Hi @andrew0 !
My $0.02 - I've only been doing modular for a little over two years now, it's been great fun and I have several of the modules you have here (Links, Plaits, Tides, Veils and Pam's, plus Clouds (Typhoon)) plus a Disting MK4. I still consider myself a beginner because I just haven't spent the time with the modules I have to learn them enough to do them justice, so take this with a grain of salt.
Links is a good utility module, I've never owned anything but so can't say much about it. I do love the LMNTL splitter "asterisks" you can get from Perfect Circuit but not sure if there's a quality difference (probably). As with all the MI stuff, I'd recommend checking it out on VCV Rack first to see if it really inspires you. For me, Tides has been the one that I've used the most, and partially because I've read the manual over like 10 times, no exaggeration.
I'd definitely recommend checking out the EX over the MK4. MK4 does a ton of things but I rarely use it because I have to RTFM every single time I want to try to use it. I'm planning to trade mine in for an EX eventually as I think it will be more user friendly.
Also, if you're c0ming from MIDI (as I did), something like uMIDI is key. I haven't worked with the MIDI expanders for Pam's or the Disting MK4 but probably worth researching.
Whatever you do, enjoy the process!
Cheers,
-loops