Mod Collections

Steam Workshop collections seem like a huge time-saver, but they usually do the opposite - many troubleshooting requests we see start with "I subscribed to a collection and now nothing works." To avoid falling for this common beginner trap, consider the following points before deciding if you want to use one yourself:

• Mod-Collections Are Not Mod-Packs!
  In other games, what's commonly referred to as a "mod pack" is a carefully curated bundle: hand-picked mod versions, custom patches, and config tweaks to guarantee stability. Steam collections are just what the name suggests though; a lose list of mods with no inherent security that it actually works properly.

• One Fatal Flaw: No Version Control
  When a mod author updates their mod, Steam will provide only the latest version of it - there is no way for the user to pick specific mod-versions or even roll them back after an update. One of such mod-update can break a previously working collection though. Real mod packs use mods in very specific versions to achieve their goal which Steam simply doesn't support, so the stability of collections often falls apart over time.

• You Don’t Know Who Made It Or How Old It Is
  The creator of a mod-collection might initially have made a working one… six months ago. Today the same collection can be completely broken. Or the mostly anonymous author never did so in the first place, potentially playing with a highly broken setup themselves.

• The Only Reasonable Use For Mod-Collections
  Feel free to treat collections as a quick way to bulk-subscribe to mods. After downloading though, ignore the collection itself and build your own list properly and from scratch. Never enable everything in one go, launch the game and expect things to just work out.

• Streamer / YouTuber Lists Are Not Better
  Many collections which typically come linked below their content look polished on video because the creator uses dev mode, console commands, and heavy editing to hide errors and other issues. They play to create entertaining content first, stability comes later - your game won’t have that safety net though and hours of progress can vanish in the blink of an eye from lingering issues. So better don't trust in content creator lists blindly just because they are popular.

Bottom line: there are no reliable shortcuts when it comes to building a stable modlist. Better to spend an hour or two learning how to build your own list (it’s far easier than it sounds), and save yourself days of pain later!