I'm fixing to put together my first modded install of skyrim. I played the vanilla game quite sometime back but decided to let it sit a while and let mods develop well before I came back to it. I'm a vetaran of modding oblivion but I know things have changed some with skyrim, frankly things look a little earier.

Basically I right now I am just trying to get together a list of mods I am going to want to use. I have a good idea of how I want to change the game I just need to find what to install and what is going to play well together.

First my system specs

Intel Core I7 3820 3.6ghz
16GB Ram
MSI GTX 670 2GB
Windows 7 Professional 64bit

I feel like my system should be able to handle quite a bit, I played the vanilla game on a 4 year older system nearly completely maxed so I would think this one should be able to handle a fair bit extra on the graphics side.

Essentially I am looking at starting with the Realvision ENB setup, quite like how this looks, someone recently made a video for ease into installation of the full setup of mods for it but they may very well have an even more updated version done before I get to installing things so I will be reviewing whatever lastest version is then. Would like some opinion for anyone who has used the realvision enb combination and performance hit thereof.

Gameplay wise I am looking to sort of FCOM the game. My biggest problems with skyrim were repetitive enemies thats locations were too predictable such as just way too many draugr. Also with oblivion I use to like to play a battle mage type character, sword and shield with magic as a long range approach attack or to go against ranged enemies. This became really difficult to manage in skyrim vanilla, the two hand system made swapping in and out a shield to spell cumbersome at best and destruction magic just way too weak to use. I am quite fond of having lots of unique weapons and armor to be found, I don't like just going from steel to dwemer to ebony, etc then having nothing much else. I spent half of the vanilla game using dragonsbane because there was little else to be found that fit my character better. I don't really care about crafting or enchanting, I like finding increasingly stronger and different stuff through the game to ultimately finding really special unique equipment. Like in Fcom with oblivion finding the pieces of different armours from really strong leaders of factions. I'd also like to install whatever quality quest mods that can be found.

So my current mod list is looking something like this right now

Real Vision ENB

- Ruins Clutter Improved
- Cinematic Fire Effects 2 HD
- Skyfalls and Skymills
- Static Mesh Improvement mod
- Skyrim HD 2k textures Landscape, Dungeons, Towns, Misc
- Skyrim HD 2k textures Riften
- Vivid Landscapes All in One
- AMidianBorn Caves
- Detailed Rugs
- Skyrim Floral OVerhaul
- Grass On Steroids
- Natural Grass Texture Floor
- TreesHD Skyrim Variation
- High Definition Ivy
- Realistic Water Two
- Watercolor for ENB and Realistic Water Two
- Optional lanscape textures from pure waters
- Moss Rocks
- Dust Effects
- Realistic Smoke and Embers

- Project Reality Climates of Tamriel
- Supreme Storms For Climates of Tamriel
- CLimates of Tamriel Weather Patch
- Realistic Lighting Overhaul

EnbSeries
Real Vision ENB

SkyUI
Unofficial Skyrim Patch
Unofficial Dawnguard Patch
Unofficial Hearthfire Patch
Unofficial Dragonborn Patch
Skyrim Immersive Creatures
Immersive Armours
Falskaar
A quality World Map With Roads
Cloaks of Skyrim
Immersive Weapons
Moon Glow
Audio Overhaul for Skyrim

I'm considering Skyrim redone as well as interesting npcs.

First things first - have you watched all of Gopher's "Introduction to modding Skyrim" videos?

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE7DlYarj-DdhDG41roBVJfNCqvO5MmKP

As I'm sure you're now aware, you can't remove a mod and continue the same savegame, as data from mods gets baked into your save.

For that reason, I would suggest that rather than adding all of those mods at once, you do things sensibly, and add one mod at a time - play with that mod and test it thoroughly (for a matter of hours, if not days) to make sure you've experienced as much of what the mod has to offer as possible, to make sure you're happy with what it does, and that your system is stil stable with that mod added.

SkyRE need to be added at the start of a new game, you can't add it mid-game, so bear that in mind too.

Rather than (or as well as) Falskaar I'd recommend http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/25704 for a DLC style mod set in a new worldspace - Falskaar got all the hype, but arguably Wyrmstooth is the better mod. It doesn't get enough love around these parts.

If you're thinking of Interesting NPCs, then I'd recommend http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/36334.

I'm planning this for a new playthrough so it will be a completely fresh game when I start and I intend to do the install one at a time routine. However back with oblivion even doing all that and taking all the steps for stability like cleaning mods, etc. still never could get it real stable but at least playable. Skyrim seems more stable from the get go so hoping for much better from it. Will look into wyrmstooth, heard the name but forgot about it.

Forgot to mention a couple other things that bugged me in vanilla, one is spells in general, I like to use detect life spells but found the spell you had to keep in hand to use fairly cumbersome once again since I would need to switch back and forth between my shield to use it so I used the shout for the same thing almost all the time since it worked kind of like oblivions balthiems insight and coming into this next play with hopefully darker dungeons and using torches it would be even more swapping to go from torch to spell to shield and back around again. Want to use droplit torches as well, loved that in oblivion, seen it in two places for skyrim, not sure if its the same mod but one merged with other changes. So saying that I'd like to expand the spell lineup some too, but I don't like having spells the enemy doesn't have, not sure if there are spell mods out there that let npcs use new spells.

With regards to torches, there is also "Chesko Wearable Lanterns" which you can (optionally) equip on your body where they do not drop to the ground when you ready the shield/weapon (that is optional though). Also optionally, you can make the lantern use oil, to make it a bit more hard-core.