Did you know that somewhere around 10% of Skyrim players who play on PC will never use mods?
That's a pretty strange statistic, given that lots of people buy Skyrim on PC specifically to create, use and experience a modded version of the game. Why the small number of people using mods? I think one reason is that people are basically frightened to death by the whole process of adding mods into the game. People worry that adding mods will make their game unstable or glitchy. And not without some justification, because its definitely true that mods can screw up a game installation....
So why not just turn to the forums or websites for some friendly advice? Well, thats where it starts to get interesting. Because anyone who has ever asked some beginner questions on the Official Bethesda Forums has almost certainly ended up being made to regret it! Expect to be derided, called a 'noob', directed to arcane 'user guides' and generally be treated in a way that hinders more than helps!
This is where our new Tuesday feature 'Adventures in Modded Skyrim' comes in. It's a step-by-step guide to adding mods into Skyrim in a way that maintains stability and adds massively to playability.
My starting point is that I currently have zero mods installed in the game - apart from Dawnguard (and the Hi-Res Texture Pack that Steam downloaded along with Dawnguard). I'm going to start modding up my game bit-by-bit, carefully adding features to enhance my experience in Skyrim. And I'm going to journal my experiences - for good and ill - as I do so. This will be 'Adventures in Modded Skyrim'.
I hope this will interesting not only for the 35% of site members who play on PC, but also interesting and entertaining for the rest of you too. I did a similar journal about my Oblivion modding experiences on another site, and it seemed be quite well received.
I'm going to be starting with this project later this week, and the in-game journals - peppered with screenshots, and maybe even videos (if I figure out how!) - will be coming along every Tuesday as part of our weekly cycle of features on The Skyrim Blog
Meanwhile if any of our members have questions, comments, or would like me to take a look at any particular mods or tools, then please mention them here and I'll add them to my list.
Comments
In other words, for the mod to work, you need to start a new game. ex... more
I'll be sure to follow this, do you have a link to your previous oblivion modding blog? I think it'd make an interesting read
Let's not get too ahead of ourselves though. This will be a series that will start from the very basics. It will be a long time before we start using advanced tools like Wrye Bash or installing tons of co... more
Nexus Mod Manager (as already mentioned) - helps you keep your installs clean
BOSS - keeps your load order compatible
Wrye Bash - helps merge changes to mods and otherwise improv... more
Any decent ENB
Immersive Armors
Bellyaches Animal and Creature Pack
Claralux
Deadly Dragons
Enhanced Blood Textures
Realistic Ragdolls and Force
Skyrim HD 2K Textures
The Dance of Death
Weapons ... more
Realistic Map + Roads - really helps getting around without fast travel
IceBreaker's Improved Reverb - adds ALOT of atmosphere to tight spaces like canyons and caves
Realistic Lig... more