Vertical grips, can openers, microwaves, TV satelite dishes, etc....

Almost all newbies put everything and anything on their new modular rifles. None of it is needed. Its all garbage. The only thing you need is a good flashlight. A flashlight is an absolute necessity. One should never fire at a shadow, and should always know what they are shooting at.

A red dot is a nice to have. Not absolutely necessary, but it does make you more accurate, and quicker, and more likely to get accurate hits. This is the second thing you should buy, after a good flashlight and flashlight mount.

A sling is another nice to have option. Some like them for home defense. Others don't. I don't really think they are necessary for the average home owner, unless you live on lots and lots of acreage and are patrolling a large area.

There you have it. A white light. A red dot. A sling if you want one. Everything else is just added weight.

I buy quality gear, so my flashlights are made by Surefire, Malkoff, Elzetta, or Streamlight. Any of these will serve you well.

For a flashlight mount, look at Elzetta. Cheap, but quality. Impact Weapon Components makes some high quality mounts as well, for a bit more cost. Arisaka Defense makes excellent light mounts as well.

I've been in the AR game now for about 15 years now. Years ago, I used to deck my carbines out with quad rails, lasers, espresso makers, and everything else. The result was a fat pig. My go to war carbine now is a pencil barrel Colt 6720, a Surefire scout light in a IWC mount, and an Aimpoint micro red dot. Thats it. Thats all I want.