Truth and nothing but the truth, since 2002.

I don't have a big fancy gameing machine. i have a laptop that gets the job done. I play on the 360 and don't have the option to mod the game. I can run Morrowind on my laptop though. I have gone in and added all of the texture/mesh mods to make more appealing visually. I like that I can read road signs for example, along with faces that aren't all washed out and super bland. I also installed the mod that simulates daily life for the NPCs. it is kind of silly and immersion breaking to hear the clock chime and see everyone blink in/out of existence to a new location, but seeing them have a routine more than makes up for it. After installing that mod, I loaded up my character who was standing in the Mages guild in Balmora and the rest of the mages were gathered together in the room with the pews and the stand as tough they were having a meeting or lecture or something. That was nice. However, I haven't modified any of the game mechanics, nor would I.

I would love to have a high end gaming machine, but I don't have unlimited funds and gaming isn't the center of my entertainment. My 360 has served me well for years and will continue to do so as I still have a library of games (as gifts) that I have still yet to play. I have only recently got around to enjoying Skyrim these last three or four weeks. The game has it's problems, but I am enjoying it as it is.

Bought the game weeks ago and never played it yet. To busy researching mods for it.

Taking my time and getting things in place. That to me is the fun part of it. And when

I'm satisfied, I'll rollplay.

Besides, this new 4gig OC'ed Asus Strix NVidia Card is begging for large textures

and the ENB series of mods. HA!

Thanks Bethesda devs for the great foundation. And thanks to the modders for the

finishing touches! -oldplayer

I'm a console player, so all I've ever had was Vanilla. And three years later, I still enjoy playing it. So it's safe to say I'm in the same boat.

this isn't about vanilla skyrim is a bad game , because it is a great game and i think almost all of us have played atleast one playthrough vanilla probably more

you can not deny that some aspects of the game are unfinished or lack luster , not because the develoeprs wanted it this way , , deadlines and memory limitations of consoles are the main reason for this

we ve seen this in just abot every bethesda game studios games morrowind oblivion , and FO3 FO NV and skyrim

yes there are bugs and glitches in the vanilla game but what do you expect in a game on this scale and complexity' omplexity as in fitting it all into one game ) but these bugs are minimal

one can only admire the creativity the modding community they really brought this game to a higher level that leaves alot of the competing game far behind

if you do not want to use mods fine nobody forcing you , but saying that the game only was intended to be played vanilla and even going so far as to say it is bad for buisiness and the future of the franchise , think again and have a look at the sale figures of 2013 /2014 for sjyrim

i dont think i could go back to vanila skyrim... it's just sooooooooooooo ugly and too easy.

Well i did play Skyrim on PC once, tried out many mods...but i had no desire to play the game. Just try a mod, log out and find another, repeat. Whereas on my console i have sunk untold amounts of time into my playthroughs, using the vanilla and DLC aspects of the game to make new ideas. Would it be nice if i had mods that improved my world? Sure but the moment i have access to console commands and gameplay-changing mods then why bother earning gold or leveling the skills? If i know that i can just download something or type it in to accomplish a goal i feel nothing for doing it the hard way

Seriously? It sounds like you are only focused on the end, but the game is about the journey, at least for me. Access to the console commands and mods just means you have to put on a "game master" hat once in a while and exercise some judgment. I don't have any issue doing that and then getting back into character and roleplaying his adventure. But it sounds like we are approaching the game from a different viewpoint. I roleplay it and don't focus much, if at all, on min maxing.

Edit: Also, I agree with what Lady Serene said below. Most of us who use mods use them to make the game harder, not easier.

I would venture to say that most people who use mods use them to prevent ourselves from doing things like this. We most often use them to make our games harder, not easier.

This sounds a lot like the "mods are cheating" attitude that was referenced earlier in the thread. For most of us, using mods is "the hard way."

You seem under the impression that mods are intended as cheats to make the game easier. You couldn't be more wrong. Most are to fix glitches, add interesting content and better graphics then the consol can handle, and often for the most popular mods make the game harder - NOT easier. Also to make the interface which was designed for the limitations of a console take advantage of the flexibility of a keyboard.

I like the mods and such, but since my PC died, and I'm back on xbox, I have to say its nice not having to deal with mod conflicts.

Personally, I think neither modded or vanilla is better than the other. They each have their pros and cons.

I politely disagree. If you list the pros and cons for both, the result is clear. And I'd say that if you know how to build your mod list, there's little to no cons for modded Skyrim. At least no reasonable ones.

I have 15 or so mod's. They help game functions and followers such as UFO fixes and graphics, textures and bugs. Recently took advantage of much lower prices for GTX 780 from a year ago and more RAM to update my rig. On my third play through and ol' Dragonborn is semi-retired, like myself and enjoying the improvements. The game looks marvelous, never crashes or stutters, so what's not to like? I haven't updated any mod's or skse in probably a year! (yikes) and at this point since it's still playing rock solid will leave it be and start a new game soon since am running out of stuff to do with current character.

Indeed.

Looking at the current top 20 files on Nexus we have.

UI

Graphics

Graphics (New items balanced around vanilla)

Graphics

Bug Fix

Graphics

Graphics

Graphics

Bug Fix

Graphics

Bug Fix

Graphics (New items balanced around vanilla)

Bug Fix

New Item

UI

Graphics

Graphics

Different Start

Graphics

Graphics

So yeah, pretty clear that most mods are geared around better or different graphics and UI built around the PC instead of consoles, as well as bug fixes which only make the game easier in that your quest item won't occasionally be floating twenty feet off the ground or something. Two of the new items mods just add stuff in addition to what's in the vanilla game, but balanced to be more like a different color shirt to add to your wardrobe.

Get Combat Evolved. No other mods, nada, zilch. Just Combat Evolved. Then start a new game on Adept difficulty and take on a bandit camp. Then tell me mods are cheating, or doing things the easy way, or denying yourself a sense of achievement.

Wow! I agree with almost every posting here. But every post here could have been a simple yes or no. But opinions had to come forth and start the great debate. I haven't played 360 Skyrim in at least a year and although I have a new "gaming" PC, whatever that means, I have no desire to learn another technical language. So, no mods for my PC version .
Mod users, and there are a lot of them, are not necessarily Mod Creators, of which there are not many. I would love to create Mods, so I could make one that let me kill that extremely annoying Thief, Byrnolf. So I totally understand why people mod.
I am not surprised that some PC users saw this thread as an insult to modders, because I got the same impression and I play on a console. But I also got the impression that some PC users using the term "dumbed down" were referring to console users. I don't think context is necessary here, you've all heard "dumbing down for the masses".
In conclusion, I think there is competition for status and prestige, right here, on this forum. How many stars can I get??? What prestigious title can I get??? So you will get threads like this just so someone can achieve another star.
Don't lay all the blame at Beth's door, achievements attract competition and that started with XBOX Live. And they demand these from 3rd party Software developers.
You should close this thread.

It would have died a natural death if you hadn't revived it.

I pretty much have to agree with this right here. It had to have been on the back burner.

Amazingly! This one has just run and run. All from such a harmless question. Feelings run real deep here. It's religious! I pulled out of the debate when it started to get rude, almost personal. I got told that I only found vanilla hard because my light armour archer was a bad build choice...... And there I was thinking it was a typical role play build...pah! Well, I have reviewed all the posts here and come to the inevitable conclusion......everybody is wrong....except me of course.
Vanilla is wrong because Beth made the game to be modded... In fact it should never have been released on consols at all. Modded is wrong because all builds are different......no benchmark and I don't want to hear that your custom build is great on your fab gaming rig and be left wishing mine was too.

That just about sums it up, so there's an end to it
It's good to know I was right all along...................

I'm writing this for the sake of righteousness:

Good for you! You made a conclusion out of your own thoughts. Hurray! But honestly... Nobody cares about that.

But you annoyed me because you appeared to be a close-minded person, who most likely never tried any modding. (Be honest about this) You seemed to have no knowledge about this topic, yet you try to make a point in this discussion. Because of your retardedness (lack of knowledge) you disapproved any tips, comments and arguments the others wrote, and then you say that everyone except you is wrong. But I've one thing to say to you: You are wrong.

So go ahead and drink your milkless, sugarless, almost completely transparent tea in complete retardness. All the other kinds of tea are just foul brews from your point of view anyway.

I like vanilla and modded. I play on xbox while im at uni dorms and its still fun imo. I think pc gamers tend to get too caught up in the whole thing. I wouldn't consider any mods essential, even the unofficial patches

Ashan.........sheesh! Lighten up bro! You don't have to have a sense of humour to come here......but it helps!


Edit......most folk will have realised that when I said everyone was wrong except me and that
I was right all along.......that's a comic line, ok, poking fun at myself. Maybe you don't get that. Or maybe you're just a very serious person who takes everything literally.
However, your last post to me was simply RUDE.
I'm outta here!

I've always played what is considered on this forum, "Vanilla". Apart from USKPs for my Legendary edition and some smaller mods like reducing the distance NPC's talk to you (cause' it gets VERY annoying after a while...)

One can be quite creative in many ways with character builds and playthroughs without a lot of 3rd party content in this particular game & I"ve been keen PC gamer for well over a decade now, not just in TES series either..

When we make jokes on the internet we typically use emoticons. This is to let other people know that we are not serious. Forum members cannot hear your tone of voice or see the expression on your face. We cannot read your mind. We have only your words. And if you do not provide clear clues as to the intent of your words you should expect them to be misinterpreted.