Happy Sunday everybody!

I’m proud to present Ultimate Skyrim 4.0.6. Sorry for the tardy release - I hit a few snags towards the end & wanted to make sure everything was up to snuff.

4.0.6 is intended to polish the 4.0.x experience, since it’s the last of the 4.0.x series - meaning the next release will be 4.1.0.

4.0.6 includes a lot of new features, fixes, and changes, so be sure to read the changelog carefully. If you encounter any issues, please report them on the Discord or the Subreddit.

Release Resources

Express Install Update Instructions

This update method will install a totally new instance of Ultimate Skyrim on your computer. This requires more disk space, but is arguably the easiest update method.

Repeat the processes on the Final Steps page.

Starting with Step Two, repeat the process on the Express Install page.

Manual Update Instructions

This update method will update your current instance of Ultimate Skyrim. This is a more complex update method - proceed at your own risk, and consider backing up your install first.

Run the game, and follow the updated MCM instructions to configure your new save.

Re-run the DynDOLOD patcher, the Automatic Variants patcher, and the Reqtificator using the guide on the Final Steps page.

Organize the plugins in your Load Order (MO Right Pane) according to the 4.0.6 Official Load Order.

Organize the mods in your Modlist (MO Left Pane) according to the 4.0.6 Official Modlist.

Remove any mods listed under “Mod Removals” below. (Right-click in MO and select “Remove Mod”.)

Make any changes specified under “Mod Adjustments” below. (FOMODs can be adjusted by re-installing mods. Right-click a mod in MO and select “Reinstall Mod”.)

Download and install the updated versions of mods listed under “Mod Updates” below, then remove their old versions. (Right-click in MO and select “Remove Mod”.)

Download and install the mods listed under “Mod Additions” below, according to your preference. (Mods marked “Required” must be downloaded & installed.)

Full Changelog

Mod Additions

Mod Updates

Mod Adjustments

FOMOD Installation: iAFT and EFF are no longer selected.

This mod is now required.

This mod is now required.

FOMOD Installation: Users are now directed to select the option “Without SMIM Lanterns”.

Mod Removals

Several users have identified bugs in the RBM skeletons that prevent proper ragdolling behavior. The mod is removed until these bugs can be fixed.

New Features

Borderless Windowed mode is once again the default setting.

Ultimate Skyrim now features full Gamepad support, thanks to some long hours & the combined efforts of several incredible mods. Particular shout out to Dunc Smith, creator of iEquip & Gamepad++, without whom this would not even be close to possible.

Auto-configuration presets have been included for the following mods: A Matter of Time, Campfire, Frostfall, Gamepad++, iEquip, Less Intrusive HUD II, Simply Knock, SV Mods Menu, Thieves Guild Requirements, and Wearable Lanterns.

All varieties of hip pouch now provide the same Carry Weight bonus of 5, so players can mix and match different pouches/holsters/etc.

All Bandolier items now use slightly updated naming conventions so they’re better organized in the inventory.

All backpacks now have the Clothing keyword so vendors will buy & sell them appropriately.

Eorlund Gray-Mane only offers his smithing services to members of the Companions Circle.

Every blacksmith’s smithing skill has been individualized based on the their background, experience, and clientele (i.e. who pays their bills) . The most skilled blacksmiths are generally harder to find, and are often related to factions or areas of the world that are difficult to access.

Blacksmiths can now craft items from the Forge, Crafting Table, Tanning Rack, and Smelter.

Some NPC’s now offer Tailoring services, and accept orders for clothing & cloth items in the same way that blacksmiths accept orders for weapons, armors, etc. There’s generally at least one Tailor in each of the five major cities, and they can be identified by the spinning wheels they keep in their shops. (Other means of identifying Tailors will likely be added later.)

For realism, Imperial Mail savings account services have been restricted to major cities (where the gold assets can be adequately protected). You can access your savings account from all major city taverns, and from the main office in Solitude. All innkeepers still offer other Mail services, such as parcel shipping & passbook replacement. (Thanks to Hazard for setting up this framework!)

Civil war soldiers will no longer tolerate you looting their comrades’ corpses, and will report your crimes to their capital hold (Haafingar for the Legion, Eastmarch for the Stormcloaks).

The MCM Settings guide now distinguishes between essential settings & non-essential settings. It is also reformatted, edited for clarity, and generally polished.

ETaC apparently features optional Laundry & Bedding Clutter - how grand! These features have been enabled, and I gave the laundry water a slight visual touch up with the help of Realistic Water Two.

The “Harvest Wood” ability has been disabled to avoid confusion with the “Foraging” ability, and you can now forage both Firewood and Deadwood with the Forage ability, though Firewood is a rarer find.

Requiem’s “Examine” ability has been renamed to “Frisk”, since its other functions are effectively replaced by other abilities.

All UI meters feature an improved appearance, thanks to Hazarduss & Dunc Smith.

The College of Winterhold now requires prospective students to have 50 skill or greater in at least one magical school.

Faralda’s College admittance tests are much clearer about the school of magic you’ll be tested in.

The College’s various experiments & resources will now provide a small amount of magical XP when examined.

Completing quests for the Companions will yield more gold as you advance in rank.

If the player initially refuses the Beast Blood from Aela, it’s now slightly easier to convince her to offer it a second time.

Fast horse dismount is now the default way of dismounting a horse (and the player no longer defaults to drawing weapons on fast dismount).

The ini file from Better Stealing has been adjusted to make life a little harder for thieves. Items worth 50 gold or more will now be marked as Stolen.

NPC’s now wear a greater variety of hoods when it’s raining and/or cold.

Followers who’ve run out of potions will notify the player every 10 minutes, instead of the previous 5 minute intervals.

Followers no longer use potions out of combat to avoid potion wastage.

Follower tax through Simple Taxes has been disabled in favor of the tax system from NFF.

The script from Dynamic Things now scans less frequently, and the scan range has been slightly shortened. This should help players who sometimes encounter “invisible” containers.

The “Homenaje” font has been removed from Ultimate Skyrim’s core files to accommodate the new font Improved Arjestin Font Replacement.

Improved copy text for the Rested, Well Rested, Uplifted, & Inspired bonuses.

Followers will now use all potions and poisons given to them.

“Cook Food” has been reverted to “Primitive Cooking” to avoid confusion. This is purely cosmetic, and there is no functional difference in the primitive cooking mechanic.

The “Sense Direction” ability has been re-enabled.

MCM instructions have been added for Holidays, specifically regarding Non-Dragonborn characters & character birthdays.

New load screens have been added that feature useful tips on surviving and thriving in the world of Ultimate Skyrim.

Apothecaries now carry a greater variety of animal parts (though some animal parts still require expert hunting abilities).

Renamed Wooden Trolling Rods to be a bit easier to find in the crafting menus.

Activating a fresh animal kill while sneaking will no longer pick up the carcass automatically.

Animal butchering yields slightly more meat.

Combat will no longer prevent animal field dressing, butchering, harvesting, etc.

Animations have been disabled for field dressing, butchering, harvesting, etc. (I found these animations jarring in first person because the camera is reset vertically before & after the animation; since the player is usually looking down when performing these actions, there’s a large “jump” between camera states.)

The Hunterborn cookbook is no longer required for “obscure” Hunterborn food recipes. (This is in preparation for UltSky’s blueprints, which will supersede all other “recipe” restrictions.)

Dragons can now be harvested for additional dragon parts like blood, eyes, etc.

The Spinning Wheels in the Hag’s Cure and the Radiant Raiment have been relocated to make them more obvious, and to prevent clipping.

Adjusted many “armored cloth” recipes to use pre-made clothing. Affected recipes: Dragonhide Robes, Ebony Mage Armor, and Dwarven Mage Armor.

Research Journals now require linen thread & slightly less paper.

The price of ink has been slightly reduced.

Restored a small chance for Bandit tricksters/wizards to keep Spell Tomes as loot.

Iron Kettles & Iron Cauldrons now have identical attributes (value, weight, recipes, etc.) for congruence purposes with Spell Research.

You can now re-ignite a burnt out torch by combining it with Flammable Oil at the Crafting Table, or in your Crafting Ledger.

Various cloth recipes now use metal fragments/rings instead of full ingots for realism. Affected recipes: all Dragon Priest cloaks, Sheogorath’s Garb, Silk Embroidered Raiments, Psijic Gloves/Robes, Silk Radiant Raiment, Cotton Fine Boots, and Cotton Focusing Gloves.

The gold rewards for Missives quests have been increased across the board, especially in the cases of gathering quests where the value of goods gathered was formerly much higher than the quest payout.

More taxes have been implemented through Simple Taxes, but the taxes themselves have been generally lowered.

The cost for renting out a mine has been increased from 750 to 1000, and the friend discount has been increased from 300 to 500.

It’s no longer illegal to use crafting equipment at night in populated locations. (This feature is unfortunately incompatible with SkyrimSouls.)