Soviet Heavy said:
I'm fairly adept at using NMM, and I generally try to manage my load order by selecting mods that don't conflict. (i.e if I'm using one mod for Whiterun, in this case 7k's City Under Construction, I won't use the sexy Whiterun mod to give them the different textures.)
I haven't used Wrybash, since the main authors haven't updated it in months and I'm concerned that the release at the moment is buggy.
I don't have dawnguard.
Make your case for Overhaul Mods. I'm only using the Duel-Combat Realism mod for actual gameplay changes right now.
I use Duel Combat myself so don't worry about compatibility. Some of these may provide compatibility patches, and check the Duel Combat page. Personally I can't tell a buggy Wrye Bash release from a "stable" one lol. But you're probably wise to wait for someone to pick up the project again. I used the 299 release and am now using
the 300 release. I haven't had any problems but you know how much it varies between users. It might be worth it to try since you are doing a new playthrough anyway.
Use BOSS if you aren't already. It will tell you how to order your mods (and do it for you in Wrye Bash). You might want to double-check the load order all the same, but BOSS gives good suggestions and is very convenient.
ASIS is a good mod. It gives enemies access to perks, spells, potions, and other abilities they wouldn't usually use, and it even works on NPCs from other mods. You can fool around with spawns and all kinds of stuff. All the changes take place at the 'global' level so they affect other mods without conflicting with them.
If you use ASIS, don't forget to find the .jar
OR the .bat and run them before you play. Do this every time you change your mods. This is where the changes are applied and you pick your options. Don't worry, you obviously know what you're doing so it will be easy. And don't forget the ASIS .esps belong at the very end of your load order, even after the bashed patch. If you ever get Dawnguard, you will need to do some simple copy/pasting or you will run into issues.
ACE. It's a modular overhaul, which is the best kind. It makes changes to magic, crafting, all sorts of things. You can balance difficulty, the rate at which you level up, and the rate of skill increases. This mod should also be very compatible. Just pick the .esps you want and skip the rest.
Interesting NPCs adds lots of fully voiced NPCs with lots to say. If that is something you feel was missing, this mod will inject a lot of life into Skyrim. It also adds a few quests. Installing can be a little confusing because they don't explain what the different .esps do (you only use one of course, not all). Pick the "Voiced" .esp if you want the NPCs that have text but not voiced dialog excluded.
Someone suggested Winter Is Coming. I recommend using the "no chests" .esp or you will be drowning in cloaks. Works well with
Frostfall. Frostfall isn't for me but it's impressively well done.
Categorized Favorites Menu really improves the favorites menu. That's a lot more important than it sounds, especially for magic users.
Thuumic Shouter makes shouts and active racial abilities more useful, reduces time in menus, and makes combat more fluid. I promise it's not a pointless gimmick lol. Pretty cool, too.
Imperial Legion Armor Variety and especially
Stormcloak Armor Variety are great. Throw in
RNG Guards and Skyrim starts to look immersive and believable.
I highly recommend
Skyrim Monster Mod. If you have already played the game before you need something new in the world. Only get
Monster Wars if you want the wilderness to be very difficult and unbalanced, but varied and crazy as hell. Requires Monster Mod.
Alternate Start lets you define your character little bit and choose different starting locations. Most important, it lets you skip the opening sequence. Indispensable if you tend to start new characters.
Scenic Carriages adds new routes and lets you actually experience the trip,
WoW style. Don't worry, you can toggle that off and on if you don't like it.
Immersive Armors is great. It should be illegal to play without it.
I have other mods that change the interface, add houses and quests, and affect little things. Let me know if you have anything particular in mind, or if you have any questions about the above. The best advise I can give is hit the Nexus with a vengeance and see what's out there. Try searching through the categories and sorting by most endorsements or downloads.
