Board Thread:Skyrim/@comment-109.152.70.181-20131231073113/@comment-24653522-20140427150738

How is avoiding alchemy and crafting realistic? I'm certain alchemy and crafting are real life practices. And it's an Elder Scrolls game–a fantasy game... Choosing not to enchant your own equipment is a common choice for strictly-warrior based characters, but many of us enjoy playing as mages, alchemists, monks, historians, thieves, assassins, spellswords, and so on. I would only find this kind of playthrough "fun" if I had a character that was strictly Nord, since many Nords seem to dispise the practice of magicka since it's a common Elven practice. And Nords apparently love showing off their strength and combat skills, but even the most battle-hardened Nords appreciate a good potion to keep them on their feet. Alas, the Nords also take pride in their smithing talents and enjoy showing off their weapons.

As for starting on legendary difficulty... Go for it! It really makes you think thrice before getting into a fight with anyone, and it makes having a companion a practical necessity.

This seems more like a "I wonder what it'd be like if..." playthrough rather than a "realistic" one. But if you truly want a realistic feel, try some of these mods from Nexus Mods (I use all of the following):

-Realistic Needs and Diseases (adds hunger, thirst, sleep depravity, and more serious consequences for untreated diseases).

-Frostfall (add hypothermia, causing you to really think before heading out at night or swimming around Windhelm).

-Climates of Tamriel (adds realistic and natural sound effects all around the game's environment).

-Winterhold Destruction (according to Winterhold citizens, the city's been destroyed... this mod adds some ruins).

-Extended Encounters (Skyrim can feel empty, this adds more random encounters).

-Hunterborn (makes hunting much more immersive and rewarding).

-SkyFalls and SkyMills (animates distant waterfalls and windmills).

-Pumping Iron (adds muscle growth, great for Nord show offs).

-Any nude/full body retexture mod (C'mon, having invisible upper legs is fricken weird).

-Realistic Crime Radius (limits the range of which people can cry for the gaurds).

-The Way of the Dovahkiin ("...an immersion mod that adds a consistent element of danger around every corner." Basically, it makes the game MUCH more challenging, just like the lore portrays the land of Skyrim).

-Traps Make Noise (setting off traps will alert nearby enemies and NPCs).

-Open Cities Skyrim (an awesome mod that eliminates loading screens when entering cities... you have to try it to understand).

-Expanded Towns and Cities (self-explanatory).

-Riften Slums (adds a slum just outside of Riften).

-Whiterun Outskirts Market (adds a slum and small market area just outside of Whiterun).

-Various new location mods such as Falskaar (amazing mod), Wyrmstooth, Pinewood, Elvenwood, Ebonvale, Syrscote, The Undercity, etc.

-Corners of Skyrim ("fills up" the parts of Skyrim that feel lonely).

-Riften Thief Edition (makes Riften feel like it's actually owned by the Thieves Guild).

-Mercy (when enemies yield and beg for mercy, they will not attack you afterwards).

-Training Dummies XP (gives you some experience when practicing on training dummies).

-OBIS (adds immersive bandit clans).

-Work a Steady Job as a Blacksmith (you understand).

-Hunting in Skyrim (adds a Hunter's Guild).

-Cooking Expanded (adds more recipies).

-Wearable Lantern (adds a lantern to your belt to keep both hands available).

-Replace Your Criminal Face (when you change your face via the Face Sculptor, your crime records dissapear).

-SkyTEST (makes wildlife much more natural and immersive).

-Order My Items (allows you to place an order on items that vendors might be not have at the moment).

-AND MY FAVORITE: Random Alternative Start (completely bipasses the boring original beginning and starts you off elsewhere in Skyrim).

There's plenty of mods that add to the immersion that I'm a bit too lazy to add here, but these are amongst my favorites. Hope that helped someone.