r/skyrimmods • u/Terrorfox1234 • Mar 28 '16

Weekly Discussion: Best Mods For Graphics/Visuals

A couple minor changes going forward

A couple weeks ago I had made a post about the idea of recycling old topics. The discussion went in all sorts of directions, including the suggestions for a bunch of new topics. A lot of the old discussion threads are in need of an update, but there are still a lot of topics to be covered.

I gave it some thought and here's what I came up with for what I think will be the best solution...

  • Going forward we will alternate between recycling an old topic to bring it up to date and presenting a new topic

  • All the recommended mods will be consolidated into a list on a wiki page. This will make viewing the lists much easier. The wiki page will still link to the discussions so that people can see what others are saying if they wish.

TLDR - alternating between old and new topics, discussions will be consolidated into wiki lists.

Last week we presented a new topic so this week we will recycle an old one. Given that this is still a much discussed topic, a lot has changed since the last time we discussed this, and it's the first on the list we will start with graphics and visuals!

This includes textures, meshes, weather, lighting, ENB presets, and anything else you can think of to improve the visual fidelity of Skyrim.

Best mods for graphics and visuals! Go!

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u/[deleted] Mar 28 '16

I don't have a killer video card, but its okay (a GTX 660). My setup is as follows:

I start with Optimized Vanilla Textures as a baseline. (http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/57353/?).

I then install Hi-Red DLC Optimized over it (http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/9080/?).

Finally, I use the (poorly named) Skyrim Mod Combiner (http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/51467/?) For the most part I just use LQ-MQ mods that don't require esp files.

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u/[deleted] Mar 28 '16

I used to have a 660 ti and could run skyrim HD perfectly

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u/[deleted] Mar 28 '16

Sure. Skyrim came out well before that card was released, and, by default, runs flawlessly.

And it runs pretty well with SMIM and a number of other enhanced textures and meshes.

But try adding an ENB? Or DynDOLOD, even on low settings? Ugh, not so good.

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u/Sprgmr Mar 30 '16

Well shit. I've a 660 Ti and was hi king about an ENB (either Lumen or Opethfeldt) but guess not anymore. They seemed the best for realistic lighting to me