Reddit had a neat list of the "essential" Skyrim mods. I downloaded:
- Unofficial Skyrim Patch(es)
- SkyUI
- iHUD
- Bandolier
- Immersive Armors
- Pure Waters
- Enhanced Blood Textures
And BOSS and SKSE. I feel like that should keep my experience pretty vanilla but at the same time it will be nicely improved by the mods. Any input would be very welcome!
I bought Fallout New Vegas and I'm wondering if anyone here can give me a short list of essential mods.
Son i got these.
First of get the Official Skyrim HD texture pack DLC, also get SKSE which is essential for alot of mods. Get rid of the unofficial patches they bug out the game graphically when you install these mods.
CHARACTERS
A Better body scale for Khajit and Argonian Male (khajiit & argonian body)
ApachiiSkyHair (hair)
Beards (beards)
Better makeup for SKSE (makeup)
Better males - Beautiful nudes and faces - New hairstyles (males)
Better Females (face skin)
Calientes Female Body Mod Big Bottom Edition [CBBE] (body)
CBBE skin texture V2 V3 plus Thepal and UNP compatible (body/face skin)
Coverkajits (khajiits skin)
Coverwomen (face skin)
Cute Eyes (eyes)
Enhanced Character Edit (character edit)
Envision Face (face skin)
Ethereal Elven Overhaul (Elves)
Extended Slider Colors (+colors)
Fair Skin Complexion Sweaty Body (skin)
JazzJR Argonian retexture (argonian skin)
JazzJR CoverKhajiits Bodytexture Ver1 (male khajiit skin)
JazzJR CoverKhajiits Female Bodytexture (female khajiit skin)
Mature skin texture and body (body/face skin)
Morten Hairs (hair)
Natural Eyes (eyes)
Pretty Face (face skin)
RaceMenu (racemenu)
Ran's Headmesh Variants (face mesh)
Real Girls Realistic Body Texture for UNP UNPB and SeveNBase (face & body skin)
Realistic Teeth (teeth)
SG Female Eyebrows (brows)
SG Female Textures Renewal (body/face skin)
SG Hairs (hair)
Smile in HD (teeth)
Sporty Sexy Sweat - wet body skin texture (skin)
The Eyes of Beauty (eyes)
ADD-ONS / FIXES
A Matter of Time - A HUD clock widget (HUD time)
A Quality World Map (map)
Analog of Skyrim Distant Detail (distance detail)
Better female animated faces (face animation)
Catwalk (female walk animation)
Categorized Favorites Menu (HUD)
Colored Map Markers Updated (HUD/map)
Convenient Horses (Better horse AI, mounted combat for NPCs, horse whistling and heaps of other stuff)
Combat Sound effects)
Customizable Camera (camera)
Distant Decal Fix (decals)
Footprints (footprints)
Get Snowy (snow)
Horizon Extended Sky Mesh (Sky mesh)
KenMOD - Time on loading screen (HUD)
Sounds of Skyrim (adds shitloads of sounds)
Player Home Map Markers (map)
Run for your lives (makes NPCs run inside or piss bolt away if there is a Dragon attacking)
Sky UI (HUD)
Status (information)
UFO Ultimate Follower Overhall (Enchanced NPC companion AI and follower commands)
Wet and Cold (immersion)
ARMOR / WEAPONS / CLOTHES
Aesir Armor (armor)
aMidianBorn Book of Silence (armors/weapons)
Arise - Chapter 1 - The Black Sacrament (armor)
Bandolier - Bags and Pouches (bags & pouches)
Blood Witch Armor (armor)
Brokefoots UNP Mashup Compilation (clothes)
Cloaks of Skyrim (cloaks)
Contractor and Mavari Armors (armors)
Dragon Knight Armor (armor)
Einherjar Armor (armor)
Elaborate Textiles - NPC Clothing Retexture (clothes)
Evil MasterMind Armor (armor)
Ghosus Weapon Pack (weapons)
Improved NPC Clothing - High Res (clothes)
Inmersive Armors (armors)
Inmersive Weapons (weapons)
Isilmeriel LOTR Weapons Collection (weapons)
JaySus Swords (weapons)
Omegared99 - Armor Compilation (weapons)
Opulent Outfits - Maids and Merchants - v7 Female Only (clothes)
Queen of the damned-Akasha Dress (clothes)
Raven witch armor and Apex Werewolf (armor)
Remodeled Armor (CBBE) (armors)
Remodeled Armor (UNP) (armors)
TERA Armor Collection - CBBE - standalone (armors)
The Art of Magicka (clothes)
The Chronicles of Steel (weapons)
Ultimate Assortment by Favoredsoul (accessories)
Winter Is Coming - Cloaks (cloaks)
Wearable Lanterns
LANDSCAPE / DUNGEONS
2K Road Snow Footprints (snow)
Alternative Smoke (smoke)
Alternative Snow (snow)
aMidianBorn Caves (dungeons)
aMidianBorn Landscape 1 (landscape textures)
aMidianBorn Whiterun (whiterun)
Beautiful Skyrim Galaxy and Nebula Pack 2k 4k and 8k (sky)
Better Landscape Textures (landscape)
Bryce Nebula - Skyrim galaxy replacer (nebula)
Crimson Tide (blood)
Detailed Rugs (rugs)
Dragon Nebula Galaxy Replacer (nebula)
Glowing Ore Veins 300 (ore veins)
Enhanced Blood Textures (blood)
Enhanced Night Skyrim (nebula/stars)
Hectrol CAVES DELUXE HighRes Retex (dungeons)
Hectrol FX RAINDROPS Deluxe HR for Natural Skyrim Rain (rain)
HD Detailed Terrain (terrain)
HD Enhanced Terrain (terrain)
HD Soul Gems (soul gems)
Improved Rock and Mountain Texture (rock/mountain)
Inside the Nebula (nebula)
Lush Grass (grass)
Lush Trees (tress)
Mosh Rocks (rocks)
Natural Skyrim Rain (rain)
Project Parallax Remastered (towns)
Pure Waters (water)
Quality Snowflakes (snowflakes)
Rainbows (rainbows)
Real Ice ALL-IN-ONE (ice)
Real Snow (snow)
Realistic Smoke & Embers (smoke & embers)
Realistic Water Two (water)
Ruins Clutter Improved (dungeons)
Silly Level of Detail - Potions & Poisons (potions & poisons)
Silly Level of Detail - Wine Cellar (bottles)
Static Mesh Improvement Mod (meshes)
SkyFalls - Animated Distant Waterfalls (distant waterfalls)
Skyrim Flora Overhaul (flowers/grass/trees)
Skyrim HD 2K (town/landscape/dungeon/misc textures)
Skyrim Lore Friendly Vanilla Nightsky Retexture 4k (sky)
Skyrim Realistic Overhaul (town/landscape/dungeon/misc textures)
Skyrim Realistic Texture Overhaul Dragonborn (town/landscape/dungeon/misc textures)
Skyrim Ultra HD Texture Pack (misc textures)
Skyrocks (rocks)
Serious HD Retexture (dungeon/landscape textures)
Superior Rock Textures (rocks)
Ultimate HD Fire Spells (fire)
Visible Windows (windows)
Water and Terrain Enhancement Redux (water)
Waves (waves)
ANIMALS / MONSTERS
Bellyaches Animal & Creature Pack (animals)
Birds of Skyrim (animals)
Pets of Skyrim (animals)
WEATHER / LIGHT
CLARALUX - More and Brighter Lights (lights)
Climates of Tamriel (weathers)
More Dynamic Shadows with Striping Fixed (light)
Realistic Lightning Overhaul (light)
Remove Interior Fog (fog)
Revamped Exterior Fog (fog)
There is couple more i am forgetting. I had a list handy that i used from someone but added my recommendations and my own mods.
Don't get Dogs of Skyrim or Better clouds you with have graphic incompatibilities with the above mods. Pets of Skyrim should give you dogs to the world anyway. The key is to get the character mods working first because thats where you will run into most of the problems. The other stuff is easy.