Help Me Play Skyrim (PC) Right!

[ratzofftoya]

So, I started Skyrim and played for about 30 hours before even getting to see the first dragon--I guess you'd call me the "explorer" type of player--but then only played for 15 minutes at a time over the next year or so, and maybe logged another 2 hours. Plus I loaded that thing with mods halfway through the game, all stacked on top of each other so now my textures are messed up and stuff. Needless to say, my experience has stalled somewhat.

So I'd like to reinstall the game and actually finish it this time, while maintaining that kind of exploratory spirit. I guess what I'm asking is advice on which mods I should install, and how I should set those mods to behave (especially the graphical ones). Some pertinent facts:

-My computer is pretty sweet (GTX 670, 8 GB RAM, i5 3570K), so I'd like it to have great graphics at 1080p

-That said, I don't want to overload it with too much of a photorealistic look...I'm more into the impressionistic, saturated look

-I plan on installing all of the existing DLC

-If something can help me play on my TV with an Xbox controller, all the better

-Obviously, getting rid of bugs and improving follower AI, or any other things that make the game objectively better (SkyUI, map with roads, etc) is something I'd like to know about

-I'm really interested in all those "realism" ones like camping, having to eat, cold weather effects, etc...I want to get lost in the world

-More property and cool player houses are always a good thing

-I DON'T want the game to be harder, with the possible exception of the dragon fights. Don't make fun of me, but it's hard enough already. I like to advance with relative ease and don't want constant loading screens from having to reload. But if something can make combat better and more varied, that'd be great. Not sure how I feel about monster scaling (or lack thereof)...sell me on that!

Thanks in advance for the responses! Very excited to get this thing going.

 

[Luca72]

Others can help you out with the graphics mods, but I'd highly recommend you first get SkyRe (Skyrim redone). It rebalances the talent trees, making perks make more sense. It also adds a huge variety to weapon types, and gives them all unique properties (for example, broadswords behave differently than tantos, which behave differently than rapiers, etc.). One talent tree added is "Wayfarer", which is effectively an exploration tree - it allows you to gather lore on different types of enemies to gain bonuses against them, gain better benefits from eating, etc.

It adds a ton of magic to the game that is, as far as I can tell, lore-friendly and mostly balanced. Alteration now gives you spells that can push/pull enemies, there are a ton of new conjuration creatures to summon (like a Bombcrab, which runs into the enemy and detonates!), Restoration now has highly effective buff/debuff spells, as well as travelling plagues, and Illusion is completely revamped.

It also makes combat much more interesting by making your weapons, and enemies weapons, do significantly more damage. This makes exploration more fun for me because you don't simply outgrow all the NPC's as quickly, but if you get jumped by, say, a bear, you actually have a chance of taking it down.

It's a total overhaul though, so some mods aren't compatible with it. Quite a few are though since it's a popular mod, so make sure to check the compatibility list.

Oh, and Imp's Complex needs is pretty cool as an eating mod. You lose stats quickly if you don't get enough to eat/drink, and it has an optional "complex" mode where it actually measures things like carb and protein intake. Have fun!

 

[WoW Killer]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Disable Fast Travel [http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/22678] should be mandatory. It's a real game changer. It's all about what you get up to in between the places you're sent to. Got to explore a Dwemer ruins? Might as well check out that nearby cave while you're in the area. Full up with loot and need to get back to a merchant quickly? Tough titties.

 

[Rawne1980]

UFO - Ultimate Follower Overhaul. Completely improves the base followers. More options, dialogue and a better experience.

SkyUI obviously, as you mentioned. It drastically improves the menu's especially inventory.

Road with Maps. Far more detailed. The normal map is okay but doesn't show roads very well (especially when lloking for the awkward to get to places) and this map shows the roads and makes it far easier to see where you are at.

Apachiiskyhair. I don't know about anyone else but I wasn't a fan of the basic character creation. This adds in a ton more hair options that look a lot better than the basic ones.

Skyrim HD. Improves the textures of the game. It looks great.

Immersive Armours. Changes things around and gives NPC's the kind of clothing you would expect them to wear instead of the generic items they have on in the base game.

Better females by Bella. Improves the texture on the faces of the women. It's a personal preference, it makes them look less "blocky".

JaySus Swords. Adds a ton of new weapons around the place and to the crafting menu.

Deadly Dragons. If you want tougher and more varied dragon fights then this is the one you want.

Skyrim Flora overhaul. Improves the flora around the place and makes it more varied and "lush".

Water enhancement redux. Greatly improves the look of water.

Enhanced night. Makes the night sky look amazing. I love this mod.

Unofficial Skyrim patch. Bugfixes and the like.

Realistic lighting. You can choose how you want your game to look with regards to light.

Companion Vilja. Brought over from Oblivion but it's not a port. The lass that made it has completely redone it for Skyrim. The quest line is great and it's one of the best companion mods i've used.

Deadly Spells Impact. Spells now leave impact marks with their own textures.

Unofficial Dawnguard patch. More bug fixes for the DLC.

Eyes of beauty. Eyes look a lot better. It may seem like a minor thing but it improves faces so much.

Realistic animals and predators. Reworking of the animal AI to make them act more like they would in the wild with more realistic behaviour.

Apocalypse spell package. Adds a lot of new spells to the game. They are balanced so you won't be one shotting Alduin with a fire fart.

Interesting NPCs. Adds more dialogue to a lot of the NPC's around the place.

Complete Crafting Overhaul. Massive improvement over crafting in the game to start with.

Weapons of the Third Era. Those that have played Morrowind will know the weapons in this mod.

 

[Corven]

If your playing on pc steam just released their big picture mode which is designed specifically so that you can play your pc games on a television.

For more varied dragon fights there is:
Dragons Diversified [http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/13930] by LoginToDownload

As for for immersion mods- some of the ones I use and am interested in are:

player headtracking [http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/23600] by Maegfaer
Frostfall- hypothermia camping survival [http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/11163] by Chesko
Realistic needs & diseases [http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/26228] by perseid9
Get Snowy [http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/19660] by trebtreb
Sleeping - Fast Travel - Waiting - and Walking Dangers - Sands of Time [http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/12452] by Tonycubed2

As for patches there are the Unofficial patches for the game and dlc:

Unofficial Skyrim Patch [http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/19] by QuarnAndKivan
Unofficial Dawnguard Patch [http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/23491] by Arthmoor
Unofficial Hearthfire Patch [http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/25127] by Arthmoor

Searching through skyrim nexus' top files or files of the month will probably help you find all the mods you are thinking of.

 

[ratzofftoya]

Thanks for all the help so far, y'all. I guess one other question I have is...is there any benefit to using Skyrim Nexus and their mod loader rather than Steamworks subscriptions? Also, I'm looking for a way to skip the launcher entirely so that if I'm sitting on the couch I don't have to reach for the mouse and keyboard just to hit play. Thanks!

 

[Maxtro]

-If something can help me play on my TV with an Xbox controller, all the better

I think you need a wireless receiver, you can get them on amazon.

Thanks for all the help so far, y'all. I guess one other question I have is...is there any benefit to using Skyrim Nexus and their mod loader rather than Steamworks subscriptions? Also, I'm looking for a way to skip the launcher entirely so that if I'm sitting on the couch I don't have to reach for the mouse and keyboard just to hit play. Thanks!

I haven't used the steamworks for mods in a very long time. All the most are on nexus.

You don't have to use their mod loader to start the game.

If you want to skip the luancher you need to add in a steam shortuct pointing to the executable though, "add a non-steam game"

 

[Rawne1980]

Thanks for all the help so far, y'all. I guess one other question I have is...is there any benefit to using Skyrim Nexus and their mod loader rather than Steamworks subscriptions? Also, I'm looking for a way to skip the launcher entirely so that if I'm sitting on the couch I don't have to reach for the mouse and keyboard just to hit play. Thanks!

I don't have any mods from the workshop so I can't tell you.

I use Nexus Mod Manager, BOSS and Script Extender.

 

[SajuukKhar]

snip

Why do you need a mod to disable fast travel when you can just not use it?
.
.
@OP
XCE - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/2356
XCE: Better Beast Races - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/944
XCE: Dawnguard - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/21839
Great mods if you want to improve the look of NPCs, but not make them look like fashion models like most other NPC texture upgrades do.

Unoffical Skyrim Patches
Skyrim - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/19
Dawnguard - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/23491
Hearthfire - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/25127
As others have pointed out, all fix many bugs

A Quality World Map - With Roads - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/4929
Makes the map look a slightly bit better, and adds roads.

Bellyaches Animal and Creature Pack - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/3621
WATER - Water And Terrain Enhancement Redux - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/13268
Better Dynamic Snow - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/10383
Vibrant Auroras - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/6675
Thats Ice - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/5594
Terrain Bump: Texture Pack - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/4964
Lush Trees - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/3385
Lush Grass - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/3288
Enhanced Distant Terrain - http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/1598
All good mods that make the world look better, dont take away from the original feel of the game, hand have little to no performance hit

 

[ratzofftoya]

Does anyone have a particular ENB/Lighting package that they recommend? I don't quite get how these work...You just pick one of them OR the realistic lighting pack, right?

 

[Fluffythepoo]

but besides what was above Tiny Horses and Overgrown Whiterun are very fun mods.. nothing funner than trying to slay a dragon on a horse that barely reaches your shins

 

[Spectrum_Prez]

Immersive Patrols and Warzones are two of the best if you wish there was more going on around you. Warzones is particularly awesome when you get into the thick of a brawl.

 

[black_knight1337]

Does anyone have a particular ENB/Lighting package that they recommend? I don't quite get how these work...You just pick one of them OR the realistic lighting pack, right?

The ENB I've been using lately is Kalicola Enhanced Graphics ENB [http://enbseries.enbdev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=625] which looks pretty good. Here's a couple of comparison shots I did of it a while ago.

Spoiler

As for general mods, take a look at S.T.E.P [http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/11]. It's mostly focused on the visuals and sounds with some extra balancing and bug fixing thrown in.

 

[WoW Killer]

Why do you need a mod to disable fast travel when you can just not use it?

Willpower my friend

You could easily choose to consume food at regular intervals (and it wouldn't be hard given how plentiful it is), but it's still a game changer having a hunger mod that forces you to do that. For me it's not quite the same unless I make the decision right at the start of a playthrough and then stick to it.

Here's hoping for a hardcore mode in TES VI.