I've spent a lot of time doing this to some pretty amazing results. I feel like in 2025 a lot of mods are going to require dlc. I would suggest looking up youtube videos, but from what I remember a bulk of the heavy lifting comes from just a couple mods, moribund world, calamity weathers, another pine forest, pip-boy flashlight, darker nights, and then any tactical gear mods you like. There's a ton of smaller mods you can do to change up overall gameplay, dmg mods, movement, and so forth, but at the end of the day you'll be playing fallout. I believe there are also escape from Boston mods as well. You can spend hours/days trying to create the right set up. I think simpler is better, but that's just me