So, I bought this and all the DLC apparently. A year ago... maybe? I'unno; I never actually installed it nor played it. I mean, I did play the game on console for a little bit, but I never actually seriously played it. So, if I were to start playing this game fully (should I wait? I heard something about a better-looking version coming out or something), any mods that I should grab? Bugfixes naturally, but anything else?
SKSE - Skyrim Script Extender Required for most of the more interesting mods and also for the unofficial patch to fully work.
SkyUI Replace the consolized default UI with one more suitable to playing on a PC.
USLEEP - Unofficial Skyrim Legendary Edition Patch Fixes most of the bugs and issues left in the game. Still being actively updated so check for updates before starting a new character. While I've never had issues, a few have reported problems with their games after updating while playing the same character, so it would be safest to get it from the Nexus to avoid automatic updates from Steam, and updating between characters.
Arthmoor, one of the main authors of the unofficial patch, has done a large number of other mods, sometimes in collaboration with others, that fix or enhance various parts of the game. I usually consider most of them to be essential before starting to look at other mods.
Additional fixes not included in USLEEP Various fixes that for assorted reasons aren't included in the unofficial patch.
When Vampires Attack +
Run For Your Lives Both of these help reduce the number of npc's dying to Vampire/Dragon attacks where they have no business trying to fight.
Cutting Room Floor - Legendary Edition Restores a fairly large amount of cut content.
Bring Out Your Dead - Legendary Edition Makes sure every(base+DLC) named npc in and around the cities/villages gets an actual grave if/when killed, and establishes graveyards in settlements that lacked them.
Point The Way Adds signposts at most road intersections, making it easier to travel without getting lost. Couple with
Roadsigns Redone to make the signposts more readable without having to get extremely close to them.
Alternate Start - Live Another Life Good for when you are fed up with the long-ass introduction for the n'th time, or just ant to try a different starting idea.
Provincial Courier Service - Legendary Edition Gives The Courier a home and office near Whiterun, rather than having him appear out of the aether. Also allows for deliveries to be sent to one of your owned houses instead of having him randomly run up to you, or collected from his office.
Castle Volkihar Rebuilt Allows the restoration of the castle following the completion of the Dawnguard DLC, rather than leaving it as a run-down mess.
Kynesgrove,
Darkwater Crossing,
Ivarstead,
Shor's Stone,
Whistling Mine,
Soljund's Sinkhole &
Karthwasten A series of expansions of several minor settlements that were pretty anaemic in the base game. Do remeber if you grab any other village expansion mods that you can usually only have one mod effecting a village without causing conflicts.
The Paarthurnax Dilemma Adds a third option to resolve a quest that logically shouldn't have been restricted to extremes.
Gildergreen Regrown,
Oblivion Gates in Cities,
Shadowmarks &
Bee Hives A few minor mods that add in little things that probably should have been in the base game.
And for some non-Arthmoor mods;
Lanterns of Skyrim - All In One Adds lanterns along the main roads and in settlements. If you pick the MCM version you can also specify when you want the lanterns to be lit.
Purity Improved weather, lighting, water & waterfalls. Check the files section of the nexus page as well for various HD landscape textures designed to work with the mod.
A Quality World Map and Solstheim Map - With Roads Does exactly what it says.
Static Mesh Improvement Mod - SMIM Improves most static meshes for higher detail.
Stones of Barenziah Quest Markers Adds quest markers for the longest, and sometimes most annoying, collection quest in the game.
Bandolier - Bags and Pouches Adds wearable pouches that can expand your carrying capacity from it's pretty pathetic level.