So what are the best skyrim mods?

[SLU Aequitas]

Fixed my problem, limited the frames to 60 and the game runs perfectly now even on ultra

Yeah, sorry for the late response, I was going to say that sounds like the >60fps physics bug. Glad you figured it out

Also, regarding a couple of suggestions made so far based on my own experiences:

1.) Open Cities: It's pretty awesome (I loved it in Oblivion) but keep in mind it does not play well with other mods. It also had some major issues, although the last time I checked there was some talk that the bugs had been fixed.

2.) HD Texture Packs: You're better off using one of the mods from Nexus rather than the official HDLC, as the latter is not optimized well, and some of the newer texture packs feature better visuals (including parallax and better normal maps) while being better optimized --> better performance. In particular, I *highly* suggest Amidianborn's work (he's done the *best* texture work on armors/weapons, and his landscape/object textures are very well done, hold close to vanilla in style, and are very performance friendly.

3.) Gameplay mods: you can't simply choose as many as you want, it WILL bog your system down eventually, not to mention conflicts. Yes, I can run about 400 mods concurrently, but I'm assuming most people here don't want to spend days learning the TES5Edit tool and manually merging mods and mod patches :awe:

 

[cronos]

So I haven't played for a year, maybe more. Is it still preferred to use Nexus Mod Manager to manage your mods, or something else?

 

[DucatiMonster696]

Gonna recommend a youtube channel of a modder named Gopher.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1CSCMwaDubQ4rcYCpX40Eg

This guy has some pretty awesome modding videos of FO3, FONV and Skyrim. He has videos where he walks through modding those games with some popular mods. He goes over the pros and cons of those certain mods, along with mentioning alternative mods, etc. He also explains how to correctly install these mods and points out any potential issues you might have with a mod in terms of conflicts. He is definitely worth the view if you need some info on how to use certain mod utilities for Skyrim or any other Bethesda developed and/or published game.

 

[DucatiMonster696]

So I haven't played for a year, maybe more. Is it still preferred to use Nexus Mod Manager to manage your mods, or something else?

You can go with Nexus or with Mod Organizer. I prefer myself the app Mod organizer because it can help you sort the load order of your mods to deal with any potential conflicts due to load order issue and it works with other utilities such as TES5EDIT, LOOT. It can also download mods directly from the Nexus site and install those apps as you would with the NMM. In the end it is a matter of preferences really and just learning how to use the tools at hand.

 

[Face2Face]

Yup, I ended getting the Samsung. Gorgeous graphics with the installed mods but it slows down too much to be playable.

Still running the Realvision ENB and suggested mods. I haven't found a good fix for Crossfire and ENB yet. Tried a few different things (new 3D profile in CCC, borderless window, etc.) but no luck so far. If I could get Crossfire to work it would solve my problem, but nothing has worked so far.

Maybe I'll try turning off the graphics mods one by one (if Skyrim will allow that with my saved games) and see if I can figure out the issue. Thanks for the help.

Sweet, that is an amazing monitor. I remember crossfire working with my 7950's in Skyrim, but I don't think that it worked with the ENB's. I got a lot of visual artifacts. Kind of crazy there isn't a fix yet..

I recently left Realvison and went back to Opethfeldt 7. You can't use COT with it, but it's beautiful and runs pretty good... I gotta go through this guide and do some more optimizing.

Here is some pics I took while playing the other day.

Here is a video showing my framerate @ 1440p - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xfa52K4oAA

I have the game looking better since this video. I am using Shadowplay to record. I am usually sitting in the 40 FPS+ range when not recording.

 

[Majic 7]

Decided to load Skyrim again this week and try out RealVision. Glad I did, still tweaking but it looks great. Runs pretty good too considering I am only getting 28 to 38 FPS. Pretty much stayed at 60 even with a lot of graphic mods before, no lower than 58 no matter where I went. I read a post on Guru3D that the new drivers seemed to make Skyrim run smoother, doubted it but it seems to be true. It did add 2 to 5 FPS and it is smoother, no hitches at all so far. That may change because it seems to run differently each start up.
My mod recommendation is skyBirds and Birds of Skyrim. Requires SKSE. It's really cool to watch people in town watching the birds. It really adds ambiance in the wilderness listening to the birds singing.

 

[Face2Face]

Decided to load Skyrim again this week and try out RealVision. Glad I did, still tweaking but it looks great. Runs pretty good too considering I am only getting 28 to 38 FPS. Pretty much stayed at 60 even with a lot of graphic mods before, no lower than 58 no matter where I went. I read a post on Guru3D that the new drivers seemed to make Skyrim run smoother, doubted it but it seems to be true. It did add 2 to 5 FPS and it is smoother, no hitches at all so far. That may change because it seems to run differently each start up.
My mod recommendation is skyBirds and Birds of Skyrim. Requires SKSE. It's really cool to watch people in town watching the birds. It really adds ambiance in the wilderness listening to the birds singing.

What drivers were you on? I haven't installed the newest drivers yet - GEFORCE 340.52 DRIVER. The review highlights didn't mention any games that I am currently playing.

 

[SLU Aequitas]

What drivers were you on? I haven't installed the newest drivers yet - GEFORCE 340.52 DRIVER. The review highlights didn't mention any games that I am currently playing.

Major changes were a couple of revisions back, not the most recent one.

 

[Elfear]

Sweet, that is an amazing monitor. I remember crossfire working with my 7950's in Skyrim, but I don't think that it worked with the ENB's. I got a lot of visual artifacts. Kind of crazy there isn't a fix yet..

I recently left Realvison and went back to Opethfeldt 7. You can't use COT with it, but it's beautiful and runs pretty good... I gotta go through this guide and do some more optimizing.

Here is some pics I took while playing the other day.


Here is a video showing my framerate @ 1440p - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xfa52K4oAA

I have the game looking better since this video. I am using Shadowplay to record. I am usually sitting in the 40 FPS+ range when not recording.

Those pics look awesome. I'll have to try that ENB and see if it's a little easier on the framerates. It is rather stupid that there is no fix for Crossfire yet. Makes me wish I would have kept that 780 a little longer. :wub:

 

[Majic 7]

I was on the 337.88 WHQL drivers. Wasn't going to update, didn't see anything in the release notes but saw the post and decided to try them. First time I've been stressing the system this much, nothing I play goes under 60. No BF4 or WatchDogs on my drive, sure they would. Nice surprise.

 

[SLU Aequitas]

Opethfeldt is a good non COT choice, I rated it right up there with The Wilds ENB. I personally LOVE Vividian ENB. It's compatible with COT and other lighting mods, is modular, and features some amazing weather tweaks. It's also one of the most advanced ENBs, downside is the normal version has a bit of a fps hit, but well worth it.

 

[Markbnj]

Immersion mods I'm really enjoying right now:

Frostfall, which adds exposure and weather related physical effects, as well as survival skills, camping, fires, tents, etc. I love having to plan to have enough wood and find a place to camp halfway through a mountain crossing because of the cold.

iNeeds, which adds hunger and thirst and works great with frostfall.

Wet & Cold, which adds condensation to your breath on cold days and shows water dripping off you and others when it rains or when you emerge from water.

Climates of Tamriel/Supreme Storms, works great with Frostfall and iNeeds.

Hunterborn, which adds more depth to killing animals. You can take the carcasses, skin them, butcher them, harvest ingredients from them, and you get more meat from larger animals.

Interesting NPCs, which adds a lot of dialog and backstory to the NPCs in the world.

Guard Dialog Overhaul, which basically fixes guard dialog, as far as I am concerned.

Immersive Patrols, random patrols of various factions. Keeps you on your feet in the wild.

Immersive Armor/Immersive Weapons, makes armor and weapons interesting again.

SkyTEST, a wildlife behavior overhaul. Not sure if this is the best one.

Birds and Flocks, adds more birds, and flocks. Although one weirdness here is I have been finding a strangely large number of dead birds. Not sure what that's about.

Sounds of Skyrim (all three mods, for towns, wilds, and dungeons), which adds a lot of awesome ambient sound. I love hearing the sound of the rain on the roof when I'm inside, or kids playing outside.

 

[norseamd]

iNeeds, which adds hunger and thirst and works great with frostfall.

I use Imps More Complex Needs

Birds and Flocks, adds more birds, and flocks. Although one weirdness here is I have been finding a strangely large number of dead birds. Not sure what that's about.

I use Birds of Skyrim, Pets of Skyrim, Birds and Flocks, and Skybirds


I also use Frostfall and Wet and Cold. I will have to try the other mods.

 

[Whitestar127]

I personally LOVE Vividian ENB. It's compatible with COT and other lighting mods, is modular, and features some amazing weather tweaks. It's also one of the most advanced ENBs, downside is the normal version has a bit of a fps hit, but well worth it.

Spot on again, SLU Aequitas.
I made a post with a bunch of screenshots on the STEP forums about the Vividian ENB. It's amazing! http://forum.step-project.com/topic...enhancement-cot-rcrn-and-pure-weather/page-17 (posts #253 and #254).

 

[norseamd]

Any pictures of greenery with the Vividian ENB?

 

[shortylickens]

I should point out that the absolute minimum is the Skyrim Script Extender and SkyUI.

You can get either of them anywhere online and dont need the nexus.

If you DO get stuff from the Nexus I recommend you sign up for a free account. It makes the website easier to use and lets you custom search.

 

[Scooby Doo]

Extensible Follower Framework seems to work best for followers (you can also use it on some of the non-native followers too like Inigo)

No Kill Moves gets rid of that obnoxious kill scenes

Deadly Dragons

Seasons of Skyrim get rid of that nasty winter look, especially when it's really winter outside

Also some of the mods require a new game (like civil war) but quite a few don't

 

[norseamd]

I should point out that the absolute minimum is the Skyrim Script Extender and SkyUI. You can get either of them anywhere online and dont need the nexus. If you DO get stuff from the Nexus I recommend you sign up for a free account. It makes the website easier to use and lets you custom search.

You actually need your own account to download anything.

 

[norseamd]

Extensible Follower Framework seems to work best for followers (you can also use it on some of the non-native followers too like Inigo)

Actually I just found out about this mod. How does Extensible Follower Framework compare to the Amazing Follower Tweaks mod?

 

[norseamd]

Are there any mods that can give Skyrim full seasonal game mechanics for every day of the year?

 

[shortylickens]

You actually need your own account to download anything.

When I first started there years ago that was not the case. They just limited your bandwidth.

 

[shortylickens]

Are there any mods that can give Skyrim full seasonal game mechanics for every day of the year?

Actually yes, but I forget the name.

Also, if you spend enough time in game the weather does change slightly throughout the year. Most people dont notice it unless they sleep 8 hours a day.

 

[norseamd]

Actually yes, but I forget the name. Also, if you spend enough time in game the weather does change slightly throughout the year. Most people dont notice it unless they sleep 8 hours a day.

Actually I did notice the minor seasonal changes but I usually do sleep about 10 hours a day or more.

 

[SLU Aequitas]

I should point out that the absolute minimum is the Skyrim Script Extender and SkyUI.

You can get either of them anywhere online and dont need the nexus.

If you DO get stuff from the Nexus I recommend you sign up for a free account. It makes the website easier to use and lets you custom search.

SkyUI is a must, however if you don't mod your game, you don't need SKSE (don't get me wrong, I'm in love with SKSE).

Extensible Follower Framework seems to work best for followers (you can also use it on some of the non-native followers too like Inigo)

No Kill Moves gets rid of that obnoxious kill scenes

Deadly Dragons

Seasons of Skyrim get rid of that nasty winter look, especially when it's really winter outside

Also some of the mods require a new game (like civil war) but quite a few don't

EFF is awesome, very lightweight but powerful, and the radial menu is one of my favorite features. And it works with Interesting NPCs and Inigo

I actually like the kill moves, so I use The Dance of Death, which adds many new killmoves, as well as a host of options allowing you to adjust:
- Frequency
- Perk requirements
- First Person / Third Person / Both perspectives (more immersive)
- Other stuff

Actually I just found out about this mod. How does Extensible Follower Framework compare to the Amazing Follower Tweaks mod?

I used to use AFT, especially since they had a direct patch for Interesting NPCs in the past. However EFF is also compatible, and is (from what I've seen) lighter, and has more features, including a radial follower menu (beats the heck out of AFT's dialogue navigation).

 

[JujuFish]

SkyUI is a must, however if you don't mod your game, you don't need SKSE (don't get me wrong, I'm in love with SKSE).

SkyUI requires SKSE, which is probably why Shorty mentioned it.