scrolls Morrowind: Installing Mods Right the First Time

Installing mods can be difficult and non-intuitive. I simplify it.

In my free time, I play video games, among other things. I have recently become re-invested in the Elder Scrolls series, emphasizing high-quality and lore-rich storytelling. As I like more modern graphics, I set out to install mods improving Morrowind before playing it. As I have found, it is not as intuitive as read-me documents can depict it. I list key points that one needs to be mindful of while installing mods, so they are installed in the right way, so you only have to do it once. This is important because sometimes you need to install mods in a particular order. After all, files improve on others, so you want to do it appropriately.

I am working through the graphical mod list available from here.

Using Mod Managers

Like Vortex from NexusMods, mod managers can be useful for some games, like Skyrim; they do not appear to work well with Morrowind. On installing all the mods on this list, it became clear that they were not installed correctly. Avoid.

Auto-Piloting Copy and Paste Installation

Some mods require more nuanced installation. I had to run special update scripts to get things working from the source that I am using for graphics mods, as with MGE XE and Morrowind Code Patch. Some mods may also be packaged in ways that require you to go through separate folders, like with Tamriel Rebuilt.

In this case, you have to go into each folder and move the texture/other folders in one by one as the 00 Core folder in the ‘Data Files’ folder will not be read. Some folders appear to be ready to go into the ‘Data FIles’ folder but are not like Morrowind Comes Alive folder ‘MCA Addons.’

Installing Everything then Testing.