New to game, do you think I should play unmodded first?

[CherryBelle]

Hi again. I'm very new to Skyrim. As in, I just got the game yesterday for the PC. But, I then discovered the modding community, and oh Lord, I fear it'll be like the Sims all over for me.

 

So, I'm wondering what more experienced players think on this... should I play the game for a while with no mods, or just mods that add stuff like extra hair, or changing the body type.. so I get a general feel for it, before going wild and grabbing every mod that looks amazing but somehow fundamentally changes the game play (custom races, custom .. dungeons? all of that).

 

I've only so far gotten past the escape of Helgen (after spending far too long thinking 'through the roof' meant the tiny opening at the top.. that wasn't my proudest moment), and then wandering around stalking Hadvar (while looting random crap, like bowls, swords and flowers... don't look at me like that, I have problems with collecting free stuff in real life..)... Well, eventually I stumbled my way to Riverwood and chilled out with Hadvar and his family... Then I became addicted to creating characters after finding the enhanced character creation mod...

 

So yeah... :geek:

[Kalell]

I think mods that enhance the graphics would be ok on a first play through. If you started adding things that changed the mechanics of the game without knowing how the normal game worked you wouldn't really understand what the mods were changing. It's really up to you though. Do you want to see how the game was intended to be first, or do you just want to reshape the game to your own tastes?

[kingknight2]

I kinda went full berserk on modding the second my game was finished downloading. Up to you really.

[Lisnpuppy]

I think there is something to playing the unmodded the first time. Then it makes the modded all the sweeter as you know what you really would like to improve.

 

That being said...I recommend the 'unofficial official" patches found here at the Nexus as it fixes many things that were flat out broken that Beth never fixed. I don't think of these as mods but things that should have been done from the onset. :smile:

 

Always remember to read all the documentation on a mod you decide to use and back up any files that you replace. Only put in one file at a time and make saves before you add new mods to keep in case it all goes belly up..and it will! :tongue:

 

Good luck, have fun and please come back if you have any questions.

[velve666]

I would have to recommend a vanilla playthrough first. Or even mid-playthrough, at least up to the point where you get bored and things get monotonous. I can assure you the chances are this will happen. Skyrim is a good game don't get me wrong, but it's not a great game. Mods make it a great game.

 

A few things you will have to do though.

 

You have to use the unofficial patches, you will be saving yourself a lot of frustration and hair pulling if you use them. Quests are bugged and these patches address a number of issues.

 

You can also go for the texture packs they do no harm and don't change mechanics in any way, use these though http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/607/? they are really good. There are a number of various brilliant texture replacers around too so if you feel comfortable you can look into those as well.

 

As for modding gameplay, as I said first play vanilla for a while, eventually it will become dungeon/hack/slash repetitively. Once you get bored think about running through the various categories here on the nexus. At least now you will know and feel what has changed in the game and you can make an informed decision on whether you like the mod or not.

 

If you do decide to use a lot of texture mods you will need to start thinking about memory capabilities and stability here are a few resources, I cannot explain all of them in detail would take to much time so look into the comments section for further info.

 

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/38649/? <-----SSME Skyrim startup memory editor (memory related crashes)

 

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/50305/? <-----ENBoost (expand Skyrim to 64 bit capability)

 

These will help with crashing in general and particularly to memory crashing. So this is a good start and don't forget to enjoy the game and not get too carried away. When you do start modding do so wisely, read carefully into each mod and their compatibilities. use BOSS (next link) and add mods slowly one at a time to see if your game stays stable.

 

http://boss-developers.github.io/

 

But most importantly enjoy the game!

 

//thats the problem with a long post, this can now be regarded as an echo haha

Edited May 9, 2014 by velve666

[Alastor90]

I think that some mods are for you to have.

 

http://skse.silverlock.org/

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/3863/? - better , effective and you can bound the favourites to 1~9 [like oldschool "doom-likes" and heretics] so you can put 1- sword Right-hand, 2 - shield-left hand, 3-heal - left hand etc.. to fast switch without stopping the game.

 

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/4929/? - better and effective map.

 

+ if you want a game more beautfull and have a good PC, http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/8655/? , http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/607/? , things like this are good too

 

 

obs : if you want more armors go For Immersive armors [ very lore friendly] and if you wnat cloaks, search for Cloaks Skyrim

[IsharaMeradin]

I would recommend a stock/vanilla play through. I'd go so far as saying to play without any mods at all. Yes, there are some problematic points in the game. But with the PC's console command system everything can be worked through. In fact, the UESP wiki still has any necessary PC console command solutions for those users that do not use the USKP patches (they are listed on the relative quest pages).

[EgoAltar]

As a Sims player (and modder) myself, I feel your pain, CherryBelle, and yes- you will eventually mod the heck out of your game!

 

I agree with the above posters that the Unofficial Patches are a must.

Otherwise, I think a vanilla playthrough serves a great purpose as it will give you a sense of what's "missing" from the game for you. Eventually, if you find yourself thinking, "I wish I had..." or "why doesn't this..," then you can search the Nexus (or the Workshop) and there's a good chance that someone else has thought the same thing and added it.

 

Much like the Sims Community, there are also a number of independent modders off the main sites to serve more esoteric needs.

 

Have fun!

[camaro_69_327]

I will Agree with IsharaMeradin above. The Only way to Truly enjoy a moded Skyrim is to play (suffer) thru a complete Game as Vanilla. As you play, make notes about what really bugs you about the game. Then you will have in depth knowledge about things that may go wrong, as you add mods. IF you mod the game first, how would you know if something was broken without having already experienced it. As this is my 3rd play-thru, I can say that if you really like the game, After finishing it you will know what mods you want and that in turn will give you total respect for the modders that allow you to change things to your liking.

 

But you may want...

SkyUI and the Journal mod for a first run thru. SkyUI because this is the PC and the Journal to actually make notes IN the game. :smile:

 

EDIT: BUT if you really want to mod first..GO to Nexus top files, get most of the top 100 mods, watch for conflicts!! hahahh

Edited May 10, 2014 by camaro_69_327

[IsharaMeradin]

 

 

BUT if you really want to mod first..GO to Nexus top files, get most of the top 100 mods, watch for conflicts!! hahahh

Oh that is just asking for trouble and you know it! There are enough threads as it is of people asking for help after having overloaded their game. No need for another! :P