Essential Vanilla-like Mods for a Beginner

[DarthQuell]

Howdy y'all. I'm relatively new to the game, but already went through a Vanilla playthrough and then played a couple of modded playthroughs (Genesis, which is now uninstalled; Reactive World, which has been replaced; Living World, which I have currently)

As mus\ch fun as it is to play the game modded, I'd actually like to play it closer to Vanilla. I frequently go on the Kenshi Wiki, but it obviously doesn't have any info regarding modded playthoughs.

So my question is: is there a list of mods that can enhance my Kenshi experience without changing a whole lot, like messing with World States and that sorta thing?
It can be simple changes, like added dialogue/names, animal taming, recruiting imprisoned NPCs, etc.

I hope that this all makes sense

[ReD2222]

256 recruit limit, Tame Beasties, Recruit anyone (simple) or Recruitable prisoners (complex).
You're welcome, Drifter! <3

[DarthQuell]

Originally posted by ReD2222:

256 recruit limit, Tame Beasties, Recruit anyone (simple) or Recruitable prisoners (complex).
You're welcome, Drifter! <3

xD that was quick. Thank you, kind sir. May you never be ambushed by Spiders

[ReD2222]

Oh, completely forgor about Improved smithing (The mod that allows edge 3 crafting with Meito crits)
Explanation: Edge 2 is vanilla max grade of weapon player can make, while crafting a weapon player character can "crit success" their new blade, going higher in quality by 1 grade level.
Meito weapons are best in game, though player-made Meito will be weaker, but still! Sorry I didn't include it in my first reply :(

[DarthQuell]

Excellent, already subscribed to all the mods, Recruitable Prisoners, too

[DarthQuell]

Is there any particular order I should have them installed, though? Or does it not matter?

And another question (sorry): are there any patches that fix bugs that I should be aware of?

[ReD2222]

What bugs do you mean?
Also 256 should be the last in the list.
Also you need only 1 recruit people mod. Both of them are pretty mutually exclusive. The one lower in the list will work.

[DarthQuell]

Originally posted by ReD2222:

What bugs do you mean?

I've heard of glitches were characters and/or objects dissapear, or certain actions will cause the game to crash, etc. There's too many for me to remember right now...

Originally posted by ReD2222:

Also 256 should be the last in the list.

Ok, perfect. Thanks

Originally posted by ReD2222:

Also you need only 1 recruit people mod. Both of them are pretty mutually exclusive. The one lower in the list will work.

Ah, ok. I chose the more complex Recruitable Prisoners mod over the Recruit Anyone mod

[MagicHp]

That 256 mod is quite outdated. Still functional of course, it's just a simple edit after all, but there are newer and better ways ^^

RE_Kenshi also gives the option to choose that limit up to 256 for example, along with attack slots, new time controls etc.

Basically, I would advise to follow the first part of that modlist for example:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2822248814

Don't subscribe to the 400+ mods (maybe later ^^ ) , but install those mentionned before that, in the "Performance" and "Nexus mods Additions" .
Better performance, controls, and visual enhancements all in one go ;)

[cdplayer906]

Originally posted by DarthQuell:

Is there any particular order I should have them installed, though? Or does it not matter?

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1850250979

[Drake Ravenwolf]

Here's my current mod list, I try to avoid ones that add items and instead focus on bugfixing/QoL/etc:

Don't Burst My Ear Drums.mod
robotique limbs retexture.mod
detail textures.mod
Nice textures collection.mod
Better Night Sky and Planet Textures.mod
Realistic Weather.mod
Thicc_Foliage.mod
Less Folliage that doesn't block your doors.mod
Nice Map [Zones + Zone names + Roads].mod
Basic UI.mod
Dark UI.mod
Naming Fixes Project.mod
DialoguePlus.mod
Unofficial Patches for Kenshi.mod
Guarenteed Shops.mod
Ore Drill Animation Fix.mod
Immersive non-combat animations.mod
Shek Perfect Body (SFW).mod
Beefy Hive Soldiers.mod
PersonalityFIx.mod
More Common Uniques.mod
Let's Talk.mod
Robot Limb.mod
Rebel HQ to Sho-Battai.mod
Masterwork Crab Armor For Sale - Guaranteed.mod
sideways wall ramp.mod
Better Crop Fences.mod
Scraphouse Fixes.mod
Waypoints Plus.mod
Lights Tweak.mod
Auto Grain Silo Fix.mod
Ore Capacity Expansion.mod
Building Collision Fix.mod
BughouseFix.mod
Slopeless.mod
Better Building System.mod
Reorganized Build Menu.mod
Fixing Clipping Issues.mod
Minor Mesh Fixes.mod
More Clipping Fixes.mod
Player Faction Armor Color.mod - This one does add new items by default
boots for hive.mod
Gas mask to belt slot.mod
Bigger Backpacks Expanded.mod
Manageable Heavy Weapons.mod
Project Weapon Sharpening.mod - This one adds new items too
Immersive Food.mod
Immersive Healing.mod
Stackable Items.mod
Cities Rebalanced-The Shek Territories.mod
Cities Rebalanced-The Southern Cities.mod
Cities Rebalanced-The Outlands.mod
LivingWorld.mod
Cities Rebalanced+Living World.mod
Martial Arts Fast Dodger.mod
No Weaker Opponents.mod
Trade Prices.mod
Calm Ambient Sound.mod
SCAR's pathfinding fix.mod
SCAR's Better ai for NPCes.mod
-KCF autogenerated patch-.mod

[jerrypocalypse]

Reactive World is a must for me for an enhanced vanilla feel.

[Hatsune Neko Gaming]

debate the topic, not each other.

[ReD2222]

Thank you, Neko! <3
UPD: Oh, DarthQuell! Also if you find martial combat evasion too slow (you'd figure it out eventually if you play without weapons - you might want to look at No matrix dodge https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1615749836 and faster MA dodge mods https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2424189312

[MagicHp]

Changing animations also change combat a lot, you can cheat or break the game with just animation mods, I don't see how is that "essential" or "vanilla-like" in any way...

The 256 mod is also the most subscribed on the workshop, hard to NOT find it ^^

The mods I mentionned and linked aren't on the workshop, don't change anything in terms of content, add more in-game options that you can leave at default or set to any value you want and not just to 256 , enhance performance , reduce and possibly remove CTDs depending on your setup, and even allows for cleaner modding afterwards...

Since we're here to discuss that, how can you do more "Essential" and "Vanilla-like" than that? ;)

[DarthQuell]

This is fantastic, appreciate it. I think I might go with Drake's list, as QoL and bug fixes are what I'm mostly looking for. Will definitely get the faster dodges, too. You don't win when your only technique is to dance fight, after all