Install NPC mods and translations

An NPC mod made for NPC Helper 2 is a content pack: a folder with a manifest.json file and an NPCs folder. It does not include NPC Helper 2, so install NPC Helper 2 first.

Install an NPC mod#

With a mod manager: install the downloaded file through the manager. Files that managers add on their own (for example Vortex's backup files, or meta.ini and Thumbs.db) are ignored by NPC Helper 2 and do not cause warnings.

By hand:

1. Extract the downloaded archive.
2. Copy the mod's folder into the game's Mods folder, next to NpcHelper.
3. Check that manifest.json sits directly inside the mod's folder:

Mods/
├── NpcHelper/
└── MyNpcMod/
    ├── manifest.json
    └── NPCs/
        └── Rei/
            ├── Rei.toml
            ├── sprites/
            └── portraits/

4. Start the game through SMAPI and read the NPC Helper 2 summary in the console. Your NPC should be listed under its mod.

Find the NPC in the game#

• Open the Social tab of the game menu. By default a new NPC is shown there from the start, unless the mod's author hides characters until you meet them.
• The NPC appears at their home location and then follows their daily schedule. A birthday, shops, and festivals work the same as for the game's own villagers.

Install a translation#

A translation changes the NPC's displayed name, dialogue, and other text for one game language. It does not add a new NPC, so the NPC mod it translates must be installed too.

1. Install the translation the way the translation's page describes. Most translations are a content pack for NPC Helper 2 and install exactly like an NPC mod above.
2. Set the game to the translated language (Options, Language).
3. Start the game through SMAPI. The NPC Helper 2 summary lists the language in use, and warns if a translation exists for an NPC that is not installed.

English uses the NPC mod's original text.

A translation that is not a content pack for NPC Helper 2 cannot be found by it. If a translation page offers two downloads, use the one for mod managers (a content pack that keeps manifest.json and NPCs together) when you can. The other kind extracts files into the NPC mod's own folder and is only accepted for one older translation pack, so do not expect it from new translations.

Update an NPC mod#

1. Close the game.
2. Replace the mod's folder with the new version, or update it through your mod manager. When replacing by hand, delete the old folder first so files removed in the new version do not stay behind.
3. Start the game through SMAPI.

Remove an NPC mod#

Close the game and delete the mod's folder from Mods. Remove its translations as well if you installed any.

Does a mod need a newer NPC Helper 2?#

Authors can set a minimum version. If your version is too old, SMAPI says so in the console and skips the mod. Update NPC Helper 2 and try again.