How to make a new playthrough more interesting?

[Potential Legend]

Basically I'm doing a new character for the second time on PC. My first character is level 51 with over 160 hours put into him so I've just about done everything there is to do. But I'm bored now and I've decided to start a new character. I did 3 playthroughs on Xbox already so this time I used Skyrim Unbound to start the game as a normal hunter that was never in Helgen.

I still feel like something is lacking though, so does anyone know a mod I can get that will make a new play through more interesting? Anything like new characters, new quests, just something that will prevent me feeling like I'm playing the same adventure all over again. Only mod I have atm to make things different is the High King of Skyrim mod as my character's story involves a desire to rule Skyrim.

Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated and I'm open to any ideas :)

UPDATE: I now have "Frostfall", "Realistic Needs and Diseases" and "Hunterborn" to give myself an awesome survival experience but what I'm still looking for now is a mod that will give me something like a final goal to work towards. Since I can't do the main quest after using Unbound to start the game as a non-Dragonborn.

[Nidhoggr]

You could try Frostfall, Realistic Needs & Diseases, Requiem, Alternative Start... I'm using Frostfall, RN&D with Wet & Cold for a more immersive second play. I like it. I bet you won't make it out of Whiterun with this mod:

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/8732/?

[Potential Legend]

Postat inițial de Nidhoggr:

You could try Frostfall, Realistic Needs & Diseases, Requiem, Alternative Start... I'm using Frostfall, RN&D with Wet & Cold for a more immersive second play. I like it. I bet you won't make it out of Whiterun with this mod:

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/8732/?

Frostfall looks interesting I might try that one out and I already have the cannabis mod haha ;)

Also just a question, would you recommend getting SkyUI for all these mods? It looks complicated getting SKSE and SkyUI and I've already gotten very comfortable with Skyrim's normal UI so I just don't know if it's worth going to all the trouble.

[kaiyl_kariashi]

lvl 1 cap, and only kill enemies with shield bashing. (use of dragon-rend when needed is allowed)

[Toma]

Postat inițial de Legend 420:

Postat inițial de Nidhoggr:

You could try Frostfall, Realistic Needs & Diseases, Requiem, Alternative Start... I'm using Frostfall, RN&D with Wet & Cold for a more immersive second play. I like it. I bet you won't make it out of Whiterun with this mod:

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/8732/?

Frostfall looks interesting I might try that one out and I already have the cannabis mod haha ;)

Also just a question, would you recommend getting SkyUI for all these mods? It looks complicated getting SKSE and SkyUI and I've already gotten very comfortable with Skyrim's normal UI so I just don't know if it's worth going to all the trouble.

Skyui is on steam really easy to get and skse you dont even NEED a tutorial it tells everything for you it is like buying a game at the store and putting it in the computer. real easy.

[TurnedToDust]

If your going too play with those mods then i recommend getting SkyUI and SKSE a 100%!

You'll have more options to tweak the mod setting to your liking. It is really not that difficult, but i do recommend installing your mods with a mod manager and getting your mods from the SkyrimNexus.

I also recommend getting locational damage combined with mods that make the AI better.

If you want to start picking up playing with mods check out Gopher's beginner guides on Youtube. If you want quick reviews about mods, check out Brodual's page on Youtube.

Good luck.

[Potential Legend]

Okay well I now have SKSE and SkyUI, it was much easier than I expected! I started a new game now that I had more options with Skyrim Unbound and I have Frostfall and Wet and Cold. I was thinking of getting something like Populated Roads and Towns, but I feel like it will just fill the game with boring NPC's who don't say anything.

What else would you guys recommend?

[gnewna]

Locational Damage looks really good, but Gopher had it in his recent Let's Plays and it seemed to cause weird issues with enemies taking a few seconds after a headshot to register as dying and such.

I tried out Requiem (need to start it on a new game) the other day and it seemed awesome, it's a huge overhaul, wasn't quite what I'm looking for in my current playthrough but I'll definitely be checking it out again (one thing, though, the default difficulty is insane, I couldn't even get through the first fight in Helgen, I'm sure some people would love this, but I'm not up to it... Also, you don't have health regen any more, or a basic healing spell, so you *have* to find potions.)

At the moment I'm sticking with SkyRe which is another overhaul mod but slightly less extreme. It changes most of the perks, enemy AI, and loads more. Again, it's meant to be used from the start of a game. It works really well with Character Creation Overhaul which is ideally used at the beginning of a game, although if you're not very far in, I think it's meant to be safe to install and run the speccing thingy - it lets you have major and minor skills, doesn't work quite the same way as in the older games, but you get a big boost to your major skills (and a bit of a boost to your race's best skills) and they increase more quickly, whereas your minors will be very low (like, you can't even improve an iron dagger without training/practice). It also lets you pick any standing stone blessing as your permanent birth sign at the start of the game, although it's worth bearing in mind that this does pretty much render the Aetherial Crown useless as the permanence removes the actual stones from the game, so you can't pick another - however, it's modular, so you don't *have* to activate the permanent birthsigns part of the mod. If you use SkyRe and CCO together, there are patches available which change the CCO interface to reflect SkyRe's changes to the standing stones and to the skill trees (lockpick/pickpocket are merged and there's a new tree called wayfarer).

Definitely seconding Frostfall and RND or iNeed. Hunterborn is excellent if you're willing to trade off some convenience for a lot more realism in dealing with animal caracasses.

You might like Interesting NPCs, some of them are a bit silly but lots of them are pretty impressive and it adds some quests and things to the game. You might also like Amazing Follower Tweaks, although bear in mind that some people have had issues getting INPCs and AFT to play nicely together, even with the patch. Some manage to get them to work together, but it's probably worth picking one or the other, particularly if you're fairly new to modding.

Finally, if you haven't already, it's well worth checking out Gopher's Beginner's Guide to Modding Skyrim on YouTube, they're a bit long but pretty comprehensive and clear. He's also got a mod review series which is pretty great, and some fun Let's Plays. It's often worth looking for review videos of mods on YouTube, as it can help clarify what the mod does and whether it's actually any good at it (generally speaking, if Gopher or Brodual or certain others has reviewed it, that's probably a good sign, although sometimes they may review an early version of a mod which then gets over-complicated in a future version and becomes less good, so do check the dates on videos and also check the recent comments on the mod's Nexus/Steam Workshop page.)

[TurnedToDust]

@Legend 420

If your looking for more Npc's try "Immersive Patrols".

"Frostfall" and "Wet & Cold" go hand in hand with "Cloaks of Skyrim" and "Winter is Comming".
Mentioned by others aswell, try "Realistic Needs and Diseases" or "INeed".

Like i said before, "Locational Damage" with "Deadly Combat", "Dragon Combat Overhaul" and "Deadly Dragons" will give you much harder fights, but more enjoyable fights.

All these mods togheter will make you make choises and think about what you are doing. Because if you dont you will die.
Swimming across a stream during a snowstorm? You'll die.
Eating raw meat instead of cooking it first? You'll get sick and might die.
Hacking away at a dragon without thinking? You'll die.

Too make everything even more dramatic try "Supreme Storms".
I dont advice fighting a dragon with this mod installed during a snow storm. You'll die.

[TurnedToDust]

@gnewna

I haven't ran into problems like that with Locational Damage. Keep in mind that the problems he was having could be personal.

He totally knows what he is doing ofcourse, but he runs into issues aswell. We all do.

[gnewna]

Postat inițial de TurnedToDust:

@gnewna

I haven't ran into problems like that with Locational Damage. Keep in mind that the problems he was having could be personal.

He totally knows what he is doing ofcourse, but he runs into issues aswell. We all do.

Oh, definitely, it was more a heads up to 'if you have these issues, it could be because of that mod', really. From what I read (I was thinking of getting the mod myself) it's happened to other people, as well - maybe best to avoid when one is starting out in modding, I guess.

[TurnedToDust]

Postat inițial de gnewna:

Postat inițial de TurnedToDust:

maybe best to avoid when one is starting out in modding, I guess.

Good point, then again the sollution is quite easy. Deactivating the mod as Gopher did. :D

[gnewna]

Postat inițial de TurnedToDust:

Good point, then again the sollution is quite easy. Deactivating the mod as Gopher did. :D

True, but deactivating mods can cause issues, and can be a headache to solve those.

[Skyrimnut]

Don't craft anything. Don't train skills. That'll keep things interesting.

New content; Wyrmstooth, Moonpath to Elsweyr, quests by ThirteenOranges.

[Exwin]

Want an interesting play through? Check this guy out. No mods required. Caution, language, so if that sort of thing bothers you, get a backbone.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uhBiNx749Zw

[Toma]

Postat inițial de Skyrimnut:

Don't craft anything. Don't train skills. That'll keep things interesting.

New content; Wyrmstooth, Moonpath to Elsweyr, quests by ThirteenOranges.

Dont train skills with people like the companions or other people? i never do that.