I'm tired of playing the same old games and want to explore some amazing community created content. I know about Nexus Mods and Steam Workshop, but are there other hidden gems out there? What are your favorite sources for finding quality community created content that really enhances the base game experience?
For finding quality community created content, I spend most of my time on ModDB and Nexus Mods. ModDB is great for larger total conversion mods and indie game mods, while Nexus has the best selection for mainstream games. Also, don't sleep on game-specific Discord servers - that's where a lot of the best community created content gets shared before it hits the major sites. Some modders prefer to share their work in smaller communities first.
Steam Workshop is convenient but the quality can be really hit or miss. I've found that the best community created content often comes from dedicated modding sites where there's more curation and user reviews. For Bethesda games, Nexus is definitely the place to be. For older games, sometimes you have to dig through fan forums that have been around for years. The really good stuff isn't always on the most popular platforms.
I look for community created content on YouTube actually. There are channels dedicated to showcasing amazing mods, and you can see them in action before downloading. This has saved me from installing a lot of buggy or poorly made mods. Also, some modders have Patreon pages where they share early access to their work, though that's more controversial in the community.
Don't forget about GitHub! A lot of technical mods and tools for creating community created content are hosted there. It's not just for code - you can find asset packs, modding tools, and documentation. Also, some games have official modding communities on their websites that get overlooked. The quality of community created content on official sites is often higher because the developers sometimes participate.