New to Skyrim, looking for modding advice...

[Octogonally]

Hey all.  I am new to Skyrim and the elder scrolls series in general, other than playing around briefly with mods in Oblivion.  Reading around these forums has gotten me interested in giving it a try.  I haven't started the game yet, I'm looking to do a modded run first since I doubt I'll have time to play through the game twice.  

 

1.) I'm worried about compatibility issues with mods, my brief stay in Oblivion I tried to mod it up and a lot of the mods seemed to not work well together, leading to strange visual bugs with my character and other things.  I'd like to get some suggestions for simple mods that improve the game (better UI, fix common issues, basic gameplay improvements) without stepping on each other's toes very much.  I understand that mods can be touchy and I don't mind messing around a little bit getting them all set up, but I'd rather keep things simple rather than try to mix too many different mods that do the same thing.  Are there any must-have mods that won't break the game too much?  Visual stuff is especially appealing, things like texture improvements and things that will really make the game look beautiful.

 

2.) For adult mods, the kind of thing I'm looking for is the kind that will make the world more dangerous for my female heroine.  I don't really need NPC options or the ability to rape others, just looking for things that will add a bit of peril to my experience.  Ideally I'd like to find mods that don't break the immersion - no poorly implemented dialog or very buggy/contrived behavior that takes me out of the game too much.  I want mods that feel like something that could plausibly happen in a dark fantasy world. Things like Sanguine's Debauchery and the Prison Overhaul mod both sound like fun, and I wouldn't mind trying a vanilla "enemies/bandits can rape you" mod either, but not having tried them I'm not sure exactly how any of it works.  Sexy additions to the quests are also welcome if they're written well and fit the setting (don't send my dragonborn on a quest to the "penis mountains" or something... >.> ).  Can anyone recommend a good set of mods for a beginner that would give this kind of experience, hopefully a set that won't interfere with one another too much?

 

3.) Pretty characters!  I'd like to find a good way of making my characters (and hopefully others in the world) look as good as possible.  I've read around these forums and I see there are a lot of different body types available.  I'd like to find a good-looking body type that's sexy while being semi-realistic, I try to avoid proportions that are too silly.  Since I'm assuming I have to pick one of these body types, is there anywhere I can see pictures of the popular body types?  Besides a body type, what else do I need to get characters looking good?  Special textures?  Hair or face models?  I don't know how the character customization works at all, so any help would be appreciated.

 

4.) Related to #3, armor!  I see pictures of all kinds of sexy/pretty outfits available, but I also get the sense that some outfits aren't compatible with some body types.  Are there body types that have a lot of outfits built to work with them (I don't mind picking a body type based on armor compatibility if needed.)  I like the armor styles posted in this thread a lot, but any kind of fantasy armor is good.  Also, once you're in-game how do you get armor that you've modded into the game?  Ideally I'd like to be able to find a lot of different outfits quickly so that my character won't be stuck naked or in ugly clothes for long.  Building good-looking characters is a big part of a game like this for me, so the more choices and freedom the better.  So again, what would people recommend for a noob looking to get a nice set of armors that will work with a good-looking body type, and that I can get in-game without too much hassle?  I don't care about stats on the armor as much, but it's nice being able to customize my look, and to get something new that isn't all vanilla/bland if my character runs into trouble.

 

5.) Races!  I love the races appearing in this thread, but I remember when I tried to add some races to Oblivion they appeared with missing parts or other issues, presumably because they weren't compatible with the body mods.  Have people had good luck getting these races to work with other mods?  Or is it better to stick to the vanilla races?

 

6.) Character customization.  I suspect that early on I'll be switching characters a lot, either looking for one I like or changing them as the mood takes me.  I remember in Oblivion there was a door right after the intro that could customize your character's appearance/race, so you could make a save in front of it and try out different characters and concepts within the world.  Is there something similar in Skyrim, or will I have to go through the intro every time I want to try out a new look?

 

7.) Any tips for the game itself?  Anything you wish you'd known going into it?

 

I apologize if these are noob questions, I've read around the forum a fair amount but there's a lot of information to take in and many things people here are so used too that they don't get explained.  Thanks for any help!

[Thulas]

To 1.) : Just read carefully the desctiption of every mod you want to install, especialy the parts about installation, requirements and conflicts. You can either have a "mod-map" in your head which shows which mod is related to another in a way (in other words, requirement and conflict) or carefully look at what you already succsessfull got installed and search for possible conflicts.

You need to find those visual enhanchement-mods that fit to what you want to see, but one thing that almost is a must would be an ENB. There are many good ENBs out there, just find the one you like.

 

To 2.) : Sanguines Debauchery works as an alternative to death. When you "die" in combat, npcs will be able to enslave you. Your gear will be given to your new owner, you get chained and have to stay close to your master. There are different things that can happen during slavery, but I don't want to spoil the fun, just try it. Of course there are several ways to escape, too.

Try these three mods (with or without SD) and add others, if you like.

http://www.loverslab.com/topic/16623-skyrim-sexlab-sex-animation-framework-v101b-updated-0531/

http://www.loverslab.com/topic/18111-sexlab-solutions/

http://www.loverslab.com/topic/17443-sexlab-rape-simpleupdated-52513/

 

 

To 3.) : The choice is yours. Browse through the options, test different bodysliders and eventually you'll find the one setup you like. But maybe the following body fits your taste; since your heroine probably isn't a heroine for nothing, she should look that way.

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/16731//?

 

To 4.) : CBBE and UNP are the most popular bodymods, there are the most clothing- and armor-mods for them. This for example is one of the first armors I installed and still am using (which means alot):

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/26679//?

 

To 5.) : Yes, most races should work just fine, so you don't have to use a vanila-race, though you also can use a mod that improvse these races. Again, your choice here. Have fun browsing:

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/searchresults/?src_cat=34

 

To 6.) : showracemenu. There are a few mods that bypass this consol-command, but they still do the same, after all. Here is an example:

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/9458//?

 

To 7.) : It will be a bit easier if you specialise your character like in Oblivion. Though you will be able to use all kinds of magic, weapons and armors you still just skill the ones you use. And by increasing these, the others will become weaker in relation to the higher levels.

Another thing would be the old question "vampire or werewolf". You definitely should try at least one of them.

 

[Guest]

2. Try the SexiS mod and use the defeated addon hehe. 

Also go for the CBBE body. 

[Guest]

For a perfect Skyrim visit http://www.skyrimgems.com/.

[Octogonally]

Thank you both very much!  It's great to see such an active and helpful community here.

 

I love the fitness body, will definitely give that a try.  It will be a few days before I can install the game, but I'll see what I can find for character textures in the meantime.  Reading around, it sounds like ENB is something to do with the environment lighting?  There appear to be several, so I'll try to find one that fits.

 

If anyone else knows of any must-have mods, feel free to post them.  Thanks again for the help!