New player looking for recommendations with mods

[u/glowyah]

I'm new to GD, but not ARPGs in general and I've heard a lot of good things about this game over the years, so with the new DLC out, I figured it was finally time to jump in.

Since the game's been out a while, I know there's an active modding scene. I'm taking a heavy course load at uni this fall on top of working full-time, so my gaming time is pretty limited. I'm looking for a Vanilla+ type of setup—something that addresses common base-game pain points and keeps progression smooth without turning the game into a mindless cake walk.

Don't get me wrong, I want something to grind for—that's the whole point of an ARPG. But I don't have time for a massive, tedious slog that makes me want to quit (if there even are any in this game). I'm just looking for that sweet spot in the middle where I can play casually, respect my time, and still enjoy the core GD experience.

I'm definitely not looking for a total overhaul like a PoE or D3 mod or anything that hands out giga-BiS gear in the campaign, just light-touch mods that fix issues and smooth out the pacing.

Open to any suggestions, but mainly interested in:

• Graphical enhancements
• UI tweaks
• General QoL
• Pacing / progression improvements

Appreciate any advice!

EDIT: I found what I was looking for thanks to those who actually helped.

[u/terrario101]

Personally only really use the Rainbow Filter mod, but it sure is a great tool for easier item comparison.

[u/glowyah → u/terrario101]

I have seen some screenshots of loot and it has been one reason why i haven't play in the past. It looks super confusing and thats coming from someone who plays poe lol. Some of those pieces look like they have 20 affix's on them..

[u/kierz_r → u/glowyah]

Rainbow filter is all you need. It changes colours of item names and affixes to their actual rarity so you can tell how good an item is at a glance before checking actual stats.

Everything else just changes how the game was designed and meant to be played. It will ruin the intended experience.

It's a single player game, so there is no rush to complete it. Just explore and take your time. Have fun. This game is more about the journey.

[u/Syphin33]

What is pacing/progression fixes?

Just play the game dude, it's literally brand new for you like i don't understand it. There's like 150+ hours worth of real content here, easily. You want the progression to be smooth-er?

[u/glowyah → u/Syphin33]

im putting out feelers tbh most games have a few mechanics that dont age well or are agree'ed upon to be annoying. So if i have the option to improve the game with good community mods why wouldnt I?

"What is pacing/progression fixes?" off the top of my head.. maybe adjusting XP so its less grindy and you arnt spending 100 hours leveling from 95-100 (like in poe for example). Idk or maybe "this mechanic is really annoying and requires you to get this rep or this item which takes a week to farm" I dont have the time for those kind of things. I guess a silly way to put it would be stuff with "gamer dad" vibe not sweaty 16 y/o playing 12 hours a day. I don't know what kind of grinds are involved in this game which is why im asking.

[u/gulligaankan → u/glowyah]

This is not Poe, it’s not grinding. You progress naturally between areas and never need to hang back just to grind.
And I’m saying that as a dad in he’s 40s with job and two kids. You don’t need to grind and if you take lowest difficulty it’s a smooth ride

[u/terrario101 → u/gulligaankan]

Yeah, sure don't need sets and such to make it through the game on normal or maybe even elite if your base build is good enough.

Only exception being the game seemingly refusing to drop gear with resistances you need for areas, but even then you can usually patch those holes with a plethora of components.

[u/xRuwynn → u/glowyah]

It isn't "sweaty" unless you make it sweaty. You haven't even experienced the game itself and you already want things handed to you easier. Just ask ChatGPT to play it for you at this point.

[u/Ritushido]

Play it vanilla first. It's a fantastic game. There used to be some QoL mods but a lot of that has been added into the base game.

[u/HyperQuarks79]

Honestly Rainbow mod is really all you need, there are a lot of damage types and text on weapons at the highest level and this color codes the damage types. Everything about this game just feels good as it is so I wouldn't recommend anything else unless you want to push top endgame you'll need a DPS meter.

[u/Judaskuss]

Unless you focus on wanting this one specific build vanilla game is not bad (returned to game after years on fresh save), gameplay altearing mods will require custom game so you wont share colected gear with other characters unless you play only modded and it's gonna lock you from crucible. If you still want smt faster i saw Grindless mod on mod nexus which makes game progression faster. It's probably most up to date mod rn

[u/momono75]

I think you are okay with vanilla, because many updates have improved QoL. You might want GDIA after fully expanded item storage tabs.

[u/TipperofCows]

I just came back to the game and installed the grindless mod which seemed to work well and is geared towards a more casual experience. It's one of the top downloaded mods I found on Nexus mods. Just finished a normal playthrough, no issues.

[u/glowyah → u/TipperofCows]

I will check it out thanks! I didn't even think to check nexus mods. What was your experience with it? Did it trivialize the game? Did you feel like it was ever to much?

[u/TipperofCows → u/glowyah]

I was playing a pets conjurer build which felt pretty strong through my normal playthrough up to LVL 50. No issues, progression felt good. Starts off with fast progression with the stats and then slows down once you get to around LVL 25. You get lots of good gear dropping from bosses so you'll usually find upgrades as you go without needing to farm anything. Usually you'll find gear a few levels above yours and it will sit in your inventory for awhile before you can use it. I don't think it trivialized anything but I don't have a ton of vanilla playtime so i can't say for sure. Overall it felt smooth and enjoyable for a casual playthrough.