Lore
A fighter of the wilds lending aid to those who need it, the Ranger acts as the thin barrier between civilization and nature, seeking to balance both. Their self-appointed duties have them approach all manner of enemies and situations, achieving victory through a mix of guile, agility, and strength, no matter who the enemies are; be it a den of criminals hiding in a dirty hole, a coven of Hagraven witches, a family of bloodthirsty vampires, or a pack of vicious trolls slaughtering travelers along the road- the Ranger is prepared to face them. These individuals are not simple barbarians swinging clubs and wearing animal skins; they well-trained in the use of bows and formidable (if not lethal) in melee combat, and they are not above using limited forms of Alteration magic to ensure their survival. To be flexible enough to engage, however, sometimes requires giving up some of their own humanity, walking the land as a werewolf.
For some, however, this is a minor issue- particularly those are already wolves.
Overview
(Note: This build uses Ordinator and several other mods!)
Ever since the release of KrittaKitty's Lykaios Race Mod, I have only ever made one other character that wasn't a walking and talking wolf. This is a build I keep coming back to and enjoying particularly because it's flexible enough to be used in most situations, and is about as close to a build that could concievably cover just about every situation you want to roleplay in, any guild you'd like to be a part of (bar the Dark Brotherhood). This build was made with the Lykaios Race Reborn mod in mind, but I could see this being adopted by any other race as well; supplemented with select mods, this build can add a new level of immersion as long as you're creative enough. Bows will be a key part of your skills, but other martial weapons should be taken and used to cover as many situations as you can. This build is not magic-heavy, but the use of Alteration to supplement your survival and for utility will definitely help. And when all else fails, lycanthropy can step in to finish the job or keep you alive.
Race: The Lykaios from the Lykaios Race Reborn mod; Khajiit and Argonian work for roleplaying purposes; Elves are a distant alternative; RP-wise, humans are out.
Primary Skills: Archery, Light Armor, One or Two-handed (choose any weapon)
Secondary Skills: Alchemy, Smithing, Alteration- this build is open enough to accommodate Enchanting and/or another weapon skill if needed
Attribute Spread: 2/2/1 You'll want emphasize on health and stamina, but sparing a bit for magicka will give you the means to keep your flesh spells active.
Equipment: I shouldn't need to say that a bow is going to be integral to this build. Personally I like using Angi's Bow (see mod recommendations) for much of the playthrough. Armor and melee weapons are generally preference-based, but I'd heavily suggest any armor that isn't alloy-heavy (more than 50% metal) and which is more leather-based; so avoid elven and glass armor. That leaves you with Hide, Leather, and Chitin for a good portion of the game, tempering them will keep your armor viable for a while until you can craft Dragonscale. Good pieces are the Nightingale Armor set, any of the Thieves Guild Armor set, or hold guard armor. Clothing can be substituted instead, using light armor boots and gauntlets paired with Alteration flesh spells. Melee weapons can be anything, but for this playthrough I went with a dual-wield approach, using a waraxe and dagger; alternatively, any swords or quarterstaff will work. You could even use your fists if you want.
Since much of this playthrough relies on Hunterborn, I would also suggest making your own weapons with the Scrimshaw option. These weapons can't be tempered for greater damage, but they start off with stronger damage than iron and steel. In that vein I would also suggest making your own Bone Arrows, which apply a bleed effect and are generally stronger than steel arrows by the time your skill in Scrimshaw hits its peak (at the cost of having an earlier drop-off, having about half the effective range of a normal arrow). Late-game you can switch to dragonbone-based equipment if you'd like to keep to the asthetic.
Magic will revolve around flesh spells (Okaflesh, Ironflesh, etc.). Alteration is a utility-based school of magic, so use it to get around and bolster defneses. If you have Apocalypse, Drop Zone will be crucial for getting off high places safely and quickly; Longstride is a great alternative to horseback travel; Ocato's Recital can open fights with some great buffs; Perilous Path can stall and stagger your enemies, opening them up to attack,; and Wither will hamper enemy speed and attacks.
Depending on your mod setup you may want Night-Eye. Lykaios don't have it, so use a console code to get it (wolves have great nightvision, it doesn't make sense for them to not have it).
Finally, Beast Form will be a final straw option for those moments where you need to cut loose and eat faces. If you find yourself in a tight spot with a tough enemy, lycanthropy can easily prove a blessing more than the curse people say it is.
Perks
This assumes that you are using the modlist below, as much of this works better with Ordinator.
Alchemy- Experimenter will get you the knowledge you need, and putting your focus towards health with Physician will ensure that you stay out of the grave. You're not going Restoration for this, so you need a strong source of healing. Pick up Stimulants to increase your stamina and magicka regeneration. The biggest perk here is Lab Skeever, granting x15 duration and 25% potency to your potions, for 20 seconds after you use an alchemy station. Those 60-second True Shot potions will actually be useful, you won't be forced to spam potions just to keep the buff up; now you'll have those buffs for up to 15 minutes (or longer, as you'll see in the Gameplay section)!
You might think "now hold on, I have to use an alchemy station first, right? I'm not going to be carrying around an entire alchemy station!" Except... yes, you are. Because the Campfire mod provides a miscellaneous item, the Mortar and Pestle- and it counts as an alchemy station!
Alteration- Mage Armor will be necessary if you decide to forgo Light Armor and rely on flesh spells, but let's assume you haven't- the central and right paths of the perk tree are what you're looking for. Alter Self: Resistances will be a big draw, as Lykaios are naturally weak to fire, and lycanthropy (with the mods below) only make it worse; so pick Fire and Poison resistance here. Alter Self: Attributes will be good for whatever you want to boost, Health being a popular choice. The big one is Welloc's Dormant Arcana, which adds extra effects to certain buffs, like adding extra regeneration while you have a cloak spell or invisibility. Pairing up strong options with your flesh spells will increase your survivability even further.
Archery- There are multiple paths to take here, the left-most path starting with Long Shot is best suited for Rangers who want to keep enemies as far from them as possible; Crippling Shot will slow them down. Clean Kill when paired with other damage-based perks, can help in one-shotting most common opponents from stealth. You will want to pick up Ranger, Hailstorm, and Quick Shot to stay on the move and keep the arrows flying. My favorite perk here is Hunt Together, which spawns a Spirit Wolf that helps you fight single enemies- which is perfect if you're facing off against a single powerful foe. Really, there aren't any terrible options in this skill tree.
Block- This wasn't part of the major or minor skills, but you will be blocking. Timed Block is a no-brainer, but Quick Reflexes can give you the feeling of a nimble Ranger.
Light Armor- There are no useless perks here, but Annoying Mosquitos gives you a nice bit of damage reduction when you're fighting large crowds. If you intend to fight unarmed, take the left branch starting with Iron Fist and work your way up. Otherwise, move up the right path and pick up Wardancer. Evasive Leap is also a good choice to supplement any dodge mods you have.
Lockpicking- Should you go the route of the Thieves Guild you will no doubt be doing a lot of lockpicking (actually... you'll probably be doing that no matter what build you're using). A fun, fitting choice for a Ranger is Bear Traps, which you can forge, drop, and pick up; good for ambush setups, and the traps can be modified. Fair warning, however- any companions will trigger these traps and make them virtually useless, so only go for this if you plan to take no allies or pets with you.
One/Two-Handed- What perks you take will depend greatly on your weapons of choice. Remember, if you're playing Animated Armory then those weapons will use Ordinator perks depending on what they are; quarterstaffs will use Warhammer perks, rapiers will use sword perks, etc.. Two of my favorites from each tree are Wolfstooth (a stacking damage buff with axes) and Wolfkin (spawns a Spirit Wolf after using a normal attack, after using two power attacks).
... If you're noticing a theme here- yes, I freakin' love wolves. ^_^
Smithing- Don't skimp out on tempering if you decide to buy or forge weapons. If your goal is to get dragon-based armor and weapons, you will need Planar Smithing. Getting there will take a while, so you might as well pick good perks like Sandstone Sheath (10 second damage boost each time you draw a weapon, 30-second cooldon) and Advanced Workshop.
Sneak- You really only need Sneak Mastery to stay subtle; take Sneak Attack if you want a more assassin-style play. Tripwire and it's associated perks can be game-changers if you're playing solo, but like Bear Traps it's not so great if you've got aid from NPCs.
Speech- I'm bringing this up for two reasons. The first is that your shouts can now be enhanced through Speech thanks to And the Universe Listens and Windborne, which is why the Thunderchild mod mixes well with this. The second is that Speech is the only other skill here that can get you a pet with Speak with Animals, allowing you to tame a wild beast and have it follow you around; it can be further buffed with Gift of Kynareth as well, so if you don't have a pet mod then this will be a good alternative.
Shouts: Your lycanthropy is a gift from Hircine; your dragon blood is a gift from Akatosh; your Thu'um is a gift from Kynareth. You will not reject your destiny as a dragonborn. In fact, it helps to think of them as Howls instead of Shouts. Key shouts here are the following:
Animal Allegiance- To make those deadlier critters stop attacking you, unless they've been controlled by an annoying spriggan. Still, this will turn chaurus against Falmer and mammoths against giants.
Kyne's Peace- This shout, however, will calm animals who have been controlled by spriggans, so it's handy to have.
Aura Whisper- Lykaios will have Scent Prey as a tracking option, and Campfire will add Instincts as well; but another tracking ability for free is still a good thing.
Trueshot- At it's basics, this Thunderchild shout will tack on extra damage to your arrow; at its strongest, it'll rain down a barrage of extra projectiles with it.
Clear Skies- For those days when you want to travel the roads without it raining or snowing on you.
Storm Call- For those days when you want your foes to be rained on, in addition to being zapped by lightning.
Elemental Fury- If you're not carrying enchanted weapons, show your enemies the fury of nature by rending them asunder with a rapid series of strikes.
Whirlwind Sprint- You're already fleet-footed; you might enjoy just using this instead of riding a horse like normal people. You weirdo.
Gameplay
For combat, you're going to open up with the bow and stay where you are for as long as possible. Switch to your melee weapon to take on close-range enemies, but don't be afraid to kite them along if you're outnumbered (you will be for a while). If things get desperate (and you've been visited by Hircine), take on the Beast Form and keep them cowering with your howls while you eviscerate them. If you're playing as a Lykaios, you can Summon Pack once a day if you need some extra backup against strong or numerous enemies. Remember to prepare yourself for each battle by eating food (meat-based stews are good for health and stamina regeneration) and getting some good rest. If you're wounded (using the Wounds mod), be sure to stabilize fractured limbs; better yet, treat those injuries first before you rush into another fight. Once a fight has ended, take on the Beast Form to eat the hearts of every corpse you leave- this will help you build up perk levels quickly, and will keep you Well Fed in Survival Mode.
Prioritize weaker targets first before moving on to the bigger fish; the less you have to deal with, the easier the bigger threats will be to handle. You are a wolf fighting without the benefit of a pack (at least, not a large one), so movement is crucial to survival; do your best to memorize the terrain so you don't get caught on the geometry, as few things kill quicker than having your back to the wall. Dragon fights should generally only be conducted with ranged tactics, so use the terrain to your advantage, especially against fire-breathers. If you're good enough you can take the fight to melee by dodging their bites and interrupting their elemental shouts with weapon bashing. Keep an eye on your stamina, and save at least a quarter of the meter to perform a dodge or sprint to saftey- there's no point wasting it on a power attack if you're dead right after because you couldn't roll out of the way.
Choose your allies wisely. You'll want to buy a horse for carrying equipment and transport, and if you decide to wander north to Dragon Bridge you can befriend Meeko. Some good early companions can be Eric the Slayer (Rorikstead), Derkeethus, or Annekke Crag-Jumper (both from Darkwater Crossing, the former a captive of Falmer). Don't be too fussy about what role they should take, you're flexible enough to handle things up close or from afar; still, do what you can to keep them healthy, and give them any health potions you make or find so they stay in the fight longer.
Buy a mortar and pestle from an alchemy shop as soon as you can, and build up your alchemy quickly, because there's a fun little trick you can use if you're using the Ordinator and Wintersun mods. The shrine of Z'en is near Dragon Bridge, which boosts the duration and potency of any food or potion that you consume while you pray. This synergizes with Lab Skeever, which can boost the duration and power of your potions by an astounding amount. And note that while by default only Wood Elves can worship Z'en, you can disable race requirements for worship in the Wintersun MCM menu.
To utilize this trick, activate your mortar and pestle (and make potions if you want to). When you put it away, you'll have the Lab Skeeber buff for twenty seconds. Quickly pray to Z'en, and while you're still meditating open your inventory. If you've done it correctly, the duration and potency of your potions will have been buffed massively (this is, to my knowledge, by design and not a glitch- EnaiSiaion knows of it). Remember to do this before a long dungeon or a tough battle, so you don't end up forgetting later. Some potions can last up to 2 hours this way!
Fire is both your ally and your worst enemy. You'll want to keep firewood nearby to keep your campfire going; the buff it gives you for skill gain is great for getting started on early-levels. As a Lykaios and a werewolf, you are going to have a 45% weakness to fire. This is somewhat offset by having a 25% resistance to frost, but that resistance won't prevent you from losing stamina either, so don't take them lightly. The point is, don't mess around with mages- take them out quickly from long distance, and keep a good stock of fire-resistant potions handy. Don't be afraid to dabble in Enchanting, either- you're probably going to need it eventually.
Roleplay
If they knew that the Living Dragonborn was not a Stormcloak, or a Nord, or even human; if they knew that the power of the Thu'um is held by a mangy tribal Lykaios mutt from the Nibenay Valley, a wandering Ranger mercenary who consorts and lays with beastmen, thieves, and practitioners of the natural arts of magick; if they knew their savior was not the return of Tiber Septim, or even his descendent?
They would kill me.
They would destroy everything I hold dear, chase me to the depths of Oblivion itself just to punish me for heresy. And they would do it for the same reason they cling so tightly to Talos-
They don't want the truth. They want their beliefs.
You will want to start near Angi's cabin, treating her decently but not pitying her family's fate, and taking on her training so you can get her bow; this will be an excellent weapon to start with. For a while you'll spending time in Falkreath, taking on bounty quests, hunting for good and trading in pelts for coin; use Scrimshaw to make trinkets to sell or use. If you want a challenge, clear out Sunderstone Gorge; it's filled with fire-mages, and you're going to be weak to the flame for quite a while, but it'll teach you how to deal with them. From there, the world is pretty much open- go where the wind takes you!
Your chief enemy is the Thalmor, so you'll want to keep out of sight from them and kill them where you can, provided you can get away with it. This will be a large part of your desire to stay hidden and safe, out of the spotlight so that the Aldmeri Dominion doesn't figure out where you are. Eventually, however, you will discover your role as the Last Dragonborn and be summoned to High Hrothgar. This will add a wrinkle to your efforts in Skyrim- not only do you need to contend with dragons, but the atmosphere in Skyrim where it concerns the Dragonborn will attract allies and enemies. Realistically-speaking, it's not unreasonable to assume that the Stormcloaks and Stormcloak-aligned in Skyrim will reject a non-Nord Dragonborn (or claims of one) to the point of trying to kill them for heresy; doubly so if that Dragonborn is a beastrace. So it will be natural that they would wish to hide their real identity.
This means hoods. Masks too, if you can find one to fit your muzzle; the Nightingale Armor set is a great option for this. Better yet, take cover and hide when you kill a dragon in a public area, so when you siphon its soul nobody will suspect you. There's nothing you can do about Whiterun knowing, but we can imagine that everyone there agreed to keep it secret as thanks for protecting the hold. Eventually the secret will come out, and you'll want to pick a side in the conflict; either choose the racist and xenophobic Stormcloaks, or side with the Imperials and hope that your efforts as their asset will protect you from the Thalmor inquisitors.
This scout, like most Lykaios, pays tribute to all manner of nature gods: Z'en and Mara as the gods of agriculture and fertility; Kynareth/Kyne for the elements and the wind; Y'ffre as the keeper of spoken history and story, the god of Song and Forest; but chief among them is Hircine, who gave them their form without the lunacy of lycanthropy. As a result, Lykaios are able to handle the curse (which they consider an honorable blessing) better than most other races. When selecting your deity from the Wintersun mod, these are all good options to consider, though I would lean heavily towards Z'en for the potion buff.
I would heavily suggest not investing in homes unless you have no intention to really use them; or if you do, that they be built from the Hearthfire options and modified to fit the tastes of a well-traveled Ranger. To get the most out of your Ranger experience, stick to camping out in the wilderness, or at the very least staying only at inns.
Backstory
Our story is centered around a Lykaios (wolf race) hunter who is scouting the land of Skyrim for a possible place to settle for the tribe he is (or was) a part of. The Empire once granted limited protection to the species and allowed them to live in the wilderness away from cities, in exchange for their tireless efforts in keeping the forests free of threats. This particular scout was once a part of a tribe that spread between the Niben Bay and Leyawiin, near the borders of Elswyr and Black Marsh. The Thalmor occupation of the Khajiit lands gave them the means to conduct raids in the southern parts of Cyrodiil, launching pogroms that severely reduced the Lykaio's population (though the tribes made them pay dearly for it). Listed as lawbreakers threatening to violate the White-Gold Concordant the Lykaios were forced to move further north to avoid Thalmor retribution- Skyrim is their last option, though the Thalmor threaten to take that over too.
This scout, like most Lykaios, pays tribute to all manner of nature gods: Z'en and Mara as the gods of agriculture and fertility; Kynareth/Kyne for the elements and the wind; Y'ffre as the keeper of spoken history and story, the god of Song and Forest; but chief among them is Hircine, who gave them their form without the lunacy of lycanthropy. As a result, Lykaios are able to handle the curse (which they consider an honorable blessing) better than most other races.
As a Ranger he has learned to live off the land and rely on it for survival, allowing him to endure it far better than the stuck-up Thalmor; Alchemy is his source of healing and power, giving him the means to enhance his deadliness through potions; hunting beasts for pelts and material will give him a means of a meager livlihood. All of these are useful now that the borders of Skyrim have now been closed off by Stormcloack, Imperial, and Thalmor checkpoints, isolating him from his tribe. For now he must hone his hunting skills until he can find a better use for them, to earn coin and stay hidden from the Aldmeri Dominion- all while harboring a hidden power he has yet to discover...
Guilds
The Companions are a shoe-in for this build, not least because the Beast Blood will fit the RP aspects that necessitate the Ranger staying out of the city to avoid transforming where most people might see. Lending aid to the people of Skyrim is one of the key objectives to the Ranger; Aela's quests in particular will nicely supplement your hunting tendencies.
Joining the Thieves Guild is not out of the question, either. You will need to think of yourself as a kind of "lone-wolf" character who relies on sutblety and guile to survive, and both of these are best practiced when the motivation of coin is a strong lure. If you're not comfortable acting as a thug in the opening quests, there is at least one mod that allows you to join the Thieves Guild while still being honorable.
Joining the Dawnguard makes for some interesting RP opportunities; Isran's hatred for Vampires does not seem to extend towards werewolves, even as a former member of the Vigilantes of Stendarr (who do hate werewolves). Moreover it makes for interesting RP dynamics with Serana, so I'm of the opinion that the Dawnguard faction, as well as the DLC as a whole, should not be avoided. Try to be nice to Serana for an interesting Werewolf/Vampire dynamic.
The side you take in the Civil War is mostly up to preference and philosophical arguments; but I almost always take the Imperial side in the conflict as the Nords seem to have little (if any) love for non-humans.
There is an argument to be made for this character joining the College of Winterhold, though it will be up to you how far you want to take it. A practitioner of Alteration magic will want to get training from the best, and Tolfdir is one of the nicer instructors you can find there. In my experience you can take the questline to the end in a way that fits the character RP; but only if you include a mod that deflects the duty of Arch-Mage to someone else, like Tolfdir (see below for a mod recommendation that does this). Otherwise, you may wish to stop at the point where you're asked to seek the Augur of Dunlain.
Joining the Dark Brotherhood does not fit this build's roleplaying archetype. The Ranger works and functions as an aspect of survival, slaying threats to others and themselves; murdering and assassinating does not constitute self-defense. I'm sure you can make an argument that a Ranger could join them, but I imagine you'd have to stretch pretty far to morally and ethically justify it.
Notable Quests
Ill Met By Moonlight- Hircine, werewolves, and hunting; it's a perfect quest for this character. The conclusion of the quest is up to you, though fufilling Hircine's demand will grant you the Savior's Hide, a light armor piece with a 15% Resist Magic effect and a 50% reduced poison effect.
Kyne's Sacred Trials- Another hunting quest, this time to earn Kyne's Token (10% reduced damage from creatures, including daedra and undead; 5% more bow damage). This one will take you all over Skyrim, and you can earn Froki's Bow along the way (10 points stamina damage).
The Blessing's of Nature- A quest involving Kynareth and the restoration of an ancient tree. There's alot here that fits with the Ranger motivations.
The Heart of Dibella- Any quest that involves defeating the Forsworn of the Reach is well within the bounds of a Ranger's duties. In fact, the quests you can take on for the Jarl of Markarth are all good to take.
Composure, Speed, Precision- This may be the first quest you do with Alternate Start, practicing your archery with Angi. You get 6 points in Archery for completing the tests, an extra point from reading The Blue Ribbon of Merit in her house, and if you treat her nicely she will give you her family weapon, Angi's Bow.
The Companions questline- You have all the elements and story you need to fit the role and playstyle of a Ranger with the questline, and it will allow you to fight many different types of enemies in the process, from vampires to werewolf hunters, from trolls to Falmer, and everything else. If you want to feel like part of a wolf pack, this is the perfect faction to join for it.
Special Moves
Bloody Roar (Wither + Spellscribe perk + Elemental Fury or Slow Time)- This requires putting some points into Enchanting, but it's worth it. With Spellscribe you can "save" a targeted, non-concentration power that you are dual-casting, which will be released when you perform a power attack. Wither will reduce the target's attack speed and movement for 20 seconds. Hit them with this and follow up with either of the shouts, then get messy and bleed them out with multiple attacks. If they survive, they will not be in a great position to continue the fight, being both weaker and slower.
Ruff Terrain (Call Pack + Perilous Path)- Start by getting some distance, then dual-casting Perilous Path; activate Call Pack as a barrier. Each of the wolves has a limited health pool, but the random stagger effect from Perilous Path may interrupt enemies as they're attacking. Throw in a dedicted pet, howl for Animal Allegiance, and top it of with a summon- all you're missing now is the "BEWARE OF DOG" sign.
Essential Mods
Lykaios Race Reborn: I have had to uninstall Skyrim numerous times in the past, but the first mod I always install is the Lykaios race mod. I love wolves way too much. This is hands down one of the best race mods ever created for Skyrim, and while the Legacy version is still solid enough to use, the Reborn version adds many more customization options for your playable doggo.
Hunterborn and Campire- Honestly, if you're not using these mods during a Ranger playthrough, then you're not playing as a Ranger. The former will allow players to skin their hunts and collect materials for Alchemy and crafting new items; the latter will give you the means to set up camp, forage for materials (or occasionally find discarded treasures), and craft simple surival tools like walking sticks, stone arrows, and stone hatchets. I cannot recommend both of these enough, and they have compatibility patches for both Survival Mode and Frostfall as well. This is worthy of any character build who plans to spend much of their time outdoors.
Survival Mode (Creation Club) or Frostfall- Nothing brings more immersion to Skyrim than having to survive its brutally low temperatures and seeing to your own nutritional needs. Frostfall is usually cited as the gold standard of survival mods, and I would be remiss not to suggest it as well as long as your plugin list is light. Frostfall has not gotten an update in years and (last I used it) put a good bit of strain with the scripts it was running. I prefer Survival Mode from the Creation Club even though it requires paying real money; not only is it often on sale and bundled with other great wilderness options (like backpacks), but it works on very light scripts and removes the need for a mod like iNeed. With all that said, be sure to pick up Lenient Survival to reduce the penalties for hunger and fatigue- having attack speeds reduced by 30% just for being peckish is ridiculous.
Skills of the Wild- I only just recently learned about this mod (3 days ago from the time of this writing), and I have fallen in love with it. This is a supplement for the Campfire mod that adds more depth to the Ranger playthrough by introducing four new skills trees; Knower of the Land, Culinary Arts, Art of the Hunt, and Beast Handler. Each tree gives you enhancements for wilderness survival, including the use of traps, better stamina and traveling speeds the longer you spend time outdoors, slowly introducing recipes for food, enhancing your horse's speed, and even giving you the means to tame a wild companion. This adds skill trees to Campfire's perk system.
Ordinator/Vokrii + EnaiSiaion mods- These are almost non-negotiable. I highly recommend Ordinator over Vokrii, but either is better than vanilla. Vanilla perks are too broadly defined and lacking in depth, where Ordinator gives you the means to greatly specialize your skills and come up with very colorful builds. The changes to Alchemy are paramount here (read below later), as are the changes to Speechcraft. What's important is the level of immersion and increase in options you gain from EnaiSiaion's mods. For this runthrough I would primarily suggest Wildcat (enhances combat), Wintersun (to add worship options), Apocalypse (the Alteration spells are great), Triumvirate (this will add some Druid-like spells if you'd like), Thunderchild (for more shouts and better ways to develop them), and Andromeda or Evenstar (for better Standing Stone options), If you plan to use a vanilla race, then get Imperious for better racial traits.
Growl - Werebeasts of Skyrim- Let's be honest. As awesome as the concept of werewolves are, the implementation of them in Skyrim is very much lacking. Even by mid-game werewolves is lackluster, and at high levels you've already learned how useless they are. Growl fixes that by adding an enhanced perk tree and better werewolf attributes (and some penalties). There's alot to get from it, but I'll give a short list of neat additions:
Beastblood: Disease immunity, 25% weakness to fire, 20 extra damage from silver weapons.
Call of the Blood: 0-40% chance to randomly turn into a werewolf at night, depending on the moon phases.
Racial Abilities: This has no effect on Lykaios players, but Vanilla races will get neat traits in Beast Form; Argonians will deal poison damage with their slashing attacks, High Elves get resistance to magic, Imperials will have half the cooldown for their howls.
Increased carry weight (500 points).
No fall damage!
You can become a werewolf without joining the Companions, by either accepting the beast blood in a random dream sequence, or consuming actual beast blood, a new alchemical ingredient found on werewolf corpses and rarely in alchemist shops!
Health increased by 50 points.
Base attacks, armor and magic resistance scales with level up to 50; attacks can also knock down, disarm, or even toss enemies.
You can share your lycanthropy with your followers!
You can change back by holding down the power key; you're also no longer limited to one transformation a day, the power instead has a 90-second cooldown!
You can gain experience in your weapon and armor skills by eating corpses (configurable with Mod Configuration Menu); and your armor and attacks will scale with your best armor/weapon skills.
A new perk enhances Totem of Terror, causing it to have the same effect as the Dragon Rend shout and forcing them to land without you having drop your Beast Form- now you can test your prowess as a werewolf against dragons!
Animated Armory (DAR version preferred)- Having managed to get Nemesis functioning, the DAR version of Animated Armory (now the only version getting support and updates) grants extra weapon types to both the player and NPCs, each with their own set of animations. This is why I have no hard requirement for melee weapons, because you have such a vast amount of choices with this mod. Whether you want your ranger to carry a rapier or bash his foes senseless with a quarterstaff, you will find your weapon of choice. Note that these weapons will work with Vanilla and Ordinator perks. (You will need Nemesis and Dynamic Animation Replacer; the FNIS version will work too, but from what I understand it will no longer get support and Nemesis does better what FNIS does.)
Live Another Life: Alternate Start- Yes, you could start the game at Helgen, but how many times have you done it so far? Choosing another place to start the game can change things up quite a bit. For a Ranger playthrough, I highly suggest either starting as a Wandering Mercenary (ditch your heavy armor the first chance you get- seriously, you get Steel Plate way too early with it), a traveler who has found Angi's Camp (yay, early archery skill training), an alchemist study nearby flora (mind the nearby spriggans), or a hunter in the wilds. The important thing is that it lets you determine when the main quest will start.
Enhanced Skyrim Factions: Companions- I find it ridiculous that you can become the Harbinger of the Companions in less than a week, if you're fast enough. This is an LE mod, but it's possible to convert it to SE (I've yet to find any issues with it). This will unlock Aela's pelt-hunting quests, and even allow her to be an alternative option when you're tasked to search Dustman's Cairn (as opposed to Farkas). More importantly, it comes with preset quest options that increase the amount of quests you need to complete and days that need to pass before you can move up in rank, meaning you spend more time in the guild and causing your progression to feel earned.
The Thieves Guild for Good Guys- I'll be honest, I hated being a jerk to people just to join the Thieves Guild. If you intend to join, you can opt to be much nicer; even better, you can trash-talk Maven Black-Briar to her big stupid face while still completing quests.
Timing Is Everything/Not So Fast- Some of the quests start way too soon for how grand in scale they are. Dawnguard begins at level 10 (which is way too low), and Dragonborn starts after you return from High Hrothgar (there's no reasonable way Miraak knew where and how to find you so soon after the Thu'um is revealed to you); meanwhile, it's a bit unsettling that a dragon just so happens to attack Whiterun after finding the Dragonstone, or that Delphine would be able to steal the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller even though the dungeon has a puzzle that only a Dragonborn with Whirlwind Sprint could complete. TIE will let you modify when and how certain quests start, while NSF will extend the time period between the beats of the main quest.
Immersive Armors/Wayfarer's Coat- This will give you more options to select from in terms of armor. Pick what you'd like, but if you want a suggestion then the Crimson Ranger Armor or Mercenary Armor from this mod looks pretty good. Wayfarer's Coat is a really good option too, with a light armor option as well. If you'd rather wear it as clothing and rely on Alteration flesh spells, that can also work.
Wounds- Okay... this one might be overkill, but hear me out!
In Skyrim, you get a free pass when you're damaged. At worst you may need to quaff a Cure Disease potion to knock out the odd instance of Rockjoint in mid-battle, and any damage you accrue can be solved with a simple health potion or tons of food. This is not immersive. Taking a battleaxe to the chest is going to leave a nasty case of DEAD in most cases, so at the very least there should be a system where you take injuries from getting hit in combat. This mod handles such an aspect, as well as giving you options to treat those injuries. A fractured leg will slow you down, a concussion will lower your magicka, and a broken armor will make it hard or impossible to wield a weapon; you can brace those arms, pack and stitch open wounds, or create potions to alleviate your concussions and bruising.
Know Your Enemy- Nine times out of ten, any fight you get into can be solved with the proper application of clicking until things stop moving. Not anymore- now you need to think before you fight. This adds resistances and weaknesses to enemies and armor types, meaning you'll have to figure out the best means of dispatching them. Skeletons will shrug off arrows and sword slashes, yet crumble from blunt force; Spriggans will completely ignore lightning attacks, but will fall easily to fire and axes; bandits in steel plate will ignore arrows, but be jolted by electricity or cooked in their own suits by fire. There are also books you can find that will reveal more weaknesses.
Convenient Horses- A good Ranger will want a good horse. This will give you better options for your steed, making them stronger or faster, and giving you a sense that you are handling nature by taming a part of it. Moreover, Survival Mode will disable fast traveling, limiting your travel options to carriages and horseback, so this will certainly help you getr around Skyrim much better. (If you intend to use Skills of the Wild, don't train your steed's speed; otherwise it'll become insanely fast when perks are applied.)
Legacy of the Dragonborn- If you're going to be traveling around anyway, you might as well have a place to store the artifacts you find. Pragmatically, a Ranger isn't going to have a place to store all the goodies they come across, especially if they've decided to stick to the wilderness and not buy a house. They might as well hand them over to a museum and get paid instead. The questline is also pretty good, even taking you to Elswyr for another place to explore. The perks you get from Archaeology also include increased carry weight and resistances to certain damage and creatures.
Wyrmstooth/Falskaar- I've yet to reach these locations, but more area to explore is good for a Ranger.
Bandoliers- You're going to want more carry weight, and this mod will give it to you while adding to the asthetic.
Other mods to consider:
Rare Curios (Creation Club)- Adds alchemy ingredients to Khajiit caravans.
Arcane Archer Pack (Creation Club)- Adds five new arrow types, three of which are elemental arrows with an explosive area of effect.
Adventurer's Backpack (Creation Club)- Campfire already has it's own backpack, but these have better carry weight and bonuses.
Pets of Skyrim (Creation Club)- Adds five new pets in set locations throughout Skyrim. None of them will fight, but each can deliver/produce items, like a fox finding shiny trinkets, a goat that can be milked, and even a friendly frostbite spider who can lay down webbed traps. Plugins exist that can allow them to fight as well.
Wild Horses (Creation Club)- If 1,000 gold is too much for a steed and you'd rather pay real-life money for some variation, you can find several new horses in the wild to tame; even a unicorn.
Goblins (Creation Club)- Adds Goblins from Cyrodiil to Skyrim, including a new quest.
Camping- Not to be mistaken with the Campfire mod. Though I consider this an inferior mod, the campsite does include adding a fast-travel map marker (a moot point, since Survival Mode disables fast travel).
ESO Skyshards- More perk points for exploration.
Deadly Dragons- Yougher dragon fights, more variations.
Diverse Werewolves- If you want different wolf pelts.
Helgen Reborn- More quests and locations, good for fighters and rangers.
Immerisve HUD- Along with Skills of the Wild, it will disable some HUD elements so you can use your own wits to survive, while not obstructing your view with health and compasses.
Increased Enemy Spawns- More threats by adding more enemies at a time.
True Wolves of Skyrim- Makes wolves look less mangy and more awesome.
True Meeko/Vigilance- A reskin for either doggo using textures from True Wolves.
Keep It Clean- Outdoor living will build up dirt; adds soap and bathing options in inns or bodies of water.
Khajiit Will Follow- Adds four new, fully-voiced, marriagable Khajiit companions with their own quests; Ma'kara is the sole female option, her love for Skyrim's natural beauty is a nice fit for a Ranger player.
Lightweight Potions- Reduces potion weight from .5 units to .1 units.
One With Nature- If you want to reduce the aggressiveness of Skyrim's fauna so they don't run or attack, this will let you change how they treat you; good for being a Disney Princess.
The Marshlands- Makes Morthal's swamp much more dense and far more interesting.
TK Dodge- A must-have, especially if you want to be an agile fighter.
Train and Study- Training dummies and archery targets are now useful to you; select how long you want to train and build up skills that way.
Yes I'm Sure- Removes the annoying confirmation pop-up every time you want to poison your weapon.
Bellyache's Animal and Creature Pack- More diverse critter textures.
Classes and Birthsigns Reimagined- Lets you select class skills and your birth sign at the start; good if you want some more boosts at the beginning.
Archery Gameplay Overhaul- Fixes the dumb-looking run animation while holding a bow; added more archery mechanics and animations.
Experience- Level gain is not dependent on skill gain anymore; experience is gained for quests and objectives you complete instead. This also adds experience for reading books and other avenues of education. As a result it makes your leveling rate dependent on actually doing quests; no more spamming smithing to build up those levels.
Fur Armor Set- Extra winter wear for warding away the cold.
Harvest Overhaul Redone- More ingredients per harvest.
Hunter's Carved Arsenal- If you want to earn some beautifully crafted weaponry fit for a Ranger.
Immersive Spell Learning- You shouldn't be allowed to eat a book and learn a spell; this will reduce spellbooks into notes, which will take time for the player to read and understand, dependent on their skill in the corresponding school of magic.
Perk Points and More Gold for Bounty Quests- A decent boost for completing bounty quests, in case you want to pad out your skills in the beginning.
Dual Wield Parry- Blocking for dual-wielders.
Tavern Games- Even Rangers need to relax, let them play minigames in taverns- as long as they have coin to place bets with.
Unique Uniques- New meshes for unique weapons, Angi's Bow in particular.
Better Angi's Bow- Coupled with the option above and the patch to make bow work, Angi's Bow is a great starter weapon that can even get you to the endgame.
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