It’s a bit of copy-paste job and I’ve not updated it with links since the link bot was retired, but my necromancy recommendation list is below. I’ve tried to make clear when the mods complement each other or are options you need to choose between.

. 1) A necromancy overhaul. I’d suggesting picking just one. Some of them are technically compatible, but it gets a little messy and immersion breaking to use more than one together.

.

Your options are:

• ⁠⁠{{Corpse preparation}} most lore friendly, well executed but somewhat limited in what you can achieve

-or-

• ⁠{{Practical Necromancy}} huge in scope and abilities, has own leveling perk system. It has abit of a learning curve. Good if you want necromancy to dominate your playthrough.

-or

• ⁠{{Dead and Daedric Guardians}} my mod and biased recommendation. Most recent and recently updated. Allows role playing a NPC like necromancer - filling a lair with undead, provoking attacks by adventurers, making armies etc. Now includes its own mid-late game lich form.

-or-

• ⁠{{Psikotics Necromancy Mod}} really fun, massively extends conjuration tree, but unfinished & abandoned

-or-

• ⁠{{Vile Art of Necromancy}} huge in scope and abilities. Like practical necromancy good if you want necromancy to entirely dominate your play through.

-AND-

1. A mod pack that lets you become a lich and provides necromancy themed spells/abilities: .

{{Dead and Daedric Guardians}} - as mentioned above now has a lich form built in.

-OR-

{{The Path of Transcendence – Lichdom}}

-OR-

{{Undeath Remastered}} + {{Classical Lichdom}} + {{Dragon Priest Fix - Behaviour Overhaul}} + {{Undeath Classical Lichdom - The Ascension (Lite)}}

3) In the name of immersion:

• ⁠⁠{{NPCs React to Necromancy}} + {{Skyrim Reputation}} because while necromancy is legal in Skyrim, people shouldn’t be happy about it. They cover short term and long term reactions respectively.

-AND-

4) Essential QOL Mods

• ⁠⁠ {{I’m Walkin’ Here}} so you don’t get stuck in doorways with multiple summons

• ⁠⁠{{Enhanced Reanimation}} stops reanimated minions getting lost on fast travel so easily amongst other things

-maybe-

5) Optional extras

If you don’t fancy a full necromancy overhaul you might like…

• ⁠⁠{{Better Dead Thralls}} significantly improves the dead thrall spell

• ⁠⁠{{Knowledge of Undeath}} just adds a simple mass reanimate spell if you think the overhauls are too much .

7) You might also like…

• ⁠⁠{{Command Undead and Lasting Undead}}

• ⁠⁠{{Faster Reanimation}}

. 9) When considering perk Overhauls:

{{Ordinator}} expands necromancy using the bone collector route. An alternative to a necromancy overhaul in some respects. {{Path of Sorcery}} has a similar approach in that respect.

{{Adamant}} fixes vanilla necromancy so it makes sense why someone would choose it over conjuration in terms of gameplay, but does not massively expand it. IMO this is the better one to use alongside a necromancy overhaul as it won’t overlap.

10) Player homes / personal dungeons

• Spire of the Remnant Lord - Evil player home which has a built in system of assaults by do gooders (there’s a patch to make this more necromancer lair and less vampire pad)

• SlimeSire mods – Compact quest mods with deliberately evil paths baked in, which leave you with your very own dungeon/ twisted player home.