Installation

Download PCA

Download the latest version of PCA on NexusMods and extract it anywhere you want.

Each game has its own NexusMods page — Skyrim SE / AE and VR, Skyrim LE, Fallout 4, Starfield — and they all carry the same build. Take the one of your game, or any of them: it is the same PCA.exe.

It is not recommended to install PCA inside a directory that needs admin privileges (mainly the Program Files folder).

Single executable

Since 5.9.0 there is one executable, PCA.exe, for every supported game. The old per-game builds (PCA SE.exe, PCA LE.exe) are gone: the game is picked in the settings.

First launch

The first time you start PCA, a setup wizard opens and walks you through four steps:

1. Pick the game you want to mod.
2. Point PCA to the folder where that game is installed (the one holding its .exe).
3. Read the Creation Kit report and fix whatever it raises. PCA can extract the source archives for you here.
4. Done — drop your .psc files on the Compilation page.

Everything the wizard asks can be changed later in the settings. The Creation Kit report is also available there at any time, see Creation Kit.

Requirements

PCA needs the Creation Kit (CK) of your game: it ships the Papyrus compiler and the source scripts (.psc) every script is compiled against.

The Creation Kit is free. Install it from Steam, into the same folder as the game.

Game	Creation Kit	Where
Skyrim SE / AE	Skyrim Special Edition: Creation Kit	Steam store page or Library — Tools
Skyrim VR	none — install the Skyrim Special Edition kit, choosing the Skyrim VR folder	Steam store page or Library — Tools
Skyrim LE	Skyrim Creation Kit	Library — Tools (no store page)
Fallout 4	Fallout 4: Creation Kit	Steam store page or Library — Tools
Starfield	Starfield: Creation Kit	Steam store page or Library — Tools

Fallout 4

The Bethesda Launcher was shut down in 2022. The Fallout 4 Creation Kit is now on Steam.

The compiler itself is installed at:

• Papyrus Compiler\PapyrusCompiler.exe for Skyrim (SE, AE, VR, LE) and Fallout 4;
• Tools\Papyrus Compiler\PapyrusCompiler.exe for Starfield.

PCA finds it on its own when the game folder is correct. You can always point it somewhere else in the settings.

Extract the source scripts

The Creation Kit ships the game's .psc files inside archives. As long as they are not extracted, nothing compiles.

PCA detects them and can extract every .zip for you: open the settings, and use Extract all in the Creation Kit report.

If you would rather do it by hand:

Skyrim SE, AE, VR

Extract Data\Scripts.zip into Data.

You should end up with Data\Source\Scripts full of .psc files.

Skyrim LE

Extract Data\Scripts.rar into Data\Scripts.

You should end up with Data\Scripts\Source full of .psc files.

PCA cannot open a .rar archive: use 7-Zip or WinRAR, and keep the folders.

Fallout 4

The kit ships one archive per content, each one sitting in the folder it fills: Data\Scripts\Source\Base\Base.zip, Data\Scripts\Source\DLC01\DLC01.zip, and so on. Which ones exist depends on the DLC and creations you own.

Extract each of them where it is.

Starfield

Extract the Scripts folder of Tools\ContentResources.zip into Data.

You should end up with Data\Scripts\Source full of .psc files.

Skyrim SE, AE and VR

Their Creation Kit only reads Data\Source\Scripts. Data\Scripts\Source is the Skyrim LE folder.

PCA imports the LE folder first, so an outdated copy of the game scripts left in there shadows the one your game ships, and the compilation fails for no apparent reason. Move everything from Data\Scripts\Source to Data\Source\Scripts.

PCA raises this as a warning in the Creation Kit report.

Script extenders

If SKSE (Skyrim) or F4SE (Fallout 4) is installed, its source scripts have to be extracted too — into the folder your game reads, which is not the one the archive is laid out for:

Game	Extract the extender's .psc into
Skyrim SE, AE, VR	Data\Source\Scripts
Skyrim LE	Data\Scripts\Source
Fallout 4	Data\Scripts\Source

Skyrim SE, AE and VR

The SKSE archive ships its scripts under Data\Scripts\Source, the Skyrim LE folder. Copying it as is puts them where your Creation Kit never looks — and where PCA warns you about, see above. Move them to Data\Source\Scripts.

Without those .psc, compilation still works, but any script calling an extender function fails. PCA raises this as a non blocking warning.

Starfield has nothing to do here: SFSE ships no source script.

Mod managers

• MO2: run PCA through MO2, so it sees the virtual Data folder. More details.
• Vortex: nothing to set up, but deploy before you compile. More details.

PCA's own MO2 integration was removed in 5.9.0.

Supported games

Only purchased versions of the games are supported.

• Skyrim Anniversary Edition (AE)
• Skyrim Special Edition (SE)
• Skyrim VR
• Skyrim Legendary Edition (LE)
• Fallout 4 (FO4)
• Starfield (SF)