"XX" or "XXXXX" in regards to console commands denotes that the object is from an official plugin (also known as DLC). Usually found in the BaseID or RefID of items or characters, these first two numbers change depending on the order of installation or the order the of ESP files in the data files section of the game launcher.
For instance, installing The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine onto a computer with Oblivion sets XX to 01. If The Vile Lair was installed second, XX becomes 02 and so on indefinitely. As another example, if one owns all of the add-ons (as part of the Legendary Edition) for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, items added by The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard will, by default, have 02 as their first two digits, while items added by The Elder Scrolls V: Dragonborn will normally have 04.
For exceptions to this behavior, see § Game-specific behavior.
Find XX number[]
Console commands[]
A way of checking for the XX number for a particular plugin in Skyrim while one is playing is to open the console and either type help along with the name of an item known to be added by the plugin (with the name in quotation marks) or, again with the console open, click on an item in view added by the plugin; the console will then display the full RefID the first two numbers of which will be the XX for that plugin. For example, opening the console and clicking on an Ash Yam or entering the command help "ash yam" will show the XX for the Dragonborn item.
Launcher data files[]
In games where DLC load order determines the XX number, you can go to the launcher and click "Data files." The order of the plugins here corresponds to the XX value. For example, the third plugin listed will have an XX value of 03 for all its contents.
Manual[]
The load order is determined by the plugins.txt file in the game files. By default, this file is at the location:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\<game>\plugins.txt
%LOCALAPPDATA% is an environment variable on your system. It contains the beginning portion of the absolute file path to the location of plugins.txt. Search for %LOCALAPPDATA% (including the % signs) and click on the folder.
By default, on Windows, the value of %LOCALAPPDATA% is C:\Users\<Username>\AppData\Local.
Game-specific behavior[]
Shivering Isles[]
The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles is an official expansion pack and not a plug-in, even though it is listed under all the other plug-ins. Therefore, all content has 00 in the BaseID or RefID as the first two numbers, regardless of when it was installed.
Skyrim Special Edition[]
In the Skyrim Special Edition, all DLC is included along with the base game, so the Form IDs are consistent. Each BaseID starts with the corresponding first two numbers: Dawnguard 02, Hearthfire 03, Dragonborn 04.
ESL files ignore load order and, from a system standpoint, get merged together at runtime so that they take up the single mod slot designated for ESLs. As such, it does not matter where they are put. ESL-ified ESPs, however, obey standard load order rules. This means that all activated Creation Club contents will have the same first two (xx) or five (FExxx) numbers, unless one or more content is disabled. The numbers can be learned from the Creation Kit's load order:
- Normally the number will be FE000, FE001, etc.
- If the BaseID have 3 other numbers than zeros in the middle for some forms in the content, then it will be 05, 06, etc., for example the Fishing content have the BaseIDs that start with 06.
