Install ASKA Mods with Vortex

A beginner-friendly guide for installing ASKA mods from Nexus Mods.

What you need

ASKA installed through Steam
A free Nexus Mods account
Vortex Mod Manager

You do not need to install BepInEx yourself. The current ASKA Vortex Extension installs the required BepInEx setup for you.

Install Vortex

Download Vortex from Nexus Mods and install it like any normal Windows program.

Download Vortex

When Vortex starts, sign in with your Nexus Mods account.

Add ASKA support to Vortex

Vortex needs a small extension that teaches it how to install ASKA mods.

ASKA Vortex Extension

In Vortex

Download the ASKA Vortex Extension from its Nexus page.
Open Vortex and select Extensions in the left sidebar.
Drag the downloaded extension file into the extension drop area, or use Vortex's install-from-file option.
Restart Vortex when it asks.

The extension automatically installs the ASKA mod loader (BepInEx) and knows where different kinds of ASKA mod files belong.

Let Vortex find ASKA

After restarting Vortex:

Open Games on the left.
Find ASKA.
Click Manage.

Vortex normally finds the Steam installation automatically. If it asks where ASKA is installed, use Steam's Browse Local Files option to find the folder containing ASKA.exe.

Install your first mod

Go to the ASKA Mods page on Nexus Mods and choose a mod.

Read the mod's Requirements section first.
Make sure the mod supports your current version of ASKA.
Click Mod Manager Download on the mod's Files page.
If your browser asks which application should open the link, choose Vortex.
Vortex will download the mod and add it to your Mods list.

Important: Do not click Manual Download unless the mod specifically tells you to. Mod Manager Download is the easy Vortex method.

Enable the mod

In Vortex, open Mods.

Find the mod you just downloaded.
If it says Disabled, click Enable.
If Vortex asks you to Deploy your mods, click Deploy.

Deployment is the step that makes the installed mod available to the game.

Launch ASKA

Now start ASKA normally through Steam.

Open Steam.
Open your Library.
Click ASKA.
Click Play.

Vortex has already put the mod files where ASKA expects them. You do not need to manually copy files into the ASKA folder.

First launch: Give the game a little extra time to start. BepInEx may perform setup work the first time it runs.

Adding more mods

Once the first mod works, adding another one is usually just:

Open its page on Nexus Mods.
Check its requirements.
Click Mod Manager Download.
Enable the mod in Vortex.
Deploy if Vortex asks.
Launch ASKA through Steam.

If something goes wrong

ASKA does not appear in Vortex: make sure the ASKA Vortex Extension is installed and restart Vortex.
Mod Manager Download does nothing: make sure Vortex is running and that you are logged into Nexus Mods.
The mod is installed but does not work: check the mod's Requirements and make sure it is enabled in Vortex.
ASKA stops launching after adding a mod: disable the newest mod in Vortex and try launching again. Add mods one at a time so it is easier to find the problem.
A mod tells you to install something else: install the listed requirement before trying to use the mod.

For ASKA mods, the most important rule is: read the Requirements section on every mod page. Different mods can require different versions or additional components.

That's it

Your normal workflow is now:

Nexus Mods → Mod Manager Download → Vortex → Enable → Deploy → Steam → ASKA