Help:Form IDs

This help page explains the format of Form IDs for objects and characters from add-ons to Fallout games based on Bethesda Game Studios Gamebryo engine systems.

Why do Form IDs from add-on packs start with "xx"?
Form IDs from add-on start with "xx" because their first two numbers vary from player to player, depending on which mods and add-ons are installed on his/her system.

This is because the load order of modules (ESMs and ESPs) affects those numbers. The first two digits of a ID number correspond to its load order (in hexadecimal). The only "fixed" IDs are those from "base" game (which always start with "00" because it is always loaded first) and those for objects which are/have been created during gameplay such as spawned characters or items (their IDs always start with "FF").

Example
If you have both Operation: Anchorage and The Pitt installed, IDs for characters, objects etc. from Operation: Anchorage will start with "01" (e.g. 01123456) and IDs for objects from The Pitt will start with "02". If you have only The Pitt installed, IDs for its objects will start with "01". If you have mods installed which are loaded before the add-ons, their numbers will be different entirely (higher).

How do I find out what the first two numbers are for me?
The easiest way is to find a character from a certain add-on, call up the console and click on them. There ref ID will be displayed at the top of the screen, of which the first two numbers displayed are the ones for all objects, characters etc. from the corresponding add-on. If you come across a character whose ID starts with "FF" or "00", try a different one.

An alternative way to find out the ID is to download the Fallout Mod Manager. This program will show the two ID numbers for each add-on/mod.

Fallout 3
You can also calculate the number if you have no mods installed. In general, the add-on load order is:
 * 01: Operation: Anchorage
 * 02: The Pitt
 * 03: Broken Steel
 * 04: Point Lookout
 * 05: Mothership Zeta

Note: that certain language versions of Point Lookout'' have a different modified date, causing the load order to be different. In this case, the order is:''
 * 01: Point Lookout
 * 02: Operation: Anchorage
 * 03: The Pitt
 * 04: Broken Steel
 * 05: Mothership Zeta

Fallout: New Vegas
In general, the add-on load order is:
 * 01: Dead Money
 * 02: Honest Hearts
 * 03: Old World Blues
 * 04: Lonesome Road
 * 05: Gun Runners' Arsenal

Fallout 4
In general, the add-on load order is:
 * 01: Automatron
 * 02: Wasteland Workshop
 * 03: Far Harbor
 * 04: Contraptions Workshop
 * 05: Vault-Tec Workshop
 * 06: Nuka-World