Star Wars Genesis // Borked.IT

Critical Requirements

Swap Space: Must increase page file (swap) to at least 80 GB for performance/stability.
Storage: Both Starfield and the modlist MUST be on an internal NVMe SSD. External SSDs/HDDs fail.
Hardware: Steam Deck and ROG Ally are not compatible.
Game Version: Non-pirated Steam version, updated to 1.16.244.
DLC: Shattered Space Expansion is required.
Game State: English language. NO Creation Store or Vortex mods. Completely new game required.
Updates: Turn off automatic updates for Starfield in Steam immediately.

Crucial Setup for Flatpak Steam Users

If you installed Steam via the Ubuntu Software Center as a Flatpak (or manually via Flathub), it runs in an isolated sandbox. You must grant it permission to read/write to your home directories before starting.

Install Flatseal (a GUI for managing Flatpak permissions) via your software manager or terminal: flatpak install flathub com.github.tchx84.Flatseal
Open Flatseal and select Steam from the left menu.
Scroll down to the Filesystem section.
Under Other files, click the icon to add a new directory and type: ~/Games
Ensure the toggle next to it is enabled. Close Flatseal. Steam can now access the symlink we will create in Step 2.

Pre-Requisite: Configure 80GB Swap File

Star Wars Genesis requires a massive page file to prevent crashes. Follow these terminal commands to create and enable an 80GB swap file on your Ubuntu system.

# Disable existing swap (if any)
sudo swapoff -a

# Create an 80GB swap file (this will take space on your primary drive)
sudo fallocate -l 80G /swapfile

# Set the correct permissions for security
sudo chmod 600 /swapfile

# Format the file as swap space
sudo mkswap /swapfile

# Enable the new swap file
sudo swapon /swapfile

# Make the change permanent across reboots by adding it to fstab
echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab

Step 1: Install System Dependencies

You need to install Jackify, 7z, Protontricks, and PowerShell 7 on your Ubuntu system. Installing PowerShell from the Microsoft Package Repository is required.

# Update the list of packages
sudo apt-get update

# Install pre-requisite packages
sudo apt-get install -y wget apt-transport-https software-properties-common p7zip-full protontricks

# Get the version of Ubuntu
source /etc/os-release

# Download the Microsoft repository keys
wget -q https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/$VERSION_ID/packages-microsoft-prod.deb

# Register the Microsoft repository keys
sudo dpkg -i packages-microsoft-prod.deb

# Delete the Microsoft repository keys file
rm packages-microsoft-prod.deb

# Update the list of packages after adding packages.microsoft.com
sudo apt-get update

# Install PowerShell
sudo apt-get install -y powershell

Step 2: Prepare the Starfield Prefix

Launch Starfield once using Proton Experimental, then exit the game completely.
Create a symlink to the Starfield virtual C-drive to make pathing easier. We will place this in a `Games` directory in your home folder.

mkdir -p ~/Games
ln -s ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1716740/pfx/drive_c/ ~/Games/STARFIELD

mkdir -p ~/Games
ln -s ~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/1716740/pfx/drive_c/ ~/Games/STARFIELD

Step 3: Set Up the Wabbajack File

You must extract the .wabbajack file from the StarWarsGenesisSetup.exe installer. Choose one of the following methods:

Method A: Using Protontricks

Launch Protontricks and select the Starfield Steam app.
Select the default wineprefix.
Choose 'Run arbitrary executable' and run StarWarsGenesisSetup.exe.
Close Wabbajack when it opens at the end.
Verify you have a ~/Games/STARFIELD/Star Wars Genesis directory.

Method B: Manual Placement

If you acquired the .wabbajack file directly via download:

mkdir -p ~/Games/STARFIELD/Star\ Wars\ Genesis/Game/
mv ~/Downloads/Star\ Wars\ Genesis.wabbajack ~/Games/STARFIELD/Star\ Wars\ Genesis/

Step 4: Install the Modlist with Jackify

Navigate to your Jackify download location and run ./Jackify.AppImage.
Open settings at the bottom left, authorize Nexus authentication, and save.
Select 'Modlist Tasks' from the main menu.
Select 'Install a Modlist (Automated)'.
Go to the 'Use .wabbajack File' tab, then browse and select the wabbajack file located in ~/Games/STARFIELD/Star Wars Genesis/Compiler.
Set the Modlist name to 'Star Wars Genesis'.
Set the Install location to ~/Games/STARFIELD/Star Wars Genesis/Game/.
Set your Download location, choose your resolution, and click 'Start Installation'.
Once finished, let it restart Steam.

Step 5: Manual Document Installation

The standard BAT file configuration fails on Linux, so you must install these files manually.

Download the manual files from the official install page (look for the link labeled "BAT doesn't work?").
Extract the archive and move them using the terminal:

cd ~/Downloads
7z x Document\ Installation.7z
mv ./Document\ Installation/* ~/Games/STARFIELD/users/steamuser/Documents/My\ Games/Starfield/

Step 6: Apply Settings via PowerShell

You will use the PowerShell installation from Step 1 to execute the preferences script.

cd ~/Games/STARFIELD/users/steamuser/Documents/My\ Games/Starfield/
/bin/pwsh UpdateStafieldPrefs.ps1

Step 7: Launch Sequence

! Always launch the game using the newly created "Star Wars Genesis" entry in Steam. Launching via the standard Starfield entry can ruin your installation.

> This entry will open Mod Organizer 2. If prompted about nxm links, click Yes.

> In the top right corner of Mod Organizer 2, select SFSE from the dropdown menu and click run. Do not click Unlock.

> Start a New Game. If you spawn in the vanilla mining shaft start, quit the game entirely and restart.

> After creating your character, make a manual save, completely restart the game, and load that save to ensure all scripts initialize properly.

Update Protocol

How to safely upgrade your existing Star Wars Genesis installation on Ubuntu.

1 In-Game Preparation (Crucial)

Existing save users must NOT be in any ship or city. Please go to a random moon, exit your ship, and perform a manual save. Make sure you load into that save after updating Genesis.

WARNING: 8.7.0 users and below Please go to your Starfield game folder (inside your Steam directory) and delete vcruntime140_1.dll if it exists.

2 Close MO2 and Update Starfield

Close both the game and Mod Organizer entirely. Then, allow Steam to update your base Starfield game if a new update is pending.

3 Acquire the New Wabbajack File

Download the new StarWarsGenesisSetup.exe as a Standard Download. You must extract the new .wabbajack file using Protontricks (as outlined in Step 3) or download the Wabbajack file directly if provided via a mirror link.

4 Run the Jackify Installer

Open Jackify and select the new .wabbajack file. The install location must remain exactly the same as your original installation.

Install Location Warning It is a common mistake to set the installation location to just the Star Wars Genesis folder. You must target the /Star Wars Genesis/Game/ folder, or Jackify will throw an error.

Confirm File Deletion? You may get a popup in Jackify/Wabbajack asking you to confirm file deletion of old mods. Select Continue / Yes.

5 Linux Document & Settings Fix

The official instructions state to run GENESIS_DOCUMENTS.bat. Batch files do not work on Linux.

To complete the update, you must repeat Step 5 (Manual Document Installation) and Step 6 (Apply Settings via PowerShell) of this guide to ensure your INI files and documents are updated to the latest version.

6 Launch Sequence

Launch your custom Steam entry for Mod Organizer. If prompted about nxm links, click Yes. Select SFSE and run the game.

Existing Save Issues ↗ Stuck in Main Menu? ↗ Self Help / Troubleshooting ↗