Best Combat Overhaul, suggestions?

[khumak]

 

I just tried a new combat mod that really changes your whole mindset when you go into a dungeon (it's not a new mod but it's the first time I've tried it.)  Ultimate Deadly Encounters (Sands of Time): http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3093

 

Encounter mods are not combat overhauls. A combat overhaul is something that changes combat mechanics.

 

And TBF I'm not a huge fan of increasing difficulty by throwing a hundred of mobs at a player. Especially with the default combat mechanics AKA "water balloon fight".  A good way of increasing difficulty is tuning it to the point when you have to be good at mechanics to survive, or you gonna die really fast. Just like IRL - you can't fight 50 spawns. Only a truly good warrior will be able to stand against 3 enemies. And only an exceptional one will handle 10.

 

A good example of a tough battle (heavily modded)

 

 

I definitely won't always want as many enemies as it throws at you on the setting I'm using now, but what I do think I'll want to keep using it for is the surprise factor (the event system).

 

For now I'm having fun running through the storyline for it (it's not just a spawn increaser).  This is the only mod I've seen so far that makes dungeons feel dangerous again because the enemy doesn't just sit there and wait for you.  The much better variety of random encounters is nice, the reinforcement system is nice, the doppleganger assassins are cool, etc. 

 

I generally do prefer to ramp up difficulty via combat mechanics (Wildcat/Combat Evolved/Enhanced Mighty Dragons/etc) rather than just multiplying spawn numbers so I suspect after I've played with it at the higher spawn settings I will probably reduce the spawn count in SoT and ramp up the combat mechanic difficulty while keeping the SoT event system.

 

Sometimes a zombie horde is just cool as well though

[27X]

Sands of time and any other mod by the same author is an absolute save destroying trainwreck and should never be used by people who play Skyrim.

 

Just like Immersive Patrols all that shit you spawned for your epic battle while you used hothtrooper's "I stole this from youtube and the witcher ost mod™ do not steal™ the witcher ost© HothTrooper" does not properly despawn and is not properly cleaned up after its dead, in addition all them fancy combat mods you added that use multiple cloak spells for stuff don't despawn either, so when all those borrowed assets finally do go to the Room of the Dead for final cleanup, the cloak spells don't.

 

This will eventually cave your save no matter how fast your papyrus updating is.

 

As for the others, Combat Evolved suite, with some TK addons are about as far as you need to go. Out of the other options Wildcat would be fine except enisiaisaisiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaon for whatever reason decided Morrowind combat was the cat's meow, so when you peg that Draugr Death Lord Maximum Death Death in the face with your sword, Wildcat will decide for you that hit him in the arm cause praying to RnGesus is fun and exciting, just like losing your life savings in Vegas. Conversely, when the Draugr hits you back, the power of CHIM means the blow that hit your fancy ebony chestplate will travel through time and space to shatter your ankle, thus ensuring you can't move fast enough for the rest of battle to actually do anything relevant anymore. Never mind the perk stuff that basically amounts to "spam sideways power attacks all the time, unless it's a dagger, then just spam mouse 1 for crazy random battle effects, even against opponents in full plate armor"

 

 

 

but you can turn that stuff off

 

If you're turning off 70% of the mod in the first place, one wonders why you're using at all.

 

Combat evolved and TK cover most of interactions you expect to get, if you have a low script set up Dark Soul's Combat and Attack Commitment covers the rest.

[phillout]

 

For now I'm having fun running through the storyline for it (it's not just a spawn increaser).  This is the only mod I've seen so far that makes dungeons feel dangerous again because the enemy doesn't just sit there and wait for you.  The much better variety of random encounters is nice, the reinforcement system is nice, the doppleganger assassins are cool, etc. 

 

I generally do prefer to ramp up difficulty via combat mechanics (Wildcat/Combat Evolved/Enhanced Mighty Dragons/etc) rather than just multiplying spawn numbers so I suspect after I've played with it at the higher spawn settings I will probably reduce the spawn count in SoT and ramp up the combat mechanic difficulty while keeping the SoT event system.

 

Sometimes a zombie horde is just cool as well though

 

 

If you like having your ass handed to you in the dungeons - just install this. You'll need to get rid of most mods you use (you won't need those "combat overhauls" and spawn increase mods anymore, for example, or any other difficulties/loot changes mods), but you'll have a lot of moments when you'll feel like running away and calling for mommy Starting from Bleak Falls Barrow. And especially in Labyrinthian.

 

[27X]

except after you get armor piercing stuff requiem is easier than vanilla skyrim

[khumak]

Sands of time and any other mod by the same author is an absolute save destroying trainwreck and should never be used by people who play Skyrim.

 

Just like Immersive Patrols all that shit you spawned for your epic battle while you used hothtrooper's "I stole this from youtube and the witcher ost mod™ do not steal™ the witcher ost© HothTrooper" does not properly despawn and is not properly cleaned up after its dead, in addition all them fancy combat mods you added that use multiple cloak spells for stuff don't despawn either, so when all those borrowed assets finally do go to the Room of the Dead for final cleanup, the cloak spells don't.

 

This will eventually cave your save no matter how fast your papyrus updating is.

 

As for the others, Combat Evolved suite, with some TK addons are about as far as you need to go. Out of the other options Wildcat would be fine except enisiaisaisiaiaiaiaiaiaiaiaon for whatever reason decided Morrowind combat was the cat's meow, so when you peg that Draugr Death Lord Maximum Death Death in the face with your sword, Wildcat will decide for you that hit him in the arm cause praying to RnGesus is fun and exciting, just like losing your life savings in Vegas. Conversely, when the Draugr hits you back, the power of CHIM means the blow that hit your fancy ebony chestplate will travel through time and space to shatter your ankle, thus ensuring you can't move fast enough for the rest of battle to actually do anything relevant anymore. Never mind the perk stuff that basically amounts to "spam sideways power attacks all the time, unless it's a dagger, then just spam mouse 1 for crazy random battle effects, even against opponents in full plate armor"

 

 

 

but you can turn that stuff off

 

If you're turning off 70% of the mod in the first place, one wonders why you're using at all.

 

Combat evolved and TK cover most of interactions you expect to get, if you have a low script set up Dark Soul's Combat and Attack Commitment covers the rest.

 

I haven't run into any issues with Saves being corrupted so far but if that's true that would definitely have me taking it off my list.  I'm testing a new set of magic mods so figured I'd give Combat Evolved a try in place of Wildcat this time.  I find Wildcat's injury and stagger system too debilitating, especially for a mage character but the passive stuff is fine.  Wildcat injuries for a mage are about the equivalent of having both hands bound behind your back for 5 minutes if you're a melee type.  Haven't tried TK. 

 

I did look at Requiem but it looked like compatibility would be a total nightmare for that one and having all of the encounters unleveled seems like it would be tough to get the balance working very well.  I'm not a fan of having large areas of the game be randomly either too easy or impossible if I do it in an order that doesn't match whatever the RNG cooks up.  I may still try it sometime on it's own with basically nothing else loaded just to see but with the compatibility issues I can't see it being part of my normal lineup.

[khumak]

I know most of the stuff in this thread is related to melee balancing but I just tried a new magic scaling mod that is really well done that I felt compelled to give a shout out to.  It's called Awakened Magicka and it's got both an Oldrim and SE version.  This is the best magic scaling mod I've seen so far.

 

Oldrim:

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/63246/?

 

SE:

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/8374

 

It's very configurable and it has options that do not require any specific perks to work so it's compatible with everything as far as I know.