Starfield mod enables Starfield achievements that were disabled by Starfield mods
Bethesda's new interstellar RPG disables achievements in modded games, so modders did what they do best.
One of the best things about Starfield is mods. There are already hundreds of them, ranging from the silly to the sublime—we've got a running list of the best Starfield mods, to help you stay on top of them all. There's just one drawback: If you use mods (or console commands), your Starfield achievements will be disabled. That's a real problem! The solution? You guessed it: A mod.
The mod in question is called Baka Achievement Enabler (SFSE), and what it does is very simple: "Prevents achievements from being disabled with mods or when using the console." It's not too difficult to get running, either. You'll need to use the Starfield Script Extender—that's the SFSE bit in the mod title—which enables "additional scripting capabilities and functionality" in Starfield. Once that's in place, grab the Baka Achievement Enabler mod, extract it into your Starfield root folder (the one with the starfield.exe file) and run the game using the sfse_loader.exe file rather than the normal startup exe.
The Baka Achievement Enabler is actually the second mod to enable achievements without requiring achievement. The first, called simply Achievement Enabler, was uploaded on September 1, a few days before the Baka version, but it struggled with post-release updates to the game. On September 5, the Achievement Enabler team threw in the towel and recommended everyone move to the Baka mod.
"shad0wshady3's [Baka Achievement Enabler (SFSE)] mod does everything we are looking for that I'm afraid this mod and others couldn't do," RennieBoy wrote. "shad0wshady3's mod obviously enables achievements when using console commands, also disables the annoying pop-up box when using the console AND if you remove the mod or it ends up breaking due to future updates to the game your saves will stay as unmodded saves, meaning they won't revert back to being modded and blocking achievements on saves that you may have put blood sweat and tears into!"
RennieBoy also said that the Baka mod will be easier for players to handle because the Starfield Script Enabler does all the heavy lifting—setting up the original Achievement Enabler mod was a much more complicated chore.
As is the way with mods, there's always the potential for jankiness or unforeseen (and possibly unpleasant) outcomes, so you'll want to exercise whatever level of caution you feel is appropriate for messing around with this sort of thing. That said, the mod has been downloaded more than 28,000 times so far, and the general consensus in the comments is that it works. You'll still have to live with the knowledge of what you've done—the taint of unearned accomplishment—but hey, if you're okay with that, who am I to judge? Cheevos ahoy!
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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.