Gameplay overhaul mods generally adress these issues, adding more playstyles to the game and making everything equally viable. The one I use is SkyRe. Want to punch people in the face with an unarmed build? No problem, one handed tree has a perk branch that's dedicated to unarmed builds.
Also adds more weapon types with different playstyles. Bastard swords focus on parrying/defense, spears focus on range but are not good against heavy armour, bows are split into shortbows and longbows etc. It generally allows much more freedom in playstyle choice without your choice determining whether you'll perform good or bad, simply because each build has its own advantages and disadvantages.
There's also Requiem that highly increases game difficulty. Combined with Duel it can make for a really intense experience where mistakes can be punished real hard, but also make combat more interesting. Since I haven't played Requiem much, I can't give a good opinion about that.
One thing: Once you taste blood in regards to modding, you can not really go back.
//edit: As far as I know, SkyRe also kills this endless crafting cycle that can give you an iron dagger with 2000+ damage.
