Essential Skyrim Mods?

[thm1223]

Hey folks,

Just started getting into Skyrim (I know I know I'm late) now that the legendary version has been released.

What I am curious about is if there is a list of mods considered essential to the PC version. In other words, are there a series of mods that most people tend to use? For one, I could certainly go with a better UI system. A brief perusal around the internet led me to Skyrim Nexus, but I'm not sure if that is considered the best place to find everything.

What do y'alls think?

 

[ImpulsE69]

Just google "best skyrim mods", thats what I did, hit a few of the lists and see what trips your trigger, then I went through everything I thought sounded interesting and based my decision on the "recommends" on the nexus page.

It gets easy to get tons. I ended up with around 150 mods lol and still yet to get into the game much, but it looks gorgeous.

 

[Hinda65]

cool post...I was thinking about taking the plunge and playing this....What's different in the legendary version, I saw that at the egg the other day.

thanks

 

[ArenCordial]

cool post...I was thinking about taking the plunge and playing this....What's different in the legendary version, I saw that at the egg the other day.

thanks

Basically it has all the DLC and the legendary patch which allows you to reset your 100 level skills for more of a challenge and earn more perks.

 

[BlueWeasel]

SkyUI for starters. It makes the "consolized" UI much better for us PC users.

 

[shortylickens]

go to the Nexus and look at their top 10 list.

Also, you NEED the mod manager and script extender.

 

[ImpulsE69]

^^ What he said x2.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

I have not started to play Skyrim, but am playing Oblivian (TESIV). I find the Nexus forums the best place to find and download mods. There are also forums there on all the Elder Scrolls games, as well as mod managers for the games. You do have to join (free) and all the mods are free. I bought Skyrim from Steam, but it is essential to make sure the "Steam" mods(all found on the Nexus) are up to date...some of them are not. Also, many mods are not available on Steam.
As for essential mods, (if the same as Oblivian), I would suggest any patches for "game bugs, upgrading the user interface to make it more PC friendly, the legendary patch as ArenC suggested, and script extender.; any others are up to you. Also, if you are planning on "going mod crazy", I suggest getting a mod manager and Boss (I think Boss works with Skyrim, but not sure). Anyway, have fun!

The Wife

 

[Stringjam]

This is my personal lineup of mods. You need to start by downloading the Nexus Mod Manager and the Script Extender. The mod manager really makes this very easy.

I also want to note - - I use RCRN for lighting overhaul and not ENB, because I am intolerant of stuttering and performance issues, and I have YET to use an ENB that doesn't cause big problems (unless you gut the settings, like turning ambient occlusion off....which sucks).


Overhauls and Lighting:
Project Reality - Climates of Tamriel - Weather - Lighting - Audio
Project Reality - Climates of Tamriel - V3

Note: Install Climates of Tamriel BEFORE Installing RCRN.

RCRN v3.6
-set to Pure
-Sharpening "ON"
-Volumentric Fog "Subtle"

Under "Advanced"
#define Gamma 1.42
#define Saturation 0.60
#define BlueShift -0.50

AFTER RCRN:
Enhanced Lights and FX
Enhanced Lights and FX - SMIM Meshes (install AFTER Static Mesh Improvement Mod)
Remove Ambient Interior Fog
RCRN v36 and Revamped exterior fog Compatability Patch (Important!! Don't forget!!)



Environment Textures / meshes:
Skyrim HD - 2K Textures
HD Enhanced Terrain
Skyrim Flora Overhaul
Static Mesh Improvement Mod
Better Dynamic Snow
Ultimate HD Fire Effects
Ultimate HD Fire Effects - SMIM Meshes (install AFTER Static Mesh Improvement Mod)
W.A.T.E.R. - Water and Terrain Enhancement Redux
Ruins Clutter Improved
Lightning during Thunderstorms
Lanterns of Skyrim - All in One
Enhanced Night Skyrim - Color Galaxy (install after ALL texture and environment mods)

Characters:
MacKoms Real Skin for Men
Dimonized UNP female body
SG Female Textures Renewal (install after Dimonized)
ApachiiSkyHair
Pretty Lips V2
Natural Eyes
Ethereal Elven Overhaul

Companions:
Extremely Beautiful Lydia - Mage (If you install, do it before SG Female Textures Renewal, or his texture file will cause neck seams on everybody)
Lydia is Less Sarcastic
UFO - Ultimate Follower Overhaul

Armor:
Immersive Armors
Tribunal Robes and Masks
Improved NPC Clothing - High Res

UI:
A Quality World Map
Categorized Favorites Menu
Immersive HUD
SkyUI

Misc:
Wearable Lanterns (BEST MOD EVER!!!!)
Unofficial Skyrim Patch
Deadly Spell Impacts
DUEL - Combat Realism


I tried to make a few notes, but as always when modding, think about what files you want to overwrite other conflicting mods. Install order is very important. BTW....these are all NEXUS mods and easily installed.



Now that I've layed all that out, here are a few pictures:

 

[ImpulsE69]

I have wearable lanterns installed but I can't figure out how to use it...

 

[Stringjam]

I have wearable lanterns installed but I can't figure out how to use it...

You have to go to one of the general store folks and buy oil + the manual for it. You open the manual and set the config (what part of your body you want it on, and how bright you want it to be).

It really is the best mod ever made for Skyrim. This should have been in the vanilla game. No more crawling through dark dungeons unable to see because you don't want to put your weapon down to carry a torch.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Thanks. I got around it by having a spell "candlelight" that makes a light orb that follows your character, but it only lasts for 20 seconds or so, but this would work so much better.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

This is my personal lineup of mods. You need to start by downloading the Nexus Mod Manager and the Script Extender. The mod manager really makes this very easy.

Thank you for the excellent list. Do you also use BOSS? Also, for us new to modding, there is an excellent tutorial at Nexus on both Mod manager and how to install mods(video).

The Wife

 

[ImpulsE69]

BOSS is essential just to clean dirty mods. I tried to not use it, but things just wouldn't work w/o running them through BOSS first.

Nexus Mod Manager works very well as it automatically tries to organize the mods in the order they need to load (didn't notice any issues). Granted some mods can not be installed to it.

 

[Stringjam]

Thank you for the excellent list. Do you also use BOSS? Also, for us new to modding, there is an excellent tutorial at Nexus on both Mod manager and how to install mods(video).

The Wife

I've never used BOSS, but I never really had any issues without it.

 

[SLU Aequitas]

I've never used BOSS, but I never really had any issues without it.

You don't have enough mods then.

If you're not using TES5Edit to merge changes and create manual patches...not enough mods


For the (almost) end-all guide on mod awesomeness: http://wiki.step-project.com/User:Neovalen/Skyrim_Revisited

Keep in mind it's frozen now as Neo is working on this: http://wiki.step-project.com/User:Neovalen/Skyrim_Revisited_-_Legendary_Edition

Those cover all your graphical needs and basic gameplay needs, now my additional "Top Mods":

1.) Interesting NPCs: (http://3dnpc.com/) <-- By far one of the best content add ons. *Very* nicely voiced NPCs that blend well. Adds a shit ton of quests, as well as 8 "Super-Followers", which will dynamically comment on your progress in almost every quest you do and area you visit, and often have their own quests. Version 3 is due out 9/1 and has better compatibility, more quests, and will be completely VA'd (non VA will be cut for a later release). If I could only have one mod, it would be this one.

2.) Not really a mod, but Mod Organizer (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/1334/?) allows for the best (and cleanest) mod installations ever. I was a huge Bash user, and the functionality of this tool is amazing. Reverting to a vanilla installation in <5 sec is a godsend.

3.) Moonpath to Elsweyr: Amazing quest mod, and one of the earliest with new lands (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/9782/?)

4.) Character Creation Overhaul: Goes well with Live Another Live alternate start mod, adds a lot of depth and differentiation in character creation (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/21587/?)

5.) Empowered Magic: I feel one of the best balanced magic overhauls out there. I love Mighty Magicka as well, but this is a more compact and generally more compatible mod. (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/11139/?)

6.) Inconsequential NPCs: Adds a good amount of NPCs to the world that go about filling in roles left empty. You don't talk with them, but they do a good bit to make Skyrim a bit less lifeless (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/36334/?)

7.) Helgen Reborn: Big quest and town mod, great mod:

8.) Falskaar: Giant expansion-level mod, with over 20+ hours of additional quests, a new landmass, fully voiced characters--essentially Dragonborn quality (or better). (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/37994/?)

NOTE: The next two are script heavy and are still being bug tested, but add MAJOR upgrades in gameplay:

9.) Dragon Combat Overhaul: Combine this with Deadly Dragons and you've got an incredibly varied and tough fight ahead of you. Very noticeable and marked improvement. Some minor bugs, but well worth using. (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/32597/?)

10.) Civil War Overhaul: Same author as above. Completely revamps and restores the original Civil War quest line, with sieges for all regions, dynamic battles, the ability to LOSE battles, and a lot of restored content that was cut for release. Buggier than any other mod on my list, but works for 85%+ people using it, and console commands are available to help advance stages. (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/37216/?)


Note that ALL of my mods are aimed at maintaining, enhancing, or adding on to a lore-friendly Skyrim. I don't have anime, skimpy clothes, or baddies from other games showing up. Also all voice acting is at or close to professional quality (and some of the voice work for Interesting NPCs is better than anything in Vanilla Skyrim!).

 

[SLU Aequitas]

BOSS is essential just to clean dirty mods. I tried to not use it, but things just wouldn't work w/o running them through BOSS first.

Nexus Mod Manager works very well as it automatically tries to organize the mods in the order they need to load (didn't notice any issues). Granted some mods can not be installed to it.

Note: BOSS does NOT clean out mods, it just orders your list correctly (most of the time ). You need to have TES5Edit to clean your mods.

Also note that STEP (http://wiki.step-project.com/Main_Page#tab=Core_S_T_E_P__Guides) is EXTREMELY well documented and will hold your hand step by step (puns...) through the modding process. Fool proof starting point to modding.

 

[SLU Aequitas]

I'm still playtesting my current build (432 mods, 253 active mods, and which looks a good deal purtier than what I had before), but here was the base STEP package with some modifications from my last play through about four months ago:

 

[ImpulsE69]

Note: BOSS does NOT clean out mods, it just orders your list correctly (most of the time ). You need to have TES5Edit to clean your mods.

Also note that STEP (http://wiki.step-project.com/Main_Page#tab=Core_S_T_E_P__Guides) is EXTREMELY well documented and will hold your hand step by step (puns...) through the modding process. Fool proof starting point to modding.

Sorry, yes you are correct

 

[Bateluer]

Environment Textures / meshes:
Skyrim HD - 2K Textures
HD Enhanced Terrain
Skyrim Flora Overhaul
Static Mesh Improvement Mod
Better Dynamic Snow
Ultimate HD Fire Effects
Ultimate HD Fire Effects - SMIM Meshes (install AFTER Static Mesh Improvement Mod)
W.A.T.E.R. - Water and Terrain Enhancement Redux
Ruins Clutter Improved
Lightning during Thunderstorms
Lanterns of Skyrim - All in One
Enhanced Night Skyrim - Color Galaxy (install after ALL texture and environment mods)


Companions:
Extremely Beautiful Lydia - Mage (If you install, do it before SG Female Textures Renewal, or his texture file will cause neck seams on everybody)
Lydia is Less Sarcastic
UFO - Ultimate Follower Overhaul

Good list, but you also want CaBal's texture packs.
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/searchresults//?

And Vilja in Skyrim for companion.
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/26393//?

Vilja is hands down, the best companion mod in the Nexus. She has her own set of quests that go along with her, over 4000 lines of voiced dialog, etc.

 

[Scooby Doo]

go to the Nexus and look at their top 10 list.

Also, you NEED the mod manager and script extender.

Throw in BOSS and Wyre Bash at least...

Opps.. way too late LOL but Wyre Bash is still a good idea for installing and maintaining

 

[NickelPlate]

Basically it has all the DLC and the legendary patch which allows you to reset your 100 level skills for more of a challenge and earn more perks.

There's nothing special about the Legendary Edition over buying all the other bits separately. That's Steam and Bethesda trying to pull a fast one on people to get them to buy the game again and then they can't gift out their extra copies of the base game. I have just the base game bought back in May and I have the Legendary difficulty and all the other stuff.

Legendary Edition = Base game + all DLCs

It's a good buy if you haven't picked it up yet but if you already have Skyrim and maybe one of the DLCs you're better off just buying the other DLCs when they come up on sale and save some $$$. They're both equivalent.

That said my favorite mods on the Steam Workshop are:

Pure Water
Immersive Saturation Boost (makes the game more colorful)
Vibrant Auroras
Lush Grass
Official High Res Texture Pack
AFT follower tweaks
Unread books glow
Improved Quest Books

I use a bunch of mods from the Nexus to pretty up my wife/follower . Lots of stuff there to make your character or follower look exactly how you want them to look. But some of it is adult content and isn't hosted on Steam.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Some mods need all DLC's to work, and I will not be buying DLC's. However, I am interested in some of the expansion level mods (Falskaar, etc.). In what order do these get loaded?
As I am new to modding, I think the best way to mod (for me) is to use Nexus MM, Boss (is this ONLY usable with Wrye Bash?), and Tes5edit. I tried Wrye Bash in Oblivian, and it's quite complex. I messed up, and lost all the save games (which thankfully had been saved in a separate folder, so no loss...just started a new game and added the saves).
Modding is a learning experience, so I am attempting to keep it as simple as possible for now. However, I think all the suggestions are very informative and helpful. Thanks to all who took the time to answer so extensively to this post.

The Wife

 

[Bateluer]

Some mods need all DLC's to work, and I will not be buying DLC's.

The DLCs come up on sales pretty often for a few bucks. I think I spent less than 4 dollars on Hearthfire, Dawnguard, and Dragonborn during the summer sale. All of Fallout New Vegas DLC was about 2 bucks.

However, I am interested in some of the expansion level mods (Falskaar, etc.). In what order do these get loaded?
As I am new to modding, I think the best way to mod (for me) is to use Nexus MM, Boss (is this ONLY usable with Wrye Bash?), and Tes5edit. I tried Wrye Bash in Oblivian, and it's quite complex. I messed up, and lost all the save games (which thankfully had been saved in a separate folder, so no loss...just started a new game and added the saves).

Modding is a learning experience, so I am attempting to keep it as simple as possible for now. However, I think all the suggestions are very informative and helpful. Thanks to all who took the time to answer so extensively to this post.

The Wife

Most of the larger mods like Falskaar do tell you what their load order be in the description, and BOSS recognizes them and orders accordingly. Last time I looked at Wyre Bash, the most recent version was nearly 2 years old, may not be so useful a utility any more.

 

[FalseChristian]

How old is Skyrim? If it's relatively new you shouldn't need any mods at all. It should look as great and play as great as possible right out of the box. I'm not trying to troll as I'm not really familiar with this game. I modded Quake with the Dark Places HD mod and the graphic now are unbelievable. Quake could come out today with this mod and still be viable.