If I think a mod is an important foundation to build on, I'll say so. If there's a core concept you need to understand in order to make decisions, I'll try to define it. I'd like to introduce you to the ways you can modify your game, to the major options available in each category, with some commentary about individual mods if I happen to have used them. I'm going to give you a tour of the possibilities.
What I will do instead is tell you all the things I wish somebody had told me when I started modding Skyrim. I'll link to some guides, but I will not pretend to give you a step-by-step instruction list. A modding guide sets out to help you build a specific modlist that works well together, without bugs. So what would help you get started? Well, how about Ceejbot’s introduction to Skyrim modding? If you wanted to mod Skyrim so it looks and plays wonderfully, my modlist would not help you get started. Also, let’s be honest: this list of mods is bewildering to the newcomer. This list is names of plugin files, not mod names, so it can be super-confusing to read. Sometimes people on Twitter ask me for a modlist. I am happily role-playing my way through my social distancing 2020 playthrough, posting ridiculous screenshots. They fix game bugs, add new features, and make the game look fresh. They’re amazing and fantastic and disturbing and inspiring. Skyrim mods are why the game is alive eight years after it was launched.
