Donation Points - How they work
What is the point of the DP system?
Donation Points (shortened to "DP") are reward points on Nexus Mods that mod authors can accumulate by uploading their mods to our website. DP can be redeemed for rewards through our storefront, donated to charity or shared with other users. It exists as our way of thanking mod authors for their contributions.
How does the DP system work?
The amount of DP an author accumulates is managed by a fairly complex algorithm that is based around the number and type of interactions users have had with the author's mod(s) throughout any given month. We do not disclose exactly how this algorithm works to avoid users trying to "game" the system.
Please see our article regarding the changes for more information on why this change was made.
The total amount of DP allocated each month is taken from a “pool” that is paid for by Nexus Mods directly, along with the contributions to the Mod Author Donation Fund. For a history of past DP payouts and to see the latest numbers please see our information page on Donation Points.
What does this system reward?
To prevent abuse of the system, we are not sharing specific details on how the system allocates rewards; however, we can direct you to a general guidance document on what we consider to be best practices.
If Donation Points are a strong motivation for you then the following may be of interest to you.
We reward authors for posting a variety of content that appeals to lots of different users. Consider diversifying the type of mods you make, or branching out into modding a different game that interests you.
We encourage authors to maintain their mods. Ensure your mod is compatible with the latest game version, provide bug fixes and make it easy to get any related content on the same mod page.
The system has a diminishing returns aspect to it. After a certain number of interactions from the same user across all your mods, the value of these interactions drops drastically. It can and does drop to 0.
What does it not reward?
The system no longer works off of Unique Downloads (UDL) over all time but instead on interactions that occur over a month. Therefore there is no benefit to deleting mods and remaking them. Instead, keeping your mod up to date and relevant is best practice.
Splitting mods that do the same or similar things across many mod pages no longer provides an advantage and will likely involve moderation actions being taken to consolidate your mod pages.
Collections “stuffed” with significant numbers of the author's own mods. Our new algorithm specifically disincentivise curators uploading resources for their list split across several mod pages, particularly when they have little use outside of the Collection. Previously, when a user downloaded the collection this would mean a unique download was registered for each page. This generated a substantial amount of points. Uploading mods in this way will no longer generate excessive Donation Points for Collection curators.
What happens if authors break the DP rules or don’t follow “Best Practices”?
Best Practices:
We want to try to encourage mod authors to follow the Terms of Service and be rewarded for adopting what we consider best practices. A member of our Community Management team may reach out to you if we believe that there are changes you could make that would benefit users by creating a better experience for them when using your mods.
Breaking the Donation Point System Rules:
Our approach to handling cases where the Donation Point System Rules have been broken will be much more direct than encouraging best practices. Abusing the system takes reward money away from authors participating in the system under good faith. Abiding by these rules is a requirement of participation in the DP system. We will take direct action against mods and authors to rectify these issues.
We have a number of moderation tools available, including the ability to block individual mods or in extreme cases, all mods uploaded by a user from the DP system. We only plan to use these tools as a last resort where a user has repeatedly ignored our requests to change their behaviour. We want to work together with mod authors to change the way they post mods, however they will be used at the discretion of Nexus Mods staff if and when required.
Please take a look at our guidelines for Best Practices for Mod Authors and Donation Point System Rules for the more specific details regarding both circumstances.