A number of years into its life, the very best Skyrim Particular Version mods caught as much as the very best in Oldrim modding. A lot of our favorites from the unique have been ported throughout, so it’s possible you’ll acknowledge a few of these on this record.
Oldrim Modding
In search of mods for the unique model of Skyrim? We have chosen over 100 of the very best mods for improved visuals and optimization, new quests and places, roleplaying and immersion, creatures and NPCs, and way more. These are the best Skyrim mods.
However there are many new mods as nicely—a decade into its life, Skyrim and this better-performing Particular Version are nonetheless fertile floor for brand new creations. Boot up your mod supervisor of alternative, as a result of Skyrim modding hasn’t slowed down.
Skyrim Script Extender has been up to date for the Anniversary Version, and most of the mods that had been damaged in the course of the changeover are working once more now. Nonetheless, as soon as SKSE is put in, it’s best to go into Skyrim Particular Version’s properties in Steam and set it to “Solely replace this sport after I launch it” and launch Skyrim with skse64_loader.exe, as in any other case each replace will break the Script Extender and you will have to obtain a brand new model.
A few of the following Skyrim Particular Version mods may be discovered on Bethesda’s website, however the hyperlinks we’ll publish normally level to our go-tos, NexusMods or AFK Mods.
Mods added in current updates of this record have been marked with a ⭐. And in the event you’re seeking to have much more enjoyable in Skyrim, try our record of Skyrim console commands.
The most effective Skyrim Particular Version mods
Mod managing
It is easy to get carried away modding Skyrim Particular Version in a short time. That can assist you preserve monitor of all of your varied additions, you’ll want to use a mod supervisor of some kind. Listed here are those we advise you check out.
For downloading, putting in, and managing these Skyrim Particular Version mods and others, we suggest Vortex. It is an especially helpful utility, and it really works with a lot of different video games just like the Fallout sequence, the Witcher sequence, Darks Souls, XCOM 2, and much extra.
As an alternative choice to Vortex, Mod Organizer 2 is supposed for modders who plan to do quite a lot of experimenting with putting in and uninstalling varied mods. It handles a bunch of Bethesda video games, so you should utilize it to handle issues different than simply Skyrim SE if you would like.
Patches, UI, and cheats
Everyone knows the repute Bethesda’s video games have. Loads of followers have taken it upon themselves to repair bugs, optimize methods, and make consumer interface extra to their liking.
The heavens parted, golden saints sang, and SkyUI was lastly supported by Skyrim Particular Version. This interface replacer makes Skyrim really feel prefer it was designed for mouse controls, and allows you to filter and kind stock primarily based on weight, worth, harm and the like. Additionally provides an in-game mod configuration menu a number of different mods depend on.
Will increase the clickable areas of menu gadgets so that they’re the precise width of the merchandise reasonably than simply an absurd little sq. in the course of it. You haven’t any concept how a lot better this tiny quality-of-life tweak makes issues. It additionally improves the keyboard controls in a couple of methods. As an illustration, tab will all the time take you again a stage and enter will let you choose an choice even if you’re crafting and would usually need to mouse again over it.
Skyrim’s map is purposeful however boring. A High quality World Map presents a number of methods to repair it. It could actually exchange the map with a way more detailed world texture, with colours that assist delineate the separate areas way more clearly, however there’s additionally an choice to have a paper map, with a extra Oblivion look, if that is your factor.
Simply since you’re modding doesn’t suggest you are dishonest (essentially). So why does the SSE disable achievements in the event you’ve received mods operating? Stick it to ’em by utilizing this plugin from xSHADOWMANx that permits you to earn achievements even whereas utilizing mods.
When you might swap to a different savegame to play your Khajiit archer for some time, Mission Proteus enables you to import your characters into an present world state—that means you’ll be able to swap to a personality with their very own gadgets, abilities, and spells, however preserve your present quest development. NPCs who’ve died stay useless, gadgets left in storage may be retrieved, and so forth. It additionally enables you to edit NPCs and gadgets, even the climate. A few of what Mission Proteus makes potential is already doable with Skyrim’s console commands and present mods, however this brings all of it collectively in a single pop-up menu.
An improved character creation menu, with numeric shows for all sliders, and the flexibility to decide on any colour in your hair, pores and skin, or different tints reasonably than being restricted primarily based on race. There is a sculpt mode if you wish to get proper into messing with the geometry of your head, and you may flip the sunshine illuminating your face on and off to see how your options will look in numerous conditions, which is a blessing. (Notice that the Anniversary Version replace would not play good with Racemenu, although the modder has an replace within the works.)
If the Anniversary Version replace is inflicting your favourite mods grief, this may roll you again to Particular Version model 1.5.97. There are two variations to obtain, and the Better of Each Worlds model enables you to preserve all of the Creation Membership content material added by the Anniversary Version.
This mod is a compendium of a whole lot of fixes for bugs, textual content, objects, gadgets, quests, and gameplay parts assembled by prolific modder Arthmoor. The patch is designed to be as suitable as potential with different mods. In case you’ve received a couple of hours, you’ll be able to learn by way of the patch notes.
“HRTF (Head Associated Switch Capabilities) refers back to the method that the curvature of 1’s ears are used to localize sound in 3D area.” I do not know precisely what that first sentence means, however I perceive the second. Make SSE extra practical in your ears with this mod, although observe it solely works in the event you play completely in first-person. You may additionally need to try Immersive Sounds for an enormous overhaul of Skyrim’s sound results.
Quests and places
Skyrim could also be an enormous place, however modders are all the time discovering methods to make it larger. We have collected some actually spectacular location overhauls to develop your Skyrim expertise together with some enormous quest mods to take you on new adventures.
Skyrim’s received a number of journey, however here is about 10 hours extra courtesy of author and developer Nick Pearce. Play detective and remedy a homicide thriller whereas exploring an enormous, historic metropolis. It is received glorious, award-winning writing, a non-linear story, improbable voice performing by a big solid, an pleasurable unique soundtrack, and even a contact of time journey. Here’s our write-up of the Forgotten City Skyrim mod. It is also been tailored right into a standalone game set in ancient Rome.
Provides a gallery you’ll be able to fill with distinctive gadgets, a museum to your achievements that can also be a library, a storage facility, a questline of its personal, and a spot to study archaeology full with its personal perks. Whereas there’s a model of Legacy of the Dragonborn for Oldrim, the v5 replace particularly for Particular Version remaps the constructing to make it bigger and extra like an actual museum.
This whole conversion creates a wholly new world, very practically the dimensions of Skyrim itself, and populates it with new dungeons, quests, monsters, and totally voiced NPCs. A few of Skyrim’s methods have additionally been tweaked, there is a new {custom} story to take pleasure in, and an excellent 50+ hours of latest adventures to be onerous. You can read about the opening hours of Enderal here.
Vigilant is a four-part quest mod that provides some Darkish Souls aptitude to Tamriel. After getting caught in Oblivion, you will face off in opposition to otherworldly monsters and massive, Souls-style bosses whereas exploring areas stuffed with particular gadgets and keys. Past that, the ‘Anvil of Zenithar’ permits gamers to craft their very own wares after ending aims, besting bosses and reaching new areas. Vigilant Voiced provides voice-acting.
It’s also possible to snag the identical modder’s Bloodborne-themed journey known as Glenmoril.
Moonpath to Elsweyr was one of many first quest mods for Oldrim again within the day. It is made its solution to SSE now with its two new areas and {custom} quests. In Jody’s Moonpath spotlight he talks to its unique creator.
Who’s going to rebuild Helgen after it received toasted by a dragon at first of the sport? You’re, after all. It is an enormous, totally voiced quest mod the place you will restore the city, select a faction, and struggle within the new area. Chris wrote about Helgen Reborn years in the past for Oldrim, so we’re psyched to replay it in SSE.
One other large mod from Arthmoor restores a great deal of content material that exists in SSE’s information recordsdata however wasn’t carried out within the sport. Quite a few places, NPCs, dialogue, quests, and gadgets have been introduced again into the sunshine, and Skyrim is richer for it.
This large development overhaul mod redesigns all of Skyrim’s main cities and a few settlements as nicely. Each metropolis has been reimagined to extra distinctly match its personal theme with new buildings and distributors. It doubles as an immersion mod as nicely, with native banners and guards altering allegiance as Skyrim’s civil battle develops.
There are participant house mods to go well with all tastes, however the Asteria is a very good one—a flying ship with all mod cons, by which I imply space for storing and crafting tables. It is completely docked, nevertheless, and cannot be moved round, although it does have a teleporter for a extra immersive various to fast-travel. If you’d like a flyable skyship, strive the Dev Aveza.
Visible mods
Even with Skyrim Particular Version, there’s nonetheless loads of room to make Tamriel prettier. Modders have up to date how characters look and added greater decision textures, amongst different issues, to place a brand new shine on the sport.
Climates of Tamriel is a big overhaul including new climate sorts, new lighting, and clouds. It could actually make night-time darker as nicely for a extra immersive adventuring expertise. There’s even a winter model that covers much more of Skyrim in snow.
Lifelike Water Two, drawing and increasing on the work of some earlier water mods, provides higher ripples, bigger splashes, re-textured foam and sooner water circulation in streams, bobbing chunks of ice, and even murky, stagnant-looking water in dungeons. For all of your extraordinarily practical screenshot-taking wants.
Skyrim’s NPCs already appeared dated when the sport was first launched, and so they actually have not aged nicely. The SSE would possibly enhance the appears of the world, nevertheless it would not contact its residents, so this mod from Scaria needs to be in your record. It provides everybody within the sport (together with your avatar) a facelift with extra detailed textures that will not kneecap your framerate, with out making characters look misplaced.
We are able to all agree Bethesda’s RPGs aren’t usually stunners within the hair division. So many hair mods get carried away turning characters into fashions, although. Vanilla Hair Replacer goals for extra lore-friendly modifications for Skyrim’s default hair decisions so NPCs look a much less scraggly however nonetheless like they hail from Skyrim. You should definitely test the “beneficial mods” part of the web page to get your characters wanting precisely like those within the screenshots.
Whereas Skyrim Particular Version provides loads of enhanced visuals, it would not do a factor to enhance the unique sport’s low-poly meshes. This mod edits a whole lot of 3D fashions positioned in 1000’s of various places for gadgets like furnishings, litter, architectural parts, and panorama objects to make them look nicer and extra practical.
The Security Overhaul Lock Variants and supplemental Security Overhaul Add-Ons mods add an entire bunch of latest lock designs so that you can peer at when you’re heroically robbing Skyrim of its each final septim. The locks vary from startlingly lovely to mystically eerie to pretty disgusting, however they’re all lore-friendly and splendidly animated. There are even new sound results to accompany among the weirder designs.
Hear me out. Other than NPC’s faces, what are you going to have your nostril up in opposition to in Skyrim most frequently? Effectively yeah, enemies, but in addition doorways! Modder “Hype1” has created a number of new door meshes with wonderful 4k textures so you will by no means be caught choosing the lock on a low-res door once more. When you’re at it, Book Covers is a mod that may make books as lovely as they should be.
Companions and creatures
Skyrim is an much more lovely place because of the visible mods and new places on this record, however you will need to populate it with attention-grabbing folks too. These mods add a few of our favourite companion characters, and a few cool creatures for them to struggle too.
This companion mod is a very candy one, primarily based on well-liked octogenarian YouTuber Shirley Curry, in any other case often called the “Skyrim Grandma”. Created by followers and voiced by Curry herself, the Shirley companion shares Curry’s likeness. Tamriel’s Shirley has her personal lore-appropriate backstory too. After you’ve got accomplished her recruitment quest, Shirley will be a part of you, combating alongside you as a barbarian warrior—Curry’s most popular fight fashion. Curry has already began taking part in with the mod herself, which you’ll catch the start of in her video series.
Possibly you do not assume a blue Khajiit who follows you round commenting on every thing and being sarcastic about Lydia is what Skyrim wants, however belief us on this. Inigo has tons of dialogue, some tied to his personal questline and extra that crops up at acceptable occasions relying on the placement you are at. He may be informed the place to go and what to do by whistling, and can comply with you even in the event you’ve received an present companion, chatting away with them because of skilfully repurposed voice strains.
A sequel to a much-loved Oblivion mod (which Terry Pratchett contributed to), Vilja in Skyrim provides the great-granddaughter of the unique Vilja as a follower. She’s an alchemist along with her personal questline to comply with and a singular system to offer her orders—primarily spells sure to hotkeys that can be utilized to co-ordinate assaults. Like Inigo she would not depend towards your follower restrict, and if launched to one another Inigo and Vilja will even chat amongst themselves.
Will we ever tire of crossovers between our favourite large RPGs? No, we positively is not going to. This follower mod provides a custom-made Yennefer that re-purposes her strains of dialogue from The Witcher 3. She twin wields magic, after all. Sadly, she is not eligible for marriage. The identical modder has additionally made a Ciri follower mod and contributed to mods for Geralt and Triss followers all primarily based on their Wild Hunt selves.
This extraordinarily well-liked mod for Oldrim is one you will need to seize the Particular Version model of too. It enables you to micromanage quite a lot of particulars about your companions like their gear, the right way to struggle, and which of your many homes to stay in.
This mod makes having a horse a lot much less of a headache. You may have conversations from horseback. You may loot and collect herbs whereas mounted. Your followers may even purchase and experience their very own horses as an alternative of sprinting helplessly behind you.
Regardless of the Particular Version’s visible overhaul, its dragons are nonetheless a bit ho-hum. This mod, contributed to by a big assortment of modders, provides 28 new and distinctive dragons with completely different fashions and textures, and able to over a dozen new breath assaults and talents. The dragons come in numerous ranks as nicely, to make sure you have a problem it doesn’t matter what your stage.
With Strigoi put in, each time vampires spawn there’s an opportunity to satisfy a few of its new kinds of bloodsucker. These powered-up undead would possibly flip into bats, throw you round, or simply usually be lots more durable than common vampires.
Why is it all the time spiders in RPGs? Effectively, it would not need to be. Bugs Begone replaces all of the spiders and chaurus bugs with bears and skeevers as an alternative. It additionally removes ornamental spiderwebs and different spider-related decor. If you cannot cope with all the large spiders plaguing Skyrim, this mod will squash them.
Magic, fight, and abilities
If being the Dragonborn is not sufficient, these mods provide you with new talents to tinker with. Some are mundane abilities like further crafting talents, others are new shouts and spells to play with.
Arcanum is a big addition to Skyrim’s magic system. It enables you to summon tornados and meteors amongst many different feats. It would not simply throw all these new abilities at you as quickly because it’s put in, although. Arcanum is nice for beginning a brand new playthrough of Skyrim with as a result of unlocking spells is a extra lore-friendly journey of {custom} quests, crafting, and adventuring.
CGO strikes an excellent stability for these wanting a bit extra out of Skyrim’s fight with out turning it into an excessive amount of of a fast-paced motion sport. It provides the flexibility to dodge roll, which surprisingly appears fairly first rate in first-person. There’s additionally the flexibility to change between one- and two-handed grips to vary how assaults land. Oh, and you may assault in midair, together with a number of different smaller tweaks.
Modder “DServant” additionally created the Archery Gameplay Overhaul which takes a equally even-handed strategy to enhancing bow use.
Wildcat is a a lot heavier fight overhaul, and an especially well-liked one. It makes fight extra lethal with elevated harm and stamina use, however that is not all. It additionally provides an harm system the place taking sufficient harm has an opportunity to offer you a critical harm that might knock you down, unequip your weapon, or provide you with different harmful results. It rewards you for correctly timed blocks and for assaults of alternative whereas enemies are performing different actions too.
For the Thieves Guild and Darkish Brotherhood members amongst us, Sneak Instruments provides additional performance to being good at hiding. As a substitute of only a harm bonus, you’ll be able to kill NPCs from behind with daggers, knock them out with fists, and assassinate them whereas they’re sleeping. You may douse torches and arrows to raised sneak by way of the shadows and use a bunch of latest arrow sorts with sneaky advantages.
If you’re not taking part in a metal-plated tank, there’s much less use for smithing. Archers, thieves, and different stealthy characters haven’t any points discovering mild armor on their adventures, so there’s by no means been a lot motive to make it themselves. This mod by Arthmoor provides slippery kinds causes to study smithing by letting them forge arrows, lockpicks, and guild-specific armor, in addition to soften down bulkier armor they’d by no means really put on into ingots.
Roleplaying, survival, and immersion
Roleplaying and immersion mods are all geared toward making Skyrim Particular Version really feel only a bit extra actual.
Sick of NPCs repeating the identical catchphrase from throughout the road each time they see you? Sick of guards commenting in your greatest abilities, which they someway know all about simply by you—even Sneak? This mod has a couple of choices for fixing the difficulty, whether or not you need to scale back the gap these barks set off at, or do away with them altogether.
Generally you do not need to break into somebody’s house and have the native guard after you. As a substitute of lockpicking, this mod provides you the choice to only, you recognize, knock on the door. If somebody is house they may reply, providing you with the choice to earn entry together with your speech talents. If they do not reply, then get your lockpicks out. (If this mod causes crashes after the Anniversary Version replace, test the sticky post at the top of this page for a solution.)
In case you’re taking part in Particular Version, you are ranging from scratch whether or not you are a newcomer to Skyrim or a veteran. Why not begin your new sport as somebody aside from the Dragonborn? Alternate Begin—once more, by Arthmoor—is a roleplaying mod that offers you decisions on how you would like to start your subsequent playthrough. Are you a patron at in inn, a customer arriving by boat, a prisoner in a jail cell, or a member of a guild? You can begin as a soldier, an outlaw, a hunter, even a vampire. It is a good way to re-experience Skyrim from a special perspective, and skip the tutorial when you’re at it.
It is a bit of immersion-breaking to enter a metropolis by way of a gate and encounter a loading display. Open Cities goals for extra of a Morrowind really feel: the cities aren’t cases, they’re a part of the bigger world. Stroll proper in—or experience in on horseback—with out a break in your expertise, and these cities will really feel extra like actual locations than loaded-in maps.
This mod, by elderscrolliangamer, modifications and enhances Skyrim’s opening sequence by restoring dialogue that Bethesda selected to chop, however which continues to be current within the sport recordsdata. With that content material restored, you will study extra in regards to the world you are getting ready to inhabit by listening in on further conversations and seeing full sequences that had been snipped earlier than launch. Better of all, in the event you select to aspect with the Stormcloaks, you will really be capable to escape Helgen with Ulfric himself at your aspect.
This mod by cloudedtruth provides 1000’s of strains of voiced dialogue for NPCs to make you’re feeling like you might have a more in-depth and extra private relationship with followers and mates. Your partner will not sound like a random follower, however tackle you in a extra private method, and people you’ve got angered may have a number of latest insults to hurl your method.
Skyrim Console Instructions
There is no must play Skyrim as a humble warrior. Grow to be a large, fly, stroll by way of partitions, spawn any merchandise you need, and even turn into Santa Claus with Skyrim console commands, and provides your self each merchandise within the sport with Skyrim item codes.
Trying to flip SSE right into a survival expertise with out having to depend on the Creation Membership’s survival mode? Then bundle up and look no additional. These mods from Chesko make the frosty world of Skyrim extra harmful extra immersive and pleasurable with a system that makes you handle your temperature within the chilly local weather. Hypothermia is a matter, particularly in the event you swim by way of icy water, so you will have to decorate warmly, and tenting parts embrace craftable tents, torches, and different gear. There’s even a crafting ability system.
Additionally, try Wet and Cold, which provides weather-dependent visible results and sounds.
In case you do need to keep on with the Creation Membership survival mode, maybe since you received it as a part of the Anniversary Version, this management panel will allow you to change the way it works. You may activate and off choices like whether or not that you must sleep to stage up, in addition to modifying the heat score of garments, together with cloaks in the event you’ve received a mod that provides these.
What might probably be extra immersive than strolling round in your underwear and being lavished with compliments by strangers? OK, perhaps it is not that immersive however it’s a enjoyable one. On prime of that, this mod additionally makes use of a really cool new AI-based voice synthesis device known as SKVA Synth to create a few of its voice strains.
