Skyrim Wabbajack Modlist Comparisons
Greetings again! I'm back with more comparisons between Wabbajack modlists - this time in full spreadsheet form! I've completed a first pass at comparing the content of more than fifteen individual modlists for you to determine which one might be right for you.
Wabbajack Modlist Comparisons Spreadsheet
The three sheets (in the tabs at the bottom) are as follows:
- General overhauls and performance information. This is the updated an elaborated version of my post from over a year ago which features information useful to those who want a general sense of play experience and whether it will run on your PC. See the post above for my hardware details.
- Major Quest mods. This list focuses on quests which add substantial new content and full quests created by modders.
- Major Follower mods. Fully featured (and mostly voiced) companions for your Skyrim adventures.
EDIT: This list is not comprehensive - either of mods or modlists. I'm getting to things as I go so do forgive any omissions. If you would like to help add to the list, reach out or comment below.
A few observations before diving into more about specifics.
- Out of the lists I examined, Tuxborn and Lost Legacy have the most stuff added to the game. Tuxborn adheres more to Skyrim whereas Lost Legacy adds more fun and silly things.
- Most modlists that make substantial changes to core Skyrim are very selective about what new content they add. Large filesizes are not directly indicative of more Quests.
- Every modlist has substantial uniqueness, even within these limited criteria.
Quests
Note: I have not played all of these quest mods. I may shift some things on or off of this list based on my own experiences or your suggestions.
My criteria for counting a substantial quest mod is one that adds new content, requires the player to complete several stages of tasks, and yields some sort of reward or change. I've excluded mods which are direct extensions to vanilla quests for clarity's sake - though that could be another sheet. Whether they be new lands or integrated into the base game, the content has to be distinct from the original Skyrim.
On the second point, I excluded dialogue-centric quests as they tend to be simply things you do on your way to places rather than substantive content that you pursue. For that reason, I have not counted most of the quests created by nimwraith. While these are high quality and worth having, they aren't really ones that should determine what type of playthrough you want to partake in a modlist.
I've also not listed Legacy of the Dragonborn because that's so much more than just quests and it generally shapes the entire tenor of a modlist. I have thought about having another sheet that lists LotD integrations, but we'll see >!(if you want to help, I'd be much more inclined)!<.
Here's a few quest observations:
- The most popular quest mod in the lists I examined is Wyrmstooth. This is a bit funny to me as someone who remembers a time it was totally deleted - though I've always loved it. Second place is VIGILANT.
- Many lists have a particular focus with their quest selections. For example, Tuxborn adds most of the Dwemer-focused expansions whereas Alypne adds many of the Lovecraft-inspired quests by nimwraith.
- Some quest mods which used to be must-installs like Falskaar and Helgen Reborn have fallen out of favor - while newer mods like Beyond Skyrim: Bruma and SIRENROOT have seen much more adoption.
Followers
Almost all of the follower mods I counted are fully featured, with voices (excluding the non-human ones) and generally some substantive content attached to them like quests. I did not include any follower-replacer mods.
Many companion mods straddle between being quest-centered and follower-centered. I generally decided to list them as followers, though it's a hard question. Is Interesting NPCs (3DNPC) a quest mod or a follower mod? What about There is No Umbra, or Wheel of Time? I will likely change their positions in the future or possibly overlap them in both categories.
Anyways, a few notes:
- Auri steams ahead as the most popular follower mod in Wabbajack lists I tested. Remiel comes close behind. INIGO is surprisingly not as popular anymore.
- If you plan to run with several followers, you will likely want to check this guide from the Gate to Sovngarde wiki. It doesn't have every interaction but it will greatly enhance your companion experience if you want something more like Baldur's Gate 3.
- Depending on the type of control over followers you like to have, you should consult the modlist page for how their follower-integrations work. In my opinion, these are often more trouble than they're worth.
Hopefully this preliminary list will give you some ideas of which modlist you want to play next! If you have any corrections, notes, or anything else, please feel free to comment down below. I'm still gathering more data on modlists and if you even want to help, get in touch.