PC Finally taking the plunge - Mod recommendations?

[robertiv]

Hi all,

Years ago I played Skyrim for a while on my 360 (vanilla obviously), enjoyed it but life always intervened & I never finished a playthru. Now am jonesing to play on PC with a full complement of mods, but no idea where to start - there's so much out there & I don't necessarily have the time to trial & error a huge amount of them. Can anyone help me out with suggestions?

I'm looking a few different things:
Graphics - I have a relatively new but not godlike computer, looking to bring the game up to modern-ish standards.

Gameplay - ideally mods that run more-or-less seamlessly with the game. I.e. want to avoid mod bloat with 500 new mechanics in the game that don't necessarily mesh well, more looking to add fun depth to the experience while keeping balance.

Content/Quests - again, stuff that makes sense in the world, I'm pretty flexible on this stuff as long as it doesn't break immersion.

Audio/environmental fx/etc - sure, why not.

Any recs or advice much appreciated!

 

[Rafen]

Immersive patrols is pretty good. I think it's for both LE and SE. Adds faction patrols and merchants along the roads of Skyrim.

 

[Chadonraz]

The only essential mod that IMO every PC player (who isn't against mods) should use is the USLEEP aka Unofficial Skyrim Legendary Edition Patch. Or USSEP if you're on Special Edition. They fix a TON of bugs in the game, from the tiniest thing to game-breakers.

Graphics... well, the Skyrim Flora Overhaul is a good choice IMO. Last I checked it had various options to choose from. I'm assuming it exists for SE as well.
An ENB is an easy way to enhance graphics, but they can be very heavy on the FPS. Experiment with them if you decide to use one.
There are a gazillion HD texture mods out there, but if you're on SE the game looks really good on its own. Oldrim is a different matter.
I personally use Bellyaches Dragon Texture Replacer to get pretty, HD dragons (and switch the skins they use, too). Also from the same author the Animal and Creature Pack to enhance all animals and various creatures.
Book Covers Skyrim is a must for me, and it also has a companion mod called Lost Library that adds books from older TES games (including Arena and Daggerfall).
Better Shaped Weapons is also a mod I never leave out.
And the list goes on. Take a look around the Nexus and you're guaranteed to find tons of stuff you like in that category.

Gameplay... is another huge category. Also more dependent on which version of the game you have; not nearly all Oldrim mods are available for SE.
A few choice recommendations that exist for both versions:
The Choice is Yours (gives you a lot of control over certain quests, so that they won't start if/when you don't want them to),
Timing is Everything (set certain quests', including the DLCs, start timing or even delay them indefinitely),
Run For Your Lives (NPCs other than guards and such flee during dragon attacks at least in towns).
The author of the first two also has a lot of other great mods, as does the author of the second one.

Content/quests... well, Falskaar is an obvious recommendation, for both Oldrim and SE. I don't know if Wyrmstooth (Oldrim only) is still available, but if it is then that as well. There's also The Forgotten City, which I believe is Oldrim only. Much smaller than Falskaar and Wyrmstooth but definitely worth playing if on Oldrim.


I'm not at all up-to-date with the modding scene so there more than likely are great mods out there I've never heard of.

 

[Pete]

Better vampires by Brennen is awesome. Just remember to save often and keep a lot of saves -- as you can crash at any time. Also add mods slowly, so you can identify any problems that arise.

SkyUI is very nice. Installing the script extender is easy. I also makes mods with options easy to manage.

 

[Chadonraz]

SkyUI is very nice. Installing the script extender is easy. I also makes mods with options easy to manage.

Yeah, SkyUI is also essential for me, except sometimes when I'm playing with a controller.

And one big one I forgot: Alternate Start - Live Another Life. If running mods but wanting the vanilla start, it's especially useful as it'll allow all scripts to initialise before the cart ride. Which will greatly reduce the risk of having a cart ride from (or to) hell.
Obviously the alternate starts are the major thing though.
There's also an add-on mod for it, called New Beginnings, and IMO there's no reason not to install that one as well if going for LAL. It's great.