I am probably going to start an argument here....
I was thinking about getting Skyrim on PC, then I saw some xbox gameplay and I was totally hooked. But seriously, how much am I missing without mods. I would much rather pay 15 bucks and get a whole new world (new to Bethesda games and IDK how big DLCs are) than get an extra quest or a few weapons/spells. I may sound a bit of an idiot and cocky, but I dont really need mods. I want to play the game how it is.

Although, I havent used mods for any game yet (thats why I am against them) and i dont know if they are actually as bad (I say bad like as little) as I think.

So.... Are mods really that great?

Once the CK is out, they will be. Oblivion mods fixed all the bugs that Bethesda couldn't be bothered to fix. And note that the Unofficial Patches have been out for a long time, and Bethesda has not bothered to roll them into the main game, even though the work is done. So console players still don't get those patches.

yeah, it is mods that make elder scrolls playable for years on end - from entire game overhauls, to new levelling systems and even massive new landmass projects

Mods also add a lot more to do in the game - more quests, locations (sometimes massive locations like province mods complete with lots of quests and things to do!), npcs... those are the main reasons why I like mods.

Hm to answer your question... check some of these mods for FNV http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/top/alltime.php
For me mods are a must. Some polish existing content, some fix a lot of stuff. some add a lot of new content. Yes they are definitely a must if you get to know them.
If you choose the PC version you will pity those playing in consoles afterwards (true story).

OP, a friend of mine was saying the exact same things as you before he saw the greatness of mods. Now he can't play without them.

Yes, the moderators here are very good.

The whole series has been made to be moddable and since the construction kit was released it became insane. For me, I couldn't play Morrowind or Oblivion without mods, and even without the kit I can't play Skyrim without the mods I have now.

Personally there's no comparison to a modded game and vanilla game. From thousands pieces of gear, armor, weapons, spells, items, quests, houses, textures, quests, gameplay mechanics, bug fixes. Its like having a developer staff of the millions who actual play the game build the game. No contest, mods are superior and worth it.

Even without the CK, the 2k resolution texture mods are stunning, compared to vanilla. Skyrim's graphics look decent from an average distance, but horrible up close; the 2k textures really make things more real. Its almost like im in a postcard.

http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/011/4/5/troll_face_says_the_game__by_james_mizuhara-d36zguw.png

I never cared to get mods with Morrowind or Oblivion but it's obvious to me I'll need to pick up a copy of Skyrim for PC if I'm ever going to enjoy this game.

Most mods are right now are visual tweaks only (great snow textures, better bodies/faces, sun glare, ect) there are a few that subtlety change the game play (remove enemies in battle showing up as red dots on the compass to removing the compass altogether) but once the construction kit comes out there will be major mods made adding new creatures, new quests, changing the leveling system, changes to the perks. In 1-2 years there will be thousands of mods for Skyrim. Mods are the main reason Morrowind and Oblivion are still played today and will be the reason people will still be playing Skyrim 5 years from now. Meanwhile other people will be playing Call of Duty 12.

You know that the PC gets DLC too, right? PC gets faster support, all the DLC that the consoles receive and, for popular games like this, tons of mod support. There will be mods for minor tweaks, mods for weapons, and mods for entire game overhauls. People go crazy with the Creation Kit, so I'd expect some amazing stuff down the road.

Oh, and it's all for free. Free, I say!

If you are not playing with mods you are not playing. Everyone makes a big emphasis on bug fixes and yes the unofficial patches were great, but the true greatness is in content. You can effortlessly get 8x more content from mods than you do from the vanilla game. There is a mod for Oblivion that lets you play Morrowind, f-ing MORROWIND!!! a whole game with an improved game engine and all the bells and whistles!

The innovative quests mods introduce go far beyond fetching and killing and make you use your noggin on more than one occasion. The content and breadth of said quests often makes the MQ look like a joke.

The lesser element of mods but often just as valuable is that they allow you to adjust the game to your liking. You are annoyed by something, odds are so is one of the modders and they already have it fixed all you got to do is d/l and the annoying feature disappears or a much needed feature appears. Want bigger wolf packs? Done! Want stronger Werewolves? Done! Want alchemists to actually have alchemical supplies? Done! Want to shoot fire out of your butt and levitate in the process? Give it a few months and it WILL be done!

Seriously, Oblivion had some spectacular mods. Even if you just use the Unofficial Fixes, it's so worth it.

If anything, do it for free bug fixes.

If you have the machine for it, there's no reason not to. Better graphics, quicker bug fixes, and you can even buy xbox controllers that plug into the computer.

Mods, combined, have WAYYYYYY more content than the official DLCs.

I used to feel that way, then [insert overused arrow joke here].

But honestly, I did used to feel the EXACT same way. It felt like it was defiling the original game. Or it felt like cheating. I didn't like the idea of adding "unprofessional" or "unofficial" content into a game. Then I tried it. Truly, I couldn't go back to playing "vanilla" games, not even Morrowind. In fact, mods are one of the main reasons I TRY to always get the PC version of ANY game if it's available.

Once you start playing mods, you won't look back. In fact, you will feel as though you have been enlightened.

There's nothing wrong with playing a game with mods just as there's nothing wrong with playing games without mods. But remember, even if you do start playing with mods, you can always stop. The PC versions of games play the same as any other versions... that is unless the PC version is platform specific, but that usually means superior anyway. It's a win-win situation no matter what. The ONLY reason you should even think to get a console version of a single-player game is if you question your PC's ability to run it. That's why I got Oblivion on Xbox first. My PC still won't run it well. But it will actually run Skyrim pretty well. I'm just hungry for the mods now!


Ps. If you really want to see how much better a game is after it has been modded, play Morrowind. It's nearly 10 years old, but there is also nearly 10 years worth of content for it. The same goes for Oblivion to a lesser extent. However, there is a much larger gap between the qualities of vanilla Oblivion and modded Oblivion. I refuse to play vanilla Oblivion... where I can handle vanilla Morrowind.

I played and did everything for Oblivion across tree platforms. Last was PC. Mods make a any games score go from withing the 1-10 ratio to about a 15/10. Think if it like extra credit lol. It makes the game much much better and lets you basically through personal choice create YOUR own vision within Bethesdas own. You can choose lore friendly mods or get wacky and insane mods. Really you dont know what you are missing till you try it.

Go and browse http://www.skyrimnexus.com/ and see what's been done so far.

And that's nothing compared to what the modders will make once the creation kit is released

I would not have bought the game without the ability to apply mods to it. Single player games don't provide me with entertainment for very long, despite how great and in-depth they are. Mods however, will keep me enthralled for years.

Probably the only reason I still buy gamesas games, is that I get the construction set to modify the game the way I want..

"Mods" comprise a lot of things... but think about it this way: how many times have you played a game, and as you played, you thought to yourself "wouldn't it be cool if...?" With the construction set, you can turn that "if" into game play. It is basically having an unlimited preferences menu.

To clarify for the OP: The Creation Kit is the actual software used by Bethesda to create Skyrim. They literally give us full control over the game.

Hmm I thinking sending the OP here http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/top/alltime.php would be wiser. What exists for Skyrim so far barely qualifies as an appetizer, let the OP see what has been done with the previous title.

For Oblivion, mods were what allowed me to actually enjoy the game! I wont lie, i'm pretty picky when I play my games, probably because the very first game I played was Super Mario Bros(which was so hard i never finished it!(!!)), and then Golden Sun after that, which is one of the best GBA games ever made. So I have pretty dang high standards.

With Mods, oblivion became just...amazing. In the beginning of one, i wandered into a tomb, ran into an undead ghost, and not only could I not hurt it at all, it killed me in 2 hits! And it was sooo cool, especially after the HUGE leveling problems in oblivion.

And the Midas Magic. At first, i thought it was just a handy spell mod, and never really used it that much. But then I unlocked the portals, and suddenly realized that it was probably the most awesome mod i'd ever played. And people tell me that other mods like The Lost Spires were even better than that!


YES. Mods really ARE that good. Already there are ones that improve everything from the UI to the way rocks look in skyrim, and once the CK gets released the amount of them, with millions of old and new players, will be insane.

Mods can add many hours of gameplay and create much more immersion.

Though, most of the major mods, i.e. New factions, quests, characters, weapons, creatures, etc. have many bugs, script issues, etc. and can totally bring framerate down or cause other countless issues that negatively impact your game. After several major mods, I found myself uninstalling them as they were more shallow than described and frequently caused some sort of gameplay bug or issues. Not worth it, for the most part.

I found the graphic enhancing and gameplay tweaking mods are the most valuable and most used when I played MW and Oblivion, and even other games such as FO and CS.

So far I've downloaded better textures, different skins, a stutter fix that lets me run Ultra settings on a mid-range system, ambient sounds, interface changes, better water and lighting and nvde females with [censored]. [censored] dude, [censored].

That's just what's out there already. The CK hasn't even been released yet. When it does, the modders will go to town. Just take a look at all the stuff they did with Oblivion and Morrowind.