Hi!

I'm currently busy setting up mods for my next playthrough, and now i'm thinking about various lighting mods, which include darker dungeons.

While that sounds good, I would like to get some impressions from people using those kind of mods, how the gameplay really feels, especially on a

long term scale.

I assume that the effect would be great in the beginning of the game, exploring the first dungeons carefully with torches or maybe a candlelight spell, while you are relatively weak, and also later in the game in specific dungeons, when this really fits.

But how does this play out, when almost every dungeon is really dark, when you have to constantly worry about ways to see anything?

Especially in a long play-through, with lots of dungeons to explore.

Some more specific questions:

Do you use torches? How do you handle combat - either melee (no shield oder spell in offhand) or ranged (can't use a torch with a bow, enemy archers out of light radius)

Candlelight, Magelight - Is the need for constant spell-switching and the amount of throwing around magelights in every corner not just tedious after some time?

Night Vision - Do you utilize some form of night vision? This seems to be the most convenient way of dealing with dark dungeons long term, at leat this is my impression by watching the Let's Play Series from Gopher. But what if you don't play as a vampire or werewolf?

Dark nights outside of dungeons - Do you avoid travelling during night-time? Are there major differences between exploring dungeons and travelling outside during the night?

I have to add, that in general my playstyle is rather slow, I try to explore every corner, find interesting stuff, look for literally every item that could be hidden somewhere - that would mean even more magelights to throw around...

I've those in both Oblivion and Skyrim, and I can't imagine myself playing the game without them anymore.

They actually give a purpose to light spells, and exploring dungeons and travelling at night actually makes you a bit jumpy.
It's especially nice if you're into roleplaying.

Even though I'm on console, I find way more convinient to cast Candlelight in areas that are dark.

I use the Enhanced Lighting and FX mod and Project Reality and they combine for some nice dark interiors. LOVE it. I also enjoy the Wearable Lantern mod so I have have both hands free when exploring inside.

I love it. Adds another level of realism. I use Candlelight a lot, and NPCs carry torches outside.

Someone mentioned the Wearable Lantern mod- I have got to try that!

Wearable Lantern is awesome. You can purchase either a large glass jar or a lantern and fill them with a live Torchbug or new lantern oil respectively. When equipped they sit on your character's rear right hip and give off just as much light as a torch.

Well I have the game on PS3, HOWEVER I recently went tinkering with the display options on the PS3 and changed an option from 'limited' to 'full'. Dungeons and night time in game now are much, much darker. At night I can only see the ground at my feet, maybe for a few feet around me if I have a torch out. It has basically made traveling at night super immersive and dangerous. My character got jumped by three Thalmor at night and, literally, I could also see the melee guys when they were right infront of me swinging a sword lol. Was quite a hard battle as a result and one that I then, being a roleplayer, used as RP fuel with my character being injured enough to spend several days at the nearby village she stumbled upon.

Dungeons and caves being really dark is fun too! I found that even with Bleak Falls Barrow, which I have been through dozens of times now, with the new level of darkness I had to creep through the place because it looked different enough to feel new and fresh to me.

(For those on PS3 wondering, the option I changed is called "RGB Full Range (HDMI)", found under display settings on XMB. I'm not entirely sure it impacted things but I also changed "Deep Colour Output" from off to on initially, which basically made the screen itself darken when it was dark in game and brighten when it was day or near a light source.)

while i do like the idea of dark dungeons, i decided against it because i wanted to see the dungeon's, uh, graphics.

I do like the idea of walking around with a light, but i'd rather wipe the realism and plus the eyecandy graphics

There is a wearable lantern mod though; you wont need to sacrifice a hand for the torches.

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/17416

I like it but the houses becomes too dark even when its broad daylight outside :/

But i love the moments when im walking outside in pitch black dark and werewolfs come after me

I forgot to mention- Project Reality lets you pick how dark you want your nights and interiors.

I use Drop Lit Torches mod:

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/10394

I used a similar mod in Oblivion too.

I use Project Reality too. A good darkness setting was somewhere in the middle of the options.