Looking for some really good mods to download

[Ryker61]

I'm new to the mod scene, the first one I downloaded was the SkyUI. Holy crap, that mod is what I've been looking for in an update from Bethesda. I tip my hat to the person who made it.

 

Anyway, I'm looking for some really good mods, in terms of quests, patchs, and texture packs. I've already decided that I'm going to download the Immersive Weapons and Immersive Armors mods.

 

Now, my concern is the load order. If someone could come up with a load order for me that would be great. Thanks.

[Hyacathusarullistad]

For some great mods, check out the Hot Files section from the Skyrim Nexus front page. Also the Files of the Month have some gems.

 

For load order, you'll want the BOSS: http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/6/?. It will automatically sort your load order into the optimal arrangement.

[AhSeBrom]

What I did was go through the Top Lists (bottom of the page under Files). I went down the list, looking closer at anything that caught my eye. Also, if you're looking for something specific, do a search for it, then filter the results by "most endorsed" or "most downloaded". I think it automatically filters by "most recent" for some reason. Edited September 15, 2013 by AhSeBrom

[Ryker61]

For some great mods, check out the Hot Files section from the Skyrim Nexus front page. Also the Files of the Month have some gems.

 

For load order, you'll want the BOSS: http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/6/?. It will automatically sort your load order into the optimal arrangement.

 

Okay, the BOSS one sounds like it's what I need. Now seeing as how SkyUI was the first mod I downloaded before BOSS, are there going to be any problems, or will that get sorted into the load order when I download the BOSS program?

 

Edit: Okay, I found the BOSS utility, but for some reason there's nothing in the Files tab, but there's an alternate under the Mirrors tab. I clicked on that and a tab opened up in my browser. There are two options that I have, BOSS v2.1.1 Archive.7z and BOSS v2.1.1 Installer.exe. Now my question is do I have to download both? And where do I put them?

Edited September 15, 2013 by Ryker61

[MidevalGuy]

BOSS is a stand-alone application, so just install/extract it anywhere.

 

It automatically (or you can set the path) finds your Skyrim installation via registry settings in Windows.

 

All it does is to make sure your mods are compatible and sets a proper load order based on master (prerequisite) files and tells you where any incompatibilities may lie. Note, just because it says something is not recommended doesn't mean you can't use it; Mods come out every day and the master list it downloads can't keep up. Use BOSS if you are getting CTD on loading the game to pinpoint what mod(s) might be conflicting. Usually is because they are missing a master file that you skipped over when downloading and/or might be in the wrong load order (below it when it should be above).

 

As for mod recommendations...

 

Not only the top Nexus files, but Skyrim G.E.M.S. is a must bookmark site for those new to mods and PC Skyrim:

 

http://www.skyrimgems.com/

 

The best part of this site is it organizes the top mods into logical categories (cities, NPC, characters, weapons, etc.), so you can locate the type of mod you are looking for very fast and with little hassle (the site itself is laser fast and doesn't have a lot of fancy java, or flash elements which is a plus).

 

Now, for some recommended "must have" mods:

 

-The Unofficial Skyrim and Unofficial DLC patches.

 

This is something you MUST have because all the game breaking bugs you read about on the net and see in videos just do not exist with these unofficial patches installed. I have played the game through multiple times and never had a single quest break, or not be able to be completed like the Xbox, PS3 and unpatched PC versions. There will still be little bugs, of course, but they won't be game breaking like before.

 

-Brawl Bugs Patch

 

Some of the radiant side-quests require you to brawl with someone to get information and/or intimidate them and if you don't have this installed, the brawl turns into a full-on fight, guards attack, you get a bounty and subsequently fail the quest objective. You also have to brawl in order to get certain followers, too, so it's a must have fix.

 

-Acquisitive Soul Gem fix

 

This makes it so that the appropriate soul is captured in the right soul gem e.g. A Petty Soul is stored in a Petty Soul gem and not a Grand Soul gem if you have these two in your inventory, etc.

 

-Any Mod That Overhauls the Magic System

 

Magic and spell casting is broken in vanilla Skyrim. Damage doesn't scale with the player as he/she levels up and cost reduction for spells doesn't go down, either. Spells deal more damage, but they cost the same (more or less) they did when they were a Novice even at Master level and with the appropriate perks.

 

-Mods That Slow Down Leveling & Rework the Perk Trees

 

This is strictly a personal preference, but having played the game enough times, I think this is one of the reasons a lot of people claim Skyrim is "dumbed down" aside from shotty AI and other things. Leveling (perks) is meant to reward players, but most of the vanilla perks are useless, or redundant. So, as the player evolves they can feel weaker (along with the level scaling) and not stronger like in traditional RPGs.

 

-Mods That Remove Enemy Level Scaling

 

Once again, personal preference, but like I wrote above as the player evolves so do his/her enemies. So, there is no sense of going from "zero to hero" like in most games. You don't want the game to be easy, but at the same time there is a point of diminishing returns all RPG player characters hit where they should be Gods and be able to take on almost anything. That doesn't happen in Skyrim because of enemies always being at, or slightly above the players level, so you never feel confident (forget God-like) if you can take on enemies because you never know if they are going be above, or below your level (where certain enemies like Bandits should be toward the end of the game, but aren't because they keep leveling with you).

[Ryker61]

@MidevalGuy, thanks for some of those ideas dude. I do have one more question about the BOSS utility. On the BOSS page on the Nexus, there's no file to download, but there's a link under the Mirror tab. I clicked on the link which took me to a page with four options on it.

 

BOSS v2.1.0 Archive.7z

BOSS v2.1.0 Installer.exe

BOSS v2.1.1 Archive.7z

BOSS v2.1.1 Installer.exe

 

I figured that the v2.1.1 Installer and Archive were the most recent versions and went ahead and downloaded them. I already ran the Installer, but should I install Archive or not?

Edited September 16, 2013 by Ryker61

[Georgiegril]

The installer.exe is BOSS inclucing the Windows installer. This means you just download and click to install.

the 7z is the zipped file version, no installer, which means you have to extract the files manually.

The only real difference is your preference.

[Urtel]

If you want your game look better, and have good pc, you should see enb and presets for it

[EnaiSiaion]

What I did was go through the Top Lists (bottom of the page under Files). I went down the list, looking closer at anything that caught my eye. Also, if you're looking for something specific, do a search for it, then filter the results by "most endorsed" or "most downloaded". I think it automatically filters by "most recent" for some reason.

 

Never search for "most endorsed". This'll pull up garbage from early 2012 that's had 1.5 years worth of endorsements from other fools who search for "most endorsed".

[EnaiSiaion]

 

-Any Mod That Overhauls the Magic System

 

Magic and spell casting is broken in vanilla Skyrim. Damage doesn't scale with the player as he/she levels up and cost reduction for spells doesn't go down, either. Spells deal more damage, but they cost the same (more or less) they did when they were a Novice even at Master level and with the appropriate perks.

It doesn't take a magic "overhaul" to achieve this. There are two things most mage fans are looking for: spell scaling mods (higher magic skill = more damage/duration) and spell mods.

 

As for spell scaling, this is such an obvious improvement to the game that there are tons of small mods for this purpose, and every serious mechanics overhaul also includes it. If the severe lack of actual spells in Skyrim gets you down and you're looking for more variety, it seems the community appreciates my spell packages the most. They don't come with magic scaling though (but are compatible with magic scaling mods) because almost everyone is already using their own magic scaling solution.