GamerPoets and Gopher are both good youtube channels to learn about modding Bethesda Games. it really seems intimidating at first if you're not an experienced modder but is quite easy.. on steam, you can get the official HD texture packs for 1080p for free. join the[url=http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/] skyrim nexus[/url](free/easy/secure, just don't click on a payment package when you sign up if you don't want to optionally pay). everything but the hugest of mods will be "Virus Total" AV scanned, with a small green check icon next to the download option indicating a good file. you need to manually install and set up SKyrimScriptExtender[skse.silverlock.org], most mods will rely on this papyrus injector to work. this allows mods to be an extension of the scripting language that skyrim natively uses. get mod organizer. seriously. this program is [i]critical[/i] for an easy modding experience. it allows for easy download, install and removal of otherwise complex mods. set up mod organizer to use SKSE as an available tool to launch skyrim(youtube makes this hella easy) you need Sky UI for it's Mod Configuration Menu menus(improved remake from the new vegas version). the best mods with any sort of physics or game play changes will have customization options that rely on SkyUI. you will need the unofficial patches mods, those are Hugely important in fixing bugs and broken quests. you will need "ApachiiSkyHair" for many things. also "RaceMenu". i recommend Wearable Lanterns, when vampires attack, Verdant, a quality world map, a matter of time, UHD dragons, Treebalance, Apocalypse magic of skyrim,the real fus roh dah,Teeth Plus, Teeth Plus Redone(a TP patch for even higher res), eyes of beauty , ren's HD shrines, Realistic Water 2, Pure Waters. can recommend more, if you want. any armor mods is probably going to require you to choose from one of the nude female body types because skeleton compatibility : CBBE(and variants), UNP, sevenbase, UNPB,etc. they use slightly different 3d skeletons and textures modified from the vanilla versions so yes, they are required. Sophia is an OK follower, but can be annoying. basically if you can handle it, go nuts.