XCOM 2 Modding FAQ - Nexus Mods Wiki (2024)

Mod Installation / Activation

This section should describe the several different mod installation procedures available for XCOM 2.

Nexus Mod Manager

Nexus Mod manager (NMM) is a very easy way to automate the installation of XCOM 2 mods and lets you keep track of all installed mods.

1. Download and install Nexus Mod Manager. If you already have it installed, make sure you have the latest version. When you run Nexus Mod Manager it should automatically tell you if there are any new updates. Alternatively you can click the globe icon in the top right corner of NMM to check for updates.
2. When you run NMM you should be asked what game to manage, choose XCOM 2. If you already have it installed you can click the arrow icon in the top right of NMM and then choose "Rescan Installed Games". If it doesnt automatically find your XCOM 2 install location, click the ... button by XCOM 2 and locate the installation manually. (steam usally installs at "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\XCOM 2" but yours may be different)
3. Make sure you are logged into your Nexus account, if you don't have one just sign up for a free one from the website.
4. Browse your heart out at the Nexus mod site (http://www.nexusmods.com/xcom2) for a mod you wish to install, and click on "Download (NMM)" to have NMM automatically download the mod for you.
5. The mods will appear under the "Mod" tab when they are done downloading and ready to install. Click the big green checkmark (hover over icons to get discriptions) to install the mod.
6. Now, run the XCOM 2 launcher (you can run it through NMM, at top left corner) and make sure you see the mods you have installed in the list. Click on the mods you want to activate them, make sure the box to the right of the mod name is active(lit up).

**IMPORTANT: When you create a new save file with mods activated, you MUST have those mods activated to load that save game**

Manual Installation

1. Locate your XCOM 2 install folder. For example, "D:\XCOM2Modding\XCOM 2\".
2. Go under "D:\XCOM2Modding\XCOM 2\XComGame" (your actual path to the game) and create a folder named "Mods", so the final folder structure looks like "D:\XCOM2Modding\XCOM 2\XComGame\Mods\". Skip this step, if you have Mods folder already.
3. Download and unpack the mod into "D:\XCOM2Modding\XCOM 2\XComGame\Mods\" folder. Example: "D:\XCOM2Modding\XCOM 2\XComGame\Mods\MyNewMod\".
4. Make sure you have copied it properly by checking if MyNewMod.XComMod file exists under this path: "D:\XCOM2Modding\XCOM 2\XComGame\Mods\MyNewMod\MyNewMod.XComMod" (MyNewMod is an actual name of the mod).
5. Run the launcher, make sure mod shows up there, select the mod and run the game. Note that after you create a save with any mod installed, you won't be able to load that save without that mod!

Steam Workshop Installation

1. When you run the XCOM 2 launcher, you can click on "Workshop" button below the "Play" Button to open the Steam XCOM 2 Workshop page.
2. Here you can browse all the availiable mods for XCOM 2, once you find something you want to download, click on it to open the mod page, with all the details about the specific mod.
3. near to bottom right hand corner or the page is the "Subscribe" button, click on it to add the mod to your subscriptions. This will install the mod and keep it up to date when the author updates the mod.
4. Now open up your launcher again and you should see a list of all the mods you have installed in XCOM 2. Make sure you select all the mods to activate them before you click "Play".

**IMPORTANT: When you create a new save file with mods activated, you MUST have those mods activated to load that save game**

Activation

1. Run the XCOM 2 launcher and make sure you see the mods you have installed in the list. Click on the mods you want to activate them, make sure the box to the right of the mod name is active(lit up).

**IMPORTANT: When you create a new save file with mods activated, you MUST have those mods activated to load that save game**

Mod Creation

This section should provide simple instructions for new mod authors to get started.

Directories

1. list where important folders are

Please see Template:Mods XCOM2

Editing INI files

1. step 1
2. step 2
3. step 3

SDK Installation

1. step 1
2. step 2
3. step 3

"Hello World" Simple mod example

1. step 1
2. step 2
3. step 3

Packaging Mods for Distribution

1. step 1
2. step 2
3. step 3