Mods Wanted for PC Virgin

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Nakatsu_Hime

Active Member
Having exhausted Skyrim on the PS3, I've decided to get it for the PC, as it's now quite cheap.
I'd like to install some mods to make it look prettier, both the environment and the inhabitants (including me).

Can anyone here start me off with some recommendations?
I'm not really interested in those that boost armour/weapons/more loot/etc, but really those dedicated to the cosmetic-side of things.

Also, not too difficult to install, or fiddly to use.

Thanks in advance.
 

TheNatural

Active Member
Well, first of all, we need to know your system specs, so we can make a recommendation that will suit your machine. There are a few really good options out there with varying levels system requirements.

Things that make skyrim look very pretty in order of the visual impact:

1) ENB (These need a pretty decent PC to run, they affect lighting, color, bloom, saturation, etc. Most of the amazing screenshots with the bright blue sky and vivid colors are using an ENB preset.)

[Popular ENBs: RealVision ENB; Seasons of Skyrim ENB; Project ENB]

2) Texture Packs (These can replace the textures throughout skyrim, and they usually come in different sizes and versions for varying computer specifications, up to 4k resolution. I recommend getting the official bethesda hi-res DLC to use as a benchmark, it's free and will act as a decent place to start from)

[Popular Texture packs: Skyrim HD 2k Textures; Serious HD; Tamriel Reloaded HD]

3) Landscape and water packs (These are like the texture packs, they come in varying resolutions and styles)

[Popular Landscape Mods: Vivid Landscapes All-in-one; aMidianborn Landscapes]

[Popular water mods: Realistic Water Two; W.A.T.E.R.]

4)Weather Mods (Usually underrated in terms of outdoor lighting and the effect it can have on visuals, but these can work with ENBs to create a different feel in the look and feel of Skyrim)

[Popular Weather mods: Climates of Tamriel v3; Pure Weather]


Learning how to safely install mods is also very important, ENBs are tricky to install, but texture mods are actually some of the safest things to install.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Glad you came over to the PC master race! ;)
 

Nakatsu_Hime

Active Member
I'll digest your recommendations, and thanks for your response. My system specs are...

Well, I'm on my mobile atm, so cannot say exactly, but it can run Guild Wars 2 at max settings without breaking a sweat, if that helps.
 

TheNatural

Active Member
It doesn't, GW 2 is nowhere near as GPU/CPU Intensive as Full 2k Texture Skyrim + ENB. Sorry to be so crass, but without specifics, it's kinda taking a shot in the dark. If you have ANY questions at all, please, feel free to ask. I enjoy helping others get the most out of their PC skyrim experience.
 

Swordslam

Member
Try out a few graphical mods before you dive straight into all of the gameplay changing mods. A lot of those style mods can be overwhelming at first.
 

Sah

Well-Known Member
Hello Nakatsu_Hime

STOP!.....this one is here to stop you from making a big mistake....are you sure? ....please stop and think about what you about to do!


When this one was a teenager a year ago she had her..... little mother & daughter talk about..... *blushing*..... help me please.....MODS

Did this one listen to a word she said? NO in one ear and out the other...this one was overwhelmed with MODS.... wanted them so bad (putting your mace in the freezer bad) So I did it! I gave my self away, first one MOD then two, soon too ever MOD that would come my way, it was ECSTASY.....Its raining MODS Halleluiah.....*so wrong mummy*


But then the problems came, MODS under the bed, in the closet, 6 or 7 MODS on the balcony, I was MOD happy, what next Followers, one, two....ten, who cares, I was so happy, I was in MOD Heaven.


The truth was I was a slave to MODS, I was getting drained, it was taking me longer to do things, I got slower, sluggish & I started lagging soon I could not keep up. That's when the real problems started, the crashing, at the beginning it was once a month, then it became two, before I new it I was crashing every day, to the point where I could not....did not want to go on.....



Luckily a girl friend suggested we get help, I took all my MODS to see a counselor called Dr BOSS changed his name to Dr LOOT i think, he put a sense of order back into my life...the crashing stopped but...........I was scared.....I was damaged goods......... *mummy was right*


So I went home and with the advice from mummy did a new inhalation from scratch....the past is behind me now....now I'm seeing some very nice MODS, they do there best to make me feel special, still early days, who knows might be MR Right.


Apology Nakatsu_Hime this one sees the light side of things, but that was how it was for me, one year in and I am only relay starting to appreciate MODS, I look at the things other people do with there PC'S WOW amazing, I struggle to run my rig properly, that TheNatural fellow looks like he knows what he on about, Zooooooooooommmmm way over my head, it kinda hurts after reading his post *giggles*


So this one dose not start a new post:Hello TheNatural are you serious about helping or know of anyone who likes helping? could use some advice, thanks


Thanks for your time.

Yours Sah


PC Master Race - Exterminate...you will be Exterminated.....Exterminate all Consoles...all Consoles must die.....& there's no Doctor to save you!
 

TheNatural

Active Member
Yes. I wasn't being facetious, I actually do enjoy helping other and have some extensive modding experience. One of the profiles I play is stable at about 360 something mods.

The keys to modding are pretty simple, but people lose the plot pretty quickly.

First off, people often associate bad performance with just the sheer number of mods, not true, in fact, 90% of the mods I use don't affect performance, and in fact, use lower quality assets than the graphics mods I install. The pitfall for most modders is thinking that they NEED the highest res textures and the farthest LODs, the highest uGrids, the lushest grass, and it's those things that will cause your computer to cough, stutter and run out of vram.

It is very important to understand your PC's specs and it's limitations. I think installing graphics very early in the modding process is very important (that includes flora and landscape textures and ENB), and get it to a point where the game is running smoothly at a solid framerate. Then, and only then, you can start installing other mods.

I won't start writing a novel, but ask any question you have, and I would be glad to help in whatever capacity I can.
 

Nakatsu_Hime

Active Member
@TheNatural :
Thanks again. My specs are...
Intel i7-3770 @ 3.40GHz
12Gb RAM
Windows7
GPU= NVidia GeForce GT-640 - 4Gb

I hope that helps more.

@Sah :
I'll try to be good :)
 
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JoeReese

Well-Known Member
The best advice I can give you, Nakatsu, is to spend time on the nexus and steam forums, reading the help/problems threads, specific to mod conflicts and load order. Follow the links for information on LOOT and TESVedit, and how both can help you avoid conflicts, and digest the guides on how to establish your load order with the right mods for your system and play style. It's all there, and yes you'll find conflicting opinions, but you'll soon see the patterns in the "problem mods," and recognize what may cause you more grief than joy. The hard part about it is, with most mods, once you install it you can't just uninstall it, so you need to be sure ahead of time. Often, reading the answers to someone's mod problem can reveal simpler, smaller mod options that do the same thing you were going to install a big, complex mod to do. It's time consuming, but well worth it, IMO.

When you're narrowing down your list, pay careful attention to the author's declarations of possible conflicts, and/or installation instructions, and start small and simple.

When you do start, and I hope this doesn't happen but it is pretty common, if you should run into trouble with crashing to desktop, I've found this guide to be very helpful at troubleshooting. There are LOOT and TES5edit links in there, which may help you.

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=375836621
 
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Nakatsu_Hime

Active Member
After a painful game installation session (thanks for that Steam!) I'm starting off with two mods - The Unofficial Skyrim Patch, and Immersive Armours.
I will add to my list when I get further into the game, or see something else I like, but these two should tell me whether it's all working.

Thanks again for all the help and pointers. I'm sure I'll need more as time progresses.
 

TheNatural

Active Member
I thought SkyUI was required for Immersive Armors, or did they change it?

I don't think you ever "Needed" it, but the MCM menu was unavailable if you didn't have it, and some of the armors gained by having the default "Crafting through questing" on were not available without the MCM.
 

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