EPO - Efficient Perk Overhaul - Special Edition

Efficient Perk Overhaul (EPO) is a mod that aims to reduce the number of perk points players need to spend on unavoidable and boring perks. EPO is designed for players who enjoy the vanilla perk trees, but don't want to waste so many perk points. This mod is fully compatible with existing characters and can be safely uninstalled at any time. It has no long-running scripts and is safe for any load order.

Automatic Base Perks

EPO changes the base perks and spell level perks of every skill tree to level up automatically as your skill progresses. Base perks are the perks found at the start of every skill tree; the ones that grant +20% effectiveness of a given skill. Spell level perks are the perks that cut casting cost in half for a given spell level/school of magic.

This means that as you progress your skill, you don't need to purchase those perks with perk points. They're unlocked automatically. For example, if you make it to 25 Destruction, Apprentice Destruction will unlock automatically. If you make it to 60 One-Handed, the fourth rank of Armsman will unlock automatically. This change is applied to every skill except for Smithing, which has no base perks.

This effectively reduces the number of perk points you need to waste on perks that are crucial to your skill's progress. Now you can save those perk points for the ones that are more interesting than simply increasing a skill's effectiveness by 20%, or cutting casting costs in half for new levels of spells.

Crafting Perks

EPO changes the perk trees from the crafting skills to be even more efficient. I've always found the crafting trees to be total perk hogs, and I wanted to make it so I could focus my perks more into my combat skills than just crafting things.

Smithing has been reworked into a linear branch where you learn both heavy and light Smithing as you progress. This removes the need to go down both sides just for the ability to craft a certain kind of weapon, or armor for a companion.

For Enchanting, Fire, Frost, and Storm Enchanter have been combined into a single perk called Elemental Enchanter. Enchanting also has a new, optional perk called Unarmored Enchanter, which increases the effectiveness of enchantments on clothing and circlets. This makes playing an unarmored mage a little more effective. And of course, the base perk, Enchanter, levels up automatically.

Alchemy's change is centered around the Experimenter perk. Experimenter levels up automatically as your skill progresses