Hello . I'm currently enjoying Skyrim as lot, as the first RPG that I've gotten into.

I read posts about the earlier games, and I want , in a couple of months or so, to buy and begin a Morrowind character. Im on PC and like mods. I'd like to heavily mod Morrowind so that it is at it's peak.

Visual, gameplay , anything that you consider a must have or a great mod. Please recommend ...

I realize it's not going to be another Skyrim ,but I'm ready for 2002 looks in the interest of gameplay and depth.

Welome to Vvardenfell.

There are a tom of great Morrowind mods out there. Personally I would start off wth Morrowind Overhaul-Sound and Graphics It's oretty much every visual mod you'll ever need and it makes the game look amazing, especially once you've tweeked Morrowind Graphics Extender's settings to your liking.

http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=8987

Morrowind Code Patch and Morrowind Patch Project are must haves. They can definitely prevent a lot of frustration and fiddling about in the console to fix quest bugs. A lot of people suggest graphic overhauls, but my laptop can't run them, but if yours can you should get one.

Start with MSGO, and remember to install it on your clean install. Don't worry, most of the install process on that mod is automated so you don't have to worry about doing something wrong.

Like others have suggested, the code patch & patch project are incredible. I reccomend playing through with those (and maybe some graphics mods, if necessary), though I personally played through it once without mods, and it was great.

The combat takes some getting used to, but the exploration and story are (in my opinion) the most satisfying of any Elder Scrolls game.

Once you begin playing, just stick to it, mod what you think needs improving (don't go overboard, Morrowind has a distinct art-style & atmosphere without mods), and enjoy one of the finest crafted games of all time.

*Points to sig*

A common bit of wisdom you'll get around here is to play the game modless (short of the patch) before modding, a sort of "you need to experience it as it was to appreciate what you will make it" sort of thing. Well, that and most mods are fairly subjective.

I disagree with that statement because I come from the school of thought that mods are meant to "fix" this broken mess of a game, not change it into something completely different. So, that's sort of the direction my mod list goes in.

Yes, first play the game without mods that alter the game world. Use only those that fix things.

Mods I always use:

Morrowind Patches (mentioned by others)
Better Bodies
Better Clothes
Dark Brotherhood - Delayed attacks (there is more than one mod that does this)
http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.Detail&id=4034
Better Almalexia
Better Vivec

The game can be adequately "fixed" with the code patch and the unofficial patch. Everything else is graphics or gameplay changes that may or may not suit individual tastes.

The game is quite broken beyond what the patches fix - the readme for my mod is a lengthy manifesto on that subject.

I will concede, however, that how one goes about fixing it is a matter of preference and taste.

As far as see what it was like without mods advice goes, I think sound and graphics mods are a must for gameplay and playing vanilla (as I often do for testing mods) is more of a curiosity. Kind of like going to a museum to see how things used to be in the (not so) good old days. I would say all you'd have to do is get off the boat and look around Seyda Neen once without a single texture replacer and you'd have a great appreciation for the modding community. After the first ten-fifteen minutes of gameplay, you'll most likely be done with that.

As for fixes, companions, and quest mods, you can do yourself no better favor than to read the mod descriptions and readmes, and decide for yourself what looks and sounds good.

I'm surprised http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1305729-mod-recommendations-for-new-players/ hasn't been mentioned yet.

Beyond Morrowind Patch Project, the Morrowind Code Patch, and Better Bodies, it's hard to recommend specific mods without knowing in more detail what you are looking to change. There are lots of lists out there and a handful of good overhauls, but there are far, far more mods than any of those can encompass. Really, the best way to figure out what you want is to browse them and mod sites like PES and TES Nexus and see what calls to you.

Is there a better heads mod that doesn't totally redesign the original heads? My guy has a brand new head now. All I was expecting was him to look better but not in a head transplant kind of way.

I would recommend Westly's Master Head Pack. It adds tons of new heads and hairs without changing the originals.
http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=mods.detail&id=6173

Telesphoros tried to make the heads used in http://www.elricm.com/nuke/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=Downloads&file=index&req=viewdownloaddetails&lid=3674 as close to vanilla as possible. It's a 1 to 1 replacement of the Bethesda meshes so you won't see the variety you'd see with an NPC replacer like Better Heads or Changing Faces.

One to keep an eye on is Westly's http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1340173-westlys-head-packs-and-headhair-replacers/. Whilst they aren't complete he is really making sure he gets the vanilla look. Bretons, High Elves, Nords, Orcs, Wood Elves and Redguards have been done so far.

Sorry for my lack of response and thanks for Your responses. I saw no replies for a while so gave up , Then BAM a lot of things for me to look into.

OK I'm going install the patch project things, then the sound and visual overhaul. After that I'll take a good long careful look at the recommended lists.

Is combat addressed in any of them? It seems to me the biggest hurdle. I can go with it, but I'd be interested in any changes to it.