<aside> 💡 Make sure your game version is updated to 1.0.0.8 on the Epic Games Store before you get started. Also be sure to launch the game all the way to the Kingdom Hearts II title screen at least once.
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In your Documents folder there should exist a folder titled KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX. In this folder alongside the "Epic Games Store" folder, make two new folders, one named "scripts" and one named "KH2 Rando". Inside the "scripts" folder, make another folder named "kh2". Inside the "KH2 Rando" folder, make two new folders, named "KH PC Patcher" and "Rando Converter". Leave this window open.
Download the following files from the Garden of Assemblage Mod repository: GoA.Practice.lua, GoA.RAM.lua, and Rando.Converter.zip. Move the two Lua files to the scripts/kh2 folder you made before, and move the contents of the Rando Converter zip (the files within the folder, not the folder itself) into the KH2 Rando/Rando Converter folder. Rename GoA.Practice.lua to GoA.Practice.lua.off so that it is not enabled. It is a practice mod that can be useful for learning and testing new things, but will not be needed to play the randomizer.
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💡 Make sure Windows File Explorer (the program you browse folders in) is set to show file name extensions if you want to rename files to .off. To do this, click on the "View" tab in any Explorer window and click on the checkbox next to "File name extensions" on the right side of the ribbon at the top of the window.
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Download DINPUT8.zip from the LuaBackend Hook. This enables mod scripts to work. Open a new file explorer and navigate to C:\\Program Files\\Epic Games\\KH_1.5_2.5\\. Move the DINPUT8.dll file within the zip you downloaded into this folder. Leave this window open as well.
Patching the game will update some of the visuals, make all big chests small, and unequip the "Auto Limit" ability from all party members by default. It's recommended you take this step, but it is technically optional.
Download both KHPCPatchManager.exe and resources.zip for the KH PC Patch Manager. Move both the exe and the extracted "resources" folder into the folder you made called KH PC Patcher.
The visual patch is hosted on Nexus Mods. Unfortunately, they require an account to download any mods, so make one or login to an existing one. Once logged in, go back to the link above and download the middle set of files titled "Goa Companion (New Icons HD)". Move the patch file into KH PC Patcher with the files you placed earlier. Your folder should look like the image below.
<aside> 💡 Optional: Creating a backup of your unpatched files
If you want to be able to quickly switch between the rando-patched version of the game and the base version later, you can create a backup of your game files. You'll want to copy all of the files (not folders, just files, and you can exclude DINPUT8.dll) within KH_1.5_2.5 as well as the entirety of the en folder located within KH_1.5_2.5\\Image. An example backup image is below.
If you don't care about switching back to the unpatched files or don't mind using the Epic Games Store "Verify Files" function to do so, then carry on without a backup.
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Click and drag the "GOA Televo Icons.kh2pcpatch" file onto "KHPCPatchManager.exe". A command prompt should now pop up. Drag the KH_1.5_2.5\\Image\\en folder onto the terminal window, then make sure the window is in focus and hit Enter. The program will now begin patching your files for the randomizer. Once the window has stopped scrolling any text and shows "Done!", press Enter to close it.
At this point, you are fully set up for the randomizer, but you don't have a randomized seed or a tracker. It's a good idea to open the game and verify that everything is working. Launch it from the Epic Games Store as usual, start a new game, and you should be presented with a choice of 3 dream weapons. Select one, skip the cutscene, and you should be in the Garden of Assemblage surrounded by 13 portals. Each one leads to a different world. Enter one to confirm it takes you to another world, then feel free to close the game.
There are a couple of seed generators out there for KH2 rando, but for the purposes of this guide, we'll be using Valaxor's Seed Generator. Covering every detail of the generator is out of the scope of this guide, but for now, simply open the link and hit the blue "Random" button to generate a new name, hover over "Download Seed," and select the first option (F266B00B.pnach). This is the randomized seed file, but it's in a format made for PS2 emulation. Convert it by opening converter.html from your Rando Converter folder and dragging the file onto the web page as directed. This will download a new file (F266B00B.lua) that you will want to move to the scripts\\kh2 folder alongside the other Lua files. If you boot up your game, you will now have a randomized seed! Before doing so, let's get you set up with a tracker though.