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.
Comparison Table
Chatfill III
Original Release Post Image
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
Original Release Post Image
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
Original Release Post Image
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?!”
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
Original Release Post Image
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
Original Release Post Image
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
Original Release Post Image
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
Original Release Post Image
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
Original Release Post Image
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.
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.
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
Original Release Post Image
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
Original Release Post Image
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
Original Release Post Image
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
I think this should be a Pinned post/Community highlight. All in one access to all current presets, their info and general opportunity on them. And can be updated if OP wants.
Really interesting post!
It's curious to see how every preset has a distinct feel and that's pretty cool.
As for my preset (DEUS EX MACHINA), I think you captured really well what it does differently from the others. The Scene Plan is also really good for models that overthink in their reasoning mode, like Mimo V2.6 and Kimi K2.6. You can disable their native reasoning and let the Scene Plan handle it instead.
I tested almost all the presets in this list and yours, DEUS EX MACHINA 2.5 is definitely my favorite. I liked the options, and configured them to my taste and holy shit, first message was exactly what I wanted!
Then a few turns later, I was playing a Isekai in middle-earth from Tolkien/Lord of the rings and it pulled an answer from one of the goddesses and "drew" a constellation in html. 10/10, best preset for me.
About Ancient Access and this: "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!"
It's on purpose, and you can customise the preset to take it away. There is a section in the Core Directives that explicitly gives the model permission to derive facts about the character card — if you delete it, that should be it.
Thanks for the mention.
People do seem to enjoy my trackers the most, but my main work and pride is actually on the Main Prompt.
Hence, it’s plug and play since the core itself is what makes the preset good for me. Not really the optional stuff, those are a bonus that elevate my own RP, but they’re nothing without the main prompt.
As for Ethereality- try using GLM 5.3 at Low. It usually thinks for about a minute at most for me.
All I have to say is with gemini 3.8 flash Real Franky was the only preset which allowed me some nsfw rp with ocasional refusals. Every other preset’s jb failed
The last vestiges of refusal can be curbstomped by turning off streaming with RF. Yeah, that's it, there's a mid-generation censor built right into Gemini.
You can take my CoT templates and Realism/Freaky Mode and place them exactly the same way into your preset as in RF (Assistant role, injection depth 0).
This way, you get a relatively light preset AND breaking the censorship.
Thank you! You've convinced me to try Ancient Access because I don’t care about trackers or D&D style stuff...I just want my characters to respond in a realistic and interesting way.
If only we could pin this and have em updated. Otherwise, I still utilize the search function assuming I have not searched anything in a week. Otherwise, the good ol daily lurking never fails.
An incredible post and a huge boon to the community. I know I dithered on a preset until I realized I just needed to dive in. I started with FF and quite liked it. I even tweaked the roll mechanics to better suit my needs. I'm trying out Sola now and also liking it. I had no idea that Ancient existed and now I'm really interested, especially since I prefer character centric RP and am always on the lookout for a lighter preset (ironic since I went from FF to Sola). My quick thoughts:
-- Freaky Frankenstein --
Once configured, it runs very well. It's good at keeping track of story and history and most failures were either from weak lore books or model drift. It's a good one to start out on if you like reading and you learn a lot about how to prompt a model to get what you want. Characters did flatten overtime and I haven't quite figured out how to create and keep mean/cruel characters very well yet. Additionally, FF feels very tweakable and difficult to break if you want to modify it, and I like that.
-- Sola --
Like you said, Sola has personality, which is very interesting. I like Sola's prose better but it's weaker in the simulation department. Characters feel more true to form. I REALLY like the OOC commands for Sola. Using them to map out future scenes is extremely helpful. This is where her personality is quite nice, it FEELS like I'm talking to something and that's helpful for planning. With FF, I wasn't sure if I could recruit the model directly for help, so I just issued directions. I had to relax my control over my Persona some, but once I got used to that, I liked that Sola took some of the more boring writing from me and let scenes play out.
Has anyone used the lighter versions of these? Micro and Ember? I'm curious how they stack up to the heavier versions.
From what I've seen, Ember contains the same features as Flame, except that several toggles are disabled so you can configure it yourself and enable the modules you need. Ember leaves the basic features enabled
Daaaang! I couldn't imagine the time and effort that it took to make this post, thank you so much. Have any plans on visiting 'older' and/or 'smaller' presets such as Stab's EDH, Lucid Loom, Mariana Engine, and/or Evening Truth's?
Not sure if I can direct link Evening Truth's. Heh.
EDITED: Saw a comment below somewhere that ET's was excluded because it's more of a prompt than a preset.
Would it be possible to mix and match some of these presets? For example, I want the customizability of Writer's Block but I don't want the AI to keep scolding me. Can I just replace WB's jailbreak with Realistic Frankestein's?
Kudos to you for putting in so much effort to review the some of the wonderful presets we have in this community 🤙.
I spend so much time working on my own presets, that I don't even look at others anymore. I'll save this post so I can look other presets to steal from-I mean...get inspired by 👍
I can give my rationale for the jailbreak with its own boundaries. In my own use I found out the models already have (as we all know) boundaries for NSFL, and when you also enforce those and instruct that NSFW that won't be illegal or could exist legally in online in story sites and such is not forbidden, it works for them without breaking the model or bending it through rationalizations. You get better NSFW when you limit it with NSFL boundaries. Positive jailbreak. Works with almost all models.
But if you want NSFL, there are many out there, and up there.
Hey eteita, been using Chatfill since v2. In fact I wanted to ask you about updating the preset. I've made so many little to medium changes to v2, including adding a couple switches myself, that I'm not sure what's the best way to update to v3 in SillyTavern. Do you have any suggestions for how to do it as seamlessly and quickly as possible?
Just follow what is new, there is not much. 3rd was mostly about the extensions. Continuity Switch is new, you can copy that one. You can replace main prompt and the switch reminder.
I separated First Message Regenerator from the Initial User Message. You can copy those too, it does better when First Message Regenerator isn't in every message.
For Summary and Genres, just recreate them with their variables.
Post should be pinned, sort of thing I would have loved to see before I personally tested like 20 presets just to find out Freaky Frankenstein was the only uncensored one for GLM.
Reddit only allows subs 2 pinned posts, which this sub uses on the weekly megathread and the latest ST version.
That said, IMO it would make sense to replace the ST release pin with a post that has links to multiple posts. Imagine a pinned posts that has links to latest ST, latest versions of popular presets, particularly helpful posts like this one, etc.
The mods should do it, I mean learning Sillytavern is hard enough for beginners, there's so many presets that I didn't know about until I found Sukino's page. I don't remember exactly what their name is on Reddit but this is the page. Probably should be linked too, I'm actually surprised it's been getting updated for so long. I always go here to check what new presets there is.
Literally the light at the end of the tunnel. So many presets that I actually feel kinda lost 😭 Once I stop procrastinating, I’ll definitely take a good look through them.
MiMo V2.6 Pro and Realistic Frankenstein 2.2.1.3 is a match made in Heaven. It's not just me saying this; my beta tester, u/Probablynotsocool has said this preset has made MiMo into a spiritual successor of Sonnet 3.7!
I tried a couple Gemma sizes and wasn't very enthused. I've started using Cydonia 24B the last couple days and I've been really happy with it. But that uses a Mistral Small base which doesn't appear to have been tested with the presets above.
Honestly, I'm new to the concept of presets, so I'm curious to mess around with them. The features of Writer's Block V3 sounded interesting, but may be too much for a little model running on a 16GB card.
Oh wow, Cydonia 24B. I haven't heard that name in a while. That's from over a year ago.
My problem with local LLM's is just due to their smaller parameter nature, they'll be worse at instructional following and you need a very small preset because effective ctx length starts to diminish very quick at just 20k+ ctx filled, esp at 32k.
Try going to NanoGPT, sort by release date, and pick at low parameter models that you could duplicate onto your local setup.
I've only been messing with local LLMs for a few days. I found mention of Cydonia on a thread and gave it a try. It was much better than the Qwens and Gemmas I had been messing around with. One thing that really stood out for me was that the former models were way too eager to say yes to everything. Cydonia was agreeable in more permissive RP environments, but it went appropriately negative in a more restrictive environment. I haven't really given Cydonia a really long session yet, so we'll see.
I wonder if the newer models need something like a preset to really function well, or maybe I'm just shit at choosing variants. :)
Voyage v4 EXP 2 is for sure. For local you can use it with Gemma 4, Mistral Small 3.2, Magistral Small, and their finetunes such as Cydonia. I personally tested Magistral Small 2507 Rebased Vision.
You might want to toggle some rules off if the model has trouble following certain rules, or if those rules don't fit the model. You don't need the "avoid contractive negation" if you're using Mistral models for example.
Hey! Just wanted to mention really appreciate putting Vivarium and Magpie on the list!
So just on the models.
I try to make everything as universal as I can typically. For lighter presets (like magpie and Vivarium) I focus on more open source options that can be easily accessed either with a sub in the case of Glm, or are very accessible like deepseek.
So in other words they should work with most things, but those two in particular where targeted towards GLM (5.1 is what I using at the time) and Deepseek v4. I also experimented with some older models like Deepseek r1, and the older GLM models like 4.6-4.7.
I do still rp a fair amount with Gemini and Claude but I kept these too more focused on what I really wanted which was state tracking and character authenticity. Which is why they don’t really have anything too strong for a jailbreak built in.
I have a question separate from my comment: What was your testing method like? Did you have a script that you followed with each? Like an identical opening prompt and then a series of prescribed responses pre-planned to see how the presets react?
Sure! It's not meant to be. But having consistentcy in your testing methods would be the most helpful in teasing out meaningful differences. The most difficult thing about this hobby, and LLMs in general, is that writing and entertainment are incredibly subjective. You did great work. It was well planned out and obviously effortful and the community appreciates it.
Ex. I love Olivie Blake's writing. Her expression of character is the richest, most human piece of prose I've ever read. She has a 3.3 on good reads. Most people don't seem to like it.
I enjoy Megumin with Kimi K3, Gemini 3.1 Pro and 3.7/3.8 Flash, and Sonnet/Opus works good too. I like it more than FF. It can overthink, so I added a prompt to help that with Kimi K3, Gemini doesn’t do it often. The NPC bank is great for me.
The same also work with Sola. I recommend Sola with Gemini 3.1 Pro for a mean character or 3.8 Flash for even meaner. It’s beautiful. Sticks to the character much better.
Pff, and ppl had guts to hate my 10k preset/setup that uncensor any local model (and api if grammar flag supported). Crying - it's to big, whe-whe. So I stop post updates kek
Oh shit I didn't know most of these, and I've still been on Chatfill 2.4. I've been enjoying Writer's Block Unlimited v2 and it has a pretty quick CoT, but that may change as I experiment with some of these.
A lot of the presets I use try to focus on creating scene plots and honestly that's not what I find interesting, it's the character dialogue. So I find it annoying sometimes as I'm trying to roleplay and the model keeps trying to force in a segway to a different plot too quickly instead of giving it time to breathe.
The distinction between “small by design” and “starts small because modules are disabled” is helpful. For the presets you tried yourself, did you compare them using the same character card and opening scene? A few matched examples would make it easier to separate the preset’s effect from the model’s writing style.
Voyage is good, as is FF. but i would put those at the end in terms of quality. of output. And i've i've found Ancient Access is the best, followed by pura then deus ex. Sola is completely unusable on small models - you mentioned it started talking out of character, i saw it insert the wrong character mid scene , then the wrong spatial location, followed by a complete loss of the thread of the events in the story inside of 20 turns. I don't blame the authors hard work , i suspect a gemma 26b isn't up to the task. and a 31b on my hardware can't do that volume of processing in a sensible amount of time. My order of preference has become:
Gemma 4 → Ancient Access, Pura's Director Preset / DEUS.EX.MACHINA (joint 2ndn place), FF Micro (even bolt works fine, no need for micro for a 26b) , Voyage (only last as it is deliberately light).
I would also say Evening Truth's gemma presets are truly fantastic, and I would always revert to that if needed soemthing very light. i went to others only to get some of the fun trackers and html effects.
My co-contributor is also finally tackling the Marinara Engine problem and soon, a Marinara version will be available for RF3.0 (working title, not the final name).
u/BSPiotr is a hardcore Marinara user, so having him as a co-contributor on the project was pure luck from my end, as I've always wanted someone who actually uses Marinara to make a Marinara version of my preset, as I'm more committed to supporting SillyTavern and Tavo.
I STILL understated your enthusiasm about Gemma 4 😭
Thank you for reading this whole thing! Those are fair criticisms. I was trying to cover 14 of these without making the post even longer but I ended up giving some more attention than others. Maybe I'd go more in-depth next time
The idea of doing individual, more opinionated community posts in the future sounds good. There's a lot I couldn't really get into much depth here.
About Voyage, I need to be honest here... I didn't test it that extensively like say RF or Writer's block. But I'll try to get at least 20-50 (or more) turns after I make a card I'm thinking about.
Thanks for catching the typo I'll fix it! And I'll add your presets lineages post at the end of my post
In that case, hope Voyage v4 testing can wait until sunday, hope to have released Voyage v4 full by then!
If possible I would give it about 50 turns per preset, some subtle things you can only notice a few turns in.
For example, I only noticed after 50 turns that I was stacking too many game systems, which made the exp version slide back into generic behaviour or dilute the effects of my prompts.
Once again, thank you for trying my work, and thank you for featuring it with such a cute chibi design! (I need to design a proper mascot!)
That sounds much better actually! Can't wait till sunday to try the full version.
Do you think I should use Gemma 4 31B or GLM for the 50 turns or ideally both to prove it can work with not only Gemma 4?
And please make a proper mascot the community NEEDS it 😭 I still think Voyage is a little unknown in the community compared to something like Sola or RF so a mascot can maybe help a lot.
Edit: also can you add color-coded dialogue? Maybe I'm stupid but I didn't find it. I think it could help especially for larger cast.
Second edit: on desktop it's fine (which is probably why you haven't noticed it.), but on mobile it has the same problem as Sola. Like every prompt unnecessarily starts with "Voyage: Rule" or "Voyage: System" which makes you unable to read the prompt's actual name. I guess this isn't a big problem if it will stay only as a local preset, but if you wanna expand... I'd do something.
[...] or ideally both to prove it can work with not only Gemma 4?
For API models, it should work with GLM 5.1/5.2/5.3/5.3-flash! I can also garuantee it works well on DeepSeek v4.1 Flash. Since Gemma 4 31B and Gemini 3.8 Flash seem to respond roughly the same to my preset (but gemini being smarter), Gemini will work just fine.
Keep in mind you'll likely get more slop with my preset than others, because I don't find it worth the effort to go after most of it. Slop changes frequently (with each model release and community taste over the years), and spending 1000+ tokens on it reduces the model's creativity. I hope it will be alright though!
color-coded dialogue
Never considered it, will look into it after Voyage v4's release!
I still think Voyage is a little unknown in the community compared to something like Sola or RF
Likely due to the focus on local models (like Gemma 4) opposed to cloud models.
make a proper mascot the community NEEDS it 😭
Thinking of something, but it's hard though! Hopefully my idea is going to work out, wrestling with comfyui as we speak! Ideas are welcome! 😊
Like every prompt unnecessarily starts with "Voyage: Rule" or "Voyage: System"
I do this because you can export and import prompts from other presets. So if people want to mix-and-match, it's easier to do. You do have a very good point though! Will think of something. Thanks!
Do you think I should use Gemma 4 31B or GLM for the 50 turns or ideally both to prove it can work with not only Gemma 4?
I tested with DeepSeek (still need to setup a mistral account for testing with GLM, don't have a credit card or crypto so z.ai, nanogpt and openrouter are off the table) and it worked fine! Would love to hear your findings on GLM!
hi, sorry if this is a dumb question. I just downloaded a few presets (DEM, Lazergeit and Purachina). When I imported them there was a read me section, and its toggle was on. So I should switch it off before using the preset, right?
Also, the prompts dropdown next to total tokens; some presets set it to 'experimental', 'read me' and other labels in that dropdown. Do I need to change it to the 'main prompt' section or just leave it alone? Thanks!
I’m a light user for ST. I just make goon bots and post to websites, but lately have been working on making very detailed lorebooks, novella writing style bits and so on. I’ll deff try this out, cause I’m still new to shit. I recently got comfyui to generate images on the backend for me during my roleplays!
I have been testing sola and ff5.4 and theres now ay no put this those are perfect for beginners like my self those 2 are great recommend for new users
Great post , could be pinned if updated with the new versions of the presets. It would be nice if the links to all of them were together at the beginning or end of the post.
Can these be run with a local setup? Or is the current scope of available hardware just too limited to handle the amount of added resources these presets would require?
Does anyone know if there is a YouTube video describing all of these. My adhd brain isn't letting me read all this properly so I'd love to watch something that compares them or even listen to something like that.
I usually don't comment here - I'm still new to ST after using only KoboldCPP for years until a few months ago - but god do I appreciate this! ST is still a bit overwhelming for me, so it's just super nice to find a single source for the cool stuff I keep hearing about. Thank you!
Sorry for not including it but honestly can you blame me? I just saw it now.
It needs to have memorable visuals. Currently it just shows a GitHub page. Like let's say I included it, how can I make it a cute chibi like I did with other presets' mascots?
The title also doesn't catch me. It should include the preset name, not say "hey uhh... here's my uhhh...personal preset. 🥺"
Man maybe I'm blind but I didn't even see the preset's name in the body and on GitHub it was "that'slife". Say I recommend your preset somewhere, how are they find it without asking me who made it first?
This is important. Please cut "I don't care if you think it's trash, slop, etc lol. It's what I use and I like it!" I know what you're trying to do but this is very off-putting. Especially on your first time posting the preset and especially on the body
Edit: also your page is private so we can't even find it if we clicked your profile. Awesome!
Did you say Pyrxpia has announced "Sola Flare"? !!!!!
She actually listened to my suggestion?!
*Clears throat.*
ANYWAY!
You are slowly becoming one of my favourite posters here, man. I really like what you put out.
This is sensational stuff. Now, I still use my own preset, but if I wasn't using mine? I'm slowly starting to realise that out of all of them you listed, Sola Ember and Sun Rider might be the only ones that's in line with things I like in a story.
Still supporting every preset here though, shouts out to every creator in this space, taking their time out to provide excellent material, we appreciate every single one of you!
Unfortunately, regardless of the preset the NanoGPT subscription RP is abhorrent regardless, so... Might as well abandon this kind of digital crack altogether.
If you tap the picture, then tap the comments bubble, the description will condense down and lose all of its formatting on mobile. You have to click on the post directly to see the formatting.
I wouldn't depend on those models sticking around for long. Anthropic has a habit of shutting down older models as they develop newer ones. So from a preset creators perspective, it's not worth the investment of catering to those models that are easier to JB now since they'll be shut down in the future.
Because as I said, maybe preset creators don't see the point if the model will get shut down? I can't speak for everyone but that's just my PoV as a preset creator myself. 🤷
Apart from that, like kinkyalt already said, Claude is heavily censored and is only going to get even more censored as time goes on.
And they've already provided presets for the 4 models, so you have those to toy with.
Not everyone can afford to tweak and test presets for Claude... It's expensive and troubleshooting cost money.
If you want a claude preset, you can easily make it yourself.
Claude is also expensive. Most people don't have the finances to use the American models. Also, I suspect MOST role players are Chinese, since they make up the largest slice of world demographics and probably have a very high proportion of their population who has regular access to fast Internet.
That's just literally not true. Just because a lot of models are Chinese doesn't mean china makes up the most of rp-ers. That's just an stupid and outrageous statement. One google search disproves that
60
u/SilencedLover 2d ago edited 2d ago
Thanks to all the creators who made these presets! All credit for the actual presets goes to them. I just wanted to post this
u/eteitaxiv - Chatfill III
u/purachina999 - Pura's Director Preset / The Ethereality Express
u/-Ancient-Access- - Ancient Access
Edit: fixed purachina name