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Zira1251

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About this mod

Dragon skin variation for Dragons SE. NO plugin patches required for other dragon mods. Increases the variety of dragon skins from 7 to 50+. Unique skins for the 12 named vanilla dragons that were generic!

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Welcome to Diverse 4thUnknown Dragons (D4D)

Allow me to ask and answer a few questions that will explain the functions and benefits of this mod.
If you want the condensed version, stick to the brief overview at the top of the page, or skip the answers you are already familiar with.

Q: What's the "problem" with vanilla dragon diversity?
A:
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In the vanilla game, excluding the 4 unique dragons (Alduin, Odahviing, etc.), there are a total of only 8 dragons; the basic Dragon, Blood, Frost, Elder, Ancient, Serpentine, Revered, and Legendary Dragon. That's not a lot of variation for a playthrough of hundreds of hours of content, during which dragons spawn every handful of in-game days on average. The variety of dragons you see is also limited by your level; until your character reaches level 36, you will only see the first 3 dragon types outside of special circumstances, and you will not see all 8 until level 78. 4thUnknown's remodel also only covers 7 of those 8, leaving Serpentine Dragons vanilla.

Q: Why make this when other dragon diversity mods exist?
Note: D4D makes 4th's Dragons SE compatible with DDCSE and mods like it.
A: 
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Mods like Deadly Dragons and DDCSE add diversity by creating new dragon NPCs with unique skins and adding them to the world or leveled lists. But their skins are based on the vanilla model and will not magically transform to fit a completely new model like 4th's. Each new dragon NPC usually comes with custom breaths, shouts, and stats too, which then conflict with mods that are more dedicated to those aspects, like Dragon War, Better Dragon Breath, Dragons Use Thu'um, and so on. What I set out to do with D4D was to focus on making vanilla dragons diverse without any of these other features; no new NPCs, no custom stats, powers, etc. I just wanted to see more diverse dragons throughout my playthrough, and for it to work with or without any mods that endeavored to overhaul dragons in other ways. 

Q: Then what does D4D do exactly?
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D4D currently contains 40 unique dragon mashups, with 5-7 new skins for each vanilla dragon type, in addition to 10 unique skins for named vanilla dragons that were previously generic. Even before level 36, you will see a variety of 20 different dragons (up from 3), with that number growing to 45 by level 78 (up from 7), and when you have special encounters with named dragons (such as Mirmulnir at the Western Watchtower), they will look just as special as the quest/event makes them out to be. I have also created a new look for the Serpentine Dragon, which is not included in 4th's remodel. In the Dragonborn DLC's files, the Serpentine Dragon is referred to as a "black" dragon, so I replaced them with dark-scaled dragons based on 4th's model. Their name is also changed to "Sinister Dragon," since they are no longer serpent-like. Elder and Ancient dragons now have red scales, while the other dragons come in various shades matching their vanilla color. Every single dragon skin is showcased in the mod's screenshots for users to preview. D4D does all of this without creating any new NPCs or editing the vanilla dragon leveled lists, and without any plugin record overwrites, thanks to SkyPatcher.



D4D should not require any additional plugins/patches in order to be compatible with mods overhauling dragon combat (stats, breaths, AI, shouts, animations, etc.), loot, leveled lists, or skeleton. In addition to this, I have built in support for mods that add new dragon meshes/textures to the game like DDCSE and Deadly Dragons, so that D4D's users can use these mods with Dragons SE without having to wait for those patches (I still hope someone will make them, but D4D can fill the gap until then, in addition to its main functions).

EXAMPLES OF MODS WITH NO CONFLICTS & NO OVERLAP:
This does not list every compatible mod.
Most dragon mods fit into this category, so I couldn't possibly list every one.
Consider these examples and assume similar mods are also compatible.
Feel free to leave a comment explaining any issues if you have a mod you suspect requires support for D4D.
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Immersive Dragons [version 1.3 seen in screenshots]
Majestic Dragons - Larger and immersive proportions
Dragon Animation Replace in Special Edition [seen in screenshots]
Better Dragon Breath - AOE ground walls and FX [seen in screenshots]
Better and Realistic Dragon Melee -AOE swifter and more agile
DCA - Dragon Combat Animations [seen in screenshots]
Creatures: Preview (Dragons) [a.k.a., MCO Dragons]
Dragons Use Thu'um - Dragon AI Enhancements and New Fully Voiced Shouts
Simply Stronger Dragons (SSD) SE
Zim's Dragon Improvements [LIGHT or HEAVY version]
KS Dragon Overhaul 2 [do NOT activate "variants" in the MCM]
And any other mods that overhaul anything to do with dragons without including new models/textures.

LIST OF ALL SUPPORTED MODS:
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The following mods add new dragon meshes/textures to the game based on the vanilla assets. Normally, these would not be compatible with any non-vanilla dragon model without unique patches. But I have taken the time to account for these mods in D4D's configuration files for out-of-the-box integration. By this, I mean that the new dragons in these mods will have their skin swapped for one in D4D that matches their original look/name. This way, users of D4D can use these mods with Dragons SE without consistency issues, and benefit from their features besides more dragons with custom skins. If actual 4th-style patches for these mods are ever created and shared, I will adjust D4D's configuration support accordingly and direct users to install those patches (as I have done for Chaos Dragons below).

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This is currently the only dragon overhaul that includes unique reworked models and textures based on 4thUnkown's assets, and PLSET's generously shared work was the whole reason I had the time to make D4D. If using Chaos Dragons 4thUnknown Dragon Edit alongside D4D, you will simply get my unique dragon skins and additions as a bonus to those already provided in PLSET's mod.
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This mod adds 14 dragons to the game with vanilla-based skins that have been swapped for support with D4D. You should only install this mod alongside D4D if you like the unique breaths, shouts, and stats of its dragons, or its options for difficulty settings and spawns/assaults. D4D's support should work for all versions of Deadly Dragons. Note that the "undead" dragons (Bone Dragon & Dracolich) are not replaced by D4D because they are mostly skeletons, and so remain inconsistent with 4th's work.
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This mod adds 28 dragons to the game with vanilla-based skins that have been swapped for support with D4D. You should only install this mod alongside D4D if you like the unique breaths and stats of its dragons, or the ability to spawn them in with the MCM menu (though this is just as simply done with a console command, or something like Modex).
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This mod adds 13 dragons to the game with vanilla-based skins that have been swapped for support with D4D. You should only install this mod alongside D4D if you like the unique breaths and stats of its dragons, or the way you can stumble upon them idling throughout the wilderness.
Enhanced Mighty Dragons V4.1
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This mod adds 5 dragons to the game with vanilla-based skins that have been swapped for support with D4D. You should only install this mod alongside D4D if you like its unique breaths, shouts, and difficulty features.
Enhanced Slightly Mighty Dragons V4 by Sands of Time Team
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This mod adds 3 dragons to the game with vanilla-based skins that have been swapped for support with D4D. You should only install this mod alongside D4D if you like its unique breaths, shouts, and difficulty features.
Dragon War - A Dragon Overhaul
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This overhaul does not contain any new dragons with vanilla skins. Most mods like this don't need any additional support to work with D4D, but this one in particular needed some minor adjustments to make sure named dragons drop the intended amount of loot.
USSEP Frost and Fire Dragon Correction 
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This mod adds 2 dragons to the game with vanilla-based skins that have been swapped for support with D4D. You should only install this mod if you aren't already using a dragon overhaul that modifies dragon variety and leveled lists (which would make its changes redundant).
Dragon Leveled List Fixes 
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This mod adds 1 dragon to the game with a vanilla-based skin that has been swapped for support with D4D. You should only install this mod if you aren't already using a dragon overhaul that modifies dragon variety and leveled lists (which would make its change redundant).
Epic Dragon Combat REDONE -And many new dragons
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This mod adds 22 dragons to the game with its own unique skins that have been swapped for support with D4D. You should only install this mod alongside D4D if you like the unique breaths/shouts/stats of these dragons, or the merged features of the author's other work (Majestic Dragons, Better Dragon Breath, and  Better Dragon Melee). Note that the "undead" dragon is not replaced by D4D because it is mostly a skeleton, and so remains inconsistent with 4th's work.
Elemental Dragons 
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The SE port of this was deleted 5 minutes after I downloaded it, so I suppose this is for those who still have a copy or their own LE port. This mod adds 42 dragons to the game with vanilla-based skins that have been swapped for support with D4D. You should only install this mod alongside D4D if you like the unique breaths/shouts/stats of its dragons, the custom loot, or its NPC protection function. For the "No Serpentine Replacer" version of D4D, any of this mod's dragons that were based on the vanilla Serpentine model retain their original appearance, except for Vuljotnaak.

MODS THAT ARE REDUNDANT/NOT NEEDED WITH D4D:
 Dragon Variance
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Technically, this mod is not incompatible nor entirely redundant with D4D, but it doesn't make much sense to install them together. The goal of D4D is to make sure that all of your dragons (vanilla and modded) are consistent with (i.e., look like) the ones from Dragons SE, but with more diverse colors and models. Dragon Variance, on the other hand, intends to make your game evenly mixed with the vanilla model and the models from 3 mods, including Dragons SE. If you install Dragon Variance with D4D, some of your random dragon spawns would still be mixed (because I'm guessing Dragon Variance takes over the vanilla leveled list to distribute NPC dragons), but you would no longer see the vanilla model in your game, and instead most dragon spawns will look only as intended by Dragons SE and D4D. In other words, installing D4D will ruin (or at least severely skew) what Dragon Variance is trying to accomplish. But you can do with this information as you will for your own game, since you took the time to read it.
Deadly Dragons - Vanilla Dragon Models (Dragons SE Compatibility)
Diverse Dragons Collection SE (DDCS) Soul Absorb Animation Fixed

MODS THAT ARE INCOMPATIBLE:
Splendor - Dragon Variants SE 
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The only feature of this mod is to distribute more diverse appearances to the vanilla dragon model. Dragons SE and D4D are not using the vanilla dragon model, so this mod is fundamentally incompatible and has no other features to offer support for.
Infinite Dragon Variants
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The only feature of this mod is to distribute more diverse appearances to the vanilla dragon model. Dragons SE and D4D are not using the vanilla dragon model, so this mod is fundamentally incompatible and has no other features to offer support for.

Any other mod that adds new dragon meshes/textures to the game that is not mentioned in the "List of All Supported Mods" is also possibly incompatible. But I tried to include support for every mod on Nexus where it made sense.
Feel free to let me know if you think I missed any.



REQUIREMENTS:

INSTALLATION:
After Installing the requirements, simply install D4D (one main file + one texture file) with your mod manager and load its assets (meshes/textures) below Dragons SE. D4D's plugin's position in you load order does not matter, and it does not need patches for anything! It contains only the unique skin (ARMA/ARMO/OTFT) records for D4D's dragons and does not overwrite any vanilla or other mod records. 
Make sure D4D's plugin is active after you first install it!

INFO: D4D Main File - No Serpentine Replacer
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This version of D4D is for those who prefer the vanilla aesthetic for the Dragonborn DLC dragons. This version does not replace the Serpentine Dragon with the new black dragon models, and it does not rename them. Sahrotaar is also removed from unique skin distribution, so he will appear the same as every other random Serpentine Dragon that spawns in the game. But I didn't want users of this version to miss out on a chunk of the variety that D4D offers, so in this version, Ancient Dragons will all spawn as the black variants, with only Elder Dragons being red as shown in the screenshots.


 
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Addons For Dragons SE - Including Broken Horn for Paarthurnax
This offers a great lore-relevant touch for 4thUnknown's Paarthurnax!
NOTE: D4D already replaces vanilla serpentine dragons, so the replacer from the above mod is not needed.
If you do install the serpentine replacer from the above mod and overwrite D4D, it will replace Sahrotaar's appearance only unless you install the "No Serpentine Replacer" version of D4D.

Wyrmstooth - Dragons SE
For 4thUnknown's Dragons Wyrmstooth consistency.



Mods Seen in Screenshots:
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Azurite Weathers and Seasons II (v2.57)
Azurite Horizons ENB for AWII (v5.02) [with minor tweaks and a custom ReShade]
Ships on the Horizon
Animated Ships
Footprints
Happy Little Trees + Enhanced Landscapes - Dead Marsh Standalone [custom mashup]
Aspens Ablaze 
Realistic Water Two SE (RWT)
Skoglendi + Wildlands Renewal + 3D Landscapes and Grass Library [custom mashup]
Rudy HQ - More dramatic Red Mountain Volcano Plume
Atlantean Landscape
Tomato's 8K Assorted Mountain Textures [custom recolor]
Embers XD [dragon breath and fire FX]
Lux [lighting templates in Apocrypha and Blackreach]
Knight armor: Retextured Man-Hunter set taken from VIGILANT
Various armors by NordWarUA 
Unreal 4K-8K Mammoth Skeleton ReTexture
Whiterun Has Walls Redone 
Reimperialized Fort Frostmoth - Location Overhaul 
FYX - 3D Stockades - Walls and Gate
FYX - 3D Stockades
FYX - 3D Shack Kit Walls 
High Poly Blackreach Mushrooms + Rally's Blackreach Mushrooms
Blackreach Overhaul 
 Oblivion Horses + Steeds of Skyrim [custom integration]
Immersive Dragons [version 1.3]
Dragon Animation Replace in Special Edition
Better Dragon Breath - AOE ground walls and FX
DCA - Dragon Combat Animations



4thUnknown for being the original creator of almost every asset used in this mod and for granting permission to expand on their work.
PLSET for the creating and sharing of Chaos Dragons 4thUnknown Dragon Edit, and granting permission to reuse and tweak their assets.
yousukeve for creating some of the assets used in this mod, and granting permission to reuse them.
Zzyxzz for developing and maintaining SkyPatcher.
Leet & MechanicalPanda for helping with some last-minute testing.


MODS:
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PATCHES:
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And that's all she wrote. Have fun.