Hymns of Hircine (HOH)

IMPORTANT

Heavily modded Skyrim is a complex and delicate machine. It's going to take some time and care to get everything set up. Decide now to embrace the process.

Read all the instructions. Follow all the instructions. If you do, you'll be playing Skyrim before you know it.

If you try to rush the procedure or cut corners, you'll be asking in Discord why things aren't working, when you could have been playing Skyrim instead.

Take your time, work through every step in sequence, and then enjoy the game.

Dedicate this quest to Order, else Chaos shall surely result.

📎 Community

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📖 Table of Contents

⚠️ Disclaimer
📌 Introduction
📋 Features
💻 Requirements
🔥 Installation Instructions
✅ Post-Installation Steps
📚 Additional Guides
⚖️ Rule 11 – Modlist Modification Disclaimer
📞 Support & Troubleshooting
🤝 Credits & Permissions
📸 Screenshots
🔗 Links
❓ FAQ
💬 Thank You

⚠️ Disclaimer

Hymns of Hircine (HOH) is a Skyrim modlist designed for mature audiences. It includes NSFW content, OStim integration, and other adult-oriented modifications. Ensure you are legally allowed to access such content in your region before proceeding.

📌 Introduction

Hymns of Hircine (HOH) is the immersive challenge modlist from the Scrolls of Schtevie team. This list transforms Skyrim into a merciless Hunting Ground where survival is never guaranteed. You will battle hunger, cold, exhaustion, and predators that stalk your every step, with Hircine’s blessing only granted through blood and perseverance. HOH is designed to be difficult, immersive, and role-play focused, encouraging you to step fully into the role of a hunter in a dangerous, unforgiving world. Every system — survival mechanics, combat, economy, and immersion mods — works together to create a relentless challenge that rewards patience, strategy, and role-play above all else.

⚠️ Before You Install

Before installing, use the SOS Pre-Install Checker to confirm your system and setup are ready.

👉 Run the Pre-Install Checker

📋 Features

Two Unique Profiles Included:
HOH offers two distinct profiles tailored to your preferred experience:
- Lord's Vision – ENB with multiple preset options, full graphics, and all features enabled
- Performance – Community Shaders, same gameplay experience with optimized graphics for smoother play on lower-end systems
Quest Mods:
HOH includes a massive lineup of lore-rich, fully patched quests that expand Skyrim’s world with new factions, dungeons, and narratives. Major entries include:
Legacy of the Dragonborn, DAc0da, Vigilant, Glenmoril, Unslaad, The Forgotten City, Project AHO, Wyrmstooth, The Tools of Kagrenac, The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal, Sirenroot, Olenveld, Moon and Star, Legends of Aetherium, Heart of the Reach, Ascend, Sleepwalking into a Nightmare — and many more.
Combat & Perks:
MCO combat featuring For Honor in Skyrim Reforged. A complete magic overhaul with many of the most popular spell add-ons. Combat is brutal, punishing, and designed to test both your skill and your determination with modern animation and progression systems.
Perk overhaul is Vokrii with additional features from SALSa, and support from Mannaz, Freyr, Sacrilege, Growl, and Wintersun.
Survival and Needs:
Last Seed, Frostfall, Campfire, Skills of the Wild, Carry Your Carcasses, Hunters Loot, Stress and Fear, and Bathing in Skyrim all contribute to the immersion experience.
City and World Overhauls:
Fully integrated combinations of JK’s Skyrim, Cities of the North, and The Great Cities series — all patched for terrain, navmesh, AI paths, and visual consistency.
Armor & Weapon Add-ons:
Includes a wide range of high-quality, lore-friendly armors (as well as NSFW armors/clothing) and weapons curated for visual consistency and seamless distribution across leveled lists.
NSFW & OStim Integration:
HOH integrates OStim Standalone, OBody, HIMBO, and 3BA with immersive balance. All adult content is carefully implemented — no defeat mods, no excessive scripts, and no forced interactions.
Comprehensive NPC Overhauls:
Nearly every NPC in Skyrim has been visually enhanced through a custom EasyNPC merge for maximum compatibility and consistency.

💻 Requirements

📊 My System Specs (Reference Build)

Component	Specs
CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D
GPU	ASUS ROG ASTRAL 5090
RAM	64GB DDR5-6000
Storage	Samsung 990 EVO PLUS 4TB SSD (PCIe Gen 4x4)

For reference, I run this list on a 32:9 ultrawide monitor (5120 x 1440) with smooth, consistent FPS on the Lord's Vision profile.

📋 Recommended System Specs

🎮 System Requirements for Hymns of Hircine - 🛡️ Lord’s Vision Profile 🎮

High Graphics | Full Feature Set | Maximum Visuals

Component	🟡 Minimum (Playable)	🟢 Recommended (Ideal)
CPU	Intel Core i5 (10th Gen) / AMD Ryzen 5 (3000 series)	Intel Core i7 (12th Gen) / AMD Ryzen 7 (5000 series)
RAM	16GB DDR4	32GB DDR4
Pagefile	40GB	40GB
Storage	Internal SATA SSD	NVMe M.2 SSD
GPU	NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti / AMD RX 6600 XT (8 GB VRAM)	NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti / AMD RX 7800 XT (16 GB VRAM)
Disk Space	~280GB Download / ~588GB Installed / ~868GB Total	~280GB Download / ~588GB Installed / ~868GB Total

🎮 System Requirements for Hymns of Hircine - 🛡️ Performance Profile 🎮

Optimized for Lower-End Hardware | Reduced Visual Load

Component	🟡 Minimum (Playable)	🟢 Recommended (Ideal)
CPU	Intel Core i5-6500 / AMD Ryzen 5 (1st or 2nd Gen)	Intel Core i5 (10th Gen) / AMD Ryzen 5 (3000 series)
RAM	16GB DDR4	16–32GB DDR4
Pagefile	40GB	40GB
Storage	Internal SATA SSD	NVMe M.2 SSD
GPU	NVIDIA RTX 2060 (6 GB VRAM) / AMD RX 5600 XT	NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti / AMD RX 6600 XT (8 GB VRAM)
Disk Space	~280GB Download / ~588GB Installed / ~868GB Total	~280GB Download / ~588GB Installed / ~868GB Total

The downloads can be removed after successful installation. NOT RECOMMENDED. But if you're short on space, it won't cause issues.

🔍 Pre-Install Validation

Ensure your system and setup have been validated using the SOS Pre-Install Checker before proceeding.

👉 Run the Pre-Install Checker

🔥 Installation Instructions

🧱 System Dependencies

Before continuing, make sure these system components are installed — they are required for Wabbajack and Skyrim to function correctly:

Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable
.NET 8 SDK and .NET 9 SDK
- Get the Windows X64 Installers for the most current SDK version, unless you know that you need something different.
- we recommend you NOT install .NET 10, and uninstall it if it is installed. We have seen many examples of tool failures when .NET 10 is present.

If you're unsure whether these are already installed, it's safe to install them again — they will update or repair as needed.

❗ Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you meet the following hard requirements:

You must own and install Skyrim Anniversary Edition (AE).
The Standard Special Edition (SSE) will not work — this modlist requires the full AE version with all Creation Club content.
You must have the Creation Kit installed via Steam.
It is required for the modlist to compile and must be installed on the same drive as your Skyrim AE installation.

Example: If Skyrim AE is installed on D:\, the Creation Kit must also be installed on D:\.
Installation must be on an Internal SSD.
Installing to an HDD or any external storage device will result in long load times, freezing, and crashes.
Disable unneeded background processes. This includes Steam, Nvidia, and AMD overlays; volunteer computing projects like Folding@home; hardware management apps from Corsair, Logitech, Razer, etc; Wallpaper Engine and other desktop toys; and anything else that will divert system resources from Skyrim.
Consider disabling TurboBoost and any overclocking technology. We've seen numerous cases where boosting hardware beyond its normal operating parameters leads to system instability under the demands of a highly modded Skyrim environment.

⚠️ Creation Kit Installation Bug — March 2026 Steam Update

A recent Steam update is causing the Skyrim Special Edition Creation Kit to install into a new, separate folder (e.g., Skyrim Special Edition 1946180) instead of your existing Skyrim directory.

To fix it:

Open the newly created folder (e.g., Skyrim Special Edition 1946180).

Move all of its contents into your main Skyrim Special Edition installation folder.

Manually launch CreationKit.exe from that correct location.

Allow it to finish its initial setup and script unpacking.

Close the Creation Kit once it's done, then continue with the installation normally.

🧰 Installation Steps

Download Wabbajack
Get the latest version of Wabbajack from https://www.wabbajack.org/
Prepare a Clean Skyrim AE Installation
🎥 All of the steps below are shown in this video:
GamerPoets – Clean Skyrim Setup Guide
- Uninstall any existing Skyrim installation via Steam.
- Navigate to Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition and delete all contents (back up if desired).
- Reinstall Skyrim Anniversary Edition via Steam.
- Launch Skyrim AE once through Steam to allow all Creation Club content to download.
  Do not change any settings or start a game — just reach the main menu, download the Creation Kit content via the popup, then close it.
- Install the Skyrim Special Edition Creation Kit from the Software section in your Steam Library. (If your library is filtered to just Games, the SSE Creation Kit will not be visible.)
  ✅ Make sure it’s installed on the same drive as Skyrim AE.
  ⚠️ Do not install the regular Skyrim Creation Kit — it is not compatible and will not work with this modlist.
- Launch the Creation Kit once to initialize its content, allow it to complete downloading, then close it.
Create folders and Defender exceptions
- In Windows, create a \modlists directory and a \downloaded mods directory if you do not already have them. They do not need to be on the same drive, but each needs to be on a drive with adequate available storage capacity. You do not have to use those exact names.
- ⚠️Important: Do not bury your \modlists folder deep in your directory system. If the absolute path to your list install is much longer than D:\modlists\HOH\ you may encounter cryptogenic errors resulting from overlong file paths.
- Assuming you are using Windows Defender as your antivirus, open Windows Security -> Virus and Threat Detection -> Manage settings.
- Scroll all the way down to the Exclusions section. Click Add or remove exclusions.
- Select and add the two directories mentioned above.
- (If you're using an antivirus other than Defender, add exclusions in whatever manner your AV requires.)

A note about BitDefender

We have seen numerous reports from players experiencing installation failures or unexplained crashes during play, that removing or disabling BitDefender massively improved their game stability. If you are using BitDefender, we strongly encourage you to consider uninstalling it and relying on the native Windows Defender security features. Failing that, you may wish to put the app into a temporary disable mode while you are installing or playing Skyrim.

Launch Wabbajack
- Open Wabbajack.
- Click the Modlists Browser tab.
- In the upper-left corner, enable both:
  - ✅ Show Unofficial Lists
  - ✅ Show NSFW Lists
- Use the search bar to find Hymns of Hircine (HOH).
Select the Modlist
- Click on Hymns of Hircine.
- Choose:
  - A Download Location – where Wabbajack will store mod archives. Select the \downloaded mods directory from step 3. 📦 Requires approximately 280 GB of free space.
  - An Installation Location – where the modlist will be fully installed and run from. Create a \HOH directory in the \modlists folder from step 3. 💾 Requires approximately 588 GB of free space.
    ⚠️ This must be on an SSD for performance and stability. Note that SSDs perform very poorly when over 85-90% capacity. Don't try to cram this onto a drive where it will only barely fit.
Start Installation
- Click Start to begin the automated installation.
- Wabbajack will handle the process automatically. If any files fail to download (e.g., Nexus permissions), Wabbajack will prompt you to log in or download manually.
📺 Optional: Watch Biggie’s Wabbajack Install Guide
While Wabbajack is running:
- Join the Discord server and ask any questions you might have.
- Review the mod pages for Mannaz, Freyr, and Wintersun and start planning your character build.

⚠️ Important Notice — Read Before You Begin

Hymns of Hircine is not like the other Scrolls of Schtevie lists.
While it may have been forked from them, it shares only visual similarities.
This list is built around hardcore survival and punishing gameplay mechanics that demand preparation, patience, and awareness.

It is absolutely essential that you read the full Gameplay Guide before beginning your journey — especially if you are new to survival-focused modlists.

Proceeding without doing so will almost certainly result in frustration and confusion. You have been warned, Hunter.

Having Issues? Run Through This Checklist First
If Wabbajack is refusing to download or install the modlist, double-check the following before requesting support:

❓ Did you completely clean your system of all traces of Skyrim before beginning?
✅ Are you using a fresh install of Skyrim Anniversary Edition?
🔓 Did you launch Skyrim once through Steam to allow all Creation Club content to download?
🧰 Did you install the Skyrim Special Edition Creation Kit via Steam on the same drive as your Skyrim install?
🟢 Did you launch the Skyrim Special Edition Creation Kit once to initialize its required files?
💾 Do you have enough free space on your installation drive?
🌐 Are you logged into NexusMods with a Premium membership?
🔁 Have you retried the download at least 3 times? Sometimes Wabbajack errors are temporary and resolve on their own.

If you’ve gone through the full checklist and are still stuck, feel free to ask for help in The Modding Bordello Discord

✅ Post-Installation Steps

Once Wabbajack finishes, you're not quite ready to jump in yet — follow these steps carefully to finalize your setup.

0. Seriously, read the HOH Gameplay Guide first!

1. Open MO2

Navigate to your Hymns of Hircine installation folder.
Launch ModOrganizer.exe (MO2) from that directory.
If you get a popup asking if you want to associate Mod Organizer with NXM links, click Yes.

2. Select Your Profile (and Stick With It)

Hymns of Hircine includes two distinct profiles, each preconfigured with its own settings, tool outputs, and game experience.
You can select your profile from the dropdown in the upper-left corner of MO2 (just above the mod pane).

Profile Name	Description
Lord’s Vision	Multiple ENB preset options, full graphics, and all features enabled
Performance	Community Shaders, same gameplay experience with reduced graphics for smoother play on lower-end systems

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Once you choose a profile, stick with it.
Do not switch between profiles mid-playthrough. Each profile uses its own:

Mod configurations

MCM settings

Tool outputs (DynDOLOD, TexGen, BodySlide, etc.)

Save file directories

Save files are not cross-compatible. Switching profiles mid-playthrough can break your game or result in corrupted saves.

3. Configure HOH to your preferences

Before diving into your playthrough, take a moment to configure the list to match your setup. Whether you're using ultrawide resolutions or a controller, Hymns of Hircine is built to adapt — but it expects you to pick your setup and stick with it.

🖥️ Widescreen & Resolution Support

Hymns of Hircine includes full widescreen support with UI presets for all major aspect ratios. These options are found near the bottom of MO2 under the Resolution Presets separator (highlighted in blue).

✅ Always enabled:
- HOH - Core UI
Choose one (and only one) based on your monitor:
- HOH - 21x9 UI Patch → for ultrawide (21:9)
- HOH - 32x9 UI Patch → for super ultrawide (32:9)

Do not enable multiple resolution patches. Choose the one that fits your monitor setup.

🛠️ Performance Tuning (Optional)

We encourage users to run VRAMr unless you have at least 16 GB of VRAM. If you have 10 GB of VRAM or less, we consider it a functional necessity.
We encourage users to install and run Bethini PIE to optimize Skyrim's ini files to suit your system.
Instructions for both tools and additional performance improvements can be found in the Tome section of our Discord.

🎮 Controller Support (Optional)

Controller support is fully integrated into HOH — but all related mods are disabled by default so players can opt in manually. To enable controller support:

Scroll to the Controller Support separator in MO2 (highlighted in blue).
Enable all of the following mods:
- Gamepad++
- Wheeler - Quick Action Wheel Of Skyrim
- Wheeler CTD-Fix
- Dragonborn - Wheeler Reskin
- Dragonborn - Wheeler Reskin Edge UI Colors
- Complete Controller Setup

In the right-side plugin pane, locate the following plugins and drag them into the correct plugin groups:
- Gamepad++ → move to the User Interface group
- Complete Controller Setup → move to the Master Plugins group

⚠️ Incorrect plugin group assignment can cause controller-related bugs or interface issues.

Once enabled and properly sorted, you’ll have full access to enhanced controller features including radial wheels, custom stances, and a gamepad-friendly UI.

4. Set the Executable and Launch the Game

Ensure Hymns of Hircine is selected as the modlist in the top-right executable dropdown in MO2.
Click Run to start the game.

⚠️ Important Warning: Never Click "Unlock" in MO2

Do not click "Unlock" in Mod Organizer 2 while Hymns of Hircine is launching or running.

The game may take several minutes to launch depending on your system specs.
That’s normal. Be patient. If it’s taking forever, your PC might just be a potato in disguise. Don’t take it out on MO2.

MO2 will automatically unlock when the game has fully closed.
Manually clicking "Unlock" can break the virtual file system, sever mod links, or corrupt your entire install.

5. Saving and Loading

Skyrim’s default save and load system has long-standing issues that can introduce corruption into your saves over time. This corruption accumulates, eventually rendering saves unstable or unplayable. These are limitations of the Skyrim engine itself, not conflicts with this modlist.
To address this, we include Skyrim Save System Overhaul 3 (SSSO3). This mod ensures that saves are only written when the engine can safely create a clean file, greatly reducing the chance of progressive corruption. Refer to our HOH Gameplay Guide for configuration instructions.
When SSSO3 displays a “Saving Delayed” message, it means the engine is too busy to make a clean save. To improve your chances of saving safely:
- Exit dialogues and menus
- Exit combat
- Stop moving and look at the ground to reduce load
- Wait until the game confirms the save has completed
- If saving is consistently blocked in one spot, move to a quieter nearby area and try again.
Loading during play is even riskier than saving. When you reload mid-session, leftover data from the current session mixes with the new one; then, the next time you save, that bad data is baked into your save file from then on.
- Never quickload.
- Always exit to desktop and restart Skyrim before loading another save, including when reloading after death.
- Again, this guidance applies to all Skyrim configurations, not just JOJ.
To reduce the number of reloads you’ll need to perform, the list includes the Shadow of Skyrim death alternative mod. While it won’t prevent every death, it will minimize situations where you’re forced to reload. Feel free to use a different death alternative if you prefer.

6. New Character Startup Procedures

When starting a brand-new character in Hymns of Hircine, keep these things in mind.

MCM Recorder prompts:
During the initial startup, you may see a MCM Recorder failure prompt.
Select Retry if this happens.
Last Seed status bars on first load:
On a new save, Last Seed status bars may appear at the bottom of the screen, even though they are disabled by default.
This is expected behavior on first load; they will remove themselves when you reload the game in the next step.
After MCMs have finished loading, relog:
Once character initialization is complete, save your game, exit to desktop, and relaunch.
This relog is required by the SSSO3 start-up procedures specified in the HOH Gameplay Guide.
Verify Last Seed and Frostfall MCMs:
After relaunching, open the MCM menu.
If Last Seed and/or Frostfall do not appear, navigate to:
MCM > Configure (at the top) > Reset MCM
The missing MCMs will then appear as expected.

These steps are part of the intended first-time setup process.

🛠️ Additional Notes

🗣️ Language: Your Skyrim installation must be set to English
→ How to change Skyrim’s language

📚 Additional Guides

For more information on controller support, NPC management, and running essential tools, check out the following:

🧭 HOH Gameplay Guide
Explains key gameplay systems, progression, mechanics, and builds.
🛠️ SOS Tool Running Guide
Covers when and how to safely run Pandora, Synthesis, ParallaxGen, xLODGen, TexGen, and DynDOLOD
🎮 SOS Controller Setup Guide
How to enable and configure controller support
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 SOS Follower Guide
List of custom followers, where to find them, and compatibility notes.
🏠 SOS Player Home Guide
List of custom followers, where to find them, and compatibility notes.
🎭 SOS NPC Plugin Chooser 2 Guide
Managing and customizing NPC appearances
🧩 SOS Rule 11 Guide
Understanding list modifications and their risks

⚖️ Rule 11 – Modlist Modification Disclaimer

By choosing to modify or tweak Hymns of Hircine (HOH) in any way — whether by adding mods, changing load order, editing settings, or rebuilding components — you are doing so at your own risk.

🛠️ You have effectively voided your warranty.

While we absolutely encourage learning and modding, please understand that:

Myself and the admin team are not obligated to help troubleshoot issues caused by personal edits or changes to the list.
We cannot guarantee support for lists that differ from the officially published Wabbajack version.
If something breaks because of your changes, it’s your responsibility to fix it.

That said, we understand modding is fun and personal. If you're stuck after making changes, you may post in the 🛡️ Grey Aegis channel on our Discord server. Help is not guaranteed — but if we can (and want to), we may offer guidance.

Thank you for respecting the work that went into JOJ, and for being part of the community!

➡️ Here is the in-depth guide to help you out if you really want to modify the list.

📞 Support & Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

Check your install directory for errors.
Ensure all prerequisites are installed correctly.
Visit the Wabbajack Discord or Scrolls of Schtevie Discord for assistance.

🤝 Credits & Permissions

Biggie Boss: Creator of NGVO graphics overhauls
Various mod authors: For quest mods, overhauls, and graphical enhancements.
Wabbajack Team: For providing the tools to distribute this list.

📸 Screenshots

Screenshot746 SkyrimSE_2025-05-05_18-13-53 Screenshot748

🔗 Links

❓ FAQ

Q: What do I need for this list to install properly?
A: Anniversary Edition (AE) and Creation Kit are hard requirements. This modlist will not work correctly with Standard Skyrim Special Edition (SSE), and will not download correctly without Creation Kit.
Q: Where do I go for support?
A: Visit the Wabbajack Discord or The Modding Bordello for assistance.

💬 Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to install and experience Hymns of Hircine. This project is a passion-driven labor of love built on the shoulders of an incredible modding community.

Whether you're here for the lore, the visuals, the chaos, or the adult content — I truly appreciate you choosing JOJ as your journey through Skyrim.

If you enjoyed the list, consider joining the Discord, sharing your screenshots, and helping others in the community. Your feedback, bug reports, and kind words help keep this project alive and growing.

May Hircine’s blessing guide you, Hunter.

Jyggalag_red_resized

— Herr Schtevie