New year, new playthrough of FO4. Replaying FO4 is kinda like the "going to get fit as it is my new year's resolution but gives up in the first two weeks" of other people. So what are the essential mods in playing FO4 right now?

I've started a new survival run with horizon overhaul, its got some good features but a slow start.

Survival options lets you tweak every aspect of survival mode. I can't imagine playing without problems like hunger (It's an apocalypse.) But it's my business if I want to save or use the console.
I've added in the "interior" mods that open up many boarded up buildings like Lexington Interiors. It's not essential but I like it.
Sim settlements with its addons... if you want, you can just zone out a town and the settlers will build their own homes and businesses.

Extended Dialogue Interface and Silent Protagonist go well with each other because they both try and bring back elements the old games had, or didn't have in the case of a voiced protagonist. It's essential to me, and possibly many others, but that's mostly because I've used it since it's release so it's impossible to go back to the vanilla dialogue wheel now. Either way, they are two great mods that make the game much better imo.