_________
UTILITIES
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
The recommended mod manager is Nexus Mod Manager. Other managers do not work well with Fallout 4.

Nexus Mod Manager: Works well enough.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/modmanager/?

F4SE: Not as necessary as it is for other games, but still good to have.
http://f4se.silverlock.org/

LOOT: This tool tells you about potential dirty edits and how to optimze your load order. Do not use the automatic sorting if you have too many mods though, it is prone to failure.
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1918/?

Fo4Edit: Useful for cleaning mods or tweaking values.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2737/?

Merge Plugins: Allows you to merge esps. Only useful if you hit the 255 plugin limit. Note: Don't merge plugins if the mod uses .BA2s instead of loose files.
http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/69905/?

_________
BUG FIXES
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch: Essential bug fixes, must have for everyone.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/4598/?

Lever Action Reload Fix: Fixes a bug where you would always load 5 bullets no matter how many times you had shot.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/22896/

Gatling Laser and Fusion Core Ammo Fix: Fixes an annoying behaviour of the Gatling laser.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/24225/?

______________
USER INTERFACE
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

DEF_UI: Aside from some useful UI tweaks, it allows you to sort your Pip-Boy items by category and adds icons to them. Requires a sorting mod. Install DEF_INV.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/10654/?

Valdacil's Item Sorting: The sorting mod with most compatibility out there. A must have if you want to actually find something on your Pip-Boy.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/3877/?

HUDFramework: Allows other mods to add new UI elements.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/20309/?

Companion Status HUD: Shows your companion's HP and AP on your HUD.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/20310/?

Full Dialogue Interface: Shows exactly what your character is going to say instead of a one word preview. A must have.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1235/?

Rename Anything: Very useful mod for those that use sorting mods and want to recategorize something.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/22105/?

QuickTrade: Allows you to hit R on NPCs and open their trade/inventory window. Very useful in general, but also makes Automatron vendors work.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/16229/?

_______________________
WEATHER - PICK ONLY ONE
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Vivid Weathers

True Storms

Natural Atmospheric Commonwealth

________
SURVIVAL
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Survival Options: Allows you to customize pretty much every aspect of the Survival experience.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/14650/?

Survival Unlocker: Unlocks saving and quicksaving in Survival mode.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/23197/?

Lore friendly survival chems: Simply makes the Survival Chems look better.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/15275/?

Colorful survival icons: A simple UI tweak that goes a long way.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/12809/?

______
COMBAT
¯¯¯¯¯¯

Live Dismemberment: Sometimes enemies will get dismembered when you cripple a limb. Chance is configurable.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/16400/?

Weapon Disarm: Shoot hands to disarm enemies. There is a Live Dismemberment patch.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/18979/?

Below the Belt: Allows you to target the groin in VATS. Use the "only Groin" version if you want Live Dismemberment compatibility.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/12936/?

Critical Hits Outside of VATS: Self explanatory.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/12653/?

CROSS Crit Gore Overhaul: Adds new animations and ragdolls to deaths by energy weapons.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/23780/?

_______
WEAPONS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Laser Weapons 1st Person Reposition: Reduces the size laser weapons occupy on screen.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/23102/?

Love to Craft - Legendary: Allows you to craft legendary effects as modifications. There are a few of these mods but this is the most recently updated.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/13605/?

Visual Reload: Ejected magazines are left on the ground when you reload.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/15118/?

Shell Rain: Spent casings are left on the ground when you shoot.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/870/?

Long Range Bullet Holes: Bullet impact effects and decals appear at long ranges.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1075/?

Lowered Weapons
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/522/?
DLC Addon
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/13842/?
Button Lowered
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/6364/?

Unique Uniques
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/15139/?

More Uniques
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/18357/?

_________
MISC MODS
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Improved Map with Visible Roads: This mod simply makes the roads brighter on the default map.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1215/?

PipBoyShadows: Makes the PipBoy light cast shadows.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/281/?

Eliminate Stupid Lines - Immersive Generic Dialogues: Similar to Guard Dialogue Overhaul in Skyrim, this mod improves the immersion of generic dialogues.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/14108/?

Safe and Trunk Contents REWORKED
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/13286/?

___________
POWER ARMOR
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Movable Power Armor: Allows you to move Power Armor frames as if they're woskshop furniture.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/5393/?

Power Armor Delivery: Allows you to craft beacons that teleport your Power Armor to you.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/7809/?

PAMS - Power Armor Movement Sounds: Overhauls the Power Armor movement sounds.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/1544/?

Power Armor Animation Changes: Changes the Power Armors empty stand idle to a "Heroic" idle, allows you to enter and exit Power Amor faster.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/4408/?

Restore Power Armor Frames: Allows you to restore power armor frames from dead bodies, separating the frame from the body.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/20890/?

Car Sounds for Power Armor: Self explanatory.
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2920/?

Craftable Armor Size
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/4550/?

Concealed Armor <- do NOT override ArmorKeywords.esp
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/6434/?
Automatron Patch
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/12003/?

Visible Companion Affinity
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/10660/?

Where Are You Now - Companion Tracking
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/7903/?

Worthwhile Cap Stashes
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/23464/?

Unbogus Lunchboxes (Stingy version)
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/24681/?

Journal of the Sole Survivor
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/13462/?

Locky Bastard
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/13380/?

Remote Hacking
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/18358/?

Salvage Beacons
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/18757/?

BS Defence
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/20137/?

Uncapped Settlement Surplus
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/12430/?

Capsafe
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/23425/?

Shaikujin's Better warning for settlements being attacked
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/4106/?

Place Everywhere
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/9424/?

Scrap Everything
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/5320/?

Settler Sandbox Expansion
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/20442/?

Quieter Settlements
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2819/?

Where Are My Provisioners
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/7835/?

Sim Settlements (also look at its addons)
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/21872/?

Craftable Castle Wall Patches REDUX
http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/18927/?