Any mod suggestions for Skyrim?

[Javaman]

I just got it via steam for christmas and while I find the game visually beautiful, I understand that it's only "half a game" without the mods.

So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Javaman

[Ohio Joe]

1. I had to get it on PS3, so no mods for me but...

Check out PC Gamers 25 best mods:

http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/10/28/the-25-best-skyrim-mods-2/

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. Make sure you get the all the updates and they just play it for a while

The private mods are cute, but do not add markedly to the game IMO

The DLC that they charge for are OK, but IMO are not needed to play and appreciate the game. Get some time on it, and then see if you want those.

[ZombieHorde]

3. The graphic mods look really nice, but I would want a mod

that allows the player to make arrows.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. The Dawnguard DLC allows you to make arrows.

At least it did for me. Just remember to chop some firewood first, which I didn't my first attempt.

Dragonbone arrows are, I believe, the best in the game.

[dogknob]

6. Don't forget about Vampire armor...

For some reason it can be improved better than any other armor, including dragonscale. Might be a glitch.

[dogknob]

5. SkyUI

I use other mods, but if I had to choose only one...

[BklnDem75]

7. Towns and Villages Enhanced

Get every version of this mod, everything will feel different. Download the creation kit if you haven't already. Not only can you make adjustments to the mods you make, you can make adjustments to the mods you download. See a weapon mod you like, make a duplicate of that weapon, change it's stats and slap enhancements on it. Can't get better than that.

[Decoy of Fenris]

8. Skyrim Nexus.

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/

Arrow mods, armor mods (I suggest "Immersive Armor" and "Immersive Weapons&quot , Magic mods (Apocalypse or Midas Spells), Realism mods (Frostfall [for environmental survivalism] or Immersive Potions [potions heal over time]), et cetera. "Dance of Death" is good (adds killmove options), "Cities Enhanced" as mentioned above,"Enhanced Flora", "Sounds of Skyrim" for more diverse sounds...

Oh, and if you were unsatisfied with the "War" storyline and how it doesn't really feel like there's a war, try "Hardcore Economy" to simulate a wartime economy, and "WARZONES: Civil Unrest". WARZONES adds a couple thousand new NPCs, plots, skirmishes, battles, and warzones to the game. Nothing worse than travelling the roads as a Stormcloak and stumbling upon a massive battlefield between the Imperials and a Bandit army; arrows and spells flying, the screams of the dying, the clashing of steel, knowing that once they're all finished killing each other, you'll be next.


The great thing about the Nexus is that on the page for most of the popular mods, you'll find a group of other similar or like-minded mods. You follow the links to those other mods, and they lead you deeper and deeper into the modding community.


I hope that's a mite helpful for anyone interested.

[BklnDem75]

9. Master the Space-Time Continuum

The closest thing to a freeze time effect. Great for dealing with dragons that don't know how to land and bypassing pesky door puzzles that close if you're not fast enough. Think Dishonored.

[dogknob]

10. My current list.

Done... the right way. If you're gonna mod the game. TES5edit, Wrye Bash, BOSS, Merged Patch, and Bashed Patch should become basic terms in your vocabulary...

...if you don't do this stuff (above), mods might work... or you might start randomly crashing around level 50 like I did after I installed Dragonborn DLC.

I choose mods that I feel make the game more like an old-school RPG and less like a first-person shooter.

Skyrim, Update, Dawnguard, Hearthfire, Dragonborn, and Space Core (all cleaned with TES5edit before modding and all unofficial patches installed).

SkyUI -- Complete overhaul of the user interface. I can't imagine going back to the game's clumsy, console-oriented default.

Any mods with an asterisk (*) require SkyUI EDIT: Correction -- SKSE and/or SkyUI

Frostfall* -- Everyone complains about how cold Skyrim is. With Frostfall you actually have to deal with the elements.

Deadly Dragons* -- Why does the world need The Dragonborn if a group of bandits can take down a dragon? This mod addresses that. Lots of new dragons with all sorts of nasty abilities. Just leave it on vanilla settings.

Deadly Monsters* -- Both this mod and Deadly Dragons allow you to notch up the difficulty in a more detailed fashion than the game's vanilla settings -- even on Master, the game starts getting really easy at higher levels.

Wet & Cold* -- Nice compliment to Frostfall, but independent. Adds some spiffy cold-weather gear to the game and NPCs are aware of the cold.

ImmersiveHUD* -- Gets the HUD out of your face when you don't need it.

Forgotten Magic -- Adds some new, improvable spells without totally unbalancing the game. Adds a quest to the game which is not, at this time, voiced... so you need to turn on the subtitles when dealing with the new character, Dominus in Whiterun. [probably twice in the whole game you need subtitles].

Headbomb's Better Sorting -- Standardizes the inventory so things are easier to find. "Iron Arrow" becomes "Arrow - Iron." Stuff like that.

Duel - Combat Realism -- Improves the combat system; enemies are smarter and you have some more realistic moves to use. Advanced blocking and parrying, etc...

UFO - Ultimate Follower Overhaul -- Allows multiple followers and many more options for interacting with them. Allows you to mark followers as "important" so they don't get killed. Also allows you to set them so they don't attack you if you accidentally hit them in a close fight (you will). Removes auto-magic respawning arrows; you have to keep your buddies supplied. If you are going to use ASIS (see below), get this or you will die quickly and often.

JaySus Swords -- adds a whole bunch of beautiful, craftable weapons to the game.

Harvest Overhaul -- Why do you always get only one flower when harvesting an entire bush? HO addresses that by making the number random, within reason. Spend less time scanning for nirnroots and more time being alert -- because if you install this whole list, you are going to need to be alert.

Weapon & Armor Fixes
Smithing Perks Overhaul
Complete Crafting Overhaul -- These three are interdependent and make the crafting system in the game less console/more realism.

Run For Your Lives
When Vampires Attack -- When dragons and vampires are sacking the town, the little old lady who is supposed to give you a quest later doesn't try to be a hero and get killed. She gets in the damn house.

EDIT: Categorized Favorites Menu -- Transforms the favorites menu into an organized, full-screen interface. Allows you to create item sets.

ASIS -- Totally improves all AI in the game; enemies have (and use) healing potions, employ tactics proportional to intelligence. Enemies will also use all features from the other mods you have installed, like new spells. REQUIRES JAVA -- once you have decided which mods you are going to use, you need to execute the .jar app to compile the ASIS script. If you have Deadly Dragons installed, you need to edit 2-3 lines in the ASIS .ini files to prevent all dragons in the game becoming more powerful than Alduin (!).

Automatic Variants -- another JAVA .jar that scans all of the texture mods you have and randomizes them throughout the game, so if you get attacked by a pack of wolves, they're not all gray -- some might be white, or brown. AV doesn't add any content -- it manages the content you add. Very cool.