Skyrim - Mods/Discussion

I just started getting into this game for the first time (meaningfully anyway). I got it for the PC and I started modding the heck out of it. MY GAME WAS SO BEAUTIFUL FOR A FEW HOURS DUE TO ALL THE TEXTURE/GRAPHICS MODS. But ultimately my PC couldn't handle it. I've never heard it working so hard to play a game, especially since it ran Skyrim with relative ease before I installed all those mod (literally like 150 something mods).

So I had to downgrade. It hurt my soul, but I'm not trying to melt my graphics card, you know...

Anyway, all that modding royally screwed my game. I was playing this fabulous/bad ass Redguard lady named Xantha, but somewhere in all that modding I caused a glitch/bug that crashed my game whenever I tried to open the magic menu. I couldn't fix it, but after much trial and error I realized not only the save was broken BUT THE ENTIRE REDGUARD RACE. I had to start over, but all the Redguards I made had the crash bug, while none of the Nords did. Sigh, my racist mods broke an entire race of characters (really, they're just an ethnicity - one thing that bothers me about the elder scrolls games).

So I had to replay the 10/12 hours of gameplay to catch back up, but I was at least able to remake Xantha as a darkskinned Nord, though she doesn't look the same. Sigh.

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Anyway, just opening general discussion for Skyrim. Felt the need to address my woes lol.

Also followers in this game are dumb af. Lydia got stuck between a rock and a tree and WOULD NOT MOVE. Until I shouted her free. Uthgerd also stopped following me randomly and disappeared into Skyrim. I had to use the console to teleport her back to me. They're soooooo bugggyyyyyy. Also had a bug for a while that messed up the brawl system, so whenever I would brawl someone it would then turn into a real life-and-death fight lol.

For those of you on the edge of your seat (there are many, I'm sure), I discovered you can edit your character's appearance at any time in Skyrim's PC version by using the console. So I edited Xantha to look a little closer to my original vision, and I'm so much happier now. x)

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Oh no! I'm sorry your mods broke. How strange that it only broke Redguards, you wouldn't think it would be that specific somehow. Surely they share a lot of their model and textures with Nords, Bretons and Imperials? At least you managed to get her working again - she looks totally badass! Her eyes make me think of lion eyes in that last shot, the color of them (I think it's the lighting, too.)

Mods can be so processor-intensive it's unreal. Even on Oblivion which is pretty old now, game-wise, I had to turn down my settings after awhile and turn off some of the high-rez texture mods because I'd crash every half hour or so.

I love the Elder Scrolls games. Normally I play through fairly 'vanilla' at first and then start adding mods later on. I haven't been in Skyrim in awhile, I'll have to have a look at what mods I have. Maybe we can make a list of recommended ones here.

Laurelinde wrote:Oh no! I'm sorry your mods broke. How strange that it only broke Redguards, you wouldn't think it would be that specific somehow. Surely they share a lot of their model and textures with Nords, Bretons and Imperials? At least you managed to get her working again - she looks totally badass! Her eyes make me think of lion eyes in that last shot, the color of them (I think it's the lighting, too.)

Mods can be so processor-intensive it's unreal. Even on Oblivion which is pretty old now, game-wise, I had to turn down my settings after awhile and turn off some of the high-rez texture mods because I'd crash every half hour or so.

I love the Elder Scrolls games. Normally I play through fairly 'vanilla' at first and then start adding mods later on. I haven't been in Skyrim in awhile, I'll have to have a look at what mods I have. Maybe we can make a list of recommended ones here.

Definitely! Maybe a list of "high performance mods" and another list of more vanilla, less intense mods? The texture mods are really wonderful, but they take their toll on processors for sure. There are some great minor to heavy gameplay tweaks that have really made the experience more enjoyable. One mod that is IMPERATIVE for PC Skyrim is SkyUI which changes the inventory/magic user interface to be much easier to navigate on PC. You need to install the Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE) to use it, which can be found on steam for free. All the mods are free, so that's great.

As for why Redguards are broken, I'm not entirely sure. I can *make* Redguard characters, but they all have the crash bug thus far. It's not so imperative for me to play as that race, since I can make any of the humans as dark as I want (with a mod that changes the character creator). I just imagine the bug is associated with Redguards because I caused the bug while playing as a Redguard character. There's only one specific mod that enchances Redguard racial skills/traits, but I installed that well before the bug happened (and installed similar racial enhancements for the other races too). I'm not really feeling any need to fix it, which would probably mean wiping the game/mods entirely from my PC and starting over. It's not dire enough for me to do that.

I have soooo many recommendations to make, but I can't remember them off the top of my head. I'll try to compile a more accurate list later. SkyUI, in any case, is amazing and all PC users should use it. I've also installed a few mods to take away the carry weight of most items, cause I haaaaaaaaaate having inventory/weight limits. Makes the game so much more enjoyable for me, since I don't need that much realism. x)

I played a little of Oblivion on PS3, and now I want to really get into that game on PC (And Morrowind). I've seen the mod videos for those games too, so I'd really like to mod those games and test them out. I'd say I'd do a vanilla play through first, but I probably won't haha.

Any thoughts on where you'd like the next game to be? I love the idea of Hammerfell (Redguard territory), but I'd also be down for a Khajiit territory.

edit: Does anyone know of any mods that smooth out the shadows in Skyrim? The shadows are so pixelated that it's almost comical when I'm paying attention. It's not imperative for me to enjoy the game, but it would make everything look sleeker/smoother. Haven't been able to find applicable mods.

I just want you to know, Wondercube, that I reinstalled Skyrim because I saw you playing it so much on Steam XD

I played Skyrim on Xbox for like twenty hours, barely touching the main quest. When I moved in with Chris, he gave me his old PC that had Skyrim but with tons of mods. But they made my game crash so yesterday I did a clean install, which apparently changed my character into a man? I know you can change the race/sex in the console but trying to do it kept making my game crash, so I just created a new character and god moded my way to catch up to where I was.

Anyway I don't have suggestions yet but I'll be checking out some mods so I'll let you know what works!

The Themysciran wrote:I just want you to know, Wondercube, that I reinstalled Skyrim because I saw you playing it so much on Steam XD

I'm happy to be an inspiration. A muse, even. Wondercube, the Muse of Wasting Time.

Hopefully I'll be able to suggest some good ones. As mentioned, I'd check out SkyUI (and SKSE by extension). It's really makes sorting through your inventory and magic so much more fluid.

Ultimate Follower Overhaul (UFO) is pretty great, though I think it might be on Nexus only (versus the steam workshop). It adds a lot of useful features to followers, giving you the option to make them essential or not (so they can/can't die permanently) and also gives you options to level them or upgrade their equipment. I think it makes adjustments to the AI? I'm not sure how buggy it is, but Lydia is constantly getting stuck/stops moving when she's following me. But I have some mods specific to her that might be clashing. I've yet to test them. Everyone else seems to work fine, for the most part...

There's an amazing flora overhaul mod that adds TONS of plants/trees to the towns and wilderness. I think it's "Vurt's Flora Overhaul"? I'll check for sure later. Anyway, if you don't mind changing Skyrim's largely treeless vanilla towns, it is such a wonderful aesthetic mod. The cities are just bursting with plantlife and it looks so whimsical and fairytale-esq. I was shocked after looking up some screens of the vanilla Whiterun. They look like completely different towns with/without the mod. The amount of trees was a little much for me to take at first, but I'm used to it now and prefer it. I'm pretty sure it won't adversely affect your computer performance, too, which is nice.

There's also Immersive AI Overhaul (?) that changes the way townspeople/NPCs interact with you so they function a little more realistically (as in, the won't say the same exact thing to you every time you pass them on the street).

I was never able to get into Skyrim, or any other Bethesda games for that matter.

I do, however, approve of any game that features Randy Savage dragons.

Katrien Caffeine wrote:I was never able to get into Skyrim, or any other Bethesda games for that matter.

I do, however, approve of any game that features Randy Savage dragons.

You know, ES/Fallout are almost too open for me. I like a little more direction provided when it comes to plot structure. Plus the combat in Bethesda games just feel awful to me. Hard to aim, hard to maneuver around. That's why I could never really get into Oblivion, Skyrim, or F3 until now. I think playing it on PC has made all the difference for me. Anyway, not every game is for every person.

I've also inspired Finest Fantasy into playing Skyrim now too, though. x)

I TRULY AM THE MUSE OF WASTING TIME. *poses*

Yes. You did. I still need to Dragon Age. Or sleep. I should probably be sleeping. But, nope. SKYRIM! *dramatic thunder*

My Dragonborn: Mikhail, the High Elf.

Spoiler:

I've got a dozen or more mods equipped, of course. Because, Skyrim for PC, yo. I've been meandering around, though, and haven't finished the game. Also, restart-itis. I'm still not happy with how Mikhail looks, but I'm continuing, anyway.

Mods for Magic are almost a necessity, considering how much the game wants to force me into a warrior or rogue build. But, I don't take orders from video games. Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim and Spellcrafting  for Skyrim are both what I have set, right now. Perkus Maximus - Maximum Perk Overhaul is another one I'm really liking. Oh, and Dual-Wield Parrying is essential. When I've got a sword in one hand and a spell in the other, I like the option to block still being there. It also works with staves.

I have the Immersive College of Winterhold, which is Fucking gorgeous. I also have The Ethereal Elven Overhaul, which makes elves look better. Other than those two big overhauls and the gameplay ones, I have a few cheat mods, because I'm a lazy jerk. I'm a mage, if I want to conjure Septims, I'll conjure Septims. Also, a werewolf mod. Because, The Companions.

Naturally, I'm trying to play as Paragon as I can.  The irony of my doing so as an Altmer is not lost to me. Granted, I didn't know much about the High Elves when I decided I'd be one. Which was when I looked through the races for the first time. I committed to that choice. That and I wanted a lot of passive magic support, so I could class myself as a Spellsword. Now, the debate between Spellsword and Battlemage is full of semantics and interpretation, so let's not get into that.

Now, speaking of my being a High Elf. I think Skyrim, the game, is a very interesting and (I think, in some places, on purpose) parallel to American social and political events. When I say that, I mean The Stormcloaks are Fantasy Confederates. Replace "Skyrim is for the Nords!" with "WHITE POWAH!" or "If you don't 'Murikkka, you can git out!". It makes me feel less bad for killing them.

Granted, I'm a High Elf and I just did the sneaking into the embassy during the party mission. What's fun is that since I'm also an Altmer, when I'm dressed in the robes of a Thalmor Wizard I killed, they all assume I'm a Thalmor, myself. Result? Kill everyone, steal everything that isn't nailed down or on fire, and free all the prisoners. There were lots of wine and lots of books. I stole all of it.

As for Mikhail's personality, I haven't really thought much about it. Other than, I'm positive he's an alcoholic. Just considering the sheer breadth of wine I have to keep in my inventory to keep my stamina up, in battle. That and his use of magic seems to have had an effect on his metabolism. Or maybe it's the alcoholism. Since he can and does eat a ludicrous amount of food. Constantly. So, I provide my own comic relief to the civil war and impending apocalypse.

I wish I could offer you help with visual mods, but I try to keep my graphics settings on low-to-medium, because I'm on my laptop. And, it's powerful enough to play, but not on high settings. I have this program called LOOT, though. It's a Load Order Optimization thing. So, after I set all the mods up in Nexus Mod Manager, I run the LOOT program and it streamlines the load order and the mods don't screw up as often. So, I hope that's helpful.

Though, at the end of the day: what have we learned today, Treehouse?

Spoiler:

A very practical lesson, I'd think.

I actually think he looks pretty great! I've yet to try making an elf because they look a little funky to me lol. I've seen a few elf overhauls that adjust their general features to retain the same vibe, but look a little less... lumpy? I think you achieved the look I'd go for were I to make an elf. I think I would make a dark elf or a wood elf.

I just did the party mission too, but being a warrior in Orcish armor, I'm not very adept at sneaking. I tried for about 5 minutes and decided to go on a murder rampage through the embassy. Not sure if that will have adverse effects later down the line. Also, the robes work for every race, actually. Normal guards won't notice you, but the wizards will see through the disguise. That's what the guides tell me at least.

I feel like I spend most of my time crafting and cleaning out my inventory though lmao. Right now I have five followers trailing after me using that UFO mod. Lydia, Uthgerd, Brenor, Janessa, and Mauricio (?). So I feel pretty bad ass haha. As for Xantha's personality, she feels a bit inconsistent cause I'm stuck between playing her as very bold/blunt/impatient and as a good person, and in Skyrim the dialogue options don't necessarily pay tribute to that particular combination. So sometimes I feel like I'm being a bamf and doing whatever I want, but then I go and pay some random dude's debts off, and it feels hard to reconcile the two.

Xantha is now a Nord, so if the Stormcloaks are a bunch of racist ass hats, her leaning toward the imperial end of the spectrum makes sense. In my head-canon she was born in Skyrim, but her family immigrated from Hammerfell before she was born. She was visiting family in Hammerfell (it borders Skyrim I think) when she was captured with Stormcloaks when crossing back into Skyrim. So, that way she gets to be a Nord AND a Redguard. I'm a genius. *pose*

I was using a program called... TSSE? Or something. It scans through mods to see if there are any conflicts, so that's saved me a few times from crashes/bugs. LOOT sounds like it's a little more in depth though.

Also, I've never played a mage in the ES games because I can't aim for shit, and the combat system already bugs me/freaks me out. Being a mage with zero armor sounds like a nightmare lol.

That's basically my issue with the elves. Constant frustration is the name of the game. But, as I said earlier, I think Xantha is baws. She and Mikhail should be besties. Srsly.

From what I understand, the robes don't work for the two beast races. And, for men, it works to a degree. With mer, it works better. And, Altmer can do whatever, except be openly hostile, without tipping themselves off. As I can attest. I think Wood / Dark Elves can do everything just short of getting up-close and personal. The human races have to be a lot more careful.

Basically, I feel the same. I had to put a mod in for higher carrying capacity, I got so sick of it. And, the UFO mod is excellent. I downloaded one of those custom follower mods along with it. Because, I've almost had it with Lydia standing in fucking doorways. Most of the better looking mods are cheesecake or just outright porn, though. So, it took some searching. And, yes. The lacking dialogue is a bit of a pain. But, it's why I've taken to re-writing the narrative, in my head. Because, it's more fun when you play it out like a Monty Python sketch. It's why I've decided to just do the best option I can find and role play it.

I think it's ugh that your game herp-derp'd the character creation. That really is lame. But, I wouldn't guess Nord on first glance. So, yes, Wondercube is a genius. *shoots magic behind Wonder for the dramatic pose*

Yeah, LOOT's been a real life-saver. I think it's compatible with a lot of Skyrim mods, actually. And, Fallout, as well.

Being a mage is a pain. Because, yes. Aiming is hard. One of the magic mods I downloaded has a bullet time mod, though. I find that helpful. And, I do wear armor, actually. That helps. A lot. I wear a light cuirass, heavy gauntlets, grieves, and helmet. With an arming or bastard sword in my main hand. It's my off-hand that uses spells. But, sometimes I'll dual-wield magic, like when I need to clear a room or fight a dragon. I don't think playing a pure mage would even be viable. Not with how Skyrim rolls.

I'm hoping Elder Scrolls VI is more mage-positive. I've heard a lot of debate on where it should be set, but, personally, considering it'll be another year or three... I want it to be on The Summerset Isles, Valenwood, Elseweyr, and maybe The Black Marsh. Yes, all three/four. Any two of the first three would be about the same size as Skyrim. And, the first three would be a reasonable expansion in size to what Skyrim offered. So, that's my two cents. They're also areas that haven't been used in main series games.

My personal desire to see a more positive portrayal of High Elves in no way colors my suggestion for The Summerset Isles, though. Not in any form, fashion, or manner.

Summerset Isles: Tropical Archipelago
Valenwood: Swampland / Rain-Forest
Elseweyr: Deserts / Jungles
Black Marsh: Swampland / Rain-Forest

So, I'm game for lots of pretty forests n' stuff, after the depressing tundra. I've seen some stuff from TES Online, too. So, all four look PUUURTY.

I actually love the tundra and snow, but I'm also a homesick Canadian so there you go.

Previously, when I played on xbox and what I was going for on my first game before the unwelcome sex change, my character was a Bosmer assassin. I really love playing stealthy and it got to the point where I could one shot most enemies if I was sneaking. I was ridiculously good. I did side with the Stormcloaks that time and I was really disappointed no one really made a thing of me being an elf. Like they talk shit about them but are okay with me. HUH.

This time, if I do the civil war quest line I'll side with the Imperials. I decided to switch things up a bit. I made a Breton, with the intention of making a true sneaky witch thief. I dumped a lot of perks into stealth and Illusion spells. With Quiet Casting, it's really easy to thin out crowded rooms by casting Fury on someone, then taking out the lone survivor with a dagger sneak attack. Invisibility plus sneak perks makes me nigh undetectable, I just got through the entire college plotline by just walking past all the enemies in the tombs, which I needed since Fury doesn't work on the undead (yet, I'll get that perk soon enough, mwahahahaha).

I haven't thought much about personality yet, but it does seem so far she's a do-gooder. I still might do the thieves guild quest line again for the great sneaking gear you get, but maybe not the Dark Brotherhood. But for now onto the quest lines I never did, like the Bard's college!

I took a screen cap but it looked better in game, I'll try to get a better picture of her later: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] The hair mod is listed as Apachii Hair, which looks really different on Nexus but it could be that the version is old.

She has a very striking silhouette. x)

@Themysciran - I really want to play a sneaky character, but I'm pretty impatient. So Warrior will do me well for a first run through, I think. Love to play a sneaky Khajiit or Dark/Wood elf. x)

I guess sneak gets good enough to the point where you can just walk past people? My party mission could have been so much smoother. x)

@Finest - I'm down for a Xantha x Mikhail team up, were that possible!

I think I'd just like to go somewhere less european/scandinavian, so anywhere with a jungle or desert will probably suit me fine.

And I'm sure it'll be at least another two to three years before they start talking about the next ES game. They're probably in the very basic concept stages with Fallout 4 releasing soon.

Wonder is right. That is a gorgeous silhouette. I'm still peanut butter and jelly both of your Dragonborn are so much better looking than mine. THE JEALOUSY.

From what I've seen on TES Online, I like how The Summerset Isles look. So, if it's part of the game, I'll be happy. Otherwise, Elseweyr. Because, KITTEH PEOPLE. Khajit are so Frigging cute. I need a Khajit Follower. Like, nao. Also, Desert and Rain Forest. That'll be cool. Maybe, it'll be Middle Eastern, African, or Indian. That'd be cool.

The Summerset Isles:

And, I agree. It's probably in pre-production or the earliest stages, as of now. Now that Fallout 4 is done, we might start hearing about it, though. So, that'll be nice.

And, I imagine a TMS Dragonborn team-up. That'd be a great shenanigans series, I think. If I'm not the only one who decided to be ludicrous. Comedic sociopathy, ahoy!

I lol'd to myself a little last night while playing this, cause the guy who's harassing Carlotta Valentia in Skyrim (Whiterun) is named Mikael. xD

Oh, that's right. I usually just beat him. THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE.