Just bought The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Legendary Edition for less than seven quid purely as I have nothing much to play at the moment, nothing new anyway. I have played Skyrim before when it first came out and found it a little boring but thought I will give it another go. I have also downloaded the free high res addition and wondered if there were any really essential mods out there. There seems many to choose from so looking for personal experiences.
Have a look here. It should all still be relevant. Saw this the other day but haven't actually tried it so not sure if it's any good, it did look interesting though. http://www.pcgamer.com/2014/09/07/mod-of-the-week-legendary-cities-for-skyrim/ edit: thought i'd add the first time I play Skyrim I found it pretty dull. Then I went back afterwards and made myself play it and ended up enjoying it.
http://wiki.step-project.com/STEP:Guide Spend a few hours (sadly it really is that long) going through that list and pick the ones you like the look of (which should be most of them). I think I have about 60-80 mods from there installed, plus one or two others, and I haven't had a single crash yet. It is a long process though, I loaded a new game every 5 mods or so to make sure that it wasn't an instant CTD.
Personally, I whacked Requiem on it (plus the recommended unofficial patches and SkyUI) and am playing that. It makes it tougher and more realistic but doesn't really change the core game in any way - I'm enjoying it much more than I did vanilla (which I got bored of and gave up). With this, you have to be really careful about where you go and what you do - you can't just wander off into the wilderness and assume you'll make it. If you come across the wrong enemy, you've had it. My plan is to do this playthrough, and then potentially make some bigger changes further down the line once I've properly experienced the core game.
Firstly, get the Nexus Mod Manager & BOSS cos it helps with sort orders and troubleshooting crashes is a time-saver. Essential ones: Sounds of Skyrim (each location) -- add a hell of a lot more immersion and "natural" exploration sounds Birds of Skyrim (it's surprising how little additions like flocks help you feel like you're truly there) SMIM (Static mesh improvements - many models are fixed and improved quality) SkyUI (beats the vanilla menu system 100%. It's sortable too, great!) Unofficial patch (fixes many non-patched bugs) Improved followers + improved horses (extra follower commands, better pathing, give commands like what weapons/spells to use, follow me quietly / go in loud etc) WATER (better looking water) Enhanced distant terrain (boosts meshes at long distance) Useful and lore-friendly ones I'd recommend: Backpacks (they look fab, also incredibly useful for carrying loot. Slightly OP in terms of capacity but very fun for traders) Cloaks (they look great too, makes looking for a specific clothing item a nice little diversion. Considering you'll be looking at their backside most the time they're a good accessory. Plus, equip your followers in matching cloaks ). Alternate start - live another life (really good for roleplay. start in different location like shipwrecked, imprisoned etc). Better dynamic snow (don't get caught in the snow!) You'll need to install SKSE (script extender) for a few of the more complex mods. Some of the graphics ones are nice (Vurts flora, more grass, the 2k textures packs) but you can spend more time figuring out performance tweaks than actually enjoying the game. Avoid most of the "realistic" effects, some ENBs, or total lighting overhauls cos they usually achieve the opposite and ramp up the lighting or particle effects / make darkness unplayable. I'd NOT recommend Moonpath to Elseweyr despite glowing reviews. Terrible voice acting and script which are an awful let down. If you have all the DLCs anyway then you'll get far more out of the official expansions. A more comprehensive list here: http://www.reddit.com/r/skyrim/comments/1ikhrs/the_list_of_the_best_must_have_mods_for_skyrim/
