The way I used to do it was tedious and was quite complex, however with the v2.0 release of the wafel_setup_mlc plugin, region changing has become much simpler.

It is identical to just rebuilding the MLC, but this has region changing specific notes added.

This does not change the region of the Gamepad, however you can still use an out-of-region gamepad with Aroma, which can be loaded with a Stroopwafel plugin, so you don't need to worry about getting a gamepad from the region you are changing to.
It also does not change the vWii region. If you want to region change the vWii as well, use vWii Decaffeinator on Light Mode to region change. I think you also need to regenerate the setting.txt.

Following this guide will wipe the MLC. You should back up any saves you care about before following. Its possible to do it without wiping the MLC, you just skip the Erase MLC and Delete scfm.img steps, but you will have to remove the old titles with this wupclient (Right Click -> Save As).

Keep an OTP and SEEPROM backup. Nothing should go wrong, but it is better to have the most important backups and not need them vs. need them and not have them.

DO NOT UNINSTALL ISFSHAX AFTER ERASING THE MLC AND DELETING THE SCFM UNTIL YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY REBUILT THE MLC AND CONFIRMED EVERYTHING IS WORKING.
I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE IF YOU FAIL TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS PROPERLY.
If you need support, you can join my server and ask in #help

What you need

• Install isfshax. This is a requirement. You cannot region change without it. (You can also use de_Fuse, but at that point you probably already know what you are doing.)
  
  • Stop at the "Booting" section.
• The release of the MLCRestorerDownloader for your OS.
• The latest release of the MLC setup plugin.
• The latest release of the Payloader plugin.
• The latest files for Aroma. (If you already have it, you do not need to recopy it)
  
  • Read and tick the 4 boxes -> Click on Download Payloads and Download Base Aroma

Downloading the MLC Titles

1. Extract the MLCRestorerDownloader you downloaded.
2. Copy the otp.bin into the extracted folder.
   
3. Open a command prompt / terminal.
4. cd into the directory with the MLCRestorerDownloader (ie. cd /Downloads/MLCRestorerDownloader).
5. Run the application (ie .\MLCRestorerDownloader.exe for Windows users).
   
6. Type in 1 the for MLC titles.
7. Type in the number for the region you want to change to (ie 2 for USA).
   
8. Wait for it to finish downloading. You can do part of the next section while you wait.

SD Setup

1. Copy the wafel_setup_mlc.ipx to sd:/wiiu/ios_plugins.
2. Copy the wafel_payloader.ipx to sd:/wiiu/ios_plugins.
   
3. Copy the two wiiu folders from the Aroma .zip files to the root of the SD.
4. Make a folder called wafel_install on the root of the SD and copy all 52 MLC titles here.
   

Region Changing

1. Boot the console.
   
   • If it does not automatically go into minute_minute, go install isfshax.
2. Navigate to Backup and Restore.
3. Select Erase MLC and then press EJECT to confirm.
   • If it tells you MLC Erase not allowed, go install isfshax.
4. Select Delete scfm.img and press EJECT to confirm.
   • If it gives you a warning about bricking the console, do not continue and install isfshax. It's not playing around.
5. Go back to the main menu and select Patch (sd) and boot IOS (slc).
6. Wait for the LED to start blinking blue, this means the setup has started. Wait for it to stop blinking, that is when the setup has finished.
7. Shut off the console and put the SD back into your PC.
8. Check the wafel_setup_mlc.log file on the root and make sure there were no errors (everything should have 00000000, except for SetInitialLaunch, which will have a 1).
9. If everything looks right, delete the wafel_setup_mlc.ipx file from sd:/wiiu/ios_plugins.
10. Boot the console again, select Patch (sd) and boot IOS (slc), and you should be greeted with initial setup. Success!

Manually fixing the sys_prod

You only need to do this section if Set Region to X returned error FFFBFFEE. If it returned a 0, then you can skip this section.

1. Download the sys_prod.zip attached to this post and extract the sys_prod.xml from it.
2. Open the sys_prod.xml in a text editor, and change the product_area, game_region to the target region.
   
   • Region values: JPN - 1. USA - 2. EUR - 4
3. Change the code_id, serial_id and model_number values to the ones found at the stickers on the bottom of the console:
   
   
4. Save the file, and then copy it to the root of the SD card.
5. Download the wafel_sysprod_copy and copy it to sd:/wiiu/ios_plugins.
6. Boot the console and do the Patch (sd) and boot IOS (slc) in minute.
7. Leave the console running for ~30 seconds, and then you can shut it off.
8. Do step 6 again, but this time it should actually boot up. You do not need to delete the plugin from the SD, as it will delete itself after it has been ran.

After Region Changing

You can keep isfshax installed, or you can uninstall it. I would keep it, so you can load Aroma on boot without needing to install PayloadLoader, or as some form of 'brick protection'.

You can region change the Gamepad with DRXutil, but no instructions will be given here. Use at your own risk!

Credits

@SDIO: isfshax setup guides, the wafel_setup_mlc plugin, help get the PoC to work, cleaning up my code, making the region fixer more sane...
@shinyquagsire23: de_Fuse, minute_minute, and stroopwafel
@GaryOderNichts: Also help me get the PoC working
@rw-r-r_0644: Finding isfshax and implementing it

 

[xstas13]

@neverendsDull
After "Rebuild MLC", to European region (EUR), the system started up and the initial installation began.
But during the initial installation process, the console froze (after selecting languages and region).
Now the console starts only in a "minute"

I did "Rebuild MLC" again
Everything is fine in the log wafel_setup_mlc.log

During the "Rebuild MLC" process, the LED flashes blue (for about 15 minutes) then remains solid blue.

I turn off the console.
Checking wafel_setup_mlc.log
I delete wafel_setup_mlc.ipx

I run "Patch (sd) and boot IOS (slc)" again
But nothing further happens.

What can i do next?

 

[spenat]

Hello, just wanted to say huge thanks for this guide - worked perfectly and my Japan console is now European. No hurdles at all.

Thanks again!

 

[mazingetter]

This guide worked beautifully! My japanese WiiU is now American Thanks a lot!

 

[SDIO]

Redownload the mlc titles, make sure all 52 were downloaded, then do the erase mlc and delete scfm.img again and try the setup again.

 

[Atrophie]

My console is getting stuck at this point:

5. Go back to the main menu and select Patch (sd) and boot IOS (slc).

It stays on this screen (after hearing the disc eject twice) I left it on over night and nothing changed. I also went ahead and redid steps 1-4. Any help?

No log is being created.

Here is my SD card as well.

All 52 MLC inside folder. I even redownloaded them to be sure it didn't miss any.

**Apparently i was missing the wafel_isfshax_patch.ipx from my plugins.

 

[T9PRO]

Hello @Lazr1026
Can you help me, pease
After changing the region, my console is not able to loading the system.

I have a console (JPN) region.
It has NAND-AID installed
I downloaded (52 titles) for (EUR) by “MLCRestorerDownloader”, and did “Rebuild MLC” according to the instructions from this thread.

After installing all the Titles, the system started up normally, in English.
The system asked for the language for Wii U, then asked for the language for Wii, then asked for Region. After selecting a region, the console has frozen.
I forcibly turned it off (holding the power button).

Now the system won't start. Only loads in “minute”.
Repeated “Rebuild MLC” on (EUR) or on (JPN) does not help.

I tried using MLCRestorerDownloader on cmd but I don't understand what to type.

 

[SDIO]

It looks like it crashed for some reason.
Looks like you are on windows 7. Not sure if that is supported by the downloader.
Using Windows 7 on the Internet isn't a good idea anyway, since it's not getting security updates from Microsoft anymore

 

[T9PRO]

It looks like it crashed for some reason.
Looks like you are on windows 7. Not sure if that is supported by the downloader.
Using Windows 7 on the Internet isn't a good idea anyway, since it's not getting security updates from Microsoft anymore

Thank you very much.
It's now 4:05 A.M. here. Tomorrow I'm going to do it on a friend's computer.

Post automatically merged: Jul 13, 2024

It looks like it crashed for some reason.
Looks like you are on windows 7. Not sure if that is supported by the downloader.
Using Windows 7 on the Internet isn't a good idea anyway, since it's not getting security updates from Microsoft anymore

I downloaded 2 sets each of MLC JPN and USA.
Do I have to use a different SD card? By copying every file from the 65MB SD CARD to the larger SD CARD because of the one being used. There is little space. Unable to include all MLC files.
Because I tried turning on the device without an SD CARD and couldn't enter minute.

I tried it with an SD CARD that didn't flash BOOT1 and it worked fine and I had to dump SLC.RAW again because I just realized that That is is incorrect -.-... Due to the lack of space, the dump is incomplete.

Post automatically merged: Jul 13, 2024

It looks like it crashed for some reason.
Looks like you are on windows 7. Not sure if that is supported by the downloader.
Using Windows 7 on the Internet isn't a good idea anyway, since it's not getting security updates from Microsoft anymore

I have successfully installed MLC2SD(Hard ware), but I haven't run the program yet. I would like to know if it is possible to install MLC that is downloaded to emmc or not. Can it be done through the nand aid process?
After that, I will remove the MLC2SD.

Thank you very much for leading me to this point.

 

[T9PRO]

It looks like it crashed for some reason.
Looks like you are on windows 7. Not sure if that is supported by the downloader.
Using Windows 7 on the Internet isn't a good idea anyway, since it's not getting security updates from Microsoft anymore

I have looked at changing the region from Mr. Lazr1026, so I know that I didn't have to install the MLC2SD and it worked fine.
After that, I got error 155-0206. A member recommended using UDPIH. Which one should I choose? Because I don't know what happened.

I'm going to go see. Manually fixing the sys_prod

 

[SDIO]

I have no clue what you are doing? Just follow the guide?

 

[T9PRO]

I have no clue what you are doing? Just follow the guide?

After I did Manually fixing the sys_prod the wiiu came back to life.
Thank you very much for
SDIO
Lazr1026
Danook25

 

[lucek_n9]

Hi! Can I still use the old guide to change region or is it no longer safe? ^^

 

[Lazr1026]

Hi! Can I still use the old guide to change region or is it no longer safe? ^^

you can, but it was not exactly safe to begin with

 

[MetroidTalon]

So I see Set region to 2:, FFFBFFEE. That means I have to change the sys_prod manually. correct? Doing JPN system to US.

If I follow the manually sysprod update, do I have to still delete wafel_setup_mlc.ipx before running that?

 

[Alexrose]

What are the downsides to this? As far as I can tell - you can change the console firmware (including language/notifications) to PAL/EUR, and change the Wii mode too. What about the pad, are you saying the pad will no longer natively work with the console and requires booting into Aroma to be compatible? Will the pad itself display anything in Japanese or is it just a peripheral that receives from the console?

edit: okay I've done this now. yes, you can change the wii u console firmware and it will appear to be entirely in your language, I haven't seen any japanese since I changed it. the vwii required a bit of an extra fix, I had to edit the vwii settings, then use vwii decaffeinator to remove the system and menu manual channels, then disable aroma, bring back my updates folder and use an old version (1.0) of wafel forwarder in Minute because the latest version blocks system updates and doesn't allow an update. and with all that, the vwii does appear english and european.

however, the pad needs aroma to be compatible from what I understand and would not natively work.. though... I haven't noticed it not working? works for me even when aroma is off when I boot from minute. however, when the gamepad loses connection or when I turn it on before the wii u is booted, it's in japanese. changing that would require a hardware mod from what I've read. but this is fine

 

[AhmetOmer]

Hello. I'm stuck in "Copy the two wiiu folders from the Aroma .zip files to the root of the SD." section. I have already an Aroma for My Wii U. So can i skip this section? Is it for Aroma instal or something alse?

Post automatically merged: Aug 2, 2024

Hello. I'm stuck in "Copy the two wiiu folders from the Aroma .zip files to the root of the SD." section. I have already an Aroma for My Wii U. So can i skip this section? Is it for Aroma instal or something alse?

I did already without replace wii folders and when i select "Patch (sd) and boot IOS (slc)", this happened. Is this normal?

NOTE: Still no blue light, i guess setup is not working right now

Post automatically merged: Aug 2, 2024

Hello. I'm stuck in "Copy the two wiiu folders from the Aroma .zip files to the root of the SD." section. I have already an Aroma for My Wii U. So can i skip this section? Is it for Aroma instal or something alse?

Post automatically merged: Aug 2, 2024

I did already without replace wii folders and when i select "Patch (sd) and boot IOS (slc)", this happened. Is this normal?

NOTE: Still no blue light, i guess setup is not working right now

Anyway i solved already, for some reaseon there is no plugins files, but i was sure i added thise files. I added again and then it's worked.

 

[sysdr]

Hello. I'm stuck in "Copy the two wiiu folders from the Aroma .zip files to the root of the SD." section. I have already an Aroma for My Wii U. So can i skip this section? Is it for Aroma instal or something alse?

Post automatically merged: Aug 2, 2024

I did already without replace wii folders and when i select "Patch (sd) and boot IOS (slc)", this happened. Is this normal?

NOTE: Still no blue light, i guess setup is not working right now

Post automatically merged: Aug 2, 2024

Anyway i solved already, for some reaseon there is no plugins files, but i was sure i added thise files. I added again and then it's worked.

hey everyone, I am getting the same error shown here. I checked all the ios_plugins files multiple times and everything is up-to-date.
I followed the guide and everything was working perfectly until I tried "Booting without SD" section. Since then, I cant load back in to wii u or get passed the "Patch (sd) and boot IOS (slc)" button

Currently I am trying to delete and re-install MLC in case it would help but can't get past this "abort type: Alignment" error.

Since "booting without SD" had something to do copying the hax folder to the slc, is there anyway I could recover my dumped slc through minute?

Sorry if they are dumb questions, still trying to grasp the procedures

 

[SDIO]

it just looks like you are either missing the plugins on the sd card or the sd card isn't detected.
Try dumping otp and seeprom and see if that works or if it gives you also an error.
Also check that you have the wafel_core.ipx in the ios_plugins folder in the wii u folder on the SD.

Also since you copied the stuff on the slc, did you try to just boot the first option, loading everything from slc?

 

[sysdr]

it just looks like you are either missing the plugins on the sd card or the sd card isn't detected.
Try dumping otp and seeprom and see if that works or if it gives you also an error.
Also check that you have the wafel_core.ipx in the ios_plugins folder in the wii u folder on the SD.

Also since you copied the stuff on the slc, did you try to just boot the first option, loading everything from slc?

Thank you for all the suggestions SDIO ^^ I have spent the whole weekend wrestling with this.

When I try booting the first option, loading from slc I get to the "Jumping to IOS... GO GO GO" and nothing happens.

It failed to dump otp and seeprom. Does that indicate an issue with the sd card?

All the plugins seem okay

 

[SDIO]

You are missing the isfshax plugin on the slc...
And yes that looks like for some reason your SD card doesn't work properly in minute. I guess that has something to do that minute is now loaded from slc so the SD card wasn't initialized by ISFShax. Normally it should work, but the SD stuff is always a little finicky.
You should be able to use the Patch ISFShax and boot IOS (slc) to boot with minimal patches. You can then load Aroma either from the browser exploit or from the H&S app if you had the Payloadloader installed.
Then you can use FTP to add the isfshax_patch plugin to the slc.

We already saw that once in the past, maybe I make a minute later, that allows us to see where it fails.
You could also try another SD card just to see if that makes a difference.