How needed are mods for TS4 compared to other sims 4 games?/Your Favorite Mods (2019)

It really depends on your play style. I don't use mods because, no matter how easy or interesting they make the game at first, I always run into issues with them. Unless you really want to cheat things into the game that can't be achieved without mods, I think it is definitely reasonable to live without them. The bugs that are present usually aren't so bad that the game is unplayable without a fix. Obviously, what works for you is always best, but I personally find them to get overwhelming.