Greetings and welcome Adventurers! This is Duvain's Mod Tavern, take a seat, relax and enjoy yourselves before you venture out in the vast world once again.
But, before we begin have some music, what kind of tavern would this be without music! - Wild Boar Inn , TSFH - Impossible , WoW - Nightsong , GW2 - Fear Not This Night , Seaside Tavern , Dragon's Lair , Winterspell.
During my Skyrim gaming experience I can say that I have used a good amount of mods and thought to share some of the mods I use for my Adventurous type of characters and if in the process this helps people to improve their gaming experience due to some mods they didn't try or hesitated to try before and saw here then that would be mission accomplished! I play on what is called oldrim but I will also take in consideration people that play on Skyrim SE and I will also look out for people that play on console but this will be new territory for me because I 've never played on console so I won't promise much in this one.
That being said this will be a list of mods that aim to improve the feeling of the game and the world making it a great fanstasy adventurous journey for the player. It will also include some alternatives for people with lower end PCs and a bit of general "this and that" regarding mods, I 'm still not entirely sure how much I will expand it. :P
So I will list mods I use and mods I have used before and also give a brief description on them and maybe some advice regarding compatibility or immersion and other related stuff.
Also it would be great for people to say their experiences in the comments with these mods or suggest other mods I have not included here when the post is out of the workshop and goes to the modder's conclave.
Keep in mind that this is not a general mod suggestion but it will include mostly the mods I use or have used and my aim with mods is Fantasy and what the community calls Immersion!
Essentials - These will be needed due to importance and for mods to function as well.
Nexus Mod Manager (NMM) - The tool needed in order to download and install mods.
Mod Organizer (MO) - Another tool to download and install mods it has a bit more customization compared to the NMM. Gopher had some video tutorials on MO but I 'm not sure if they are outdated, still they should offer a good starting point with it for the user. There is a version for SE but I don't know if it stable so I will not include it here but you can find it at the SE nexus.
SKSE - Skyrim Script Extender and enable the memory patch from Sheson - Video Tutorial
SKSE Memory Patch by Sheson - Video Guide , not sure if this is needed for SSE (will check and update accordingly)
Load Order optimization Tool (LOOT) - This will optimize the load order of the mods which is crucial for a stable and healthy game and also check for things like errors, incompatibilities etc.
Wrye Bash - We need this to create the famous Bashed Patch. What this does: When you install different mods with plugins that alter the leveled lists, Skyrim will only recognize the changes made by the last loaded plugin and wrye bash will help to create a patch that will merge the leveled lists of the mods together. The following links show how to a bashed patch. Video 1 , Video for MO , Installation guide through Images
TES5Edit - This is a tool used to remove dirty edits in the base game of Skyrim and DLCs and in mods. Be warned though that some mods require these dirty edits in order to function. Personally I haven't used it much but it is one of the basic tools for Skyrim so it is included here.
S.T.E.P Project Wiki - A great place to get information on how to do correctly and optimize your gaming and modding experience.
Skyrim.ini / SkyrimPrefs.ini Tweaks - Will be added at a later date.
Textures - Only big "main" mods will be listed
Noble Skyrim HD - HD retexture of Skyrim the "cleanest" one I 've used so far. It is for oldrim and there is also SSE version.
Static Mesh Improvement - SMIM - A great mod making Skyrim's 3D models they way they should be this has never left my mod list! There is a patch for using SMIM and Noble Skyrim at the Noble Skyrim's mod page download section
Enhanced Vanilla Trees - Makes the Trees look much better.
A Quality World Map and Solstheim map - With Roads - Really nice map retexture especially the Vivid version, it is also available for SSE.
Realistic Water Two or Pure Waters - Water Retextures. Realistic Water Two adds many other things like sounds, bobbing for chunks of ice etc. Pure Waters is also a nice water retexture mod and a bit lighter on your PC than the first one. I have used both and for now I 'm using Realistic Water Two. Realistic Water Two is available for SSE.
Real Roads for Skyrim - It will make the roads look better and will use textures of other mods since it is not containing any textures itself.
Immersive Roads - HD retexture for the roads of Skyrim.
Book Covers Skyrim - HD retexture for all the books it will make them look much better!
Designs of the Nords - Textures and meshes for the banners they look pretty good.
Rustic Clothing - My favorite clothing retexture mod.
aMidianBorn Book of Silence - Great HD retexture mod for the Armors in Skyrim and my personal favorite.
Jewels of the Nords - HD retexture of the Jewels.
RUGNAROK - makes the rugs look much better.
Take Note that these mods are on the heavier side of mods so install according to what you think your PC can handle. Also these are the bigger textures mods I 'm using, if people want me to list some of the texture mods for effects like fire, ice etc I might do so but I thought this way I 'll keep it cleaner.
User Interface Mods
SkyUI - The omnipotent most endorsed mod in skyrim nexus to optimize the user interface!
A Matter of Time - The mod adds some widgets to the HUD which can display different time related informations (mod page description), a really nice little mod.
Extended UI - It will make certain parts of UI look much better and "clean".
Immersive HUD - iHUD - A mod from one of the community's favorite youtuber and modder Gopher. Mod page description: The aim of iHUD is to provide the immersive feel you get from having no HUD, whilst keeping the usefulness of having one. It takes the permanantly visible HUD elements such as compass and crosshair, and hides them when not needed.
iActivate - Mod page description: iActivate will remove the graphical icon of what button to press to activate an object that you are looking at. If the Full Experience is chosen, the accompanying text (i.e. 'Open', 'Talk', 'Sleep' and so forth) will also be removed, with some exceptions (the exeptions are taken care of with a patcher, more about it down below). Such a simple change, but does so much for immersion. I really like this one!
MoreHUD - This mod will display more HUD information about objects the player is targeting and it will also display some of the character's information such as weight etc.
RaceMenu - It will make the character creation much, much better and enjoyable, adds many new sliders like height and offers amazing custimization ability.
Better Dialogue Controls - It will make the Dialogue controls stable.
Better MessageBox Controls - Mod page description: This mod lets you navigate the message boxes with the keyboard. Use Left/Right controls, and Activate to select options (typically A,D and E but it should work if you remapped those controls to other keys). Fixes the clickable area of buttons so they are easier to click.
No Poison Dialogues - This will remove the window pop up when using a poison which I find a really nice addition and it also enhances immersion.
Less Intrusive HUD II - This mod will let you move the different HUD elements and place them wherever you want on your screen.
Customizable UI replacer - This will make the UI have a cooler rpg like look. Follow instructions at the mod page to install here is a video tutorial from the mod author Click Here
MainMenu - It will replace the main menu options with a look closer to that of SkyUI.
EZ2C Dialogue Control - A great mod that allows high customization for the dilogue windows and controls it also has some fonts to choose and use. ATTENTION: This mod is NOT compatible with the Better Dialogue Controls mod it offers it's own dialogue control improvements. It IS compatible with the Better MessageBox Controls mod.
Sounds
Audio Overhaul for Skyrim 2 - Much better ambience, weapons, magic, movement, reverb system, sound propagation, creatures and the overall mix.
Immersive sounds Compendium - Greatly expands the range of sounds and it is a vast improvement compared to the vanilla ones.
Soultrap Sound Edit - Calm Wind - A nice little mod that changes the sound of soultrapping something to a calm wind type of sound.
Fantasy Soundtrack Project - Replaces or works along with the game's soundtracks. It contains a great deal of soundtracks fit for a fantasy like situation.
Enhanced Draugr FX - makes Draugr sound creepy.
Sounds of Skyrim - The Wilds , Sounds of Skyrim - The Dungeons , Sounds of Skyrim - Civilization - Even though I 'm not using sounds of skyrim for a long time I still think it deserves to be mentioned It adds sounds according to the title descriptions.
For now I just wanted to post this here so I can start working on the content, sections of mods will be added soon.
Note that things might be changed or added in each section as I update the post. I will provide notes in the comments section bellow.
Thanks for your time!
Happy adventures!
Greetings and welcome Adventurers! This is Duvain's Mod Tavern, take a seat, relax and enjoy yourselves before you venture out in the vast world once again.
But, before we begin have some music, what kind of tavern would this be without music! - Wild Boar Inn , TSFH - Impossible , WoW - Nightsong , GW2 - Fear Not This Night , Seaside Tavern , Dragon's Lair , Winterspell.
During my Skyrim gaming experience I can say that I have used a good amount of mods and thought to share some of the mods I use for my Adventurous type of characters and if in the process this helps people to improve their gaming experience due to some mods they didn't try or hesitated to try before and saw here then that would be mission accomplished! I play on what is called oldrim but I will also take in consideration people that play on Skyrim SE and I will also look out for people that play on console but this will be new territory for me because I 've never played on console so I won't promise much in this one.
That being said this will be a list of mods that aim to improve the feeling of the game and the world making it a great fanstasy adventurous journey for the player. It will also include some alternatives for people with lower end PCs and a bit of general "this and that" regarding mods, I 'm still not entirely sure how much I will expand it. :P
So I will list mods I use and mods I have used before and also give a brief description on them and maybe some advice regarding compatibility or immersion and other related stuff.
Also it would be great for people to say their experiences in the comments with these mods or suggest other mods I have not included here when the post is out of the workshop and goes to the modder's conclave.
Keep in mind that this is not a general mod suggestion but it will include mostly the mods I use or have used and my aim with mods is Fantasy and what the community calls Immersion!
Essentials - These will be needed due to importance and for mods to function as well.
Nexus Mod Manager (NMM) - The tool needed in order to download and install mods.
Mod Organizer (MO) - Another tool to download and install mods it has a bit more customization compared to the NMM. Gopher had some video tutorials on MO but I 'm not sure if they are outdated, still they should offer a good starting point with it for the user. There is a version for SE but I don't know if it stable so I will not include it here but you can find it at the SE nexus.
SKSE - Skyrim Script Extender and enable the memory patch from Sheson - Video Tutorial
SKSE Memory Patch by Sheson - Video Guide , not sure if this is needed for SSE (will check and update accordingly)
Load Order optimization Tool (LOOT) - This will optimize the load order of the mods which is crucial for a stable and healthy game and also check for things like errors, incompatibilities etc.
Wrye Bash - We need this to create the famous Bashed Patch. What this does: When you install different mods with plugins that alter the leveled lists, Skyrim will only recognize the changes made by the last loaded plugin and wrye bash will help to create a patch that will merge the leveled lists of the mods together. The following links show how to a bashed patch. Video 1 , Video for MO , Installation guide through Images
TES5Edit - This is a tool used to remove dirty edits in the base game of Skyrim and DLCs and in mods. Be warned though that some mods require these dirty edits in order to function. Personally I haven't used it much but it is one of the basic tools for Skyrim so it is included here.
S.T.E.P Project Wiki - A great place to get information on how to do correctly and optimize your gaming and modding experience.
Skyrim.ini / SkyrimPrefs.ini Tweaks - Will be added at a later date.
Textures - Only big "main" mods will be listed
Noble Skyrim HD - HD retexture of Skyrim the "cleanest" one I 've used so far. It is for oldrim and there is also SSE version.
Static Mesh Improvement - SMIM - A great mod making Skyrim's 3D models they way they should be this has never left my mod list! There is a patch for using SMIM and Noble Skyrim at the Noble Skyrim's mod page download section
Enhanced Vanilla Trees - Makes the Trees look much better.
A Quality World Map and Solstheim map - With Roads - Really nice map retexture especially the Vivid version, it is also available for SSE.
Realistic Water Two or Pure Waters - Water Retextures. Realistic Water Two adds many other things like sounds, bobbing for chunks of ice etc. Pure Waters is also a nice water retexture mod and a bit lighter on your PC than the first one. I have used both and for now I 'm using Realistic Water Two. Realistic Water Two is available for SSE.
Real Roads for Skyrim - It will make the roads look better and will use textures of other mods since it is not containing any textures itself.
Immersive Roads - HD retexture for the roads of Skyrim.
Book Covers Skyrim - HD retexture for all the books it will make them look much better!
Designs of the Nords - Textures and meshes for the banners they look pretty good.
Rustic Clothing - My favorite clothing retexture mod.
aMidianBorn Book of Silence - Great HD retexture mod for the Armors in Skyrim and my personal favorite.
Jewels of the Nords - HD retexture of the Jewels.
RUGNAROK - makes the rugs look much better.
Take Note that these mods are on the heavier side of mods so install according to what you think your PC can handle. Also these are the bigger textures mods I 'm using, if people want me to list some of the texture mods for effects like fire, ice etc I might do so but I thought this way I 'll keep it cleaner.
User Interface Mods
SkyUI - The omnipotent most endorsed mod in skyrim nexus to optimize the user interface!
A Matter of Time - The mod adds some widgets to the HUD which can display different time related informations (mod page description), a really nice little mod.
Extended UI - It will make certain parts of UI look much better and "clean".
Immersive HUD - iHUD - A mod from one of the community's favorite youtuber and modder Gopher. Mod page description: The aim of iHUD is to provide the immersive feel you get from having no HUD, whilst keeping the usefulness of having one. It takes the permanantly visible HUD elements such as compass and crosshair, and hides them when not needed.
iActivate - Mod page description: iActivate will remove the graphical icon of what button to press to activate an object that you are looking at. If the Full Experience is chosen, the accompanying text (i.e. 'Open', 'Talk', 'Sleep' and so forth) will also be removed, with some exceptions (the exeptions are taken care of with a patcher, more about it down below). Such a simple change, but does so much for immersion. I really like this one!
MoreHUD - This mod will display more HUD information about objects the player is targeting and it will also display some of the character's information such as weight etc.
RaceMenu - It will make the character creation much, much better and enjoyable, adds many new sliders like height and offers amazing custimization ability.
Better Dialogue Controls - It will make the Dialogue controls stable.
Better MessageBox Controls - Mod page description: This mod lets you navigate the message boxes with the keyboard. Use Left/Right controls, and Activate to select options (typically A,D and E but it should work if you remapped those controls to other keys). Fixes the clickable area of buttons so they are easier to click.
No Poison Dialogues - This will remove the window pop up when using a poison which I find a really nice addition and it also enhances immersion.
Less Intrusive HUD II - This mod will let you move the different HUD elements and place them wherever you want on your screen.
Customizable UI replacer - This will make the UI have a cooler rpg like look. Follow instructions at the mod page to install here is a video tutorial from the mod author Click Here
MainMenu - It will replace the main menu options with a look closer to that of SkyUI.
EZ2C Dialogue Control - A great mod that allows high customization for the dilogue windows and controls it also has some fonts to choose and use. ATTENTION: This mod is NOT compatible with the Better Dialogue Controls mod it offers it's own dialogue control improvements. It IS compatible with the Better MessageBox Controls mod.
Sounds
Audio Overhaul for Skyrim 2 - Much better ambience, weapons, magic, movement, reverb system, sound propagation, creatures and the overall mix.
Immersive sounds Compendium - Greatly expands the range of sounds and it is a vast improvement compared to the vanilla ones.
Soultrap Sound Edit - Calm Wind - A nice little mod that changes the sound of soultrapping something to a calm wind type of sound.
Fantasy Soundtrack Project - Replaces or works along with the game's soundtracks. It contains a great deal of soundtracks fit for a fantasy like situation.
Enhanced Draugr FX - makes Draugr sound creepy.
Sounds of Skyrim - The Wilds , Sounds of Skyrim - The Dungeons , Sounds of Skyrim - Civilization - Even though I 'm not using sounds of skyrim for a long time I still think it deserves to be mentioned It adds sounds according to the title descriptions.
For now I just wanted to post this here so I can start working on the content, sections of mods will be added soon.
Note that things might be changed or added in each section as I update the post. I will provide notes in the comments section bellow.
Thanks for your time!
Happy adventures!
