Ive been around since morrowind and have just recently come out of the closet when it comes to certain programs(Loot,skyrim script extender,tesvedit,etc)but i was just reading somewhere that said if you use mods you need a bashed patch...is that right?

What exactly is a bashed patch?

Where do i get the program that does this?

How do i do it once i have the program?

Heres my mods in their load order(i dont know how to post them as a spoiler):

Wrye Bash

All those mods in your list with Delev, Relev, Names, Stats .. Those will be imported from your mods esps, into the Bashed Patch.esp ( which then loads last in your load order, and the imported records win - So you can pick and choose from these categories which mods records leapfrog the other mods records if they conflict .. Last loaded in the stack wins )

Game esps

Mod a.esp - With Names

Mod b.esp - With Different Names for same records

Bashed Patch.esp - Includes Names imported from Mod a, so they win over Mod b even though Mod b is later than Mod a in the load order

Wrye Bash currently does not have as many patchers as it does for Oblivion, but its slowly getting there.

Have a look in the first post for documentation http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1505167-relz-wrye-bash-thread-37/

My old http://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/35230/? is good for newcomers, but the official readme has been revamped by Wrinkly, and is still the most accurate / detailled documentation. Have a look at my guide if you just want a quick start, but also remember it was written for Oblivion Wrye Bash and as such has a lot more patchers for that game.

http://static-2.nexusmods.com/15/mods/101/images/35230-1-1343151466.png

http://i.imgur.com/FOjx4Ea.jpg

Apart from the Bashed patch - Its also able to install all of your mods if you manually download them ( via its BAINs ( BAsh INstallers )), manage your save games and screenshots, and can apply INI Tweaks to Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPrefs.ini.

It has quite a lot of features which are useful. I dont use anything else out of all the mod managers ( No NMM, no MO ).

LOOT my load order, load up Wrye Bash to manage mods and rebuild bashed patch as required, run TES5Edit for cleaning Update.esm and DLCs esms, and any mods that need cleaning

Play stable game for hours on end no problem.

If you have a look at my guide its easy to get up and running, but it is a more advanced Mod Manager so you have a lot of reading to do to understand it fully.

If you use the Installer, I recommend just using the Standalone version of Wrye Bash, you dont need the Python setup.

In case you might find it helpful as a starting point, here is a quick and dirty explanation of a bashed patch:

Sometimes mods can conflict by modifying the same record in different ways. Without a bashed patch the mod that is later in your load order will break the one which is earlier by overriding its changes to that record.

The original main purpose of a bashed patch is to combine the changes that several mods make to the same record, so that when the bashed patch is placed last in your load order, it overrides the conflicted record in the conflicting mods and allows them to function properly without breaking each other. It is kind of a dynamically (based on your mod setup) created compatibility patch.

Wrye bash is used to create such a bashed patch, but it does a lot of other things as well. I am under the impression, that later versions might among other things be used to combine small mods together to free up plugin slots, but I am not totally sure about that, as I have not had any need to do so.

A bashed patch is the Skyrim equivalent of a Morrowind levelled list patch.

I actually don't see anything that will conflict or specifically need it in your load order. If you were to add more mods around the economy or additional items you might need one.

The best thing Wrye Bash can do is scan mods for the worst dirty edits to clean a mod quicker than Tes5edit can, using its Mod Checker utility. I only discovered this recently. LOOT will only identify them if someone else has already found them, it doesn't do any scanning itself. http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/1840/?. Get the standalone executable version.

Wrye Bash can seem scary at first, but if all you need is to make a bashed patch, you can follow my quick & easy 4-step Wrye Bash youtube tutorial at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKyIPD4gO2g.

Nice vid - And yep thats pretty much all there is to it for a bashed patch.