Your stable load order thanks you. Now go clear Bleak Falls Barrow—without the golden claw floating two feet off the table (thanks, USSEP).
USSEP must always load near the very top of your load order. It should look like this: Skyrim.esm Update.esm Dawnguard.esm HearthFires.esm Dragonborn.esm Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch.esp (Other master files and general mods follow) Managing Mod Conflicts skyrim ussep 1.5.97
Here is the most important technical rule for modding Skyrim 1.5.97: Your stable load order thanks you
The release of version 1.6 (and subsequently the Anniversary Edition) caused a schism in the community, deeply affecting the deployment of USSEP on 1.5.97. It should look like this: Skyrim
When downloading other mods that require USSEP, check their file archives or description pages to ensure their patches do not require records exclusive to USSEP 1.6+. Long-Term Maintenance and Troubleshooting Disable Automatic Steam Updates
The endurance of Skyrim 1.5.97 and USSEP 4.2.5a highlights the dedication of the community. By carefully managing these version requirements, you can enjoy a flawless, bug-fixed playthrough backed by the most powerful legacy mods ever created for the game. If you want to fine-tune your configuration, tell me:
Therefore, refers to the legacy build of the patch—typically version 4.2.5b or earlier (before the AE conversion).