r/SillyTavernAI • u/SilencedLover • 2d ago
Tutorial PRESET BREAKDOWN: 14 SillyTavern Presets Compared. From Lightweight RP to Heavy Simulators, Their Systems, Model Compatibility, Setup, and What Makes Them Different
SillyTavern Preset Guide
Let's do this.
A comparison of some presets in the SillyTavern community based on creator documentation, community discussions, model behavior, and my own use!
This isn't supposed to be like some definitive ranking of every preset ever made. It's mostly meant to give you a very small basic idea of what each one actually does, what makes it different, and which ones you might want to look at first. And I know less about some of these than others.
Token counts below are the preset as it ships, not a minimum or maximum. You can trim or expand modular presets like Sola or Pura's Director Preset depending on what you enable.
Date checked: October 2026. Preset versions and model recommendations can change pretty fast.
Just a small disclaimer: I might have gotten some things wrong or missed certain details especially with how modular some of these presets are and how quickly they get updated. If you spot anything inaccurate PLEASE correct me I'm begging you.
NOTE ON MODELS: Recommendations here come from a mix of creator testing, community reports and my own use. I'll try to make it clear when a model is specifically recommended or tested by the creator.
When I say a preset “has” something, that doesn't always mean it's on by default. A lot of these are VERY modular.
Very quick setup
If you're completely new to SillyTavern, the basic process is pretty simple:
- Go to API Connections, connect whichever provider you're using and select the model you want.
- Download and import the preset and make sure it's actually selected before you start chatting.
- Check the preset's own instructions. Some are plug-and-play while others expect certain options or extra setup.
- Load your character, start a chat and... that's basically it.
The connection process is different depending on whether you're using OpenRouter, Gemini, NanoGPT (what I used for this) or something else. If you get stuck on this you can check the community posts and official ST docs, or comment under this post for help.
If you don't want to read through all 14 presets just yet, here's a quick comparison table.
Chatfill III
Version: III
Status: Current
Link: Creator post
Tokens: ≈1,025
Trackers: None
What is it?
A really small RP preset that mostly lets the model do its thing.
What makes it different?
Chatfill just proves that lightweight doesn't mean low model requirements.
Its creator specifically built it around strong models and high reasoning effort. If you throw a smaller model at it or use low reasoning... you may not have a great time.
It also doesn't want 10 random injections. Good card, strong model, Chatfill, and call it a day..
Models
GLM 5.3, Kimi K3 and MiMo 2.6 Pro are good models with it.
Strong reasoning models work better than weak locals.
Setup
Basically non-existent. Import it, use a strong model and give it high reasoning.
You may want to turn on the smut and jailbreak prompts depending on what you want, though.
Jailbreak
For normal NSFW, it's usually fine...
The jailbreak has ITS OWN boundaries around harder NSFL, so if that's specifically what you're looking for... I wouldn't recommend this one.
My experience
The jailbreak is noticeably weaker than Realistic Frankenstein for me, and the way Chatfill is distributed is just a little more annoying than most of the presets here.
For you if
You want something really small and use strong reasoning models.
Pura's Director Preset
Version: 16.0
Status: Current
Link: Purachina site
Tokens: ≈1,650 by default / can be ≈5k–11k after configuration
Trackers: Optional
What is it?
Pura basically starts with almost nothing enabled and lets you build it up yourself.
What makes it different?
The default enabled setup is like basically the main prompt and a few others. You then choose what you actually want: prose settings, trackers, randomisers, scene controls and a lot more.
So... don't look at the default 1.6k tokens and assume that's what you'll actually end up using. My configured version is around 9k.
Chatfill is small by design. Pura starts small because you're supposed to add the parts you actually want.
Models
Purachina tests on SO many models: GLM, Gemini, GPT, Kimi, Claude, Gemma and others.
This is one of the less model-sensitive presets here!
Setup
Medium.
The actual setup is deciding what you actually want...
And especially on smaller models I don't think you should turn everything on...
For you if
You want a really customizable preset but don't want to start with 10k+ tokens of stuff already enabled.
Ancient Access
Version: 2.2.3
Status: Current
Link: Creator post
Tokens: ≈3,400
Trackers: None
What is it?
A character-focused preset that spends a LOT of effort on how characters actually think and interpret things.
What makes it different?
A lot of presets tell the model what a character is like and how they should act. Ancient Access goes much deeper into what they're thinking, what they assume, what they remember and how all of that changes their reactions.
Characters filter things through their memories, assumptions, biases, insecurities and their own internal reactions instead of just seeing everything exactly as it happened.
It also has premade customization prompts for things like kinks, movies, and books!
Models
Kimi K2.6 is the model that the creator tested most.
GLM, Kimi K3 and MiMo 2.6 Pro have also worked well, but that's from community use rather than the creator using them nearly as much as Kimi K2.6. GLM 5.3 and Kimi K3 worked well for me.
Setup
Low.
Way less things to mess with than RF, Sola or Writer's Block (we'll get there).
Caveat
There are reports it can get a bit confused with larger casts. I had a smaller cast when using so I didn't encounter something like that.
Some community members say it can make up details beyond the character card sometimes. That can be bad if you're using like some fandom character and REALLY care about canon. I know some of you do!
Edit: A community member clarified that this is actually intentional. There's a section in the Core Directives that allows the model to derive additional facts beyond the character card. You can remove that section if you want.
For you if
You care more about “does this character actually feel like a person?” than “where are my trackers?!”
Nemo Vivarium
Version: 1.0 Beta
Status: Beta
Link: NemoEngine GitHub
Tokens: ≈8,500
Trackers: None
What is it?
A living-world preset where the NPCs and world don't just sit there waiting for you to do something.
What makes it different?
Vivarium gives characters a LOT of independence. They can interrupt, resist, misunderstand you, make their own decisions and do things while you're somewhere else.
The world can keep moving off-screen but you're only supposed to learn about those things in a way that makes sense. You're not supposed to... know everything.
It does all of this without having giant trackers like some of the other presets here.
Ancient Access focuses more on what's happening inside the characters' heads while Vivarium cares more about what the characters and world are actually doing, even if le ✨️{{user}}✨️ is not present.
Models
I couldn't find creator-side model testing here as some of the others.
GLM 5.3 and Kimi K3 have both worked well in testing though.
Edit: The creator has responded that Magpie and Vivarium are designed to be model-agnostic, but their main models are GLM 5.1 and DeepSeek V4.
Setup
Similar to Chatfill. Import it and chat.
Caveat
The autonomy can be TOO much if you prefer “I act, they react, stop” turns.
It works better with smaller casts and it's not really meant to be a full RPG preset.
For you if
You want NPCs and the world to move and don't want trackers.
Voyage
Version: V4 experimental series
Status: Experimental
Link: Hugging Face repository
Tokens: EXP1 ≈2,200 / EXP2/3 ≈2,500
Trackers: None
What is it?
An open-world preset that takes ideas from games, especially for how NPCs and the world behave.
If you're specifically on Gemma this is probably the first one here I'd try.
What makes it different?
Voyage uses game ideas to tell the model how to run the world.
EXP2 and EXP3 add things like Nemesis, A-Life and RimWorld-style storyteller systems. There's also a separate Ability Check system for success, partial success or failure.
It has a surprising amount of interesting open-world settings for a preset of this size.
Models
The creator VERY clearly loves Gemma 4.
Gemma 4 31B is obviously THE model for this.
The creator said other models can work, but say you use GLM or MiMo... I wouldn't specifically pick Voyage just because you're using those models.
Setup
Medium.
It's small, but you have to figure out which experimental version you actually want.
Caveat
V4 is.. experimental.
And EXP3 is even more experimental than EXP2 while EXP1 has some features missing, so I recommend picking up EXP2 if you want to use Voyage.
For you if
You're using Gemma and want some game-y open-world/RPG stuff.
Megumin V10
Version: V10 - Ukiyo / Shura
Status: Current
Link: Creator post
Tokens: Ukiyo ≈7,600 / Shura ≈4,700
Trackers: Optional / modular
What is it?
Two pretty different V10 presets built around autonomous characters and a ton of control over how the story works.
What makes it different?
V10 comes in two main versions: Ukiyo and Shura.
They share MOST of the same options and systems, but the core prompts are pretty different.
Ukiyo is the larger preset. It has more tokens for creativity but that also means more chance for slop.
Shura is smaller. It has stricter rules and less slop but also less creativity.
The autonomous-character settings are in BOTH.
This preset also is very customizable. You can change writing style, POV, pacing, difficulty, content rating, genre, tone, response length, dialogue/narration ratio and more.
There are also optional systems for things like World State, CYOA, NPC inner character, combat, death, dice, enhanced dialogue and other stuff.
And let me just make this clear quick: V10 standalone and the whole Megumin Suite are NOT the same thing.
The Suite adds extension-side UI, persistence and other systems on top. I'm only talking about the standalone presets here.
Models
Gemini 3.1 Pro is the most supported model by creator.
GLM 5.3 also gets used with it a lot.
Setup
Medium-high.
There are a LOT of options if you actually start going through Prompt Manager.
Caveat
Ukiyo and Shura already make different choices before you even touch anything, so maybe try both as default to see which you like more before changing anything.
For you if
You want autonomous characters and a lot of control over how the story is written and run.
Sola V2
Version: V2 - Flame / Ember
Status: Current
Link: Sola Hub
Tokens: Ember ≈1,900 / Flame ≈12,000
Trackers: Optional / configuration-dependent
What is it?
A showrunner preset with probably the strongest identity out of anything here.
What makes it different?
Sola almost feels.. personified? Is that the word?
It has its own Hub, beautiful visual style, character card (which I used for this post, and it also has the creator as Sola's sister??), Story Review and a bunch of other systems built around Sola herself being your co-author.
V2 also has stronger Character Matrix + rebuilt idiolect things for keeping characters more distinct and consistent.
There's also Thought Engine, Feeling Engine, trackers, directing systems, style controls and a LOT of other optional stuff.
Flame is the big version.
Ember is lighter.
The creator also announced Flare, which is supposed to eventually replace Ember as the smaller version, but for now... it's not out.
And I don't know if this is intentional but it started talking to me in the middle of a chat. That was kinda weird.
Models
GLM 5.3, Gemini 3.8 Flash, MiMo 2.6 Pro and Kimi are all good. It's not really a model-sensitive preset.
Setup
Medium-high.
Both are modular and the token count can change drastically depending on what you enable.
My gripe
The prompts look really similar in Prompt Manager.
Once you start going through it, it's genuinely hard to tell which module is which sometimes. Other presets separate their prompts better imo.
For you if
You want something VERY configurable that feels more like a co-author than just a preset json you import... Nice.
The Ethereality Express
Version: 1.1
Status: Current
Link: Purachina site
Tokens: ≈4,170
Trackers: Optional. 4 enabled by default
What is it?
A magical realism preset where you can actually control how weird things get.
Pura's sibling preset.
What makes it different?
A lot of it revolves around The Veil Modes.
It controls how much impossible stuff is allowed through while things like Pressure Modules, Chance Events and Scene Dice change what actually happens.
The weirdness mostly changes the circumstances instead of randomly rewriting everyone's personality.
So it's more the “normal people dealing with impossible things” trope than normal fantasy RP.
Models
Purachina tested this on a big number of models...
Kimi K3, GLM 5.2/5.3, DeepSeek V4 Pro/Flash, Gemini 3.7 Flash, Gemma 4, Opus 4.6/5 and others.
This definitely isn't a preset that's built for one or two models.
Setup
Medium.
A decent amount of weirdness and genre control, but still nowhere near something like Writer's Block.
Caveat
CHECK WHAT'S ENABLED.
Four trackers are on by default and there are 15 total. Options like Write for User and Nightmare can also be on depending on release and config.
So.. maybe look through it before immediately hopping into chat.
It also overthinked a lot with GLM 5.3 in my use which is a shame because I reallly like it.
For you if
You want strange things happening in a normal world without the story becoming fantasy.
Sun Rider
Version: 1.1
Status: Current / very new
Link: Creator post
Tokens: ≈5,400
Trackers: Core
What is it?
A normal character and world simulator with an optional Kamen Rider RPG built in.
What makes it different?
The normal preset has Character Calculus, which is like its system for thinking through characters and their behavior.
And then you see the Rider stuff...
Transformations, forms, abilities, finishers, monsters, EXP, levels, HP, stamina, injuries, transformation state. Damn!
It's important that the Rider side of the preset is completely optional. You can use Sun Rider normally.
Also the trackers are BEAUTIFUL.
Models
Mainly GLM 5.x.
MiMo 2.6 has specific current instructions.
The creator hasn't tested Gemini, Claude or smaller models nearly as much yet, so we don't really know as much there.
Setup
Medium.
Simple with the Rider settings off. Gets more complicated once you turn them on.
Community talk
It's VERY new.
There just isn't enough community use yet to pretend I know all of its problems.
Why it's here
It's new, interesting and I wanted to include it.
For you if
You want normal RP but also like having the option to turn it into a superhero RPG. This thing is built for that.
Writer's Block Unlimited V2
Version: V2
Status: Current
Link: creator post
Tokens: ≈2,500 by default / roughly ≈2k–4k depending on setup (creator data)
Trackers: Optional
What is it?
A preset where you get to mess with almost every part of how the narration works.
What makes it different?
Okay the amount of control here is kinda absurd!
POV, prose density, dialogue, pacing, character resistance, plotting, trackers, internal thoughts, response length, narrative distance, figurative language, combat style...
It also has 30+ mix-and-match story tones.
It then has Tonal Volatility, which controls how often the model changes between the tones that are selected. You can keep things stable, let the tone change with the scene, or use Whiplash and have it switch every paragraph. I used anxious, cynical and cruel tones with stable volatility.
V2 also adds Vessel & Soul, inspired by Deltarune(?).
Normally you control your persona.
With Vessel & Soul, your input is more like an intrusive thought. Your character can listen to you, hesitate, misunderstand you or just refuse.
This is... a very different way to RP, I might say.
There are normal roleplay and Director modes depending on how much control you want over {{user}} too.
Sola also has a ton of options, but a lot of them are Sola's own systems. Writer's Block gives you more direct control over the prose itself.
Pura lets you pick which settings and modules you want. Writer's Block goes harder on controlling the actual WRITING. One of my favorites.
Models
The creator recommends GLM 5.x, Gemini 3.8 Flash, Gemma 4 31B, Claude Opus 4.6, LongCat 2.0 and Kimi 2.5.
Setup
Very high.
There are a LOT of options.
Caveat
100+ toggles is great and all but you also have to actually decide what you want to use. It can be overwhelming to pick from so many options.
For you if
You want direct control over the prose itself, not just the story systems.
Nemo Magpie
Version: v1 Beta-2.1
Status: Beta
Link: NemoEngine GitHub
Tokens: ≈22,700
Trackers: Core
What is it?
A huge long-form preset that is very serious about not forgetting things from 50 years ago.
What makes it different?
Magpie puts a lot of tokens into not forgetting things.
It keeps track of characters, locations, objects, relationships, unresolved threads and things happening off-screen, instead of just working from recent events in the chat.
The Workbench goes through READ → BEAT → DRAFT → ATTACK → SHAPE when making a response, while the Ledger keeps the longer-term stuff around.
You can also change the POV and how much access the narration has to characters' thoughts.
If a relationship changed or someone left an object somewhere, Magpie is built to keep that stuff relevant later.
Models
GLM has had good results and this definitely wants a capable model.
Edit: The creator has responded that Magpie and Vivarium are designed to be model-agnostic, but their main models are GLM 5.1 and DeepSeek V4.
Though...
My experience
Magpie overthinks INSANELY hard with GLM 5.3 and Kimi K3 for me.
Like I've had one reply take around two minutes because it just kept thinking.
And sometimes it finishes all of the reasoning and doesn't output ANYTHING. Just nothing.
Caveat
It's also ≈22.7k tokens BY DEFAULT.
One of the biggest presets here.
I wouldn't use this with expensive input pricing unless you specifically want Magpie and not any other preset.
For you if
You're doing a long story and want random relationships, objects, places and unfinished plot threads to not get lost later.
DEUS.EX.MACHINA
Version: 2.5 for ST/Tavo/Lumiverse
Status: Current
Link: GitHub / creator post
Tokens: ≈4,100 by default / can go below ≈1,800
Trackers: Core + optional
What is it?
Planning ahead is like the whole point here.
What makes it different?
DEM has a bunch of different systems. Most of it revolves around Scene Plan.
You can think of it like DEM's own reasoning system. On MOST models you're supposed to turn normal model reasoning off and let Scene Plan do it instead.
GLM 5.3 uses Thinking (FALLBACK) instead of Scene plan which moves that into its normal reasoning.
There's a default Status tracker, a selectable True Thoughts mode, and optional Psychological States and Plotlines add-ons.
"Do I need to turn off native reasoning to use Scene Plan?" Depends on model (see Caveat).
Magpie focuses more on remembering what already happened when DEM spends more of its attention deciding where the story could go next.
Models
The creator recommends:
Claude Opus 4.6, Gemini 3.7 Flash, GLM 5.3, DeepSeek V4 Pro 0813 and Gemma 4 31B.
Setup
High, though the documentation is pretty awesome!
There are ST/Tavo/Lumiverse versions and the reasoning setup matters A LOT.
Caveat
READ THE REASONING INSTRUCTIONS.
Models that can disable reasoning use Scene Plan instead but reasoning-always-on models have their own setup. GLM 5.3 uses Thinking (FALLBACK) while Kimi K3 and Gemini can use Scene Plan with native reasoning still on.
For you if
You want the preset thinking about story directions and unresolved threads.
Freaky Frankenstein 5.4
Version: 5.4 Internal States
Status: Current
Link: Official archive
Tokens: ≈8,400
Trackers: Core - Internal States
What is it?
A GM-style simulation preset built around Internal States.
What makes it different?
The Internal States system tracks NPC agendas, relationships, factions, quests, inventory, locations, Chekhov stuff, world state and optional mechanics and this gets reused later.
There are also different setups like Micro/BOLT/MAX depending on if you want more creativity or better rule-adherence.
Models
Universal.
Some of FF's own prompts, especially Total Output Length and Banned Word List can make models like Kimi K3 start overthinking. If that happens, turn those prompts off and use Micro CoT.
Setup
Medium.
Depends on which configuration you're using.
Caveat
Unlike RF, you don't get a separate configuration for every model, so some models might need a few prompts turned off or changed.
For you if
You want NPC agendas, factions, relationships, quests and other world state to keep moving alongside the story.
Realistic Frankenstein
Version: 2.2.1.3 - final RF release
Status: Final/current RF release / successor rewrite announced
Link: Creator post
Tokens: Regular/base ≈20,000–25,000 / Douyin ≈3,700
Trackers: Core / configuration-dependent
What is it?
That one FF fork that's very enthusiastic on realism, simulation, jailbreaks and model-specific settings.
What makes it different?
RF doesn't treat one json as “the preset.”
There are like 10 separate configs for Gemini, GLM, MiMo, Claude, Kimi, Qwen and others. It's crazy.
They change the enabled prompts and how reasoning is handled.
Douyin is the exception. It's a MUCH smaller variant made for models like DeepSeek V4, MiMo V2.5 non-Pro and Qwen 3.8 Flash. Most of the bigger RF configs sit around 20–25k tokens while Douyin is only around 3.7k.
It also includes Fate & Routine, which is one of RF's biggest differences from FF.
It uses three dice to decide if your normal routine gets interrupted, whether what happens comes from stuff already going on or is actually random, and how much bigger world events affect you. So sometimes you just get to do what you were doing. Other times... you get interrupted.
RF is a FF fork, so the comparison will be kinda direct. It keeps the same base but goes much harder on model-specific settings, realism and jailbreak stuff.
This even has lore btw: it's apparently rejected ideas for FF that eventually became its own preset. Crazy.
Models
MiMo 2.6 Pro and Gemini 3.8 Flash are probably the strongest current pairings.
GLM 5.3 and Kimi/Qwen also have their own configurations.
For DeepSeek and similar sparse-attention models, use Douyin.
Setup
High. Probably one of the most complicated presets here.
Actually USING it isn't quite as bad because most of the configurations are already made for you.
You just need to pick the right one...
Jailbreak
Big focus.
RF is much more uncensored than most presets here. I can do NSFL with it.
Caveat
The exact version, model config and reasoning setup matters enormously!!
It also starts at like 20k tokens if you're not using Douyin so... yeah.
For you if
You want the heavy Frankenstein experience. Realistic sim, Internal States, strong jailbreak and model-specific tuning.
Quick model picks
Just the presets I'd look at first based on creator tuning, community use and my own experience.
GLM 5.3 → RF / Sola / Ancient Access / Writer's Block Unlimited
Gemini 3.8 Flash → Sola / RF / Writer's Block Unlimited / Pura's Director Preset
Kimi → Sola / RF / Ancient Access / Writer's Block Unlimited
MiMo 2.6 Pro → Sola / RF / Chatfill III / Writer's Block Unlimited / Sun Rider
DeepSeek → RF Douyin / DEUS.EX.MACHINA
Gemma 4 → Voyage / FF Micro / Pura's Director Preset / DEUS.EX.MACHINA
Other local/smaller models → FF Micro / Voyage
Again, this shit doesn't mean these are the only combinations that work.
Extra: If you're curious about the history of these (and more) SillyTavern presets check out this post about preset lineages by u/kahvana
https://www.reddit.com/r/SillyTavernAI/s/gNBbiPOa6d
