Cloaks: Material: Winter is Coming: Fur (63) Cloaks of Skyrim: Burlap(41), Linen(45), Hide(29) Arise - Chapter 1 - The Black Sacrament: Linen (4) Lustmord Vampire Armor: Linen (1). While I like the NORDIC Skyrim:SE guide, and I think the load order is great, I don't agree with all things in that guide, and I also think there are way too many mods listed there as well. Nevertheless I used the Nordic guide as a guideline for this mod list, because thats where it is a great guide for.
What do you mean, Daedric isn't Full protection?
Skyrim Special Edition Differences
No doubt there is something in the above list that you don't agree with. 'Why did you set things that way?' you might ask.
Here are some of the reasons behind the default W.E.A.R. protection values:
- I want to promote interesting decisions in gameplay. If I gave Daedric and Dragonbone 'full' protection, that's not very interesting because they're already the best armors in the game for other reasons.
- I followed what I felt 'looked' warm or 'looked' revealing.
- I listened to what other people told me they would expect.
- I favored armors that look more rugged, rough, natural, and padded, since that is more fitting with Frostfall's gameplay aesthetic. Cyrodiilic armors such as Steel Plate don't exactly scream 'I have a warm woolen soft kit underneath suitable for winter conditions!'
- I felt that the armor progression should somewhat follow the exposure protection curve, insomuch that the beginning of the game should be more difficult than later in the game.
Because of those reasons, the first sets of armor you're liable to find and equip, Iron and Hide (and if you want to get technical, the prisoner's clothing), are 'Limited' in protection. Most of the rest of the Heavy armors are at least Standard, because to make them any less given their visual appearance would make me a modding criminal. More of the Light armors are considered Limited than the Heavy because it made visual sense to me. However, Fur armor (through Frostfall) is available almost as soon as you start playing the game, so you can get that very early on. Heavy Armor specialists have to wait until Orcish to get their Full set (unless you use Immersive Armors, but even then, I don't think Einherjar, Warchief, and Heroic Stormcloak come cheap). So, I think it equals out.
All this to say.. no, I'm not off my rocker, and yes, I've put a lot of thought into it. There's just not an empirically 'right' way of doing this, so I just had to go with whatever I felt was best fitting the aesthetic design of the armor as well as the gameplay implications.
Thankfully, if you don't agree with my decisions, that's what Inspect Equipment is for. Use it!
Weapons and Armour
Immersive Weapons
There is a seemingly endless supply of user-created weapons on the Skyrim Nexus, but Immersive Weapons should always be at the top of your list. It’s an increasingly massive mod that adds over 250 weapons and 21 archetypes to the game that you can buy, loot or craft yourself. The benefit of using this instead of adding all your weapons piecemeal is that these weapons have been designed to co-exist, keeping balance and lore in mind. Unlike lightsabers.
Immersive Armors
If you’re grabbing Hothtrooper’s Immersive Weapons, you should pick up their Immersive Armors as well. Like the weapon mod, it introduces hundreds of new pieces of lore-appropriate armour and shields, allowing you to finally live out your dream of wearing a saber-toothed cat on your head. There are some nifty accessories, too, including eye patches and scarves. You’ll be prepared for anything.
Bandoliers
If you’ve ever fancied dressing your Dragonborn up as a Rob Liefeld superhero, Bandoliers is the mod for you. It adds new item slots to your body and then provides a vast number of pouches, bags and bandoliers that you can strap onto yourself. If you’d prefer to look less like Cable and more like a wizard, there are also book and vial holders. They’re practical, too, letting you stuff your inventory full of junk.
Cloaks of Skyrim
If you don’t wear a cloak, how will anyone know that you’re an adventuring hero? Angry work memes. Cloaks are an RPG necessity, so Cloaks of Skyrim provides an important public service. It summons a bounty of cloaks into the world, nearly 100 styles in all, ranging from faction-specific clobber to tattered, monstrous garments that only a Daedra would wear. NPCs will wear them, too, and they actually make guards look more authoritative. A nice cloak commands respect.
Wearable Lanterns
Only mugs hold their own lanterns. Wearable Lanterns is a mod for the adventurer who doesn’t have time for holding extra junk while they’re slaughtering their way through undead-infested dungeons. You can attach the lantern to your belt, or you can just give it to one of your followers; they can hold or wear it for you. Even handier! Honestly, is there any need for the sun now that we’ve got this sorted?
Deadly Cabbages
Throw a magical cabbage at your enemies. Go on.