Why do people say mods are necessary?

EDIT: to clarify: I am not attempting to disparage anyone who chooses to use mods, or who feels like it is technically necessary in their case. I am just trying to puzzle out something that has felt like a mismatch between my lived experience and what I have seen others say.

After a conversation in another DA sub that ended up mostly as a debate on the use of language, I have a curiousity. (Given the previous misunderstanding, I will try to be as specific as possible. If clarification is needed, please ask.)

I have played Origins both via Steam (own two versions of it there actually) and via importing my ownership to what is now the EA app (for ease of save import to 2). I have played all three versions well after the period where Origins was considered new or actively supported on then-current hardware or Windows operating systems.

Even as of a few weeks ago, I have been able to play Origins unmodded on a computer and OS that far surpasses what Origins was designed for (this time, via the EA app). There are some bugs, yes (apparently some missing loot/quest rewards, a few places where you have to do quests in very specific orders…the wiki is helpful in cases where workarounds are needed), but it’s definitely playable-a bit crashy sometimes, especially at higher graphics settings, but definitely playable. I have in fact never attempted to mod any DA game.

I am aware of the common refrain that “Origins is unplayable without mods,” which is often used as a warning to people who want to play it for the first time and stated as some universal maxim or fact. But since I have always (and recently) played it without mods, this never made sense to me-and it’s definitely not a universal fact. To see it claimed as a universal fact, or stated in a way that does not acknowledge that it’s not a universal fact…I don’t know. It confuses me, and I always seem to get some pushback if I mention that it might not be a universal fact and/or that maybe it’s worth just trying the game by itself before messing with mods.

So I will ask: Why do people say this? I am aware that there is a specific mod package that is usually recommended when people say this, but what does it do? Does it just fix the bugs that already have workarounds and/or don’t prevent completion? Is it a stability thing, making the game less crashy? Or have I somehow, across several playthroughs spread across more than fifteen years, multiple generations of PC hardware/software, multiple versions of the game, and multiple digital game provider hosts, avoided something that actually breaks the game? If it’s the latter, I wonder what is causing that difference. I’m no expert on game troubleshooting or modding or patching, but clearly something is operating differently here. It makes me wonder, for all the times it is said that this mod pack is ”required,” if there are other ways to fix whatever critical issue makes people say this…that maybe I have somehow done by accident?

Something’s gotta give, because it can’t both be true that mods are always and fundamentally required and that I’ve played the game successfully and without attempting to mod it several times over the years. And I know the second statement is true.

If anyone is willing to enlighten me, I’m all ears. And if anyone has any idea why I might be the exception to this apparent rule, I’d be interested to know that, too. (If you are here to claim that what I have said is impossible, on the other hand, I’ve heard it before-your preconceptions don’t change my lived experience.)