New to Modding need a Hand

[lachie1994]

Hi there Nexus, I am completely new to Skyrim moding, Im in need a Hand o create a Immersive playthought of Skyrim, Not something make the difficulty ridiculous just fun, Im after some good Mods to Download for a full experience I only have base skyrim and I have a GTX 980, So I can run nearly all mods without fps drop Im after magic mods, Body mods, Graphic mods/Fx Mods as well as weapon and armor mods and would love your recommendations. Thanks.

[kevkiev]

Personally, I'd recommend starting with the STEP guide. (Skyrim Total Enhancement Project.) Provides all the fundamentals of a great modded game then, on top of that, you can add others that strike your fancy. (I don't think it covers body mods, but I guess that would go under the "others that strike your fancy" category.)

 

You can find it here:

 

http://wiki.step-project.com/STEP:2.2.9.2

[lachie1994]

i Already installed some mods sould I remove them and start with STEP?

[dpgillam]

If your new to the mod world, STEP is the best way to get your feet wet, as they have tested their list for compatibility, stability, and general fun factor. It wont be like the mod that claimed to create Kratos from God of War and just put a regular nord marked immortal just outside the door leaving helgen.

 

As you get a feel for what you want, I usually recommend heading over to GEMS next, where the visual side of skyrim is ignored in favor of game-changing mods. After tinkering there for a bit, its time leave the kiddie pool and dive into the full modding community.

[kevkiev]

i Already installed some mods sould I remove them and start with STEP?

Are you very far into your game? Are they mods with scripts or simple ones like mesh/texture replacers? The reason I ask is that it's generally not a good idea to remove scripted mods from your game. Skyrim has a way of "baking in" portions of mods into your saves even after they've been uninstalled. That aside though, if the mods are workin' for you, it shouldn't be a problem doing STEP too.

 

Speaking of installation, I'd highly recommend installing a mod manager. One of the first things STEP has you do is to install Mod Organizer - in my opinion, an awesome tool. It took me a bit of time getting used to (but not much, it's pretty easy - and I'm far from a techno wiz). Makes things sooooo much easier in the long run once you get into modding for real. (And, trust me, it's an addictive scene.)

 

dpgillam's post is good advice. I've actually never followed the GEMS page per se, but it seems like a lot of the mods I install are indeed in GEMs. (The mod's description page will usually tell you if it's a GEMS mod.) Another thing you can do once you really get going is to search the Nexus via categories. By default it lists mods in a category by the number of endorsements which, though not determinative, can give you some idea of the mod's quality. (I know popularity doesn't always equal quality but.... )

[lachie1994]

Im just after the first dragon and I do have some script mods...Like Dual steath and skeleton 32xp extended (Not that I think there working properly) As well as somem other armor clothing and a body mod (I have 47 In total)

[lachie1994]

Im also using the nexus mod manager

[BlackRoseOfThorns]

Stuff like 32xp skeletons and body mods are pretty basic and can be altered at any moment. I would leave those, if that's what you like. To be honest I wouldn't do full STEP. Just go through with installing mandatory mods from the list (SKSE, Crash Fixes, SkyUI, FINIS, USLEEP, etc). Once you're done with the basics grab those for graphics improvement:

 

ENB recommendation:

 

Rudy ENB

It's very fps friendly for the amount of eyecandy it provides. It comes in 4 versions for 4 different lightning overhauls. I just have tried the new preset adapted for Vivid Weathers-NLVW and I'm in love. Hand placed fogs around mountains, real snowflakes and pinkish sunrises. It adds a lot to immersion. Plus I was able to squize few more high res textures thanks to improved performance. Before that I used Rudy ENB NLA 2.0 with ELFX and it was my top pick from all the presets on nexus. Only Kountervibe Enb was as good, but it ate fps like crazy.

(If you pick NLVW version, you will have to first install Vivid Weathers and Natural Lighting Vivid Atmospherics ENB)

(Grab required ENBseries v0.308 files from the bottom of THIS page. Enbhost.exe and d3d9.dll can be found in Wrapper folder inside of the v0.308.zip.)

 

 

 

Quick texture and mesh fix:

SMIM

NobleSkyrimMod HD-2K by Shutt3r

Authentic Whiterun / Solitude / Windhelm by Laast ~ (textures are 1k, but a lot more immersive and they blending well together)

Vivid Landscapes - All in One by Hein84

Skyrim HD - Terrain Parallax Tribute by Hein84 ~ (1k, the quality loss is minimal - set in enblocal.ini fixterrainparalax=true for full effect)

Gamwich mods ~ (he made a huge pack of clothes retextures, grab at least that one)

aMidianBornBookOfSilence ~ (high quality armor, weapon and creature textures)

SFO - No Grass file

Verdant - A Skyrim Grass Plugin by Preeum ~ (grab 512k texture pack, you won't see the difference unless you put your face in the grass - this is the most realistic looking grass on nexus, the textures/meshes are more luminous and thanks to that they look less fake)

HalkHogan Realistic HD mods ~ (new detailed meshes and textures for clutter, overwrite other mods with this one)

Realistic Water Two

 

 

Sound:

Audio Overhaul for Skyrim 2 ~ (Other audio mods have issues and I wouldn't recommend them. This one changes how the sound is processed and adds a lot of immersive background sound. NPC voices and sound effects will be much more realistic. AoS 2 is compatible with Natural Lighting Vivid Atmospherics, just install optional patch. I have mixed together with it few compatible music mods that have provided AoS 2 patches.)

 

 

 

Combat and Movement:

Wildcat ~ (If you preffer your enemies more defensive install Combat Evolved on top of this one)

Archery Gameplay Overhaul by DServant

Attack Commitment No turning during attacks

Combat Behavior Improved by Moljka

TK Dodge by tktk

Ultimate Dragons by tktk

Realistic Humanoid Movement Speed by brump

Duke Patricks - Skyrim Friction Fix II

Better Jumping by meh321

Follow Me and Swim After Me by Tonycubed2 - Sands of Time Team

 

Animations:

Magiska - Spell Casting Animations by Feuertin

or YY Anim Replacer - Mystic Knight by yukl

Realistic Animation Project - Movement by FeuerTin

Realistic Animation Project - Idles by FeuerTin

 

Immersion:

iNeed - Food Water and Sleep by isoku

Immersive Horses by sevencardz

Better Stealing by meh321

Uninterrupted Invisibility by meh321

Campfire - Complete Camping System by Chesko

Relationship Dialogue Overhaul - RDO ~ (REQUIRES USLEEP)

Immersive Speechcraft by SirSalami

PC Head Tracking and Voice Type by HHaleyy

Face to face conversation by towawot

Skyrim - Enhanced Camera by LogicDragon ~ (Required by many animation and combat mods)

 

Voiced Followers:

INIGO ~ (My fav npc so far. He has over 5.000 voiced dialogue lines and unique framework that makes him more aware of surroundings -can comment on your actions, quests, ect)

Vilja in Skyrim by Emma Amgepo Lycanthrops ~ (Has some custom lines for dialogue with INIGO.)

Arissa - The Wandering Rogue by Chesko and Nikkita

Interesting NPCs by Kris Takahashi ~ (Also adds quests and background npcs.)

 

 

 

[lachie1994]

Might just deactivate my mods and start from the start