Guide/Load Order

Prior to reading this page read the Installation page and the Modding Horizon page, if it doesn't work without other mods besides Horizon.

## Preface

Most Problems are caused because of incorrect Load Orders (LO). In any case, when playing Horizon for the first time it is not advisable to use other mods. The game should be restarted as soon as new mods (including Horizon) have been installed. However in many cases that is not ultimately needed. In case players are inexperienced with modding and how specific mods affect and interact with the game its better to rely on mods that work with Horizon.

### What is load order?

Load order determines the hierachy of game files (ESP, ESL, ESM). A load order is indexed (mod index) based on a unique ID (Form ID), the first two digits/letters (01, 02, 03, ... 0A, 0B, ...) are affected by the load order. These numbers vary based on the total number of mods.

### Mod index

*See: Guide/Mod Manager*

It is required to use a mod manager to see and ensure a proper index and load order while using Horizon.

### Determine load order

*See: Guide/Patching • Guide/Modding Horizon*

Most type of mods need patching because Horizon is making fundamental changes to Vanilla Fo4. Most mods should therefore be loaded before Horizon's plugins. In case mods have been patched for Horizon load order might vary (see below). The modding Horizon article explains in detail how-to use other mods. For insight about patching mods for Horizon see the patching Horizon guide.

### Auto-sort load order

To date, there is no program that can think for the user. A load order can't be generated by the push of a button. It's essential to know which records (game data) will be overwritten in order to properly organize mods outside of the Horizon plugins.[*citation needed*]

## Location

Depending on your mod manager, the load order location vary.

* Check the location table below,
* **Drag & Drop** the `loadorder.txt`/`modlist.txt` into the #mod-compatibility channel @ Horizon Discord for real-time support.

 Vortex | `📁...\AppData\Local\Fallout4\` | `loadorder.txt` | *

## Preset

This is Horizon's default load order based on the current one from nexusmods.com. Basically, the following points should be considered:

1. ESM and ESL files should be loaded between the vanilla `Fallout4.esm` files and `Z_Architect.esm` file,
2. Other mod files such as ESPs should be loaded between `Z_Horizon_Loot_Respawn_DLC.esp` and `Z_Horizon.esp`,
3. Patches go after the last Horizon related file.

The **Mod Index** (numbers and letters) in front of a plugin are decisive for the correct **FormID**. FormID is used in, for example, G.E.C.K., Creation Kit, or FO4Edit to identify specific files. The first 2 numbers differ depending on the individual load order and thus marked "xx" here. Plugins marked with "📌" are not part of the Horizon Installation (zip file) and are therefore not clearly defined here, but are highly recommended.

## Mod Hierachy

*See: Guide/Patching*

Due to the amount of mods, the probability that mods overwrite other mods increases accordingly. Since objects can be tied to a whole range of categories, such as armor, craftable objects, misc. items, etc. If a mod hasn't been patched for Horizon, the user must compare the records and patch them if necessary. If not odds are, depending on load order that one or the other mod will start to override game data and cause most likely technical issues!

### Logic

Sorting mods is important because each mod uses game data. Game data consists of various objects which are categorized, commonly known as **object class** or **signature**. Each object consists of records based on a certain number of entries. Entries can't be changed seperately thus the record as a whole will be overwritten.

The data of the mod at the lowest point in load order is taken. NOTE: This is also depending on the plugins set to "master".

Since Horizon has its own logic in many ways, e.g. keywords it is especially important to know which mods need to be patched. With the help of FO4Edit, the user can indentify which records, entries are affected and can actively patch a mod.

### Example

1. In the picture on the right, the craftable object (`COBJ`) "Ballistic Weave" has been introduced by `[07] Z_Architect.esm` and is overwritten by `[0A] Z_Horizon.esp` (the digits/letter in square brackets determines load order), thus the component "Nylon" will be added to the recipe 8 times. If multiple mods would use `[07] Z_Architect.esm` the mod on the very right would ultimately overwrite the record.
2. Horizon's DEF\_UI will add additional tags (pre-/suffixes) to any item (record) in Fallout 4. If a mod overwrites any of these modifications - the record itself - since this mod is loaded after DEF\_UI for some reason, non of the tags will work ingame, and the installation is broken since the load order is wrong. Therefore it's wise to load non Horizon compliant mods before Horizon, so Horizon can overwrite probably. If it's a 100% working patch for Horizon refer to the modders load order.

## See Also

* Horizon installation and troubleshooting guide
* Guide/Installation
* Guide/Modding Horizon
* Guide/Patching
* FO4Edit @ nexusmods.com

## References

1. ↑ https://steamcommunity.com/app/377160/discussions/0/1489987634014194444/
2. ↑ https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/17374?tab=description