I just bought Skyrim. I understand many mods and patches can make the game more immersive, functional, and pretty. What are the few key mods you'd suggest?

I've done research and I think I want to use the Nexus Mod Manager, yes? Then I think I just want a few mods that improve lighting, overall graphics, and maybe weather and textures. Nothing too crazy yet.

Thanks for any advice.

well, the unofficial patch is the only real "necessity" i can think of (are you running base game, or do you have the DLC?)



gotta remember, mods are all personal preference.. the quality changes based on what the individual user wants out of their game (there is no formal grading system for mod quality)



so, my suggestion for you is don't be to quick to jump into modding, play the game vanilla for a bit, find what you like and don't like about it and then find mods based on what you want enhanced or changed..

If you have only the base game, I seriously suggest that you gt the DLCs. THe USKP is not updated anymore (altho it does do wonders) and is merged with the DLC into USLEEP (Which IS being updated).

Also, the Remastered version due out in October is free on steam if you have all the DLC as well as Skyrim.

As for mods, I would also add Alternate Start -Live Another Life, by Arthmoor. I can't handle the vanilla start (the attempted execution of the player) personally. also most of the other mods by Arthmoor will go very well (run for your lives, when Vampires attack, etc, but most if not all require the DLCs, too).

I suggest using Mod Organizer. Different people have different opinions on mod managers, but I started out using NMM...after having to totally reinstall everything three times, I gave up and made the switch. It is a little less user friendly, and a little more of a pain to set up, but it will save you countless hours of frustration. The beauty of MO is that if you ever need to remove a mod, or reinstall a mod, nothing is ever broken. This is because MO uses a virtual file structure so that the Skyrim\Data folder is never touched and stays clean.

- http://wiki.step-project.com/Mod_Organizer#Recommendations.

- http://wiki.step-project.com/Guide:Mod_Organizer.

You will need to use https://loot.github.io/ to sort your load order.

The below advice assumes you have all DLC (really almost a necessity nowadays):

Use the http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/71214/?. Other "essential" mods are the http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/31255/? (assuming you have downloaded the High Resolution Textures from Steam) and http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/3863/?. Some good graphics mods are http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/45807/? and http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/141/?. A good weather mod is http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/73937/?. A couple good lighting mods that work well together are http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/59733/? and http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/17609/?.

However, I would strongly suggest following a guide for your first time modding. It will show you all the basic steps you need to do for a stable game, and properly introduce you to all the necessary tools (such as what I mentioned above, MO and LOOT, as well as ENBoost, SKSE, FNIS, etc.).

I would recommend either http://wiki.step-project.com/STEP:2.2.9.2 or http://wiki.step-project.com/User:Neovalen/Skyrim_Revisited_-_Legendary_Edition. Both are good in their own way...STEP stays closer to vanilla, while making everything better. Very user friendly, and if you don't have the best computer it is perfect. SR:LE includes a lot more gameplay mods and more intensive graphics. It deviates from vanilla Skyrim play a bit. Slightly more difficult, but still decently user friendly. Requires a fairly new computer with a good graphics card.

You can't go wrong with either guide. Both have forums where you can ask questions if you get stuck or are confused. Either will teach you about modding "the right way", and then after that you can much more easily choose your own set of mods and have confidence that your game isn't go to blow up or go crazy with bugs.

Anyway, good luck, and happy modding!

As others have said, start small. I would start with just he unofficial patch. Play for a little while and see what you don't like. I hated the interface and added SkyUI next. You'll probably want Alternate Start - Live Another Life or some other quick-start mod about the third (or maybe second) time you start over because the initial cart ride sequence gets tedious pretty quickly. Everything else is all about which things you think should be changed or added.

If this is your first time playing the game then I recommend not using any mods. At least for sometime until you know what you want and need to make the game more enjoyable for you.

After that you can post here and let us know what you are looking for so we can help you to find the mods that will work best for you. There are well over 40k mods out there.

As others have said, its best to play first and then add mods. You have specifically asked about NMM and lighting/weather mods. I'd recommend either Wrye Bash or MO over NMM.

As to lighting mods, Climates of Tamriel is popular and handles both lighting and weather in a performance friendly way and is easy to install and generally compatible with most mods. I use it, but only the exterior modules. I don't particularly like the interior modules of CoT, but its outdoor modules are excellent. For interior lighting, I use Realistic Lighting Overhaul, but only the dungeons module -- it makes dungeons nice and dark but they light up nicely with a light source and the dungeon module of RLO is pretty much compatible with almost anything since it does not make individual cell edits.

For general graphics, I use SMIM (lite), the official High Res Textures (with the unofficial patch and the http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/9080/?), SkyHD (lite), aMidianborn, and Skyrim Flora Overhaul (I use the basic version 1.87 since it is more compatible and performance friendly than the other versions).

i might suggest my cache sacks mod (see my signature or profile for link)

portable and placeable sacks. solves all the overweight loot problems you don't know yet you'll have ,

and without being "cheat items" even the slightest.

(well, and my other mods too of course. donkeys anybody?

That cache sacks mod looks good. Nice work.