This list requires 194GB of storage space, with 58GB of that being downloads
The following things are needed to run Empyrean, and should be installed prior to installation of the list
First things first, if you are using a 21x9 monitor, you will need to enable the Ultrawide Patches under Ultrawide Options (makes sense right?), otherwise the entire display will be off, and no one will have a good time. After you've done that, navigate to the drop down menu, and select ENB Organizer if you want to change from the default ENB (Rudy for Cathedral is enabled by default).
After chosing your ENB of choice, close ENB Organizer. In that same dropdown menu, select Empyrean, and than hit Run. First time load may take a little bit depending on your hardware (for reference, I have a 3060 12GB, an R7 3700x, and 32GB of DDR4 RAM, and it takes about 30 seconds to a minute to get to the main menu.)
Once you've reached the Main Menu, feel free to enjoy the ambience for a moment, and than hit New Game. You're off on an adventure!!!
Most of the MCMs are already set up for you via MCM Recorder. When you load into the starting area (A heavily modified Realm of Lorkhan), create your character. Once you're done creating your character, you will be prompted to choose a Deity. Worshipping your chosen God will provide benefits, so take your time, and read through what each God does. Fear not though, if you wish to worship the Overlord Supreme of Cheese, Sheogorath, that's possible. After you've selected which deity you want to worship, wait for all the text to stop scrolling in the left hand corner of your screen. Once all the text is gone, navigate to the MCM Recorder MCM, and select Empyrean Final Cut.
The MCM Recording shouldn't take too long to run, and will give you a notification when it is done running. We will get to Important Mods to Pay Attention To in the next section, but once the MCM Recorder says its complete, you have one final step. If you are playing on an Ultrawide monitor (21x9), you need to go intot he Frostfall MCM and select the Empyrean Ultrawide Profile, followed by Profile 2 in Last Seed, as this will ensure your meters are aligned correctly with your screen.
MCM Recorder does not enjoy setting up some Keybinds, so a few mods will need to be manually set. iHUD can be set to RAlt; and Take Notes can be set to B. After that, you're all done!
These mods are going to be the ones that effect HOW the game is played.
Last Seed Dirt and Blood Pretty self-explantory, this adds Survival elements to the game. Now you have to eat, drink, and keep warm against the harsh cold of Skyrim, as well as keeping yourself clean. On top of that, to level up, you will have to find a bed to sleep in. This can be accomplished by either renting a room at an inn, or utilizing a bedroll from Campfire.
Wounds This will apply various wounds to the player in combat, based on a number of factors, i.e. Your armor rating, the weapon the enemy is using, your stamina, and how much health you have. Wounds range from cuts, to broken limbs. They are all treatable in various methods, as well as being able to have wandering Vigilants mend your ailments.
Follow on your Knees for WIntersun This one is SUPER important, because it will allow you to recieve a blessing at any shrine without being prompted if you want to follow that god.
Sets of Skills Sets of Skills allows you to pick a class (typically at level 1), that provides unique bonuses. As you progress in your class, you will unlock new classes, providing a new way to decide how you want to play.
The list of enemy mods is too long to put here, but your enemies are smarter, more numerous, and pack more of a punch than vanilla. Your enemies have the same perks, spells, and abilities as you, so be prepared.
Spellforge and Spell Tutor These two mods together completely overhaul how magic works in Skyrim. No longer can you just eat a spell tome to learn the spell. With Spell Tutor, each spell has a requirement, and a chance to utterly destroy the spell tome (Providing kindling for your campfire), or return the spell tome to you, unlearned. Spellforge supplements the lack of spell tomes available at vendors, by having you craft the spell using experimentation. Manipulating reality requires focus, and effort, and does not come easy.
Sneak Tools Sneak Tools is an alteration to the stealth system. It has many features, too many to list, so if you're intending on a Thief or Assassin style playthrough, you should give the mod a read over.
EnaiSiaion's entire suite. This list includes Growl, Sacrosanct,Imperious, Ordinator, Andromeda, Summermyst, and Thunderchild
Spells - There are oodles, canoodles, and toaster strudels to choose from. From Apocalypse, to Triumvirate, to Darenii's full suite of spells. Packed with wonderful idle and combat animations, as well as Strange Runes for the super fancy casting!
Meditate with Paarthurnax - Paarthurnax is a Dragon as old as Alduin, but you can only meditate on three words of power. With Rotmulaag, you can now meditate on all of the shouts available, providing unique bonuses when those shouts are used.
Followers - What adventure would be complete without companions to share in the triumphs and failures? Inigo, everyone's favorite blue Khajiit, Lucien, a nerdy Imperial Scholar who grows in power alongside you, Auri, the firey Bosmer archer, Remiel, the quirky Dwemechanic, Gore, a Nord warrior with a troubled past, and Xelzaz, the Argonian Lawman for House Telvanni
KeyMap for the important keys.
Perhaps you want to see exactly whats in the list?
First off, a massive thank you to ForgottenGlory for the SSEE Modlist which Empyrean was built on, and the rest of the FGModlist team, who were phenomenally helpful behind the scenes.
Also a massive thank you to Halgari and the rest of the Wabbajack Team, for giving us this amazing tool, allowing us to experience others visions of Skyrim
Finally, the biggest thanks to you, the player, for being willing to give this modlist a chance.