Skyrim Sex Mods Installation Guide | How to Install Skyrim SexLab

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All of us are gathered here for a couple of huge reasons. Number one is that The Elder Scrolls 6: *Somewhere in Tamriel* won’t be arriving until the end times. The other reason is that The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is too sterile and too “PG-13,” and you want something more mature. We’re here to give you what you want with our Skyrim sex mods installation guide.

For now, we’ll be focusing on the most popular and most flexible Skyrim sex mod– or rather Skyrim sex mod framework called Skyrim Sexlab. Being a third-party and lesser-known mod, the Skyrim Sexlab isn’t exactly easy to install, but we’ll try to make the process as painless as possible. As how all things pertaining to sex should be.

Skyrim Sexlab Installation Guide

This is a long process so ensure you have the whole day to yourself. We’ll start off with the essentials.

Basic Requirements for Skyrim Mods

Important note: Thanks to Bethesda’s continued disruptive updates, you might encounter modding difficulties with the latest version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition. In such cases, we recommend downgrading your copy of the game first using mods like these to revert them to a more moddable state.

Even then, we can’t guarantee that they’ll work as intended or without any frustration.

With that out of the way, make sure you have these base requirements for modding: 

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition or Anniversary Edition (the most stable, moddable version depends on this downgrade mod’s recommendation). Note that there’s an older version of Skyrim without the Special/Anniversary Edition but if you want to make modding as easy as possible, the Special/Anniversary Edition remaster is just far more stable.
• Vortex Mod Manager. It’s free software for managing all your mods. Never mod Skyrim without a mod manager.
• Skyrim Script Extender. This mod will make Skyrim more moddable, allowing for more animations and other programming scripts. Download the proper one for the Skyrim version you have.

These aren’t just necessary for Skyrim Sexlab, they’re also necessary for modding Skyrim in general. The Vortex Mod Manager is crucial here since it will semi-automate most of the mod installation process for you.

Once you have the Vortex Mod Manager set up, downloading and installing mods is as easy as clicking a couple of buttons. Some mods, however, have special instructions that you will need to read.

Sexlab Requirements

Once you have the basic requirements for modding Skyrim, you can now work on the requirements for Sexlab.

It doesn’t need much, just make sure you have these: 

• Address Library for SKSE Plugins. These additional resources for the Skyrim Script Extender should help with the more complex animations in the Sexlab Framework.
• XP32 Maximum Skeleton Special Extended. Also known as XPMSSE, this animation skeleton mod can serve as, well, a skeleton for animations that the original Skyrim model skeletons won’t allow.
• SkyUI. It stands for Skyrim User Interface, which overhauls Skyrim’s rather archaic default UI which is more suited for consoles rather than gaming PCs. Without this, you won’t be able to see Sexlab’s menus.
• Fores New Idles in Skyrim SE (FNIS SE). This mod is also an animation extender in Skyrim and it’s what the Sexlab Framework relies on for its animations.
• FNIS Creature Pack. If– for some reason, you want to incorporate non-humanoid creatures into your Skyrim sex mods, this additional animation pack for FNIS (which you can find on the same download page), is a must-have.

Once you have these, you can download the actual Sexlab Framework itself and safely proceed to the steps below.

Installing Skyrim Sexlab

Once all the requirements above are set, you can start installing Sexlab.

1. Get the latest Sexlab Framework pack. Download the newest full framework pack and install it using your mod manager of choice. Vortex Mod Manager works here and is the most user-friendly.
2. Run GenerateFNISforUsers.exe. Fire up the GenerateFNISforUsers.exe tool which you can see either in Vortex Mod Manager or the FNIS mod you downloaded.
3. Check the ‘Skeleton Arm Fix.’
4. Update FNIS Behavior. Click on that big button that says “Update FNIS Behavior.”
5. Verify “Reading SexLab…” Keep an eye out for the line that says “Reading SexLab…” If it’s not there, there is something wrong with the installation (perhaps you missed a step or did it wrong) and you need to start over.
6. Pay attention to warnings and errors. Do not ignore any warnings or errors you come across in the FNIS window.
7. Activate SexLab.esm in the Mod Manager. Activate the SexLab.esm file in your list of active mods, usually by ticking the box next to it.
8. Launch Skyrim (through the SKSE shortcut). Afterward, load a save or start a new game.
9. Open SexLab in the Skyrim MCM or Mod Configuration Menu. Once loaded in-game, head over to the Mod Configuration menu titled “SexLab.”
10. Check requirements and install: Ensure you meet the requirements on the left pane in the SexLab menu. Click on the Install option in the top right. If the Install button is clickable, just go ahead and continue. 
11. Wait for it to finish installing. You can close the menu. It might appear stuck, but you can play around while it’s installing (just don’t do anything that will crash the game). As a rule of thumb, wait around five minutes after clicking ‘Install’ and closing the in-game menu.
12. Save the game once you get the SexLab confirmation. The SkyUI mod will declare the installation progress on the top-left corner of the screen. Wait for a message saying installation is complete or something to that tune. Save the game afterward so you won’t have to reinstall SexLab again in the Mod Configuration Menu.
13. Test out some of the default animations. With the default Sexlab Framework, there are a few included animations and interactions you can check out. You can usually trigger them by talking to an NPC and selecting SexLab options, etc.

That’s most of the work done. You can do more if you want something more complex or more interesting.

Add Sexlab Plugins or Other Adult Skyrim Mods for a More Complete Experience

We’d like to remind you, however, that the Sexlab Framework itself is mostly just that– a framework. If you want smoother animations and more imaginative interactions or more intricate Skyrim sex mods, you will need to download Sexlab plugins. 

Think of Sexlab plugins as mods for mods, in this case, mini-mods for the Sexlab Framework. Moreover, Skyrim’s default physique might not be something you can consider fitting for something as risque as Sexlab and its plugins. So we recommend a list of additional Skyrim sex mods and Sexlab plugins to enhance your experience with video games.

Aesthetics Mods

These won’t add new animations or interactions to your Sexlab Framework, but they provide some eye candy.

• CBBE Female Body Mod and Male Body Mod. A mod for replacing bodies if you want everyone to look like Olympians.
• Bodyslide Studio. For further customization of bodies and outfits.
• Enhanced Character Edit. It’s an overhaul of the character creation menu to let you further create or recreate your characters to your liking.
• CBPC Physics. What good are round, curvy fat deposits without the effects of gravity?
• Fair Skin Complexion. Look, just pretend everyone has access to modern celebrity skincare in a fantasy land where you can absorb dragon souls, okay?
• Sexy Idle Animation. Without this, your character will just stand around looking like a jaded nightclub bouncer.

Sexlab Plugins

If you like your sex animations and interactions to be more fleshed out with sensibilities that transcend caveman mating rituals, then these are the right mods.

More importantly, there are special instructions for these beyond just manually loading them in the Vortex Mod Manager. If the plugin has animations or is a new animation pack, then you will usually need to perform steps 4 and 5 in the ‘Installing Skyrim Sexlab’ section after installing these mods to update the Sexlab animation database.

• SexLab Animation Loader 1.5 (SLAL). This will make animation loading and installation easier.
• SLAL – Animations by Leito. Considered by a lot as some of the smoothest animations for Skyrim Sexlab.
• SexLab Amorous Adventures. Adds fully-voiced dialog and even quests with NPCs that end in well, you know. Great if you value immersion.
• SexLab Romance. Allows you to initiate sex with dialog instead of the default Sexlab Framework spells.
• SexLab Aroused. Adds sexual needs and arousal to make interactions more realistic or organic.
• Spectator Crowd. Speaking of realism, doing the deed in public ought to attract spectators, right? This plugin makes it so.
• Sexlife. This plugin adds sex-related A.I. programming to NPCs, making them engage in their own activities independently of the player.

There’s more, of course. It’s up to you to navigate this rabbit hole. Do what you will now that you know how to install Skyrim sex mods. If you also play the Sims 4, check out our Sims 4 Loverslab guide.