MUST HAVE

A Year with Sten

Different Morphs for Sten incorporating the changes to Qunari looks made in DA2.

Adopted

Lets you combine any origin with any class and race. Needs a small bit of manual configuration before starting a new game.

Advanced Quickbar

Makes more quickbars available with easy access.

CharGenMorph Compiler

Automates the process of merging chargenmorphcfg.xml files, enabling simultaneous multiple cosmetic modifications.

DAO-Modmanager

Great tool that helps you manage your mods and has the option of creating .Overrides files for easy installing (I don't think any of the other managers offer this).

DLC in Awakening

Get your DLC items to work in Awakening.

Retexture pack. I really didn't like several of the default skins for your companions, so this mod is a must for me. Changes for the better several minor characters as well. Some components require Tucked Hair.

Expanded Inventory

Automatically changes inventory capacity to the max 125 right from the beginning of the game.

Extra Dog Slot

Makes Dog able to tag along with the party as a summoned creature, but with all dialogue, special abilities, and banters involving him working as if he was a full party member. Probably my fave mod of the bunch, this really should've been a vanilla feature. Be aware that you'll have to deactivate this mod if you want to play the quest 'Captured!' after rescuing Anora.

FtG UI Mod - More Readable Fonts and UI

Rescales UI, makes fonts bigger, adds clickable Codex table of contents.

Gift Guide

For Awakening, adds a small ('COMPANION') text to each gift so you can know ingame who it's supposed to be given to in the game's expansion. Combine it with the Madd Gift Guide for full easy gift identification.

Madd Gift Guide

Same as above, but for the main DA:O campaign.

Less Tedious Fade

For a first playthorugh, the Fade is a mandatory experience, for your own benefit. However, on the Nth playthrough, all the back and forth required makes it TEDIOUS, and since you already know it all from before, its impact doesn't make up for it any longer. This mod places a "Mysterious Tome" near the start of the Fade portion of the "Broken Circle" quest, after the Sloth demon puts the player to sleep. Reading it grants all four shapeshifting forms immediately, so you don't have to backtrack every time you learn a new form. A much, much better solution than the Skip the Fade mod, this is a must for me now. Mod was actually hosted in the BSN and didn't make it to Nexus and I didn't find it anywhere on the net, so I'm mirroring it in case you don't have it.

Level 50

Increases the level cap to 50 and modifies attribute/specialization maximums to make use of it (also adds 25 Tactics slots to everyone, making the skill redundant).

Lock Bash

Enables bashing of chests and doors. No longer a "have a rogue or ELSE" situation (although I found that there are a few chests that you actually can't lock/bash, mainly the ones dealing with the Love Letters quest).

Make CONSOLE commands visible

Self-explanatory.

Misha The Hoarder

Similar to other storage mods, but with the benefit of item-sorting that merchants have.

More Detailed Tooltips

Modifies existing abilities, potions, traps, grenades and inspiration bonus tooltips to give more detailed information about what the various effects are. Compatible with Gift Guide & Madd Gift Guide.

No Helmet Hack

Adds an inventory item that allows toggling for helmets showing/not showing on character models. Make sure to remove headgear from your character before importing to another module to avoid issues.

Steal Cooldown Reduced

Reduces said cooldown to 1,5 seconds (I wouldn't bother with the skill otherwise, despite Slim Couldry's quests).

UDK (Universal Dye Kit)

Change the colour of armor and weapons to your liking (can operate as a portable rune enchanter as well).

The Winter Forge

Allows you to change the appearance and magic properties of your items.

FIXES

Dain's Fixes

Fixes, Tweaks, and QoL changes. Compatible with these other mods: Qwinn's, Law & Order, Silverite Mines, No Helmet Hack, More Detailed Tooltips, Joining Ritual, Dog Gift, Blackblade Drop, and Baroness Reward. Conditionally compatible with Lock/Bash if you don't install autoloot containers or party skill lockpick QoLs (or the extra counterpart).

Qwinn's Fixpack

Deprecates most of the others non-Awakening dialogue/quest fixes around.

Armor Rune Drop Fixes

Fixes some treasure tables.

Awakening Blackblade Armor Dragon Drop Fix

Fixes a bug with the Blackblade Gloves and Boots not appearing.

Awakening Endgame Cutscene Fixes

Resolves several outstanding issues with the cutscene at the end of Awakening.

Joining Ritual Fix for Awakening

Sigrun or Velanna can now undergo the Joining ritual if they are recruited as part of the third (and last) main quest.

Baroness' Reward Fix

Didn't work at all before if you sided with her.

Sigrun's Roguish Past & Law and Order fix

Fixes Mischa disappearing after accepting the Law and Order quest.

Silverite Mines Fix

This mod fixes the infamous Silverite Mines equipment glitch that causes your character to permanently lose some/all of the equipment on him/her. I almost went bonkers when this happened to me the first time. Note that this won't remedy your situation if your gear is already gone.

Uncapped Elemental Damage Bonus

Uncaps the +X% [Element] damage modifier (vanilla is set at 50% even though some items like the Soulbound ring provide more than that).

COSMETICS

Beautiful Hair People

(there's another mod with a chargenmorph file for this)

Bidelles Cosmetics

CC Extra Tints and Tones

Hairstyle Day

More Hairstyles

Pineappletree's Vibrant Colors

Tucked Hair

(there's another mod in Nexus that adds the chargenmorph to this)

WORTH TRYING OUT

Add Any Item Deluxe

Adds a command console line for spawning items, with different commands for vanilla and modded items. Probably best of you ran the configuration program after you're done installing all other mods, so it includes any item they added.

Advanced Party

Disallows automatic skill assigning for the Hero and companions.

Advanced Tactics

Enables new conditions and actions in the tactics system.

Alley of Murders

A new quest add-inn for the game. Decently done, fully voiced.

Armor of the Black Fox

New armor/weapons set for rogue characters.

Dog Gift Tweaks

Since Dog always has maximum approval, gifts for him are useless. This aims to rectify that by giving Dog permanent attribute bonus when receiving his preferred gifts.

Emissary

Short little romp where you play a darkspawn emissary, very nicely done.

Extended Dog Talents

Self-explanatory.

Extended Shale Talents

Self-explanatory.

Forced Deathblows

Changes the % of getting the special kill sequences (several options available).

Loincloth Fashion

Adds new robes and armors (need to use the console to spawn them).

Orator Vestments

New massive armor set.

Paladin Specialization

New specialization for Warriors.

Quick Shapeshifting

Shortens Shapeshifting delay to 1 second, though there's an instant version available as well (would be a MUST HAVE but I hardly ever bother with shapeshifting).

Shale Retextured

Self-explanatory.

The Chantry Wardrobe

Adds some nifty retextured chantry robes with different powers. Be aware that getting this to work is pretty wonky: first, you have to install the dazip, then disable it BEFORE creating a new Origins game, then enabling it. That's the only way to actually get the robes.