OpenMW-CS vs xEdit

OpenMW-CS is a free editor for making or changing mods and creating original games. Its editing tools cover files, world and mechanics data, characters, and assets, with record filters and a cell view. The editor supports plugin and script editing, mod packaging, and ESM, ESP, .omwgame, and .omwaddon formats. The project says OpenMW can run original games made with OpenMW-CS; those games do not require Morrowind. Playing Morrowind does require a legally owned copy, because OpenMW does not include its content or assets. Official releases are listed for Windows, macOS, and Linux, alongside distribution channels including Windows Chocolatey, Linux distribution repositories, and Flathub. The manual is intended as both an introduction and a reference, including for people familiar with Morrowind modding, but cautions that OpenMW-CS remains in development and the manual does not cover its shortcomings. Mods requiring MWSE, MGE XE, or MCP are incompatible because those tools modify the original Morrowind executable. The source code is released under the GNU General Public License version 3.

xEdit is a free Windows utility for editing Bethesda game plugins and resolving potential mod conflicts. Its documentation covers Enderal, Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, Fallout 76 and Starfield modes. The tool can remove extraneous or duplicated references, repair deleted references, merge plugins and check for mismatches between module files and xEdit record definitions. Quick Auto Clean automates cleaning while saving intermediate steps, and users can review its changes afterward. Cleaning workflows can be configured with Mod Organizer 2, Vortex and Wrye Bash, and can produce a LOOT report. Supported formats include TES3, TES4, FO3, FNV, TES5, SSE, FO4, FO76, SF1, BSA and BA2. Documentation is provided in the Tome of xEdit. Builds are distributed through Discord, while feature requests and bug reports go to GitHub. The license is MPL-2.0.