Baloney Pony's Immersion and Gameplay Guide

A long while back I updated the Economy and Thievery Guide by Mistel to SE (Found here: https://pastebin.com/nYp6WdHe). While I feel that guide was really well done for the time, in the last 5 years Skyrim has had several mods release and change that it's no longer the go to source for fixing one's economy or thief gameplay. After creating my weapon and armor guide I realized a lot could be done to not only improve that old guide but recommend people better gameplay mods in general.

My general philosophy with modding Skyrim is to make it as similar to Morrowind and Tabletop RPGs as possible. Obviously Skyrim will always be Skyrim to some degree but as many functions as can be tweaked to improve on those mechanics is always worth the effort. All that being said I am not interested in taking away the fun exploits players use to give themselves an edge. You have control over your own temptations and can decide what is and isn't okay to use in your playthrough. The example I always use is the Scroll of Icarian Flight from Morrowind being placed at the start of the game to let the player know that you can break these mechanics and should have fun doing so.
Changelog 6.21.22
-Removed 3rd Era Attributes
-Added Lost Races of Aetherius

Changelog 5.18.22

  • Added 3rd Era Attributes
  • Added a bunch of new Jayserpa still
  • Added Go to Bed
  • Added Skyrim Unbound
  • Added Blackest Reaches and Depths of Skyrim

Changelog 2/28/22

  • Added a few more cautions notes
  • Added a boss mod section
  • Added a UI overhaul section
  • Added a seasons section
  • Added Lux Via to the Enviromental Overhauls section.

Changelog 12/17/21

  • Removed a lot of things including the entire Survival mods section as-well as a bunch of mods that never really worked/were redundant/were annoying (AI Overhaul, Essentials begone, Extended Encounters)
  • Swapped Purist Vanilla Patch for RUASLEEP
  • Changed the combat mods section to focus only on additions for more warrior characters. For an in depth combat mod guide I highly recommend
    Methodical Combat guide: https://rentry.co/smpbi . It really is a great experience!

Changelog 11/18/21

  • Changed around the survival mod and fast travel section with all new mods to overhaul those portions
  • Linked my new Creation Club and Beyond Skyrim Alternatives Guide
  • Created a new Quest Edits section for quest edit mods
  • Created a new Environmental Overhaul section for mods that add new changes to the environment and atmosphere or Skyrim. Also a couple of neat dungeon mods I couldn't think to add anywhere else.
  • Switched to Realm of Lorkhan over Unbound because it looks pretty.
  • Removed Companions overhaul and added the new Silver Hand Overhaul
  • Added back Arissa

Changelog 10/21/21

  • Removed Know your Enemy because it started breaking in modded areas
  • Removed Procedural Leaning for Movement Behavior Overhaul
  • Removed Saints and Seducers because it's shit
  • Added Essentials Begone
  • Added Savage Offspring
  • Added Slayable Offspring
  • Removed Ultimate Dodge mod in favor of TK Dodge
  • Added a fast travel section

Changelog 9/6/21

  • Added Know Your Enemy
  • Removed Guard Dialogue Overhaul since it's already part of Relationship Dialogue Overhaul
  • Removed smaller followers to free up space
  • Replaced added Elder Souls animation port
  • Added Smart NPC potions
  • Added Procedural Leaning
  • Added Wade in Water
  • Added Stagger on hit
  • Added Stagger Direction fix
  • Added Immersive Movement
  • Added Immersive Jewelry back
  • Finished Survival mod section
  • Improved Descriptions for other people's guides
  • Added a changelog

Mods I Do Not Recommend/You Should Research Yourself

Same as my weapon and armor guide we're starting off with mods to watch out for.

Immersive Jewelry:
This is one of those all encompassing overhaul mods that is popular with some types of people but often adds way too much to justify adding to a mod list. I recently added back in this mod because I missed the changes it made but please read the description and decide for yourself if this mod is worth it for you.

Complete Alchemy and Cooking Overhaul:
This is the big controversial one that adds so much bloat I had to mention it in my armor and weapons guide. This completely overhauls the alchemy system in the most intrusive way and turns compatibility into a mess requiring 1000 different patches and if a mod doesn't have a patch because it's old or outdated tough shit. Don't ever use this mod or I will bully you.

Civil War Overhaul/Open Civil War/Warzones:
It's fucking garbage just like everything Apollodown does. Open Civil War is almost as buggy and laggy. Warzones is somehow more buggy than both those other mods. Civil War overhauls are all fucked and the only one maybe worth a damn is Civil War Aftermath.

Survival Mods:
There are a lot of Survival mods of all kinds of flavors for Skyrim that go into varying degrees of depth. They can make a nice money sink for Skyrim but the cons often outweigh the advantages. The survival mode for the creation club is a popular one that I don't mind very much but it requires a lot of patching to get working with larger load orders.

Map Overhauls:
There are a lot of map overhauls and none of them are quite up to snuff for me to recommend one outright over the other. IcePenguin did a great job back in the day with A Quality World Map and that's probably the most popular choice. FWMF is probably the best I've seen but it still needs some more work add-on wise (Waiting on Beyond Reach to be done and hoping the Vigilant Map gets redone). Use what seems best for you and once FWMF updates some more maps I will add a map section.

Proteus:
From my own testing this mod does work but I want to stress test it a bit more before I start shilling.

Creation Club and Fixes:

The Creation Club is mostly garbage that you should never pay for but it does add a handful of mods that add new alchemy ingredients to the game. Also that one backpack mod is just going to be helpful for anyone.

Creation Club in Skyrim: https://pastebin.com/jerJ7QGf
This adds in everything from Rare Curios and Adventurers backpacks making both those plugins irrelevant. It also adds all the new ingredients from the newest AE content.

Economics

Skyrim's economy system is pretty broken but thanks to modders over the last 10 years we can fix the game to create a pretty enjoyable loop with selling your loot.

Morrowloot Ultimate: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3058
The certified hood classic loot overhaul. This de-levels loot and enemies and throws in some pretty gnarly artifacts. Leveled loot issues are mostly gone now so no more daedric bandits.

Scarcity: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/8647
Lowers the amount of loot you get in chests. I recommend the 4x Merchant Item Rarity and 6x Loot Rarity. It can get a little rediculous with some of the boss chests though so if it becomes too laughable feel free to experiment.

Reduced Gold Rewards for Quests: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/9985
Does exactly what it says. No more retirement fund after collecting 5 rabbit hides.

Skytweak: https://mega.nz/file/QAY2VTiA#9qS2tdN-eM2oriAYtkbKKMbAxa7Xa7AgmO4TMVADSbQ
People forget that this mod works in SE. Be warned though that it won't work with FISS. It adds a lot of sliders to tweak and you're going to want to experiment to see what works best with you. What I always do is use it to reduce the carry weight from 300 to 50. That may seem extremely low to you but with all the backpacks and pouch mods you should be able to manage just fine. I would also set your max pickpocket chance to 99% or 100% and under Tweaks hit Illusion Scale Target Level so your illusion spells have more use. Also set AI Dodge Chance to 0 in the NPC tab.

Trade and Barter: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/23081
I have some issues with some of this guy's mods but this one is a real winner. It lets you adjust buying and selling items even in individual holds. I set the fBarterMax to 7.5 and the fBarterMin to 3.5 and usually leave it at that but you can change a whole lot more to make the economy really vibrant. If I ever end up going hard I might post more adjustments to make.

Honed Metal: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/12885
Honed Metal lets you hire the blacksmiths and enchanters of Skyrim to perform their jobs for you. It's not super cheap either so you still have an incentive to use the enchanting and smithing perks. Using the MCM you can also add modded blacksmiths so there's no reason to not get this mod.

Item Durability: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/42544
Hey remember in Morrowind and Oblivion how your items would degrade over time? Well now that feature is back and it's not tied to a bugged out the ass mod. Do make sure you toggle NPC durability in the ini though so the NPCs can fuck up their weapons too. This pairs really nicely with Honed Metal making you need to come back to the blacksmith for repairs.

Upgraded Items in World Spaces and Interiors: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/59700
Sick of using that pesky old Loot and Degradation? Here's the best feature of that mod standalone and without all the horseshit! Pairs amazingly with Item Durability to recreate Loot and Degradation but better!

Investment Price Config: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/18073
This will let you adjust a lot of the prices in game but I just set the universal setting to 5x. This makes a horse a costly investment early on while still being feasible and it makes owning a house something that takes significantly more work.

Realistic Room Rental: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/24859
Renting a room will now actually cost a little bit of money. Pairs really well with survival mods too.

Immersive Jewelry: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/5336
So this mod is very controversial for it's changes to the game. It adds weight to a lot of items and makes some things heavy. It also makes a lot of price changes. Read the description and decide for yourself if it's right for you. This doesn't have the issue of a lot of other "immersive" compilations where the mods are all horridly out of date. Grab the summermyst patch: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/30463 and for Morrowloot: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/45674

Exchange Currency: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/491
This gives you a place to sell off all those weighty septims and turn them into paper notes.

Higher Bounties for Crimes: https://mega.nz/file/ZUBCHDoY#Jm7gHbeA2XQLUkvqqtEW3ljCRmKPfAwnJ7nURBpEONk
No more minor fee for murdering half of Whiterun or stealing the tavern owner's daughter's ring and virginity.

Follower/NPC Mods

With all the tweaks we're making to gameplay and the economy we should really have some followers in our party. Ya know like how tabletop games have party systems!

Relationship Dialogue Overhaul: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1187
This won't actually add any followers but it will makes your generic followers talk about more than needing to carry your burdens all the time.

Extensible Follower Framework: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/7003
My favorite follower framework. Nether's framework is pretty nice too but I've been using EFF forever and I am stick in my ways.

Immersive World Encounters: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/18330
Adds even more world encounters including new followers in quests. I used this mod way back in the day and thought it was just an inferior Extended Encounters but it really has grown into something more!

Follower Goes On a Trip: https://www.loverslab.com/files/file/16087-follower-goes-on-a-trip/
Don't let the loverslab link fool you this isn't a sex mod. This actually allows you to send followers you meet to go off on their own adventures and complete their own bounties. They can even get captured if they fail those bounties needing you to rescue them! It's really cool to find a follower of yours out in the world wandering and join them on their own adventure for a change!

True Meeko: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/12193
The only vanilla follower I am touching and it's the best boy! Love Meeko and hug Meeko! Meeko is the best boy! I like the one that makes him into Ghost from A Song of Ice and Fire!

Inigo: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1461
Inigo is a Khajiit follower with decent voice acting and a lot of world interactions. He's really overrated but I still love him.

Lucien: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/20035
I hate British people but the quests in this mod make this little shit worth a download.

Brhuce Hammar: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/47605
To Brhuce you are his follower. He's an all powerful Telvanni train wizard with his own quests he'll take you along on and a bunch of world interactions. He's insanely goofy and a little lore breaking but he's fun and you should try him out. Also if you stretch the definitions he might also be canon now so wrap your head around that one.

Arissa the Wandering Rouge: https://mega.nz/file/dNZmyRYb#_al7urpAjoiq7Mpncupuvf0fORZvf5Xe4bOr5ec6Sy4

Arissa is pretty alright as far as nexus waifus go. She has a short introduction quest and some interesting mechanics to her. Her voice acting isn't grating and Chesko knows how to not go too far with his writing. She's the only nexus waifu I am going to be recommending on this list.

Cutting Room Floor: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/276
Cutting Room Floor adds back a lot of cut content to the game including a ton of NPCs. You probably already have this mod but in case you don't here it is!

Diverse Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/7707
Makes the many groups of Skyrim have more diversity in their races. Occasionally you'll see a Khajiit vampire or a Nord mage. Really nice to see the Legions actually comprised of every race and not just Cyrodiils.

Interesting NPCs: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/29194
3DNPCs is a mixed bag but it adds a ton of new dialogue, quests and followers to the game. And I think you can kill any ones you don't like so that's pretty cool.

Citizens of Tamriel: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/29069
Citizens of Tamriel is another big NPC pack but this time with a much higher bar of quality. Instead of every NPC telling you their backstory each encounter feels more situational. The lazy Argonian fishing will talk to you about fishing and not how his divorce settlement is going.

Inconsequential NPCs: https://mega.nz/file/QMZgzZRZ#8aKHOhhNoBEZD2JoCShaAPcOn6_Uri5nz06zAUHtscA
This adds a ton of NPCs that don't give a shit about what you're doing and adds a bunch of fences for thief characters!

Bandit Line Expansion: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/63733
Bandits will now talk about their latest raping and pillaging. Immersive!

Immersive Rejections: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/67930
Take the black pill Jimmy!

Sleeping Expanded: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/59250
Waking up the Jarl at 3AM now has consequences asshole!

Building Bridges: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/67033
The only good multiplayer mod for Skyrim that allows you to add Dank Souls style messages around the vanilla and modded world-spaces! Performance is disturbingly good! Try out the texture replacer by Vicn too: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/67490

/tesg/ followers: https://www.tesgeneral.com/sse-community
A ton of custom made original characters by a bunch of contributors. From alcoholic guards to semi-divine specters there's something for everybody here. I recommend you merge whatever you decide to download instead of trying to esl-ify since a lot of these add new cells and whatnot to the game. My personal favorites are Andromeda, Garm the Husky, Cira, Bonapart, Wzaleff, the Ebony Wizard, Sackman, Bee-V, Snakestone, and Faust. Oh and consider my follower Lorekeeper! It's a mixed bag converting these to SE and if a link is broken contact me on one of the discords because I have most backed up!

General Gameplay Mods

Let's go into some general gameplay fixes that don't really fit into a specific gameplay style or class

RUASLEEP: https://mega.nz/folder/n5lmhSJY#Y9EmnIfYM99zXk_kjAhccQ
Now I already assume you have USLEEP installed and if you hate how that mod prevents a lot of exploits that were just plain fun to mess around with this is the fix for you! Alchemy Enchanting loop is back. If you had to purposefully break the game this adds all those "features" back. Fuck balance Skyrim modding needs to leave that concept behind!

Realm of Lorkhan: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/18223
Great Alternate Start mod for those wanting some nice scenery to configure their mods in game! Use this or Skyrim Unbound!

Skyrim Unbound: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/27962
The best Alternate Start mod with tons of options and a slight tweak to the main quest to make it actually play to Skyrim's strengths. If you choose to be Dragonborn (which is an option in the MCM) you have to slay a Dragon which if you're using the dragon overhauls I've listed you'll find quite challenging. Use this or Realm of Lorkhan!

Lost Races of Aetherius: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/69467
The best new race mod these days. There's plenty of other ones and creating your own isn't too difficult but this is a good starting point!

Ordinator: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1137
This is THE perk overhaul mod. There are some alternatives these days but many of them lack the fun of picking your perks like a good tabletop RPG. But you might prefer something else and that won't conflict with anything else on this list so go nuts.

Imperious: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1315
This changes the racial bonuses to be more interesting and adds a race exclusive quest for whatever you choose to be. There's a number of alternatives but I love Imperious the best and I think it really makes your race feel distinct.

Andromeda: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/14910
Makes your doomstone actually change how you play the game with new bonuses. On top of this it encourages you to go out and discover all of the Doomstones throughout Skyrim to get a special 3rd bonus for every single doomstone. Alternatives exist for this one too but I love this one for just how unique every bonus is.

Experience: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/17751
A bit of a strange overhaul this makes it so instead of gaining level up experience by training your skills you gain it by killing enemies and doing quests, reading books and exploring the world. I would suggest you enable killing in the ini.

Wintersun: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/22506
Wintersun adds a whole new gameplay system to worry about in the form of religion. Now if your champion of Stendarr rapes and murders and entire village of puppies your god will abandon you. However if your gallant knight of the nine does enough good deeds he'll be able to use his divine favor to rally other's to his cause. There is a god for any character good or bad to follow. Sadly no atheist option for the fedora tippers but I suppose you could just not pick a god if you're so inclined.

Enemy (R)Evolution of Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/37228
Found out about this once recently it's pretty much ASIS from LE overhauled. Now enemies will have modded spells and shouts. Seriously awesome with a ton of compatibility patches and no bullshit patcher to run every time I switch out a mod. Toggle off the potions for this mod because I have another mod that handles that.

Smart NPC Potions - Enemies Use Potions and Poisons: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/40102
Does exactly what it says it does.

TheSkulled's Food Overhaul: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/45890A boost to the effects of cooking in Skyrim making effects stronger and last longer. Super lightweight too!

More Dialogue Options: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/28905
This mod allows you to customize your penis... wait no that's something else

Misc Dialogue Edits: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/28904
I'll let you take a wild guess as to what this one does.

More to Say: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/22622
Every dialogue tree in your game is going to look like a high level character in Morrowind, which is good!

Go to Bed: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/4224
Bedtime motherfucker!

Conditional Expressions: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/45148
Makes your face move depending on what's going on!

Quest Edits

Quest editing mods are mods that will add to the various vanilla quests of Skyrim. Sometimes these add branching paths or new solutions to problems. I recommend you all check these out!

Collecting the Edda: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/52081
I'm not super familiar with Bard mods since I've never tried to play a Bard in Skyrim (thus why there's no bard section to the guide). But this fixes the Bard's college quest to have it's deleted final quest-line.

Paarthurnax - Quest Expansion: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/51711
This allows the player to choose not to kill the friendly Mario Dragon and still run the samurai role-play club. Better than the Arthmoor version too!

Nilheim - Misc Quest Expansion: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/53792
Small tweak to a small quest you can run into in the wild allowing for multiple outcomes!

House of Horrors - Quest Expansion: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/57285
Overhauls the House of Horrors questline to have a much more engaging alternate ending with a new follower. Oh and it's fully voiced which is awesome!

The Only Cure - Quest Expansion: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/57683
Adds a bunch of new branching paths to the taskmaster's questline allowing the player to destroy Peryite's shrine and all his followers. All fully voiced too! Oh and it makes a Nazeem joke which is cute.

Caught Red Handed - Quest Expansion: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/65708
Side with the hooker in the brothel side quest in Riften!

Finding Susanna Alive, Finding Helgi... and Laelette - A Laid to Rest Overhaul, Finding Derkeethus
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/32512 / https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/28973 / https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/19550
There 4 mods overhaul some random quests around Skyrim. There's another mod in this series called Finding Velehk Sain but there's already an overhaul of that mod in Immersive College of Winterhold that will conflict.

At Your Own Pace: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/52704
Finally a mod that overhauls the main quest without being way too fucking slow or bloated. If Extended Cut actually releases this mod will be kinda pointless but for now this is a great overhaul of the Main Quest, the College, and the Bards College. DON'T get the Thieves Guild plugin though we already have a mod for that.

The Choice is Yours: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3850
I've used this mod on and off for a while. It really just makes it possible to tell some quests to fuck off if you're not interested. Very helpful.

Timing is Everything: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/25464
Similar to the above mod this one allows you to change when certain quests like Dawnguard and Dragonborn start. Personally I like to have Dragonborn start after you defeat Alduin and have Dawnguard start at a much later level so the boss fights are rewarding.

Penitus Oculatus: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/21061
Are you more into murder for the Government? Here's a mod that overhauls the underwhelming alternative questline to the Dark Brotherhood allowing you to kill all the brotherhood members!

Conflict Under the Crescent - A Companions and Silver Hand Mod: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/45103?
Overhauls the Companions guild by adding a whole new Silver Hand guild for the player to kill the werewolves with! Slay those filthy dogs!

Thieves Guild Requirements: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/33256
This will make the thieves guild questline not only not start the moment you walk into Riften but also require you to actually have to skills to even join let alone advance in the guild. Bigdick Thunderthighs can't join the guild with his skills only in heavy armor and pissing louder than a commercial fryer! Oh and you can finally buy the famous falmer blood elixer!

Environmental Overhauls

These mods are for adding that extra bit of atmosphere to the actual worldspace of Skyrim itself. They might add new dungeons, trees, ancient monsters. It's basically anything goes that wasn't already in my Creation Club guide.

The Cut Content Restoration Series: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/users/6574302
This is a recent series focusing on restoring cut content to Skyrim in a more respectful way than the more famous Cutting Room Floor. I recommend you still use that mod but this is a good idea of what Arthmoor left out of that mod.

Thirteen Orange's Collection: https://mega.nz/file/80hDiSII#7BJdSX6PNTdMiou0kuQ4O5UV4D-6hky7s9jI8VdR5nc
Thirteen Oranges has created a number of amazing mods in the past that fit seemlessly into Skyrim's world. Personally I recommend you try: The Realms of Daedra, No Mercy, Sea of Ghosts, Sorcery, Bigger They Are, and Fit Figher. Also consider Oakwood and Laintar Dale at least until a better version of those locations is created for Skyrim.

Skyrim Sewers: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/9320
Skyrim Sewers is an old classic that adds Sewers to the larger holds of Skyrim. They come with their own artifacts and lore including a picture book depicting the conception of Reman Cyrodiil (If you know, you know). A great time for anyone who wants a true dungeon added to Skyrim!

Solstheim - The Lost Levels: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/55148
Long ago one modder attempted to recreate all of Solstheim in the Skyrim engine. However Bethesda beat him to the punch and the missing locations that modder had completed were integrated into the new Dragonborn DLC here. A great mod that I always keep in my load order when exploring the Northern Reaches of Morrowind!

Falmeroon - Legacy of the Snow Elves: https://mega.nz/file/MEQWTLgR#0_wuoIfiCJ0o0dsraL7cjiIrA8XTXQnRO-FuQW9xjaE
Ever Notice that Skyrim was completely lacking in any snow elf ruins outside of the Dawnguard DLC? This mod fixes that by adding a number of new ruins around Skyrim with their own loot and an unmarked small quest!

The Marshlands: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/23062
Ever feel like the marshes of Morthal weren't marshy and mysterious enough? This mod has you covered buddy!

Oblivion Gates: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/50933
No not the Arthmoor garbage. This mod adds a couple of tasteful Oblivion gate ruins around Skyrim to be discovered.

Dark Anchors: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/51010
Christ guys haven't I made it clear I hate Arthmoor and we aren't using his version?! This adds Dark Anchors tastefully around in places they might realistically have still been after thousands of years. Pretty cool for the wandering archeologist!

Inferno - Envoys of End: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/37497
This is a boss fight mod that adds several almost unkillable bosses around Skyrim. They are terrifyingly hard to fight! Do not install this mod with a low leveled character! These are for Garthbad God Slayer to fight. Seriously encountering one of these creatures feels like a Lovecraft story unfolding in game real time!

Maelstrom: https://www.loverslab.com/topic/172299-maelstrom-norse-dungeon-quest-mod-se/
A small norse dungeon that has some really nice puzzles. Not really sure where else to put this one but I want to recommend it.

Heimfeigr: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/47844
Another Nord dungeon. This one just being nicely crafted. IDK check it out or something.

Dungeons - Revisited: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/51798
Overhauls a number of dungeons from the base game of Skyrim to be more branching and interesting. I really hope this guy touches more one of these days because his work is pretty great!

Lux Via: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/63588
From the creator of the Lux lighting overhaul comes a roadside overhaul that adds a ton of new shrines and small details across Skyrim. It's really good and looks amazing with the Lux lighting. GGUnit also is determined to make a million patches for everything so most mods you use will get a patch!

Depths of Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/26913
A much needed overhaul of the seas of Skyrim!

The Blackest Reaches: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/21280
Once you go black you never go back!

Seasons Subsection

So the recent seasons overhaul was created and it has a ton of add-ons coming out every day so rather than lump all those into the Environmental section I'll give it their own section.

Seasons of Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/62861
This is the framework that adds seasonal model changes to Skyrim. It's a game changer for those who like to wander Skyrim and I love it to death.

Seasons of Skyrim - Remove Unwanted Grass: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/63476
Removes grass in winter seasons that isn't fitting.

Seasons of Skyrim - SMIM Patch: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/63475
Patch for SMIM meshes

Shrubs of Snow: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/63463
Adds some snowy shrubs in the winter

Seasonal Aspen Trees: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/63641
Simply amazing aspen overhaul using the seasons to change the colors of the trees in Riften!

Turn of the Season: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/63623
Adds more distinct seasons using the Seasons of Skyrim framework like ice in the rivers and other shit. It's pretty nice.

Seasonal Alchemy: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/63969
Makes it so some plants only grow in certain seasons. Might be annoying for someone who's autistic about ingredient gathering.

Seasonal Wildlife: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/63700
Makes the wildlife around Skyrim change depending on the season.

Werewolves and Vampires

These should only be used if you're going to be a vampire or a werewolf. Otherwise skip this section it's a waste of esp slots.

Sacrosanct: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3928Now I know that everyone plays the game as a vampire and that's fine. Grab this mod anyways though because we've got another mod that'll add it's spells to the vampires you fight around Skyrim.

Growl: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/31245
Growl changes werewolves and how they work. Now you don't have to join the Fighters Guild to become a werewolf. Also you can become a werebear now! Don't play a werewolf? Get this anyways because the next mod uses it for NPCs.

Combat/Warrior Mods

We're you born under the sign of the warrior Shor Son of Shor? These mods will overhaul your combat abilities and improve the gameplay in general.

Ultimate Combat: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/17196
The best overhaul to combat in my opinion. This makes your enemies not act brain-dead and use tactics when approaching you. A bunch of other changes are added too this is honestly the best starting point for fixing Skyrim's combat. Toggle Hardcore Damage and Hardcore stealth in the MCM too.

Ultimate Dragons: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/26374
Overhauls the dragons just like Ultimate Combat. Makes them actually an accomplishment to kill and a challenge to fight.

Headhunter: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/51847
This changes bounties to have new ways of competing them. You can spare a bandit leader and allow them to rot in a cell. You can tell a giant his feet stink and he has to go away. Oh and you get to carry around a fucking dragon skull on your back like a fucking badass.

Missives: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/17576
My personal flavor of radiant quest overhaul. Adds a board in every town that'll let you pick from a handful of small radiant quests. Uses the system better than Todd ever did. Feel free to try Notice Board too!

Loki's Wade in Water: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/42854
Water slows you down slightly. The mere definition of immersive.

Methodical Animation Remix: https://www.mediafire.com/file/5krh5oiv4guzvkj/Methodical_Animation_Remix_v0.1.zip/file
A compilation of the best animations for ABR by a kind anon on /tesg/. Combat animations feel nice and fluid.

Custom Skills - Hand To Hand: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/46425
Adds back in the Hand to Hand skill with it's own perk tree!

Custom Skills - Unarmored Defenses: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/52725
Adds back in the Unarmored skill with it's own perk tree!

Civil War Aftermath: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3484
This is really the only overhaul of the Civil War that's worth installing. It fixes the radiant quests so now when you raid the camps of your enemies you can actually finish the job and burn down their camp.

Thunderchild: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1460
This will overhaul the graybeards and actually make the player feel like they're learning an ancient art only mastered by diligent monks and the most valorous of warriors. Plus with Enemy (R) Evolution certain enemies will have shouts now too!

Immersive Fort Dawnguard: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/40436
Dawnguard as a quest-line doesn't really need much touching up but this just adds more to do at the titular fort.

Destructable Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/28291
Guts Berserk smash table!

Magic/Alchemy Mods

Have you chosen the path of a wielder of magic? Were you born under the stars? Do you seek the secrets of aetherius? Here is the section for you!

Skyrim Alchemy Fixes: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2262
This tweaks alchemy without going too overboard. Now elixirs last longer, crafted potions are better, and your dick can get hard again!

Harvest Overhaul: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2398
Now when you harvest a bush of flowers you'll actually get a bush of flower instead of a single flower. It'll even scale to your level!

Apocalypse: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1090
THE big magic overhaul to Skyrim. Adds a metric ton of spells for you to enjoy and play around with!

Summermyst: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/6285
This will overhaul enchanting in Skyrim to add way more effects!

Arcanum: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/23488
Colorful magic was another really fun option but it always bugged me how it had zero regard for the lore of the Elder Scrolls. Well one dude on /tesg/ realized this too and created Arcanum which adds hundreds of fun and overpowered spells to experiment with and boss fights to contend with. It's like Colorful Magic only better!

Immersive College of Winterhold: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/17004
The college of Winterhold sucks ass in the base game and there's no mods to truly fix that deeply broken questline. This does it's better allowing you to instate your own Arch Mage and college the artifacts of the missing students. It's a step in the right direction but nothing can fix this questline.

Undeath: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/6180
Are you more of a negromancer and don't care for those sissy mages in Winterhold? Here's a mod that let's you become an immortal lich! Or destroy the necromancers if that's more your style.

Assassin/Thief Mods

Woe unto you dark one I have the mods you seek. Do you kill and steal for a living? Here's what I have for you. You might notice this section is shorter than the others and that's because thievery and murder was already done pretty well in Skyrim!

Better Stealing: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/32295
Now cheap items you find around town won't be marked as stolen when you try to sell them in a store.

Critters Ain't Snitches: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/15134
Makes it so the local chicken doesn't see you beating your kids and call CPS on your ass.

Thieves Guild Former Glory Enhancement: https://mega.nz/file/McJU3BRb#NpkQk4qSkagqO9QqCFSVTB5dZdJv5fbx3Ey4r0GQSwA
Neat little mod that lets you fill the Guild vault back up. Not particularly useful, but nice for aesthetics and roleplaying.

Higher Bounties for Crimes: https://mega.nz/file/ZUBCHDoY#Jm7gHbeA2XQLUkvqqtEW3ljCRmKPfAwnJ7nURBpEONk
Makes it more costly to rape and murder an entire village.

Destructible Display Cases: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/13625
New ways to unlock display cases.

Take a Peak - New Stealth Mechanic: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/66908
I can almost smell her panties from here!

Fast Travel Mods

I swap around my survival mods too much to feel comfortable recommending what to use and what not to use in regards to them.

Touring Carriages: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/15948
You now physically ride carriages around Skyrim instead of just teleporting. This is a great mod to use to just sit back and relax while listening to an audiobook or writing a guide on how to fix specific aspects of Skyrim for the people on 4chan.

Transportato Real Time Ships and Trains: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/42345Inspired by abot's Morrowind fast travel overhauls this mod adds Ships and Trains that will dynamically move around your Skyrim world. And if you're wondering if Trains are "lore-friendly" I want to remind you that you have Milk Mod Economy installed. I didn't even tell you to install that one you freak. So stop asking about "lore-friendlyness" and go wash your hands.

Skyrim's Paraglider: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/53256
The most fun I've had in Skyrim in years. A must have mod for me. It is broken as hell though so be warned.

Travel by Boat: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/13702
Skyrim's rivers were never made to be traveled in however this mod does its best to make up for the difference. If the river is too messed up to do real time travel the game will instead give you a small choose your own adventure system. It's not perfect but this is probably the best boat fast travel mod.

Boss Fight Overhauls

Skyrim's bosses leave a lot to be desired and unfortunately boss overhauls are a rare sight. Ultimate Dragons was a good start but we can fix a few of the other bosses and add a couple others.

World Eater Beater: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/60778
So this is the big famous one that turns Alduin's boss fight into a JRPG multi phase battle. Trainwiz did a great job and I recommend using it. Most of the jank from the previous LE version has been fixed but if you have issues you can just use and drop it when you want to fight Alduin.

TsunDal - A Tsun Bossfight Overhaul: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/59661
Tsun is the Guardian God of the Nords who gave his life in the creation of Mundus. You'll remember him as the dude who you fought on that whale bridge in the main quest. This is an overhaul that allows you to summon him once you've beaten him and get a bear mount. It's really cool so go check it out!

Ghosts of Akavir: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/61171
Another mod by the author of TsunDal this time adding some Akavir bosses to fight. Another great addition to any weeb's load order! (This mod also has a follower version that adds some generic Samurai Followers. If that sounds like your cup of tea use that version instead)

G.R.I.M: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/41816
You might not remember the Reaper bossfight as it's kind of a pain in the ass for very little payoff. This overhaul adds a whole new subrealm of Oblivion to that Bossfight with several phases and spells. it's by Slimesire and Noptasis who are both highly recommended mod authors. Check it out.

User Interface

Skyrim's user interface needs some work. I assume you already use SkyUI but this is going to go a bit more in depth

Achievements Mod Enabler: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/245
Allows you to get achievements with mods installed on Steam. Not essential by any means but if you're an achievement whore this is your mod.

MCM Recorder: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/61719
This is the greatest MCM add-on ever made for hardcore modders. I have listed a metric fuck-ton of tweaks for your game that require a ton of MCM changes. This allows you to save whatever you did and get it done fast and simple. Also the creator of this mod has some great tutorials on Skyrim Scripting and I adore her work. Great stuff!

Sovngarde - A Nordic Font: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/386
Certainly not for everyone but I really enjoy the Sovngarde font mod. It's worth your time if you're sick of the base game Furtura font.

CoMAP: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/56123
A map marker overhaul that adds a bunch of new map markers using SKSE. Honestly this mod needs to become standard it is a really small but great tweak to the game! And it just works with a bunch of mods adding things like Minortaur camp icons and custom sigils for Cities like Bruma.

JS Lockpicking: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/22160
Sexy lock overhaul for your picks and Skeleton Key.

Security Overhaul SKSE - Lock Variations: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/58224
Contextual lock overlays. Whether you're fingering a squid pussy or entering a dwemer ruin you'll have custom looking locks!

Security Overhaul SKSE - Add-ons: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/59529
A few more context based lock variations including some for mods like Aylied Ruins and Coldharbor!

Security Overhaul SKSE - Regional Locks: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/62781
Even more context based locks for your pleasure!

TrueHUD: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/62775
This best HUD additions mod out there right now allowing you to customize layout and effects to your hearts content. I use the preset that looks like Morrowind with auto fading but it's all up to you with this one. Also funny meme Dark Souls floating and boss health bars.

Immersive HUD: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/12440
Toggle button for your compass. Really nice for screenshots! Make sure you check on force fade in TrueHUD if you use the two because otherwise things get a bit messy. They work together just fine thought.

Contextual Crosshair: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/63980
Fades the crosshair when it's not needed. Helpful for screenshots!

Better Third Person Selection: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/64339
Less fucked third person selection options allowing you to pick up nearby items without bending your camera around awkwardly.

Skyrim Souls: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/27859
Unpaused game menus. The name is retarded but the concept might be fun for some people.

Quick Loot: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/21085
Adds the fallout quick looting system. It's become one of my most necessary mods for any playthrough!

Detection Meter: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/63057
Ubisoft style stealth indicators. Sadly no metal gear spotted effects.

Oxygen Meter: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/57452
Why wasn't this in the base game?!

Custom Skills Menu: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/62423
Adds a custom menu for custom skills so you don't have to jerk off at a shrine or with your inventory. It just werks. Make sure you follow the guide for Vicn skills to get them to work!

AddItemMenu: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/17563
Best cheat menu for adding shit to your inventory.

Jaxonz Named Save: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/48834
Named hard saves with it's own keybind. One of the most underappreciated mods out there.

Outlander UI: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/53752
A retexture by some dude on the threads that I really liked.

Oblivion Interaction Icons: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/52743
Adds new interaction icons when you hover over something!

TESG Loadscreen Replacer: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/5794
One of the times that the community came together and finished a project this is a great example of the community and really adds an extra bit of flare to your game.

TESG Menu Replacer: https://mega.nz/file/xUhHmILS#Kvjjrt29luUAYeM6Y-WZnXSt3jdyNwWo94omGwkY8Ac
My own mod that replaces the menu of Skyrim with the crappy tesg logo and some CHOICE music by Bee! Recently updated with a new background, cursor and menu sounds! Enjoy!

Menu Maid 2: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/67556
Disable unused MCM menus

For my guide on Armor and Weapons check out: https://rentry.co/66gvs

For my guide on Alternatives to the Creation Club and Beyond Skyrim check out: https://rentry.co/g2n6k

For some great general recommendations check out: https://www.tesgeneral.com/

For a more guided Skyrim modlist check out: http://squiggumsguides.wikidot.com/

For a list of amazing town mods that I use myself: https://rentry.co/xr22w

For a list of amazing creature mods that I use myself: https://pastebin.com/RjHfTt4S

For sex mods of the vanilla and beastial check out: https://rentry.co/vgxyh

For an alternative to this guide check out: https://rentry.co/6wfys

For a great combat guide I started using recently myself head to: https://rentry.co/smpbi

To do list:

  • Add LE links to appropriate sections
Edit
Pub: 21 Jul 2021 05:13 UTC
Edit: 21 Jun 2022 21:51 UTC
Views: 10481