Am I insane for using requiem and beefing up the initial difficulty? Probably. First and foremost, all my skills start at 1, except the ones I use for my class (modified classic classes and birthsigns a bit) and I use the uncapper to make sure any skill at 1 or lower gains no real training (might find a book or NPC to teach the basics). Happens again at 50 (learned mistakes persist, this is where you find an NPC to correct these). Restricts my skill usage to my class at the beginning. I also make sure my first level up gives a bit extra hp/sp/mp... because requiem can be a bit silly about that. A mage might be outright unable to use magic early because of how cost scaling works, and I don't like enchanting being nearly mandatory. From there, revenge of the enemies, a few balancing mods to make the economy and environment more fitting to requiem's theme of a soul crushing world. Honestly, I don't even use anything to make my character overpowered, its just that, after time, you start learning how enemies move and attack. I can take on a group of bandits alone with moderately careful tactics and superior mobility*. I tend to lean towards abilities that make me move faster in/out of combat, so I can easily sidestep attacks, and counter while they recover. The biggest problem in requiem is Stamina management (this is where I sometimes cheat a bit). Stamina is made so insanely important in requiem that I outright disable a few of its features (like fatigued weapon dropping). If I have movement and stamina overhaul installed, I love the +100SP, and stamina is the first stat I focus on. The best mod for non-warrior types in requiem though (because NPCs do it with arrows and stuff) is TK's Dodge (the script dragon version). Extremely responsive and effective dodge mod that make CQC encounters more favorable. Get the timing down, and its a reliable way to pretend that attack 5in from your elbow missed (though it magically hits with the game's AI)