So far the Manor Lords modding scene is focussed on the essentials: free beer, bigger punch-ups, and letting you walk around as Geralt
Fine, I'll do it myself.
Manor Lords is still in early access, and despite developer Greg "Slavic Magic" Styczeń releasing a massive patch that fixes a great deal of the small issues players have encountered so far, there are still some pretty helpful and wacky mods that can also get the job done.
If you haven't seen the latest experimental patch yet or just don't want to encounter the King's tax, then this mod can help smooth out ale production for you. It can be difficult to get the balance of crops right to maintain constant ale production, especially since villagers tend to go through the supply so quickly.
This is where the Jesus Ale Tech mod can help you out, as it removes the need for malt to make Ale and so makes production cost nothing. The description gets right to the point: "Oh god, those crazy bastards figured it out. That upgraded church sent Jesus to your people and taught them his ways. Except they learned Ale instead of wine." There may even be a possibility for churches to brew beer in the future, something that many monasteries and churches were well-known for during the Middle Ages.
But not all the mods need to make your game easier. Some, like Adaptive Bandits, will challenge your skills as Lord. This mod stops bandit raids from being capped at a specific number (which is usually four): "The size and frequency of bandit raids now increase according to your total wealth (regional wealth + treasury) and your total units." But if you're not happy with that number, then you can customise the mod's configuration. It's also recommended to use mods Unlock Militia Limit, Increased Garrison Limit, Mercenaries Pool Fix, and Hildebolt's Vanguard Army (Difficulty mod) alongside it, as they'll make sure it's a fair fight.
It's pretty amazing that Manor Lords already has 144 mods of varying sizes, considering it's been out for less than a month and is only in early access, but despite the sheer amount out there, most players don't actually use any.
A discussion on r/ManorLords revealed that most players are going bare bones, at least until Styczeń can work through the initial issues and updates. 85% of people who responded to the question of if anyone is actually using mods said that they weren't. "I'm waiting for the game to be more "finished" before I start slapping mods onto it," one player says.
And while players have found some funny aesthetic mods, like the one that lets you walk around your villager as Geralt from The Witcher 3 or another that gives Manor Lords a VR mode for you to enjoy, most are just happy to wait for fixes, and play the game like Styczeń intended.