I've just treated myself to NVN's Diamond from GOG and as a newbie (ish) PC gamer, am a bit overwhelmed by all the various additional content available.

If anyone is feeling particularly charitable, would they mind pointing me in the right direction for the following (if it's even available). Also, if there are any tips for the best method and/or order for what's available, please let me know...

What's worked for me with Baldurs Gate:
- The odd extra quest (unfinished business?) that's stable with Windows 7 64bit

- The option to tweak things that make life easier such as inventory stacking or maximum hit points on level up

- Any way of improving the look of the game for a mid-range laptop

- *The option* to adjust difficulty (simplify) for enemies in case I get completely stuck!

I feel such a novice when it comes to these things and as you may be able to tell, I'm a reasonably mature gamer! Thanks - any help would be genuinely appreciated.

You actually won't need to do all that much tweaking to the base game to get many of those things. As far as I can tell characters always get max HP on level up, at least under normal difficulty. This may be different in certain player-made modules or persistent worlds, but for the base game it's not something you'll need to worry about. The inventory also works pretty well right out of the box, so I'm not aware of any must-have mods to change that. Difficulty can also be adjusted at any time over a very wide range (basically from "cakewalk" to "OUCH!!" and everything in between) so that shouldn't be a concern either. I also wouldn't worry too much about about texture packs for the base game or additions to the modules that come with the game, as this is only a small part of the content available for NWN- there's a lot of community made modules that far surpass the campaigns that come with the game, and many include their own visual enhancements as well.

One mod I will point you to, though, is the Community Expansion Pack (CEP)- this doesn't change the base game by default, but includes a bunch of content for modders to use, and thus many modules need it to function. Other files needed for modules (such as various haks) are usually linked to on the page for the module.

Also, since there's a massive amount of additional content available, a few good places to start would be thread, or alternatively just the [url=http://nwvault.ign.com/fms/TopRated.php?content=modules&lang=en&sort=&dir=ASC&w=&p=1]top modules list at the NWN Vault.

My personal recommendation for getting started would be to completely skip the OC as it's pretty mediocre. Start with Shadows of Undrentide and follow up with Hoards of the Underdark- these are meant to be played in succession by the same character, contain some pretty good content, and will be a good introduction to the mechanics of the game starting at first level and going up to epic levels. From there just start trying out various community made modules as that's where you'll find the best content for NWN, or if multiplayer is your thing look into some of the persistent worlds.

Thank you for the comprehensive post - it's much appreciated.

Just one more question (caveat: for now!), what order do I download and install the mods mentioned in the GOG thread link?

There's no set order in which the mods need to be downloaded and installed. Each module in that thread is a stand-alone adventure (aside from mods that are part of a series, usually denoted with "part 1, part 2, etc"), so there is absolutely no interdependency between any of them. Mod installation for NWN is also very simple- once you download the files just drop them into the corresponding folders in the NWN directory (.mod files go in "modules", .hak files in "hak", etc). Then start up NWN, start a new game, and instead of one of the campaigns select "Other Modules"- you'll be presented with a list of all the modules you have installed and can simply select one and start your adventure.

Now, if you were looking for recommendations of which modules to try out first, of the modules mentioned in that thread Darkness Over Daggerford and Ravenloft ( and [url=http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Modules.Detail&id=16836&id=3990]2) are probably two of the more friendly modules to new players. Tales of Arterra ( and [url=http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Modules.Detail&id=29643&id=4047]2) along with The Aielund Saga (, [url=http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Modules.Detail&id=377&id=3994]2, , [url=http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Modules.Detail&id=377&id=4251]4-1, , [url=http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Modules.Detail&id=377&id=5598]4-3) are also very good, fairly friendly modules, although the combat is tougher so you'll want to be sure you know how to build and play a character before trying these. Another great module mentioned later in that thread is The Prophet series, which has some of the best storytelling I've encountered this side of PS:T (I was actually up until 3 am last night playing it because it was so tough to stop)- however, this one gives the player much more freedom along with the ability to really screw themselves over with choices, along with companions that have their own minds and will turn on you if your choices run counter to their agendas, so it's recommended to get through a few other modules before trying this one out. The others mentioned are also all very good, and cover a variety of game styles, so which ones to try just come down to your preferences, which you'll discover as you play through various different modules.

Thank you so much for your help - I'll follow your suggestions to the letter and am looking forward to a good NWN's experience.