How Do I Re-install Skyrim and Keep Saved Data?

I'll be honest. I broke my copy of Skyrim with a LOT of mods

My question is, how can I reset all of the game files but still keep my progress?

Don't worry, I'm only about 12 hours in if I have to for any reason lose the files.

You can uninstall and re-install the game if you choose.
It should not affect save data. But if you want to make a back up of your saves just to be safe:

Go to Documents/My Games/Skyrim/Saves
Copy the Saves folder and store it somewhere safe.

Wrench97 said:

Only down side is some of the mods may have affected the saved data and will not run correctly without the mod installed.

I never deleted any of my old saves, so I've probably got one from before I had the mods.

Wrench97 said:

You'll be good then :)

Thanks!

Also, just wondering if I should only use workshop and not Nexus. All my workshop mods worked, and I suppose are more reliable because they're installed through Steam. Most of the mods I got were from Skyrim Mods Weekly. Maybe I should install one at a time next time :)

Yes, 1 at a time is a good idea especially if having mod issues.
I would also highly recommend using Nexus Mod Manager to instal your mods. That way, if one is problematic or not what you expected, it can easily roll everything back.

In addition to NMM, there are 2 other tools I would highly recommend.

BOSS to sort mods, and SKSE (Skyrim Script Extender) even if you do not have mods that require it currently. (Many of the Better mods will need it such as SKYUI)
Install with NMM, close it and sort the load order with BOSS. Then Set NMM to launch the game with SKSE.


I can't say anything about Steam Workshop personally. But, Nexus has been around for a very long time, and IMO is the better option.

Wishmaster said:

I would also highly recommend using Nexus Mod Manager to instal your mods. That way, if one is problematic or not what you expected, it can easily roll everything back.

I was using NMM. I installed about 5 mods, started the game and it crashed on the game loading screen (I am aware of a bug where it crashes on the menu, but it isn't that because it worked fine before modding.)

It may just be load order/mod conflicts causing the crash at menu.

If this is the case, using Boss to sort as well as SkyEdit to create a merge patch.

SkyEdit Merge patch is a great option and works well for many mods, especially if you are not comfy with or want to use WyreBash.