Best mod suggestions for a player returning after 6 months away?

[tackle70]

What would you guys recommend as the best mods to add to a fresh install of Skyrim?

 

I played the original vanilla game for about 100 hours or so and beat it, and then got into playing around with mods back in January. In February, I started using all the STEP 2.0 mods, and the game was AWESOME with that (I thought). However, with ~200+ mods installed, the game just wasn't stable. I got CTDs at least once per half hour.

 

So, I definitely want to heavily mod the game (both gameplay & graphics), but don't really know where to start.

 

What do you think? Ideally, I think I'm looking for 5-20 big mods, rather than dozens of smaller ones, so that I don't have to worry as much about compatibility problems or CTDs.

 

Currently looking at:

Skyrim redone

Texture pack combiner

Static Mesh Improvement Mod

Better world map w/roads

WATER

Project Reality

 

I'm also curious about the Skyrim Monster Mod and/or Wars in Skyrim IV. I had used Wars in Skyrim and remember liking it.

 

I don't like the ENB/injector lighting mods, as I think they mess too much with the aesthetics of the vanilla game. Also don't need the PC UI mods like SkyUI since I play with a controller.

 

Thoughts? (my PC is very high end - 2600k + 7970 CF, if it matters)

Edited August 2, 2012 by tackle70

[PharmakosChroster]

I would consider these mods critical in the sense that, without them, I probably wouldn't want to play Skyrim at all (listed in alphabetical order, not order of preference).

 

Apocalypse Spell Package: There are a few overpowered spells, but not many. The real benefits are from the utility spells which should have been part of the vanilla game, stuff like featherfall, panacaea (cures disease), and open (basic) locks.

 

Auto Unequip Arrows: What this does is unequip your arrows when you put your bow away, and equip them again when you draw it. It's a tiny mod with a tiny effect, but the cumulative effect on the aesthetics of the game is huge. Even if you play a "pure" mage or warrior, you end up carrying a bow and arrows just for emergencies, which means your character spends the entire game with a visible quiver, ruining the appearance for the majority of the game.

 

Better Males/UNP Females: The very first thing I do with any Bethesda game is download a "nude patch." I'm not a pervert, and I'm not interested in low-poly simulated pr0n, but painted-on Victorian prudery annoys me and constantly reminds me I'm playing a video game. Tasteful nudity actually draws far less of my attention than Puritan censorship does.

 

Follower Trap Safety: As far as I'm concerned, without this mod, followers are worse than useless. Having this mod makes all sorts of character builds which involve followers feasible which were not otherwise.

 

Legendary Smithing Upgrades/Lost Art of the Blacksmith/Smithing Perks Overhaul/Val's Crafting Meltdown: As someone who really enjoys the whole hunting-and-gathering thing and can spend many happy hours just wandering the countryside looking for ore, hides, and ingredients, these mods are a must-have for me. I'd have finished Skyrim and uninstalled it a long time ago without these mods, which are complementary with each other.

 

Move It Dammit: Again, another mod which makes followers less irritating. I actually destroyed a keyboard at one point after screaming, "god DAMMIT Lydia, get OUT of the GOD DAMN way!" for what seemed like the 20th time in the last hour.

 

The Art of Magicka: Although I have some basic design disagreements with the designer (the designer seems to really dislike the Norse aesthetic of Skyrim and wants to replace all the rusty iron, narwhal horns, and dirty fur with generic designs off the cover of bad fantasy novels), there is a huge variety of craftable non-armour clothing available, which makes playing a "pure mage" viable.

 

UFO: The dialogue options and immersion here are... not impressive ("Train some, you are weak"), but its utility can't be questioned. It allows you to equip followers as you please, check up on their abilities, and even give them spellbooks to study in order to give them new spells. If you plan to have followers, this mod is just about mandatory.

Edited August 2, 2012 by PharmakosChroster