Previously I’ve been pretty gentle with modding that game - things like SkyUI to make it a bit more PC friendly, utility mods like the one limits soul gems to ONLY being filled with their highest tier (no more wasting a grand by filling it with a mudcrab). Also LockPick Pro to effectively skip lockpicking, cuz I hate Skyrim’s (bring back Oblivion’s model!)… that’s kinda it.
Looking for mods that bring something new to the actual gameplay. I know there are a ton of them - what are your favorites?
If you really want a fresh experience and don’t wanna spend more time modding than actually playing, I cannot recommend more strongly Wabbajack. It’s a fully automated modlist installer with a huge gallery of available lists.
Some of the available modlists are foundational, giving you just the essentials (Engine tweaks, HD assets, community bug fixes, etc.), and some are total conversions, turning the game into a fully-realized modern third-person action game, with controls, animations, and graphics as good as any modern game.
It does everything for you, from installing Mod Organizer 2 to creating game launch shortcuts, and everything in between. All you have to do is log into Nexus (and whatever other mod sites your modlist of choice might use). It’s worth getting Nexus Premium at least temporarily to speed up the process.
Here is the Skyrim Special Edition modlist gallery.
I highly recommend Living Skyrim. It takes around 300gb storage but it’s absolutely worth it.