Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

[Orogun01]

May I recommend the Imaginator? It pretty much lets you mess with settings at your preference and it's not an ENB so you can use it with.

[WDeranged]

Imaginator is a great mod, it's also available for New Vegas, I like it because it only uses effects that are already in the engine and you can tweak them from an in game menu.

[WorstUsernameEver]

Imaginator was actually made for New Vegas first. I'm not really too interested in using it in Skyrim though, I wasted way too much time tweaking with it in F:NV

 

By the way, this ENB configuration is the first I've found that actually looks good. It's hardly perfect (colors are too saturated in points and it's too contrast-y, though I guess people like that), but the chromatic result is pretty decent. I like Skyrim's desaturated look, but sometimes it feels just a tad too much desaturated.

[WorstUsernameEver]

Eh, nope, not even that ENB manages to satisfy me. I could try tweaking it until I get to a point I'm satisfied, but honestly, it's easier to just go vanilla (and performance is better).

[Bokishi]

Here give my ENB a try, it's based off of RL ENB from nexus but I tweaked it to run much much faster

 

http://www.filefactory.com/file/4tc05v6cb65f/n/my_enb_zip

[WorstUsernameEver]

Thanks, but I decided to abandon ENB completely.

 

Good news though, if you're kinda bored with vanilla weather Project Reality for Skyrim is out. I'm not sure if it's realistic but it looks pretty, doesn't murder my eyes, and mostly matches the mood of the original.

[ShadySands]

Build your own home in new DLC

[Orogun01]

Build your own home in new DLC

Wow, is just like this free mod

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/18480

[Tale]

I thought about that exact same mod. Down to getting a deed, having a recipe book, and controlling it all from a workbench.

 

I wonder if they hired that guy.

[WDeranged]

After a few minutes of facepalming I decided that Hearthfire is fine, social media cattle will lap it up and hopefully Bethesda can put some cash towards doing what they're supposed to be doing, making me a DLC to rival Shivering Isles.

[Tel Aviv]

First marriage, now adoption. The average Skyrim NPC has less depth than a tamagotchi. Why would I want to adopt one of the ****ers?

[HoonDing]

Build your own home in new DLC

Wow, is just like this free mod

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/18480

It's directed mainly at console users.

[WorstUsernameEver]

First marriage, now adoption. The average Skyrim NPC has less depth than a tamagotchi. Why would I want to adopt one of the ****ers?

 

The Elder Scrolls fans like using this kind of mechanics as a crutch for their imagination. If there was MORE writing to the characters they'd probably complain. I mean, hey, they've managed to create a personality for Lydia out of nothing!

[Lexx]

i'm gonna wait for a dlc that adds spears. then i'll buy all the available dlc and do another playthrough, hopefully in what will feel like a fairly different world because of all the changes from the mutliple dlcs

 

Sounds like a good idea. I might try the same.

[Tigranes]

By that point there will be so many good mods, I'd probably ignore the DLCs and go on a modspree.

[Bos_hybrid]

Picked up Dawnguard, so I'm going to give Skyrim a run for the first time since release. Any must have mods beside UI?

[Oner]

[Tel Aviv]

First marriage, now adoption. The average Skyrim NPC has less depth than a tamagotchi. Why would I want to adopt one of the ****ers?

 

The Elder Scrolls fans like using this kind of mechanics as a crutch for their imagination. If there was MORE writing to the characters they'd probably complain. I mean, hey, they've managed to create a personality for Lydia out of nothing!

 

That's something, I suppose. Planescape: Torment would scare them ****less.

[TheHarlequin]

Picked up Dawnguard, so I'm going to give Skyrim a run for the first time since release. Any must have mods beside UI?

 

Apachii Hair (more and more custom NPCS/followers are using it by default and may crash if not installed)

Caliente Female body mod (CBEE)

Caliente's Vanilla Clothing for CBBE

Better Elven Armor (better recoloring)

Steel Dwarven Armor (ditto elf armor)

Bella's Better Females

Realistic Female Face Skin HD

If you are looking for eye candy followers: Girls of Skyrim (plus the patch)

Also download the free hi res textures DLC from steam

 

That covers all the basics most everyone uses, a few other suggestions:

 

hi res road signs (easier to read road signs)

player home markers (puts player homes on the fast travel map once discovered)

cowardly horses (saves you a ton of cash have to re-purchase a horse that got itself killed, ie does not defend you runs away)

 

hope that helps!

[Humanoid]

I would suggest a mod that allows fast travel from indoors - just checking the one I use, unfortunately it's been discontinued due to compatibility issues - but there are plenty of them out there. Used it specifically to avoid the multiple loading screens involved in just getting in and out of the Thieves' Guild area, really. Another one to save frustration is something to raise the pickpocketing chance cap - the default is that there's always a 10% minimum chance of failure which is kind of silly.

 

Another big convenience one is Glowing Ore Veins, but on reflection I'd suggest just not bothering to mine ore at all, rather pointless timesink.

 

And finally, if playing a mage, consider grabbing a mod that allows damage spells to scale, as I believe (never actually played a mage) that the spells by default do static damage which gets obsoleted very very quickly.

[Tigranes]

Are there any gameplay / quest mods that make it a fresh experience? I don't care about the DLCs or cosmetic mods.

[Drowsy Emperor]

[Apachii Hair (more and more custom NPCS/followers are using it by default and may crash if not installed)

Caliente Female body mod (CBEE)

Caliente's Vanilla Clothing for CBBE

Better Elven Armor (better recoloring)

Steel Dwarven Armor (ditto elf armor)

Bella's Better Females

Realistic Female Face Skin HD

If you are looking for eye candy followers: Girls of Skyrim (plus the patch)

Also download the free hi res textures DLC from steam

 

 

Or you could just get a whore and dress her up in bikini mail, for a fraction of the time and effort.

[WDeranged]

[Apachii Hair (more and more custom NPCS/followers are using it by default and may crash if not installed)

Caliente Female body mod (CBEE)

Caliente's Vanilla Clothing for CBBE

Better Elven Armor (better recoloring)

Steel Dwarven Armor (ditto elf armor)

Bella's Better Females

Realistic Female Face Skin HD

If you are looking for eye candy followers: Girls of Skyrim (plus the patch)

Also download the free hi res textures DLC from steam

 

 

Or you could just get a whore and dress her up in bikini mail, for a fraction of the time and effort.

 

[Bos_hybrid]

hope that helps!

 

Cheers.

 

Or you could just get a whore and dress her up in bikini mail, for a fraction of the time and effort.

 

We now know what Emperor Boo is doing when he disappears from the forums.

[TheHarlequin]

[Apachii Hair (more and more custom NPCS/followers are using it by default and may crash if not installed)

Caliente Female body mod (CBEE)

Caliente's Vanilla Clothing for CBBE

Better Elven Armor (better recoloring)

Steel Dwarven Armor (ditto elf armor)

Bella's Better Females

Realistic Female Face Skin HD

If you are looking for eye candy followers: Girls of Skyrim (plus the patch)

Also download the free hi res textures DLC from steam

 

 

Or you could just get a whore and dress her up in bikini mail, for a fraction of the time and effort.

 

Or I can import a clown NPC, call it Drowsy Emperor, and have him prance around in game spouting dialog which he thinks is clever, but few else do, becasue he is a attention whore?

 

Either case without these mods faces and bodies look blocky, jagged due to being 'consolized'. These FX edits actually uses the power of video cards that have been made in the past few years to made NPCs look good. Sorry if you are too snobby to appreciate hi res FX. Some of us do however.

 

That said back to the main point, I would also install the hi-res water and foliage mod, makes the water and trees look MUCH better and more realistic.

Edited September 10, 2012 by TheHarlequin