Best Mods for Half-Life 2?

[onewheeled]

So I bought Half-Life 2 last week, primarily to download mods. And I've been looking all over the internets trying to find interesting ones, but I'm just overwhelmed by it all.

So I'm going to ask you guys, what are the best single/multiplayer mods for Half-Life 2?

And if it matters, I don't have CSS or the HL2 episodes, which I see quite a few mods use. All I have is HL2, Portal, and GMod.

 

[Layz92]

Korsakovia is pretty good I hear. Though I havn't got around to installing it yet. I think Goldeneye: Source was alright for LANs and similar.

 

[teh_gunslinger]

Insurgency is pretty fun, if utterly unforgiving.

I'd also recommend Dear Esther and Research and Development, though I can't remember if they need the episodes.

 

[Venerax]

I'm pretty sure most of the good ones require at least episode 1...
But aside from that, the ones I can recommend are MINERVA: Metastasis, and Research and Development (which is better than the original game, in my opinion; it's just shorter and less action-y).

EDIT: I think that Minerva needs episode 1, and R&D needs episode 2... But if you haven't played those, they're worth getting :3 (even just for R&D, which I must say again, is an exceptional mod).

 

[silverleaf81]

Garrys Mod 10, Zombie Master, Eternal Silence, Zombie Panic: Source, Empires mod.

 

[thom_cat_]

Insurgency is hard but really fun when you get into the concept.
Half-Mind is hilarious.
The Hidden: Source is fun, but lacks players.
Research and Development is AWESOME (but you need ep2)
Minerva is epic. (might need ep1?)

And yeah, I've played tons of Hl2 mods... most are average but these few are worth some time.

 

[Sagiterios]

age of chivalry is fun, as is empires. DIPRIP is also good enough to install.

and of course, GMod

 

[the monopoly guy]

Strider mountain is really big and pretty fun, if confusing at times. SMOD and all the different SMODs are decent but some require CSS. Get a Life is a great single player total conversion mod.