Best mods for a brand new player?

[Durzo Gaelfire]

I am about to jump into this game for the first time as a brand new player. I was hoping to find a good respec mod for my companions and myself. The respec mods on Nexus have not been updated since 2021 though.

Any other simple mods I should download for QOL improvements? I plan on getting Bubbles Ultimate Buff Bot Lite as well.

[MjKorz]

You can respec in-game on difficulties Normal and below. Normal is a good difficulty for a completely new player.

Chea- I mean (((mods))) are buggy and every new patch breaks them, which results in complaints being posted on the forum all the time. For a completely new player, the best option is to play the game purely vanilla.

[gamers.txt]

You'll never appreciate any mods properly if you haven't played without them. Plus you'll end up making the game easier without really understanding what you are doing.

[Orion Invictus]

No mods.

[Black Beast Of Caerbannog]

Game is fine as it is. You can respecc by going to an NPC named Hilor at almost any point in the campaign.

[Schlumpsha]

Originally posted by Durzo Gaelfire:

I am about to jump into this game for the first time as a brand new player. I was hoping to find a good respec mod for my companions and myself. The respec mods on Nexus have not been updated since 2021 though.

If you are looking for a way to fully respec your companions, then yes, you require mods. The Respec Mod[github.com] is actively updated on github, with its latest release from end of February. Works with the current game version and DLC's.

Originally posted by Durzo Gaelfire:

Any other simple mods I should download for QOL improvements? I plan on getting Bubbles Ultimate Buff Bot Lite as well.

Most of the mods out there for WotR are about adding new feats, spells, archetypes and classes to the game. If you want to stay away from such things and concentrate solely on QoL mods, there are some as well.

Spell Pouch[github.com] for instance makes the management of abilities easier by grouping them together. It's a good way to make the UI a cleaner experience to use.

Toybox[www.nexusmods.com] is another mod with various QoL toggles. Such as toggling highlight loot, activate achievements on modded playthroughts, or directly controlling your summons. Lots of stuff in there.

Auto Mount[github.com] is quite useful if you wish to have animal companions or mounted characters in your party. Since it allows mounting/dismounting via keybindings.

[Durzo Gaelfire]

Originally posted by Schlumpsha:

Originally posted by Durzo Gaelfire:

I am about to jump into this game for the first time as a brand new player. I was hoping to find a good respec mod for my companions and myself. The respec mods on Nexus have not been updated since 2021 though.

If you are looking for a way to fully respec your companions, then yes, you require mods. The Respec Mod[github.com] is actively updated on github, with its latest release from end of February. Works with the current game version and DLC's.

Originally posted by Durzo Gaelfire:

Any other simple mods I should download for QOL improvements? I plan on getting Bubbles Ultimate Buff Bot Lite as well.

Most of the mods out there for WotR are about adding new feats, spells, archetypes and classes to the game. If you want to stay away from such things and concentrate solely on QoL mods, there are some as well.

Spell Pouch[github.com] for instance makes the management of abilities easier by grouping them together. It's a good way to make the UI a cleaner experience to use.

Toybox[www.nexusmods.com] is another mod with various QoL toggles. Such as toggling highlight loot, activate achievements on modded playthroughts, or directly controlling your summons. Lots of stuff in there.

Auto Mount[github.com] is quite useful if you wish to have animal companions or mounted characters in your party. Since it allows mounting/dismounting via keybindings.

Thank you! I want to keep the base game as vanilla as possible. These types of mods are exactly what I was looking for.

[adrian.perry]

Originally posted by MjKorz:

You can respec in-game on difficulties Normal and below. Normal is a good difficulty for a completely new player.

Chea- I mean (((mods))) are buggy and every new patch breaks them, which results in complaints being posted on the forum all the time. For a completely new player, the best option is to play the game purely vanilla.

Not strictly true - it's only the mods that amend/add a blueprint that the main game doesn't know about. And Toy Box (although only for major version changes and it's very well maintained/updated). Reviewing posts on Nexus will help identify which is which.

Whilst I agree that getting the feel for vanilla is a pretty good way to start, the QoL improvements of some mods is very real and makes (IMHO) the game much nicer (not easier) to play. That said, and has been pointed out in other answers, some mods will just make the game too easy. Anyway, welcome and enjoy. you're in for quite a ride :-)

[Stiven]

Toybox, and BubbleBuffs is mandatory. It virtually unplayabe without it.

[RandomDude2018]

You don't need mods.

Buffing mod. I never used one but if it casts all buffs at once then that's cheating. When you cast them manually the durations of the spells you cast first get shorter (important for those that last 1 round per level, you want to cast those last).

Pure vanilla... Last time i played it like that. Main game only. Not a single bonus item. Zero DLC's. The best experience. The integrated DLC's only make the game easier (the bonus vendor, more experience and items you don't really need aka people crying over Star Rattle loot...). Oh and i reinstalled the game so i don't get the extra items from completing the IE DLC (that's even more cheating - those items belong in the IE DLC, not in the base game).

[Steffan]

Originally posted by MjKorz:

You can respec in-game on difficulties Normal and below. Normal is a good difficulty for a completely new player.

Chea- I mean (((mods))) are buggy and every new patch breaks them, which results in complaints being posted on the forum all the time. For a completely new player, the best option is to play the game purely vanilla.

One of the few times I completely agree with you. ;) Excellent advice.

[thunda]

Anyone who says you dont need mods is lying or ignorant. Dont listen to them. You absolutely need Toy Box and preferably also a buff bot mod like BubbleBuffs.

[Steffan]

Originally posted by thunda:

Anyone who says you dont need mods is lying or ignorant. Dont listen to them. You absolutely need Toy Box and preferably also a buff bot mod like BubbleBuffs.

Do not be afraid to embrace ignorance. The vanilla game is a gem by its own.

[Viper]

Toy box is essentially a cheat mod.. So you in no way need it.

[Raistlin]

I recommend you grab ModFinder if you want to use mods. Think of it like a package manager, except for WotR mods. You can install and update mods with it from a curated list. On said list is a respec mod, ToyBox, Bubble Buffs, Bubble Tweaks, and many other mods. You don't need any mods, but several of them add significant QoL.

To maximize on QoL I'd recommend you grab ToyBox, Bubble Buffs, and Bubble Tweaks. ToyBox lets you enable achievments with mods, toggle highlight, respec on higher difficulties, and many more features. ToyBox can also be used to fix bugs or mistakes you've made in your playthrough. And yes. You can also cheat with it. If you have self control, you can limit yourself to just the QoL features. If not, download the Respec Mod and the modded achievements mod from ModFinder instead.

Bubble Buffs lets you customize three buff macros. As you progress through the game, you will need to prebuff a lot. This streamlines that process significantly, and it will save you a lot of time. Bubble Tweaks lets you change out of combat speed, in combat speed, map speed, and crusade battle speed. I think the game has some of those options by default now, but not all of them. This will also save a lot of time. The overworld map in particular is extremely slow by default.

[Stiven]

OP. Just to reinforce how dangerous to play without mods, not much of the spoiler since this names you don't know yet, and who is what and all that:

>Bone Hills will not appear on the world map until you have completed Iz. Hulrun will reveal the location for you. If you killed Hulrun, the only way to locate Bone Hills is to pass a DC 45 Perception check, so be sure to save before exploring near this area for the first time or you will be locked out.

Basically, just by killing random npc in act 1(!), and then sleep on random perception check in act 5(!!) when exploring map, you can be cockblocked from doing big companion quest, missing out mega dungeon, and all that. Not crucial, but just to make and example. In fact all internet is full of thread of people missing out content because of random perception check on crusader map, which they did not even seen, because who is playing this game while constantly staring at gamelog in crusader mode. And lets not even begin to discuss the "secret ending" and how much you can screw out, because you feed pigeons in act 1, wash the floor with wrong broom in act 2, or did not run 3 circle around beer cart in act 1, just some utterly random bs.