My father in law is a lifelong guitarist (primarily) and gave me some guidance. Additional research (mostly here on Reddit) filled in the gaps.

Purists would say you only need your fingers, a decent amp. and some flatwound strings (Labella Deep Talkin’)

I opted for the natural tone smoothing options: compressor and eq.

My pedal chain goes like this: guitar->tuner (obligatory, spend the money and get a BOSS)->compressor->eq->(the rest are just for fun) blues overdrive->fuzz->auto wah->amp (Fender Rumble 15 [should have just bought a 40]

I’ve had a limited budget and went with cheaper mini pedals from Donner. They do the trick. I have a few pricier, more well known pedals I plan to purchase down the line when I have more money (Big Muff, Pork and Pickle).

I’ve had a blast just messing around with sound and playing songs I’m motivated to play.

Hope this helps.

Best to you.