3.0 IS HERE! MAKE SURE TO READ THE CHANGELOG :)
EACH section has plenty of new mods - sometimes few dozens of them. Enjoy!
Ever wandered which modding capabilities Witcher 3 has? Dive into ultimate TW3 modding now!
About this guide:
This guide is a brother of my Skyrim LE graphics and gameplay guides, in a single one - and a result of many months of modding Skyrim. My goal is a complete guide to save other people time that they can have a complete base list of mods for ultrarealistic graphics and challenging, nextgen gameplay, knowing how much these mods will affect on performance and in what order they should install the mods, which are compatible and which are not, etc. Skyrim have thousand of mods here at Nexus and there's very hard to check them all, but I spent some time and did this - from the 1st till the last page (I'm not joking hehe) of all the mods on Nexus and chosen almost everything you need to transform your game and also to have some variants of similar mods to choose from. List of 3600+ mods (but at the same time "quality about quantity", including different variants to choose from) to install to make your Skyrim graphics look nextgen and gameplay feel on absolutely next level - everything structurized properly so you can build both 50 and 1500 mod setups, depending on your goal. Installation order, performance notes, patches list and personal recommendations included.
This guide has both graphics and gameplay parts, two in one. For graphics mods installation, the [installation] order matters the most - so, for the best results, it's humbly recommended to follow the same order as mods are listed. For gameplay guide, installation order doesn't matter, but load order does, so read the mod pages/my own notes if preset carefully. Also you can check the videos at my YT channel to see how game can look when fully-modded. To make guide navigation easier, I placed guide sections into so called "spoilers" - when you see "Show" button - just click on it to expand corresponding group of mods. Click "Hide" again to close it :) Please also note that this guide is still designed for modern rigs - yet, guide also has section for low-end rigs, and many other advises here and there, as well as performance-hungry mods marked - so, you can build an ultimate setup for your own PC, no matter what it strength is.
But here comes another exciting part! Guide also has so called "modules" - a premade mod lists (don't confuse with mod packs please) for different tastes and goals - which you only need to mimic, without worrying about incompatibilities and other issues. Modules will fit perfectly to the people who don't have enough of free time to go through whole guide themselves.
Feel free to suggest any mod you want to see in this list or ask me any compatibility/stability questions I'm running Skyrim without any crashes and issues with about 1500 mods installed - and you can have even more and still have your game fully stable. That's not some kind of exaggeration - everything you need is to follow the guide attentively :)
Should you mod Skyrim SE/AE or LE? Is there even a sense to mod LE over SE/AE (or vice versa)?
You may be asking yourself "which game version should I mod, LE or SE" (I have a complete modding guide for LE separated into graphics and gameplay parts). Many players also see the answer a somewhat obvious, but it's not quite like that. You may want to understand the practical differences between them and which pros/cons each has:
- Stability. Generally, when modded properly and if the stability section of the guide is applied, both Skyrim SE/AE and LE are fully stable - there are no memory related crashes (until you overload your game with ridiculously heavy setup just too heavy for your system ofc, and unlike the popular misconceptions, LE doesn't have memory-related issues as well since late 2016 due to combination of ENBoost and Crash Fixes memory allocation upgrades), engine related crashes are fixed more or less equally too. This said, SE is somewhat [less] stable in a long-time perspective and when being heavy-modded and (some SE versions of massive mods being ported hastily or not by mod authors themselves which results in more bugs compared to LE versions of the mods, more crash cases generally throughout a game world which appeared in SE and never existed in LE to begin with). This said, it doesn't mean SE will be crashing hard or something - but with medium-to-heavy modded game, you'll have sometimes have more headache with it. In return, SE requires a bit less stability mods (read - its stability section is shorter than LE one) and so, somewhat less time required for this part. But this is only about stability section itself - roughly said, if you can apply LE guide stability section in an hour, in SE you'll need 30 minutes. Yet, this is a a pretty neglectable difference as you'll most likely spend many more hours of joyful modding the game's graphics and gameplay parts. Tldr: Stability is almost the same for both SE and LE today - you can run a fully stable heavy-modded game without issues in both versions, with LE having a slight benefit in a long timespan.
- Graphics. SE has worse ENB graphics - the engine limitation towards ENB from DX11 on which SE runs (LE runs on DX9 that has much better ENB support) - which results in much less amount of ENB effects and so, directly worse graphics capabilities. Additionally, parallax (3D look imitation for objects) for SE is supported only for terrain, while LE has a complete parallax support for all objects in general. Here's a simple comparison of just some effects that SE ENB lacks, open imagine in fullsize. The difference is still really noticeable (and it's not guaranteed SE will ever catch up to LE in this matter). Tldr: If you're aimed on a graphics enhancement most of all, LE is definitely a better pick.
- Performance: due to reasons mentioned above, LE doesn't have any memory issues in general anymore. There's only one part where SE being 64 bit actually gives a noticeable FPS difference - cities. In LE, even if you generally have ~60fps everywhere, you will most likely still have lower FPS inside/near the cities, especially if you have mods expanding them. In SE this issue doesn't exist. Practically, this is a little difference, as you don't spend much time in cities and mostly only come there only to trade and take/finish quests. Tldr: With a rig which can run modern games without issues, you won't have performance troubles in both LE and SE, yet SE will have higher FPS inside/near the cities.
- Amount of mods SE is chronologically newer version of the game, so expectably, it has a more active modding stage as for today. LE modding stage is active as well - but SE receives more new mods in general. At the same time, considering that LE modding stage is active for 5 more years, it still provides more mods in general - this is usually not related to "prominent" mods, but when it comes to "devil in details" part, SE often lacks some nice mods here and there. The choice here lies personally for every player - it's better to inspect both SE/LE guides gameplay mods sections and see yourself which game provides more for the setup you want to have. Tldr: both versions have mods other version don't have, so choice here is personal. You can also port mods so both version can actually benefit from this difference - read below.
- Porting/backporting the mods: Most of the mods which are not tremendously complex, can be ported yourself without any issues both LE ==> SE and SE ==> LE sides. Model and texture mods can be ported via few clicks in CAO (further in the guide), most of plugins can be ported without issues as well, and animations can be ported too. Only SKSE-dependant mods are basically impossibly for a regular mod user to port, as SKSE code differs between LE/SE, so it requires and experienced person to do this (read - SKSE mods require mod author/other experienced person with a permission for the port). Tldr: with just a little practice, you can port almost all mods asides from really huge ones and SKSE plugins, yourself - so difference in mods arsenal for two game versions can actually only come in handy.
- Base game content: SE and LE are absolutely identical (yes, meaning content-wise, SE is just the same game re-released).
As you can see, the are actual reasons to mod exactly SE or LE, but as for today, it's rather a matter of a personal perspective depending on your modding goal. I'm supporting and updating guides for both versions (so technically, nothing stops you from modding both haha), so read, think and make choice yourself - and best of luck with modding :)
Permissions:
Do not re-upload this guide to other website and/or resources, do not claim it as own work and do not sell it. In the rest - feel free to translate into other languages (just message me in Discord first), I'd be glad if you'll link it to help other people and so on. I'm here to serve - the more people can have stable ultramodded game, the happier I will be :)
Guide features:
- Complete list of graphics and gameplay mods for ultimate nextgen game, 3600+ mods in total. Landscapes, clutter, flora, weather & lighting, armors, clothing & weapons, towns & villages, body, face & skin mods, combat, magic & perks, creatures & factions, quests, new lands & dungeons, survival & utility - and much, much more. Not a single texture will remain ugly after you finish this, and all possible gameplay mechanics will be improved, as well as tons of new ones can be added, hell yeah!
- Everything you need yet nothing excess. Not a huge mod list, filled with subjective choices, yet a roadmap showing you how to build your own dream setup. While, if you lack time - there are some mod lists prepared for you, in [addition] to guide itself.
- Detailed installation order.
- Comfortable and easy-to-navigate design.
- Patches list for compatibility and my personal remarks for the best result.
- Performance notes.
- List of all basic things/tools/tweaks you need to start modding and have stable game.
- ENB installation guide + tweaks/fixes advice.
- The biggest problem of heavy-modded games, script overload, didn't go anywhere in SE, unfortunately - game script engine, Papyrus, was not changed and having too many script-heavy mods may break even the most stable game. Worry not! Many script-heavy mods are marked with special
mark in the guide, so you'll know in advance which mods you'll need to be careful with. - Merging the mods easier then ever before! Mods that can be easily merged in a few click - marked with a special
sign - so you don't need to spend own time checking for many factors. Currently, more than 200 mods are marked already, meaning that's literally more than 200 mods you can merge straight away, and I will expand this gradually. - Separate section for low-end PC owners (which you can still use even if your PC is strong, to have FPS boost).
- Pre-made mod lists for different tastes and goals, which you only need to mimic and don't worry about incompatibilities and other issues - in addition to the whole guide itself.
- Constant updates and support :)
How to Support:
This project is completely free. Still, it takes insane amount of my time to build and expand it - the modding guides and other related modding content already took me over 5700 working hours in total. The more independent I will fee myself as an author - the less stress and more free time I'll have - and so, the faster new updates and modules will arrive, and new projects will appear as well. But support only if you really want it and able to:
Current guide version, changelog & future updates:
Minor update 3.02 - couple of new mods added. For the changelog of the update 3.0 itself, read below ↓↓↓↓↓
Minor update 3.01 - added a few more mods, corrected some links, improved couple of descriptions/instructions. For the changelog of the update 3.0 itself, read below ↓↓↓↓↓
Version: 3.0 for Skyrim Special Edition, at September 2021.
- Over 700 new mods in total for you to pick
- Outdated mods or those not needed as better alternatives were added, were removed
- Furtherly improved navigation and sections look. Huge amount of mods that previously were grouped into a humongous chunks of lists, were sorted and divided into subsections, as well as new expandable subsections added for easier navigation and not that "scary" look of some of them. For instance, "The Rest" section in graphics part is now visually 70% shorter while having more mods in total, and you will see a noticeable difference when navigating in it. Same applies to other sections.
- Over 300 typos fixed with their presence in the guide now being zero to absolutely minimal. Huge thanks to Lossrec and Daralima (and everyone else from the community) for helping with the typos for SE guide <3
- Addition to low-end section (graphics part) for even more FPS gain
- New module, "Average Dovah", as well as adjustments/additions to existing modules (gameplay part)
- Modules updated with the mods added in the update where it made sense
- Lots of new merging marks, for both new and existing mods - around 380 in total now!
Future updates:
- Atm - fixes of typos and broken links, if present
- New modules
- More merging marks
- To report the issues with the guide (typos, broken links etc) - please drop a message in #suggestions_to_sinitar room in our Discord server.
An example of how your game can look like in simple before/after comparison:
Some of most beautiful graphics mods:
Q: What are the PC specs needed to run the same modded setup as you do, to have [best] possible graphics and gameplay?
A: Not such NASA PC as you may think! Intel i5 6600k or AMD analogue, GTX 980Ti/1070 or AMD analogue, 16GB RAM - with similar specs you'll be be able to run absolutely monstrous setup with everything retextured, all needed lighting/weather/immersion mods, at ultra settings, with any ENB you want, 3D LODs and so on. Yes, this guide is made for ALL rigs - no matter if your PC strong, not that much or a complete potato - you can find recommendations, and build best possible modded game.
Q: So I should install ALL mods from this list?
A: You technically can ofc, but that's not mandatory. This is a guide - it gives you an ability to compare and choose. Open mod pages, browse the images, read the description. Install what you like and don't install what you don't like :) Lastly, there are pre-made mod lists for you to mimic.
Q: I have the game in language other than English, is it a problem?
A: The guide is made for original, i.e. English version of the game. Graphics mods will ofc work fine in most of cases, but as for the gameplay mods, there is no guarantee that they will work with non-English version of the game, or work at all. Moreover, many translations are often outdated which leads to various bugs and conflicts. If you want to be able to use Skyrim modding stage and this guide on its fullest, use English version of the game. I won't be able to give any troubleshooting support for non-English versions.
Q: I also want to install ENB, where's a tips for it?
A: Sure! Whatever you want - it is here ;) Just read a bit further.
Q: I got infinite loading screen/my game crashes/I have FPS drops while having a modern rig.
A: Please read "How to start" section carefully. Read it and install all the things needed before starting to install mods themselves.
Q: That doesn't help!
A: Trust me, if you have read everything carefully and installed mods carefully, it will solve all your problems in 99% of cases. If not, feel free to join our Discord server and community members or I will try our best to help you :)
Q: Where are you from? A few words about you?
A: Ukraine. Gamer, retarded slavic youtuber, One Piece & JJBA fan, gym addict. Web-developer in past, fitness trainer and nutritionist now (as hobby).
Q: Will you expand this guide and add this/that?
A: Sure - I will update and improve it. Unstoppably :)
Q: Ok, guide just received massive update, but how can I see the little new additions?
A: I add mods and fix text errors few times per week. All the mods freshly added to the guide will be marked with red-colored "==NEW==" sign.
Q: Wait, why the popular [mod_name] is not here?
A: One of the main goals of the guide always was to keep your game stable. There are some absolutely great and popular mods, but the thing is popularity now always equal same great quality and stability. Some mods are not included simply because they have major or too many minor issues and not fitting concept of stable heavy-modded game. Nothing more besides that.
Q: Can you just upload your Skyrim folder with all your mods somewhere so I can just download it and not to choose and install mods one by one?
A: Unfortunately, no. The reasons:
Firstly - I can't do this as many mods from the list are Nexus-excslusive and mod authors didn't give a permission to re-upload their works somewhere. I respect their work.
Secondly - everyone has absolutely different PC specs and different taste, and my setup can be absolutely unplayable for many people from both these aspects.
Trust me - when you're making your mod setup by yourself the result will be way better because most of mods are absolutely matter of taste.
Q: But there are a lot of modpacks in internet! I saw them! Even Nexus itself should have modpacks soon!
A: Of course. Modpacks are easy to find and get, but it's also one of the main reason of myth about "heavy-modded fully stable Skyrim isn't possible" exists. For very same reasons, modpacks simply can't run the same good for everyone. In best case, modpacks is very, very subjectively made pick of mods, which will never fit your taste on 100% and almost always filled with arguable and outdated mods. In worst case, it will just break your game eventually. And if you're installing some list of mods via automated tool, even if all the mods are installed in correct order, you still will have to solve a lot of conflicts, merge mods, make bashed/merged patches, setup the MCMs and so on - and that's the point when you'll have no idea what to do, as this mod list was not made by you. From that point, you can either play the game as is, which will lead to glitchy gameplay and eventually a lot of wasted time, or you'll have to go to point zero and learn about all the mod in the modpack yourself, basically, doing what you had to to from the very beginning, but once again, wasting some time. Modpacks are like those ads in internet that are promising you 6-pack in 7 days without diet and training. There's no "magic button" in case of TES or FO games, and it's no matter who made it - random internet person or they are distributed by some popular authors or websites - it doesn't change anything in terms or aspects listed few lines above. Modpacks [can] work for other games with much smaller and simplier modding stages, yet for TES/FO games the only [real] ultimate game, in both graphics and gameplay terms, is the one you've built yourself <3
Q: That's all cool and everything, but I wanna stay tuned on updates and have modding chatting, something you can offer?
A: Sure! Just join our Discord server - the biggest and most experienced Discord modding community.
A: Not such NASA PC as you may think! Intel i5 6600k or AMD analogue, GTX 980Ti/1070 or AMD analogue, 16GB RAM - with similar specs you'll be be able to run absolutely monstrous setup with everything retextured, all needed lighting/weather/immersion mods, at ultra settings, with any ENB you want, 3D LODs and so on. Yes, this guide is made for ALL rigs - no matter if your PC strong, not that much or a complete potato - you can find recommendations, and build best possible modded game.
Q: So I should install ALL mods from this list?
A: You technically can ofc, but that's not mandatory. This is a guide - it gives you an ability to compare and choose. Open mod pages, browse the images, read the description. Install what you like and don't install what you don't like :) Lastly, there are pre-made mod lists for you to mimic.
Q: I have the game in language other than English, is it a problem?
A: The guide is made for original, i.e. English version of the game. Graphics mods will ofc work fine in most of cases, but as for the gameplay mods, there is no guarantee that they will work with non-English version of the game, or work at all. Moreover, many translations are often outdated which leads to various bugs and conflicts. If you want to be able to use Skyrim modding stage and this guide on its fullest, use English version of the game. I won't be able to give any troubleshooting support for non-English versions.
Q: I also want to install ENB, where's a tips for it?
A: Sure! Whatever you want - it is here ;) Just read a bit further.
Q: I got infinite loading screen/my game crashes/I have FPS drops while having a modern rig.
A: Please read "How to start" section carefully. Read it and install all the things needed before starting to install mods themselves.
Q: That doesn't help!
A: Trust me, if you have read everything carefully and installed mods carefully, it will solve all your problems in 99% of cases. If not, feel free to join our Discord server and community members or I will try our best to help you :)
Q: Where are you from? A few words about you?
A: Ukraine. Gamer, retarded slavic youtuber, One Piece & JJBA fan, gym addict. Web-developer in past, fitness trainer and nutritionist now (as hobby).
Q: Will you expand this guide and add this/that?
A: Sure - I will update and improve it. Unstoppably :)
Q: Ok, guide just received massive update, but how can I see the little new additions?
A: I add mods and fix text errors few times per week. All the mods freshly added to the guide will be marked with red-colored "==NEW==" sign.
Q: Wait, why the popular [mod_name] is not here?
A: One of the main goals of the guide always was to keep your game stable. There are some absolutely great and popular mods, but the thing is popularity now always equal same great quality and stability. Some mods are not included simply because they have major or too many minor issues and not fitting concept of stable heavy-modded game. Nothing more besides that.
Q: Can you just upload your Skyrim folder with all your mods somewhere so I can just download it and not to choose and install mods one by one?
A: Unfortunately, no. The reasons:
Firstly - I can't do this as many mods from the list are Nexus-excslusive and mod authors didn't give a permission to re-upload their works somewhere. I respect their work.
Secondly - everyone has absolutely different PC specs and different taste, and my setup can be absolutely unplayable for many people from both these aspects.
Trust me - when you're making your mod setup by yourself the result will be way better because most of mods are absolutely matter of taste.
Q: But there are a lot of modpacks in internet! I saw them! Even Nexus itself should have modpacks soon!
A: Of course. Modpacks are easy to find and get, but it's also one of the main reason of myth about "heavy-modded fully stable Skyrim isn't possible" exists. For very same reasons, modpacks simply can't run the same good for everyone. In best case, modpacks is very, very subjectively made pick of mods, which will never fit your taste on 100% and almost always filled with arguable and outdated mods. In worst case, it will just break your game eventually. And if you're installing some list of mods via automated tool, even if all the mods are installed in correct order, you still will have to solve a lot of conflicts, merge mods, make bashed/merged patches, setup the MCMs and so on - and that's the point when you'll have no idea what to do, as this mod list was not made by you. From that point, you can either play the game as is, which will lead to glitchy gameplay and eventually a lot of wasted time, or you'll have to go to point zero and learn about all the mod in the modpack yourself, basically, doing what you had to to from the very beginning, but once again, wasting some time. Modpacks are like those ads in internet that are promising you 6-pack in 7 days without diet and training. There's no "magic button" in case of TES or FO games, and it's no matter who made it - random internet person or they are distributed by some popular authors or websites - it doesn't change anything in terms or aspects listed few lines above. Modpacks [can] work for other games with much smaller and simplier modding stages, yet for TES/FO games the only [real] ultimate game, in both graphics and gameplay terms, is the one you've built yourself <3
Q: That's all cool and everything, but I wanna stay tuned on updates and have modding chatting, something you can offer?
A: Sure! Just join our Discord server - the biggest and most experienced Discord modding community.
Now, the first and most important rule. No exceptions:
Before you start reading, watch this short video:
- Before you'll start modding. Disable Steam overlay, Afterburner overlay, add Skyrim to your antivirus/firewall "white list". Disable all possible overlays, "boosters", "tuners" programs you may be using in general. All of them can and most likely will screw up your modded game and/or it's many settings.
- Also, make sure to disable autosaves in SkyrimPrefs.ini (set bSaveOnPause, bSaveOnTravel, bSaveOnWait and bSaveOnRest to 0).
- Do not use any CC (Creation Club) content. All CC mods have better (and free) alternatives available on the modding stage. I won't be able to provide troubleshooting suppor if CC mods are used.
- Follow the guide slowly without a rush. If it's written here to limit your fps using enblocal fps limiter - do it, and don't use and third-party software for it, and so on. You got the idea. Also, never have Skyrim installed in Program Files. If you have it there - reinstall it on another drive, or at the same drive, but out of Program Files folder. Lastly, it's heavily recommended to disable game autoupdates in Steam.
1) Download and install mod manager.
Choose between Nexus Mod Manager (use the .exe file), Mod Organizer 2 or Kortex Mod Manager . All 3 of them are great mod managers, each with something own to benefit player. I personally use NMM. What's the difference? NMM is "simple yet effective". MO is a mod manager packed with tons of cool features, mod manager on steroids if we can say so. Kortex is something in between, more similar to MO, but has own pros and cons over it (look here for comparison). Almost all mods can (and should) be installed via mod manager. Do not install mods manually. The guide contains notices regarding some exceptional cases when you'll need to install some mod/part of mod manually, but for the 99.9% of cases - always use mod manager. You may also find these NMM tutorial, MO2 tutorial and Kortex info page useful. Extra note: If using MO2, make double, triple sure you have watched the tutorial linked and know how to use it properly before asking for troubleshooting support :)
IMPORTANT NOTE #1:
Kortex mod manager was tested by myself for working properly - I liked it, just don't personally prefer it over MO2 or NMM. Also, it's not quite the most popluar mod manager, so it lacks usage tutorials, and you'll need to learn how to use/troubleshoot it yourself. Due to the same reason, I won't be able to provide Kortex troubleshooting support in Discord - but once again, it's a great mod manager and you should be absolutely feel free to try it.
IMPORTANT NOTE #2: Nexus Mods team is currently developing new mod manager called Vortex. It's looking pretty fancy visually, but sadly, it's still very glitchy and pretty dysfunctional. I won't be able to provide any troubleshooting support if you're using it as it's not suitable for modding games like TES or FO. My advice atm is, if really want to, track it and test it by modding some other games with much simplier modding stages. Do not use Vortex to mod Skyrim. Once again, DO NOT USE VORTEX TO MOD SKYRIM. Yes, this note still applies for 2021. If it will be fine one day, I'll let you folks know.
2) Download and install SKSE. If you allready have it - great. If no - install it. It's obligatory.
SKSE is [essential]. Stability mods are also working through it, as well as vast majority of amazing gameplay mods. Consider it a basic invisible evolution element of Skyrim.
If you're on SE (not updated to AE yet) - download the SE version as marked here. If you're on AE, download the AE version as marked here. For Skyrim VR, get the VR version. Download the archive somewhere, unpack it. From the folder, get the .dll, .exe files and \Data folder, and place them to your Skyrim SE/AE folder, as showed here. MO users should archive the \Data folder and install it as any other mod trough MO (you can do the same in NMM as well if you wanna). From now on, launch your game only via SKSE (skse64_loader.exe), not the game regular launcher.
A general note about SKSE-based mods and what to do with them.
Situation with the SE ==> AE update is different from those SE updates in past. Why so? Thing is, the problem with past SE updates was basically pretty simple and related only to the game version update itself, which was fixed by Address Library mod (further in this section). For AE, huge amount of SKSE functions themselves were changed or deleted, so for most of SKSE based mods to fully and properly work in AE, most of SKSE mods code will need to be rewritten by its author, on some scale - from just a few lines to possibly a complete rewriting from scratch, depends on the mod. That's why AE modding stage will need more time to recover then it was usually taking for SE updates in past.
But hopefully, we'll get there soon. Remember that alternatively, you can simply mod LE for your current run, as it doesn't have this issue to begin with - and for the another run, some time will pass, and AE modding stage will be most likely recovered by then.
What does this mean for those modding AE now and wanting to use SKSE-based mods? Simply look on every such mod page Files tab - if the mod is already updated for AE, there most likely will be a separate version of it, with an indication it's for AE - so, you'll need to install the AE version of the mod. Similarly, if you're on SE (not updated to AE yet) - when downloading an SKSE-based mod, make sure you're downloading the SE and not AE version of it. That's it!
3) Download and install SkyUI.
As mod itself, SkyUI is basically a "PCfication" of ugly vanilla Skyrim interface. On practice, it's also required by most of well-known mods in addition to SKSE. Also install this fix for it and this.
Optionally (but very recommended as it's just looks so much more alive and beautiful) install animated icons mod for it. Also optionally, install this "wider" addon for MCM look. Also install iHUD.
4) Download and install LOOT.
Get the .exe version and just run it.
LOOT is a must-have tool if you're planning to have many mods. It's very easy to install and use.
Its most basic and important function is mod sorting. Many mods should be loaded in strict load order to work properly together. "This mod should be loaded before that mod, but after that", and so on. LOOT makes miracles! You can automatically sort most of your mods properly by just clicking a button twice. Sometimes (it happens rarely, so you probably won't have to think about it) some mods have direct instructions about how they should be loaded, in this case it's also easy to sort them manually using it. Also, LOOT shows you all you need to know about your installed mods - errors, missing records etc. In many cases, if something is not right - it will let you know and it will advise you. Actually, you'll not need to read and learn more than this to use it, but if something is unclear or you want to look at very in-depth guide, check this awesome Gopher's video. Use LOOT sorting each time after you've installed a few mods.
5) Install Address Library for SKSE Plugins.
Note: make sure to get a proper mod version, depending on whether your game version is SE or AE.
This mod is a partial solution to endless game update issues in SE (which breaks dll SKSE mods) - it allows for such mods to keep working properly not depending on the game version. Solution is partial because it doesn't work automatically - each dll SKSE mod must be updated by its author to depend on this one, and as not all authors are aware about this or just active, this solution won't be universal - but it clearly will help you with many mods which are usually broken after every update.
6) Install SSE Engine Fixes.
Note: mods has TWO parts - first main file, the "Part 1" you can install with mod manager. Second, "Part 2", you should download manually, unpack and place all 3 .dll files to your Skyrim root folder (where Skyrim exe is).
7) Install Bug Fixes SSE.
Fixes some SE engine bugs. In its configuration file (BugFixesSSE.json), disable the Magic Effect Conditions fix (set magicEffectConditions to false instead of true). Make sure to also install .NET Script Framework which is required for Bug Fixes to work.
8) Install SSEEdit.
It's an awesome tool for cleaning your mods, making changes to mod records (like balancing various values up to your taste, deleting conflicting and/or unneeded objects and so on) and more.
Mods may contain "dirty" records and some other issues, and when you have hundreds of mods, that could be a problem and cause crashes. Clean all mods that have dirty records (until it's directly written by mod author to not do that for some reason) and all Skyrim's DLCs (which have [hundreds] of dirty records. Yeah - Betheshda didn't even bother to do this for the game "remaster"). Don't be afraid of it, it's not as hard to use as it may look. Check these awesome video tutorials about it. Also there is a lot of info and videos on its Nexus page.
Note #1: Make double sure to clean all base game master files (Update.esm and all 3 DLC .esm plugins) - otherwise you'll experience random crashes.
Note #2: MO2 users can try to download and use zEdit as an alternative. zEdit is like a successor to xEdit - but please take into account though that it's still a WIP (work in progress) project. If you're a newbie modder - better just stick to xEdit (SSEEdit) now as it's absolutely fine. zEdit may provide better functionality than xEdit, but it's still not fully stable and there are not as many video tutorials for its usage as for xEdit. It doesn't mean it's bad - quite the opposite, but until it's officially and fully released, I won't be able to provide troubleshooting support for it - so use it at your own wish. There's a basic documentary and description of it here.
9) Install Wrye Bash.
Scroll down and download the .exe version and install it. The link now is temporary, as it's the newest release that fixes some bugs - so track the WB page itself from time to time to see if the newer version is uploaded at the mod page.
Amazing and essential tool to achieve maximum possible compatibility between all your mods.
We will use it later in our journey, so just grab it for now. I'll explain it later in the guide :)
Note: if you'll be noticing you're clearly going above 255 active .esp plugins limit somewhere still in process of adding more and more mods - refer to step #1 in "actions to be made in the end" section at the deep bottom of the guide.
10) Download Merge Plugins (if you're on NMM) or zEdit (if you're on MO2).
Yes, Merge Plugins is hosted in Skyrim LE sections and yes, it does work with SE absolutely fine :) You will need this if you'll make really heavy load order and reach the 255 plugins (.esp) limit. This amazing tool can technically allows you to have almost endless amounts of mods installed, so you will be limited only by your PC specs and mods themselves (meaning no using broken/dangerous mods and not overloading your game with script-heavy mods). It easily merges plugins into one .esp file, drastically decreasing the total amount of plugins and allowing you to install more and more mods. For A to Z simple tutorial about using it, watch this amazing video and follow the steps.
Note #1: But what about .esl'fying the mods? It's allegedly a cool feature, so maybe we don't need to merge mods at all anymore? There is a bit more about that - indeed, marking plugins as .esl is a new alternative way of not reaching the 255 plugins limit, but: 1) not all the same mods you can merge can be esl'fied, so sooner or later, you'll eventually need to merge mods anyway 2) esl/ified plugins have some specific bugs 3) Some other mods, especially mods with dynamic patchers (like ASIS, Bashed Patch etc) simply don't recognize .esl plugins [AT ALL], meanining that if you'll, let's say, have 200 esl plugins, and then build a Bashed Patch (which is essential for any medium-to-heavy modded game), all the changes/additions, whatever those plugins are doing, will be not present in your game with utmost chance, making them meaningless to begin with. The sooner you'll learn how to merge mods (guide provides assistance with this), the better it will be for you - moreover, as soon as you'll get the basics, you'll see there's nothing to fear at all :3 If for some of the mods/patches you're using there's no alternative asides of the esl version of its plugin - install it, the solution to this will is mentioned in the end of the guide.
Note #2: MO2 users, once again, can (and should) use zMerge which is inbuilt into zEdit, instead of Merge Plugins. You can also watch this tutorial video.
Note #3: if you'll be noticing you're clearly going above 255 active .esp plugins limit ever after making Bashed Patch somewhere still in process of adding more and more mods - refer to step #2 in "actions to be made in the end" section at the deep bottom of the guide.
11) Install Alternate Start - Live Another Life (+ optional addons here and here ==NEW==), Skyrim Unbound Reborn, RASR - Random Alternate Start Reborn or Realm of Lorkhan - Freeform Alternate Start.
Why you need this? These mods provide wide amount of alternative starts to the game for those who do not wish to go through the lengthy intro sequence at Helgen. The thing is that vanilla start (scene in Helgen) is VERY heavy-scripted. And when you will install let's say, 200+ mods and start a new game, your Skyrim will be very heavy overloaded. And there's very high chance that your game will crash (because the Papyrus, Skyrim's script engine, was [not] updated in SE and it's same clunky and limited), even if the game itself is absolutely stable. And now these mods save the day! You can just skip this heavy-scripted scene and start anywhere you like. Besides, they have a really wide amount of alternative start, great for roleplay.
Which one to use, what is the difference? Long story short, ASLAL provides more "roleplay-wise" starts - you will appear in a certain cell, depending on your start option choice, and also has plenty of additional start options addons. Unbound will spawn you randomly, so less "immersive" start, but it allows you highly adjustable character customization (gear, spells etc) which ASLAL doesn't, and the most important - it allows you to play as NON-Dragonborn (but you can "become" it in MCM anytime), which is really a great option. RASR is somewhat like a mix of these two, a pretty underrated gem and Realm of Lorkhan is a really fresh and unique alternate start mod, which may look note quite "lore-friendly" to some players, but it's really well-designed and give you very interesting starting choices for your character class and even curses - negative attributes to balance class bonuses (if you want so, all these features are entirely optional - my only 2 cents about it is that some class bonuses are still somewhat too strong even with curses, so you may want to adjust them in SSEEdit, which is very simple). I personally recommend to use Skyrim Unbound or Realm of Lorkhan, but it's totally up to you. Lastly, Realm of Lorkhan has on pretty immersion-breaking (for some players) thing - crystals you appear from after starting the game are not going anywhere and are just scattared across Skyrim. To remove them, use this patch. Also, make sure to install this fix ==NEW==.
12) Get the Cathedral Assets Optimizer This step is optional. Easy-to-use tool to convert meshes from LE to SE (and backwards as well). Skyrim SE/AE has less coverage in terms of remodels/retextures, and while you can mostly use textures from LE into SE (and vice versa) without issues, the meshes you need to convert. This tool will help you.
13) The last in this section, but important and mandatory step.
Install all these amazing mods/patches/fixes which are oriented on fixing huge amount of various little bugs or irrational things in game or just to make you your game much more comfortable.
Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch This mod should be already considered as part of vanilla game. It fixes literally thousands glitches and bugs in Skyrim. Note: if you have [NOT] updated to AE, simply use the latest SE version of the patch from here ==NEW== (add the file to your mod manager and install as usually). .NET Script Framework Framework for memory editing, native code hooking and writing DLL plugins in any .NET language. Required by some other things. RaceMenu Character creation menu how it should have been originally and great amount of customization options. Also get this. Stay At The System Page This mod brings back the behavior of original Skyrim's Journal Menu. Whenever you press the Escape key, mod will open the System page instead of Quest page. Muh convenient! Whose Quest Is It Anyway Swaps the "Quest items cannot be removed..." message for a more descriptive message informing you which quest the item belongs to. Yes Im Sure Disables annoying message prompts asking you if you're sure you'd like to craft/improve/exit menus. Better Dialogue Controls + Better MessageBox Controls Ever pick the wrong item in a dialogue with a NPC or struggled with not cozy controls in messagebox popups? No more! 1st Person Candlelight Fix Have you ever been annoyed that the candlelight spell is much brighter in 3rd person view than 1st person view? This mod aims to reduce that difference and make them more equal. Note: Don't let any other mod overwrite it, in case of what. Also, if you're modding Skyrim "VR", use this one instead. Better Jumping SE Allows to jump while sprinting. Glow Be Gone SKSE Updated Dynamically removes annoying edge glow from shader effects via an SKSE plugin. Similar to "No More Ugly Effects" for Skyrim LE. Player Eyes Blink Fix Enables blinking eyes for the player. Blacksmith Forge Water Fix Skyrim forge water still looks terrible. Fortunately, this solves the problem. Get the USSEP version. CRF patch in addition if you have or plan to have this mod. Equip Enchantment Fix ==NEW== Fixes engine bugs where item enchantments don't apply when equipped or stop working while the item is still equipped. SKSE64 plugin. Lightened Skyrim ==NEW== Gain FPS across Skyrim with no visual difference. Crash Log ==NEW== This SKSE plugin which provide a somewhat more comprehensive log when a crash occurs. If you'll implement this section carefully and won't use broken mods, you will not experience crashes in general, but ofc, it's not literally 100% guaranteed as Skyrim is still Skyrim and some rare unforeseen incompatibility cases can lead to this. Together with MFG console for glitches troublehsooting, this plugin can help a bit more if you'll have some situational crashes - just don't expect it to be some sort of magic - most likely, you'll still need to apply logic and assume why crash is taking place. Yet, this is mostly "just in case" :) Assorted mesh fixes ==NEW== Fixes various issues with vanilla Skyrim meshes that caused them to render incorrectly. NPC AI Process Position Fix ==NEW== Fixes the vanilla game engine bug that NPCs AI process positions could not be updated after you waited/slept/fast travelled. Don't Stay in The Water ==NEW== Fixes the bug that stupid enemies may stay in the water and look at you angrily but just don't come up. Enhanced Reanimation ==NEW== Some bug fixes and improvements to with reanimation effects. Scrambled Bugs ==NEW== A collection of several misc engine bug fixes, including couple of dll alternatives to existing plugin form of some bugfifixes. Get both the main files and make sure to read the mod description page for the list of features and (possible) compatibility notes. Also make sure to install .NET 5.0 as it's required for Scrambled Bugs to work. powerofthree's Tweaks ==NEW== Similar thing here as well. Stagger Direction Fix ==NEW== Fixes the character's wrong stagger direction bug when the stagger triggered by spell, shout and range weapon. Better Combat Escape ==NEW== Improves the vanilla game combat escape\stopping mechanism, to prevent you stucking at combat state with super far away enemy. Modern Toggle Walk-Run Fix ==NEW== This mod fixes the old issue of Shift key sticking after leaving conversation or killcam mode. Updated and script-free version of similar fix in past. Atlas Map Markers - Updated with MCM Essential mod that drastically increases amount of map markers. Remember how you was able to fast travel only to Whiterun itself or Dragonsreach? Now you can fast travel to Arcadia's Cauldron, Jorrvaskr etc. More than 700 new map markers! Also grab these small fixes and make sure to endorse the original mod. Weapons Armor Clothing and Clutter Fixes + Armor and Clothing Extension These two mod fix hundreds of bugs and inconsistencies for Skyrim's weapons, armors, clothing, jewelry, and clutter items and add more diversity and lore-friendly clothing options and gives NPCs more appropriate attire. Complete Crafting Overhaul Essential mod from author of previous two fixes. CCOR is reworking all vanilla craft recipes, offers many options for mining, chopping, smelting and so on - simply making everything crafting-related to be logical and really interesting. That's why you need it even if you never actually crafted a single thing in Skyrim - because now it's not that dull crafting system. Consider it as the vanilla part of the game as it always should have been from the release. Most of mod options can be enabled/disabled and configured via MCM. Better Harvesting Gives more realistic harvesting for flora and ingredients and death items on animals/creatures.
Heartfires Houses Building Fix Restores proper models of some building parts and furniture in crafting menu. Unequip Quiver ==NEW== An SKSE plugin which removes the quiver/bolts when equipping weapons and spells or when the character unequips the bow or crossbow. Improved version of "Auto Unequip Ammo" mod. More Informative Console This mod edits the UI to show a great deal of additional information on npcs, items, and other objects when the console is opened, similar to the way MFG console worked for Skyrim LE. It may help you in various cases of game testing and possible issues solving. Fuz Ro D-oh - Silent Voice An SKSE plugin that adds support for unvoiced in-game dialogs. Isn't doing anything by itself, by it's needed for many mods for mod-added dialogues to work properly. Actor Limit Fix Fixes a bug where if you have more than 128 actors in the same place they start floating around weirdly. Also fixes bug where NPC lips stop moving when a lot of them are nearby. Difficulty Balance This mod makes that the player and allies have the same difficulty damage factor. As a result, it will be corrected that the higher the difficulty, the less damage will be caused to the followers and the summoned actors.
Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch This mod should be already considered as part of vanilla game. It fixes literally thousands glitches and bugs in Skyrim. Note: if you have [NOT] updated to AE, simply use the latest SE version of the patch from here ==NEW== (add the file to your mod manager and install as usually). .NET Script Framework Framework for memory editing, native code hooking and writing DLL plugins in any .NET language. Required by some other things. RaceMenu Character creation menu how it should have been originally and great amount of customization options. Also get this. Stay At The System Page This mod brings back the behavior of original Skyrim's Journal Menu. Whenever you press the Escape key, mod will open the System page instead of Quest page. Muh convenient! Whose Quest Is It Anyway Swaps the "Quest items cannot be removed..." message for a more descriptive message informing you which quest the item belongs to. Yes Im Sure Disables annoying message prompts asking you if you're sure you'd like to craft/improve/exit menus. Better Dialogue Controls + Better MessageBox Controls Ever pick the wrong item in a dialogue with a NPC or struggled with not cozy controls in messagebox popups? No more! 1st Person Candlelight Fix Have you ever been annoyed that the candlelight spell is much brighter in 3rd person view than 1st person view? This mod aims to reduce that difference and make them more equal. Note: Don't let any other mod overwrite it, in case of what. Also, if you're modding Skyrim "VR", use this one instead. Better Jumping SE Allows to jump while sprinting. Glow Be Gone SKSE Updated Dynamically removes annoying edge glow from shader effects via an SKSE plugin. Similar to "No More Ugly Effects" for Skyrim LE. Player Eyes Blink Fix Enables blinking eyes for the player. Blacksmith Forge Water Fix Skyrim forge water still looks terrible. Fortunately, this solves the problem. Get the USSEP version. CRF patch in addition if you have or plan to have this mod. Equip Enchantment Fix ==NEW== Fixes engine bugs where item enchantments don't apply when equipped or stop working while the item is still equipped. SKSE64 plugin. Lightened Skyrim ==NEW== Gain FPS across Skyrim with no visual difference. Crash Log ==NEW== This SKSE plugin which provide a somewhat more comprehensive log when a crash occurs. If you'll implement this section carefully and won't use broken mods, you will not experience crashes in general, but ofc, it's not literally 100% guaranteed as Skyrim is still Skyrim and some rare unforeseen incompatibility cases can lead to this. Together with MFG console for glitches troublehsooting, this plugin can help a bit more if you'll have some situational crashes - just don't expect it to be some sort of magic - most likely, you'll still need to apply logic and assume why crash is taking place. Yet, this is mostly "just in case" :) Assorted mesh fixes ==NEW== Fixes various issues with vanilla Skyrim meshes that caused them to render incorrectly. NPC AI Process Position Fix ==NEW== Fixes the vanilla game engine bug that NPCs AI process positions could not be updated after you waited/slept/fast travelled. Don't Stay in The Water ==NEW== Fixes the bug that stupid enemies may stay in the water and look at you angrily but just don't come up. Enhanced Reanimation ==NEW== Some bug fixes and improvements to with reanimation effects. Scrambled Bugs ==NEW== A collection of several misc engine bug fixes, including couple of dll alternatives to existing plugin form of some bugfifixes. Get both the main files and make sure to read the mod description page for the list of features and (possible) compatibility notes. Also make sure to install .NET 5.0 as it's required for Scrambled Bugs to work. powerofthree's Tweaks ==NEW== Similar thing here as well. Stagger Direction Fix ==NEW== Fixes the character's wrong stagger direction bug when the stagger triggered by spell, shout and range weapon. Better Combat Escape ==NEW== Improves the vanilla game combat escape\stopping mechanism, to prevent you stucking at combat state with super far away enemy. Modern Toggle Walk-Run Fix ==NEW== This mod fixes the old issue of Shift key sticking after leaving conversation or killcam mode. Updated and script-free version of similar fix in past. Atlas Map Markers - Updated with MCM Essential mod that drastically increases amount of map markers. Remember how you was able to fast travel only to Whiterun itself or Dragonsreach? Now you can fast travel to Arcadia's Cauldron, Jorrvaskr etc. More than 700 new map markers! Also grab these small fixes and make sure to endorse the original mod. Weapons Armor Clothing and Clutter Fixes + Armor and Clothing Extension These two mod fix hundreds of bugs and inconsistencies for Skyrim's weapons, armors, clothing, jewelry, and clutter items and add more diversity and lore-friendly clothing options and gives NPCs more appropriate attire. Complete Crafting Overhaul Essential mod from author of previous two fixes. CCOR is reworking all vanilla craft recipes, offers many options for mining, chopping, smelting and so on - simply making everything crafting-related to be logical and really interesting. That's why you need it even if you never actually crafted a single thing in Skyrim - because now it's not that dull crafting system. Consider it as the vanilla part of the game as it always should have been from the release. Most of mod options can be enabled/disabled and configured via MCM. Better Harvesting Gives more realistic harvesting for flora and ingredients and death items on animals/creatures.
Heartfires Houses Building Fix Restores proper models of some building parts and furniture in crafting menu. Unequip Quiver ==NEW== An SKSE plugin which removes the quiver/bolts when equipping weapons and spells or when the character unequips the bow or crossbow. Improved version of "Auto Unequip Ammo" mod. More Informative Console This mod edits the UI to show a great deal of additional information on npcs, items, and other objects when the console is opened, similar to the way MFG console worked for Skyrim LE. It may help you in various cases of game testing and possible issues solving. Fuz Ro D-oh - Silent Voice An SKSE plugin that adds support for unvoiced in-game dialogs. Isn't doing anything by itself, by it's needed for many mods for mod-added dialogues to work properly. Actor Limit Fix Fixes a bug where if you have more than 128 actors in the same place they start floating around weirdly. Also fixes bug where NPC lips stop moving when a lot of them are nearby. Difficulty Balance This mod makes that the player and allies have the same difficulty damage factor. As a result, it will be corrected that the higher the difficulty, the less damage will be caused to the followers and the summoned actors.
Congrats, you're ready now!
Before you start, download this little software:DDS VIEWER
It's a free, small and awesome tool that allows you to open .dds (texture) files just like any other images. Doing this, you can compare same textures from different mods and decide which one to install. It's a must-have tool.
P.S. Installer .exe file doesn't contain eny viruses. Just ignore your antivirus.
P.P.S. If you have problems with it on Windows 10 and you're NVIDIA user, try this.
P.P.P.S. If you're happy Photoshop owner, simply install this plugin instead and enjoy.
Important tip #1: During the installation process, overwrite all the files when you will be notified about this. There will be a few cases when you not need to overwrite some files or you need to install texture partially/manually, but I will notify about it.
Important tip #2: To install 200 mods and then launch your game is not a best idea. I personally recommend to do in this way: install a few mods (let's say 5-7 if these mods are big, 20-25 if small), sort them with LOOT, launch your game, check it's stable. Install 5 more and so on.
Important tip #3: Don't use the "Vortex" button on top of mod pages to download the mods. This button automatically downloads the main version of the mod and that's it - it may be not the version you need, it may be not the only file you need etc. So make a good habit now - never use this button. Instead, always just go to "Files" tab and see what files are there.
Important tip #4: Don't use 4k textures untill you have 4k monitor with huge monitor size itself and you have Titan videocard and you're not aiming for screenarchery (like shotting a bugs or leaves). You won't see any difference between 4k and 2k textures until you come absolutely closely to them. 2k is perfect option for 1920 and even higher (2k) monitors. Using 4k textures you'll just waste tonns of VRAM but won't notice this actually. Using 2k will save tonns of VRAM and you're still having beautiful textures. The only where you can install 4k textures are interior cells (caves/mines etc) as interior use much less VRAM and some underground creature retextures (Dwemer/Falmer) due to the same reasons, as well as personal standalone armors/weapons mods. If your PC is not the strongest, or you just want to save some VRAM for something else - for example, latest ENB effects or 3D LODs from DyndoLOD - simply don't waste your memory on that. Graphics quality will be just fine.
Q: But why "waste" of VRAM?
A: It's pretty simple. Texture is basically a square img file. Most of people are used to think that 2k uses x2 more VRAM then 1k, and 4k uses x4 more VRAM then 1k, for example. But as texture img is a square, we will receive a bit different values. 1x1=1. 2x2=4. 4x4=16. So as you can see, 2k textures actually use x4 more VRAM compared to 1k, and 4k use x16 more VRAM, which will be not a big deal for people on beefy rigs, but can be also a dealbreaker for ones one mid to low end rigs.
Let's go!
It's a free, small and awesome tool that allows you to open .dds (texture) files just like any other images. Doing this, you can compare same textures from different mods and decide which one to install. It's a must-have tool.
P.S. Installer .exe file doesn't contain eny viruses. Just ignore your antivirus.
P.P.S. If you have problems with it on Windows 10 and you're NVIDIA user, try this.
P.P.P.S. If you're happy Photoshop owner, simply install this plugin instead and enjoy.
Important tip #1: During the installation process, overwrite all the files when you will be notified about this. There will be a few cases when you not need to overwrite some files or you need to install texture partially/manually, but I will notify about it.
Important tip #2: To install 200 mods and then launch your game is not a best idea. I personally recommend to do in this way: install a few mods (let's say 5-7 if these mods are big, 20-25 if small), sort them with LOOT, launch your game, check it's stable. Install 5 more and so on.
Important tip #3: Don't use the "Vortex" button on top of mod pages to download the mods. This button automatically downloads the main version of the mod and that's it - it may be not the version you need, it may be not the only file you need etc. So make a good habit now - never use this button. Instead, always just go to "Files" tab and see what files are there.
Important tip #4: Don't use 4k textures untill you have 4k monitor with huge monitor size itself and you have Titan videocard and you're not aiming for screenarchery (like shotting a bugs or leaves). You won't see any difference between 4k and 2k textures until you come absolutely closely to them. 2k is perfect option for 1920 and even higher (2k) monitors. Using 4k textures you'll just waste tonns of VRAM but won't notice this actually. Using 2k will save tonns of VRAM and you're still having beautiful textures. The only where you can install 4k textures are interior cells (caves/mines etc) as interior use much less VRAM and some underground creature retextures (Dwemer/Falmer) due to the same reasons, as well as personal standalone armors/weapons mods. If your PC is not the strongest, or you just want to save some VRAM for something else - for example, latest ENB effects or 3D LODs from DyndoLOD - simply don't waste your memory on that. Graphics quality will be just fine.
Q: But why "waste" of VRAM?
A: It's pretty simple. Texture is basically a square img file. Most of people are used to think that 2k uses x2 more VRAM then 1k, and 4k uses x4 more VRAM then 1k, for example. But as texture img is a square, we will receive a bit different values. 1x1=1. 2x2=4. 4x4=16. So as you can see, 2k textures actually use x4 more VRAM compared to 1k, and 4k use x16 more VRAM, which will be not a big deal for people on beefy rigs, but can be also a dealbreaker for ones one mid to low end rigs.
Let's go!
Q: What is ENB? Why I ever need it?
A: Ok, listen, young padavan. ENB is a graphical enhancement engine that adds visual affects that are not supported by the game initially, at all. Proper antialiasing, real HDR, qualitative bloom, ambient fog effects, various new shaders, ambient occlusion, complex particle lighting, depth of field and much-much more. ENB is also a PC-only engine - that's why modded Skyrim graphics are looking so superior compared with Skyrim graphics on consoles.
Q: I have the feeling ENB in SE doesn't look same good as in LE...am I hallucinating?
A: You aren't. The thing is, indeed, ENB in Skyrim SE is not able to look the same good as in LE. But wait, SE is 64bit and LE is 32bit, and SE is newer, how come, you may ask. Yeah, but all those facts are not related with ENB possilities, in which SE engine is somewhat limited because of running on DX11, while LE is running on DX9. Long story short, ENB works different on DX11 and has less powers. It doesn't support some features and has overally weaker shaders quality and features quantity in general. Lastly, it often has less (or none) customization options for many essential shaders (see the comparison here). All together, this leads to worse look and much smaller diversity of ENB presets compared to LE. If you are aimed on 101% of modded graphics results, you may want to mod Skyrim LE (which is literally fully stable today even heavy-modded, and sometimes, even more stable than modded SE as SE introduced more bugs/crash cases which never existed in LE to begin with) instead, following my existing guide.
Q: How much FPS will ENB eat? How do I know that?
A: First of all, you need to understand that ENB is ofc FPS-hungry and as it interracts with objects in game and adds a lot of visual effects, ENB performance will depend on many factors - how much texture mods are installed, what our PC specs are etc. But ENB effects are totally and more than worth their price :) Also, in SE, almost all ENB presets make more or less same FPS hit, so if you can normally run one ENB preset, you most likely will be able to run any preset without issues.
Q: Why installing ENB before the graphics mods? Texture mods are most important, no?
A: No. The thing is, as already mentioned, ENB adds completely new shaders and visual effects to the game - that's why it's the most important part of graphics transformation. A game with good ENB preset and no texture mods at all will always look better than game with even 200 texture mods but no ENB. ENB preset is very much determining the visual style your game will have - so first, it's better to decided which ENB preset you like the most and get it, and then tune your game with retexturing and other mods.
Q: But what about weather/lighting mods? ENB preset I want to use requires that weather mod!
A: Don't worry. You can install weather/lighting mods required anytime. Weather/lighting "incompatibility" with ENB will not cause crashes, it's just about how the ENB colors and other effects are looking the best possible exactly with required weather/ligting mods.
Q: My PC/laptop is pretty weak and ENB gives me really low FPS!
A: Rrefer to the end of the guide where I prepared a section especially for low-end PCs - most likely it will allow you to use ENB even if your PC is pretty weak (up to some extent, ofc).
Q: I saw your videos and I like that ENB, what's the name?
A: I'm using the amazing Rudy ENB for Obsidian Weathers.
A: Ok, listen, young padavan. ENB is a graphical enhancement engine that adds visual affects that are not supported by the game initially, at all. Proper antialiasing, real HDR, qualitative bloom, ambient fog effects, various new shaders, ambient occlusion, complex particle lighting, depth of field and much-much more. ENB is also a PC-only engine - that's why modded Skyrim graphics are looking so superior compared with Skyrim graphics on consoles.
Q: I have the feeling ENB in SE doesn't look same good as in LE...am I hallucinating?
A: You aren't. The thing is, indeed, ENB in Skyrim SE is not able to look the same good as in LE. But wait, SE is 64bit and LE is 32bit, and SE is newer, how come, you may ask. Yeah, but all those facts are not related with ENB possilities, in which SE engine is somewhat limited because of running on DX11, while LE is running on DX9. Long story short, ENB works different on DX11 and has less powers. It doesn't support some features and has overally weaker shaders quality and features quantity in general. Lastly, it often has less (or none) customization options for many essential shaders (see the comparison here). All together, this leads to worse look and much smaller diversity of ENB presets compared to LE. If you are aimed on 101% of modded graphics results, you may want to mod Skyrim LE (which is literally fully stable today even heavy-modded, and sometimes, even more stable than modded SE as SE introduced more bugs/crash cases which never existed in LE to begin with) instead, following my existing guide.
Q: How much FPS will ENB eat? How do I know that?
A: First of all, you need to understand that ENB is ofc FPS-hungry and as it interracts with objects in game and adds a lot of visual effects, ENB performance will depend on many factors - how much texture mods are installed, what our PC specs are etc. But ENB effects are totally and more than worth their price :) Also, in SE, almost all ENB presets make more or less same FPS hit, so if you can normally run one ENB preset, you most likely will be able to run any preset without issues.
Q: Why installing ENB before the graphics mods? Texture mods are most important, no?
A: No. The thing is, as already mentioned, ENB adds completely new shaders and visual effects to the game - that's why it's the most important part of graphics transformation. A game with good ENB preset and no texture mods at all will always look better than game with even 200 texture mods but no ENB. ENB preset is very much determining the visual style your game will have - so first, it's better to decided which ENB preset you like the most and get it, and then tune your game with retexturing and other mods.
Q: But what about weather/lighting mods? ENB preset I want to use requires that weather mod!
A: Don't worry. You can install weather/lighting mods required anytime. Weather/lighting "incompatibility" with ENB will not cause crashes, it's just about how the ENB colors and other effects are looking the best possible exactly with required weather/ligting mods.
Q: My PC/laptop is pretty weak and ENB gives me really low FPS!
A: Rrefer to the end of the guide where I prepared a section especially for low-end PCs - most likely it will allow you to use ENB even if your PC is pretty weak (up to some extent, ofc).
Q: I saw your videos and I like that ENB, what's the name?
A: I'm using the amazing Rudy ENB for Obsidian Weathers.
Some of the best Skyrim SE ENB presets comparison:
Before installing the ENB, make a few tweaks/installations for ENB to work and look 100% properly:
- Disable ingame DOF (depth of field) like it's shown here.
- In Skyrim SE launcher settings, disable Ambient Occlusion.
- In Skyrim SE launcher settings disable the improved snow options, or in SkyrimPrefs.ini (make sure you're editing the one in \Documents ( if you're using NMM) or MO's own folder (if you're using MO), not the one inside the game \Skyrim folder), set bEnableImprovedSnow= value to 0.
- In SkyrimPrefs.ini, make sure bDrawLandShadows= and bTreesReceiveShadows= values are set to 1.
- In SkyrimPrefs.ini, make sure fGamma= value is set to 1.0000.
- Install particle patch for ENB. Download the archive, add it to your mod manager and install as any other mod. Also install this lil fix ==NEW==.
- Install either Smooth Sky mesh or Picta Series - Improved Sky Meshes.
- Now, install the ENB binaries (core files) themselves: go here and download the latest version. Unpack the archive and from \WrapperVersion folder, grab d3d11.dll, d3dcompiler_46e.dll and enblocal.ini, and place them to your Skyrim SE root folder (where game .exe is located). That's it!
- Choose and download the ENB preset you like and drop it's content to the same folder (where Skyrim .exe is). Usually, it's simply the \enbseries folder and enbseries.ini file. Basically, the process of siwtching between ENB presets is as simple as deleting your current \enbseries folder and enbseries.ini and placing a new ones into Skyrim root directory. That's it.
- Make sure to cap your fps at 59 in enblocal.ini (set EnableFPSLimit= to true and FPSLimit= to 59).
- Antialiasing: there are a few options. First one - use the edge AA from ENB (set EnableEdgeAA=true in enblocal.ini). Second one - don't use ENB AA and use TAA (set in game launcher settings). Third one - use ENB SMAA. Not every ENB preset provides it - usually you can choose it in ENB GUI (like in Rudy ENB, for example). Fourth one - DSR (dynamic super resolution). With DSR enabled, game is rendered in higher resolution than your monitor resolution is and then squeezed to your monitor resolution. The difference between those methods: Edge AA is the most simple and fps-friendly, but the also not perfectly smooth (yet still superior to awful ingame AA). TAA is looking very good, but often causes weird "ghosting" artifacts when moving. SMAA is the best in terms of fps price and quality. DSR is superior to any of them, but the most fps-hungry due to how it works. Try all of them and choose the one most suitable for you. If you have somewhat midrange rig, it's either Edge AA, SMAA or TAA. If you have pretty strong rig and video memory is not a problem for you at all, try DSR for sure.
- Not a tweak itself, bur rather a useful info that not everyone are aware about: DOF (depth of field, "blurred effect/focus") is usually different for each ENB preset - as certain author sees it better in own perspective. Some ENB presets may have "lightweight" gameplay DOF - so only very distant views are blurred. Some may have a very strong "screenarchery" DOF - when everything further then a few feets from your character is blurred. And so on. So often it may happen you find an ENB preset greatly fitting your taste, but with terrible (for your taste) DOF. You can, ofc just disable it in ENB GUI, but there's a better thing - you actually can use [any] DOF with [any] ENB preset! Even more, you can actually even use DOF files between different TES/FO games - for example, I'm using Rudy ENB LE DOF in New Vegas and Oblivion, and so on. So just find ENB preset which DOF you like the most and just take it's DOF files (enbdepthoffield.fx and enbdepthoffield.fx.ini) and drop them into your \enbseries folder. Profit!
ENB presets list:
When you'll be browsing the ENB presets for Skyrim SE, you may get the feeling that not all, yet many of them are very similar to each other. Unfortunately, that's how it is - due to different level of ENB support in Skyrim SE, it's not possible to have same visual quality and diversity of ENB presets as in Skyrim LE. Yet, today SE ENB presets look pretty great and so here are some of the most well-made of them, and with different styles as much as it's possible in SE. Let's see some (•̀௰•́ )
Also some shortening for weather/lighting mods you will see below: Vanilla - original game, no weather/lighting mod, Obsidian - Obsidian Weathers and Seasons, COT - Climates of Tamriel, NAT - Natural and Atmospheric Tamriel, Vivid - Vivid Weathers, Aequinoctium - Aequinoctium - Weathers and Seasons, Mythical Ages - Mythical Ages - weathers and lighting overhaul, Rustic - Rustic Weathers and Lighting, Dolomite - Dolomite Weathers - Natural Lighting Vivid Atmospherics II, Surreal - Surreal Lighting, Autumn Skies - A Weather and Lighting Mod, NLA - Natural Lighting and Atmospherics (was ported to SE in early 2021), ELFX - Enhanced Lights and FX, ELE - Enhanced Lighting for ENB, RLO - Realistic Lighting Overhaul, LUX.
Rudy ENB While ENB preset choices is a matter of taste more then anything else - still, there are always some presets that are top-notch in terms of overall quality and balance. And Rudy ENB is one of them - it's my personal favorite for both Skyrim LE and Skyrim SE. It has amazing quality of shaders, a gret balance between fantasy, cinematic and realistic look, great performance. Great lighting, great water look and just absolutely polished approach to ENB tweaking in general - that's all about Rudy's preset. In addition, you can always be sure it's always uptodate with all newest ENB effects and it's also an absolute champion in terms of compatibility - it has version for almost each weather mod and compatible with all 3 popular lighting mods at the same time. If you are not quite sure about ENB choice now, but wanna start from something really great - seek no more! There's also an optional addon (tweaked LUT) for it available here . Weather mods compatibility: Obsidian, CoT, NAT, Aequinoctium, Vivid, Rustic, Dolomite. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE, RLO.
Silent Horizons ENB Greatly customizable fantasy-cinematic ENB preset with great compatibility spectrum. A member of my personal TOP-10 ENB presets list. Weather mods compatibility: Obsidian, NAT, Dolomite, Aequinoctium, Mythical Ages, Vivid, Cathedral. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE, RLO.
Mythical ENB Vibrant fantasy ENB preset of a great quality. A member of my personal TOP-10 ENB presets list. Weather mods compatibility: Mythical Ages, Rustic. Lighting mods compatibility: None officially supported, but looking fine with ELFX.
Ominous ENB A new ENB preset from a popular and talented ENB maker. Inspired by Grim and Somber ENB in Skyrim LE, this preset is cinematic, dark and grim. Weather mods compatibility: Obsidian. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX.
Natural and Atmospheric Tamriel ENB A successor to very popular PRT ENB, NAT ENB is an incredibly cinematic ENB preset with unique filmic touch. A member of my personal TOP-10 ENB presets list. Weather mods compatibility: None. Use ENB preset's own weather plugin. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE, RLO.
Aequinoctium ENB A bright ENB preset with a bit of photorealism touch, with cinematic and vibrant look as well. Weather mods compatibility: Aequinoctium. Lighting mods compatibility: None officially supported, but looking fine with ELFX.
Semirealis ENB,Intrigued ENB,NVT ENB Three modern SE ENB presets from the same author - with pretty similar look, but a bit different in details. Cold, dark and cinematic vibes with great shaders quality. First two presets are for Cathedral and Obsidian weathers respectively, and NVT has a lot of version for different weather mods. A member of my personal TOP-10 ENB presets list. Weather mods compatibility: Vanilla, Obsidian, NAT, Dolomite, Aequinoctium, Mythical Ages, Vivid, Surreal, Mythical, Cathedral. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX.
eisVogel v2 ENB A very vibrant preset with cinematic touch. Can be called a stripped down version of Tetrachromatic ENB for Skyrim LE (as unfortunately proper vibrant, saturated presets are not possible on the same level as it was possible in LE). If you're fan of vibrancy - this one is what you should definitely try. Also has a few color presets inside. A member of my personal TOP-10 ENB presets list. Weather mods compatibility: Dolomite. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX.
X ENB Somewhat cinematic preset with "vanilla-wise" look in general. Weather mods compatibility: Obsidian, Cathedral. Not officially supported, but looking pretty fine with - NAT, Vivid, Rustic, Aequinoctium. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE, RLO. Though, there may be some weird exterior lighting cases as only interior lighting changes are officially supported.
Imaginarium ENB Good-looking mix of "light" fantasy and realism. A member of my personal TOP-10 ENB presets list. Weather mods compatibility: Obsidian, NAT. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX.
Visceral ENB Soft preset also pretty close to vanilla look, with tiny fantasy touch. Weather mods compatibility: Aequinoctium, Dolomite, Mythical, Obsidian, Rustic, Vivid. Lighting mods compatibility: None officially supported, but looking fine with ELFX.
Organic ENB A stripped down brother of the same named preset in Skyrim LE, it comes with good touch of realism, a bit of vibrancy and generally soft look. Weather mods compatibility: Vanilla, Vivid, Obsidian, Dolomite, COT. Lighting mods compatibility: None officially supported, but looking fine with ELFX.
Dark Shadows ENB Pretty unique-looking, dark and grim preset. Weather mods compatibility: Vanilla. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX.
Prismatic ENB Very vibrant preset with indeed somewhat "prismatic" look which may be a good choice for people who love saturated presets. Weather mods compatibility: NAT. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX.
Sin Xtreme Realism ENB A very realism-centered preset that also went not too far from vanilla look, but made it more contrast. Weather mods compatibility: Obdisian, Dolomite, Rustic, vivid, NAT, COT, Mythical, Aequinoctium and all weather mods of this preset author. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE, RLO.
Vividian ENB Nuff said from the name. An ENB preset for Vivid Weathers author for Vivid Weathers mod. Weather mods compatibility: Vivid. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE, RLO.
VIVE ENB One more preset for Vivid Weathers. Looks pretty good balanced and gives cinematic touch to vibrant Vivid Weathers itself. Weather mods compatibility: Vivid. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX.
OaxENB Most likely the best preset if you're aimed on "Vanilla +" graphics experience. Weather mods compatibility: Vivid. But goes fine with vanilla weathers too. Lighting mods compatibility: RLO. But goes fine with ELFX and vanilla lighting too.
Cyrn ENB VERY saturated preset. That's it. Try it if you wanna some COLOURS. Weather mods compatibility: Vanilla, Vivid, COT, NAT, Dolomite. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE.
Ragnarok Enb Cold, cinematic & grim. It's REALLY old and not updated, but somehow one of those presets who manage to keep authentic look even without being up-do-date - that's why it's in the list :) Weather mods compatibility: Lighting mods compatibility:
Obsidian Weathers ENB Preset Pretty much underrated ENB preset for Obsidian weathers - with really well-rounded visual balance and pretty dark. Weather mods compatibility: Obsidian. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE.
eVx ENB A bright and (but not too much) colorful (in interiors, cinematic at night and interiors) ENB preset, with strong DOF and LUTs to choose from - mostly made for screenarchery, but can be good for gameplay as well if you'll change DOF to one of lighter ones. Weather mods compatibility: Dolomite, but works pretty much good with any weather mod or vanilla. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX.
Desmond's Lusty ENB REDUX Somewhat photorealistic (as much as SE limited ENB is capable on that) preset. Weather mods compatibility: Vivid Weathers. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE, RLO.
Sinister ENB Somber and cinematic, somewhat "lifeless" preset. Weather mods compatibility: NAT, Obsidian, Rustic, Cathedral. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX, RLO.
Northern Realistic Lighting ENB Realistic preset inspired by NLA ENB in Skyrim LE. Weather mods compatibility: Mythical Ages. Lighting mods compatibility: Relighting skyrim + ELE.
Touch Of Natural Tamriel (TNT) ENB ==NEW== A mix of cinematic and natural looking preset. Weather mods compatibility: Obsidian, NAT. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX (with Enhancer).
Element Enethium ENB ==NEW== A bright fantasy preset. Interiors are looking somewhat inspired by Rudy ENB. Weather mods compatibility: VW, Obsidiab, NAT. Lighting mods compatibility: Vanilla. Looks good with ELFX too.
Naturalystika ENB ==NEW== Realistic-to-fantasy preset. Weather mods compatibility: NLA. Lighting mods compatibility: ELFX>
FENB ==NEW== Super bright, photorealistic to fantasy preset, inspired by Suki ENB in Skyrim LE. Weather mods compatibility: NLA. Lighting mods compatibility: LUX.
The Truth ENB Wanna your game still look vanilla just a bit better? That's a preset for you then. Weather mods compatibility: Anything. Lighting mods compatibility: Anything.
Gameplay Performance ENB Simple, a bit brighter than original lighting, vanilla+ performance-friendly preset. Weather mods compatibility: Anything. Lighting mods compatibility: Anything.
Vanilla Extended ENB ==NEW== Another vanilla+ preset with a super light photorealism touch, good for low-end rigs. Weather mods compatibility: Any. Lighting mods compatibility: Any.
Impression ENB - An Aesthetic Cartoon Overhaul Pretty special preset which images speak for themselves. Weather mods compatibility: Anything. Lighting mods compatibility: Anything.
Scenery ENB Vibrant, bright preset for Skyrim VR.
Pala - Custom Palettes for ENB A pack of palettes (colour overlays) which can be used with any ENB preset.
Now, let's go! To the graphics mods!
Once again, here's a simple "rule" - as the guide's task is to save your time as much as possible, installing and overwriting is very simple - just follow the lists of mods, pick what you like, install and overwrite everything ("yes to all" for NMM and giving bigger priority in MO). Mods are listed in the order which, after endless tests and mixing approaches, will lead to the most balanced and beautiful look. In some separate cases where a selective overwriting will be needed, I'll notify you :)
Also, as Skyrim SE itself requires at least somewhat decent rig to run it without issues, the overall performance impact scatter of graphics mods is different from Skyrim LE, and if you can run Skyrim SE on max settings without issues, you will be able to run most of texture/mesh mods without issues as well, so there is no need for "green-yellow-red" marking system as for Skyrim LE. Still, some mods have pretty "different" level of quality or some other details that may impact performance greatly on weaker PCs, and such mods will be marked with a special ==FPS== mark. This does NOT mean such mods will destroy your performance if you don't have "NASA PC" - but it means you should install such mods carefully (basically, testing ingame performance after such mod installation) even on strong rigs, and avoid certain options or mods entirely on weak rigs.
First of all, let's install some "core" texture/model mods that will serve us as a base:
Static Mesh Improvement Mod A core mod that greatly improves hundreds of flat vanilla models. Also grab this improvement patch for it - but make sure to disable plugin if you'll be using lighting mods like ELFX. Also install this visual upgrade ==NEW== and a small improvement patches here, here and here ==NEW==. During the mods installations further, we'll be adding to it and improving what SMIM already improved, even more. As you may know, it's [not] recommended to start a game via vanilla (Helgen) start in a heavy-modded game, but if you're a daring one, don't forget to install this fix to not fly across Skyrim in prisoner cart. If you have a low-end rig but still wanna try using this mod, this optimization patch ==NEW== will be useful. Ruins Clutter Improved Speaks for its name clearly. Another one huge core mod with myriads of models and texture improvements for various ruins and related clutter. Don't forget to install the Update files and also install this fix. Ultimate HD Fire Effects The fire your game deserves. Yes, the link goes to Skyrim LE version (SE version of the mod is a placebo). Here, you need to manually download the mod archive (pick the Ultra version), unpack it, and delete the \meshes folder inside. Then pack the \textures folder, add the archive to your mod manager and install as any other mod. Bingo! Use this mod [OR] the mod below for fire effects. Inferno - Fire Effects Redux An alternative to the fire effects mod above. Use one or another. Underground - a dungeon texture overhaul Huge mod that greatly improves a lot of texture for all types of dungeons.Bellyaches HD Dragon Replacer Pack + Bellyaches Animal and Creature Pack
A base retextures for dragons and plenty of animals/critters. High Quality Food and Ingredients Basic omnomnom retextures.
Now choose between the next few mods. Basically, they all are very big packs covering +/- same amount of textures, installing one after another will severely or almost completely overwrite the first one you've installed. As an option, you can compare texture images manually and keep the ones you like, mixing these mods. But in most cases, you won't need this, especially if you're a newcomer to Skyrim modding. Same is applied to each further "choose" notifications.
SSE Texture Pack - Osmodius This texture pack can be basically considered a "vanilla plus" retexturing project. Skyland - A Landscape Texture Overhaul Pretty qualitative textures pack with a great coverage as well. Skyrim Realistic Overhaul Another one "vanilla-wise" texture overhaul with a really huge coverage. Its disadvantage is it has plenty of unnecessary 4k texture where it's absolutely not needed - not the best optimization, in other words. But it may be a great choice if you 1) Just wanna bump vanilla textures, sticking to original look 2) Don't actually want install many other mods. Noble Skyrim Mod This beautiful and qualitative mod stands for its name - it's an amazing texture project which gives Skyrim an indeed a noble touch. One of my two personal favourites in Skyrim SE. Install FULL pack (until you're not on a completely potato rig which struggles with Skyrim SE itself). Also don't forget to install the SMIM patch. Skyrim 2020 Textures by Pfuscher The most popular texture pack on SE Nexus - and that's absolutely deserved. Almost all Pfuscher's textures are pure piece of art - great quality, great optimization, fresh look, yet - still sticking to original Skyrim look at the same time in most of cases. Take into account - there are a lot of separate mod files at Files tab - you need to download them all, if you want maximum coverage. Vivid Landscapes - All in One This pack doesn't give same big coverage as previous packs (mostly the landscapes and farmhouses), but it's also incredibly qualitative work and has own original look. Skyland AIO All Skyland textures in one pack. aMidianBorn Buildings and Landscapes Note: This one is optional - Amidianborn textures are old but great and you may find them better to your likings then same textures covered by bigger packs above. Try and see.Just a few recommendations if you can't decide what to pick: 1) Get the Skyland and then overwrite it with Noble. 2) Get only Noble 3) Get the Skyland and overwrite with Pfusher's packs. 4) Get the Noble and overwrite with Pfuscher's packs (that's what I'm using as base). Though, it's just my personal recommendations - always do as your heart and eyes are telling you :)
Now, caves/mines mods and few options for them. Note - for interior cells, like caves & mines, you can easily grab the 4k version of the mod if it's present - interiors eat vastly less VRAM.
CC's HQ Mines CC's HQ Caves Gecko's Dwarven Ruins TexturesNow choose one from the next 3 mods which are retexturing Nordic dungeons somehow "forgotten" by big mods before, or just doing it better:
Skyland Nordic Ruins Gecko's Nordic Ruins Textures Rudy HQ - Nordic Ruins SE My absolute favorite between Nordic retexturing mods - the level of details is just astonishing. You can install Skyland Nordic Ruins and then this mod on top, as Skyland covers few objects not touched by this mod. Also don't forget to get all optional addons and higher resolution textures.Fine, let's move
Blended Roads Amazing mod doing exactly how it's called. One roads mod to rule them all. Also install the fix ==NEW==.Now, choose between the next few mods:
Skyrim Flora Overhaul ==FPS== The most popular tree mod for Skyrim which provides better textures and mods for vanilla trees, as well as new tree models. Note #1: Until you absolutely love SFO's grass (in my opinion, other grass mods have grass handled better), install "Trees Only" (no grass) version of the mod, as grass will be handled by other mods in the section below. Owner of medium-to-low-end rigs may also find this patch ==NEW== useful. Note #2: if you love this mod, but have non-pleasant FPS drops with it, try this optimized textures addon for it (overwrite the mod files). Realistic Aspen Trees Retexture of aspen trees for a more realistic and diverse look. Yellow, orange and red colors.Note: Use this mod only with Skyrim Flora Overhaul or vanilla trees. EVT (listed below) has it included and "3D" trees mod (listed below) has own aspen trees modification. Simply Bigger Trees SE ==FPS== A mod that makes trees bigger.
Note: Similar as with previous mod, use it only with SFO and/or Realistic Aspen Trees (make sure to grab proper version in Files tab). Mods listed below are not compatible with it and don't need it. EVT, for example, has own option for bigger trees with much better performance impact. Tree Bark in High Definition A bark texture addon.
Note: Usage - same as previous mods - with SFO, and/or RAT, and/or SBT only. Not needeed for EVT or "3D" trees mod. Skyrim 3D Trees and Plants ==FPS== This mod is kind of double-edged sword. Some of tree models are actually looking absolutely spectacular and really have much more volumetric look, while majority of other trees are looking plastic-like due to weird inflated models and unrealistic textures. Enhanced Vanilla Trees ==FPS== My personal favourite tree mod for Skyrim. It greatly improves both models and textures of the trees, giving more lush and detailed look, while sticking to original appearance of the trees at the same time, and adding some trees here and there. It also has Realistic Aspen Trees included (choose it in installer options) as well as big trees option, which is the best between all similar "bigger" tree mods in terms of effect/performance hit ratio. Optional pine retexture ==NEW== available.
Myrkvior - The Flora Of Skyrim ==FPS== New, original trees overhaul with a unique look and great quality. Only moment here is that it's placing plenty of new trees across the game world as well - so if using it, test the game deeply if you'll be using landscape overhauls. Yet, it's giving a really fresh touch to Skyrim trees look and definitely worth a try. David's pine and Tamu75's aspen trees redux ==NEW== A beautiful alternative to pine and aspen trees - can be used in combination with the bigger tree mods above. Lush Vanilla Trees If you have performance issues with the mods listed above, you can try this one. Much simplier but also much more fps-friendly tree mod. Green and Lush Aspen Trees An overhaul of the aspen trees for a green and lush look - can use on top of the mods above - overwrite other mods when asked if using it. Aspens Ablaze One more aspens alternative. Looking really vibrant and come with 3D LODs support.
Great, now a few more mods for core graphics setup:
Immersive Fallen Trees Stands for its name. A must-have mod, compatible with everyting. Make sure to install fix patch for it. SD's Farmhouse Fences For many years, "Fences of Skyrim" mod was the to-go fences mesh/texture mod, but not so long ago, a next-level 3D fences mod appeared. Grab it!. aMidianBorn Book of Silence The quality of Cabal (Amidianborn) mods simply doesn't get worse with years. It's still unrivaled for many armors/creatures/objects models/textures - we will overwrite it with some other mods here and there, but it's a solid base for armors, weapons, creatures and some unique items models and textures improvement.How to install:
- Install the mod files in this order: Armors, Creatures, Dragonborn DLC, Unique Items, Weapons. Always overwrite. Also install this patch ==NEW== for matching glass items look.
- Optionally, install this retexture addon for elven weapons.
- Optionally, install retextures for elven and glass armors (make sure to get SE versions). Also this ==NEW== addon may be interesting to you as well.
Book Covers Skyrim
The one and only mod to retexture close to every book in the game. Desaturated version recommended. Also get the fixes/improvements here and here ==NEW==.
Enhanced Blood Textures
The ultimate blood and blood decals texture mod. I'd recommend to install High Res Darker Color version (choosing in installer). Mod also offers patches for Skyrim Immersive Creatures and SkyBirds mods - you most likely will be using them both, so just tick on the patches options - if you won't be using SkyBirds or SIC, just delete patches .esp files later. Optionally, install this retexture ==NEW== on top.
Deadly Spell Impacts
Essential mod for HD spell impacts. Also install the fix ==NEW== for ENB.
Realistic Water Two
In my opinion, the best water mod ever made for Skyrim. Install the main file and then ENB textures file. Also, install this fix and download Blended Shorelines - No more jagged water edges - but we will install it a bit later. There's also some optional patches here and here ==NEW==, and a retexture addon for it here and here ==NEW==.
Water for ENB An alternative water mod from talented mindflux, with a realyl beautiful look and some options in installer. The con is it's "weaker" compatibility-wise and has some minor bugs here and there. All around, this is a great water mod with some minor issues which you may or may not meet depending on your mod setup and luck.
Pure Waters Also an [alternative] to Realistic Water Two - don't use both at the same time. Download the file manually somewhere, add to your mod manager and install as usually. File is hosted by the original author of the mod. If you'll have a free moment, rate the mod here.
HD Photorealistic Ivy + Ivy Replacer by Pfuscher
Make ivy great again! Dust Effects Much better, more realistic dust particles look. Gemling Queen Jewelry An almost essential HD texture and mesh replacer for rings and necklaces. Arctic - Frost Effects Redux Improved and realistic textures applied to frost spells and effects along with new 3D meshes. CleverCharff's Soul Cairn 4K 2K
Water for ENB An alternative water mod from talented mindflux, with a realyl beautiful look and some options in installer. The con is it's "weaker" compatibility-wise and has some minor bugs here and there. All around, this is a great water mod with some minor issues which you may or may not meet depending on your mod setup and luck.
Pure Waters Also an [alternative] to Realistic Water Two - don't use both at the same time. Download the file manually somewhere, add to your mod manager and install as usually. File is hosted by the original author of the mod. If you'll have a free moment, rate the mod here.
HD Photorealistic Ivy + Ivy Replacer by Pfuscher
Make ivy great again! Dust Effects Much better, more realistic dust particles look. Gemling Queen Jewelry An almost essential HD texture and mesh replacer for rings and necklaces. Arctic - Frost Effects Redux Improved and realistic textures applied to frost spells and effects along with new 3D meshes. CleverCharff's Soul Cairn 4K 2K
Vanilla Skyrim's grass is absolutely hideous. Let's change that! Remember - you can have only ONE grass mod (asides from couple of special cases, which are mentioned below). Try'em'all and choose your personal favourite :)
Note #1: Always read the grass mod pages carefully, as each mod usually requires of settings in Skyrim.ini [GRASS] section. Implement them.
Note #2: If you absolutely love some grass mod, and can use it, but FPS hit is bigger than you expected, you can always play with grass density settings, namely the iMinGrassSize= value. The LOWER is the value, the DENSER is the grass - so if you wanna have more FPS, make the value HIGHER (try 80, 100 or even 120).
The next 4 mods are optional, get a peek:
Grass Addon for Veydosebrom Verdant and others Texture improvements/changes for popular grass mods above. Whiterun Grass Overhaul ==FPS== ==FPS== ==FPS== Adds beautiful green grass to Whiterun streets.Note: As a drawback, this mod will perform EXTERMINATUS your FPS in Whiterun, even on strong gaming rig. Even on GPU like RTX 2070 it may give you from 15 to 20 fps hit alone. Use with caution :) Landscape Fixes For Grass Mods If random grass clipping through some land objects is bothering you - this mod is your magic pill. No grass in caves If you wanna...
Note: You can also make grass to be more "windy" (sway more noticeable under the wind) by adding the next line under the [Display] in Skyrim.ini - fWindGrassMultiplier=X, where X is the value like 3,5,7, 11 etc. Experiment to your leisure :)
With the mods you have now, your game is already has an immense visual improvement in general. If you are not aimed on max results in terms of graphics, you can just skip the rest of graphics mods and continue to gameplay part of the guide. But trust me - we're only beginning! The improvement in models, textures, lighting, weathers and various little, yet important details, can be significantly better. I invite you to continue :)
Mountains mods. Some are also covering rocks. Choose one:
Majestic Mountains A retexture addon for it is also available here. Northfire's Photoreal Mountains Excellent Mountains Real Mountains RUSTIC MOUNTAINS 8K Mountains CC's UHQ Mountains Vivid Landscapes - Rocking Stones and Mountains Granite Mountains Kanjs - Chromatic Mountains ==NEW== Remiros' Mountains HD ==NEW==About these mods and which one to choose. Majestic is my personal #2 favourite mod, Northfire's are really photorealistic which fits the mod name, Excellent Mountains is a little gem from Pfuscher with immersive look and incredible texture details, Real and Rustic are pretty much close to vanilla look, and 8k (exactly the 8k version is an overkill, so use 4k version) and CC's UHQ mods are both looking pretty unique. But what mod you're using, Sinitar? My fav is "Vivid Landscapes - Rocking Stones and Mountains" one.
Rocks/stones mods:
Skyrim 3D Rocks Rapid Rocks Northern Realistic Rocks
Take into account that clouds improvements are often included in weather mods, so if you're planning to use weather mods, read the respective mod pages carefully - separate cloud mods may be not compatible with them.
ETHEREAL CLOUDS Qualitative clouds retextures which sticks to original look. Northern Realistic Clouds Beautiful cloud mod inspired by scandinavian weathers and clouds. Obsidian Mountain Fogs
Beautiful, immersive, volumetric mountains fog mod. Take into account that it's [included] on Obsidian weather mod.
Morning Fogs
Adds rolling morning fogs over scenic lakes and rivers throughout Skyrim, including an MCM for further customization.
Supreme and Volumetric Fog
This mod tweaks the foggy weathers by making them more...guess what...yeah, you guessed correctly. Pick the correct version when installing, depending which weather mod you will be using (or vanilla weathers).
Volumetric Mists
Optional mod. An attempt to add volumetric mists to the game. SE ENB doesn't have mist at all, so this mod is a partial dog-nail solution to this limitation. As it's hand-placed, it can cause conflicts with other weather mods and fog mods, resulting in weird look.
The Fog Machine
Analogue to Fogrim mod in Skyrim LE, it makes weathers almost cosntantly foggy and adds more distant fogs.
Dimmer Fog and More
Mod reduces fog effect transparency and brightness when exploring dungeons with torches and other light sources.
Darker Interior Ambient Fog
Tweaks interior fog. Use only if you aren't running any lighting mods (like ELFX or ELE).
No Fog on World Map
Simple as that.
For all night sky related mods, if such a version is available, always install 2k resolution one. 4k or sometimes 8k resolution have absolutely no practical sense for these type of textures.
Galaxy/stars/nebulae retexture mods:
Inside the Nebula My favourite mod for fantasy-looking night sky. Note: Do not use the "ITN Original" 2k file version (4k version of it and all other files are fine). Lorkhans Vision - Night Sky V2 My previously favourite mod for galaxy and stars. LE version only available, install similarly to previous mod. "LV Night Sky V2 - Low Saturation for enb" version is recommended. Skyrim Textures Redone - Enhanced Night Sky Another great variant, all-in-one night sky retexturing mod with a FOMOD installer. Visually - good balance between original look and fantasy. Skygazer - Constellations HD Another HD constellations mod from Skyrim LE section. 8K Night Skies - Stars and Galaxies Retexture for galaxy and stars that sticks close to vanilla look. While actually being in 8k which makes no practical sense at all, mod still has 4k variants which you can use (or safely to compress to 2k using Ordenador or Photoshop). Nightsky 4K Galaxy 2K Masser 512 Secunda More Alien Skyrim - Galaxy Nebula Sun Sunglare and Star Definitely not much lore-friendly, but also definitely unique-looking, this mod may be interesting for those who like to transform Skyrim into something...different. 4K Stars and Galaxies Bright, beautiful, fantasy-looking retexture. STARS A "vanilla plus" type of retexture mod for stars. Stars and Galaxy of Nirn ==NEW== Fantasy-looking galaxy and stars. Night Sky HD ==NEW== Also install the fix from Files section.Masser and Secunda retexture mods:
Skygazer Moons - Masser and Secunda Ultra HD My personal absolute favourite between all mods that retexture Skyrim moons. Super crisp and sticking with original look at the same time. Simply the Moons Not much realistic, but cool-looking fantasy retextures. Masser and Secunda from Morrowind Simple as that. Not the greatest texture resolution, but muh nostalgia! Moons of Nirn ==NEW== Fantasy-looking Masser and Secunda. Moons Sizes Changes ==NEW== Moon size changes for Masser and Secunda. Four different sizes to choose from, with hundreds of combinations possible. Compatible with all texture replacers. Arctic Moon Replaces Nirn's twin moons with a more conventional, luminescent lunar body.
Weather and lighting - realistic storms and snowfalls, new weathers, both grim and vibrant up to your taste, greatly improved & more realistic world lighting, and completely new immersive little things - from rainbows to rain splashes. Everything is here. Make sure that ENB presets are often tweaked for certain weather and/or lighting mod, so it won't look properly with some random weather/lighting mod installed. Incompatibility between ENB preset and weather/lighting mods does [NOT] mean your game will crash or something, but ENB may look weird. Remember this if you'll decide to switch your weather/lighting mod.
Weather mods. Choose only one:
Obsidian Weathers and Seasons
My personal favourite between all weather mods for Skyrim SE, from the authors of the most amazing weather mod for Skyrim LE - NLVA. Obsidian adds plenty of new weathers while keeping the ambience in the borders of canonic Skyrim look. Sharp and beautiful clouds, diverse weathers, volumetric mountain fogs and much more, making a beautiful, truly Skyrim'ish picture. It's also the most ENB-supported weather mod, meaning the amount of ENB presets available to choose from, tweaked for it.
You may also be interested in some addons/patches for it:
MCM Patch ==NEW==
Beyond Skyrim Bruma Patch
VIGILANT Patch
Seasonal Calendar (also works for Aequinoctium)
Note: Read the mod page carefully and install only ONE esp from many that are in the archive. Download the archive, choose plugin you want, archive it, add to mod manager and install.
Vivid Weathers The most popular weather mod for Skyrim SE which stands for its name - vivid, vibrant, tasty weathers with a very big variety. The subjective downside of the is that it makes game really more vibrant in many cases, so if you like cinematic/realistic look, that most likely not your best candidate. The objective drawback is that it has somewhat more minor visual glitches than the LE version of the mod, but it's nothing critical and on practice, most likely you won't even notice. Also has enough of ENB presets tweaked for it, but not close as much as Obsidian has, for example.
Dolomite Weathers While Dolomite is technically a predecessor to Obsidian, I personally still prefer some elements from it over Obsidian's composition. It's really diverse, with plenty of beautiful weathers (but not that vibrant as Vivid Weathers), and with absolutely unrivaled clouds look. Also, if you possibly love its rain/snow effects, but wanna use other weather mod, you can use this little addon with other weather mods.
Climates Of Tamriel "Old but good" weather mod that's making Skyrim weathers more interesting than it was in vanilla game, but still sticking much to original atmosphere as much as possible. One can call it "vanilla weathers plus". Alternative sounds patch available.
Aequinoctium - Weathers and Seasons A sharp, fantasy-realism weather mod with a noticeable photorealism touch. You can also make a nice mix - using Obsidian, but with some Aequinoctium weathers merged in it, with the help of this patch. Also has a good support in terms of ENB presets available.
NAT - Natural and Atmospheric Tamriel An amazing candidate if you wanna weathers and general ambience be more cinematic. Also has a good support in terms of ENB presets available. But take into account while most of weather mods are giving 0 performance impact, NAT is much "heavier" compared to other weather mods for some reasons.
Rustic Weathers and Lighting A really well-made mod which has somewhat desaturated, "rustic" look, sticking close to original ambience.
Surreal Lighting -- vibrant and cheerful weathers and lighting Deep fantasy weather/lighting mod with gentle purple touch. Take into account though that it's [both] weather and lighting mod at the same time, so it may have minor conflicts with lighting mods here and there, so use with caution/testing.
Mythical Ages - weathers and lighting overhaul Another fantasy and bright weather mod, being somewhere between Obsidian and Vivid Weathers, I'd say.
Northern Saga Weathers and Seasons One more vibrant weather mod, but with some cold touches from time to time.
Scandinavian Seasons Extended ==NEW== One more interesting weather overhaul from the author of mod above.
Autumn Skies ==NEW== Warm, saturated weather mod.
Serious Weathers ==NEW== A simple weather which is aimed on a bit of more diversity and basically amplified vanilla weathers - clear weather is actually clear, foggy weather is more foggy etc.
Accompanying weather mods. You [can] use each and all of them [together] with other weather & lighting mods:
True Storms Special Edition - Thunder Rain and Weather Redone The mod make all types of storms much more realistic - severe, loud, deep, by overhauling both visual and audio apperance of them. For me personally, it's doing this job better than any other weather mod above. But what about compatibility? Worry not! Check out this amazing author's page to get a compatibility for many other popular weather mods.
Storm Lightning for SSE and VR Vanilla game, even in "remastered" version, didn't have actual lightnings during the storms. That fixes it. By default, its lightnings amount/strength is pretty unrealistic and can be even disturbing for some players - but this can be configured in MCM. Yet, if you like extreme thunderstorms - it may be a good pick for you for actual walkthrough as well. Sound overhaul ==NEW== available.
Wonders of Weather Rainbows. Shooting stars. Rain splashes. Simple as that. Compatible with each and every weather/lighting mod as no else mod does the same. Don't forger to grab the CTD fix ==NEW== and, optional, these addons here and here ==NEW==.
Foggy Morthal and Swamp SE
Makes Morthal region always foggy. Load after other weather mods if using any.
Clear Skies Fix SE This mod is optional - use it ONLY if you have Clear Skies shout not working properly if you have one of "main" weather mods above.
Lighting mods. Choose only one:
Enhanced Lights and FX The well-deserved most endorsed lighting mod of all times. A complete overhaul to vanilla lighting while keeping it simple and not going away from original look. Better lighting. New light sources where needed. More realistic lighting in dungeons and other interiors. Huge coverage. Best support from the side of ENB presets. Everything is here. Personal recommendation - if you're aimed on a heavy mod list, choose only the core mod itself and enhancer option (and ofc SMIM-related option) - don't choose exteriors option. And don't use ELFX weathers module - it's not compatible with other weather mods and almost not supported by ENB presets. Choose "no [vanilla player home name]" or "no player homes" if you are planning to use mods that overhaul vanilla player home/s. Lastly, do NOT overwrite Rugnarok, Rocks/Mountains, Realistic Water Two, Pfuscher's mines and Rudy's nordic mods meshes. It also has plenty of addons to improve it/make more compatible. This patch plus this patch and this one are [absolutely essential]. This one and this one are very much recommended as well. This mod has some patches for mods you may possibly have. If you're using ELFX hardcore module and ASLAL, this will be useful.
Realistic Lighting Overhaul Another simply great lighting mod of a huge coverage and great popularity. Aims on similar things like ELFX does, but has different look here and there. May give you a few more FPS compared to ELFX usage if you're on a somewhat weak rig, but comes with much, much worse support of ENB presets (meaning there are almost no ENB presets that are officially and fully tweaked for it). You may also find this mod useful - it offers patches for two popular mods, and this one as well (ofc, use them only if you'll be using the named mods).
Relighting Skyrim + Enhanced Lighting for ENB
These are two mods, but can be considered as a single one, as they perfectly compatible and basically should be used together. Alternative and more lightweight approach to changing the game lighting - if you aren't sure, just try both mods above, and this combo, and then choose one you like the most :) ELE mod Files tab also has a few patches for some popular mods.
LUX ==NEW== Freshly released and actively updated, LUX is another complete lighting overhaul aimed on realism.
Window Shadows Basically a port of "SHADOWS" mod from Skyrim LE. Amazing mod that's adding and improving shadows in interiors. The quality of these shadows sometimes gives really a great difference in interiors look. This said, it requires a lot of work to be made compatible with lighting mods above. You can make compatibility patches yourself via SSEEdit and CK, but this will take a lot of time if you want to make it literally 100% compatible with other big lighting mods above. Let me put it more clear and simple: until you're pretty experienced with xEdit and CK, and don't have several dozens of hours of free time - don't use this mod on top of other lighting mods above. Use one or another.
Ambiance - A Vanilla(plus) Ambient Lighting Overhaul ==NEW== A vanilla+ lighting mod which recalibrates ambient lighting adhering to vanilla colors and creating a balance between stealth gameplay and looks. Can be used alone instead of major lighting mods, but also can be used together with the next mods: ELFX (without Enhancer option), Relighting Skyrim and Windows Shadows.
Shadows Of Sunlight - In Small Exterior World Spaces ==NEW== Adds sunlight and shadows to some small exterior world spaces that lacked sunlight: Shalidor's Maze, Giant's Grove, and Castle Volkihar Courtyard. Can be used on top of other major lighting mods.
This one is opitonal, read below.
Dynamic Volumetric Lighting and Sun Shadows ==NEW== Dynamically adjusts the game setting value to ensure better synchronization between sun shadows and the sun so shadows casted from objects would be better properly positioned. At the same time, this doesn't come without cons and you may notice weird shadows behaviour in some cases. Try it yourself and see if you want it or not :)
All the mods in this section are optional. They transform the landscapes of Skyrim in this or that way - adds or remove trees, making wilderness more dense or barren, change the look of terrain, roads, bridges, or just completely transforming Skyrim into something new - with spring, summer or purely winter region. Choose and use what you personally like :)
Skyrim Better Roads One of the most simple yet one of the most favorite mods of such type for me personally. It makes huge amount of Skyrim roads to look more authentic and logical. It's also perfectly compatible with almost all the mods in this section. My personal advice is to install version without bridges coverage to be able to use bridges-dedicated mods below. Installing [all] main files is also recommended.
Enhanced Landscapes ==FPS== Absolutely huge, whole-game-covering mod. It adds literally thousands of new objects here and there - from trees and cliffs, to urns and statues. Forets, shores, mountains - everything in your game will have a fresh, yet pretty lore-friendly touch. Mod also fully supports 3D LODs from DynDOLOD. It has some flaws as well though - sometimes the placements of new objects are feeling generic and not much logical and it still has visual glitches (mostly clipping or floating objects) here and there. Due to huge coverage it also may have compatibility issues (like clipping) if you will also have plenty of other landscape overhauls and settlement mods, so here you will need to be careful or just don't have much other similar mods alongside it. Those issues are mostly cosmetic and won't break your game in technical meaning - the mod itself is simply huge and really great - so test it and decide yourself :) To help you solve some possible compatibility issues easily, take a look at this neat patches page covering compatibility with some popular mods.
Enhanced Landscapes - Oaks Standalone SSE - Marsh Pines - Dilon Vul A good and greatly compatible alternative if you like previous mod approach, but don't want it whole. Also fully supports 3D LODs.
The Great Forest of Whiterun Hold ==FPS== Want the tundra region more forested? Think no more! This mod creates a giant forest Falkreath-style in the desolated tundra of Whiterun hold. Also take a look on patches page - but take into account that mod doesn't have FOMOD installer - download the archive manually, delete all patches you don't need, keep those you do, archive it back, add to your mod manager and install.
Whiterun Forest Borealis - Fixes ==FPS== A mod with similar goal and coverage, but somewhat different approach. Don't use together with previous mod, choose only one.
Trees Addon A really well-made tree mod that follows "quality over quantity" approach and carefully places trees here and there to make scenery look better. It also adds beautiful "king trees" from Enderal to Skyrim.
Bent Pines II Another mod that adds huge trees here and there, but with different look. Technically, you can use it together with Trees Addon, but on practice, I'd recommend to choose one.
Dark Forests of Skyrim My personal favorite between all landscape/tree overhauls. It places several thousands of trees/plants over the Skyrim, yet doing this very carefully & logically. It features both dead and new alive trees types, making some places more grim and other - more alive, fitting the overall ambience of the regions. It's also more performance-friendly and better compatibility-wise (but still it's recommended to avoid using other massive tree addons together with it, as this will result in frequent clipping), than, for example, Enhanced Landscapes and has full 3D LODs support. EVT as main tree mod and balanced, cinematic ENB preset like Rudy ENB are recommended to be used with it.
Dark Forests of Skyrim SE - Solstheim Apocalypse You don't need this mod if you're using the previous one. If no - you can try this one as an amazing Solstheim tree addon.
Project Rainforest - A Tropical Climate and Environment Overhaul Skyrim SE lacks summer/spring landscape overhauls, but gladly this amazing (and pretty underrated) mod is here. It's a tropical rainforest overhaul for the Skyrim, covering most worldspaces of the base game and DLCs minus the visual overkill. Trees, plants, grasses, weather ambience, sounds - everything to transform Skyrim into tropical-looking beauty. It's not recommended to use is with other massive flora overhauls, building visual setup around this mod in first turn.
Skyrim 3D Landscapes This mod is really a massive work, but pretty much as "3D" trees mod, it often suffers from look of plants that absolutely doesn't fit into Skyrim. Some plants are also too saturated/bright, which you can ofc fix in Photoshop or similar program if you like the mod in general. This mod may fit much better with some spring/summer overhaul for Skyrim (which SE sadly doesn't have that many).
The Ruins Beautiful mod that adds various ruined structures and statues across Skyrim. The flaw of this one is sometimes it may feel "too much" in certain places, and mod also has some events and references that are not lore-friendly and made for fun (for example, Shrek references). Still, this is all up to player's taste :)
Ancient Land Don't want lore-unfriendly moments and occasional too much clutter that previous mod has, but love its approach still? Think no more and try this one.
Interesting Roads ==NEW== Immersive and non-intrusive addon for Skyrim roads from the author of mod above (and compatible with it). You can see a video showcase of it here.
Winter Overhaul 2019
An all-in-one overhaul that turns Skyrim into a real winter region - whole of it, from the author of Dark Forests of Skyrim. New snow-covered trees, dead trees, more snowy weathers, snow-covered cities and so on. If you always thought that Skyrim should be more cold and snowy - that's a perfect mod for you. Compatible with Obsidian and Vivid Weathers. Compatible with survival/immersion mods like Frostwall/R.A.S.S.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Do NOT use it with other massive landscape overhauls, as this will definitely lead to massive clipping and other conflicts, and just weird look.
Nordic Ruins of Skyrim Absolutely brilliant that overhauls some of the most memorable Nordic ruins of Skyrim, making the look much more badass, but immersive, feeling like the original part of the game at the same time. A must-have mod in my humble opinion.
DMT's Paint it Blackreach EXTREME ==NEW== A massive Blackreach worldspace overhaul.
Stave Church of Skyrim ==NEW== Adds a stave church to 7 optional locations around Skyrim. Purely cosmetical mod.
Daedric Shrines of Skyrim ==NEW== Adds Dragonborn's Daedric Shrines to mainland Skyrim.
Camps Re-Covered ==NEW== Visual facelift to many bandit camps and areas around.
Half Moon Creek ==NEW== Renovation of the landscape in the area between the Half-Moon Mill, Moss Mother Cavern аnd Evergreen Grove.
Shrine to Kyne ==NEW== Adds a traditional shrine to Kyne, on a mountain peak high above Windhelm
Poisonblooms, Mushroom circles & Stonehenges
One or more of these words sounds good for you to be placed in Skyrim wilderness? Then check out this author profile.
Flower Fields Pretty much self-explanatory name. Adds vibrant, beautiful flower fields here and there. May be not much immersive in some cases, but a great option for anyone who wanna give Skyrim a bit more fresh, spring touch.
Unique Flowers and Plants Hand-placed new plants and flowers across Skyrim. Fits the spring/summer setups the best.
Master The Summit Like climbing the highest mountains? Want to maybe abuse Skyrim's glitchy physics less often for that? Try this mod that adds a lot of wooden bridges, stairs and other useful things to explore the mountains and cliffs.
Better Solstheim Locations Adds several simple neutral locations to Solstheim and adds some map markers to existing ones.
Skyrim Bridges My favourite bridge mod. Gives an overhaul to close to every bridge in Skyrim, making them look really unique and immersive. Do NOT use together with the mod below, choose one or another. Also (optionally) install this improvement patch (it's somewhat subjective, imo, hence "optionally") ==NEW==.
Covered Bridges of Skyrim An alternative if you don't like previous mod. More "simple" bridge overhaul. Do NOT use together with the mod above, choose one or another.
Northern Marsh Bridges Adds several wooden bridges across the northern marshlands of Hjaalmarch (the region where some bridges would actually not hurt, imo). You CAN use this mod together with one of previous mods as it only adds new bridges.
Nordic Runestones Adds ancient nordic runestones to Skyrim's landscape.
Decorating Madness Adds plants, creatures and clutter from the Saints and Seducers creation club creation to the Pelagius wing and Pelagius mind.
Oblivion Gates Remade Adds several Oblivion gates to the game. Gates are not functioning ofc, and serving more like and Oblivion nostalgia element. Use this mod or the one below.
s6o6t LORE - Oblivion gates ==NEW== Use this mod or the one above.
s6o6t LORE - Dark Anchors Ruins and Dolmens ==NEW== This mod adds 6 Dolmens to both Eastmarch and Rift, placedin the exact locations they were in ESO.
s6o6t LORE - Mundus Stones ==NEW== This mod is an ESO-inspired replacer of Skyrim Doomstones and their locations/look.
Rorikstead Basalt Cliffs Adds basalt cliffs around Rorikstead, giving the town a unique atmosphere. Compatible with every Rorikstead overhaul. A couple of patches exist.
Windhelm Lighthouse Adds a lighthouse north of Windhelm.
Elizabeths Tower - Azura Shrine Increases the size of the Azura Shrine so that its visible from all around Skyrim.
Towns, cities, villages, forts & camps. Everything to make them look better, expand, and sometimes even rebuild completely. Take into account that in most of cases, you shouldn't use more than one mod that affects the same settlement, as this will lead to major clipping issues or a completely borked look - so if you're relatively new to modding, always just choose one mod affecting certain area. But ofc there are some exclusions and some mod covering same settlements can be used together - on-fly or with certain tweaks - I'll notify about that. Mods that add NEW settlements/buldings will be added in the next update together with a compelte miniguide into "ultimate settlements overhaul". Also take into account that some of these mods can heavily impact your FPS if you're not on high-end rig.
First of all, let's take a look at some "big" settlement overhauls - the mods that cover many settlelements at once with certain own style:
JK's Skyrim ==FPS== The most popular towns'n'cities overhaul, and it's pretty deserved - nothing from similar mods can compete with JK's Skyrim in terms of amount of various details and clutter added to cities and towns. Coverage: Whiterun, Windhelm, Solitude, Markarth, Riften, Riverwood, Dragon Bridge, Ivarstead, Rorikstead, Falkreath, Morthal, Dawnstar, Winterhold, Skaal Village and Skyhaven Temple. Don't use it with Dawn of Skyrim, ETAC all-in-on and The Great Cities collection listed below. If you want to mix, you can choose modular version of ETAC and/or separate "great cities" mods. You can also use separate JK's mods for certain city/town, but sadly there are only few available, unlike for Skyrim LE. Mod's Files section also provides plenty of patches for other popular mods, and here's a patch for Great City of Dawnstar mod and high poly patch ==NEW== for NPCs. Dawn of Skyrim (Director's Cut) My personal city overhaul favourite at the moment. Great visual improvement while having light fps impact [plus] new interiors integrated into radiant quests system. Coverage: Whiterun, Windhelm, Solitude, Markarth, Riften - you can use it with any other settlement mod that doesn't affect cities. Expanded Towns and Cities An atmospheric overhaul with own unique touch, references and much more things here and there. The flaw of this mod is it has plenty of bugs here and there - they are not critical and don't bloat your save or something, but if you like seamless glitch-free experience, you may want to wait until it's more clean. Currently, despite the name, it covers only plenty of towns and doesn't touch cities - so you can use it with city-only mods like Dawn of Skyrim. For towns and villages - read mod page compatibility notes. The Great Cities - Minor Cities and Towns The mod name is somewhat confusing - it doesn't cover cities (at least, for now) - only towns, namely the Dawnstar, Dragon Bridge, Falkreath, Morthal, Rorikstead and Winterhold. This mod is my personaly favourite for towns as it has absolutely fresh, original approach, while staying lore-friendly. I'm personally using it with Dawn of Skyrim for cities coverage. You can also try separate mods from the same author if you wanna mix things up. If you wanna use it with JK's Skyrim, there's a nice mashup plugin here (you still need both mods themselves). The drawback of using them together is that compatibility patches for other popular mods made either for JK's Skyrim or Great Cities may not work properly. There's also a few patches for various other mods available here. Settlements Expanded My personal favourite villages mod which overhauls vanilla villages and adds a few new one. Coverage: Sarethi Farm, Heartwood Mill, Kolskeggr Mine, Loreius Farm, Soljunds Sinkhole, Whistling Mine + Coldstone Mine (new village). This mod IS compatible with Arthmoor's village mods (and it's recommended to use them together). Mod Files section also provides plenty of patches for other popular mods. This patch is available. Arthmoor's Village Mods Arthmoor provides light-weight yet neat overhauls for many vanilla villages. Sadly, all-in-one overhaul (as for Skyrim LE) is not available, so you'll have to install the one by one and then possibly merge if you'll need plugin space. Compatible with Settlements Expanded. About other mods covering same villages - read the mod pages. Coverage: Ivarstead, Kynesgrove, Shor's Stone, Darkwater Crossing, Whistling Mine, Karthwasten, Soljund's Sinkhole, Helarchen Creek. Skyrim Reborn - Whiterun Hold A massive overhaul for almost 20 "tiny" places in Whiterun hold - standing stones, bandit camps, towers etc. Compatible or close to 99% compatible with any settlement overhaul and compatible with mods of landscape overhaul - only may cause some minor clipping here and there. The only flaw of this mod is that changes for most of places of similar type are looking almost the same.
ATTENTION: read the list of included mods carefully - don't use them or mods that are possibly covering same places. Goodfellow's Whiterun Hold One more simple, but highly immersive whiterun hold overhaul.
Now, I want to point your attention on some not "whole-covering" (mostly single-settlement), but highly prominent mods that cover this or that settlement. Consider this my personal "essential mods besides the big overhauls" section:
Paradise City for Vanilla Skyrim -- Great Trees for Cities ==FPS== In my opinion, this one is the best cities tree mod ever - beautiful, yet logically places trees for these settlements: Whiterun, Riften, Windhelm, Rorikstead. Compatible or almost compatible (with just a minor clipping that you can just disable in console) with all mods that afffects same settlements. Works especially great with Dawn of Skyrim. Also fully compatible with DynDOLOD generator. Immersive College of Winterhold This mod a must-have. Yes, even if you're playing not as pure mage. You still will go through College questline sooner or later, and you still will be visiting it from time to time. This mod is just enormous in its College overhaul aspect. Aesthetical visual overhaul of structures and building, new buildings, new cells, new dungeon, greatly improved College NPCs AI, new NPCs, immersive magic learning experience, new dungeon, quest and dozens of other tiny details - feel this faction as never before. Also take a look at map texture improvement, chains improvement, "3D" Trees patch and few other patches. Glorious Fort Dawnguard Ever wonder why Fort Dawnguard is so damned depressing? You arrive and the place is empty and uninspiring. Dark, old, worn down, tattered banners, and only a wet-behind-the-ears farmboy with "pa's axe" to greet you when you arrive - well, this mod changes that. Choose between this mod or the one below. Immersive Fort Dawnguard Another Dawnguard HQ overhaul from author of well-known Immersive College of Winterhold mod - and also for both exteriors and interiors. Bigger and better fort iteself with new fortifications and buildings. Chapel, library, bathhouse and prison inside. As you progress through the quest-line, Fort Dawnguard will gradually be cleaned up and restored until its back to its original glory. Choose this mod or the one above. Also take into account that it's pretty freshly released, so you may have to wait for various compatibility patches to appear (though with the nature of the mod, there won't be many hard compatibility issues in first turn). Choose between this mod or the one above (I'm currently using this one). If you're using "Landscape Fixes for Grass Mods", get this patch ==NEW==. You can see a showcase of it in my video here.
Better Tel Mithryn An expansion of the settlement of Tel Mithryn. Includes docks, a main gate, new merchants, guards, and more. Quaint Raven Rock ESP-only overhaul. Extremely lore-friendly yet detailed at the same time, with interesting new features and details. A few patches available. Enhanced Solitude Absolutely breathtaking, masterpiece work of talented Kojak - the author literally combined various best of the best improvements affecting Solitude in this or that way from couple dozens of mods and made an ultimate Solitude addon, which is, moreover, ultra-compatible with other city mods. Also grab this. The Great City of Solitude Amazing Solitude exterior overhaul - compatible with mods like JK/Dawn that change Solitude inside. A patch for CFTO is available.
Note: Don't use ELFX Exteriors option with it to avoid clipping. Well, don't use ELFX Exterior option in general if you're aimed on heavy settlements overhaul (once again). Windhelm Exterior Altered Made some changes on the existing dock also added a new dock/harbour outside Windhelm. Compatible with most of city mods. Old Hroldan Ruins Fixes a discrepancy in which there should be even the ruins of an ancient settlement of what used to be Hroldan as described in lore. Stendarr's Beacon Enhanced and Ruhmastered Absolutely essential little gem. Expands & improves Stendarr's Beacon, making it more functional for those playing as, with, or against the Vigilants of Stendarr. Adds new, lore-appropriate interior zones, outbuildings, and decor to complement the Vigil's aesthetic. Compatible with VIGILANT quest mod. Stonehills Reborn Mixwater Mill Reborn Anga's Mill Reborn Greater Skaal Village Compatible with JK's Skaal Village changes. T'Skyrim - Riverwood (Addon for JK's Skyrim) ==FPS== Note: To be used ONLY with JK's Riverwood (or JK's Skyrim). Snowy AF Windhelm Makes how it's called. For good compatibility, usage with JK's Skyrim is recommended with this patch. Other City mods are not officially supported. Immersive Farms Tiny, totally optional but a cool mod that adds more crops to many villages/towns farms. Greatly compatible with mods of settlement overhauls.
Interior overhauls. Take into account that they may (and will in almost all cases) conflict if you'll be trying to use them together to get the biggest possible coverage, but it's easily fixed - just open mods affecting same cells in xEdit and delete the named cell from one of the mods and save. If you want to see more detailed tutorial with examples - watch the video below :)
So, interior mods:
Distinct Interiors Small, simple changes to make interiors more distinct and recognizable. Don't forget to get the fix addon and fps fix patch and improved barrerls look patch ==NEW==. A patch for Snazzy Furniture and Clutter Overhaul is available. Palaces and Castles Enhanced Bautiful overhaul for the most memorable Skyrim interiors, namely the Dragonsreach, Blue Palace, Castle Dour, Mistveil Keep, Understone Keep, Palace of the Kings and Fort Dawnguard. An essential mod, imo. Also make sure to check the Files tab for patches. Enhanced Interiors The great overhaul for dozens of interiors with amazing fantasy touch. Mod is hosted on LE page - get the "Enhanced Interiors SSE Beta" file. SE version is not officially supported tho - instead, you may want to try the lite version from here ==NEW== - it's stripped down, but more compatible and updated. jkrojmal profile ==NEW== For over 35 (and going) standalone overhauls for various interiors cells - from Dragonsreach and Mistveil Keep, to Pawned Prawn and Warmaidens. Some patches are available here ==NEW==. EEKs Whiterun Interiors My personal favourite for the named interiors. Opulent Thieves Guild Beautiful Ragged Flagon overhaul the immersively improves the look of it while you're progressing in TG questline. Also grab the fix ==NEW==. Note: If you wanna use it with Distinct Interiors, use its modular version. Temple of the Divines Frescoes ==NEW== Adds painted frescoes to the Temple of the Divines in Solitude and other temples and halls of the dead, now with a FOMOD installer. Drengin's Blue Palace Terrace Overhaul of the Blue Palace in Solitude. Unique appearance and enhanced interior. A great alternative to PCE's Blue Palace. A few patches are available, as well as SFCO patch . Blue Palace Overhaul 5.0 And one more Blue Palace overhaul, somewhat simplier than previous ones, but with own spirit. Like it pretty much myself. PD Inn's Bath Overhauls various inns interiors and adds baths to them. This Is Jorrvaskr Jorrvaskr visual overhaul. A bath, additional beds, fountains, additional idles, a kitchen, a loft, a lounge, a guest quarter, planters, a walk-in closet, plenty of safe storage, mannequins, and weapon and shield displays. Enhanced Skaal Greathall ==NEW== A complete overhaul of Skaal Greathall. Castle Volkihar Rebuilt A simple mod to allow the player to clean up the debris and rebuild Castle Volkihar to its former glory. The North Tower is also converted into a player home with safe storage. Use this one or the mod below. A small addon for it available here. The Royal Castle ==NEW== Castle Volkihar with style, dungeon, training-room and much more. Use this mod or the one above. Auriel's Chapel Restored ==NEW== Restores the Chapel of Auriel and the Inner Sanctum in the Forgotten Vale Blue Palace Frescos 2.0 ==NEW== Wall paintings to match Elisifs beauty! atdano profile For many simple yet well done overhauls for interiors in various cities and villages. Much more available for LE, but as plugins a pretty simple, you can try use LE ones in SE, they should work fine. Better Innteriors A project aimed at improving the interiors of Skyrim into something more unique. Anna's Vanilla Inns Modest and immersive makeovers of some vanilla Inns: Frostfruit (Rorikstead), Four Shields (Dragonbridge), Sleeping Giant (Riverwood), and Moorside (Morthal). SKYHAMMER Nine new glorious gamerooms found in various cities and inns across Skyrim.
Gooood. Now a plenty of various smaller mods that changes single city/town/adds different things here and there. Take into account that some of them maybe be 100% compatible with big mods above, some may be not. Just read the mod pages attentively and you'll be fine.
Whiterun's Trees Overhaul If for some reason you don't like Paradise Trees for Skyrim. Work with city mods is not guaranteed though. Fortified Whiterun Mod seeks to bring realistic and logical defenses to Whiterun. Ruined Gardens of Whiterun This mod adds medium sized ruined gardens with a small, yet swimmable water basin to Whiterun. Whiterun Watchtower Restored This mod restores the tower of the Whiterun Jail to how it may have looked in better days. Includes LOD. Dark's Whiterun market A market in Whiterun outskirts. Warmaiden Reforged A neat little mod, but compatible only with vanilla game or JK's Skyrim. Whiterun Riverside Expansion ==NEW== A beautiful mods which adds several new NPCs, shops and quests along the White River, to expand Whiterun exterior area. Perfecter Whiterun ==NEW== More trees and plants for Whiterun - compatible (or mostly compatible with minor clipping possible which you can solve with "disable" command in console) with other Whiterun overhauls.
Winterhold Restored Winterhold Restored removes the ruined buildings in Winterhold and adds new buildings, player homes, a new housecarl, merchants, followers, marriable NPCs, new horses, fishing docks, a greenhouse, a fishery and more. Cities of the North - Winterhold A new set of unique buildings for the capital of the northernmost hold. Winterhold - Expanded Ruins Does how it's called. Mostly compatible with most of the mods. Mandragora's Winterhold Overhaul Subtle and performance friendly overhaul of Winterhold. Anna's Winterhold Restored Beautiful yet simple, pretty underrated Winderhold overhaul. ClefJ's Winterhold ==NEW== Alternative approach to Winterhold renovation with some custom assets.
Dawnstar A lite Dawnstar overhaul. Dawnstar Defended ==NEW== Adds a network of immersive, lore-friendly perimeter defenses to the town of Dawnstar.
Morthal Overhaul II A well-made Morthal overhaul alternative.
Windhelm Docks Pathways Compatible with most of cities mods that change Windhelm. Windhelm Bridge Overhaul Makes the Windhelm bridge less dull and boring. Gray Quarter Overhaul Overhaul of the Gray Quarter district of Windhelm with new buildings, new npcs, and a new player home. Windhelm Expansion - Grey Quarter ==NEW== Absolutely gorgeous and spacious expansion to Windhelm, adding a whole new city district with dosens of new interiors, NPCs and even short quests. Can be used together with the mod above. You can see a showcase of it in my video here.
SKY CITY - Markarth Rising ==FPS== This beautiful mod is COMPATIBLE with most of Markarth overhauls. Some minor clipping may occur though, which is not critical and you can remove clipping objects by typing "disable" in console when clicking on them. Second Era Markarth ==NEW== This mod is not directly changing the existing city districts yet adds some objects and structures that were noticeably missing in the 4th era when compared to ESO's Markarth. Can be used on top of most of other mods which overhaul Markarth. City Entrances Overhaul - Markarth A complete overhaul of the Markarth entrance area. Also make sure to install the fix.
Epic Cities - Solitude ==NEW== That's probably the most unique and most underrated Solitude overhaul, and one on most originally-made city overhaul at all. Besides being highly detailed and not just adding symbolical clutter or buildings, new buildings are functional, NPC wear near armors etc. But most important is that mod expands city not just broadwise/horizontally, but vertically as well, giving Solitude a gorgeous, truly epic look it deserves. You can see a showcase of it in my video here. Solitude Skyway An elevated set of stairs and walkways that has been added to the underside of the large rock arch that the city of Solitude rests upon. Solitude Exterior Addon If you don't like the Great City of Solitude for some reasons, you can try this. Realistic Solitude Arch For MUH REALISM. Solitude Docks Updated You really thought that was the last one? Enhanced Solitude Docks ==NEW== Solitude Docks, worthy of a capital. Enhanced Solitude Docks Amazing alternative for Solitude docks which combines several smaller mods for it into one.
Riften Docks Pathways Adds additional pathways and bridges connecting the Riften docks with both sides of the mainland. Compatible with mods of city mods that affect Riften. Riften Docks Overhaul Docks overhaul for Riften created by combining and tweaking several high-quality mods. Riften Fish Market A port of Riften Fish Market mod from Skyrim LE.
Simple Raven Rock Expansion A gret Raven Rock mod alternative. You can also use this addon for it. Raven Rock Reborn One more alternative for this settlement.
This is Riverwood Makes Riverwood to a more lively town. Some subtle change that keep the original feeling of this village intact. Kato's Riverwood One more Riverwood alternative. Ideal Riverwood A "lite" version of T'Skyrim Riverwood (meant to be used with "lite" JK plugin as well). Unique Culture Riverwood ==NEW== Artistic overhaul for Riverwood features both changed exteriors and interiors as well as unique farmohouses look (for Riverwood only). Riverwood Bridge Reborn Replaces the Riverwood stonebridge with a custom woodenbridge.
Kato's Falkreath An alternative Falkreath exterior overhaul. Falkreath Very lightweight overhaul to Falkreath.
WiZkiD Pinewatch ==NEW== A omplete aesthetic revamp of Pinewatch. It includes a new model for the buildings and high quality textures.
Rodryk's Dragon Bridge ==NEW== A new set of custom, unique buildings for Dragon Bridge. Some patches for other popular mods available here. Dragon Bridge South Side ==NEW== Simple as that - expands Dragon Bridge south part. Use this mod or the mod below. Expanded Dragon Bridge ==NEW== Vanilla style expansion of the village of Dragon Bridge that adds buildings and NPCs to the South side of the bridge, including a Blacksmith and a Chapel of Akatosh. Use this mod or the mod above.
ClefJ's Half Moon Mill ==NEW== A vibrant Half Moon Mill facelift.
Karthwasten - Let The Silver Flow A town mod which makes Karthwasten look like it actually exports silver, is wealthy, and alive within the world.
Better Docks This mod brings immersive details and life to the docks of Skyrim and Raven Rock in Solstheim. Compatibility issues, such as clipping, light or heavy, may occure - if used with many other settlement mods. Expanded Tel Mithryn An alternative if you don't like Better Tel Mithryn. Rorikstead Revised A lightweight expansion of Rorikstead. High Hrothgar - Enhanced A spacious High Hrothgar overhaul by talented kojak747. GK Tiny Renovated Shacks Simple imporovements to many shacks across Skyrim. Penitus Oculatus Outpost Overhaul ClefJ's Fort Dawnguard A complete architectural overhaul for Fort Dawnguard in attempt to make a proper castle from it. The Great Town of Karthwasten The Great Village of Old Hroldan A few patches available. The Great Town of Ivarstead The Great Town of Shor's Stone The Great Village of Mixwater Mill The Great Village of Kynesgrove ==NEW== A few amazing overhauls (using them myself) for towns/villages from author of previous same-named mods. If using Ivarstead or Mixwater Mill ones, also grab the tiny fix, and here for a nice collection of patches for other popular mods for Kynesgrove mod. Axis1211 profile For several simple yet interesting village overhauls. Illustrated Town Panels ==NEW== Now ported to SE. Nordic Carving - Wallbaskets Nordic Carving - Great Portal of Dragonsreach Two mods from the same author changing/adding some decoration elements.
Fort/prison overhauls:
Imperial Stone - The Forts of Skyrim Redone Absolutely great mod that overhauls many prominent Skyrim forts, making them look as they initially should: Fort Greymoor, Fort Sungard, Fort Greenwall, Fort Snowhawk, Fort Hraggstad, Fort Amol, Fort Kastav, Fort Neugrad, Fort Dunstad, Northwatch Keep.Tactical Valtheim An epic redesign of Valtheim Towers into Valtheim Keep, an attempt to turn it into an actual fortress while maintaining something like the original atmosphere and style. DSR patch is available. Serenity - A Silent Moons Camp Overhaul A mod to make Silent Moons Camp into a larger bandit camp, as well as making the lunar enchantment and forge better, and make Silent Moons Camp claimable. Halted Stream Mine Halted Stream Camp is sitting on top of a decent iron mine. This mod will let you claim the mine for a faction of your choice, preventing bandits from spawning there again. Skamp's Claw Keep A complete rework of the Abandoned Prison. Compatible with ASLAL. Snowhawk Expanded - City Ruins Expansion of the area east of Fort Snowhawk to include the ruins of the former city of Snowhawk which was present in TES I: Arena and mentioned in TES IV: Oblivion. Not compatible with the Imperial Stone mod above.
All mods here are NOT obligatory for installation - but it's recommended to go through them still, as it will greatly improve hundreds of more objects not touched before, or improve better then previous "big" mods with often absolutely exceptional quality. The section below is the biggest one in meaning of mods quantity - so don't be afraid when you'll open it. This is a process of plesantly smashing each ugly texture left, as much as possible. Creatures, dragons, armors and weapons, food, ingots, plants and hundreds of other objects till the tiniest details, like ruined books or gold pouches. Many mods will ask you to overwrite - as your game has huge amount of objects retextured already. Just approve overwriting and keep going. It often also may come up to personal taste - so look on each mod page, choose what you like and what not. Enjoy.
First, a large chunk of standalone retexture mods for a single/few objects which don't quite fit into some spefific category, or affect lots of objects. There are plenty of mods here, so they were grouped into a expandable subsection - click "show" to unwrap it:
A Quality World Map Beautiful look for the world map it deserves. I'm using the "Vivid with Stone Roads" version. Smoking Torches and Candles Simple as that. Tiny, but immersive and a must-have addition.
Note: This mod will overwrite some other mod meshes. For example, both big "Rudy HQ" mods. You can do this, just install the respective patches for this mod from Rudy HQ mod Files sections. FleshFX Absolutely freaking amazing. 8 years after, we finally have flesh visuals that don't make us cringe. Improved Sparks Simple as that. Holy Wards - a retexture MUCH better ward look. Strange Runes - Spellcasting Enhanced Cast spells in style with magic runes! Glowing glyphs will appear when casting spells or scrolls. Apocalypse, Lost Grimoire and Forgotten Magic Redone compatible. RayMaster901 profile Beautiful texture for rags and various elegant floor textures. RUSTIC DAEDRA RUSTIC WINDOWS PELTAPALOOZA JS Dragon Claws Absolutely astonishing, best dragon claws model/texture mod ever made. JS Barenziah Pretty much the same but for Barenziah Crown. CC's Enhanced Ore Veins I'd recommend "less glowing ore" version. Choose this mod or the one below. Metallurgy - Ingots Ore and Veins HD Choose this mod or the one above. Stunning Statues of Skyrim All Skyrim statues with a high-poly models and much better textures. All-in-one. Use this mod or the one below. Remiros' Statues HD Install on top of Stunning Statues of Skyrim and overwrite. Iconic Statues ==NEW== An alternative mod to the mod above, has Stunning Statues of Skyrim support. Forgotten Retex Project Stands for its name. Covers many objects "forgotten" by popular mods and just never being retextured before. Less Ugly Tundragrass Simple as that. Somehow missed by most of landscape/flora texture pack, ugly coverage texture is now much better. WEBS S.E. Skyrim SE Improved Puddles Better Shaped Female Creatures A matter of taste mod. But definitely much better shaped :) White Phial Replacer HD Lava for Dawnguard EnneadShadowmarks Choose this mod or the one below. Real Shadowmarks ==NEW== Choose this mod or the one above. Ancient Dwemer Metal Best Dwemer automatons (and metal) models and textures ever. It's an LE mod, so you will need to convert meshes with CAO first. Also grab this addon after mod installation itself. Texture Overhaul (Clutter) Some beautiful clutter retextures. May look too clean for some players though. Deathbell HD - All-New Textures Misc Retexture Project Aetherial Crown SE HD Reworked Baskets HD Reworked Ores This mod will ask to overwrite CC HQ Ore Veins - decide which one you like the most. Realistic HD Mushrooms Remastered Realistic HD Food Remastered Realistic HD Blacksmith Remastered High Poly Project Makes dozens of models great again. Comes with HD textures as well. Also grab this tiny fix and texture optomisation patch ==NEW==. Rudy HQ - Hay R's Farmhouse and Handcarts These textures are already improved in your game, but who knows - maybe you'll like this mod more :) Note: Also install the Hotfix file. R's Windmill Same here, but for a windmill. DynDOLOD patch available. HQ Cozy Farmhouses One more alternative for farmhouse textures. Sweet Stone Walls ==NEW== And one more. Nordic Stonewalls ==NEW== My personal favourite. Soulgem Stand Redone Corpse burned UHD Pretty Gemstones SSE Realistic Horse Breeds by KrittaKitty More Saddles SSE - Horse
Better than Nando's
Snazzy Model Ship
Snazzy Quill of Gemination
Snazzy Furniture and Clutter Overhaul
Take into account that this mod also makes some clutter placements which may conflict to minor clipping conflicts with some interior overhaul mods.
Dark Brotherhood Tenets 16K 8K 4K 2K 1K 512 Redone
Leather details and other things
LeanWolf's Improved Enchanter Candle Meshes
HD Sabre Cat Tooth Mesh and Texture
This author has dozens of other similar mods for Skyrim LE. You can port the meshes yourself using CAO.
HD Ruined Book Retexture 4k - 2k
MAPS
Works fine in SE.
Realistic Boat Bobbing
Plenty of patches ==NEW== are available.
Better ropes for skyrim
Realistic Skin And Hair Shaders - Giants
Realistic Skin Shaders - Falmer and Hagravens
EEKs Mountain Flowers
HD Serpentine Dragon and Mesh Fix
Simple Sacks SE
Creepy Chaurus Eggs
Silky Spider Eggs
The next 3 mods will most likely overwrite already retextures named plants, but they are much worth of mentioning as they have pretty unique fantasy look:
Mountain Flower By Mari
Deathbell By Mari
Nightshade By Mari
Let's continue.
Refracting Ice Form Debris
Photoreal Foxes 2K HD Retexture
Daedra-tastic Rune Spells
Cozy Campfires
Unique Dragon Aspect
Salmon Retex - Realistic Salmon
Better Wall Basket Feathers
Dopesan's Farmhouse Stonewall
Scrumptious Stew HD
Ultimate HD Torch
LE mod. Works fine in SE.
Shuffler90's 4K Doll
Why not? :D
Glacierslab
Tihzz's Tankard HD Replacer
Less ugly Solitude Catacombs Stone
Business Ledger HD Retexture
Skyrim LE mod. Download manually, add to mod manager, install.
CleverCharff's Photorealistic Ash Pile
Beautiful ash pile retexture. Note: ElSopa mod (profile linked below) covers ash pile as well, so choose one you prefer.
Paarthurnax DragonSkin by DarkDukla
Mara 2k-4k Retexture
Enchanting Stations Candles
Velanimus Farmhouse Overhaul
Provides different meshes and textures to farmhouses.
Vanilla Rain and Snow Remade
Optional mod - simple, vanilla-like retexture for snow and rain.
Unreal 4K-8K Mammoth Skeleton ReTexture
CG4 Snow Effects
Snow sprinkles/drops from trees.
CG4 Trees and Bushes
A beautiful little tree addon - scatters 6 types of tree onto the land of Skyrim. DynDOLOD 3D LODs patch ==NEW== available.
The Dragon Aesthetic Project
Optional mod - makes dragons really huge and epic-looking. Mostly for screenshots, as these models can and will cause clipping in actual gameplay.
Smell of Sands
Optional retexture for sands.
Unique Riften Bee and Barb Specials
Solitude Dome Paintings
Not quite lore-friendly either, but beautiful and may be interesting for some players.
Night Mummy- A Night Mother Makeover
Vanilla HD Tree Branches
Compress textures to 2k, as 8k for tree branches is simply an overkill.
Pine Branches Redone ==NEW==
OA neat alternative for pine branches. Similar to the mod above, it's recommended to compress textures to 2k.
TB's Improved Smoke (Beta)
Improved Market Stall Canvas
Better Riften Roofs
TB's Improved Candle Flames (Beta)
Whiterun Wall Fix for Noble Skyrim Vanilla and Other Retextures
Strongbox Replacer
HD Stone Quarry and Clay Deposit
HD Wheat 2K 4K
NORDIC TENT 4K RETEXTURE
Hermaeus Mora - Water and tentacles - My HD version
Even tentacles need HD!
Amy's Replacement Spell Runes
Butterfly Improved by zzjay
Enhanced Spidersac
3D Snowberries
High Poly Blackreach Mushrooms
High Poly Gleamblossoms
Better Dirt Cliffs and Alphas
WiZkiD - Hall of the Dead Stained Glass Windows
4K HQ Cowhide Yeehaw
Dem fur.
Renthal Nettle
Juicy.
CleverCharff's Farmhouse Stone Floors
Alternative to farmhouse stonefloor if you don't like this texture from big packs.
Meridia's Luxon Beacon Replacer
New and pretty original look for the beacon.
SavrenX Gore
HD face...ahem, gorelift to various related objects.
ENB Particle Lights - Dwemer Lanterns
Adds ENB Complex Particle Lights to all Dwemer lanterns and chandeliers.
Real Rabbits HD
Brand new HD realistic textures for the rabbit. 5 new colors.
Skyrim 3D Docks and Boardwalks
Hearthfire Crispy Dumplings
SC - Cubemaps
Pick one of resolution versions.
Vivid Landscapes - Whiterun's Gildergreen Tree
Vivid Landscapes - Whiterun Grounds and Walls
Vivid Landscapes - Field of Grass
A few optional textures from Vivid Landscapes author, which you may like more than similar texture in bigger packs.
Velexia's Candlelight and Magelight Edit
Edits the candlelight and magelight spells to have the exact same lighting as torches, while making the bright white mesh orbs invisible. It also changes the inventory art as well as the lighting effects while equipped and casting.
Glacies - Snow Retexture
Really great-looking snow mod, one of the best I've seen and definitely a great alternative.
Ancient Trees Of Skyrim ==NEW==
Dark fantasy models for both Gildergreen and Eldergleam.
Retexture for Bread - Hearthfire ==NEW==
Viven Rain for ENB ==NEW==
Nocturnal's Portal HD ==NEW==
Better Looking Long Bow ==NEW==
Realistic Paper Parchment and Scroll Texture ==NEW==
Install only the paper file.
Retexture for The Scroll ==NEW==
And now this one for scrolls retextures.
4k Bedroll ==NEW==
Cork Retexture ==NEW==
Tower Ruins Retexture 2k ==NEW==
Petty Pigeons ==NEW==
Animated Forge Water ==NEW==
HQ - Carpets and more ==NEW==
Some Braziers ==NEW==
Dragonsreach Balcony Landscape Fix ==NEW==
Pine Shrubs Redone ==NEW==
Aetherium Falmer Cave Ceiling Glow ==NEW==
CC's UHD Coal Piles ==NEW==
Get the SMIM version.
Renthal's Reach Mountain Moss ==NEW==
Desaturated version recommended.
High Poly Sweet Rolls ==NEW==
Umbral Embrace - A Nocturnal Visual Overhaul ==NEW==
Shrine of Azura HD ==NEW==
Get the 4k version.
Dibella Statue Replacer ==NEW==
Particle Lights for ENB - Wisps - Witchlight ==NEW==
Particle Lights for ENB - Light Orbs - Motes ==NEW==
Upgraded Moondial ==NEW==
HD Reworked Shellbug ==NEW==
Unique Stros M'Kai Rum ==NEW==
ElSopa - High Quality Buckets ==NEW==
Also install the hotfix file.
WiZkiD Hagraven Clutter and Bones ==NEW==
Oil Lamp Trap Retexture ==NEW==
Windhelm Brazier Replacer ==NEW==
Pick the proper version from Files section, depending on mod you're using.
Blended Shorelines - No more jagged water edges ==NEW==
Note: Make sure that whatever water mod plugin you're using (like Realistic Water Two) is loaded after this mod plugin.
Bright Waterfall Fix for ENB ==NEW==
Install the proper version depending on water mod you're using.
Better Windhelm Ground Meshes ==NEW==
Dragon Priest Staff Replacer ==NEW==
Kanjs - Forgotten Vale Cave Worm ==NEW==
Kanjs - Chaurus eggs and staff ==NEW==
Improved Gourds ==NEW==
High Poly Soul Husks ==NEW==
MM - REAL ELKS ==NEW==
HD Reworked Horses ==NEW==
Rally's Shaggy Cows of Skyrim ==NEW==
3D Solitude Market Trellis ==NEW==
3D Whiterun Trellis ==NEW==
3D Junipers - Trees and Berries ==NEW==
Northfire's Skidmarks ==NEW==
Ingredients ==NEW==
Dwemer Pipework Reworked ==NEW==
Beautiful glowing textures in this rework of Dwemer pipes, including Dwemer boilers.
Thrones of Skyrim ==NEW==
Bears of the North ==NEW==
Install the hotfix from the Files section and also grab patches for SIC/SkyTest/Savage Skyrim here if needed.
Salmon Roe model replacer 3D ==NEW==
Blackreach Tentacle Mesh Fix ==NEW==
JS Instruments of Skyrim ==NEW==
Beacome a Bard patch available in Files section.
JS Helm of Yngol ==NEW==
Varied Chests ==NEW==
This mod gives unique models to some loot containers and names them respective to the faction they belong to according to game records.
Texture packs changing the look of cities, guild halls and some other noticeable locations or location types (like bandit forts). Those textures, in like 95% cases are already covered by mods you have at this point, so these retextures are for you to choose from if you like their look more than current one or simply provide more high-quality retextures compared to "base" packs here and there. While all of them are just texture/model replacers which don't add anything to the places themselves, don't underestimate how much refreshed look they can give! Some places have more than one mod for you to pick from, so once again choose one that you prefer the most between several variants - or you can try to manually mix'n'match them yourself :)
Skyrim Textures Redone - SkyHaven CC's HQ Alduins Wall Arri's Snow Elf Ruins Retexture CC's Fort Dawnguard Reborn Soul Cairn HD Sovngarde HD Spice of Life - Orc Strongholds Orc Strongholds by CleverCharff Mrf's Castle Volkihar ==NEW== Skyrim Remastered - Castle Volkihar and Clutter ==NEW== Vanilla-upscale style. Castle Volkihar HD ==NEW== CC's Castle Volkihar Reborn Northfire's Castle Volkihar College of Winterhold HD ==NEW== 4k version is recommended, 2k is you get noticeable FPS drops with 4k one. Mrf's Riften ==NEW== Northfire's Windhelm ==NEW== Also install the fix file. Fort Dawnguard HD ==NEW== Extravagant Interiors - Solitude ==NEW== Also grab ELFX and Solitude Dome Paintings patches if using these mods.
Banners textures. Choose one:
Designs of the Nords Ennead - BannersSome variants for lockpicking retexture/remodel. Choose one:
Lockpicking Interface Redone JS Lockpicking UI I'm using this one. Lock o MotionSome variants for standing stones. Choose one:
Astral Aspect - 4K Standing Stones Rudy HQ - Standing Stones My personal favourite.Some variants for road signs. Choose one:
Weathered Road Signs My personal favourite. Also grab the little fix for it. My Road Signs are Beautiful ==NEW== Skyland HD Road Signs Five Cities Roadsigns HQ CC's HQ Roadsigns HD Road Signs ElSopa HD - Unique Hand Painted Road Signs Definitely original work, yet also very vibrant and may look not lore-friendly for many players. A matter of personal taste.Better looking potions. Choose one:
RUSTIC ANIMATED POTIONS and POISONS One potion/poison visual mod to rule them all. XxAwesome_PotionsxX Another beautiful potion replacer, with animations and much fantasy look. HQ- Engraved Bottles ==NEW== Ultimate and extreme potions One more potion models/textures replacer, but this time only for "ultimate" potions type. Smaller Potion of Blood ==NEW== Simple as that. Can be used on top of other "main" potion replacers.City signs mods. Choose one:
SkyFix SE - HD Blacksmith Signs + Beautiful Honey SignsElSopa HD - Unique Hand Made Signs Overhaul My personal favourite. I'd recommend to also install desaturated pack of textures on top, from mod's Files tab. Skyrim 3D Signs Volumetric, somewhat ascetic models. WiZkiD Signs I'm using this mod from time to time as an alternative to ElSopa's signs, or mix them together. Mystical Illumination - Glowing Signs A [very] original look of the signs, high-fantasy, I'd say. Make sure you've installed the proper version of main file.
Arvak look. Choose one:
The Elder Scrolls V Rewritten - Arvak
Optional addon available.
Arvak Replace
Arvak - My version ==NEW==
Shadowmere look. Choose one:
Archet's Dark Brotherhood - Improved Shadowmere Shadowmere Rework ==NEW== ShadowmereReplace ==NEW==Better shrines look. Choose one:
Rens HD Shrines Remiros' Shrines HD JS Shrines of the Divines I'm using this one, though some players may find this mod textures "too glorious" compared to nordic Skyrim style.Dragon corpse textures. Choose one:
RUSTIC DRAGON CORPSE I'm using this one. Frankly HD Dragon BonesGuard shields textures. Choose one:
CC's HQ Guard Shields Ennead - ShieldsDragon priests masks. Choose one:
4K Dragon Priest Masks of Immersion Masks of the Dovah Sonaak I'm using this one. incredible details. Vanilla-wise look. A lot of options and great compatibility with armor mods. Apophysis Dragon Priest Masks A great alternative - beautiful texture and very original look. Unique Dragon Priest Masks - HD texturesShips/boats look. Choose one:
Joy of Ships DK's Realistic Nord Ships Skyland - Ships and Shacks Rowboats of skyrim Boats and Ships 8k 4k 2k ==NEW== Pick between 2k an 4k versions, don't use 8k one.Common dragon retextures. Choose one:
RUSTIC DRAGONS My personal favourite. Regal Dragons ==NEW==New texture/model for Alduin. Choose one:
Alduin DragonSkin retex by DarkDukla Alduin's Imprefvicticious and Chapper's Demonic Retexture mashup Deiform Alduin ==NEW==Odahviing retextures. Choose one:
Odahviing Enhanced Odahviing Replacers
Shock spells and fx. Choose one:
ELECTRIFY S.E. Voltage Thunderbolt - HD Lightning ==NEW== Based on the Voltage mod above (standalone).Fine, let's move.
Various "specialised" armor, weapons, clothing jewels and other artifacts retextures - meaning that those items are most likely already retexture by the mods you have now, yet, these mods provide either better quality or distinct appearance by introducing new models together with improved textures. There can be several options for a same object - for example, several mods retexturing daedric armor, so there you will have several options to pick from. Note: There are some additional options for some armors and weapons (like Frankfamily faction armors or Vpulse08 weapon replacers), yet as they are highly numerous but made by same authors, those are linked later in this section.
RUSTIC CLOTHING Opulent Outfits Vanilla Texture Replacer ==NEW== 2k version recommended. Unique Uniques ==NEW== Updated Skyrim SE port of a popular mod which replaces some unique weapons models and improves textures to make them look really unique. ArteFakes - Unique Artifacts Replacer ==NEW== A fresh similar mod which also cover many artifacts and unique weapons to look distinct, also covering numerous items not touched by the mod above. CL's Weapon-replacer's Installing this mod is optional, up to you. A great replacer mod for some vanilla weapons, giving them new models with unique look. Weapons affected - all ebony, orcish & daedric weapons, Dawnbreaker, Blade of Woe, Ebony Blade & Chillrend. Runed Nordic Weapons Also an optional mod - gives nordic weapons a glowing runes on the weapons edges. Real Bows Optional mod. More realistic, medieval-like vanilla bows replacers. Elemental Staffs Optional mod. Makes the staffs in Skyrim appear unique to their power level and elemental alignment. Outlandish Stalhrim The Revamped Quiver A massive mesh/texture overhaul for close to all vanilla projectiles like arrows/bolts. New look may appear not very lore-friendly to some players though. Woodcutter Axe Redone HD Falmer Elven Chainmail Retexture HD Falmer Armor - Weapons - Huts - Everything - Glow Less potato looking textures, darkened a bit. Uses 2K textures on pretty much everything, 4K textures for some larger things. Includes Chaurus's. Added Glow. Ebony Weapons 2017 Retexture RUSTIC AMULETS SavrenX Lux Weapons Beautiful HD retextures of some weapons. I Want Better Arrows Optional mod - realistic-looking arrow models & textures. Will fit better when used with bow mods like Real Bows. Alternate Blade of Woe Auriel's Bow of Light Optional mod. Makes the pattern and bowstring of Auriel's bow glow in a color of your choice. QuestionableKhajiit profile ==NEW== For some "realism" oriented vanilla weapon and armor models/textures. Project NordwarUA ==NEW== Armor project which aims to replace look of near to all vanilla Skyrim armors by realism-oriented models made by NordwarUA. Ahzidal's Armor Set - My version
==NEW==
Yup.
Ancient Falmer Armor Replacer ==NEW==
Replaces the Ancient Falmer Armor from the Dawnguard DLC with this set. Inspired by Lor'themar Theron's Armor from World of Warcraft.
Daedric Armor Remastered ==NEW==
Highly detailed repatinings of all daedric wearables, ebony mail, saviors hide, masque of CV, rings of hircine and namira, and finally the spell breaker shield.
Elegant Necklaces ==NEW==
Replaces basic silver and gold necklaces. Vanilla oversized models are replaced with smaller necklaces, with some shape and color tweaks.
Paragon of Mannimarco - Replacer for the Necromancer's Amulet ==NEW==
The last few links are gathered exactly here for 2 reasons. Some of these works are absolutely exceptional quality and so, should be installed the very last to ensure nothing overwrites them. Secondly, most of the links are links to mod author profiles - some of them have dozens of retexture/remodel mods, and so, this will simply save a lot of space for the guide and time for you. Some of the mods you may already have though -as some of them I've made sure to link separately because of the great quality.
Rougeshot meshes Already almost 30 creature types received much more realistic meshes. Get'em'all! Cunny1975 profile Huge amount of various "forgotten" things retextures. Rallyeator profile Same, for many other objects. Haladoon profile Even more small retextures. avebrave profile For many absolutely sick vanilla unique/quest jewel replacers. ThranduilElvenKind profile For beautiful retextures of almost all arrows/bolts in the game. Remiros profile You thought that's it? Ha! ElSopa profile And even more. Elsopa mostly focuses on absolutely forgotten things in great quality. Meredia's Beacon? Dust piles? Perk menu consttellations? All that and much more. Kajuan profile Definitely the best-looking textures for many creature types. ArtByMari profile Probably too saturated for some players, but definitely beautiful, fantasy-looking retextures for some of ugly skyrim plants. Note: you may want to optimize the meshes in her mods with CAO. SDlutz profile Ultra high poly models and realistic, medieval textures for some Skyrim clutter. Hype1 profile Literally magnificent door meshes and textures for cities. Amount of mods is growing gradually, so check his profile from time to time. Vpulse08 profile
For some absolutely sick vanilla weapon replacers. Not all his mods are ported by himself to SE, but there are ports made by this user from author's permission.
Skyrim "3D" mods
You may know this author already, most likely. Many of their clutter mods are real masterpiece with beautiful volumetric models and somewhat "ascetic" look.
Frankly HD mods
When it comes to vanilla armors (and sometimes weapons) retextures and better models, FrankFamily is simply out of competition. His mods are breathtakingly HD and detailed, while preserving original look. Unrivaled Nightingale, Dawnguard, Thieves Guild, Shrouded, Imperial, Dragonbone armors and some other great retexture mods are here.
Rudy HQ - Miscellaneous
For all clutter it covers, this Rudy mod is also unrivaled - in both terms of models and textures. Install it last, grab all optional addons you want and don't forget a patch for Smoking Torches and Candles (if you have it).
Rudy's "More Lights" mods
Also check out his profile for revolutionary mesh mods that allows "Complex Particle Lights" feature from ENB to work on these objects.
Embers HD
One ember mod to rule them all. Follow the installer and pick options you need. Enjoy!
KD - Realistic Fireplaces
A complete remake of fireplaces with new, 3D meshes and HD textures - compatible with the mod above. Optional retexture for logs available. Note: now, as you've installed these two (Embers HD and KD Fireplaces mods), reinstall the Inferno mod if you're using it, and choose proper patch options for this mods in installer. Nice!
Shad0wAng3l09 profile
For ports of Rammcoid standalone textures for various little things - they have great quality and you may prefer them over same texture covered previously by mods in the guide.
Aviform profile
Check it to get decent amount of qualitative retexture mods for various little things - animal ingredients, food and even insects!
Amazing Pfuscher's mods
Author of the most popular texture pack for Skyrim SE, Pfuscher, has couple tens of smaller texture mods of amazing quality. Barrels, plants, animals, tents, clutter. Check them out.
LossRec profile ==NEW==
For lots of beautiful ENB light addons for different objects.
Gamwich profile ==NEW==
Gamwich is a highly talented texture artist and also incredibly productive - over 20 texture packs (LE has twice as more of them, but you can use most of them as is without need of a conversion), from small standalone retexture (vampire hounds, spiders or horkers) to a wide-covering mods (like rustic clothing which covers several dozens of clothes in the game). Some of his most noticeable texture mods are already linked above, but he has so much more - and you may prefer his textures look over other mods. Take a peek for sure!
IconicDeath profile ==NEW==
For many beautiful textures for certain "forgotten" objects - from Gray Fox bust to creature retextures.
CALEB2 profile ==NEW==
For various "glowing" textures for some objects and critters.
PraedythXVI profile ==NEW==
For incredibly HQ textures and models for some vanilla weapons, armors and misc items.
neardaniel profile ==NEW==
For some quality retextures of "forgotten" objects, as well as couple addons for other popular texture mods.
dpillari profile ==NEW==
Similar kind of mods and incredibly quality.
Skyrim Landscape and Water Fixes
This mod corrects numerous graphic glitches around Tamriel worldspace. It's also in active development, so make sure to track it to always have latest version.
Unofficial Material Fix
Another great collection of visual/sound bugfixes for the game.
Better body models, head models. Better textures for skin, eyes, hair, brows, beards etc. Usually, you can install as many eyes and hair mods as you want - just be sure these mods are standalone. Situation with body and skin mods is different - you can have only one in each category (on top of UNP or CBBE, usually), so choose which you like the most. Absolutely all choices here are nothing else but matter of taste - so read the mod pages, look at screenshots and choose whatever you like.
Note: Mods in this section often have textures from 1k to 4k and even 8k resolution for skin, 2k or 4k resolution for beards etc - use such high-res version only in case you're aiming on screenarchery. For regular gameplay, taking something like 8k skin or 2k brows makes no practical sense and will just waste your VRAM. FPS hit will depend completely and only on your resolution choice.
Body/skin mods (female):
UNP Female Body Renewal - A female face and body replacer Caliente's Beautiful Bodies Enhancer -CBBE- Note: Most of other skin mods are based on either UNP or CBBE, so always read the mod page and get the proper file in case mod has different versions for UNP and CBBE. SeveNBase a custom FemaleBodyReplacer UNP Blessed Body Fair Skin Complexion Mature Skin You can also grab optional specular maps replacer here ==NEW==. My Personal Skin Texture ==NEW== Skin texture aimed on realism - having stretch marks etc. Bijin Skin UNP and CBBE This mod, in my personal opinion, maintains the "golden middle" balance - it makes females look much more attractive and fresh, but not turning them into "anime-like" characters with washed out skin. But once again, everyone to their own :) Pride of Valhalla - Super HD Skin Set for UNP-UNPB-7B-CBBE The Pure CBBE and UNP - 4K or 8K Female Skin Textures Touched by Dibella SG Female Textures Renewal - CBBE Tempered Skins for Females - UNP Asherz CBBE 4k Female Skin Replacer NUM 25 Seductive Lips HD
Body/skin mods (male):
SkySight Skins - Ultra HD 4K 2K Male Textures and Real Feet Meshes That's what I'm personally using. Tempered Skins for Males Better Males Remesh for Skyrim SE Vitruvia - Skin texture overhaul for males
Eyes mods:
The Eyes Of Beauty Improved Eyes Skyrim Natural Eyes Kala's Eyes Adds 51 new eyes including some blind & heterochromia variants for human males & females. Kala's Eyes-Elf Eyes Updated with Orsimer ==NEW== A similar mod from the same author for elves and orcs. H.U.E - Handmade Unique Eyes ==NEW== Replaces all Vanilla eyes of all races and genders including vampires with custom options. Updated version of the mod. If you want a replacer version only, you can get an updated version here ==NEW==. The Witcher 3 Eyes Summer's Custom Eyes Elemental Eyes Eyes of The Beholder The Eyes Of Beauty - Vampire Eyes Underworld Awakening - Hybrid Vampire Eyes Fangs and Eyes - A Vampire Appearance Mod Ruby Red Vampire Eyes Heterochromia Reborn - a Complete Eye Customization Overhaul ==NEW== Two new sliders in RaceMenu allow you to control your Left and Right eyes independently and choose from a flexible list of eye textures for each eye.
Hair mods:
ApachiiSkyHair Optional retexture addon available. KS Hairdos Optional retexture addons are available here and here , and multicolor addon as well. There's also a HDT version. KS Hairdos Lite Combined Hairstyles Collection VHR - Vanilla Hair Replacer Shiva's Vanilla Hair Replacer This patches page can come in handy. High Poly Vanilla Hair ==NEW== This mod can (and should) be used with vanilla hair retextures as it modifies only hair meshes, making them looking much more volumetric. You can also watch a showcase of it here.
Beards/brows mods:
Beards The Art of Beard - New Facial Hairs Hirsute Beards SV Beards Dwemer Beards Brows Kyoe's Bang'n Brows Kalilies Brows
Adds 15 new eyebrows for female characters, including asymmetrical ones. Absolutely stunning quality.
Blackbeerd's Beards ==NEW==
17 more new beards.
Beards of Power ==NEW==
Over a hundred of absolutely spectacularly-looking beards of all posisble shapes and legth, as well as with some decorations. You can see a video showcase of them here.
Beard stubble ==NEW==
HD Retexture for the beard stubbles.
Scars/warpaints/tattos etc:
Northborn Scars DomainWolf profile For vast variety of spectacular character customization mods - warpaints, freckles, tatoos, fullbody paints, scars and more. Facial Piercings Elewin Jewelry - Navel Piercings for UNP Rutah Tattoo Pack for RaceMenu Tattoo for UNP and CBBE and Better male Dragon Age Dalish Vallaslin Face Tattoo's for Racemenu Jane'sBody Tattoos for UNP Body RaceMenu - Animated Overlays Allows you to choose RaceMenu overlays to only show up when you're fighting, as well as offering a selection of particle effects to use in or out of combat. Battle wounds Adds realistic battle wounds to your character or followers. Rutah's Warpaint Lamenthia's Marks of Beauty ==NEW== 50+ face overlays for freckles, moles, age spots, birthmarks and more. They are for female characters, but some of them look good on men as well.
Best race (khajiits & argonians) mods:
Feminine Khajiit Textures (Grey Cat and Leopard) Masculine Khajiit Textures (Grey Cat and Leopard) Muscular Khajiit Textures and Skeleton Better Khajiit female body Texture for UNP and CBBE body Pretty Khajiit Feminine Argonian Textures (Chameleon and Lizard) Masculine Argonian Textures (Chameleon and Lizard) Female Dragonic Argonian Textures Male Dragonic Argonian Textures FAR - Forgotten Argonian Roots BAT - Bigger Argonian Tails BeastHHBB - Khajiit and Argonian content - player character and NPC replacer Khajiit Eyes Extended - Khajiit Heterochromia and More Argonian - Khajiit FabULook Eyes SSE Drachis Argonian Eyes Argonian Vampire Eyes - Dawnguard Khajiit Vampire Eyes - Dawnguard Glowing Khajiit Eyes Glowing Argonian Eyes Argonian Hair Plus Better beast race scars Kala's Eyes- Beast Race Edition Khajiit Argonian ==NEW== Some lore friendly eyes for Khajiits and Argonians. Khajiit Overhaul ==NEW== High-poly head meshes and new bodies.
Others:
Xenius Character Enhancement Complete The huge pack of textures for many things - body and face textures, scars and more, from talented Xenius. Usually, you many want to use only some of the files - for this, download the mod manually, unpack, delete everything you don't need, zip the files you need back, add to mod manager and install as usually. Mild Complexions Realistic facial complexions to add freckles, wrinkles, or other imperfections to your skin. Compatible with almost all skin texture mods, and it applies to males and females. Smile in HD HD teeth texture. Wounds Overlays For RaceMenu
Here we go with the list of mods that improve visual appearance of NPCs - female, male and children. Here you can find something for any taste (besides the absolutely unrealistic overhauls which are not included). Current list contains standalone mods - these mods don't require other mods to work properly, plug'n'play!
Note: Such mods may be or not be compatible, as most of them change many NPCs, you can have a situation when you want to install two mods, but they change some same NPCs. In this case, place the mod you like the most after. For example, you want to use MOD1 and MOD2. Both of them change Lydia. You like Lydia from MOD2. Place MOD2 after MOD1 to give it bigger priority and you'll be fine in most of cases.
Before you start, if you prefer the visual presentations, you can take a look at some of these mods:
Female overhauls.
Bijin Warmaidens Bijin NPCs Also grab a fix. Bijin Wives Legendary mods that beautify many memorable female characters. My personal favorite between all similar mods for named characters, an essential mod series for me personally. You may also be interested in alternative look addon for Lydia, Aela and Ria, as well as in "customizers" for warmaidens, NPCs and wives respectively.Now just a minute of your attention to our best bae, Serana (and her family):
Seranaholic Amazing overhaul of Serana with several different versions and options, also offering Valerica overhaul (Files tab). From the author of Bijin series. I'm using this one for Serana and Valerica. Superb Serana Pandorable's Serana My personal #2 favorite. Optional "hood + hair" patch ==NEW== available. Serana Re-Imagined ==NEW== Kalilies Serana ==NEW== Serana and Claire Also offers a standalone follower version with different character name (if you like this look, but also want original Serana affected by another mod). Serana no ESP Pandorable's Valerica ThePurpleTie1's Volkihar Family Redone Refined Volkihars - Serana Valerica HarkonOk, let's continue.
Pandorable's NPCs A really great female overhaul which has a good balance between attractiveness and "not too much". Its another huge advantage is it's fully compatible with whole Bijin series, covering only NPCs not touched by Bijin mods. Vahdin - Female Npc Replacer ==NEW== A spice of life mod for female npcs. Skyrim Beautiful Followers This mod is definitely not much lore-friendly, but it covers just huge amount of NPCs and the quality is actually good. Take into account you need to install Skyrim LE version of the mod first, and then overwrite its .esp file with this one. The Ordinary Women A great alternative if you don't like Bijin mod series. It also covers some NPCs not covered by Bijin, so you can use both together, with load order depending on your preference. Optional hair physics version available. Kalilies NPCs Changes the appearance of 59 female NPCs. Fresh Faces A small NPC overhaul mod with own approach to some female NPCs look. Metalsabers Beautiful Orcs of Skyrim Dedicated and pretty good overhaul for female orc characters. Take into account that it uses [your] skin & eyes mods, so end result may vary. Metalsabers Elegant Elves of Skyrim Similar overhaul for female elves, from the same author. GLAM Karliah ==NEW== A visual overhaul of a fellow nightingale. SavrenX Aela ==NEW== Mature Mamas of Skyrim ==NEW== Initially this mod adds a few generic female followers, but also makes a really nice mature appearance overhaul of Delphine which you can get. Camilla Valerius Overhaul ==NEW== SavrenX Ysolda ==NEW== Aesthetic Elisif Give your future High Queen the facelift she needs. Hathaway - High Poly Replacer of Elisif ==NEW== A replacer turning Elisif and Laila into Anne Hathaway. Because why not? Skyrim Ladies - Astrid A really well-made Astrid overhaul.Male overhauls.
The Men of Winter You may also like this addon for it. Pride of Skyrim - AIO Male High Poly Head Overhaul ==NEW== What this mod lacks in diversity of the males look (many guys with it look too similar asides face-wise), it surely compensates with a high-poly head mesh for every one of them. Pandorable's NPCs - males ==NEW== Pandorable's NPCs - males 2 ==NEW== To me personally, these 2 mods are the ones to-go for duderinos upgrade. Courageous Women - High Poly Head Female NPC Overhaul ==NEW== A female NPC overhaul of over a hundred!! NPCs using High Poly Head. AIO FOMOD installer with separate texture resolutions and warpaint or not warpaint choice. Dx's Better Men of Skyrim Alternative mod for some of promiment skyrim guys. Distinct Husbands A visual overhaul of the male spouses. PoeticAnt44 profile For various male visual overhauls (and presets). The Handsome Courier Immersive Courier Vander Nightbrook - Courier Replacer ==NEW== An amazing mod which provides a fully voiced courier replacer with a visual overhaul as well. Wolf Twins - Vilkas and Farkas Replacers TDN Improved Lucien - Spectral Assassin Replacer Lucien in the best shape!Mods covering both guys and gals.
Pandorable's NPCs - Dawnguard From the authoress of Pandorable NPCs mod, here goes her beautiful overhaul for many female and male Dawnguard DLC characters. Inhabitants of Skyrim - NPC Overhaul Really great coverage and close-to-vanilla look in most of cases. Marvelous Mage Followers ==NEW== Pandorable's Heroes of Sovngarde ==NEW== Because dead people deserve to be pretty too. Another gem from talented Pandorable. Elegant Elven Followers ==NEW== A makeover mod for Skyrim's mage and elven followers listed at the mod pages, featuring unique, lore-friendly looks & improved combat skills on top of that. Followers Hirelings and Housecarls Pretty much stands for its name - changes several dozens of NPCs, with a big care about original look. Distinct People Another big-covering overhaul. Take into account though that it requires KS Hairdos and also uses whatever skin/eyes mods you have, so the end result may vary. Realistic faces Around 80 NPCs altered, with new hairs and better skin look, while also trying to stick close to original appearance. Improved Bards Standalone mod that replaces the appearance of the bards across Skyrim. Pandorable's Initiates A replacer for the two Dark Brotherhood Initiates. I recommend the "custom voices" version. Pandorable's NPCs - Dragonborn Hold on to your hats, we're going to Solstheim. DylanJamesWasTaken profile Various visual overhauls of different NPCs in cities, and companions. Jarls Re-Imagined Redux Southpawe profile For a few more high-poly NPC overhauls. eeekie's Enhanced NPCsChildren overhauls.
RS Children Overhaul A well-deserved most popular children overhaul. To say objectively, the SE version of the mod has more bugs than LE version. The issues are cosmetic and won't break your game, but still it's need to be mentioned. Also, you most likely will have to apply this fix until the mod is updated. For great compatibility with other mods, there are 2 patches pages here and here. You may also like this optional addon for it.Note: A bug leading to endless loading screen is happening when using this mod and USSEP, to fix it read the sticky post here. Realistic RS Children Overhaul ==NEW== Currently my favourite children overhaul due to a great balance between improved appearance and realism. Make sure to install the RS Children Overhaul mod itself first, and then install this one and overwrite. You can also optionall install this addon which adds 8 new adoptable children to the game, with the similar appearance style. TK Children Note: A bug leading to endless loading screen is happening when using this mod and USSEP, to fix it read the sticky post here. Simple Children Great quality while sticking to lore-friendly look and just huge amount of patches for popular mods compatibility.
Note: A bug leading to endless loading screen is happening when using this mod and USSEP, to fix it read the sticky post here. The Kids Are Alright Renewal ==NEW== Updated version of the original "Kids Are Alright" mod.
Now let's get to UI (shortening from User Interface) mods. Icons, widgets, notifications, proper menus look on all resolutions - that's all UI. So a good UI mod always comes in handy. The main task of UI mods is to make your gameplay more comfortable, navigating in menus more intuitive, adding more useful widgets and spending less time in menus in general, enjoying the gameplay. Some of the absolutely essential UI mods like SkyUI or Better Dialogue/Messagebox Controls you already have - but there're quite a few more amazing mods to serve you.
Sovngarde - A Nordic Font Most beautiful and immersive Skyrim font mod ever. Nexus Loading Screens Reborn Mod adds 62 new loading screens for your game made from beautiful community screenshots. iLuvLoading Loadscreen & main menu replacer mod (200 new HD Loading screens, mostly adult). Lore-Based Loading Screens
Adds 160+ new loading screens steeped in Tamrielic lore. Become deeper immersed in the Elder Scrolls mythos with tons of quotes from in-game books (from Skyrim and past Elder Scrolls titles), history, mythology, and little-known facts about the world of Tamriel.
The Elder Scrolls Legends - Loading Screens ==NEW==
Adds 56 high quality and lore friendly artworks from "The Elder Scrolls: Legends" as loading screens. Works as a vanilla replacer and alongside vanilla loading screens. Also grab this addon ==NEW== for it.
Simple Load Screens ==NEW==
Loading screen mod which is made as a combination of assets from 2 loading screen mods mods above.
Skyrim SE Skill Interface Re-Texture
This mod is a collection of many options for new textures that you can pick and choose to replace the vanilla skill interface textures.
iActivate
Immersive Activate removes the small icon and adjacent text that indicates what action is available when activating an object, whether it is talking to a person, opening a door, searching a chest or what have you. This mod helps improves immersion by suppressing the notion that you are playing a game.Constellations Retextured + Constellations Retextured The DLC
Absolutely stunning rework of skills constellations appearance.
Smaller Vanilla Cursors If default size bothers you. Also make sure to checkout ElSopa profile once again - he has some other neat little UI mods. Unread Books Glow Simple as that. An essential addition for bookworms. You can also watch a showcase of it here. FileAccess Interface for Skyrim SE Scripts - FISSES This mod itself doesn't do anything, but you'll need it for many other UI mods to be able to make interfance presets, which is very useful. JContainers Another "core" mod required for some other mods below. UIExtensions Adds various custom menus to Skyrim for modder use. Needed for some other complex mods - if mods you wanna use don't require it, you can skip it. A Matter of Time - A HUD clock widget This mod adds a clock to the HUD showing the current time of day and more. Less Intrusive HUD II Less Intrusive HUD II allows you to tweak / change pretty much every element in the vanilla HUD straight in game. Customizable UI Replacer Absolutely amazing mod. Are you bored of default Skyrim UI look? Wanna have better control over your widgets? Various presets available - you can make your UI to look like UI in Dark Souls, ESO and so on. AH Hotkeys - Skyrim Hotkey Manager Superior hotkey manager mod. The objective of it is to allow anything that can be equipped to be hotkeyed, including sets of equipment, and to enable autocasting of spells and shouts. Equip Sets can contain weapons, armour, clothing, spells, shouts, powers, scrolls, potions, food, ingredients and other equip sets. Serio's Cycle Hotkeys Pretty useful and simple hotkeys mod. Favorite Things - Extended Favorites Menu for SkyUI This mod improves your experience with Favorites quick menu. Faster scrolling, more entries, longer entry texts etc. moreHUD Adds more information to the HUD about the currently targeted object, such as ingredients, weapon effects, potions, read books, v/w, enemy level etc. Note: Latest mod version makes "Display Enemy Level" mod (below) not much needed if you have this mod. moreHUD Inventory Edition Similar mod for inventory items. Dear Diary - Paper SkyUI Menus Replacer Journal, Inventory, MCM, Favorites etc. paper interface replacer. Optional skin available ==NEW==. Better SkyUI Config - Smart sorting by type ==NEW== Makes SkyUI sorting smarter, so you don't need to change the sorting of different views when you play. Equipped items always on top, all items/spells by type, effects by time etc Paper HUD - Director's Cut ==NEW== A personalised version of Paper HUD, including remade higher-res images and some tweaks. Designed to compliment book UI mods such as Dear Diary. MiniMap ==NEW== This mod adds a MiniMap. The terrain, doors, quests, and actors are displayed on it. Dialogue Interface ReShaped ==NEW== A complete redesign of the dialogue interface. More immersion with fixed controls. Minimalist Dialogue Interface ==NEW== Small edits to the dialogue interface that removes some of the clutter. Minimal Oblivion Dialogue Menu ==NEW== A minimal Oblivion dialogue menu. Clean, simple and it just works. Convenient Reading UI ==NEW== Quality of life improvements for the book menu: faster pages animation, configurable text size and configurable bottom bar. Simple Colored Map Markers ==NEW== Mod recolors quest markers to orange and player markers to green to be distinctive from the others. Compact HUD ==NEW== Moves most of the HUD elements at the bottom left corner of the screen and joins them together. Clear UI ==NEW== Modern, glassy UI replacer for SkyUI, also with a support for ultrawide resolutions. Scribes of Skyrim - a font extension ==NEW== This mod adds over 100 fonts to the books, notes & journals of Skyrim and Legacy of the Dragonborn creating true variety. Simple No-Spoiler Quest Alert For Map Markers ==NEW== Adds a * (and nothing else) to both ends of any map marker whose dungeon is used for a non-radiant quest. This allows you to avoid the location until on the appropriate quest, without spoiling anything else in the process. Remove Menu Blur ==NEW== Removes radial blur and depth of field in menus. Clean Menu Plus ==NEW== Mods removes: Intro, Bethesda logo, Loading icon, Menu and loading screen fog, Add-ons, Creation Club, Mods, Credits and News buttons. Body Slots - SkyUI ==NEW== Adds a column named Slots to the Inventory, Trade, Gift and Trading Menu. Note: Install the polished version from uranreactor, look for the download link in comments. Floating Damage Displays damage as a text on actors. Optional preset ==NEW== available. Display Enemy Level Aha. Viewable Faction Ranks Yup. No More Creation Club News Duck CC? Get this mod. Complete Widescreen Fix for Vanilla and SkyUI Widescreen monitor owners, grab this mod. Weathered Cursor Exactly. SkyUI Weapons Pack Adds 11 unique icon/types to SkyUI, includes Spear, Javelin, Pike, Halberd, Rapier, Quarterstaff, Claw, Whip, Scythe, Katana, Gun. Note: You need this mod mostly only if you'll be using weapon mods adding these weapon types. Serves close to 0 use in vanilla. A few patches available. Widget Mod A mod to show various information on HUD via widgets. SkyUI - Better Favorite Menu Increases the size and capacity of SkyUI's favorite menu. SkyUI Item Card Fixes Mod attempts to fix sometimes happening non-uniformed alignment, size, positioning and general inconsistencies on a lot the information on the item card interface. Sanguis - An Oblivion Font From author of popular Sovngarde font. Immersive The Elder Scrolls Lore Loading Screen Oblivion-like Loading Menu Absolutely beautiful work. Easy Wheelmenu A wheelmenu to make various skills and features from other mods available with a single key. Confine Mouse Cursor - SKSE Plugin No scrolling in other windows while playing.
Main menu visual/audio replacers:
Anthology Menus Lore-friendly main menu replacers from author of Sovngarde font. Proph's Main Menu ==NEW== Main Menu Music Replacer - Eliott Tordo's The Dragonborn Comes ==NEW== ESO Animated Main Menu Replacer Vintage Skyrim MainMenu Replacer Main Menu Wallpaper by Mari
Have you ever thought that your game is boring? That it should be more challenging, realistic, more variative and interesting? Think no more - and let's drastically imrpove Skyrim gameplay to the heights you never even imagined before! This consists of three parts - Expansion, Gameplay Features and Immersion. Expansion contains list of mods that add new lands/dungeons/quests/armors and weapons and so on. Gameplay Features part is for magic/spells/perks/combat and many other mods that affect your gameplay variety and difficulty. Immersion part contains mods that makes your playthrough more atmospheric and realistic in overall. Patches, fixes, compatibility notes and plenty of personal remarks included. Better combat, magic, perks, AI, new monsters, quests, lands, dungeons and settlements, immersion and survival realism, population, followers, armors and weapons - absolutely everything you may want and even much more, about what you haven't even thought yet :)
From casual to absolute hardcore - you can pick up best mods yourself or proceed to unique "modules" below to see carefully pre-made mod lists for different tastes and purposes, which you just need to mimic, without worrying about incompatibilities and not spending your own time picking the mods.
Quests and new lands, dungeons, new armors, weapons and artifacts, followers and player homes. Many of quest/new land mods listed here are really big and complex and can give you dozens of interesting gameplay hours not worse then official Skyrim DLCs.
Take into account that you shouldn't just install all the mods in this section. Moreover, statistics shows that one almost never finish all those dozens of quest mods installed in a single walkthrough. It's recommended to get up to 4-6 big quest/new land mods and a few smaller ones.
Now, first of all, a few mods which are not directly adding new quests but rather affect quest-related aspects of gameplay in general, QOL for questing to say so:
Makes slow walking escort NPCs run instead of walk.
The Choice is Yours
Stop quests from starting automatically. Pursue the quests you want, ignore the ones you don't. Make your choices matter. In addition, there are times when you are given a choice to refuse a quest, but the quest will automatically start regardless of your decision or you are forced to agree to do a job before hearing the details. Now quests won't start until you agree to them.
Timing is Everything
Allows you to customize the starting conditions for various quests. You can choose to delay the start of Dragonborn, Dawnguard, or Hearthfire quests, as well as other quest events. Or you can also reduce the level requirements allowing a quest to start earlier than it normally would.
Quests Are In Skyrim
Makes radiant quest no longer send you to locations outside of the province of Skyrim, limiting them with only nine vanilla holds.
Now, to the quest and new land mods themselves. Massive to medium sized mods - where each one can give you from a few up to dosens hours of walkthrough/exploration.
Project AHO A pretty new and must-play quest mod. Don't you even dare to skip it. Let me explain (you can also watch my video review of it): If I would make my "Top 10 Quest Mods" video today, Project AHO definitelly would be in the list of 5 best quest mods ever made. Everything in this mod is just amazing - breathtaking detective storyline with multiple endings, brilliant voice acting, stunningly beautiful worldspace design and a lot of puns and references at the same time. I never felt such a deep and detailed recreation of Morrowind vibes as in this mod. Try it for sure! Install the fix patch ==NEW==. Also, you may be interested in this small fix , improved meshes patch, new Telvanni-inspired weapons ==NEW== and some spell mods patches. You can a see a showcase of it here. The Forgotten City Amazing, dynamic, incredibly detailed! Beautiful, intricately detailed new city to explore. Non-linear story with several endings. Amazing orchestral soundtrack, big community of fully-voiced NPCs with backstories. Discover secrets, mysteries, and relics that are thousands of years old. Enjoy! Also grab the better entrance patch. The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal Amazing DLC-sized mod for all who like thief gameplay. Beautiful landscapes, amazing questline, dozens of traps and puzzles and finally an ultimate prize - Gray Cowl of Nocturnal (Mask of Gray Fox). Additional patches/addons for it: HD Textures Pack Some popular mods patches installer Alikr Flora Overhaul More lore-friendly mask obtaining By Azura! Helgen Reborn Awesome lore-friendly mod for rebuilding Helgen. Fully voiced questline, great story wrapping around civil war and Thalmor. New dungeons, 3 new armor sets, private tower player home. Interactive display room that transforms as you play the game. You may also wanna grab RS Children patch, CFTO patch, lootable Sigil Stones patch or ICFH patch and Great City of Falkreath patch ==NEW==. VIGILANT Become a vigilant of Stendarr and go through an amazing dark story. This mod is just fantastic, inspired by Dark Souls series in meaning of locations design, but staying in terms of the Elder Scrolls lore at the same time! Amazing dark and creepy locations, hordes of new creatures, giant unique bosses. New unique weapons, rings, lanterns and so on. The only thing is original mod is japanese, but there are links to English and other translations. One of the best ever made for Skyrim, this quest mod is absolutely worth to try - especially now it has the english-voiced addon made by professional and semi-professional voice actors. Also there's an armor retextures pack ==NEW==, Obsidian Weathers addon (standalone, OW is not required), better book covers addon, Custom Skills addon (with a proper English translation) ==NEW== and Witch Hunter Armor retexture. GLENMORIL A WIP (already playable) quest/new land mod from VIGILANT author. Also grab the English translation patch and, optionally, custom skills addon (with a proper English translation). NPC appearance overhaul ==NEW== is also available. Darkend Amazing new land mod inspired by Dark/Demon Souls series. Atmospheric, dark location, very detailed and interesting to explore. New creepy enemies, tough bosses and powerful weapons are waiting. Optional balance patch available. Falskaar One of the most endorsed, old but still really great quest mod. Huge new land with believeable level design. Dozens of gameplay hours. Interesting and voiced questline. Amazing soundtracks, new spells/shouts and more. There are also: tweaks and enhancements patch, installer with a lot of patches, RS Children patch and Lanters of Skyrim II patch ==NEW==. Wyrmstooth Another amazing and well-known DLC-sized mod with dozens hours of great gameplay and storyline related with dragon hunt...but it's only a beginning! An absolutely qualitative mod of medium size is awaiting for you. Patches/addons: Climates Of Tamriel Compability for Wyrmstooth Dark Forest of Skyrim - Wyrmstooth Wiseman303's Flora Fixes for Wyrmstooth Wyrmstooth - Player House Garden Wyrmstooth Sign Fix Wyrmstooth Thunderchild Patch Wyrmstooth Upscaled Textures Lanters of Skyrim II addon ==NEW== Legacy of the Dragonborn This mod is something unique. It will make you look at your playthrough from the absolute different view. This mod will inspire you to play Skyrim again and again. Mod features: Museum with 2k+ displays, over 100 exploration quests. You can save your museum progress across multiple playthroughs. Displays of visited doomstones, custom paintings, basement store, MCM and (yes!) items from different mods support. 15 new dungeons, new guild - explorers society, transmutation forge. This is only a part of full features list. Visit mod page to read more and of course try it :)
Additional patches/addons for it:
Official patches page Fate Cards Re-texture Paintings Replacer Relic Hunter Addon Start Legacy questline already as a Guild Master (pretty cheating to me, and skipping a joyful gameplay). Legacy of The Dragonborn - museum dome sunlight and shadows Temper Replicas for Legacy of the Dragonborn Fish Hatchery Addon for Legacy of the Dragonborn Legacy of the Dragonborn Spelling Fixes Legacy of the Dragonborn - Followers Patch ==NEW== dome retexture ==NEW== Museum Exterior Fixes ==NEW== Quest and Reward Delay ==NEW== Blended Roads Patch ==NEW== Dragonmail Cuirass Enhanced ==NEW== Plaques Retexture ==NEW== Perk Menus ==NEW== Identity Crisis Patch ==NEW== ESO Skyshards patch ==NEW== few other quest mod patches ==NEW== JS Dragon Claws patch ==NEW== Furniture Management ==NEW== replica addon ==NEW== Additional Dev Aveza locations ==NEW== Private Armory ==NEW== paladin set replacer ==NEW== Pale Pass Extension ==NEW== Solitude Museum - Unique Artifacts and Item Displays This one is not actually a quest mod, but it belongs here logically as it's a great alternative to LOTD if you only want the functionality of museum itself, without questline involved around and fetch quests.
• Quest notes Notice board – always on a pole with and candles
• Messages Notice board – it’s the one without the pole These notice boards can be found ouside inns in every town of Skyrim.
Missives A good addition to previous mod if you liked it, or a simplier alternative. Adds a large number of localized radiant quests found at Missive Boards of varying difficulty and with varying rewards. Note: Still has some minor bugs, but mod author is actively updating the mod. There're also some retextures ==NEW==, patches, Dawn of Skyrim patch, CFTO patch ==NEW== and JK's Skyrim patch. Beyond Reach Huge area with the span of ~3 Skyrim Holds, rich detailed. New factions - Arnima, Evermore, The Witchmen, Orsinium's Sons, Dragonstar Mercenaries, The Exiles and The Afflicted. Voiced main quest with backstories as wel as 28 side quests, news spells, armors & weapons, 25 new dungeons. Don't forget to install the fix patch, and there are some optional patches here ==NEW==. The Tools of Kagrenac Go on a quest to recover the legendary Tools of Kagrenac. Encounter new allies and enemies, explore sprawling dungeons and add powerful new artifacts and spells to your arsenal in this new and fully voiced quest mod. Moonpath to Elsweyr Amazing DLC-sized tropical/desert mod that give player a chance to travel into the lands of Elsweyr to explore, survive and enjoy amazing playthrough. It contains dozens of unique locations, new enemies, items, custom follower and a player home. Awesome and absolutely must-play mod. There are also: Unofficial patch for it and a better lighting patch. The Second Great War In the aftermath of the Civil War, the Aldmeri Dominion is stirring. There are rumors of Dominion soldiers close to the border of Cyrodiil and increased numbers of Thalmor agents in the Imperial City. Are you prepared to defend Skyrim once more or are you drawn to the power and promise of the Dominion? Skygerfall -- Daggerfall's Main Quest in TESV Absolutely titanic work here. A new land mod where you can literally play through the entire Main Quest of TESII: Daggerfall in the TESV engine, at the end of which you can choose to continue your character's adventures in Skyrim, taking all your loot, experience and new spells with you. You can watch a brief showcase here. Invasion of Skyrim - The Force Awakens - Grand Admiral Thrawn Awesome quest mod related with new race arrived in Skyrim, inspired by Star Wars. 15+ armor sets, a unique "quest shell-system" that enables dozens of radiant quests pertaining to the mod to be active at a time, 26+ enchantments, 220+ NPCs, both enemy and ally. Enemies who can cripple you in a number of ways if your combat skills are poor. Enemies are tough, veterans, and skilled combatants. 2+ Worldspaces, 15+ radiant enabled locations, 2 player bases, unique classes and combat AI for every character, many scenes and interactions. Travelling merchants, nasty assassins and much more. A player ranking system among the Resistance. Over a thousand handpicked lines of dialogue that plays both in combat from enemies and followers, and much more. Midwood Isle Travel to beautiful Midwood Isle, a small island home to the Sonmer, filled with quests and adventures. A middle-DLC-like in size. You can watch a review here. Land of Vominheim A new land called Vominheim roughly the size of Solstheim. Features dozens of new locations to discover and explore. You can also install a new mod from the same author which continues this one, from here ==NEW==. The Shadow of Meresis This mod adds an extensive quest, leading you to various places all over Skyrim. In addition to new locations and dungeons you'll meet new NPCs with more than 200 fully voiced lines of dialogue spoken by three actors, 2-3 hours of gameplay. Mythic Dawn Expansion This mod adds the Mythic Dawn into Skyrim. It includes three path playthroughs known as the Path of Warrior, Shadow, and Necromage. It adds in a main quest. All quests have real-world impacts. Inferno- Advents of Flame Inferno- Envoys of End Inferno- The Blood Marked 3 amazing mods inspired by Dark Souls. Interesting storylines ‘hellish’ cells, gigantic and hard bosses. You’ll remember this journey for sure! Chanterelle - a savage world to explore A world made to be used with survival mods. Huge, no civilization. Can be used to expand the Falkreath forest, four portals between Chanterelle and Falkreath hold. Some merchants specialized in hunt products to help you stay longer here. Valley of Outcasts A freeform adventure centered around a large citadel in the Jerall Mountains. Over 1000 lines of voiced Dialogue and 12 quests oriented for all playstyles and made to integrate well with the base game. The Last Refuge A sequel to previous mod. Nyhus and the border of Cyrodiil Folkstead and the Border of Hammerfell Haafstad and the Border of High Rock Three great mods from the same author that add new regions on borders with the named regions, filled with the level design representing them, new towns, some quests etc. There are also Alternate Start addons for these mods here, here and here respectively. The Shire Obviously and definitely not lore-friendly, but beautiful and simply huge new land/quest mod with original worldspace design influenced by LOTR/Hobbit titles. Also install the unofficial patch for it and optionally ASLAL addon. Akavir. The curse of the immortals ==NEW== The players are to go to the southern part of Akavir, and explore a massive, living world. Note: It's pretty bugged atm, but it's expectable with its immense size and still a WIP state - asides of this, that's some really promising new land mod worth to try fo sho. The Lost Wonders of Mzark ==NEW== SE port of a well-known dwemer/puzzle oriented quest mod. Prince of Lies ==NEW== Ever thought the Whispering Door quest of Mephala in vanilla Skyrim was a little underwhelming? This is a far more suitable quest for such a grand Daedra, set on a completely new island off the coast of Skyrim. It includes 30 new quests to complete, over 50 new voiced NPCs to meet and many new areas to explore. Northpoint ==NEW== A new worldspalce consisting of 4 regions with own weather system, new town, 13 new dungeons, new type of monsters and items, as well as new ingredients, books, notes, and misc items. KAGRENFAHLZ - The Dwemer University ==NEW== Skyrim breathes philosophy, but rarely expresses it. Kagrenfahlz fixes that by giving Tamriel a philosophical tradition. Dovahkin can now finally challenge his or her assumptions and become a critical thinker. This mod adds books, philosophers, quests, dungeons and a new land for you to explore.
Medium to small quest and new lands mods - where a mod will give you up from one to couple hours of walkthrough/exploration.
Carved Brink A true gem of level design - it will take your breath out. Much shorter, but incredibly original, beautiful quest mods with unique worldspace from the same authors. Get the small fix for it. There's also ICFH patch available and my review of it. Clockwork A brilliant quest mod - somewhat short, but absolutely breathtakingly-written! It was developed about 4 years, and the time spent is totally worth. Amazingly detailed cells design, detective and sometimes disturbing quests with unique creatures involved, while still being pretty lore-friendly. Thrilling journey that will you will definitely like! There's also a plantable addon ==NEW== as well. Moon and Star Short but great detective story. Interesting questline, 4 side quests, 9 voiced NPCs. New town, weapons and dungeons with new boss fights. Ingame aftermath events that take place after the main quest has been completed. Your actions have consequences! There's also small patch that fixes various minor cosmetic overlooks, better lighting patch ==NEW== and cleaned plugin replacer. Ravengate - Riften Underground Amazing and atmospheric arena/quest mod with challenging bossfights and thrilling characters backstories! Try it for sure, no matter which class you're playing. Konahrik's Accoutrements Make encounters with the named Dragon Priests a more challenging and rewarding experience - meet them in unique dungeon, summon them for challenge and craft unique sets of equipment. A few patches and upscaled textures are available. Konahrik The Priest - A Quest Mod This mod adds a quest to the game that fleshes out the lore behind the Konahrik mask and its eponymous dragon priest, as well as allowing you to upgrade the mask with a better enchantment. That's right, you get to take on the mighty Konahrik himself. Use this mod or the mod above. Teldryn Serious - A Teldryn Sero Backstory Quest Amazing small quest mod, absolutely lore-friendly, feels like initial part of the game and drastically expanding one of the most popular vanilla male followers. Also get this little fix and a high-poly appearance patch ==NEW==. Spectraverse - Magic of the Magna-Ge Mod adds interesting questline during which you can obtain 42 new destruction spells. Questline is based on TES lore, it has 5 voiced NPCs, 6 locations and 6 quests. There's also a standalone addon which contains only its best (and sometimes rebalanced) spells, plus couple of new ones. Unslaad Quest mod of Half-Dragon. Not much "lore-friendly", but as usual from Vicn - with unique level design and abmbience. Also install voice addon for it. The Sinister Seven Ambient backstory quest involving assassins and investigation. Path of The Revenant It seems that a powerful necromancer is hiding near Dawnstar, will you cleanse his lair for the good of Skyrim? Or perhaps you seek to take his power for your own? Boethiah for Good Guys Complete Boethiah's quest without betraying a friend. Namira for Good Guys Play a trick on Namira! Complete Namira's quest "The Taste of Death" without sacrificing a priest to cannibals. Identity Crisis Investigate the madness afflicting the Northern Asylum of Julianos, and earn the boon of the Madgod himself. Following Mercer So, what did Mercer do with all the stuff he took from the vault? He stored it in his various hideouts all over Skyrim, of course. Now you get to track it all down! Cheesemod for EVERYONE Adds over a hundred new types of cheese, hand-placed in an immersive way throughout Skyrim, and a fully voice-acted quest with Sheogorath. Curse of the Hound Amulet A newcomer requests your help in aiding her to clear out some mysterious new inhabitants of a cave. In this quest discover new enemies, armors, hair, weapons, and more. Better Vampire Weapons Mod adds several unique, vampire-themed weapons, scattered across Skyrim, with a quest to obtain them. You shouldn't be a vampire in order to use the weapons. Blood of the Nord Its a mid-sized quest mod that serves as the opening chapter in a series of plugins that explore the aftermath of Stormcloak victory, including the inevitable war with the Aldmeri Dominion. - Over 500 lines of dialogue - One new weapon - Includes several new dungeons and small worldspaces - The main quest provides roughly 2 hours of gameplay. The Isles Esroniet Isle of Esroniet, without new quests, but just a cool place to explore, some shops, 8 dungeons and new creatures. Warbird's Dwemer Train Stations A vast Dwemer train station network, providing an immersive and fast way to travel around Skyrim and Solstheim. It's practically an underground city, with merchants, inns, guards and travellers. Revenants of the Forbidden Order A brief non-scripted quest that leads to a fun boss battle with a nice glimpse in the history of the armor and characters. Lagoon - Skyrim Tropical Island MOD Beatiful tropical place - made mostly for screenshots though. The Grand Paladin (Remake) ==NEW== Journey beyond Skyrim and uncover the legacy of the ancient Dragonborn order in this small 70 to 100 minutes DLC. A remake/improvement of the same-named mod from its author. The Final Cataclysm - 2020 From the author of previous mod. An end-game quest that will take you beyond Tamriel, and the 4th era. Voyage to the Dreamborne Isles Amazingly detailed new land mod. Beautiful for exploration and screenshots. Now has a questline as well. Jurgholm A late game multi-cell dungeon with a questline. Shadows of the past An underrated little gem, paying a tribute to TES IV: Oblivion. The Secrets of Arc Cyrae The story of a young bosmer and adds new dungeons, characters, followers, quests and a player home to the game. Blood on the Ice Redux Ever wanted to catch the Butcher before he kills again? Then this is your mod. The DoubtSuspended Quest Pack A pack of quests mods - each one is small, yet absolutely incredibly immersive and feels like a native part of game. Fortune's Tradehouse One more neat little quest mod from the same author. The Enemy Of My Enemy A quest/battle mods wrapping aroud the war events, with massive battles. Betrayal at Hrothgar Resolve the civil war once and for all during the Hrothgar peace talks. The Haven From The Cold And Dark Beautiful new land mod that adds a set of Green Bosmer islands that are located between the Summerset Isles and Hammerfell. Player home, many shops and vendors, bath house and inn, many NPCs and guards. Working map and LOD and many beautiful places to explore/take screenshots. The Island Shipwrecked off the coast of an unknown island, you must survive while searching for a way off the island and on to Skyrim. While searching for a way off you may discover an ancient Dwemer city and other ruins lost to time. Finding Velehk Sain This mod creates additional content surrounding the strange gauntlet in the Midden Dark, as well as the four missing Apprentices from the College of Winterhold. It Beats For Her A mystery tale set in Falkreath. You receive a note from a stranger who recruits you in his quest to find and stop a dangerous predator. But is it really a simple monster hunt or is there more to the story? Merte's The McMiller Chronicles Running a few errands for the merchant Angus McMiller results in a quest of deceit, revenge and treasure. Fully-voiced. Markarth - Help the Warrens and A Cure for Cairine ==NEW== Skyrim is a harsh place, but few places are as depressing as the Warrens of Markarth. Have you ever wished you could help? Now you can! Somebody Else's Problem - Ignore the Forsworn Conspiracy ==NEW== Tell Eltrys you want nothing to do with the violent conspiracy the guard is clearly trying to suppress. You have to take care of yourself first, of course. Plenty of Pendants - Completable Pain in the Necklace ==NEW== Makes Pain in the Necklace a non-Misc quest, prevents respawn of pendants, adds map markers, and provides a small bonus for completing the questline. Paarthurnax - Quest Expansion ==NEW== A freshly released alternative to mods like "Paarthurnax Dilemma" and "Paarthurnax Ultimatum" to solve a one of the most plainly designed choice in the game. A new "gray" choice between "spare" or "kill" ones, around 60 new dialogue lines, and most importantly - fully voiced. Not bad, isn't it? Leaps of Faith - A Misc Quest ==NEW== Simple mod that adds yet another fun activity for your character to do in the world: 12 epic "Leaps of Faith" across Skyrim for you to discover and complete as you play. Jumping from one of these places will play a custom jumping and falling animation and give you a small (well-earned) bonus. You can also watch a showcase of it here. Nilheim - Misc Quest Expansion ==NEW== Fixes some issues with the misc quest at Nilheim and gives a bit more flexibility to your encounter with good old Telrav, adding a couple of additional dialogue choices and options for roleplaying. Here There Be Monsters - Sign of Cipactli ==NEW== Travel to the southern shores of Black Marsh on the hunt for a giant monster, revered by the Argonians as a god. Here There Be Monsters - The Call Of Cthulhu ==NEW== Continue the hunt as you face terrible creatures from beyond the stars, and unravel a terrifying plot to consume Mundus and return it all to the Void. Here There Be Monsters - Trollhunter ==NEW== Go on the hunt for a man named Hans, the Trollhunter, and take up his quest to rid the world of five gigantic trolls before they awaken and destroy Skyrim! Isobel and The Adventurers Guild ==NEW== Join the Adventurer’s Guild and help the bright eye’d Isobel Sirulius as you two set out in search of ancient artifacts, piles of treasure, and explore forgotten ruins. You can also watch a showcase of it here. There Is No Umbra - Chapter II ==NEW== A quest mod where storyline is focused entirely on Daumbra: the newest incarnation of the cursed sword Umbra. Note: There's no "Chapter I" separately as it's included in this mod. Glamoril - The Maze of Labyrinthian ==NEW== Shalidor the Archmage was famous for his exploits in the First Era. Various tales tell of him battling Dwemer legions single-handedly, building the city of Winterhold with a whispered spell, stealing the secret of life from Akatosh, or constructing Labyrinthian himself. Find the source of his power and unveil the secrets of the Glamoril. Primeval Real Estate ==NEW== In the foothills of The Throat of the World, the young Gundar has run into a bit of trouble. A wall has fallen apart in his basement revealing a vast dungeon. What lies within? Gold? Glory? Or something deep, dark, and powerful? He needs you to plunge in and unveil the truth.
Love exploring the world underground? Have new challenges, findings and ambient atmosphere? This section is for you :)
First a few simple mods that expands/improves some vanilla dungeons:
The Midden - Expanded A quality dungeon and house mod that greatly expands the College Midden, with minimal changes to existing areas. A new lore-friendly player home serves as a hub for new dungeons. 100% compatible with Immersive College of Winterhold. Dwemer Network Connects all of Skyrim's dwarven ruins to Blackreach, plus a few bonus features. The doors are placed in such way that they don't break any quests or give early access to dungeons. Streamlined Bleak Falls Barrow and Golden Claw For those who are making the Nth run of the game, this mod adds a trapdoor leading to the area with the word wall, but also adds the golden claw to the same area, saving you the trouble of going back to save Arvel. Hardcore Ansilvund This mod adds many draugrs and enemy wizards, and it also improves the ghost blade. The Chill - Expanded A small expansion to The Chill. The True Face of Anise This mod makes the "Secret" Anise is guarding a little bit bigger. Shroud Hearth Barrow Reloaded A bit more interesting in terms of enemies now. Dungeons - Revisited ==NEW== Overhauls and enhances Skyrim's dungeons. Doubles the size of most dungeons and makes them much more interesting to visit. Currently covered dungeons are: Bleak Falls Barrow, Ustengrav, Embershard Mine, Steepfall Burrow, Halted Stream Camp, White River Watch, Hillgrund's Tomb.
Now, plenty of great mods that adds new dungeons of different type. First let's see some dungeon "packs" that add several or more dungeons:
Skyrim Underground One of the most amazing dungeon mods I ever played! An underground dungeon system with currently 42 large and 26 small cells. Tunnels are connecting different Skyrim cities. Also constantly updated. Amazing design, dark atmosphere, tonns of new, creepy creatures to fight and just HUGE size in total. In my opinion, this mod is absolutely must-have. Skyrim Sewers 4 Mod adds an accessible sewers system to the town of Solitude, Whiterun, Windhelm and Markarth and also small sewage tunnels to Fort Sungard and Greenwall + new custom weapons and unique books. There's an Outlaws Refugees patch available. Hammet's Dungeon Packs A great dungeon pack currently having 31 new dungeons in Skyrim and Soltheim. Dungeons in this pack are mostly oriented on high-level characters with level 40 and higher. Radiant-quest enabled. Some of dungeons contain new items and spellbooks. I'm using this one now personally - loving its level design more than in previous mod. EasierRider's Dungeon Pack Adds 7 new, lore-friendly dungeons around Skyrim, with absolutely amazing dungeon design - plus, as it's pretty small amount of dungeons in it, you can use it freely with one of the few mods above (using all is too much, imo - you don't want to stumble across a new dungeons each 5 minutes of gameplay, I believe). Immersive Dungeons Mod adds 7 new dungeons with great design to explore and fight with atmospheric story-based exploration. Solstheim - The Lost Levels ==NEW== Old-but-good dungeon mod for Dragonborn DLC. Solstheim Dungeon Pack ==NEW== Simple but nicely done dungeon mod. Designed especially for Solstheim. Adds 6 new dungeons to diversify your solstheim exploration experience. The Unfinished Business - Dungeon Pack Add several short dungeons with a short stories related to small towns of Skyrim. The Rabbit Hole This mod doesn't add many new dungeons in wilderness - there's only one entrance, but the dungeon itself is multi-leveled vertically. In my opinion it’s criminally underrated and absolutely must-play. Mod adds dungeon system, a ‘rabbit hole’ with 50!! levels with progressing difficulty. Also many secrets and hidden rooms to discover. Have fun!
Now, single-dungeon mods, but with a great quality - challenging bossfights, breathtaking design or sometimes even everything together:
Red Flame A vampire-themed dungeon featuring original music, Deirge Cathedral lies off of the coast of Skyrim's northern shore. A mass of stone and stained glass, the mod features two new foods for vampires, a Molag Bal blessing, a unique Gargoyle summon spell, and three weapons. Apotheosis - Lifeless Vaults Absolutely awesome mod inspired by Dark Souls. Winner of ‘boss battles’ competition. Amazingly detailed cells with 5 giant and very hard, unique-looking and fighting bosses that you’ll remember for sure for a long time. If you’re looking for new challenges - try this mod for sure! Also this mod mod is only a ‘preview’ of huge incoming ‘Apotheosis’ mod that would be released in future. Note: Mod itself is currently hidden as the "full" version of Apotheosis quest mod (which will be many times bigger than this dungeon alone, with voiced questline and more) is close to its release time - so link is being kept here so you can remember of the upcoming mod :) The Temple of Black Rock An unforgettable adventure through huge nordic ruins. Another deadly dungeon for heavy leveled characters. The Secret of Dragonhead Amazing, dark, greatly designed and challenging. Dungeon mod from previous mod author, MannyGT. Demonika VERY dark. VERY creepy. Full of enemies. Dungeon mod with 12 stages. This mod may even scare someone, it’s not for everyone. But if you like such kind of creepy playthrough - try it for sure! Frostfaarn Explore a new dungeon and unlock the powers of ancient Nord sorcerers and conjure fearsome undead to fight by your side. Iomaungandr Rising Travel to the Sea of Ghosts in search of a long-lost Greybeard proving ground. Use your wits and your thu’um to unlock the secrets beneath the ice, while evading a Thalmor raiding party. Solemn Keep Chronicles - Shimmerfall Springs Bandits from all around Skyrim have been gathering and digging out the once abandoned caves of Shimmerfall Springs, causing local concern. Venture deep into the caves to find what they are seeking and stop the mysterious bandit leader who wields a dangerous power. The Dark A level 40+ challenging, lore-friendly quest and dungeon with low ambient light. Puzzles, traps and mazes that stretch the original intentions of the designers, and a couple of deadly encounters. Skjolga's Basin Detailed dungeon/quest mod centered around an expedition into the Skyrim mountains. Dead-Stone Barrow New Nordic dungeon just north-east of Whiterun. Path of Champion Multi-level dungeon crawl with dozens of custom objects to interact, puzzles to solve, traps to die to, loot to find, enemies to fight and quest to guide you through. Cooleoj profile For a few nice overhauls for vanilla dungeons. Vrage's Watch Explore a new dungeon and gain the ability to control undead hordes. Yellow King A Nord ruin unearthed by the Thalmor, Hahdrim's Tomb lies in between Dragon's Bridge and Rorikstead. The resting place of a cursed king and his family, the mod features an original weapon with a unique enchantment, armor, and shield. Thieves Tumble - Cavern An odd little cavern, beautiful but dangerous. Sondenheim An archaeological expedition sought the treasures of Sondenheim, the subterranean citadel. This being Skyrim, their adventure naturally ended in tragedy, and the survivors warn against setting foot inside the ruin. However, they weren't Dragonborn, so go ahead and pillage the tomb for fun and profit. Windcallers Pass Great dungeon mod. It’s less fighting, more about exploring and finding best way to go through and this is its best feature. Included in Legacy of Dragonborn, so don't install it if you have that. Ogmunds Tomb Old-but-great, custom small-to-medium sized dungeon with a great design and moderate difficulty. Included in Legacy of Dragonborn, so don't install it if you have that. Vodahmin Qoth A high level difficult to solve dungeon with a lore story and a small quest. Pit of 100 Battles Enter the deadliest dungeon in Skyrim, the fabled Pit of 100 Battles. Many have tried to reach the bottom, but all have failed. Engelmanns Rest Note: Don't use this mod if you have Legacy of the Dragonborn, it's included in it. Caves of Morrowind Journey to the Velothi Mountains to uncover a Dunmer smuggling operation. Strelekai's Lair Dungeon mod that adds a small lair for a Necromancer named Strelekai. Dauorrin the Draugr City Welcome to the undead city of Dauorrin, fight its agressive inhabitants that are not only undead, but daedra as well. The Legend of Taram Dane Recently uncovered scrolls provide new clues into the Legend of Taram Dane. Explore a new Nordic ruin full of magic, puzzles and undead to find an ancient enchanted weapon. Moonshimmer Mine ==NEW== A port of popular LE dungeon mod. Fort Windpoint ==NEW== Making your way through the abandoned ruins you will meet the last survivor of the Ascended Sleeper and find an ancient ceremonial weapon - Sixth House Bell Hammer. Temple of Agmer ==NEW== Buried beneath the abandoned mine lies an ancient nord temple lost in time. Agmer was once a powerful necromancer who aspire to become a Lich and made a deal with a powerful Dremora Valzur to achieve his goal. The Ruins of Mharzurk ==NEW== During the 2nd Era a savant scholar left Clockwork City in search for the Ruins of Mharzurk. It was said that this scholar carried with him a powerful relic, a gift from Sotha Sil who later vanished in the depths of the ruin. Heart of Aknznd ==NEW== A group of bandit ventured to an old abandoned mine called Lost Peril Mine, somewhere on Solstheim in search for the Heart of Aknznd. Little did they know that the mine was inhabited by Falmers until it was too late. Greybane Hollow ==NEW== Journey to Lodor's Tower just north of Rorikstead and find Greybane Hollow just beneath the tower and claim a powerful pendant from an ancient mighty nord warrior buried beneath the ruins. Karaz Gnel Remastered - Narrated Skaven Dungeon (Warhammer Vermintide) ==NEW== Don your finest armor, gather your party, and plunge into the depths of an ancient Dwarf Hold. But beware, something sinister lurks in the deeps... Arcwind Point Dungeon ==NEW== Adds a nordic dungeon at the existing exterior location of Arcwind Point. Ruined Temple of Phynaster - Encore A ruined cathedral rests beneath the earth, swallowed by the shifting dirt after thousands of years of time. Histories speak of glimpses of elven spirits, eternally bound to their ancient home. Hope's Abandon Huge dungeon filled with challenging puzzles, traps and encounters, and pretty unique approach to design in general. It has a custom boss and a follower. Level 40+ is suggested. Cave of the Forgotten A starter dungeon with a bed and safe storage. Does not respawn. Jornheim Deep within the bowels of The Throat of the World, lies the ancient ruins of Jornheim. More Skeevers in the ratway Adds more skeevers into the ratway. This mod aims to add immersion by adding skeevers into a place that seems almost perfect for them.
For these mods, you can install as many as you want, technically, but if mod that you're installing is affecting leveled lists, be sure to rebuild your Bashed Patch. Also take into account that leveled lists have own limitations in size, so it's not a good idea to install 5 biggest weapon packs at the same time, because most likely you'll never see many of items ingame even with Bashed Patch. Choose one or two big weapon/armor packs and polish this by several smaller mods you like. It's literally impossible to list absolutely all great mod of this category here as there are hundreds or even thousands of such mods, so that's just mostly my personal list of mods that are either beautiful and lore-friendly, or I admire them for really unique look and/or great textures quality. Still, there are many mods here that improves or rebalances vanilla items or add new, but absolutely immersive ones.
Armor/clothing mods:
Before you start, if you prefer the visual presentations, you can take a look at some of the best mods released in 2018 and in general:
Immersive Armors The most famous, big and endorsed armor pack ever made. It adds hundreds of various armors, from simple to absolutely epic, while still keeping lore-friendly look. If you're looking for the great base of your armors variety - don't even think, install IA. You can see a brief showcase of it here. Optional realistic textures replacer is available. Girl's Heavy Armors Fresh and original armor mod that changes models of female vanilla heavy armors, making them much more beautiful, but still protective/lore-friendly, keeping the great balance. Warmonger Armory New lore friendly Armors, Weapons and Clothes for both Vanilla Game and DLCs. All the added content is inspired from the classic Elder Scrolls Archetypes and is made with compatibility in mind. Optional tweaks addon is available. JS Armored Circlets A set of 9 brand new standalone Circlets with the same attributes as their helmet counterparts. Also install the USSEP patch ==NEW==. Zerofrost Mythical Armors and Dragon
The latest armor mod pack from Zerofrost and that has definitely the absoutely amazingly armors - for male, female and both genders. Nightingale Prime armor also has replacer version for vanilla nightingale set. Note: Zerofrost, in my personal opinion, makes the most incredibly detailed and original standalone armors. He has a vast list of badass armor mods for both male and female characters, but all of them besides this single mod are not available for SE. You can try to port them yourself.
ESO armor collection
ESO-inspired armors. Breton Knight and Nord Armor.
Tribunal Robes and Masks
Amazing robes pack that in addition comes in all 3 armor types - clothing, light and heavy. Also have masks collection for even more epic look. Note: This mod is included in Immersive Armors, so if you're using IA, don't install it separately.
Guards Armor Replacer
Super-immersive, medieval-looking new armors for all holds guards. Also grab this for proper after-civil-war armors and this improvement ==NEW==.
Heavy Legion
Similar mod for the Legion, from the same talented author.
Common Clothes and Armors
Mod combines many vanilla and modded assets in order to create a lot of variations to regular clothing or armor sets for generic NPCs. Adds over 130 new clothes and armors to the common people of Skyrim. A few patches are also available.
Cloaks of Skyrim
The most famous cloak mod for Skyrim, and almost an essential one in my opinion. It adds almos 100 new cloaks/capes. Also make sure to grab this amazing retexture pack (or this one ==NEW== if you want more fancy look) for it. If using the first pack of textures, also grab this ==NEW==.
Winter Is Coming - Cloaks
One more big and popular cloak mod. Optional leveled lists addon available.
Divine and Daedric Cloaks
Set of cloaks with emblems of Divines and Daedric Princes.
Bandolier - Bags and Pouches
Another I'd say essential and highly immersive mod. Adds lots of pouches, bags and bandoliers to help easing your burden. An addon for NPCs and CCOR fix are available.
Face Masks of Skyrim
Simple as that. Compatible with beast races. Also install retexture pack .
Apachii Divine Elegance Store
Collection of clothing, armor and various little things, both looking civil and really epic, fitting warriors as well.
Colovian Noble Clothes
Imperial Fine Clothes
Arcane Conjurer Robes
Three qualitative clothing mods from the same author.
Functional Bags
Add various functional bags, pouches, and other special containers.
Stormcloak Battle Armor Replacer
Much better armors for Storlcloaks and their officers/commanders.
Bosmer Armor Pack
A lore friendly Armor pack containing 5 main sets with 29 armor pieces and 6 weapon pieces. All races and sexes supported. Note: This mod is included in Immersive Armors, so if you're using IA, don't install it separately. You may be also intersted in this a bit tweaked version of one of armors from this pack.
Talos Housecarl Armor Pack
Badass and 200% lore-friendly armor mod from the same author.
Improved closefaced helmets
Wanna see the eyes of your character and other NPCs eyes under helmets? Get this.
Kynreeve Armor
Dremora-inspired, craftable set of daedric style armor, available in light and heavy variants. Also grab the upscaled textures ==NEW==.
Grandmaster Ursine Armour
Beautiful Witcher-inspired armor set.
Zzjay's Wardrobe
Collection of various armor and clothes mashups, also has decent amount of civil-looking ones.
Black Mage Armor
Black Mage Armor is a standalone armor mod that includes Cloth, Light, and Heavy armor sets that are all craftable, enchantable, and upgradable; all sets can be used by every race, male or female.
Volkihar Knight - Vampire Armor
A lore-friendly and badass-looking set of heavy vampire armor. Three variations can be crafted, each with a unique effect that is applied once wearing all four pieces. LOTD patch available.
Hedge Mage Armor
A rugged set of magically upgradable light armor for females.
Wayfarer's Coat
Great clothing/light armor set for mages.
DreamBurrows Regal Huntsman Armor
An Assassin's Creed Inspired Mashup.
Demon Hunter Armor by Jojjo
Beautiful, epic-looking and not skimpy light armor set for females.
Sovereign's Slayer Armor
Amazingly beautiful and detailed, medieval-fantasy female fullplate armor. CBBE/Bodyslide conversion available.
Perfect Legionnaire - Imperial Armor Reforged
A deadly serious and stylish rework of the Imperial armory.
Barbarian Steel Armor
A set of craftable light armor for hardy Nord warriors and berserkers. Male and female versions, weight-slider compatible, works with any race or body type.
Armor of Yngol
This mod gives you a new uniqe set of Ancient Nord Armor as an addition to the unique Helmet of Yngol.
Nordic Ranger Outfit
Simple and immersive armor mashup.
Dragonbone Barbarian Armors
Original mashups of dragonbone armors. Female version are pretty skimpy.
DeserterX profile
Look into it if you wanna over 9000% [not] lore-friendly & unrealistic, but absolutely badass and attractive female armors.
NordWarUA's Race Armor Expansion
This mod adds new elven and orcish armors that fit the aesthetic of Skyrim. Standalone and integrated into level lists and world distribution. Textures upgrade available.
Unplayable Faction Armors
This mod adds armor and weapons for some of the unjoinable factions in Skyrim. Two files are provided, one version which distributes these sets to their respective factions and allows crafting, and a standalone version that allows crafting only. OBIS and OBIS Loot patches are available.
New Legion
New armor for the Imperial Legion. Textures upgrade available.
NordWarUA's Vanilla Armor Replacers
This mod retextures some of the armor sets and weapon sets from the base game to a more High Medieval aesthetic. It also adds a new armor set that looks similar to the one from the Skyrim trailer. Textures upgrade available.
Authentic Legion
Authentic armor for the Imperial Legion in Oblivion style. USSEP and WACCF patches available.
Realistic Armor
Changes the standard armor to more realistic options, and also adds new armor.
Armor Variants Expansion
Armor Variants Expansion aims to adjust and increase variety of armors on Skyrim, by adding new armors to some vanilla and usual armor category trying to be closest to the lore friendly definition. Some patches are available here .
Modular Clothing System
Dress yourself as you want.
Marvelous Attire - Tundra Line
Tundra Line is a huge mix & match multi-colored 15-part clothing set which adds 54 new clothing items to the game.
Immersive Faction and Character Attire
Mod changes the outfits of certain vanilla and Dawnguard NPCs to make more sense and boost your immersion in the story and world.
Sithis Armour
Beauitiful Witcher-inspired armor set with HDT physics support.
Classic Morrowind Morag Tong armor replacer
Rough Leather Armor
Rogue-styled light amor for for male and female characters. Note: Included in Legacy of the Dragonborn.
Imperial Dragonscale Armor
A quality mashup.
Stendarr Paladin Armor Set
Adds a standalone set of Stendarr Paladin armor complete with a shield and two weapons.
Archmage Khadgar's Robes
Technically not lore-friendly, but fitting in Skyrim anyway, a mage armor of astonishing quality.
Ashlander Apparel - CBBE BodySlide (with Physics)
Immersive clothes mashups.
ARMONIZER Armors Pack
Very old but still very good mod that adds various unique-looking, but still fitting armors to the game.
SKYBLIVION - master Necromancer Robes ==NEW==
A pure BONEkers necro robe.
Dark Brotherhood Armor ==NEW==
An original, authentic Shrouded armor approach. Comes with optional recolour variants and Blade of Woe remodel.
Mavari Armor ==NEW==
Amazing Mavari armor by talented Zerofrost, finally ported to SE.
Knights of Thorn Armor and weapons set ==NEW==
Two fantastic quality armor mods and little easter egg.
Armor of Intrigue ==NEW==
Updated SE port of a popular light armor set.
Imperial Guard Centurion Armor ==NEW==
Adds a unique, lore friendly armor set based on the same version from Elder Scrolls Online. Comes in 2k and 4k versions.
Battle Mage Armour ==NEW==
Mod adds 4 colour variants of a battle mage armour plus a hood and circlet. Female only.
NordWarUA's Race Armor Expansion ==NEW==
This mod adds new elven and orcish armors that fit the aesthetic of Skyrim. Used the assets from NordwarUA's armor replacer mod. Standalone and integrated into level lists and world distribution.
Knightranger Archer Armor ==NEW==
Scale Nord Armor ==NEW==
D-Armory ==NEW==
This mod adds a total of 12 new sets of armor (Male and Female). they are all mashups from vanilla and some modded assets.
Boreal Hunter Armor ==NEW==
Nemesis Armor Set ==NEW==
A unique craftable set of light armor from Enderal for males and females.
Nibenean Armors and Outfit ==NEW==
Colovian Leather Armor and Outfit ==NEW==
Couple of craftable lore-friendly armors.
Knight of Molag Bal - Remastered ==NEW==
SirRumple profile ==NEW==
For some definitely not lore-friendly, but beautiful armors or vanilla armor recolours/remodels.
Daedric Light Armor ==NEW==
Among the various daedra clans, there are those that are most comfortable wearing lighter armor, compared to the traditional heavy daedric equipment. Light daedric armor offers good protection, without weighing too much, and offering greater mobility to its users, being preferred among important clans such as the Skaafins and Xivkyns.
Dremora Armor ==NEW==
Basically, the daedric armor set from TES VI: Oblivion.
Ancient Nord Armo(u)ry EXTREME ==NEW==
Many different variations and sets of Ancient Nord armor.
Arcane Mage Armor ==NEW==
Regal Paladin Armor ==NEW==
Steel Falcon Armour Set ==NEW==
Morag Tong Grandmaster Armor ==NEW==
Ash Pilgrim's Garments ==NEW==
A beautiful female Dunmer outfit.
Toughened Traveler Outfit ==NEW==
Shoulderpacks ==NEW==
Adds 4 new shoulder-style backpacks with a realistic fur style, functionally mimics Campfire's dynamic placement for torch, woodcutters axe, pot and waterskin.
Grandmaster Wolven Armor and Swords ==NEW==
Adds craftable grandmaster wolven armor and swords from The Witcher 3.
Eastern Dwemer Armour ==NEW==
King's Guard Armor ==NEW==
Armor set that equals glass armor set in values\crafting, based on GOT model.
zzjay and Grace Darkling Hoods With Hairs ==NEW==
A set of hoods with hairs.
Dwemer Garb ==NEW==
Adds new dwemer-themed clothes, both enchanted and unenchanted versions, which can be found in dwemer chests and specific locations.
SC - Sun Prince ==NEW==
An original unisex ritual dress.
Letho's Pants ==NEW==
Male only, light armor set that adds Letho's pants, boots, and gloves.
Skyblivion - 3E Cyrodiilic Steel Armor
This mod contains the Cyrodiilic Steel Armor as re-imagined for the Skyblivion project.
Kozakowy clothes port
Beautiful, noble, elegant female clothing.
Ryder's Dragonfly Robes
Mage set, CBBE compatible.
Daedric Assassin Armor
Finally ported to SE. Standalone and craftable.
Banderger
For a few iconic Witcher armor ports.
Raven witch armor
Raven Witch armor by Zerofrost, ported to SE.
Magnus Robe
Adds Magnus robe, light armor or clothing option. Male only with weight slider, beast race support.
Glowing ebony armor by Mari
Fabulous luminous armor in six color options.
Marvelous Attire - Tawenja Armor
New adventurer outfit including clothing, armor and a backpack.
Cyrodiilic Thief Armor
Adds two new armor sets that are meant to belong to Cyrodiilic branch of the Thieves Guild.
Chevaleresse II Armor
Imperial Centurion Battle Dress
Somewhat skimpy yet pretty lore-friendly armor at the same time.
Blood Operative Armor - Male and Female Armor
A set of male and female light armor used by House Dimir's Vampire Assassins.
Toxin Doctor Outfit- Mihail Armors and Clothes
Any plagues?
ESO Altmer Armor by NewerMind43 HDT SMP
Stalhrim Paladin Armor
Full set of high quality stalhrim steel plate armor
Contractor Armor
Yet another old-but-masterpiece from Zerofrost ported over to SE.
Dark Brotherhood Mail - Standalone
Ever wished you had a Dark Brotherhood armor that didn't look like a swimsuit? Here you go.
yurica chevaleresse Armor
Female knight armor.
Vampire Lord Dragon Priest Armour
Mashup from these two.
Telvanni Spellsword Armor
A set of Telvanni-themed spellsword armor.
SC - Dragon's Whisper Gown
Dany's Qarth dress.
Tribal Sorceress Outfit Mashup
Lowered Hoods
Variants of the vanilla hoods that are lowered (not over your head). Male and Female. Uses slot 45. Some patches for popular mods available.
Leveled Lists Vigilants of Stendarr - Paladin Armor
Adds the Paladin Armor by NordWarUA into the Vigilants of Stendarr leveled lists. It also adds some vanilla items to it making the Vigilants of Stendarr appear to actually be able fighting some Daedra.
Liam's Armoured Mage Robes
Adds enchanted and unenchanted armoured robes for each school of magic along with necromancy robes and normal armoured robes. They can be crafted at the Tanning Rack or Blacksmith Forge.
Fortran's Shields
Shields Of Glory ==NEW==
Several craftable shields with glorious look.
Nordic Round Guards Shields ==NEW==
Variety of Viking-style guardian shields. Guards will no longer walk with the same shields.
Nordic Round Shields ==NEW==
Adds round shields with a viking shield style.
Legendary Alpha Shields ==NEW==
Thematic lore-friendly craftable shields with epic models and hd textures, 30 in total.
Nicos Raven Shield ==NEW==
Finally A Steel Plate Shield
Frostkeeper
Drow Ranger Armor
Northgirl Armor
Original female armor on the edge between beauty and lore-friendliness.
Thalmor Armory
Adds new Thalmor equipment set in 3 variations.
Dwemer Fairies ENB Particles ==NEW==
9 Dwemer Colored Glow Fairies with Standalone lights ENB particles, Animated, Equippable and Enchantable with Custom Sound Effects.
Craftable Horse Barding
Yep. Armor for your horses.
Weapon mods:
Before you start, if you prefer the visual presentations, you can take a look at some of the best mods released in 2018 and in general:
First of all, let's look on weapon packs - mods that contain many or at least several weapons inside them:
Lore Weapon Expansion My personal favourite between all big weapon packs. Variative but not too big and with qualitative textures for each weapons without exceptions. And what is good, it's really lore-friendly. InsanitySorrow Weapons Pack
A compilation of standalone mods (that are not included in previous pack) from the same author, ported from LE. I humbly recommend installing this pack as well - it includes many unique weapons for warriors, thieves and archers, which are still really, really immersive.
Royal Armory - New Artifacts
A must-have mod. Adds special weapons to the most important characters in Skyrim with unique effects and appearance. This may sound very simple, but it really changes the way you will look on many quests and NPCs - because now they will be a more than worthy targets. Make sure to install amazing mesh/texture improvement addon for it. Optional tweaks patch and typo fix are also available.
Immersive Weapons
The biggest weapon pack ever. Enourmous variety of weapons. This may act as a subjective disadvantage - some people don't want so much (as some weapons are looking not very immersive actually), but it's all a matter of taste. Take a look at patches page and Morrowloot patch (works for MUS too) if needed.
Heavy Armory - New Weapons
One of my favourite wepon packs as well. This mod adds nearly 100 new weapons to Skyrim. You will find all new Halberds, Spears, Glaives, Shortswords, Quarter staves, Mauls, Hatchets and Clubs. Optional addon for enchanted weapons distribution is available.
Legendary Skyrim Crossbows and Bows
Amazing mod that adds dozens of new crossbows, some bows and unique arrows/bolts to the game. Crossbows have very qualitative models.
Liam's Staves of Skyrim
45 new staves!
Scoped Bows
Simple but brilliant mod that adds scopes to all vanilla bows making them look much more epic. Some compatibility patches are available, as well as VR patch.
BillyRo Ultimate Swords Anthology
The massive pack containing dozens of amazing standalone weapons by talented Billyro, ported from Skyrim LE.
Billyro Compendium ==NEW==
Another huge pack of most noticeable weapons made by Billyro.
JaySuS Swords
Old but good weapon pack that adds 53 new craftable weapons to the game.
Skyrim Weapons Expansion
Over 100 balanced weapons into the vanilla game through crafting and leveled lists.
Weapons collection 1
Weapons Collection 2
Weapons Collection 3
30 (in total for all 3 mods) new, HQ weapons from same author.
Zikoru Swords Collection
Small pack of weapons from another talented weapon mods author, pretty similar to Billyro's style in general.
Katana Crafting
This Mod allows crafting Katana, Dai-Katana, Wakizashi and Tanto from materials; Steel, Dwarven, Orcish, Elven, Nordic, Ebony, Glass, Stalhrim, Dragonbone and Daedric. DSR patch and MLU patch are available.
Isilmeriel LOTR Weapons Collection
Old but good weapon pack for LOTR fans. Also install the fix patch needed to correct some errors made during mod porting from Skyrim LE.
The Witcher 3 Weaponry
Simple as that. Great mod for Witcher series fans and fitting Skyrim world.
Tera Weapons with Leveled List
Definitely not lore-friendly, MMO-like weapons, but may be interesting for some players.
Kthonia's Unique Weapon Pack - Dragonborn Weapons
Adds three unique-looking dragonbone weapons with unique effects into the game world, found in Solstheim. Also install the fix.
Reforging - To the Masses (Weapons Expansion) ==NEW==
A huge weapon pack which adds around 300 vanilla-friendly weapons to the game. Some patches are available here ==NEW==.
Bowgasm ==NEW==
A collection of 14 beautiful, realistic bows. Optionally, you can use a different version of the plugin to have these bows replace vanilla bows. You can a see a showcase of it here.
Rafael's Weapon Pack ==NEW==
A collection of mostly definitely not lore-friendly, but absolutely badass, epic weapons inspired by some other games.
Daedric Light Weapons ==NEW==
Many daedra prefer to use light daedric armor instead of the traditional heavy variants, likewise many of them also prefer to use lighter and faster weapons, instead of the traditional elaborate heavy armament. This weapon set may not be as robust or powerful as other Oblivion sets, but its slimmer and lighter design allows for faster strikes.
Horker Weapon Pack
For muh immers...horkkersion?
Skyforge Weapons
Qualitative mod for Skyforge weapons.
Nice! Now standalone weapon mods that add a single weapon, or a couple of them:
Artifacts - The Ice Blade of the Monarch Pack of 3 absolutely beautiful weapons (sword, dagger and staff) with a lore-friendly quest to obtain them. Eimar's Edge
Beautiful steel sword with silver carvings and glowing.
The Huntsman
Unique-looking UPGRADABLE bow.
Lorkhan Moonlight Greatsword Reborn
A legendary sword from Souls series in several unique variants, with custom meshes and visual effects. I also strongly recommend you to check out this author's other weapon mods, mostly inspired by DS as well.
Billyro profile
For incredibly qualitative weapons mods if you want them standalone out of the pack linked above, or if you just wanna endorse his original works ;) Note that he has vastly less mods officially for SE than for LE - most you need to port yourself if you want to have them standalone.
Valkyrja - Viking sword
Lore-friendly, authentic-lookin, highly-detailed original sword.
Sword of Ancient Tongues
Beautiful runed sword in 12 variants.
Johnskyrim profile
For absolutely breathtaking, insane in a good meaning, stunning weapons inspired by other games like WOW or Kingdom Come.
ImsumDave profile
For several beautiful, half realistic, half fantasy weapons.
Crazylion profile
For original-looking standalone weapons and unique variations for some vanilla weapons.
FunkyGandalfCat profile
For badass DS-inspired weapons.
Scythe42 profile
For some ported weapon mods of FavouriteSoul from Skyrim LE.
Tartaross profile
For a small but qualitative weapon pack and several original weapon mods.
Hilli1 profile
For many other Skyrim LE weapon mods ported to SE.
tamu75 Witcher's Steel Sword
Beautiful silver sword from Witcher, still fitting Skyrim greatly too.
Occiglacies - Ancient Falmer Blade
An HD Ancient Falmer blade for your travels.
The Munich
It's a hand and a half sword (aLonger...longsword), based on the design from Albion Swords.
The Devil's Tooth
A longsword, based on the design from the Netflix show Cursed.
Lux and Noctis Katanas
Rory's Halberd
Blades of Chaos ==NEW==
Adds "Blades of Chaos" based on the blades from the God of War game which use the whip weapon type (and ofc, animations) from Animated Armoury.
Leviathan Axe - Dwemer Artifacts ==NEW==
Leviathan Axe as seen in God of War, features incredibly quality model and texture, all stages of upgrading, pommels with different effects and much more! You can a see a showcase of it here.
Staff of Bloodstained Chalice ==NEW==
Add a new vampire/gothic themed staff with unique enchantment.
Fudou Myouou Katana and Tachi ==NEW==
Serpent Dagger ==NEW==
Beautiful glowing dagger with multiple color options and additional option for Blade of Woe replacer.
Magic Blade ==NEW==
A set of magic blades from the comic Scissor Seven.
Zireael - Ciri's High Quality Sword ==NEW==
Fly, Swallow.
Alduwuin profile ==NEW==
For a few unique-looking, high-quality weapons.
Nicoroshi profile ==NEW==
Once widely well-known weapon mods author back in 2012-2013, he is active again and makes lots of new weapon mods with improved quality.
Kanjs profile ==NEW==
For various daedric-style (but not only) weapon mods.
Vanguard's Claymore
A very large 2h sword with unique impacts.
Dragon Tamer's Blade - Hiccup's Fire Sword
The Lost Roscrean Blade
A unique ornate Nordic style late game sword.
The Soul Harvester
Adds a 2h Scythe based on the weapon from Diablo II.
Dawnbreaker Requiem
Re-imagining of the classic Dawnbreaker. Standalone mod.
Dragonbone Crossbow
Adds a dragonbone crossbow and a corresponding bolt.
Mehrune's Razor Reborn
Adds a longsword and dagger modeled after the Mehrune's Razor.
Dragon Slayer - Berserk
Mod adds the Dragon Slayer from Berserk to Skyrim Special Edition. 4K Textures.
Ayleid Crystal Saber
An Ayleid crystal sword obtained through a unique heist.
Valiant Nord Bow
Custom nordic bow.
Sword of the First Ember
Beautiful semi-fantasy sword.
CROSS_Crucible
Absolutely not lore-friendly, but just a badass weapon from DOOM.
Mjollnir
If you are a fan.
Dwarven Aetherial Bow
Unique-looking aetherial bow. Also make sure to install a fix for it.
Both weapons and armors, new artifacts or vanilla artifacts improvements:
Between Zim's overhaul, Reliquary of Myth and True Artifacts of Skyrim - make sure to choose only one of them. Other mods in this subsection you can add on top if you wanna, but this may require some manual work in xEdit to make them fully compatible.
Zim's Immersive Artifacts A great collection of improved/new effects for huge amount of unique armors/weapons/items. It improves and rebalances really a lot of unique named items in the game, finally making them worth to hunt for and keep even at high levels and not throwing them to trash bin insantly after you found your first dragonbone weapon or daedric armor. SIC patch, WACCF patch and Wintersun patch are available, as well as tiny visual addon. Reliquary of Myth - Artifact Overhaul A fresh and constantly updated artifacts overhaul released in 2020 - and hugely underrated one. Atm, it already covers more artifacts than Zim's mod, which was a go-to artifacts overhaul for most of players for years. Reliquary puts the soul in each artifact, making most of them actually unique, and great not for roleplay only, but to greatly spice up character builds. Lastly, it comes with a nifty FOMOD installer which has a lot of patches for popular mods (you can merge
all of them safely, just don't merge the mod itself). Since it was released, it's my personal pick and I strongly recommend to at least try it. It's also recommended to install this ==NEW== neat little mod which improves artifacts not coverered by Reliquary, thus playing a good synergy on top of it. You can also see my review of it here.
True Artifacts of Skyrim
A similar to Zim's work and imo, pretty underrated mod (obviously not compatible with previous one, choose one or another) with own approach, which covers a hundred!! of artifacts.
Nice, let's continue to smaller mods which are mostly adding brand new artifacts and item sets!
Artifacts of the Court Wizards ==NEW== Adds a unique artifact with a unique enchantment to most court wizards in Skyrim! Thane Weapons Reborn Similar mod from the Legacy of the Dragonborn author which is focusing on thane rewards only, making them really unique. Unique Thane Weapons One more great alternative to make thane weapons not only have unique effects, but also look unique. The Gifts of Akatosh One of my most favourite weapon and armor packs. Epic, detailed and lore-friendly. Noldor Content Pack
Another great LOTR-inspired armor/weapon pack. That's a version with a small fix, so please make sure to endorse the original mod (you don't need it though).
DCR - King Crusader Mega Pack
Badass, grim, beautiful pack of armor (somewhat inspired by nazguls from LOTR to me), swords and a unique spell.
Dragon Carved Armor Set
Heavy armor set + weapons, looking epic and pretty much immersive. Some recolors are available. Also install this patch if you're experiencing floating armor, but before installing, rename the "Mesh" folder to "Meshes".
Artifacts - The Breton Paladin
Beautiful paladin armor set, including an extra helmet, sword, mace, warhammer and ring.
Resplendent Armor and Greatsword
One of my favourite armor/weapon mods ever made. Heavily-inspired by Arthorias from DS series.
Imperial Dragonknight Armory
Stormcloak Hero Armory
A must-have mods for any fan of named factions. Incredible quality! For the second one, grab a fix.
Soul Collector
A set of assassin armor and weapons.
Project Veil of Death_Dreaded Relics Weapons and armor set
Adds a unique armor with customization options and unique weapons.
Nordic Crusader Armour
Adds the Nordic Crusader Armour and Greatsword for crafting. Requires the Steel Smithing Perk.
Forsworn Envoy and Staff of Hag's Wrath Set
Adds a new Forsworn themed set for female characters with a powerful Destruction Staff replacing the Staff of Hag's Wrath at Darklight Tower.
Liam's Rings of Skyrim
Adds more enchanted craftable rings to the game.
Away - Come Away
A new quest that will lead you across Skyrim to claim a light, female-only set of armor as well as a greatsword and longbow - each with its own unique but subtle effect.
Arch-Knight Judicator Armor and Greatsword
High quality knight armor and sword.
Rogue Blade Armor
Very cool looking and original mashup of Iron and Blades armor sets.
Daedric Kynval Armor And Sword ==NEW==
Adds a standalone Daedric Armor & Sword to make you look like a Royal Dremora. Replacer version available.
Oblivion Artifact Pack
Adds various unique weapons and armor pieces from The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion into Skyrim. Such as the Escutcheon of Chorrol, The Redwave, Blackwater Blade, Draconian Madstone and many more.
Aetherium Armor and Weapons Compilation
Badass and simply a must-have mod for any dwemer fan. Also don't forget to install this absolutely incredible model/textures improvement for it.
Artifacts - The Tournament of the ten Bloods
Goldbrand/Eltonbrand, Boethiah's Walking Staff, Fearstruck, Lyrisius Dagger and Shashev's Ring. High-res textures and lore-friendly quest to obtain them.
Daedric Armor and Weapon Improvement
Epic-looking, glowing daedric armors and weapons variations. Vanilla replacer version is also available.
Vikings Weaponry
Highly-immersive set of nordic weapons and shields in just insane quality. I also highly recommend to browse the profile of this author - he has a lot of other mods (mostly new weapons) - unlike this mod, most of other his weapons are not lore-friendly and mostly inspired by Warcraft, but their quality is absolutely amazing.
Somewhat Historically Accurate Weapons and Viking Gear
A port of an LE mod - the name pretty much stands for it :) Adds new weapons (mostly) and some armors.
Fulcimentum - More Staves and Wands of Skyrim
Adds 9 wands and 9 staves, each with a shield of the same shape. Check out mod Files tab for some popular mods patches.
Hammerfell Armory
A set of Redguard-inspired weapons and shields.
Staff of Sheogorath (Fully Voiced)
Yep. It's all mad god shining glory.
Everlight - Torches of Skyrim
10 Craftable Magic Torches with unique enchantments, light colors and sounds. Get also a custom spell to summon a Cold flame Atronach, or summon it with one of these torches.
RonnieMagnum profile
For both various qualitative weapons and armors, or sets.
Artifacts of Skyrim
Adds 15 new artifacts hidden across Skyrim. Can you find them all?
Nordic Wanderer Equipment
Immersive armor and weapon pack from Billyro.
RN Vanilla Accessories
10 hair accessories. 5 earrings +8 one earring. 4 bouquets of flowers.
Stoneheart Jewelry SMP
Various stylish earrings with HDT support.
iD - DovahBling Bracelets ==NEW==
Set of shiny bracelets.
HORNY
Adds 35 new wearable horns.
Skyrim modding stage is literally swarmed by follower mods, the vastl majority of which are really dull and simply briefly imported racemenu presets with nothing more. That's why I decided I can't skip this part and show you some really worthy follower mods - interesting, funny, badass, with own temper and/or unique look, background stories and personal questlines and so on. Using mods from this section you will be sure your companions are not only "I'm sworn to carry your burdens".
First of all, a few great mods to give you immensely better control over your followers in all aspects and make your life with followers much more comfortable"
EFF - Extensible Follower Framework Grab this mod if you will ever play with followers. It's amazing and complex mod that adds many features to scan, control, equip your followers, give them much more commands, teleport to you if they are stuck or lost and much, much more. With a cool UI in addition! Note: Take into account that some complex follower mods, like INIGO, for example, are not compatible with EFF. That doesn't mean your game will crash or something. They just mostly have own customized controls system, so just use it and don't try to manage them with EFF, otherwise they may act weird. Also install this tiny fix and optionally, enhanced wheelmenu addon . Nether's Follower Framework A great alternative to previous mod, without some features of it, but with some of own unique features. Improved Traps patch available. My Home is Your Home (MHiYH 2plus) This mod will be useful as well if you like to play with many followers or just to have many of them in overall and choose different companions from time to time. Follower Death and Injury Chance - Followers Can Die This mod allows for followers to die and get injuries resulting from battles. The chances are quite low, but it will keep the game fresh and allow for more interesting experiences and narratives when it happens. Quite an essential mod for those who prefer balanced game with realism touch. Stealth Kills for Followers - Standalone Very light-weight mod that allows your followers also be able to kill enemies silently. Sleep for me now ==NEW== A simple standalone mod that makes followers sleep. Dynamic Mercenary Fees ==NEW== Simple mod that makes mercenaries ask for more or less money for their services depending on their level, your and their race and how good you are at bartering (your speech skill). No More Ugly Combat Idles for Followers ==NEW== Do you find annoying how your followers start acting like apes after unsheathing their weapons? They check their weapons, look around and stretches all the time, even if you replace their idle animation with a custom one. Now they won't play those animations at all. Call Follower ==NEW== Mod that adds War Horns to general stores and loot containers around the world. Blowing the horn calls your current follower to you, even if they have been told to wait somewhere else. Includes an MCM that allows you to select whether your human or animal follower responds to the call, or both. Note: This mod should be used only [only] if you're [not] using follower control mods like EFF/NFF (for some reasons). I'm Glad You're Here - a follower and spouse appreciation mod ==NEW== Allows the player to show their appreciation to their followers , spouse and adopted kids by dialogue and a hug animation. Voiced with vanilla assets.Now let's get to the followers themselves - the most interesting, funny, beautiful, charismatic and badass companions you can have:
INIGO The one brave khajiit to rule them all. The one companion to pun them all. In my opinion, Inigo, while having not the numerically biggest amount of endorsements, is the best follower mod ever made. If you never liked to play with followers and even if you hate followes/follower mods in principle, Inigo will change that once and forever after just a couple of hours played together with him. Or maybe even after a few minutes.Inigo is a fully voiced khajiit adventuring companion with over seven thousand lines of unique dialogue - much of it about you. He doesn't just have some "on-call phrase" - he reacts on everything and everyone around you. He will comment, he will sing, he will scream, he will joke and he will troll. Both you and your followers as well. Inigo is one of those mods that make you give a complete new look on the game. You may be also interested in optional visual change for him, as well as Mr. Dragonfly ENB particle light patch ==NEW==. Sofia - The Funny Fully Voiced Follower "The infamous Sofia needs little introduction as she causes trouble across Skyrim". And that's all about her. The very original, funny and sarcastic follower voiced by professional voice actress.
Sofia is quite an unusual follower. She is tough, witty and just a little bit boastful. She has a strong fondness for the player character but her deliberate attempts to disguise the fact just leads to very awkward conversations especially as she usually says exactly what she thinks. Sofia is a tease and loves to wind people up which doesn’t make her very popular with people. Her rebellious spirit and careless attitude often gets her in trouble. Not to mention her constant inappropriate comments which easily offend or embarrass people. Also take a look at customizer addon for her and a visual overhaul (or also this one or this one ==NEW==). Lucien - Fully Voiced Follower Lucien is a fully voiced Imperial follower with over 2500 lines of immersive, lore-friendly dialogue. Though he arrives in Skyrim as a cowardly scholar, he'll gradually gain strength and confidence by your side until he grows into a hero in his own right. It's made on a level of dedication and self-awareness close to INIGO, and plays greatly together with INIGO installed. You can see a showcase of it here. You may also be interested in this handsome replacer for it and this lil fix patch ==NEW==. Vilja in Skyrim One of the most endorsed (well deserved) follower mods as well. Greatly done from all aspects, Vilja doesn't only have her own agenda - she also has her hopes and visions, her thoughts and opinions, and a background story that she will share with you over time. There's also a customizer for her Improved Follower Dialogue - Lydia This mod doesn't just give Lydia a new voice - it adds over 350 lines of dialogue to make her an actually interesting character and major part of the main quest. Absolutely must have if you're using her as a follower. M'rissi's Tails of Troubles Half-khajiit, half-human. Meet M'rissi and decide your own role in her life. Will you be a slaver, a saviour or a lover? That's for you to decide. Fully-voiced thrilling personal questline will also give you decent amount of enjoyable hours. There's a visual replacer available, as well as this one, and INIGO patch . Hoth Brutal warrior companion with unique voice and amazing visual customization. Aurlyn Dawnstone - The Reclusive Philosopher Altmer sorceress with over 1000 voiced lines, own reactions on events and own temper. Visual replacer addon is available. Recorder - Standalone Fully Voiced Follower Definitely not very lore-friendly looking, but a great and original fully-voiced follower with own questline and various reactions of surroundings and your actions. Install the bugfix patch and take a look at customizer and one more visual overhaul. L u n a Not custom-voiced, but absolutely unique-looking beautiful female follower with own combat style. Alex's Nereron - A Dunmer Companion A custom voiced Dunmer Companion with over 400 voicelines, custom features and completely standalone. Khash The Argonian A completely lore-friendly fully voiced follower mod with 770+ lines of custom dialogue. Take the young Argonian, Khash, on your adventures. Mythos ==NEW== An amazing and underrated follower mod from the authors of "Citizens of Tamriel". Venture forth with two fully-voiced companions, each with their own branching quests and reactive personalities - dive into the Skyrim dangers with a party of characters worthy of any great RPG. You can also watch a showcase of it here. Shirley - A Skyrim Follower Mod ==NEW== Shirley Curry, the beloved Skyrim Grandma, finally comes to the game as a follower you can recruit! She'll join you on your adventures, but don't expect her to simply carry your burdens! She's got more personality than all the vanilla followers combined, and we're sure she'll be a great companion, and a friend. And a grandma! You can also optionally get this visual overhaul to make her look closer to her original irl age. Nebarra - Fully Custom Voiced Altmer Follower ==NEW== Nebarra is a rude, blunt, and general prick of an Altmer mercenary that can accompany you in your travels. He is a fully voiced follower with 1,500+ lines. Triss Merigold - Custom Voiced Follower ==NEW== Triss Merigold from The Witcher series as standalone voiced follower for Skyrim with a short romance quest. LoonaShadow - Custom Voiced Follower Mod ==NEW== A beautiful and poetic follower with custom voiced lines. Skeever - Custom Follower ==NEW== An incredibly qualitative, fun and fully voiced follower of many talents - and to me, a really underrated mod. Skeever is a lore-friendly 15,000 (atm, more to come) dialogue lines that cover every single interior in the game, Breton follower who also happens to be a true-scout, everything-reading, enemy-detecting, song-singing, praying-loving, riddle-playing companion. He can smell the surroundings and tell you what kind of enemies you will encounter in the dungeon, he can advise, joke, sing and even read books for you. Whenever you do not know what to do, ask Skeever and see what he'll have for you next. You can also watch a review of this amazing mod here. Followers as Companions II ==NEW== An SE port of "Followers as Companions" mod from Skyrim LE. Alkaia Custom-voiced female follower. Companion Yngvarr Badass and (imo) WOW-inspired companion. Kirsten - Voiced Follower Kirsten can be found at Haelga's Bunkhouse, ready for adventure and crime. Diana Vampyre Diana Vampyre adds hours of additional gameplay as well as the lovely Diana Pureblood Vampire follower. The dungeon master has stolen Diana's spell books and it's up to you to find them and learn the secrets of Pure Blood Vampire Magic. Toccata Follower Vivace Follower Chaconne Follower Succubus-san Beautiful followers from the author of Bijin series. She will heal you and other followers in combat. Includes a MCM that allows you to fully customize her combat behavior, class/skills, and spells. Companions and Followers Mod adds 12 generic followers travelling around the Skyrim (instead of just sitting and waiting for you).
Creature follower mods - new creature followers or improved vanilla beast followers:
Gladys the Corgi - A Custom Dog Follower Mod ==NEW== Adds a friendly corgi companion to join you on your adventures, voiced with the sounds of an actual corgi of the mod author. Inconsequential Pets ==NEW== Choose from a range of 74 Inconsequential Pets and share your adventures with up to 6 pets at a time. Pets are invulnerable and cannot attack or be targeted by hostiles (MMO-style pets). A Cat's Life A Cat's Life aims to bring cats to the land of Skyrim in the most immersive and fun way possible. Towns and villages will have both stray and household cats wandering around who you can interact with. You'll be able to adopt cats through gaining their trust and affection and even purchase your own cats from pet stores. You can also watch a review of it here. Tiikeli - Tiger Follower Fierce tiger follower to stand by your side in your battles. Werewolf Companions - Turns the Companions at Jorrvaskr into Werewolves If a member of the Companions is near death and bleeding out, they will automatically transform into a Werewolf to unleash the beast on your enemies. Once they calm down they will automatically transform back into a human and automatically re-equip their armor. Kishar - A Spriggan Utility Follower Kishar is an Alteration/Illusion caster with some very useful custom spells, similar to Clairvoyance, Waterbreathing, Muffle, Rally, and Pacify. Zephyr - Standalone Rabbit Companion and Friend This mod adds a standalone talking rabbit follower in Jorrvaskr in Whiterun. Meeko the Ghost Dog This mod turns our favorite Meeko into the ghost dog. Now he has a colorful aura, ghost resistance, immune to poison and has no level limit. Harold the pack goat Ahem....bb-beeee-eeee? Ihlenda Reconstructed A helpful dwemer doll that just needed a few bolts tightened and a good polishing. True Meeko Vigilance Reborn Frost Reborn Sabretooth - the loyal Sabrecat Companion Grunt - The Bear Companion
Drastically improved and beautified vanilla player homes, new player homes, castles, estates and hideouts. Player home is absolutely a matter of taste - size, style of design, features - that's all up to you, so here I've just listed a wide "base" of various beautiful and qualitative mods of this type to choose from.
Before you start, if you prefer the visual presentations, you can take a look at some of the best mods released in 2018:
Unlimited Bookshelves First of all, grab this essential mod - it does exactly how it's named and will be very useful for you, as it's compatible with modded homes as well. You can also grab this little patcher for better compatibility with some modded items. Better Bookcase ==NEW== Retexture for books and glass replacer for closed bookcase.Vanilla player homes and estates overhauls.
Lakeview. Manor - As It Should Be Remodels and decorates Lakeview Manor in absolutely beautiful, creative yet lore-friendly way. Allows you to customize you the home in many variants. The best ever existing mod for this vanilla home and one of the most qualitative in general. A member of my "best of 2018" player homes video. Breezehome Beautiful Breezehome overhaul from Elianora. Breezehome by Lupus A beautiful Breezehome overhaul. Simple yet very functional. Hjerim TNF A successful attempt to make this house more elegant and functional completeness. Honeyside TNF A mod from the same author, but for Honeyside this time. Proudspire Manor TNF And for Proudspire Manor. Proudspire Another really great, elegant Proudspire overhaul. Anduniel profile For a lot of vanilla player homes overhauls. Restoring the Aretino Residence Fix and upgrade the Aretino residence into a proper (player) home! Invite Aventus to return home! Give Sofie a warm place to sleep - or just use it for yourself. Fully voiced quest with 12 possible upgrade options. You can a see a showcase of it here. ian48 ==NEW== For simple yet stylish facelists for vanilla player homes Proudspire Manor Remodel - Bourgeois Apartment ==NEW== Fancy remodel of Proudspire Manor - now with decorations, bookshelves, and wine. Snowberry Cottage - Rebuild Hroggar's House ==NEW== Rebuild from the ashes! After destroying the vampires seeking to enslave Morthal, you can now rebuild Hroggar's ruined house into Snowberry Cottage - a quaint, lore-friendly player home that includes all crafting stations, ample storage, a child's bedroom, and an optional library and trophy room (compatible with spouses and Hearthfire adoptions).
New ones - large size - castles, mansions, estates.
Legend of the Eagles Nest A fortress with amazing level of details and with everything you may need in player home, located in snowy mountains between Riverwood and Whiterun. It also contains a questline to rebuild it to proper glory. Caranthir Tower Reborn While designed for a mage character initially, this amazing magic tower can actually serve as an epic base for anyone (but ofc without magic skills at all it will be very hard to complete its questline). Yes-yes, questline. It's not just a tower - it's like a complete new world inside it. It offers features never seen before, customisation, and is more than just a player home. The tower must be restored through a Hearthfire style crafting system or you can simply purchase everything you need. This mod is also based heavily around player choice. Aemer's Refuge One of my personal favourites between various player home mods. A big keep located high in mountains, with a lot of unique features, but what is the most important - unlike many other (even pretty popular) player home mods, each, even the tiniest details and clutter piece in this mod is placed exactly where it should be - and while being pretty huge, this keep is looking absolutely great with each detail on its own place. LC_Build Your Noble House Ever wanted to build your own castle step by step? Seek no more! This mod will give you the chance to build your own noble castle with your own hands. You will only start with a small shed and a tent, but in time you build a whole village and your own fortified noble house. Each building will yield revenue and produce materials that will be deposited daily in your shed. A member of my "best of 2018" player homes video. Halls Of Dovahndor The ultimate home for the ultimate Dragonborn. A fully detailed, original, lore-friendly home in Sovngarde. The Scarlett - A Buildable Ship The Scarlett is a large buildable ship mod with over 200 build options to choose from, featuring two small quests and a new unique location. The ship also features a fast travel system along with plenty of storages and other functional things. Black thorn Keep Fully functional custom asset player castle with original look. Located North of Dragon Bridge Tel Nalta II ==NEW== Tel Nalta is back! Simply the best Telvanni-themed player home ever. A huge thematic mansion with multiple floors, beautiful dunmer design and the unique mechanics of building (or, rather, growing) it. A must-have if you ever wanted Morrowind inspired player home. Raven Castle Huge (really huge), dark, ambient castle in gothic style located in its own worldspace. Will fit great any vampire/necromancer/warlock characters. Skyrimlazz profile Check it for dozens of beautiful (and mostly pretty big) castles and palaces. Mornfallow Manor Buildable player home southwest of Windhelm with complete construction system, tons of storages and all needed tools. Morskom Estate This mod is a large player home with one purpose in mind; to provide a unique home in Skyrim that you the player must build. You will have a bare old house up in Dawnstar which you purchase and renovate. The home includes support for your family and has more than enough storage for you hoarders out there. Deithwen - Witcher Inspired Home A large player home greatly inspired by the architecture and characters of The Witcher series. Silverpeak Lodge A very large player home made to house all of your followers and family. Maple Manor Player house near Ivarstead with a few functions and linked to the Legacy of Dragonborn safehouse. Springwood Estate - Player Home Purchase a new player home located in Solitude with all the features the dragonborn needs. Hearthfire adoption compatible. Fleetford Fleetford is a player home within an inn and a full surrounding settlement complete with traders, followers etc. The location is between Whiterun and Windhelm (by Darkshade and Cradlecrush Rock). The Shrouded Lair - A Vampire Home A castle of pocket realms in your own plane of oblivion for your vampire or any evil character and followers. Mod has simply an amazing interior design fitting the vampire character greatly. Also install this expansion/fix addon for it. Crystal Creek Mansion Beautifully designed middle-sized mansion near Pinewatch, with unique look and some custom features in addition. You'll like the guardian for sure :) Azura's Dawn A luxurious mansion situated beautifully on the Treva River, halfway between Riften and Ivarstead. Heartwood Castle ==NEW== Lore-friendly and highly defensible player home in the Rift. Medium sized. Family and follower friendly; crafting stations; generous number of planters; named storage; guards and other staff; mannequins and weapon displays, etc. Oars Rest ==NEW== Oars Rest is a new small village found on the edge of Lake Ilinalta. It's a nice small town with secrets for the player to uncover through the use of notes and hidden secrets. Apart from its mystery, it's a perfect stop for travelling adventures such as yourself to stop by, take a breather and sell some of your loot. Note: Also install the fix patch which can be downloaded via the link in comments section. Frostspire Tower ==NEW== A massive magical player home with vast amount of features - ability to craft dozens of new spells, teleport to all major cities and more. Shipwreck Cove ==NEW== Explore a new player home island, known as Shipwreck Cove, located near Solstheim. Once home to a famous pirate king, this abandoned hideout has everything the Dragonborn needs. Haafingar Hall ==NEW== Haafingar Hall is a player home located in Solitude with stunning views of the capital. The home costs 23000 gold, is family friendly and also highly Customisable. Windstead Cottage ==NEW== A large mansion located in the mountainous hills near Morthal. Featuring a forge, alchemist greenroom, library and a grand yet simple kitchen.. The home is situated on a hill, and doesn't require any additional questing or purchasing from the player. Note: Has some navmesh issues so followers may get stuck, but asides from this, it's a great mod! Hjertesten Hall - Player Home and Settlement ==NEW== Have you ever wanted to own land in Skyrim, with resources to manage and room for friends and family? To live like a true Lord, and not a mere wandering adventurer? If the answer is ‘Yes’, then welcome to Hjertesten Hall. Manor Of The Revenant Lord ==NEW== A massive, dark vampire style player home, located in a new custom worldspace called the Lost woods. Riverwood Falls Manor and Bleak Mines ==NEW== A medium-to-large mansion accommodating player and family, followers, blacksmiths, mage, apothecary, cooks, and property workers. Explore the assets and dangers of Bleak Mines and caves. Lore-friendly and feature rich including Hearthfire gardening, cooking, farm animal, immersive features, and linked and cloud storage. Fellheim - The estate with the best view in the Rift ==NEW== Welcome to the Fellheim fortified estate. A large player home situated near Ivarstead overlooking the Rift with some amazing views. Toxin Doctor Laboratory ==NEW== Located in the catacombs of a small abandoned fort in the mountains of Eastmarch, this laboratory is the ideal player home for toxin doctors, dark alchemists and all kinds of mad scientists, where ethics and morals give room for curiosity and experimentation without limits.
New ones - medium to small size - homes, small cottages and hideouts.
Elianora profile That's with no doubts a first profile you may want to look at when it comes to player homes. Elianora is a goddess of player homes, simple as that. She is specializing mostly on small and cozy player homes of absolutely various styles - so in her profile you most likely will find a mod for no matter what character type you are playing as. You may also be interested in this little addon for it.
Note: Unfortunately, Elianora has just a few of her mods for Skyrim SE, while having almost 60 for Skyrim LE. You have either to try convert the mods you like from LE yourself using CAO. Haem Projects profile Flying dwemer ship? A home on a tip of a magic staff? Tree home? Check out EXTREMELY creative, fantasy, Morrowind-inspired player homes by the authors of amazing Project AHO quest mod. Note: the dwemer ship is a part of Project AHO mod already. Terra Umbra - Mobile Floating Island One of the most creatively-made player home mods I ever used. An incredible player home for master Alteration mages. New spells found on a corpse near Alftand allow you to raise a portion of the dwemer ruins, including one of the ruined towers. This tower can then be moved to any part of Skyrim, if you have the will to move it. You can a see a showcase of it here. Leaf Rest An interactive & customizable home located in the town of Riverwood. It contains a full forge & crafting area, along with some unique features including: An interactive gardening system, a wood burning fireplace, quick access bookshelves, business ledger trading system, & more. The entrance faces towards the west, overlooking the river. A patch for JK/ETAC and buyable patch are available. Rayek's End A mid-sized, atmospheric hideout with a history just off the beaten path between Riverwood and Whiterun. If you don't mind the sound of waterfalls and prefer a secluded place to kick up your feet - this may be the home for you. A buyable patch is available. Ebongrove - Recall and Teleport Player home in the volcanic Eastmarch, its flora thriving under a dwemer sun. Teleport to all the main cities, and recall anytime thanks to the previous owners' magic experiments. All usual features of a home, and a bit of Dunmer lore. A buyable patch is available. Antennaria Beautiful, overgrown cavern temple home. Lake Haven Cliffside Cottage Pinecrest Estate Multiple adoption friendly, simple but immersive player homes from the same author (with no loading doors and see-through windows for the third one). Rooms for kids and followers, all vanilla crafting stations, named storages, planting soils, bookshelves and custom displays for all unique items. Note: If you liked this and 2 previous mods, don't forget to check out this author's profile in general, as he has much more player home mods. Pale Marsh Manor - A Unique Player Home Medium sized cozy home with unique custom landscaping that you can view through your house's windows. No load doors within home. Harborside - Solitude Bridge Home A uniquely modeled, no load doors home overlooking the Solitude harbor, just under the arc. A buyable patch is available. Mona Alta A mid sized player home in the mountains of lake Illinalta, with beautiful and very unique interior. The Northern Star Retreat - Revisited A mid-sized home on the calm and cold shores of the Pale. Hunters Cabin of Riverwood This mod original part is its size. Small cabin with minimalistic interior design - to have a rest and eat, located near riverwood with a great view on the town. Personal Quarter Teleport to your personal quarter from any place and return to where you were. geekiejo profile For a few nice little thematic LE player home ports. Canalside Bunker A safe haven for rogues and sneaky thieves nestled along the Riften canal. Family and companions welcome. Astronomer's Loft -- Small Loft Library Player Home in Whiterun A small, warm, and cozy loft home located in the attic of Arcadia's Cauldron in the center of Whiterun. You can a see a showcase of it here. The Lucky Skeever of Solitude A house, hidden away behind and the upper floors of the Winking Skeever, waiting for a new tenant. Falconroost Treehouse and a small estate. Umeguru profile For a few small, cozy player homes. Sami Hut - Cosy Player Home This cosy little home, located in Hjaalmarch halfway between the Imperial and Stormcloak camps, is based on the traditional dwellings of the Sami people, with Elder Scrolls-ish flair. Laboratorium Originally-looking player home with little extras and two quests. JK's Riverfall Cottage A cozy medium size player home near Riverwood. SlimeSire profile A few unique-themed player homes/hideouts, with background quests and unusual look wrapping around certain deities or roleplay archetypes. Sindora's Cottage In The Woods This mod adds a small fantasy style cottage with an Apothecary Vendor out side of Riverwood. White River Farm White River Farm is a buildable farm mod that is simple, lightweight, and cozy. Corners of Skyrim Ever felt that a few areas of Skyrim are a little empty? Ever feel that a little something was supposed to be there in a particularly bland area? Ever want a little something to spice up those empty areas? Then this mod is for you, giving small immersively blended hideouts. Millwater Retreat Millwater Retreat is a player home situated on the edge of lake Ilinalta. It’s been left in a broken state after plans to restore it went sideways. Uncover the mystery of this old mill and build it back up into a profitable business with the help of a few labourers. Silvermoon Mansion A small player island in the middle of lake Ilinalta. Faerdham Player home in Frozen marsh. Windyridge - Player home in Winterhold Windyridge cottage is located near entrance of Winterhold. Two cozy cottages with a small prequest, thematic containers, everything needed for base needs and some additional functions. Mammoth Manor A family-friendly cozy manor with a beachfront sauna by the lake Ilinalta in Falkreath. Haven Bag Portable house in a bag, simple as that. Also install a fix for it. Falkreath Treehouse Alchemist Edition - An Interactive Player Home ==NEW== A cozy, intricately decorated, and fully exterior (no load door) treehouse dwelling designed for an alchemist, druid, hunter, ranger, or woodland mage. Trollpacka - A house for witches and alchemists ==NEW== A small but detailed house in the swamps. Fitting for witches, alchemists, druids or anyone who just likes the style. Pinewood Cottage ==NEW== A beautiful cottage stitting on the waterfalls of riverwood overlooking Whiterun. Half-Moon Cottage ==NEW== Cosy cottage close to Half-Moon Mill. Shaman's Hut ==NEW== Adds a tiny player home, a Shaman's hut, to the plains of the Whiterun hold. Red Rose Mill ==NEW== A beautiful quaint mill, resting in the blazing forests of the rift. A great option for a starter home. White River Priory ==NEW== Oblivion-style Priory near Riverwood with 6 resident monks. Stalker's Refuge - Vampire Player Home ==NEW== A vampire player home south west of Falkreath. The Meadows Cottage ==NEW== Cozy cottage within the Whiterun Hold between the city of Whiterun and Rorikstead. Sindora's Hidden Hearth ==NEW== Small fantasy-themed home with 2 versions available . One for 4 Followers and one For Hearthfire Multiple Adoptions of up to 4 kids. Ilovespiders profile ==NEW== For a few unusually planted player homes. Adventurer's Sanctum ==NEW== Adds a small to mid sized player home near whiterun with space for you & 5 followers with dynamic lighting (changes based on time of day). THE TINIEST SHACK ==NEW== Yup. Rolegur - An Atmoran Home ==NEW== Comfy, quiet Atmoran home located in the north of Skyrim. The Winking Skeever Loft ==NEW== A beautifully decorated starter home, suitable for those who want to live in the big city. It has a balcony with a nice view over Solitude and is highly configurable with lots of options. Solve the mystery of the previous owner who has gone missing and left behind a mysterious artifact, and find new paths to walk in and out of Tamriel. Oldhollow Chalet ==NEW== Adds a tiny player home in the skyrim tundras with great views and some great features. The Rippling Isle - Player Home ==NEW== Adds a small home on a isolated island in the middle of the sea. Frostholme - An Underground Snow Retreat ==NEW== A cozy and small underground retreat in the middle of the Pale.
Combat & stealth, perks & spells, AI & animations, creatures & factions. Different overhauls and improvements - everything that affects your game variety and difficulty. There is one general Skyrim issue that (thank you Bethesda) wasn't changed at all from LE to SE. Skyrim script engine, Papyrus. It's static in terms of how many scripts it can handle, and this can not be expanded by any means (unlike the video memory limitations for Skyrim LE, for example), it can not be fixed or changed and it doesn't depend on 32bit or 64bit, our your PC specs - at all. Consider Papyrus a bottle which can handle only X amount of water. When it's X+1 or more - scripts are started being cluttered in your save file instead. This generally causes so called "script lag", save bloats, and, eventually, a broken game, and as mentioned before, the fact Skyrim SE is 64bit game doesn't give any benefits. So when it comes to gameplay mods (most of which have scripts in this or that amount), you need to be same careful in SE. Now, a quick manual of "how to see if my game can handle more script-heavy mods":
To test if your game overloaded with scripts or not, is very easy.When you are like starting to feel you have plenty of gameplay mods already, and not sure if your game can handle one more script-heavy survival mod, or two more combat mods etc - don't worry. Install them.
Then, launch your game and make NEW SAVE. While you'll be testing the game, save ONLY on that slot.
Now, go and force game to script-heavy situations. Go and fight bandits in some polulated fort, visit few big cities, run here and there. Visit locations with stormy weathers, and ofc, make actions that are depending on the mod you have just installed (like, build the camp if it's Campfire, or change your clothings several times etc).
Game running fine? No stutters in combat or actions, no crashes? (Exactly stutters - short-time game freezes, not the regular fps drops). Great! You're good to go. Stutters/crashes appear in combat, populated cities, during certain scripted actions? Nope. This mod is overloading your game - skip it.
And don't forget to delete the "test" save after.
Improved and smartened vanilla creatures, hundreds of new creatures, lore-friendly and not (up to your taste), new bosses and various improvements to vanilla guilds and factions - you will find them here.
Creature mods:
Skyrim Immersive Creatures Huge. Amazing. Immersive. Mod adds dozens of creatures to Skyrim. New monsters, factions battles, bosses and hundreds of encounters. All these things can be easily configured in the MCM. A must-have mod. Also grab the "Fix for Ogre Club" file and either 2k (recommended) or 4k textures pack, as the default mod textures are 1k only. You can see a brief showcase of it here. Finally, use some extra better textures/models from here and here. SkyTEST - Realistic Animals and Predators Best animal overhaul mod even existed. Immersive and lore-friendly. It gives animals amazingly improved AI - so giving you amazing new experience. Haven’t asked yourself why wolf packs never hunted the mammoth? Or why mammoth attack don’t at least knockback you or why animals are never scared by dragons? Think no more. Install and have fun :) You can see a brief showcase of it here.16 Also make sure to grab all needed patches from SkyTEST Integration Project page and install this HD textures addon. Animallica - Skyrim Wildlife Overhaul I have no idea how I missed adding this mod in the initial 2.0 release. Silly me. That's a great mod to add plenty of new animals, both predators and non-aggressive ones, to your game. Don't forget to grab a SkyTEST patch for it at integration project files page ;) Deadly Dragons Adds 14 new dragons and unique skills to them. Adds amazing dragon ‘assault’ system. Via MCM you can configure dragons stats - health, damage and much more. Must-have one. Also look here for Splendor patch. Diverse Dragons Collection Amazing mod that adds 28 new beautiful dragons to game, with 7 ranks for each dragon type, 16 new breath attacks and 19 new abilities. Greatly configurable MCM. Compatible with all dragon mods. My personal recommendation - it’s a great addition for other dragons mods. You can see a brief showcase of it here. Chaos Dragons Mod adds 45 new unique dragons to game. It’s similar to Deadly Dragons/DDC, but much less lore-friendly. It’s compatible with dragon AI mods, BUT not compatible with Deadly Dragons so you’ll need to choose. Splendor - Dragon Variants Simply a must-have mod, no matter which your "dragon" mod setup is. Drastically increases the visual diversity of enemy dragons, while using only vanilla resources, ending with 784 possible combinations. Fully compatible with other dragon mods Beasts of Tamriel Awesome mod that adds dozens of new creatures, both monsters and critters - some are not much lore-friendly, but every creature in the mod can be disabled through MCM. If you’re looking for even more expansion of your creatures variety, try it! Also install this patch to prevent several possible crashes from appearing, plus there's also INEED patch available. Diverse Werewolves Collection Adds variety to enemy werewolf encounters. There are now 25 werewolves and 13 werebears, each leveled at 11 possible ranks for a total of 418 new enemies. More Werewolves If you want to meet more furry enemies. Immersive Horses
Amazing and very immersive mod that offers a big improvement to vanilla horses system. Many new horses types, improved and balanced horses abilities, dozens of management options and (finally!) mounted spell casting. It's also more lightweight and stable than its predecessor, "Convenient Horses". Also install script fixes ==NEW== for it.
Simple Horse
While being much more stable then Convenient Horses, Immersive Horses is still pretty script-heavy - so if that matters for your mod list and you still want better horses functionality, but even more lightweight one - pick this neat little mod from author of Ultimate Combat and TK Dodge.
Call Your Horse ==NEW==
A simple and lightweight way to call your horse to your location.
One With Nature - Dynamic Animals and Creatures
This awesome little mod gives you ability to configure how different types of animals will act related to character - allied, cowardly, friendly of defensive.
MihailMods Creatures
Mihail is currently one of the most active mod authors at Skyrim modding stage. His productivity simply amazes. He's focused on making standalone creature mods - both lore-friendly and creatures ported from other games (Souls series, Witcher etc). He currently has almost 150!! creature mods (while only around 70 are ported to SE, but still a lot), and ofc while not all creatures will fit your personal taste - the huge variety will always have something personally for you. Also grab this audio fix for his "Old Gods of the Hunt" mod if using it, and optionally this.
GRAHL - The Ice Troll (Bloodmoon Creature Restoration Project)
Daedric Beasts - Wendigos and Howlers
Bogmort - Mud Monsters of Morthal Swamp
The Falkreath Hauntings
Cannibal Draugr on Solstheim (Bloodmoon Creature Restoration Project)
The Blood Horker (Bloodmoon Creature Restoration Project)
Several great standalone creature mods - either restoring cut creatures, or adding new creatures from TES lore. From the author of DDC and Splendor.
Otters ==NEW==
Adds otters and wolf-otters into Skyrim. You can also get a sound addon for them to be more quiet.
Skaven of Skyrim SE (Warhammer Fantasy) ==NEW==
Adds voiced Skaven to the world of Skyrim via leveled lists.
4thUnknown profile ==NEW==
For dozens of standalone mods adding creatures from TES lore to Skyrim gameworld, and on top of that - with a stunning quality models and textures.
Diverse Dogs ==NEW==
Adds diversity to the dogs of Skyrim, and optionally adds more dogs to farms, cities, and jarl's courts.
Wild Herds of Skyrim
Adds four wild horse herds to Skyrim. Each herd contains six horses: A lead mare, a stallion, and two mares with foals.
Butterflies Unchained
Butterflies Unchained makes butterflies and moths behave more like actual animals, rather than basic resource points. They now roam freely to explore the world alongside you. You can a see a showcase of it here.
Light Horses of Skyrim
Light riding horses in Skyrim now! Correct light horse anatomy and 13 unique fur colors.
Diversified Chickens
Chick fillet. But diverse.
Arvakr
This mod makes Arvak look a bit more like a normal horse, gives him better stats and a few new abilities to make him more interesting.
PermaFrost
A similar mod, but for Frost, from the same author.
Nightmere
A similar mod, but for Shadowmere, from the same author.
Zooming Horses - A Movement and Stamina Overhaul
Tired of useless horses that are worse than the apocalypse longstride spell? Want to play a non magic character, but don't want to fast travel? Tired of asthmatic horses that have no stamina? Mod is for you then.
Zim's Dremora Improvements
This mod has been designed as a balanced, lore-friendly improvement of the Dremora in Skyrim designed to make Dremora difficult opponents that can rival other deadly foes without making them overpowered. Also grab the USSEP patch ==NEW==.
Better Fire Wyrms
Fire Wyrms are stronger and only attack enemies.
Wild Penguins
Places some penguins around the northern coast.
Improved Fish
Adds many new fish to the waters of Skyrim. Both smaller pond fish and bigger fish in the category with salmon.
Varied Chickens
Adds several breeds/colors of chicken (barred, black, white...) to some places around Skyrim.
Faction mods:
OBIS - Organized Bandits In Skyrim Definitely best bandits mod. It adds amazing variety of bandits (about 2500!! in total), dozens of bandit factions. Bandits are groupped, positioned, have unique skills and improved AI. There are also optional plugins, for example, plugin that will add bandit raids around the towns and villages. My personal recommendation. You can see a brief showcase of it here. Cloaks of Skyrim patch is available separately.
Note: Don't use OBIS and Immersive Patrols together - while being fully stable and great mods themselves, when used together, sooner or later they case a game-breaking bug when random factions start attacking you on sight with no reason. I'm personally using OBIS. OBIS Loot Visually overhauls many of the OBIS bandits and their loot. Also adds a boatload of other content. Improved College Entry - Questline Tweaks Choose your school and more improvements for the College of Winterhold. Fully compatible with Immersive College of Winterhold! College of Winterhold Entry Requirements Adds customizable skill level and Magicka requirements to join the College of Winterhold. Compatible with Immersive College of Winterhold. Better College Application What you answer when applying to the College of Winterhold now actually matters. Compatible with Immersive College of Winterhold. College Days - Winterhold Go to school! Pay exorbitant fees to be mocked. Actually be a master at something magic-related before becoming Arch-Mage. Compatible with Immersive College of Winterhold. Also install this patch. Immersive College NPCs Adds more students and guards to the College of Winterhold. Almost fully compatible with Immersive College of Winterhold - you can use them together, just small cosmetic conflicts will appear rarely. All Thieves Guild Jobs Concurrently
Lets you take on all seven types of Thieves Guild jobs at once, instead of only one from Delvin and one from Vex at a time.
Less Tedious Thieves Guild
Remember that 125 job requirement for the full experience? Well, forget about that now.
Thieves Guild Bounty Clearer
This mod adds an NPC to the Ragged Flagon who can remove bounties on the player character for a fee. Also grab an improved audio addon for it.
Ragged Flagon Shortcut ==NEW==
Tired of running through two loading screens to get to the Ragged Flagon? This mod attempts to make it easier to get to Tonilia and the Thieves Guild quest NPCs by adding a manhole in Riften leading directly to the Flagon, and a ladder from there leading back out to Riften.
Thieves Guild Requirements
The Thieves Guild will now only recruit other thieves. Brynjolf will no longer approach you if you are not a thief, and the Thieves Guild questline will not be activated until the player meets the necessary requirements. You can also choose to set requirements that must be met before progressing along the Thieves Guild questline.
A Change in Managment - Seamless Transition of Guild Master to Brynjolf
Makes Brynjolf Guild Master of the Thieves Guild seamlessly. Mod includes remastered audio files, edited quest messages and objectives, and ensures all subittles are updated with the new dialog.
Thieves' Night On the Town -- Tnott ==NEW==
Overhaul for radiant quests from Vex & Delvin: hold selection, targets in ALL holds, job & hold independent crime tracking, concurrent jobs, fixed targets in stock locations.
Thieves Guild Vault ==NEW==
Adds items to The Thieves Guild Headquarters and the Ragged Flagon each guild level up. Note: Not compatible with Opulent Thieves Guild.
Destroy the Thieves Guild ==NEW==
Kill the Thieves Guild plaguing Riften and engage in alternative ways to gain the quest exclusive loot.
Dark Brotherhood for Good Guys
Another amazing mod from the same author. Don't worry, it doesn't transform DB to group of pacifists - but gives you various alternative choices.
Dark Brotherhood Reborn - Dawnstar Sanctuary
Not every super cool assassin organization wants to live in a filthy dark damp hole in the ground that has no real storage and not enough beds for everybody. It's time for the Sanctuary to become a proper base of operations. A few patches available here .
Save The Dark Brotherhood
Simple as that! No more scripted deaths of your comrades - their survival now depends on you. Protect your Brothers and Sisters during "Death Incarnate" to reap their use as followers and spouses later.
Your Choices Matter - A Dark Brotherhood Expansion ==NEW==
This mod extends the Dark Brotherhood questline in many ways and adds an optional alternate ending. The ending you get will depend on the choices you, player, make throughout the story. Completely voiced dialogues. Use this mod or the one above - I'm personally using this one.
Destroy the Dark Brotherhood - Enhanced ==NEW==
This mod allows the player to take a more politically neutral role in destroying the Dark Brotherhood, while also allowing players the chance to obtain all the unique loot they normally miss out on.
Hidden DB Sanctuary Entrances ==NEW==
Hides the Dark Brotherhood sanctuary entrances.
Penitus Oculatus
A quest where you can join the Penitus Oculatus after the vanilla "destroy the dark brotherhood" quest and get all the rewards.
The Companions - Earn your stripes
Simple mod delaying progress in The Companions questline in order to make the Dragonborn a regular, well-established member before actually becoming part of The Circle or even Harbinger.
Improved Companions - Questline Tweaks
Actually back out of becoming a werewolf without leaving Skjor and Aela stuck in the Underforge forever, and various other tweaks for the Companions. Note: Mod is still in development so may have some minor bugs.
Dawnguard - Hall of Vigilant Requirement
A small yet logical tweak that adds an additional requirement for the Dawnguard quest to start: having been inside the Hall of the Vigilant.
Keeper Carcette Survives
This mod helps provide an explanation as to what happened to Keeper Carcette after the attack on the Hall of the Vigilant. This also helps to make Stendarr's Beacon more aesthetic, functional, and immersive. Lastly, this also adds vigilants to all major cities.
Stormcloaks For Good Guys-LESS RACIST
A mod from "Good Guys" series author - does exactly how it's named.
Open Civil War
Expands the civil war by many new battles and sieges.
Hunting in Skyrim - A Hunting Guild
Mod adds a fully functional hunting guide to the game, and completely overhauls the entire hunting experience. It features realistic animal skinning (like Red Dead Redemption), animal trapping, kill & stat tracking, new skills and abilities, new NPCs and locations, new dungeons, new weapons and more.
Become a Bard ==NEW==
Mod lets you play all of the instrumental and voiced songs included with the game or choose from dozens of new songs. Adds new radiant quests to expand the options for a bard in Skyrim. An updated version of once already ported LE version of the mod, with restored MCM functionality. Use this mod or the one below.
Skyrim's Got Talent - Improve As a Bard ==NEW==
Play instruments, get better, NPCs react to your skill dynamically, many new songs, lots of easter eggs, simple implementation. A compact, yet powerful Bard Gameplay Overhaul. Use it or the mod above. Note: make sure to follow the required files instructions on the mod page.
Diverse Skyrim
Why you never saw even a single orc in imperial legion forces? Or a women? Why hunters were only elves and humans? If you want to change this aspect of the game - not just randomly, but absolutely logical and lore-friendly - get this mod for sure. Adds hundreds of new NPCs with unique appearences to the levled lists for added variety and diversity while staying lore friendly. Also install this fix ==NEW==.
Dealing with Daedra ==NEW==
New factions with quests, new spells and artifacts. Magic systems offer power for a price to non-mage characters. Witchhunters Guild, School of Julianos, Gatekeepers of Oblivion, Cult of Flesh, Ghost-Sea Smugglers and much more! You can a see a showcase of it here.
Silver Hand Armored ==NEW==
Mod gives Steel Plate Armor to all the hunters of the Silver Hand so as to turn this faction into a warrior faction rather than a gang of bandits.
Reasonable Silver Hand ==NEW==
The members of the Silver Hand no longer attack you on sight like common bandits. Instead, you can find out a bit of their story and might even become a honorary member.
Outlaws Refuges
Inspired by Elder Scrolls Online, adds Outlaws Refuges to major towns and cities.
Vigilant Faction
Ported from Skyrim LE, mod adds a joinable Vigilant of Stendarr faction to the game, with ranks and radiant quest system.
Bandit Facemask Disguise
This mod adds new, standalone Facemasks to the game that will be seen on Bandits throughout the land. The player can now join the Bandits and walk among them as an ally by simply equipping a facemask.
Sokco's Guild Starter
Start your own guild and choose its members, motives, and location.
You can also look on the creature/faction mods I'm personally using in my ultimate mod list, but take into account it was made for LE initially, but you can still reproduce the mod list mostly.
New spells, shouts and improved vanilla ones, immersive magic additions, rebalances and changes, enchantments.
Before you start, if you prefer the visual presentations and more in-depth review, you can take a look at some of these spell mods in action:
First, let's see some magic-related mods that are improving spellcasting/learning experience in this or that way:
Visual Animated Enchants - VAE A replacer for the visual and animation of the enchantments on weapons to make them more magical and immersive. Also install the fix for it, also choosing needed patches in FOMOD installer, or use the version ==NEW== better tweaked for ENB straight away instead.
Between the next few mods below, choose one:
Spell Learning and Discovery My personal favourite between such mods - lightweight and configurable, it prevents player form learning spells instantly, making player to study them by spending some ingame time. Mod also has other cool features like increased chances to learn spells the more spells you casted, chances of learning about new spell when talking to mages and so on. Compatible with all spell mods out of the box. Spellforge - Engaging and Convenient Spell Acquisition ==NEW== Tired of crowded spell vendors? Want to filter your spell selection by level, school and sub-type (e.g. Fire)? Want to feel like a powerful mage making their own spells in a torrent of arcane flames and unleashed power? Stop eating tomes and instead try out a more immersive, configurable and fun way to expand your spell book. Spell Tutor ==NEW== A relatively freshly released mod for alternative spell learning with own vision - really well feature-packed and greatly configurable. My personal second favourite together with Spell Learning and Discovery. Challenging Spell Learning Pretty original, but simple alternative to previous mods. In addition, compatible with absolutely all spell mods on Nexus. Grimoire - Spell Mastery Another simple and interesting implementation of spell learning. Spell mastery takes time. With Grimoire one must always have a spell tome on hand to cast its spell until mastery is achieved.Nice!
Scrollwriting in Skyrim Scrolls are no longer a non-renewable resource. You can now craft your own scrolls, like any self-respecting mage who dabbles in enchanting should be able to. Spell Tome Sorting Changes spell tomes names to "Spell Tome - [School] [Rank] [Spell Name]". Only changes spell tomes so you can buy them more easily, no spell names are changed. Atronach Friendly Fire ==NEW==
Friendly conjured atronachs will now heal if you hit them with a spell of the same element.
Vision ==NEW==
Spiritual successor to Predator Vision, this mod is a new take on the way perception powers work in Skyrim.
Mods introducing dedicated spellsword mechanics. Remember that Ordinator has own, balanced and fun spellsword mechanics implemented in two skill trees - these mods may and most likely will make you OP on some extent - but at the same time, they have own unique features which you may like. Choose only one mod between these.
Spellsword Sword or magic, why to choose? Install this mod and be able to launch prepared spells with weapon swings. Note: Ordinator has several spellsword perks and one of the perks is making almost literally the same, so if you're running Ordinator - you don't need this one for playing as spellsword character. The Flamebringer AIO - Immersive Spellsword Use as much as many different Spells and functions without changing spells. Combine close-combat and the wonders of magic into one very fluid combat style with unique combinations of visuals. Spellfury - Hit Stuff to Cast Spells One more approach to spellsword gameplay with pretty nonregular design. Turns magicka into a rage/fury like mechanic (no regeneration instead you gain magicka on weapon hits). Also, tries to improve the character progression of spell-sword style characters. Complete with a MCM to tweak and/or disable many features.Slice, smash, bang!
Awakened Magicka Simple but effective magic overhaul. Note: You don't need need if you're planning to use big perk overhauls like Ordinator or Path of Sorcery. No Force for Illusion Magic Stop Illusion spells from throwing things everywhere. Conjuration Hand FX ==NEW==
Changes the in-hand spell effects from the default purple swirl to custom colors for each of the summonable creatures. This was made in order to remove confusion from not knowing what conjuration spell is in your hand at the moment. At a glance you can now see if you have a Flame Atronach or a Frost Atronach in your hand!
Dragonhide Fixed ==NEW==
Fixes several major bugs with this master tier vanilla spell.
Now, the spell mods themselves:
Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim The biggest and greatest spells mod in history. While adding 155 new spells it’s still really well balanced and immersive. Absolutely any player will find something useful here - just for damage or for the immersive roleplay. It’s also very compatible with other magic/perk mods. You may use or not use another mods with it but you just must use this one :) One of my two most favourite spellpacks for Skyrim. Don't foget to grab Ordinator/Vokrii patch depending on which one you're using. Note: Enai released a sort of reworked version of it lately here ==NEW==. It will be a good use to you if you like Apocalypse but think it's tad too much in general. You can also grab a texture improvement patch, conjuration sounds improvement patch ==NEW== for it and some other patches ==NEW==. Patches/Addons (for Apocalypse, not Odin): Categorized Favorite Menu for Mages - Apocalypse Apocalypse - Ocato's Recital - Auto Dispel Balance Adjustments for Apocalypse Elemental Staffs for Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim Cha-poo! Arcanum - A New Age of Magic This pretty new spell pack is simply and literally breathtaking. It combines both new amazing visuals with new amazing mechanics of the spells, resulting in absolutely next-level spell mod. Currently mod has Destruction, Restoration, Illusion and Conjuration (read note about it further) spells available. You can also watch a showcase of it here. Note: Latest version of the mod is improperly packed and carries lots of bugs, so until mod author fixes that and while a partial bufixing patch exists (it doesn't fix all the issues), it's strongly advised to use latest mod version [before] Conjuration spells were added. Elemental Destruction Magic Awesome mod that adds 30 new spells related with different element. Another mod feature is that different types of enemies are weaker/stronger to different elements. This can bring additional immersion to your mage playthrough. Optional simplified addon is available, as well as Fulcimentum patch . Forgotten Magic Redone Mod adds 39 new spells. Key feature is it also adds 10 improvements for each of them, so 390 improvements in total. Also install a fix for it. Shadow Spell Package This mod adds "shadow" themed destruction/illusion spells and perks to Skyrim, looking and acting awesome. These spells are based around drains, damage-over-time and debuff effects. Great mod for ‘dark’ mage playthrough. Dawnguard Arsenal Amazing mod for everyone who like Dawnguard and paladin/vampire hunter playthrough style. Mod adds new armors and weapons, new sun spells and also improves existing dawnguard sun spells. Spectraverse - Magic of the Magna-Ge Mod adds interesting questline during which you can obtain 42 new destruction spells. Questline is based on TES lore, it has 5 voiced NPCs, 6 locations and 6 quests. Dwemertech - Magic of the Dwarves Similar to previous mod, but this one is related with dwemer lore. - 42 new Alteration, Destruction and Restoration spells. - 14 bionic upgrades - Interesting short quesline with voiced NPCs. Triumvirate - Mage Archetypes A latest work of the greatest Skyrim mod author, Enai Siaion. Triumvirate adds support for five mage archetypes (druid, shadow mage, warlock, cleric, shaman) in the form of 15 balanced spells each, which are available immersively through vendors. Some spells may be not quite balanced, but all are useful for roleplaying purposes. Tonal Architect ==NEW== A high quality Dwemer themed collection of spells from Enai Siaion, themed around devices, tinkering and automatons. It is similar in style to the Triumvirate classes. Skysunder Metamagics Awesome mod that adds unique spell mechanics and improvements. Spell charging, magic impacts, blinks, spell sharing, improved spell explosions and a few more features. Wild Magic Surge This mod aims to make magic more volatile and dangerous by re-creating the Wild Magic system from D&D in Skyrim. Aetherial Tomes ==NEW== Spell mod that adds plenty (around of 100) of new spells that fill missing roles and alters a few vanilla spells for balance. Warp Magic - Lore Of Ruin Spells (Warhammer Fantasy)
==NEW==
Adds 14 Standalone Warp-Magic spells to the game.
Astral Magic
Ancient spells tapping into the flow of Aetherius, drawing starlight to strike opponents.
Epic Restoration
Adds 32 non-violent spells to the Restoration school.
Aura
A mod with simple yet interesting mechanic. Adds toggleable aura spells, which provide constant effects for yourself and/or nearby allies/enemies. All auras reduce your maximum magicka by a specific amount while active (upkeep cost).
Secret of the Blood Armory
Discover the Secret of the Blood Armory and obtain unimaginable power. A blood magic spell mod.
Lertkrush profile
For various small spell packs - mostly they are pretty disbalanced or plainly overpowered, so usually their usage is just for fun/screenies.
The Miracle of Flight
Adds three modes of flying transportation for skilled mages: a flying carpet, Hethoth's Floating Disk and a dwemer conveyance. Actual flying was not something game intended so it can kinda ruin the balance/exploration immersion, but mod itself is really well made and can be great for screenshots and roleplay.
Shalidor's Migrant Portals
Adds a new dungeon to the Labyrinth which becomes available to explore once you've completed Shalidor's Maze. Inside is a small chamber with a new boss battle and a reward of a collection of portal stones allowing for instantaneous travel across large distances.
The Elder Scrolls - Tomebound
Expand your magical arsenal with spells, staves, scrolls and more straight from the Elder Scrolls lore.
Adept - Magic of Ash
Reworks ash magic in Skyrim, adding 7 new spells, new weapons, a new armor set, and a small player home.
Dragon Age Spells Redux
Pretty unique mod that adds 21 new spells from Dragons Age games with powerful effects and beautiful visuals. But the main feature is that spells now have cooldown, similar to Dragon Age series. So keep that in mind when installing the mod :)
Ace Blood Magic
Unique mod that adds a real blood magic spells to your game - this spells cost your HEALTH to cast. Basically, an anti-vampire spell mod.
Poison Spells
Poison fan? Mod adds around 15 new poison spells and poison shout. Ordinator compatibility patch is available separately, look in comments thread.
Kagrenac's Wisps
This mod adds craftable dwemer light sources.Their origin is unknown, though some say that wisps were invented by legendary dwemer magecrafter Kagrenac.They will light your path in dark dungeons and caves. Wisps are equippable, so you can assign them to hotkey.
Wards Functionalities Extended
A magic ward overhaul. Customize magnitude, cost, charge rate and absorption rate. Block melee weapons with your ward. Break your enemy's ward with your weapons. Protect yourself from arrows. Make shouts pass through wards. Play with new expert and master level wards.
Meteorokinesis
Have you ever wanted to control the weather, or turn the sky something beautiful like an aurora? Then this is the mod for you. Meteorokinesis adds 11 new weather altering spells that allow to you to change the weather to whatever you desire the most. Note: Similar spell is available in Apocalypse mod, but this one is slightly more "wide".
Voidgate - A Simple Town Portal ==NEW==
Create a portal and simply walk into it to find yourself in town for your merchant/crafting/whatever business. Then use the same portal spell to return to the wilds or dungeon you came from.
A Guiding Light - Clairvoyance Reimagined
Replaces Clairvoyance with a more convenient and immersive spell to help you find your way.
Mage Armor Rebalanced
Pretty underrated and very useful mod for people who're playing with hardcore or semi-hardcore gameplay mod setups.
Energy Shield
Add a Mana Shield spell which can be toggled (ON/OFF) with visual effect.
Ion Cannon
Obviously not lore-friendly, but well...an orbital ion cannon blast for Skyrim, because...why not? It looks badass, that's no doubts.
Enchantments, shouts & minor related mods:
Summermyst - Enchantments of Skyrim Amazing mod from the author of Apocalypse spell package. It adds 120 new enchantments to the game, accessible through thousands of new enchanted items that are integrated seamlessly into loot lists and inventories. It also fixes many bugs related to vanilla enchantments. An essential mod to increase your enchanting and overall game experience. Patches/Addons: Weapons Armor Clothing and Clutter Fixes (WACCF) patch> ==NEW== Night Eye enchantment fix
==NEW==
Loot and Degradation patch
VAE Effects for Summermyst
Cooki-goo!
Assassin Enchantments
This mod replaces the enchantment on the dark brotherhood headgear with an entirely new enchantment: Snipe, which is now actually fully useful for any assassin type. Also, the dark brotherhood gear is now also disenchantable.
Robes Enchantments Remade ==NEW==
Changes the enchantments on the college robes to a more potent, interesting, but also balanced enchantment.
Dragonborn Ascendant
Awesome and criminally underrated mod. Its main feature is to boost to shouts cooldown per dragon killed (3% per 5 dragons, capped at 30%) Mod also balances and improves many shouts values and scales battle shouts damage each 10 levels. Don't use together with previous mod, choose one or another.
Thunderchild - Epic Shouts and Immersion
This mod adds 29 new shouts and new abilities to improve your shouts. It also adds 24 new variants of graybeards robes, some new weapons and items and good configurable MCM. If you were bored with vanilla shouts variety - this mod is definitely for you.
Kyne's Peace Reinvigorated
A tiny mod that's changing only one shout, but greatly.
SkyVoice - Become the Dragonborn
Bored of pressing Z to activate shouts? Well, this mod changes that! Shout into your mic and watch as you send your foes flying with Unrelenting Force! Ofc, due how unique it is, it's not always working properly, but it's definitely a cool one.
Shout Pronunciations and Translations - With Thunderchild and Skyvoice support
A mod that will will come in handy for usage with previous mod, and with Thunderchild as well.
Elemental Arrows By Fuma
A lot of them. This said, many of these arrows can make you pretty OP, especially when playing with perk overhauls, so use with caution. Moreover, fully-functional elemental arrows are implemented in Ordinator. Yet ofc, you may like exactly this mod as it adds vastly bigger variety of them :)
Speed Casting
Makes spellcasting (charging) faster. Can make you pretty overpowered, so use with caution.
You can also look on the spell mods I'm personally using in my ultimate mod list, but take into account it was made for LE initially, but you can still reproduce the mod list mostly.
Various amazing mods that can be classified as "overhauls" - a complex rework of various game aspects/systems/ general mechanics, often with a lot of new cool features added.
Modern Brawl Bug Fix This is not an overhaul by any means, but a bugfixing mod. The reason why it's listed in the beginning of this section is because it's included in major Enai Siaion mods like Ordinator or Vokrii, so you don't need it if using them. But if you will be not using them - install it. Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim The one perk overhaul to rule'em'all! Mod that offers more than 400 perks to improve your game experience and class bulding. To tell this is a great perk overhaul - means to tell nothing. It’s rich, brilliant and absolutely perfect for both dedicated character skills building and roleplay. To make sure just visit mod page and read a few perks description. In addition to this it’s extremely light-weight compared to other perk overhaul mods and also greatly compatible with everything. If it’s your first try of perk overhauls - try it and you’ll enjoy it. If you’re using another similar mod - switch to Ordinator and you won’t go back. Perk overhauls are absolutely matter of taste, but this one’s quality is just amazing. ‘How much did Enai Siaion pay you?’ - you may ask. I would also ask this, yes. Until I try this amazing mod. Even if you open comments section and see what people often write, you’ll see that many players switched from other perk overhauls and don’t want to go back. Of course, it’s only my personal opinion, but statistics don’t lie and one thing you definitely need to do is to try it :) You can see a brief showcase of it here.
Additionally, when using Ordinator, my series of unique modded character builds is fully available to you here (14 builds available atm with more to come).
Patches/Addons: Elemental Destruction Magic - Ordinator Patch Forgotten Magic Redone - Ordinator Compatibility Patch
Ordinator Enchantment Tweaks
Immersive Performance for Ordinator
Ordinator - Throne of Nirn Improved
Dwemer Certified - Ordinator Patch
Ordinator Perk Spellscribe Sound Addon
Ordinator VR Patch
Vokrii Ordinator Ash Pile Retexture - 2K
Yes, it works for Vokrii too as you can guess :)
Boom boom.
Vokrii - Minimalistic Perks of Skyrim
You can call this "Ordinator-lite", a mod from the same author. Smaller and "simplier", while still adding depth and replayability. I personally find the complexity and variety of Ordinator perks its biggest advantage, which allows that insane amount of creative character builds - but if you want something simplier, Vokrii can be a good hit. Also take a look at patches insaller which adds support for some popular mods, and there's also a CACO patch ==NEW==.
Cosmonach - Perk Overhaul ==NEW==
Cosmonach is a freshly relased (and updated) perk overhaul which improves all skills. It could use some balancing tweaks here and there, but in general it's really nice perk overhaul - take a look on it for sure!
Path of Sorcery - Magic Perk Overhaul
Awesome magic perk overhaul. It affects Alteration, Conjuration, Destruction, Enchanting, Illusion, and Restoration trees. The one disadvantage is it’s incompatible with some big and well-known perk overhauls, like SkyRE/Requiem/SPERG. But as it is developed only for mage perk trees and you play as mage you can simply choose to use this mod only. Also it’s compatible with Ordinator, so you can use both of them - just load this mod after Ordinator. To choose perk overhaul it’s absolutely matter of taste - so you are free to try them all anyway :) Make sure to install this fix ==NEW==. There're patches for Apocalypse and Immersive Sounds available, as well as patch for Elemental Destruction Magic, and also optional and interesting addon mixing magic perks from both Ordinator and POS (will work only if you're using them both ofc).
Smithing Perks Overhaul
A well-made, smithing-only affecting perk overhaul which you can use together with Ordinator, using the respective patch.
Simple Smithing Overhaul ==NEW==
A simple smithing overhaul changing recipes, adding the ability to breakdown most armour and weapons, replicate certain artefacts without their enchantments, and upgrade unique levled weapons and armour. Compatible with Ordinator, Vokrii and Smiting Perks Overhaul - can be used on top of them.
Vampire overhauls. Choose only one.
Better Vampires
One of two greatest vampire mods ever made. Mod gives a wide overhaul for vampires. Perks and skills improvements, new skills, expanded system of vampire needs, blood storage system and much more. Also you can grab this cosmetic addon for it.
Sacrosanct - Vampires of Skyrim
The second of the two greatest vampire mods and my personal favourite. Sacrosanct overhauls vampires and vampire lords. Reverse progression (stronger when fed), new abilities, powers, perks, hemomancy, various new progression systems, personal vampire questline and many gameplay tweaks for the discerning undead monster. Its main advantage over is while being absolutely revolutionary and all-embracing, it's very lightweight at the same time, and very easy to get used to all new features. You can see a brief showcase of it here. Note: Do not use both Sacrosanct and Better Vampires. Choose one. Technically, they can be used together (patch available on BV page), but in this case many of Sacrosanct major features will be cut off. You can also take a look on 2 small tweaks for it here and here . Lastly, if you like the mod in general but want something more simplified, you can try the "lite" alternative ==NEW== from the same author (sun damage adjustable addon is available).
Sanguinair Vampirism
One more vampirism overhaul, with own design and vampire gameplay approach. An alternative to try if you don't want to use Sacrosanct or Better Vampires.
Bloodlines of Tamriel - A Vampire Overhaul ==NEW==
A more complex vampirism overhaul from the same author with lots of interesting features and own approach to vampire roleplay.
Haemophilia - A Custom Vampire Skill Tree ==NEW==
Adds a balanced but interesting custom perk tree for regular vampires. Script-light and perfectly compatible with major vampire overhauls like Sacrosanct or Better Vampires.
Werewolf overhauls. Choose only one.
Lupine - Werewolf Perk Expansion Absolutely badass werefolf perk overhaul which introduces absolutely new unique features, like two possible werewolf paths, completely new howls, looting as werewolf, werewolf armor etc. You can a see a showcase of it here Bloodmoon Rising Another, old but great werewolf mod that overhauls werewolf perks and stats. If you like to play as werewolf you should know that werewolf becomes very weak versus high level enemies. Mod helps with this. Use this OR Lupine, not both. Growl - Werebeasts of Skyrim Growl is a lightweight werewolf (and werebear) overhaul from author of Ordinator and Apocalypse. It offers a much smoother werebeast combat experience, scaling, reworked perks, synergies between beast and mortal form, lunar transformations and many quality of life improvements, making werebeasts a viable choice for your character, and all this without "taking over" or imbalancing the game heavily. Mortal Enemies patch available. You can a see a showcase of it here. Sanguinaire (Revised Edition - Skyrim Vampire and Lycanthropy Experience) Another alternative for Vampirism and Lycanthropy gameplay. A complex overhaul with own vision. Once again, take into account it covers both vampire/werewolf features - that's its biggest flaw as it's not compatible with any other big overhaul from both vampire and werewolf sections.Now, let's look on some great enemy overhauls that are affecting enemies in general - their AI, skills, leveling and so on - everyting to make your enemies really worth a fight, a challenging opponents. Choose one.
High Level Enemies Simple but effective, old but good enemy mod - it places almost 900 new high-level enemies across Skyrim for much more challenging gameplay at any levels which are logically placed and will gradually appear starting from lvl 10. For those who are aimed on hardcore, long walkthrough, its "HLE - Increased Max Resists" plugin is also recommended.Note: If you're using Skyrim Immersive Creatures mod, use its own modified version of this mod, namely the "High Level Enemies SIC SE Edition" file. Revenge Of the Enemies My personal favourite between similar enemy mods, with the biggest coverage, creativity and most challenging effect. It improves enemies AI, scales enemies level with yours, gives unique skills to each enemy type, gives them strong cooperation and so on. Also the great advantage is that it’s very-light-weight and almost scriptless. Once again, it's pretty hardcore - so if you're aimed on semi-casual gameplay, it may be not for you (but you also can try the easier version), but if you want your game to be real challenging - you'll find no better candidate. After you'll see master vampires actually teleporting using the swarm of bats form, and fight some bosses (both improved vanilla bosses and new added ones), it will be hard to trade this for other mod. But once again, it's about your personal taste. There are also some patches (as well as here)
for popular mods available as well as well as mentioned easier version of it.
Advanced Adversary Encounters - Ultimate
Similar mod with a different approach. It focuses mostly not on unique enemies' abilities and skills, but on adding more realistic resistances. Skeletons are very resistant to arrows, automatons are very resistant to sharp weapons, shock and fire spells, but weak to ice spells, and so on. The flaw of this mod is that enemies, in terms of own actions and skill, are mostly very similar to vanilla and even with realistic resistances, fights may often be not much challenging. But if you wanna "vanilla plus realism" experience, this mod may be a great variant. Also has dedicated patches page - don't forget to grab the patches you need.
G.R.I.M. ==NEW==
This mod is not an overhaul of whole game, unlike the mods above - it changes only one certain bossfght, but how - that's a brand new level as for Skyrim! G.R.I.M. reworks the vanilla Dawnguard DLC Reaper boss fight into an epic battle with an elaborate mini-quest, taking place in a separate realm of the Soul Cairn which has a remarkable level design. This fight is fully repeatable, with scaling difficulty, randomized enemies, and dozens of pieces of custom loot. From a boring fight with a HP-boosted skeleton to a real lord of death. It also [can] be used together with the overhauls above without issues - just make sure to load both plugins in xEdit and keep only one mod plugin perks/abilities records affecting the Reaper, as otherwise the fight could be ridiculously hardcore. You can also see a showcase of the mod here.
Good.
ASIS ASIS is very underrated mod and its functionality is pretty often misunderstood by players. Also install the improved ini files ==NEW== after you'll install the mod itself. ASIS is a must-have mod for interesting and challenging playthrough. I personally advise to use ASIS only for 3 features: perks and spells distribution to NPC and NPC potion usage. That's the main amazing feature of ASIS - mods like perk overhauls, spell packs and so on, are either not adding possibility for NPCs to acces new perks and spells, or giving that on a very basic level, eventually making you more and more OP. Here where ASIS changes the game - it gives this access to NPCs. With this you can have an amazing game where all new spells/perks from mod could be used by NPCs as well as potions. Its AI option is pretty old and i don’t recommend to use it because modern combat mods have better AI improvements. Also it’s not needed to use its increased spawn features as this feature is buggy as hell and cuases random crashes, plus it's completely illogical. But if you will not check the spawns options in patcher - you'll be totally safe. So once again, I recommend to use ASIS with 2 features: perks and spells. For NPC potions usage, it's better to use much more feature-packed alternative here . Also, don’t forget to run ASIS patcher each time you installed mod that adds spells/perks. Patcher is located in \Data\Skyproc Patchers\ASIS\ASIS.jarRace overhauls. Choose one:
Imperious - Races of Skyrim Awesome mod that overhauls Skyrim races abilities, from the author of Ordinator. Now each race has 3 passive abilities and ultimate active ability that can be unlocked through race quest. That also brings more immersion to playthrough. New races' abilities are interesting and fit perfectly with each race. You can see a brief showcase of it here. RS Children patch available, as well as Elemental Destruction Magic patch .
Morningstar - Minimalistic Races of Skyrim
A stripped-down version of Imperious from the same author.
Aetherius - A Race Overhaul
A more simple alternative to Imperious. Some of the bonuses are somewhat OP, but you can adjust that through xEdit easily.
Race Balance
Somewhat underrated mod. Pretty minimalistic, simple, but interesting overhaul to races.
True Races of Nirn ==NEW==
Lore-friendly changes to racial bonuses and powers so they are more useful and balanced across the board. A great vanilla+ racial overhaul.
Your Race Matters - Racial Passives ==NEW==
Making passive racial differences truly matter gameplay-wise.
Standing stones overhauls. Choose one:
Andromeda - Unique Standing Stones of Skyrim Mod replaces the default standing stone effects with tactical and interesting new powers and abilities. Each standing stone comes with one passive ability and one active power. While greatly increasing standing stones effects variety, mod is still balanced and great for immersive playthrough. You can see a brief showcase of it here. Also a tiny tweak for it is available. Note: If you like this mod in general but want something simplier/vanilla+ - take a look on a "lite" analogue ==NEW== from Enai as well. Use one or another, not both.
Curse of the Firmament
A standing stone overhaul that makes blessings more interesting, gives them all drawbacks, and optionally distributes them to NPCs as well.
Nice, let's continue with plenty of other overhauls of most different type (click "show" to open the subsection):
Dragon Combat Overhaul Essential mod that offers amazing overhaul for dragons. Dragons are DRAGONS now - powerful, frightening monsters. AI improvements, unique skills and shouts and realistic physics. You’re fighting dragon, not a butterfly! If dragon lands close to you or makes a powerful tail/wing strike and you did not block this - you’ll be ragdolled. Dragons also can grab other NPCs and just throw them in air and many more other immersive features. If you want to have a real challenge fighting dragons - this mod is for you! I'd say even more simply - this mod is absolutely essential, because no matter how beefy your dragons will be empowered by other mods, this still makes not much sense if they still have stupid vanilla AI and no realistic physics. You can see a video showcase of the mod here. Dragon War - A Dragon Overhaul ==NEW== A lightweight overhaul for dragons. Not compatible with other similar mods like DCO or DD. Dwemer Certified Don't just let those broken Dwemer Constructs and spare Dwemer Ingots go to waste- use them to build an army of steam-powered robots, upgrade and enchant their equipment, then lead them into battle from the driver's seat of a Dwemer Centurion. Wintersun - Faiths of Skyrim The latest mod and a new gem from Enai Siaion. Hands down the best religion mod you can ever have. More than 45 deities to worship, roleplay-wise worshipping mechanics and balanced unique bonuses! Grab it, don't even think. You can see a brief showcase of it here. There are some patches
for popular mods available, patches for Zim's Immersive Artifacts and Book Covers Skyrim, custom races patch and Great Town of Shor's Stone patch ==NEW==.
Character Creation Overhaul
Character Creation Overhaul brings back birthsigns, classes, specializations, favored attributes, and major/minor skills to Skyrim. No more boring cookie-cutter characters - choice matters again!
Experience
A complete overhaul to experience system in Skyrim transforming it to classic RPG style. Compatible with mods as well. Gain experience by completing quests, exploring wilderness, clearing dungeons and forts, killing enemies and so on. You can see a showcase of it here.
Archery Gameplay Overhaul
Popular and great archery mod. It adds great amount of features: - dozens of animations. - enchanted arrows - new bow camera mod - arm fatigue - really, really many overall archery improvements that make archer/hunter gameplay more interesting and realistic. Optional scoped bows patch ==NEW== available.
MorrowLoot Ultimate
In-depth and, in my opinion, simply essential mod. It makes complete rebalances of various game aspects, making it to play more similar to Morrowind leveled lists and leveling system - rare items like daedric or dwarven are REALLY rare now so you will not see each 2nd bandit in daedric gear when you'll reach lvl 80, enemies level scaling is much more balanced and challenging, and so on - many other mechanics such as leveling and alchemy were changed as well. Note: This is also the only "flaw" of this mod - it's too complex and will have compatibility issues with similar mods. That's why I'm personally using the "simplified" version of it, look below. A patch for Guards Armor Replacer is avaialable, as well as CCOR patch .
MUS - Morrowloot Ultimate Simplified
This version only rebalances rare items, loot and quest rewards - which is making it a perfect solution in terms of compatibility and still keeping the main feature of the mod. ISC patch available.
Poverty - You Hunger Reborn
Successor to You Hunger mod that affects the spawn rates of almost every item in the world along with an MCM that enables user customization of item distribution. An essential mod for hardcore realism/survival fans.
CIVIL WAR OVERHAUL - Redux
An improved version of well-known Civil War Overhaul mod - still script-heavy, but now much less buggy. Still, it's recommended to play a walkthrough directly through civil war to experience it and then start a new walkthrough without it.
Crafting Skills Revamped
A neat crafting overhaul that can be used on top of CCOR and other big mods. Read the mod page carefully though to see if you need it or not.
Simple and Dynamic Skills - Improved Standing Stones
Skill learning modifiers are determined by a combination of the level of the skill and investment in the primary Perks of the corresponding tree. Each skill is accordingly classified as Major (35% XP bonus), Minor (normal XP), or Auxiliary (20% XP penalty*). At low levels, only the first Perk is required for a Major Skill, but at higher levels, further investment is needed. Mod also introduces own changes to standing stones, focused on balanced changes and both pros and cons of certain stones.
Arena - An Encounter Zone Overhaul
An encounter zones overhaul.
KS Dragon Overhaul 2
An overhaul of dragons AI and combat behaviour. Highly compatible with mods that add dragons on fly, and for some other pathes are available in mod Files tab.
Ultimate Dragons
Another great dragon combat overhaul, with better AI, new skills, animations etc. Choose this one or previous mod.
Immersive Movement
A well-made movement overhaul for player and creatures. Player, NPC, animal, and creature movements have all been redesigned to feel more believable, realistic, and unforgiving.
Crime Overhaul
Crime Overhaul makes changes to the way criminal activities are handled by Skyrim guards. They are less inept, getting arrested is less cumbersome, accidental attacks are more forgiving, and thaneship is more rewarding.
Skyrim Revamped - Loot and Encounter Zones
Deleveled gameplay fans, this mod is for you. It's designed to decentralize the player from the world. This is a fairly in-depth deleveling but basically loot and enemy difficulty will increase based on location and type. Yet, the introduced difficulty is somewhat artificial, as it changes mostly just the enemies stats and level. But once again, taste is taste :)
Depths of Skyrim - An Underwater Overhaul
Brilliant mod. Overhauls the underwater environment and adds content to the sea of Ghosts. Adds new grass types, coral and giant kelps, hundreds of new fish, treasures, encounters, fixes landscape seams etc.
Opening Scene Overhaul
Mod is adding the ability to escape with Ulfric, Elenwen & Tullius arguing, brand new carriage dialogue, a brand new voice for Hadvar (that has received much praise), fixing the infamous 'it's in the clouds' error Bethesda made and much more.
Hearthfire Extended
Love building things? Mod adds new content for the Hearthfire DLC, integrated seamlessly with Hearthfire's construction system. Build any furniture in any room. Build additional wings off your cellar. Also includes bugfixes and enhancements to vanilla apiaries, butter churns and mead barrels.
Lock Overhaul
Overhauls the lock system, adding new features: Lock requirement, smash locks, unlock spell and auto pick locks, with a fully customizable MCM. Compatible with Ordinator (install the alternative version).
Improved quality of vanilla sounds and music, replacers and new standalone music packs to bring maximum pleasure to your ears.
Sound overhauls:
High Quality Music No more muddy compression for the game music. Only loose files (no esp plugin), and just a better sounds of Skyrim's music. Audio Overhaul for Skyrim Amazing sound overhaul mod aiming to make Skyrim's soundscape more immersive, clear, responsive, impactful, while also aiming for maximum compatibility, performance and cotherency with the original game. Ambience, weapons, magic, movement, reverb system, sound propagation, creatures and the overall mix are key areas of change. Once you try it you most likely won’t go back to vanilla sounds anymore. Immersive Sounds - Compendium Another complete overhaul for Skyrim sounds similar to AOS, with a bit more fantasy approach to sounds. Can be also used alongside with minor overlaps, and there's a AOS patch available, and few more patches for popular mods.
Lucidity Sound FX
Amazing medium-sized sound mod that, by the way, can be used together with AOS/ISC. Just install it after.
Improved Vanilla UI Sounds ==NEW==
Simple and noticeably pleasant!
Music packs:
Celtic Music in Skyrim This mod adds 79 new celtic, fantasy and viking music tracks to Skyrim. Glory Days - Music Of Skyrim Replaces all Skyrim music tracks with amazing tracks of talented Vindsvept (yeah, the songs you're often hearing in my and other Skyrim youtubers videos). Musical Lore (Soundtrack Mod By Nir Shor) This mod adds plenty of new original soundtracks, composed by talanted (and underrated) Nir Shor to your game. The Elder Songs - Fanmade Music Expansion Freshly released pack of amazing fantasy tracks, made personally by the author of the mod, who's a composer at the same time. Highly recommended to try it. Yggdrasil Music and SoundFX Overhaul Amazing dark folk/ambient music pack for Skyrim. Fits the most of game situations really great and gives completely new ambience touch at the same time. Immersive Music Vanilla game has around 3.5 hours of music. This mod adds 16 hours more, carefully picked up from fitting tracks. Cactus Witcher Music Overhaul Mod name speaks for its features itself. As from me - it's a great sound overhaul, hand-picked, fitting the game greatly. The Witcher 3 Music Overhaul Witcher 3 music in Skyrim? Why not! It fits greatly. Dreams and Nightmares Music Mod Somewhat dark and melancholic music pack, made by an independent composer. Fantasy Soundtrack Project patch
available.
Improved Combat Music
Absolutely breathtaking combat music overhaul, which is unique as tracks themselves are sounding like a more agressive, orchestral variations of vanilla ones, giving new, but so familiar experience at the same time.
Hun Lovaas - Skyrim Fan-Made combat music
Another great alternative in form of combat-only music overhaul.
Still - Skyrim Inspired Music
Chill, calm exploration music replacer.
Morrowind Music Integration
Seek audio nostalgia no more!
The Northerner Diaries in Skyrim
Brings "Northern Diaries", the latest album of legendary TES composer, Jeremy Soule, to your game.
Symphonic Soundtrack
Adds (or replaces) over 3 hours of music across over 50 tracks composed specifically for Skyrim, blending seamlessly with the original game and original music.
Chapter II - Jeremy Soule Inspired Music (by Dreyma Music)
Music mod that adds over 1 hour of exploration music to Skyrim using Jeremy Soule's composing techniques. New tracks are added frequently.
Melodies of Civilization - Skyrim Fan-Made Music
Adds 25+ minutes of lore friendly/immersive music specifically written for Skyrim.
The Southerner Diaries - A Soundtrack Expansion
44 professionally mixed, lore-friendly songs to enhance your Skyrim playthroughs. Inspired by Irish folk music and other celtic influences, as well as popular film scores. Over 2 hours of custom music, lovingly composed by Pat Mahoney.
Around the Fire - Skyrim Fan-Made Music
Doubles the amount of tavern tracks with lore-friendly/immersive music written specifically for Skyrim.
Valkyrie - Intense Combat Music
Replaces every music in skyrim into a intense lore friendly combat music and sound effects from the awesome Two Steps From Hell & Motionpulse.
Nyghtfall - Epic Immersive Fantasy Music
Adds 2 hours of original & immersive music to the game. This includes unique themes for each major city, epic & aggressive combat music (inspired by Bloodborne, God of War & Assassin's Creed) day/night exploration, dungeon music as well as medieval Tavern music. Comes with both replacer and standalone version.
Dream of Me - a Vindsvept Music Mod ==NEW==
Listen to 10+ hours of Vindsvept's discography while playing Skyrim, all his albums are represented in this mod with music hand-placed to fit the atmosphere appropriately.
Ambient Tavern Music Replacer ==NEW==
Replacer for 5 vanilla tavern tracks.
Extra Music Pack For Skyrim
A fantasy-celtic music pack.
Magic College Music - Songs for Academy
New tracks specifically for College.
Fantasy Soundtrack Project
Around 230 fantasy-sounding orchestral and instrumental fantasy/epic music tracks for exploring, towns, taverns and castles.
Smaller standalone sound mods:
Thundering Shouts Gives shouts echo and thunder in the background, kinda like draugr shouts. More Painful NPC Death Sounds Modifies the default death sounds of NPCs to make them sound more painful. TB's Improved Book Sounds Improves the default book opening, closing and page turn sounds. Improved River Sound Takes the short river sound loop, and replaces it with a much longer (and overall more realistic) sound clip. Improved Combat Sounds Combat sounds are now enhanced to improve the overall quality of fights. A New Chapter - UI Sound Replacer A subtle mod that will replace vanilla clumsy new-game sound and quest objective sounds with some "booky" ones. Authentic Wolf Howls and Aggro Replaces the Wolves Aggro, Howl and Distant Howl sounds with singular wolves. Unused Sounds Restored Restores a number of unused sound effects. Critical Hit SFX A simple audio-replacer for the sound played on critical hits. A short throbbing heart-beat. Realistic Husky Sounds Adds over 60 all-new, high-quality husky sounds to the Dawnguard huskies including new attacks, barks, idle panting, groans, "talking", etc. Optional patch to make it work for all dogs is available. Paper UI Sounds for Skyrim Absolutely charming project to replace Skyrim's UI sounds with paper sounds, to work with paper interface retextures and maps. Brutal Bears ==NEW== Complete sound overhaul for bears - more realistic and intimidating. Satafinix profile ==NEW== For many voice replacers - from falmer voices and shouts to daedric lords and Tsun. Mods edit vanilla sound files to make them sound more intimidating/grotesque. Footstep Sounds Restored - Cut Content Restoration
==NEW==
This mod restores several of unused vanilla sounds for footsteps, rustling for heavy, light and skaal armor as well as sounds for different surfaces (gravel, dirt, snow etc).
A Bow's Whisper - Bow sound overhaul ==NEW==
A rich, detailed sound overhaul for bow handling. Customized for vanilla or AGO animations (download a proper version accordingly). Use this one or the mod below. You can also watch a showcase of it here.
Bow Sounds Replacer ==NEW==
Replaces vanilla sheathing, unsheathing, arrow nocking, and arrow release sounds for the bow. Use this one or the mod above.
Heart of the Beast - Werewolf Sound Remastered ==NEW==
Popular werewolf sounds overhaul ported to SE.
Bass Dragons ==NEW==
Tweaks original dragon sfx files to add more bass that sounds like a LOTR movie.
Male Argonian Shouts - Revoiced ==NEW==
Makes male Argonian shouts sound gruffer and closer to Argonians, rather than using the default human voice. You can also watch a showcase of it here.
Quiet Muffle Footsteps For Player ==NEW==
Completely silences player footsteps when the "muffle" magic effect is applied (through spell or item enchantment). Now you can feel like a true silent, sneaky ninja.
Bard Instrumentals Mostly - Sing Rarely
Tired of constantly listening to the same bard songs again and again? Want some more chill instrumental-only version of them (with still songs happening from time to time)? Seek no more!
(SJG) Better Sounding Female Dragon Shouts
Does your female Dragonborn sound a bit too butch when using a Dragon Shout? Would you prefer she sound a bit more feminine? This mod increases the pitch of all female shouts and is based upon the Skyrim elf voice.
Silent Sneak Attack
No more "tshhhhud".
Softer Conjuration Sound
Replaces the regular Conjuration spell sound with a softer, deeper version.
Choo-choooo.
Better enemies AI and skills, improvements in hunting, sneaking, questing, cut content restoration, various options to control what's happening around you in game and much, much more.
Economy and loot related mods:
Trade and Barter Light-weight but great (and I'd say essential) trade mod that offers prices dependency from your faction status, NPC relationship with you, race, region and speech etiquette as well as some other cool features. Playing with it, you will really feel trading mechanics in game having sense. Not conflicting with almost everything. Also install the USSEP patch ==NEW==. Few other patches
are available.
Economy Overhaul and Speechcraft Improvements
A pretty good balanced and wide economy mod for Skyrim that changes plenty of economy aspects of the game as well as Speechcraft perks tree. Compatible with Ordinator and Trade and Barter.
True Medieval Economy
Another interesting economy mod, aimed on somewhat medieval realism.
DLC Integration
This mod adds content from Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn to the world through leveled lists, merchants, and manual placement of objects.
Trade Routes - Regional Economy ==NEW==
Ever wanted to play as a traveling merchant, buying goods cheap where they're plentiful and selling them where they're rare for a modest profit? Than this mod is definitely for you :) Mod adds different trade aspect like regional prices, speech scaling, trade supplies, quests affeting on prices here and there and few more.
Scarcity - Less Loot Mod
Simple and amazing mod that does how it's called - compatible with everything. My personal choice is x6 less loot and x4 less merchant stocks. Note: make sure all 3 this mod's esp files are placed straight before Bashed Patch in load order when building it.
Narrative Loot
Mod adds 1629 new, lore-friendly items to loot lists, with an emphasis on deepening storytelling through loot.
Thematic Loot
Old but great and really underrated mod. It changes the loot that can be found in certain chests. Chests owned by the Dwemer, the Falmer, mages, draugrs, vampires and giants are affected. The purpose behind the changes is to make each chest more representative of the individuals who filled it with items.
Dynamic Dungeon Loot (DDL) - Random Loot System ==NEW==
A pretty old but great and really underrated mod which adds a loot drop system to boss chests found in dungeons. This system uses five tiers of loot to add variety and fun to the vanilla loot system, without breaking the balance of the game. This mod also includes 16 unique, ultra-rare artifacts to find. You can also install this hd retexture addon for it as well. You can also watch a showcase of it here.
Bounty Hunter - Bounty Quest Tweaks ==NEW==
A collection of edits to make bounties configurable, easy to take more of, and more rewarding.
Miners and Farmers sell supplies ==NEW==
Now farmers and miners across Skyrim are more than happy to sell you their stocks as you travel.
Hunter Vendors ==NEW==
Adds 6 hunters at the entrances of towns and cities to buy your goods. Sells leather strips, leather, arrows, bows and daggers.
Bounty Gold ==NEW==
Lets you configure how much gold you get for bounty quests.
DON'T GIVE ME ALL THIS STUFF - Less Charitable NPCs ==NEW==
A simple mod that restricts the amount of stuff friendly NPCs let the player take from their homes and stores for free.
Sensible Bribes - Based on Speechcraft Not Level ==NEW==
Bribes make no sense in vanilla, as the value mostly depends on your level, not your speechcraft. This mod fixes that.
C.O.I.N. - Coins of Interesting Natures ==NEW==
Adds new types of coinage of all different values to make Skyrim's economy more interesting.
AI and enemy related mods (note - complex/whole-game-covering enemy overhauls are resting in the "Overhauls" section below):
Realistic AI Detection SE (better sneaking)
Simple but absolutely essential mod that recalibrates sneaking, making it much more realistic. Compatible with almost everything, including lighting mods - just read the mod description page carefully to install a proper version for your mod setup. Note: Place this mod to the very bottom of your load order, making sure it's loaded after any other sneak rebalancing mods and mods that affect lighting (weather mods, lighting mods like ELFX and all its modules, etc). You can see a video showcase of the mod here.
Know Your Enemy - Trait-based resistances and weaknesses
This original mod changes the both resistances and weaknesses of creatures and armor to magic and physical damage enhancing combat challenge and variety (similar to what AAE does, but with a more complex approach) - not just giving one bigger resistance and one weakness, but assigning a wide system of creature types, each with several different resistances/weaknesses, and a single creature may be a multiple type one. There is new features addon and Elemental Destruction Magic patch available.
Better Vampire NPCs
They will be leveled according to the PC and get stronger with advanced perks, spells, and all new abilities. Vampires can now be many different classes: one or two handed, light armor, heavy armor, mage, light bowman, heavy crossbowman. More variety, more challenge, more fun. Note: All "big" 4 enemy overhauls are also covering vampires, so load this mod after if you want its changes to have the upper hand.
Draugr Upgrades and Improvements
Real armor effect for draugrs and not just visuals, new perks, new types of draugrs etc. Note: All "big" 4 enemy overhauls are also covering draugrs, so load this mod after if you want its changes to have the upper hand.
No BS AI Projectile Dodge (Magic and Arrows)
No more bandits acting like medium ninjas.
Durnehviir God of Death
A challenging competitor in Soul Cairn and a powerful ally, the Durnehviir that this mod delivers is a better, stronger God of Death. He is re-textured and can breathe blue or purple undead flames.
Believable Crime Report Radius
If vanilla game one is too big for you. I'd personally still recommend to increase it to 2000 instead of 1000 in xEdit.
Suspicious City Guards
Guards will become suspicious when they see you sneaking around.
Nighteye For NPCs
Khajiit, Vampires and Werewolves...any NPC who are assumed to use nighteye ability get improved eyesight in dark.
Smart NPC Potions - Enemies Use Potions and Poisons
Why is the Dragonborn the only sensible person carrying at least a couple of health/stamina potions in Skyrim? This mod makes it so enemies sometimes carry and use a couple of potions and poisons just like you do. This will make combat more fair, more unpredictable and harder. Compatible with everything and customizable via MCM. Note: ASIS has the same function in it, allowing NPCs to use potions, but this mod functionality is just better in everything - more features and more control over them. If you want this feature - don't use ASIS "NPC Potions" feature and use this mod instead. You can see a video showcase of the mod here.
Forsworn Skinchangers
New Forsworn enemies that transform into werewolves and werebears in combat.
Truly Undead - Reborn
A port of same-named LE mod, and pretty much underrated gem. Skeletons, vampires, draugr and dragon priests will resurrect unless killed by certain specific damage sources. Congifurable in MCM.
NARC Remade - No Animals Report Crimes for Skyrim
Tired of that chicken going up to the guards and being a nark? Annoyed because that one bear ratted you out? Upset because horses are snitches? Then this is the mod for you!
Vampire Attacks Restored Outside of Walled Cities
Bethesda likes to screw up more things in newer versions of the games than in older ones. This helps a bit in this certain case.
Enemy Friendly Fire ==NEW==
SKSE plugin that enables friendly fire amongst NPCs.
Sun Affects NPC Vampires ==NEW==
Vampires that are out in the sun will suffer (a little bit) of constant damage. This affects NPC vampires and the player. Vampires will catch on fire when this damage accumulates.
Deadlier Werewolf NPCs ==NEW==
Non-player werewolves and werebears can now also perform killing blows randomly (from mauling, to decapitation bites), and also use sprint attacks when they pursue you. If using werewolf overhauls, make sure to get a patch for whatever one you're using from mod Files tab.
Armor and weapon mechanics rebalance or new features:
ABT - Arrows and Bolts Tweaks Faster arrows, ability to turn on progressive/increased damage for arrows, increase/decrease amount of arrows found in enemies and sold by merchants and some other useful, customizable settings. An essential mod if you ever planning to use a bow/crossbow. Weapon Speed Fix Simple mod to add a control system to weapon speed, preventing speed bugs that sometimes can happen with certain buff or perk effects. Armor Rating Redux Improves the unbalanced armor rating system as well as magic resistances in Skyrim by implementing a formula closer to what Morrowind had (ohther presets are also available). Fully configurable, a must-have mod! Signature Equipment Pretty original mod that may be very useful for some players, especially in roleplay purposes. The more you use the same equipment, the more potent and valuable that equipment becomes. It's a lot like tempering, but you do it by cleaving through your enemies gradually. This allows for a favorite early game weapon to become a signature weapon that scales with your character. Maybe your character might intentionally build up the reputation of a weapon to sell it for a profit. Or maybe you like the way a weapon looks, but its damage just can't keep up. That's no longer an issue now. It's also compatible will all possible weapon mods on fly. True Armor ==NEW== Are you sick of swords cutting through Steel Plate like through butter? Every hit being predictable? Every type of armor feeling the same, regardless of material? No more! Greatly increased combat depth and immersion; a sparkle of realism and balance for your fantasy game. Customize Weapon Speed ==NEW== Wanna implement your own vision of balance for weapons attack speed? This mod allows you to customize weapon speed by type. TDF Equipment Restriction ==NEW== Realistic items usage skill requirements mod Ultimate Spinning Arrows ==NEW== The see me spinnin'. They hatin'. Dynamic Equipment Manager Automatically equips/unequips various gear when applicable. A Better Gauldur Amulet
Tweaks the well-known Gauldur Amulet to be more rewarding.
Plenty of other mods changing most different things:
Simply Balanced This mod can be take as a successor of well-known SkyTweak and is a port of same LE mod. Basically, it allows you to customize pretty much close to every gameplay value - weapons, magic, potions & poisons, skills, enemy stats and experience gains. To say more precisely, if you have your load order setup precisely and know every mod is working in a good synergy - you won't need this mod. But if you're not sure about some balance moments, or just wanna to be able to customize your gameplay difficulty through wide system of parameters - grab it for sure. VioLens - A Killmove Mod Amazing mod that gives you full control of killmoves. Chance, immunity, camera view, new advanced killmoves and so on. This works for melee, ranged and stealth killmoves. Great work and a must-have mod. Cutting Room Floor This mod restores a lot of content that was created but never implemented in the original game - quests, NPCs, building and other different little things. RS Children patch, lighting overhaul, complete NPC overhaul , higher quality tintmasks addon, Pandorable NPCs patch and a tiny fix are available. Multiple Floors Sandboxing Have you ever wonder why the NPCs mostly just stay at the same floor, even though the cell has multiple floors? This little mod will encourage NPCs to climb stairs around them and explore their surroundings more. Skyrim Skill Uncapper Mod allows you to get rid of silly vanilla "legendary" skills system by simply uncapping your skills - so now you can raise skills above 100, and all related multipliers and modifiers (even enchanting and alchemy) will grow as well. Besides that, Uncapper does tons of other useful things - you can determine leveling speed (strongly recommened to make it slower to not get lost on huge amount of new things in game if you have heavy-modded game), how many attributes you receive per at levelup (and at which level as well), how many perk points you receive at levelup (and at which level as well) and many other things. Honed Metal Updated ==NEW== Updated version of a well-known mod ported to SE. It partially covers what Loot and Degradation does, but it's focusing on this directly and adds much more features. Blacksmiths and mages all over Skyrim will be able to craft, temper and enchant your equipment, including any armor and weapons added by mods. The quality and price of their work will depend on their skill as blacksmiths and enchanters as well as your barter prowess. Fully customizable through an MCM. Civil War Aftermath Take the fight to enemy encampments all around Skyrim. 3PCO - 3rd Person Camera Overhaul - Smooth Camera Follow An absolutely must-have mod for players who spend the most amount of time in 3rd person. This mod is just revolutionary! It imitates modern AAA games camera movement, which is based on player world coordinates, giving immersive smooth camera follow effect, especially noticable in combat. You can see a showcase of it here. AIM FIX - combat camera with aiming control Makes aiming accurate out of the box. Provides total control over the crosshair position for archery and magic to match the hit point shift caused by the custom animations and mods. User determines how much easy or realistic the aiming will be. Equalizes the accuracy for 1st and 3rd person view. Tons of flexible MCM options and camera features. Note: If using lite version of the mod in pair with 3PCO, while this may look irrational logic-wise, make sure 3PCO overwrites Aim Fix, not vice versa. Cinematic Dragon Soul Absorption To please the cinematic god. GIST - Genuinely Intelligent Soul Trap Mod that shows petty souls who's boss. No more petty souls in your grand soulgems, wasting them. Similar to well-known Smart Souls mod, but newer and more customizable mod from author of Diverse Dragons Collection. Improved Adoptions Ever was bored with vanilla adoption system? Try this. It contains over a dozen dialogue scenes between the kids and others between your spouse and housecarl. Your kids will hang out with other kids when they're in town, and join them in running around town. They'll actually visit the places they say they do. If you've been missing for 3 or more days they'll send the Courier packing with a message for you. You can ask your kids and spouse to accompany you to your new home and have them follow you there! Candy Shops of Skyrim Adds sweet shops just outside all of the major cities. Compatible with JK's Skyrim, compatibility with other city mods is not confirmed. Horses On Patrol A port of same LE mod, all 3 mods available in files section. Adds more mounted patrols to Skyrim. Konahrik's Privilege Choose one of four new effects for Konahrik; Force, Fire, Fade or Time. MisterB's Crafting Matters An alternative to Complete Crafting Overhaul if it's too much for you for some reasons - mod that adds much more to your Skyrim crafting experience. Breakdown Recipes, Tailoring Recipes, the ability to get firewood from miscellaneous items. New crafting materials. Noisy Thief There's a chance you'll make noise and alert enemies when taking an item based on the items weight and optional detection when breaking a lockpick or extinguishing a wall torch. Your Soul Is Mine - Soul Gem Relinquishment Your Soul Is Mine is like Dragon Soul Relinquishment for regular souls. It adds two spells: One that allows the player to absorb soul gems to purchase various passive bonuses and one that allows the player to absorb part of the victim's soul directly. The absorbed souls may be spent on various passive buffs. Advanced Mining Advanced Mining is a full remake of the entire mining process. It has many options, allowing you to control the ore deposits in the game in many ways, each one can be toggled individually and adjusted. MCM Ores And Firewood Mine and chop faster, all configuration directly in game at any time. Smithing And Smelting Improved Rebalanced smelting and some new crafting recipes. Souls Do Things 2 Mod which adds various new functionality to dragon souls, making them useful in the game in different ways. Better Stealing Simple but immersive mod. If you steal something and nobody sees you do it then the item will not be "stolen". Pickpocket Changes
A few changes to pickpocketing chance and how it's calculated - pickpocket chance is no longer affected by value, only weight, and maximum pickpocket chance increased from 90% to 100%.
Rebalanced Encounter Zones and Leveled Actors
Simple mod that's increasing base level and level scaling of encounter zones in game. For hardcore lovers.
Encounter Zones Unlocked
Useful mod for challenging gameplay with a little difference approach - dungeons don't stop leveling after the first visit.
Mystic Condenser
Tired of piles of low-level potions/poisons/soul gems cluttering up your high-level inventory? Use the Mystic Condenser to combine them into their higher level counterparts.
Torch Brightness Radius
Makes it bigger.
True Hybrid - Tainted Blood of the Dragonborn - Werewolf and Vampire Hybrid
Be both werewolf and vampire whilst using your favourite associated mods. Compatible with most vampire & werewolf mods.
Vampire Sun Damage Clothes Covering
Somewhat cheating mod as for me, but some people may find it useful.
Civil War Neutrality
You can stay neutral without having to miss important content.
Useful Dogs
Improves dogs functionality to be more realistic similar to how trained dogs irl can behave.
Heavy Armored Soldiers
Imperials and Stormcloaks now have a chance of spawning wearing their own heavy sets.
Optional Starting Spells
This mod removes all starting spells and adds all the novice spell tomes to your starting area. Compatible with Alternate Starts - Live another Life.
Sleep to Gain Experience
Similar to what it was in Oblivion.
Sleep to Level Up
An alternative to the mod above - with a few more options, choose one or another.
Ordinary Thieves
Makes thieves in the world wear regular clothing rather than guild clothing.
Vampires Regen in Shade
Allows all vampires to recover health, magicka, and stamina when standing in the shade, even during the daytime.
Better Skill and Quest Books Names
Not that much "immersive", but definitely may look useful for some players.
Holdable Candles
A small mod designed for stealth characters using extremely dark interiors from ENB or weather presets. The candle illuminates a small area in front of the player, thus allowing the player to see items in front of them to steal, and avoiding the use of a torch (lighting up the entire room and increasing the risk of being detected).
Altar of the Revenant
Allows to "corrupt" grand soul gems into black soul gems.
Selective and-or More Expensive Transmute
Mod to choose which ore you want to transmute by allowing you to dual cast the transmute spell.
Disarming Traps Is Dangerous
Pretty much as that.
Soul Exchange
Sadly, Dragon Soul Relinquishment mod is pretty bugged in SE. This is a simple alternative to it. Mod allows you to convert Dragon Souls to Perks or Attributes.
Cardio SE - More Realistic Fatigue
Mod introduces fatigue mechanics to Stamina, Health and Magicka and factors in encumbrance effects. Allows full customisation attributed to this through the MCM.
Left Hand Rings Modified
Simple as it is. Makes it possible to wear rings on left hand :)
GuruSR's Werewolf Transformation Meter
Very useful for werewolf players. The bar shows how much time left until transformation will fade off.
Intoxication (Drunk and Drugged visual effects)
Simple as that. Some big mods like CACO already adding such effect, but if you're not using them and just wanna the visual effect - grab this mod.
Reading Is Good ==NEW==
This mod reworks skill books so that instead of granting levels instantly, they give you a permanent boost to your leveling speed in the respective skill. This means that you benefit more by reading them as soon as you find them. SKSE plugin.
Radiant Requirements MCM ==NEW==
Modifies select radiant quests so that they don't send you to locations with dangerous enemies until your level is high enough. Configurable in MCM.
Realistic Humanoid Movement Speed ==NEW==
Faster walking, slower running and sprinting.
Regen Adjuster SKSE ==NEW==
SKSE Plugin to let you choose regen values outright or based on conditions.
Vampire Feeding Tweaks ==NEW==
Small mod that opens up the possibilities for feeding as a vampire, without needing a big overhaul.
Curse of the Werewolf ==NEW==
With this mod installed if you are a werewolf you will be cursed/blessed. Once a day in a situation that would normally result in your death right before the final blow you will automatically transform into a werewolf and regain full health during the transformation rendering you effectively invincible during the 10 second transformation. Compatible with werewolf overhauls like Growl or Lupine.
Everything about combat - better enemies AI and new skills, injuries, locational damage, unique player moves and overall combat improvements here and there to make dull Skyrim combat shine.
Combat Evolved Light-weight, script-free, old-but-good combat mod. Due to its great compatibility it can be used alongside with other combat mods for even better combat experience. Enemies are more agressive and smarter. Stagger, knockdown, enemy skills, and enemy damage are enhanced. But at the same time enemies are not ‘terminators’ - mod is good balanced. I strongly recommend to use it. I also advise to use modular version for more detailed installation process. Ultimate Combat
Amazing combat mod that brings you totally new combat experience. Enemies AI is now better, they can cooperate, parry, dodge, counter your attacks as well as having unique special spells and abilities. Mod modifies many combat stats for more realistic combat. Mod also adds timed block feature, stamina cost for regular attacks, headshots for archers (can be configured in MCM) and some even more things. Try it for sure!
Wildcat - Combat of Skyrim
New combat mod from the author of Apocalypse/Ordinator. This amazing mod makes combat more realistic, dynamic and brings more lethality into your game. Mod ipmroves combat AI that makes enemies more smart, initiative and dangerous. Its biggest and greatest (in my opinion) feature is wide injures system. It’s really realistic and simple at the same time. It also modifies global difficulty levels in Skyrim and gives you possibility to configure these values in MCM. It also offers timed block feature as well as many other combat modifiers. It’s also pretty good compatible with all combat/magic/ perk overhaul mods and mod author also inlcuded detailed load order description list for this/that mod. You can see a brief showcase of it here. Immersive Movement patch is available.
Stop On Slash - HitStop Redux ==NEW==
Ever asked yourself why weapon weights nothing? Why your character doesn’t feel any physics after swinging two-handed battleaxe? Then this mod is for you. When the player hits an actor or an object, a “hit-stop” (a tiny pause) is added along with camera shake and blur effects. This makes weapon strikes feel more solid and heightens the sense that a hit has actually been made. Fully configurable in MCM and compatible with everything. You can see a video showcase of the mod here.
TK Recoil
This mod is similar to previous one, just for the bows/crossbows. When the player shot a bow or crossbow or staff, a "recoil" (a tiny pause) is added along with camera shake and blur effects. This makes weapon recoil feel more solid and heightens the sense that a hit has actually been made. Also comes with an MCM.
TK Dodge
Very popular and must-have mod if you’re running several combat mods that increase game difficulty. Mod adds dodge rolls (forward-back-left-right) using hotkeys. Mod also has an MCM where you can re-configure the hotkeys and dodge roll stamina cost. Xbox One gamepad addon available.
TUDM - The Ultimate Dodge Mod
One more great dodge mod, with own pros and cons. Pro is that it doesn't rely on FPS in terms of dodge responsibility (with TK dodge, if you have FPS below 40, dodge responsiveness can become worse, i.e. small delay appear) - so it never has a dodge delay after hotkey pressed no matter if you fps is 60 or 25. Most of people also like its animations more. Cons - less options for configuration. Choose this mod or TK Dodge - one or another. Also install the fix patch ==NEW==. Some patches are available here, as well as RS Children patch ==NEW==. You can see a video showcase of the mod here.
Mortal Enemies
Remember how NPCs can turn to your direction just in the middle of weapon swing? Forget about this! Elemental Destruction Magic patch available. You can see a video showcase of the mod here.
Wounds
Simple mod focused exactly on injuries. More realistic/hard to heal comparing to Wildcat's injuries system (you should not use them both or disable WC injuries if you want this one, otherwise it will become messy). Optional UI addon available. You can see a showcase of it here.
Stamina Matters - No more useless stamina ==NEW==
Small yet pretty revolutionary mod and my personal recommendation for deep realism lovers. No attacking / blocking / jumping at zero stamina, rendering a complete new meaning for stamina in this game other than just a limiter for sprint / power attacks. Stamina is actually something that matters and you should put into consideration during combat now. Latest version adds Stamina consumption and CGO patch.
Realistic Melee Range
Simple as that. Decreases hit range for all melee weapons to be more realistic.
Reasonable Reloading
Manual crossbow reloading mod, fully customizable in MCM. You can see a video showcase of the mod here.
Non-Exploitable Crossbow Reloading
A similar, simplified mod in case you're on the edge of scripted performance. Use one or another.
NPCs Can Swim in Combat
Visceral Combat and Movement
Simple mod inspired by movement adjustment of Wildcat and other movement mods in addition to mortal enemies/attack commitment features.
Sekiro Combat
Adds fast-pace combat features, making fighting with melee weapons look somewhat similar to how it's being depicted in anime. Requires Ultimate Combat.
No Saving in Combat
Simple as that, for hardcore fighters.
Dynamic Stamina - combat actions and movement use stamina
A simple, script-free mod that makes combat actions and movement consume stamina. Can be an alternative to similar systems in mods like Wildcat or Ultimate Combat, if you don't want to use them for some reason.
Weapon Arts
This mod adds to Skyrim weapon-arts (or weapon-skills), which are based on equipped weapon type and its enchantment. If player character has enough magicka, then using a lesser power added by the mod (Z button), the combat skill with special effects and animations will be performed.
Locational Damage(SKSE Plugin) ==NEW==
ctually working, light-weight and finally really STABLE locational damage mod for Skyrim. Full configurable in .INI file. When using with combat mods like Ultimate Combat or Wildcat, either disable locational damage in UC and/or injuries in WC, or set this mod effect chances to very low - otherwise you'll be very OP. Note: My .INI file for this mod is available for download, suitable for mod manager installation. You can see a showcase of it here.
Melee Power Knockback ==NEW==
Simply adds knockback + ragdoll to power attacks.
Knockout and Surrender - Non-Lethal Pacifist yielding options ==NEW==
You can configure how easily your enemies should surrender, and you can choose to knock them out rather than killing them.
Dynamic Sweep Attack ==NEW==
Adds ability to perform a sweep attack and bind it to a preferred hotkey in MCM.
LoZLock - Simple Lock-On Updated ==NEW==
Mod adds a simple target lock feature in combat. Updated version of a conversion of an LE mod.
(SJG) Dual Wield Parrying Reimplementation
Simple parry mod for dual wielding/spellcasting.
ArrowBlock(REAL Deflect Arrow)
This mod allows you to block arrows and magic projectiles with your weapon or shield which will cost you some stamina/magicka. For making mod better balanced, I'd recommend to raise this cost value using xEdit, otherwise you can be near to invincible often for too low cost.
Disarmless
I personally always enjoyed this enemy ability, but if this bothers you - mod removes Disarm shout from either draugrs only, or the entire game including mods.
You can also look on the combat mods I'm personally using in my ultimate mod list, but take into account it was made for LE initially, but you can still reproduce the mod list mostly.
Alchemy-dedicated mods. They technically are general gameplay improvements type, but alchemy is a very popular skill with some true gems for it, so I thought it would be nice to give them a separate section :)
Before you start, if you prefer the visual presentations and more in-depth review, you can take a look at some of best alchemy mods in action:
Let's start from a most (deservedly) known, complex and simply epic alchemy overhaul, which is close to be an essential mod for almost any walkthrough.
Complete Alchemy and Cooking Overhaul Amazing mod that completely overhauls Alchemy and Cooking. Alchemy has a great potential in Skyrim, but at the same time it was the most boring profession. And now CACO saves the day! Besides awesome overhauls mod even offers you to craft alchemical bombs as well as waxes, salves and bandages. You can also use field alchemy stuff to make potions & poisons anywhere you want. CACO also offfers basic needs and even inebriation effects. It has MCM and most of new features can be configured and turned off if you don’t need them. Patches/addons: Kryptopyr's Patch Hub (SJG) Complete Alchemy and Cooking Overhaul Patches
This patch pack does NOT have a FOMOD installer - download it manually, unpack, choose patches you need, pack them back, add to your mod manager and install.
iWant Drinking Fountains for CACO
Alchemical Studies - CACO Ingredient Book
Upgraded Dragonflies for CACO
AddFish (For CACO)
Bo-yo-yo-yo-yo.
Alchemy Potions and Food Adjustments Mod can be taken as "lite" version of CACO (use one or another, not both). Improves the consistency and balance of alchemy and potions in general as well as correcting some cheat-like features present in vanilla. Skyrim Alchemy and Food Overhaul Another simple but good alternative, oriented on somewhat hardcore gameplay. Poisoning Extended A simple but revolutionary mod that allows you to poison your weapons multiple times to not make this annoying "menu-poison-back to game" action after each swing or shot and to actually see which exactly poison is applied and how many stacks left via cozy UI. Toxic - A Venom Mod ==NEW==
Toxic adds new alchemy ingredients to creatures who use venomous attacks, allowing you to use their venoms for your own poisons and antivenoms.
Skytoxin - Realistic Dangerous Poison
Potions and poisons get more realistic and dangerous. Great for roleplaying and survival.
Now, a few mods which are wrapped about making potions usage more thoughtful, double-edged, similar to how it was done in Witcher games. These are absolutely optional as they, ofc, will make game harder. Choose one:
Toxicity - A Witcher-like Toxicity System Mod puts a soft limit on the number of potions that could be consumed at once. Drinking too many potions will cause your toxicity level to rise and will eventually cause you to lose your balance and produce hallucinations in the form of visual effects. It's also compatible with everything out of the box. Chasing the Dragon - Toxicity and Addiction A more advanced, feature-packed Toxicity mode, built as a successor to the mod above (and so ofc, use one or another). You can see my review of it here. Potion Tolerance
A more simple and "forgiving" yet immersive alternative to previous mod to make potions usage less "spamming" and more realistic, introducing sort of alchemical diminishing. While under the effect of potions, your tolerance will gradually increase, decreasing the effectiveness of subsequent potions. Tolerance will gradually return to normal after all alchemical effects wear off.
Good.
Technicolor Alchemy Overhaul - Unique Alchemy Plants for Skyrim Not an overhaul, but a huge addon more likely - this mod adds over 3000 (80 types) of hand-placed plants over Skyrim, with own alchemical ingredients. Compatible with CACO. Note: Test properly if you're using landscape overhauls and static flora addons. Alchemist Compendium
Another simple yet immersive mod. Mod adds a reference book, listing all Skyrim ingredients and their 4 effects. No more blind experimenting and wasting expensive ingredients on failed potions. Now you can look up the ingredient in your reference book in your inventory like a real student. On the other hand, this may also be somewhat cheating/"spoiler'ish" to some players, so use to your own preference.
Alchemical Treatise (with mod support)
This mod adds a series of alchemy books that teach the effects of each ingredient in them, placed at lore-friendly locations around Skyrim, that have in-built support for several popular mods that add ingredients including CACO, Beasts of Tamriel, Immersive Creatures and Skybirds.
Alchemy Additions
Adds the ability to craft ingredients at a new crafting station. New ingredients and effects as well.
x Pine Resin
Souls-like item mod. Adds consumable items which can enchant weapons temporarily such like pine resin of Soul series.
Upgrade Old Potions
Combine lesser vanilla potions and poisons into upgraded versions.
Creep Cluster Lazy Fix
Just a weird workaround for a weird bug - Creep Cluster harvesting fix.
Craftable Hearthfire Planters - Campfire addon
Adds craftable Hearthfire Planters players can use to decorate and expand their gardens or homes. Requires Campfire.
Better Crafted Potions
This mod changes crafted potions models and names to match the closest leveled loot potion.
Less valuable player made potions
Player made potions are absurdly valuable. This mod reduces how much they sell for without impacting the price of potions merchants sell.
Craftable Perfumes and Colognes
Allows you to craft scents for a boost in speechcraft and other miscellaneous skills based on the scent.
Varietea - Yet Another Tea Drinking Mod
Adds nearly 20 new teas. Variety is spicy and all that.
CHOCOLATE
Did you know the Nords canonically make chocolate? This mod introduces some 30+ types of chocolate that you can actually bite in half.
Cook More Vanilla Food
Does it ever frustrate you that you can't make your own baked potatoes or grilled leeks? Well, now you can. Salt optional.
Hanyah's Plantable Jarrin Root
Makes Jarrin Root from Dark Brotherhood quest plantable as any other plant on HearthFire's dirt emplacements.
Make Moon Sugar
Buy necessary ingredients and use a special brewer to make famous moon sugar.
Respectable Inventory -- Well-Stocked Alchemists
Alchemists now have a complete stock of ingredients and potions for sale. For me personally, this can and most likely will make game too easy, but many people may like it for sure.
Apothecary Inventory Rebuild
A more complex and somewhat less "making game easy" alternative to mod above.
The Alchemist's Cookbook ==NEW==
Find recipes for any useful combination of ingredients, giving you a new way to learn effects and master Skyrim's Alchemy system. Note: Read the "Bugs" section post about how to fix the FOMOD installer.
Blacksmith and Enchanter's Potions Enhancements
Increases duration of named potions, simple as that. I'd personally recommend to use exactly the "E and S Potions Duration Only" version.
White Phial Better Alignments
Changes the effects of the White Phial to be more useful and impactful.
Lotus Poison
Discover secrets of sophisticated poison making. New dialogue lines are also voiced.
Plantable Nirnroot
This small mod allow you to plant Nirnroot and Crimson Nirnroot if you have completed "A Return To Your Roots".
Ring Of Pure Mixtures Improved
Pretty much logical buff for the ring, as for me.
Realistic Skooma
This mod makes Skooma (and Redwater Skooma) more potent and more dangerous to use.
Craftable Skooma and Moonsugar
Simple mod that adds a simple way to craft skooma and moonsugar.
Collect Ivy
Because why not? Serves as an additional alchemical ingredient.
More enemies, more sudden encounters, more civil war battles, more neutral NPCs as well. Please remember: big amount of population mods together with heavy-modded gameplay setup may overload your game and cause instability and script lags. To avoid this - install population mods one by one and check your performance ingame, testing affected areas like cities, forts or faction battles.
Interesting NPCs The biggest NPC mod ever made, an absolute titan between all of them. While Inconsequential NPCs is focusing on "no noticable" immersive NPC addition to "fill" the gaps in game, Interesting NPCs adds characters with own stories, often with questlines and all are fully-voiced. Over 250+ fully voiced NPCs, 25+ followers, 15+ marriage NPCs, and 50+ quests. 3DNPC is like a game inside a game in meaning of size. The dialogue choices allow you to role-play, providing humor and depth to each conversation. You can be a jerk or a jester, a white knight or an assassin, as the most important character is you. Note: While the mod itself is stable, you should take into account that it adds really a lot of new NPCs and if you're planning to use many population mods at the same time, test the game deeply before starting an actual walkthrough to be sure game performance is not affected badly with too many NPCs added. Also install the aggression fix ==NEW==.
Patches/addons: Interesting NPCs and WACCF Outfits Patch Cuyima Interesting NPCs Interesting NPCs Visual Overhaul Interesting NPCs Zora Customizer Apachii Hair for Interesting NPCs Interesting NPC's Imperious Patch WARP - 3DNPC patch The Great Town of Ivarstead - 3DNPC Patch The Great Village of Mixwater Mill Interesting NPCs Patch
Immersive Patrols Mod adds plethora of patrols of almost every major faction across all DLCs, including Stormcloaks, Thalmor, Imperials, Dawnguard, Travelers, Merchants, Bandits, Skaal, Redoran, Reavers and Rieklings. You will see small and bigger faction battles and even for sieges in absolutely each region of Skyrim! Its also doesn't use scripts - so you can install and uninstall it anytime without any worries and it’s pretty good compatible with almost everything. There's also "stripped down" version of the plugin (overwrite the original mod plugin with it) that has 2 versions - without merchants and leveled lists changes or with this and without war zones on top, and another "simplified" addon for it in a few version - use either one or another in addition to mod itself.
Note: Don't use OBIS and Immersive Patrols together - while being fully stable and great mods themselves, when used together, sooner or later they case a game-breaking bug when random factions start attacking you on sight with no reason. I'm personally using OBIS. Citizens of Tamriel A tribute to old-school RPGs that adds some much-needed life to Skyrim's NPCs. Features all new, fully-voiced characters, branching dialogue and more. My personal recommendation. Also grab a visual upgrade for its NPCs. RS Children patch available. Denizens of Morthal - Dialogue and Character Expander Uses carefully spliced and re-purposed dialogue to allow the citizens of Morthal to interact with each another. Along with giving more immersive schedules to the inhabitants, it also expands the skills and backstories of Benor, Eisa Blackthorn, Valdimar and Erandur. Northern Encounters Awesome encounter mod that also adds lore-based storylines alongside with the new encounters. Extended Encounters ==NEW== A fresh encounter mod from author of well-known Wyrmstooth mod. Travel encounters and ambushes, sleep encounters and more - but most noticeably and what makes this mod to stand out, not being just "yet another encounter mod" is a wide system of immersive non-combat encounters (or at least not related to combat with player directly). City guard chasing a local thief, executioners doing their job at town squares (and resting in temple after that at evening), street performers and so much more! Lastly, it also makes bandits to actually raid cities from time to time, as well as mercenaries and adventurers to actually travel accross Skyrim so can see them hunting or dealing with local thugs. On top of that all, mod is fully configurable in MCM. To me personally, it became a lifetime denizen of my load order and an essential mod. You can a see a showcase of it here. Full Random NPC Pack ==NEW== Adds 600 ++ new NPCs to the random lists of bandits, guards, soldiers, vampires and others. The mod also adds a small number of travelers who are, in vanilla game, rarely found throughout Skyrim. Civil War Deserters ==NEW== Adds a new deserter enemy type that you can encounter in specific locations across Skyrim. Bandit Hermits ==NEW== 20 new locations with Bandit Hermits, in far locations, radiant enabled, make some areas less empty. Dark Brotherhood Assassins - Improvements ==NEW== Reintroduces a new ranged type of assassin that was cut from the game, adds new NPCs for added racial diversity and increases their overall power based on player level for better scaling into higher levels MINPCs (More Immersive NPCs) A mod that adds many new NPC's that wander organically throughout Skyrim using custom AI packages, in an attempt to make traveling more dangerous, and the roads less empty. Note: It's recommended to delete Bandit Raiders from it in xEdit. Populated Solstheim More NPCs for settlements at Solstheim. dkdoubledub profile For a few tiny but immersive mods adding NPCs here and there, logically placed. Skyrim Belongs to the Nords - A Population Mod Really great and pretty underrated, all-in-one make-Skyrim-more-populated mod. It adds new citizens and peasants, labourers, dockworkers, beggars, miners, villagers and thugs to settlements and near them.
Note: It's recommended to not use Populated Cities mod (below) together with this mod, as this may result in too much overcrowded settlements. DFB - Random Encounters - MCM Great and stable encounters mod from Skyrim Immersive Creatures author with cozy MCM, through which you can control hundreds of spawn across dozens of spawn types. Now goes the Populated mods series - more citizens, more bandits in forts, monsters in dungeons, travelling mercenaries & merchants, more soldiers fightning in more civil war battles etc. Populated Lands Roads Paths Populated Forts Towers Places Populated Dungeons Caves Ruins Populated Skyrim Civil War Populated Skyrim Prisons Cells Populated Cities Towns Villages RS Children patch available. Nice. Extra Guards Stands for its name. Vampire Lord Enemies
Not that much lore-friendly, but well, if you wanna, why not?
Various completely new gameplay features and additions - many things that this game lacked, features inspired by other RPGs, vanilla mechanics expanded by new stuff. Combat and absolutely "civil" related as well.
ESO Skyshards ESO Skyshards places several shards throughout the province of Skyrim, including Dawnguard areas and Solstheim. Collect them to gain extra perk points. Magic Duel - Reborn This mod allows you to engage magic duels with your enemies. If you want some more epicness for your mage playthrough - try it for sure. You can duel both NPCs and dragons. For dragon magic duel becomes shout duel and that’s pretty immersive. Mod also contains ingame book through which you can configure it. Outfit NPCs
A port of super-cool and underrated Skyrim LE mod that simply allows you to gift any outfit to any NPC, which they will immediately equip.
RE - Real Estate Continued
Outside of most buildings, you'll find a Property Sign. Interact with it to buy, sell and rent properties, from which you'll earn income. Use a Master Ledger to review your current status. You need also to keep it up to date, to do so you just need to select the "Ledger's quill" from your inventory. Collect your income from Safes located in each jarl's palace. The safes are locked, so that no thieves will steal your rent. The key is automatically given to the player during the tutorial. Mod also has MCM to adjust settings.
Hidden Treasures
200 hidden lootable chests with a unique design for you to discover all around Skyrim.
The Egg Of Time - Dwemer artifacts from Morrowind
10 dwemer artifacts from Morrowind. Will you be able to find them all?
Tavern Games - Mini Games in Skyrim
Immersive mod inspired by Witcher series that adds several mini-games.
Medium Armors - True Equipment Overhaul
Technically an armor mod, but it adds compeltely new armor type, medium armor, as per older TES games. Around 20 new medium armor sets, integrated in leveled lists.
Draw - A Dueling Mod
Settle your conflicts like a real Nord! Single combat with any npc, no damaged faction relations, no strings attached. Killing your opponent is optional.
Taxes of the Nine Holds
This mod adds a tax system to Skyrim, fully customisable with an MCM. The tax system operates on a Hold basis, so effectively you may pay up to 9 separate taxes.
Simple Taxes
Super Simple Lock Bash
Simple mod that allows you to bash lock with a success chances based on your level, weapon skill, weapon quality, lock difficulty and some luck.
Respawn - Death Overhaul
This little yet original mod aims to get rid of the quicksave cheese that most Skyrim players have gotten accustomed to. Being defeated in combat should have consequences! This mod aims to provide a new respawn mechanic that makes the player feel the pain of defeat, while making surviving the threats of Skyrim feel more rewarding.
Wash That Blood Off
Wash that blood off and clean your armor by taking a swim.
Lawbringer
Bring order to a chaotic world, making a real difference in Skyrim as you go about saving it. Claim bandit strongholds for the faction of your choice to keep the bandits from coming back, making Skyrim a safer place. Optional addon ==NEW== available.
Skyrim Realistic Conquering - All In One
A smilar mod to create even bigger coverage of this functionality across the game world. Using Fort Takeovers Framework, SRC makes immersive changes to multiple locations after you clear them. To make it compatible with Lawbringer, use its modular installer to remove unwanted locations.
Zebsirious - Tamrielic Races of Skyrim
Zebsirious introduces 7 new, Imperious-inspired playable races to Skyrim, bringing the total to 17. You can watch my review of the mod here.
Throwing Weapons - Skill and Perks Tree
A fresh mod from the same author, but now giving you working throwing weapon perks! some of "high tier" perks may be a bit OP, as for me. Requirements are the same as for the mod above.
L.V.X Magick's - Boats
Fully workable, buildable boats to use on all major bodies of water in Skyrim, & Solstheim. Frostfall compatible.
Stonehall Orphanage
Too many adoptable children? Don't want to adopt? Send the adoptable children to the Stonehall Orphanage in Markarth. Larger staff, more beds, this orphanage can host up to 24 kids.
Skyshade - Create Your Own Paintings
Create paintings of anything you can see that can then be placed anywhere you like.
Fossil Mining - with Legacy support
Adds fossils that you can find while mining to make mining more profitable and interesting, brought to you with the help of the creator of Legacy of the Dragonborn with built-in Legacy support. You can also grab map markers addon for it.
Skald's Mail - A Courier Alternative
Replaces the courier system with mailboxes you can rent or purchase, and includes extra features such as mail-order deliveries from shops, shipping items long distances, and sending off gear to be improved. LOTD patch available.
Special Perks from Questing
Innovative, immersive mod that gives the player new unique perks and powers upon completion of major and guild quest lines - similar to how it was inmplemented in Fallout New Vegas. You can watch a review here.
Headhunter - Bounties Redone ==NEW==
Bounty quests expanded for Bandits, Forsworn, Giants and Dragons. Like in the Witcher 3, bring "trophies" from your enemy to the Jarl as proof of the bounty or deliver the captured bandits to a guard for justice. Supports the Notice Board and Missives mods.
Vampire Lords Can Fly (With Collision) ==NEW== Is it flying or falling with style? Well, it's technically jumping, but Vampire Lords can now FLY. Now without needing to use the "no collision" trick or any scripts. It just flies!
Triple Triad Card Game in Skyrim ==NEW==
Ever wanted Skyrim to have its own Gwent analogue? Here you go :)
Training Dummies and Targets ==NEW==
This mod allows you to practice and improve your combat skills on the practice dummies in Skyrim.
Dawi (Dwarf) - Playable Race (Warhammer Fantasy) ==NEW==
Adds a new playable race: Dawi (Dwarf). Includes optional Dwarf voice.
Races of Nirn - Kapo'tun ==NEW==
Now you'll be able to play as the Tiger-folk from akavir, with own racial abilities.
RaceCompatibility - Dialog Changes ==NEW==
Changes (some) race checks in dialog to include (some) custom races.
Hidespots ==NEW==
Awesome mod inspired by Assassins Creed. You can hide in different containers and then perform stealthy actions to nearby objects or NPCs.
Custom Skills - Hand To Hand ==NEW==
Add new perk tree of Hand-to-Hand. Also grab the English translation here.
Bone Grinder
What is it to do with all those bones like human skull, troll skull, mammoth tusk, horker tusk, goat horn, dragon bone, dragon scale and dragon hearth scale?
Dig up Dragon Bones and Scales
Dig up dragon bones and scales from burial mounds. Gain access to bones and scales without starting the main quest or fighting dragons.
Collect Bodies and Bear Traps
Requested by faffman. Allows the player to collect dead bodies. Other file allows bear trap collection. Note: Ordinator has fully functional perks related to traps, works much better and immersive.
Teach Followers Spells Through Spell Tomes
Allows you to teach spells to followers by giving them spell tomes.
Mist Flight Mod
Wanna fly like dark wizards in HP? Well now you can.
Simply Climb
Adds ability to climb. Doesn't have animations though.
Simply Tame
Tame beasts. Simply indeed.
A Closer Look
Adds a key to zoom your camera in. Includes MCM for configuration.
Immersion is very "wide" term in gaming. Long story short, it's everything that makes your game realistic (i.e. similar to real life) in some way - needs system, camping, weather affecting character warmth and health, realistic physical abilities, AI packages and so on. Everything to make you feel not just playing a character in game, but to "feel" this game better and have better interaction with the world around you.
Want your character to have realistic needs in sleep, eating and drinking? Wanna have Skyrim cold weathers to actually impact your character and game world? Wanna have realistic hunting? If everything or some from this is what you're thinking about, think no more and dive into this section.
Before you start, if you prefer the visual presentations and more in-depth review, you can take a look at some of best immersion mods in action:
First of all, the camping/resting section - mods allowing you to rest and relax in an immersive way, setup your camps and do stuff there. Can vary in complexity.
Campfire - Complete Camping System Amazing mod that adds camping system to Skyrim. Search or buy resources, improve your camping skills (with a help of new custom perk trees), and make a camp with a warm fire to rest in any place of Skyrim. Addons/Patches: Tentapalooza for Campfire ElSopa - Campfire HD Warm Drinks - Simple Tea And Coffee Recipes - for Campfire
Gather Wilderness Resources - A plugin for Campfire
Eremite Camping and Combat for Campfire
Campfire Spooning
Cuyi's Campfire Backpacks ==NEW==
Cheery Crafting - Campfire Edition
Campfire - Torch fix
Dark Souls style campfire replacer ==NEW==
Good.
Campsite
A very simple and lightweight alternative to Campfire.
Simple Bedroll ==NEW==
A basic craftable, portable bedroll. Alternatively, you can get this instead.Bathing in Skyrim Special Edition - Unofficial Conversion Allows you to bathe in the waters of Skyrim. Compatible with DLCs, new land mods and mods like Frostbite/iNEED. Super Simple Bathing An indeed super lite alternative. Simple Inn Bath
==NEW==
One more simple alternative.
Skyrim Sleeping Bags - Sleep Under Blankets
Mod adds different types of bedrolls for you and your followers. You can sleep, lie down, sit and even meditate on them.
Great! now directly the "needs" mods - your character need to eat, drink and sleep, and respective ingame bonuses/penalties. Choose one.
iNeed - Food Water and Sleep - Continued
Awesome and lightweight basic needs mod. It adds hunger/thirst/sleep system so finally food and drinks become valuable in your playthrough. It also offers intuitive system of widgets to inform you about current needs status. It’s very high-compatible with most popular mods and greatly customizable in MCM. It’s more immersive, has more features and have better design (Ninth bless widgets!) than Realistic Needs and Diseases in my opinion and also has much better compatibility with other mods, but if you like RnD more - install it instead.Note #1: please make sure to endorse the original mod. Note #2: do [NOT] install/use Dangerous Diseases plugin - it was many times reported for causing crashes. Addons/Patches: CACO patch Another CACO/Be A Milk Drinker patches
Falskaar patch
Beasts of Tamriel patch
Fruits addon
Universal Water Patch ==NEW==
Kee-poo!
Realistic Needs and Diseases All-In-One for USSEP
Another great basic needs mod. Choose this one or INEED. Also take a look at Dawn of Skyrim patch and few fruits addon.
Vitality Mode - Basic Needs - Eat Drink and Sleep
Similar to Frostbite, this one is a lightweight sleep-hunger-thirst alternative to iNEED/RnD. My personal favourite to pick if your load order can't handle iNeed, but you still want something feature-packed.
Immersive Needs - For The Conscientious Modder
Even more simple approach, very lightweight too.
Super Simple Needs
Minimum minimorium alternative.
Frost survival:
Frostbite As much as I personally love Frostfall, how huge and complex it is, it's very buggy in SE due to it being a port (likely, hastily made one) in addition to being very script-heavy. That's why it's not listed in SE guide and I humbly recommend you to look at this fresh, lightweight, highly compatible and constanly updated mod that can be considered a simplier and vastly more safe alternative to Frostfall, which is sadly incredibly bugged in SE.Various other survival immersion mods - from hardcore effects to purely cosmetic ones:
R.A.S.S. Rain Ash And Snow Shaders - Wet Frost Cold Dust A must-have mod for any survival immersion fan! Complex, yet pretty lightweight mod which adds visual effects to the Player and NPCs during certain conditions. Ash, wetness, cold and frost effects, bubbles of exhaling underwater etc. This mod is doing close to the same what Wet and Cold does, but much more light in terms of implementation, being very lightweight. Grab the better textures for it. You can a see a showcase of it here. Skyrim Fishing A simple fishing mod. Exhaustion This is a simple mod that plays audible breaths from your character when your health/stamina/magicka drops below a certain percentage. Atrophy ==NEW== Unused skills get rusty and lose progress over time. MCM-configurable. Nordic Cooking
Mealtime - a Food and Recipe Mod
Two great mods that add plenty of new food recipes, compatible with INEED/CACO.
Skyrim Food Expanded ==NEW==
New soups and pies (and recipes for them).
Loki's Wade In Water ==NEW==
SKSE Plugin to make water slow actors (NPCs and yourself) down depending on how much of them is submerged.
Simple Encumbrance Effect ==NEW==
Simple yet immersive encumbrance effect to increase realism when the player character is over-encumbered. Lightweight and compatible with other mods.
Immersive Swimming ==NEW==
Makes swimming feel more immersive and somewhat realistic. Geared towards simplicity and maximum compatibility, while preserving the much-needed features for a more immersive and somewhat realistic swimming experience.
Gourmet Gourds
Adds some new cooking recipes using gourds.
General Stores sells Salt and Flour
Simple as that. May be very useful when playing with needs mods.
Wood Frame Backpacks
Several original and super-immersive backpacks.
Various other immersion mods that are not related with survival and needs directly, but greatly improving various other aspects of the game - dialogues, birds, better questing and objectives, lore-related things, city lights and more.
Dialogue/objectives/notifications mods:
Relationship Dialogue Overhaul Mod adds more than 5000 voiced lines of dialogues. All lines are voiced using the original voices from the game and consists of existing lines that have been added in new and suitable situations, as well as completely new dialogues created by editing multiple lines together to form brand new ones. Friends talk to you more like friends. Followers have more much to say when speaking to them. If your spouse is a follower, he/she will talk to like a spouse instead of a generic follower. NPCs who dislike you (not bandits and forsworn, but citizens of towns and cities) will have more insults to say and may even completely stop talking to you if you continue to pester them.
Note: Install the update with MCM and make sure to peek at Files tab and install respective patches needed. Guard Dialogue Overhaul Redux Fixed and improved version of popular mod. Guard Dialogue Overhaul alters the guards dialogues, changing it from something that breaks your immersion in the world of Skyrim to something that actually increases it. Realistic Conversations
Every social logic in Skyrim for NPC is changed, they talk more often to each others. And will less likely greet to you from a distance, they will also greet less often too, making them to not act as much as robots. NPCs are also more clever and will know for example if they talked to a NPC and will therefore talk to another or not talk at all. Compatible with both mods above.
Misc Dialogue Edits
This mod improves dialogue that other mods don't, contributing to make conversations in Skyrim as plausible and immersive as possible, while taking compatibility into account. Everything here is intended to feel like it could have been part of the vanilla game all along, but it also supports alternate start mods.
More Dialogue Options
A mod from the same author which adds dialogue options in a simple and immersive way to improve various conversations in the vanilla game. The responses are all voiced by using the original voice files of the game. The new options are meant to feel like they should have been in the game all along.
More to Say
You have more to say. NPCs have more to say. This mod adds miscellaneous inconsequential dialogue to existing NPCs. Can be used with two mods above, RDO and most of dialogue mods in general. As it's completely standalone.
Serana Dialogue Edit
If you like to play through Dawnguard DLC, this mod is just essential. Serana is a character with one of the most interesting backgrounds, but dialogues with her were always a bit dull and limited. This mod goal is to fix this problem, drastically expanding her dialogues amount and giving a lot of reactions on the events around you when travelling together (especially noticable if played through Dragonborn DLC).
Serana Dialogue Add-On
An expansion to Serana's dialogue in order to make her feel more organic as an interactive character with the player and the world. This includes more conversations with the player, quest awareness, radiant dialogue, and much more. With this mod, Serana should be a more engaging character not only in Dawnguard, but for the whole game. Compatible with Serana Dialogue Edit.
To Your Face Redux ==NEW==
SKSE plugin that stops NPC comments unless they're directly facing the player.
Immersive Speech Dialogues ==NEW==
Vanilla speech dialogue options are overhauled to have more personality, suited for more immersive roleplaying.
Random Guard Dialogues ==NEW==
New funny and random voiced dialogues for guards.
Thalmor Dialogue and Quests ==NEW==
For those enjoying a Thalmor-themed playthrough, this mod adds many conversations for a Thalmor player character to have with the people of Skyrim, as well as some Thalmor-related short adventures.
YOT - Your Own Thoughts
This mod basically changes most(if not all) of the second person messages and texts in game and makes them 1st person.
Reflection - Level Up Messages
Reflection brings back the level up messages found in previous Elder Scrolls titles.
Even Better Quest Objectives - EBQO
This mod enhances the quest descriptions in the vanilla game so that you have a clear sense of where you are supposed to go and what you are supposed to do besides looking at the quest markers. Let's face it - the quest descriptions were quite bad, not specifying where you are supposed to go by themselves, and forcing you to play with the quest markers on all the time. This affects nearly 250 quest objectives/descriptions, spanning over 160 quests, editing descriptions that were either really vague or didn't exist at all. Quests Are In Skyrim patch available, as well as few other patches ==NEW==.
Better Intimidation
Replaces Skyrim's whimpy intimidation dialogues with something more fearsome. Showcase here.
Travel related mods:
Carriage and Ferry Travel Overhaul A lightweight but immersive overhaul of both the vanilla Skyrim carriage system and Dawnguard's ferry system, making the whole travelling system of Skyrim much more comfortable and realistic. No dirty records or script, no navmesh edits - clean and bug-free. Helgen Reborn patch and this tiny addon are available. Wayshrines of Tamriel A more simple and lightweight wayshrine fast travel system. Liminal Bridges - A portal mod Inspired by the eluvians in the Dragon Age universe, Liminal Bridges is a different take on the traditional teleportation and portal mods. Point The Way Simple, but greatly immersive one. Road signs have been placed at several major intersections that were either lacking signs, or didn't have enough signs to indicate the full extent of where you could travel on a road. Ask The Way Another little yet immersive one - allows you to ask the way to certain places in city. Fast Travel Cost Fast traveling from the map now costs gold based on the distance traveled. Fast Travel by Horse Fast travel by horse. Delphine's Map Reveals Dragon Mounds This mod adds map markers to all dragon burial mounds around Skyrim. When you have Delphine's map in your inventory, you'll have to click it (like you were equipping it.) Then the markers will be enabled and automatically revealed to you as undiscovered map markers. Atlas Map Markers patch available. Dragonborn - Solstheim Boat Travel Adds row boats to the island of Solstheim that can be used as a travel system to four different locations. Also includes a knapsack to store items on your boat. Dynamic Cart Horses
==NEW==
Dynamic texture replacer for carriage horses. HD Reworked Horses patch available.
Helps To Have A Map
This mod restricts using the map menu. You'll need to have a physical map in your inventory, in order to open the map menu. A few patches available.
No Crime Teleport
Disables the teleportation when paying off bounty.
Immersive Stables
Tired of your horses returning to the place you bought them from? Stable your horses anywhere, and they will return there when dismissed.
Bromjunaar Journal
Adds a journal in Labyrinthian giving direction on where to locate all eight Dragon Priest masks.
WordWalls of Skyrim
Adds a collection of journals that tells locations of all of the word walls.
Road Signs Fast Travel
Allows to fast travel to town and cities from road signs.
Everything else you wished to have and everything you didn't even know about:
Lanterns of Skyrim Simple and immersive mod that add lanterns to main roads, villages, towns and settlements. The light sources of the lanterns are lit from 7pm to 7am. Once installed I just can’t play without it anymore. It’s especially good for people who play with weather/lighting mods/ENBs that have dark nights. Mod also has MCM through which you can control lanterns' working time and enable/disable lanterns in settlements for better compatibility. You also may like this addon for it. Please also make sure to endorse the original mod. Lastly, there's also a standalone different version of it available here (also grab a collision fix and Weathered Road Signs (only if using it ofc) fix ==NEW== for it). Not So Fast - Main Quest Not So Fast - Mage Guild Two simple yet so much needed mods to make pauses between stages of main quest and mages guild questline, to let yourself do some other things meanwhile and not being rushed to save the world. Wearable Lanterns Another great immersion mod from Chesko. May the light be always with you! Also grab the MCM fix. Improved Traps Enemy NPCs will now pay attention when trap is triggered near them. Also, as you can remember, vanilla traps damage was barely noticable. this mod fixes this and makes traps much more dangerous. Destructible Skyrim - Breakable Objects (Beta) The definitive realism mod that Skyrim should had have loooong ago. Works as it's named - makes you able to crush and destroy many game objects. Note: The mod is still in beta, meaning it's being developed atm, so test if properly with your mod setup before keeping it for a real walkthrough. Immersive Laundry
Adds decorative clothes lines and other washing-related items throughout Skyrim, for a touch of realism. Also make sure to install this improvement addon for it by Pfuscher.
Simpler Knock
A simplier analogue to popular "Simple Knock" mod which is sadly just broken in SE.
Simplest Knock
EVEN more simple. Yeah, for real.
Skyrim Is Windy
Skyrim is a windy place but there is no signs of any strong winds in Skyrim. This mod will fix that.
Bells of Skyrim
Mod adds bells to major skyrim towns and cities that will alarm citizens in case of danger, like dragon/vampire/bandit attacks.
Bring Out Your Dead
Adds proper burial sites for various unique NPCs found throughout Skyrim. Note: May cause clipping issues with settlement mods, so test before actually playing.
Skyrim Souls RE - Updated
Realism lover? Don't want to "magically" pause the game when you're opening inventory or other game menus? Grab this!
The People Of Skyrim 2
Explore Skyrim all over again - immersive world overhaul mod adding many new features throughout the world of Skyrim. Mod features: Hundreds of new NPCs. More ruins, camps, mills, markets, graveyards and so on. Enemy encounters, hanged people from Thalmor persecution, new factions, cities visual improvements and much more. Version 2 is long-needed highly-compatible version of the mod as it doesn't or almost doesn't modify settlements, and so, doesn't conflict with mods like JK Skyrim and so on, which was original mod biggest issue.
Holidays
Mod from the same author that brings holidays to Skyrim settlements and will change their appearance based on TES lore. SFO patch available.
Skyrim Battle Aftermath
The civil war has begun, and it's not a pretty sight! Adds civil war battlefields throughout Skyrim.
Pumping Iron - Dynamic Muscle Growth
This mod was not updated for a very long time, but it’s still working great. It adds dynamic muscle growth system. Every time your character gets a skill increase in a combat skill (or smithing) his muscles will be considered to have been trained a little. The more skill increases, the more training. When a 'trained' character sleeps, his muscles will grow ever so slightly. Also grab this improvement addon ==NEW== for it.
Sit Anywhere
For real.
Ask Innkeepers To Show Room
Instead of always showing you to your rented room, you can ask innkeepers to show you or tell them you know where it is.
Alternate Conversation Camera
Makes conversation with NPCs more immersive by zooming in to their faces. Fully supports both 1st and 3rd person camera, also supports on sitting and lock-on states. Includes "Witcher 3" camera style.
Go to bed
This mod allows your character to actually sleep in bed. A DAR patch ==NEW== is available.
Hold Border Banners
Adds banners along roads showing which hold you are about to enter.
Man Those Borders
Adds Immersive manned/unmanned border fortifications and guard posts around Skyrim's inner hold borders.
Unique Border Gates
Unique Border Gates redesigns the border crossings of Cyrodill, Hammerfell and Morrowind by adding new, unique and immersive gates. Also grab the fixes .
Immersive Citizens - AI Overhaul
Awesome mod that offers great improvement to friendly NPCs of Skyrim giving them much smarter behavior and survival instincts. Its biggest flaw is a terrible compatibility when it comes to mods that affects cities/towns/villages.
AI Overhaul
Similar mod, which is somewhat more simple, but much better in terms of compatibility. Many various patches are available here, here, here ==NEW==, and here, and also JK's Skyrim and ICOW ==NEW== patches are available .
Destructible Display Cases
Hate lockpicking? Ever wonder why you can't just smash that display case and take all the loot easily? Well now you can.
Immersive War and Violence
Rotmulaag - Immersive Meditations on the Words of Power
Allows the player to meditate with Paarthurnax on every shout, providing new unique powers and adding immersive feeling.
Loot and Degradation
Great immersion mod that basically offers 2 main features: - Enemies now can use enchanted weapons. - Weapons and armors will now eventually degrade because of combat. You can repair and temper your weapon/armor Mod also provides useful widgets to display your current armor/weapon status. You can see a video showcase of the mod here.
Equipment Durability System
This may be a more lightweight alternative to previous mod. It's also an SKSE-only plugin so it doesn't occupy an .esp slot.
Immersive War and Violence
Adds past Civil War battlefields to make the world of Skyrim feel like it exists without your intervention and is actually at war.
Immersive Speechcraft Adds several dialogue options to most of Skyrim's NPCs (even ones initially without any dialogue options) allowing for increased immersive interactions and role-play. Compatible with all mods that affects dialogues.
Farmhouse Chimneys
Adds chimneys to farmhouses that have fireplaces. JK's Skyrim patch available.
Time Passes
Actions like crafting, bartering, eating, reading, and training will cause the game time to pass.
Gallows of Skyrim
Mod adds gallows to every major settlement in Skyrim.
Makes your characters pay their taxes from owning everything from property to a horse. Compatible with previous mod.
Improved Shadowmarks
Improves the placement and appearance of the Thieves Guild shadowmarks and adds dynamic shadowmarks to player homes and other quest-related locations.
Sepolcri - A complete Burial Sites overhaul
Does exactly how it's named.
Death Expressions
Applies random death faces to actors/NPCs that's killed in game. People won't look like they're sleeping after getting stabbed in the stomach or shot in the face. Sesiously, I can't believe we didn't have such mod all the years before. You can see a showcase of it here.
Imperial Knowledge Lorebook Collection Vol. 1
A mod which adds several new lore books to the world of Skyrim on a variety of interesting and obscure lore topics.
Simple Cow and Goat Milking
Adds an animated interaction that lets you milk cows and domestic goats once a day.
Usable Lantern
Turns those useless lanterns you can pick up all over Skyrim into an alternative for a torch. Lanterns are usable now.
Immersion and Lore Continuity - Additions and Tweaks
A collection of tweaks to add in flavorful elements from lore and the game world and its stories for more immersion.
Vampire Nightmares
Adds the Vampire Nightmares messages from Oblivion. Yay!
BA Khajiit Speak Redux
Greetings, traveler! Khajiit wishes for you to browse this clever modification. You will download and utilize it in your playthrough, yes? Trust in Khajiit, he would not lie! This is known...
Contraband Confiscation
Guards will now take illegal things from you when they arrest you.
Civil War Refugees
This mod seeks to increase the immersion of the civil war by adding refugees.
Notes with something to read
Added something to read to the notes used in the animation performed by your character or a NPC.
Water Douses Fire
Jump into the water to douse yourself when set on fire by spells or dragons.
Simply Rest (or Sleep) Anywhere
One hotkey allows sitting (cross legged/on a ledge) or laying down on the ground (or anywhere else) with a possibility of waiting/sleeping.
Thieves
Random nighttime thieves upsetting the city. Configurable by MCM.
Skyrim Particle Overhaul ==NEW==
Lots of various particles added here in the in Skyrim for ambience purposes - groundfogs, dripping blood, smokes etc. Note: Mod also edits interiors, so if you don't want to deal with compatibility patching in xEdit, you can use the exterior-only version available.
Hit That Corpse ==NEW==
Weapon impact physics effects to Corpses for either immersion or maybe for when a corpse is blocking you from hitting an enemy.
Slip off Slopes ==NEW==
When you take fall damage, you twist your ankles and ragdoll. This makes parkouring off mountains dangerous.
Orc Strongholds Use Orchish ==NEW==
This mod gives all the warrior orcs of the strongholds orchish armor and weapons from the beginning of the game, making them not just a push over to any enemy even a dragon or a band of bandits while also adding to immersion.
Locks Are Just Locked ==NEW==
A lightweight and immersive way to hide the level of locked objects.
Seagulls of Skyrim ==NEW==
Adds seagulls along the coasts of Skyrim and Solstheim, with animated models and sounds.
Herds ==NEW==
Adds dynamic herders with their animals and camps to Skyrim, purchasable and milkable cows & goats, and more.
Picta Series - A Critters Life - Additional Insect Spawns ==NEW==
Adds more spawn points (such as Mountain Flowers or through spawn markers near ponds and lakes) for critters to spawn.
Mummified Animals- Elements of Skyrim ==NEW==
Add a touch of creepiness to the marshes around Morthal, adding to it the mummified corpses of animals that perished victims of traps, accidents, or even curses, and that now exist as macabre statues adorning the gloomy scenery of the misty swamp.
Merchants of Skyrim ==NEW==
Aadds new merchants into the game, filling the gaps where merchants would be useful and making use of areas that otherwise are left wasted once certain questlines have been completed.
Immersive Khajiit Caravan Mules ==NEW==
Small and lightweight immersion mod. Adds two pack mules to every Khajiit Caravan so they now actually have a believable means of transporting all their tents and wares.
Elderly and Adults ==NEW==
Offers differentiation of adult bodies (whatever you have installed) and elderly bodies.
Sleeping On Solstheim ==NEW==
Adds an MCM for controlling the chance of being teleported to an All-Maker Stone when sleeping on Solstheim (0-100%). Conflict-free, no vanilla records edited.
Slayable Offspring SKSE ==NEW==
SKSE plugin that makes children killable. No patches required.
Dog Backpacks and More ==NEW==
Backpacks...for dogs.
Courier Delivers to NPCs ==NEW==
The courier will now occasionally deliver letters to NPCs in Skyrim.
Whiterun Watchtower Doesn't Start Broken ==NEW==
Do you delay the coming of the dragons? Annoyed that the tower is broken right from the beginning before dragons even appear? This mod is for you then!
True Thane ==NEW==
When you first became thane, did you FEEL like a thane? Well, this mod makes sure that you do. Once you become the thane of a hold you gain the ability to collect taxes, have the hold's guards follow you, have the hold's guards arrest people, exchange your thane weapon for a better version and more. You can a see a brief showcase of it here.
Mourning Restored ==NEW==
A simple plugin that restores the mourning interaction that is present in the Vanilla game files but was left unused. Unique NPCs can now express anger/grief after a relative or friend dies, run away to be left alone for a moment, or greet you differently as they mourn.
Hearthfire Fixed ==NEW==
This mod fixes some basic features of Hearthfire like mead brewing and butter churning .
Splashes Of Skyrim ==NEW==
SKSE plugin that adds projectile based water splashes and ripples, and underwater explosions.
Flying Crows ==NEW==
Adds flying crows to various locations around Tamriel to create a more nordic atmosphere in your Skyrim.
Vampires Cast No Shadow 2 ==NEW==
Simple as that. SKSE plugin.
Open Your Mouth When Grunting ==NEW==
Arrrghh!!
Fertility Mode
If you're playing a female character and wanna have that much realism - yes, there's a mod even for this :) Also grab the tweaks/fixes patch ==NEW==.
CG4 Horse Muck
Because...uhh..well yes.
Individual Shout Cooldown Remake
You can change cooldown of any shout now for your ingame purposes. Can be pretty OP though, if used too wide.
Unlucky Loot
Adds a chance for Draugr to ambush when looting ruins, Daedra to ambush when handling soul gems, and Skeevers to ambush when looting dungeon food.
Enemies Follow Me
Make enemies chase you through loading doors.
Classic Werewolf Transformation
The player should be naked after transforming back from a werewolf. Here it is.
Hidden Hideouts of Skyrim
Adds 21 new areas spread across Skyrim.
Sleep Tight
Sleep-related enhancements to NPCs. Also grab the fix.
Lanterns for Guards etc
A simple mod to add carriable lanterns to guards, vigilants, wardens and all NPC's that normally carry torches. Basically it's a torch replacer but without removing torches from the world.
Dirt and Blood - Dynamic Visual Effects
Your character will accumulate dirt and blood dynamically, which you can clean by swimming, standing in the rain or taking a bath. The effects are mostly visual only and do not affect gameplay. NPCs will also get bloody as a result of battles. Mod is designed to be simple and lightweight. Grab the HD textures patch ==NEW==. You can also install a lite alternative ==NEW== instead.
Khajiit Merchants Buy Stolen Items
Because stereotypes work.
Talkative Dragons
Ever found it weird that dragons, fully sapient beings, have never spoken a word while you’re doing your best trying to defeat them? This mod changes that. SIC patch available.
Crafting Requires Tools Redone
Crafting now requires appropriate tools. Best used in conjunction with survival mods.
End Times
Tired of the Dragonborn prophecy's success being a given? This mod gives your savegame a timer that you have to defeat Alduin by, otherwise he'll swallow the world! Fully customizable with an MCM.
No Level Up Healing
Prevents you from fully healing health/magicka/stamina when you level up.
Take Notes - Journal of the Dragonborn
Dear diary...
After the Civil War - Siege Damage Repairs
An immersive way of repairing the damage left by the Civil War without using the console. Twenty days after the final battle the cities will be back to normal, but a generous donation will speed-up the reconstruction. Repair crews will be at work fixing the damage.
Reading Improves Speech
Gain Speech XP upon reading a book for the first time. Note: I'd recommend to decrease the XP reward value in xEdit.
HighHrothgar Shelters and Hotspring
Expanded version of the original adding a total of 3 places to sleep in shelters on High Hrothgar and added a hot spring on the mountain near the first cabin.
Imperial Post
Introduces an Imperial-based news system which updates throughout the quest lines.
Fires Hurt
Seriously.
Drinking fountains of Skyrim
This mod adds several drinking fountains around Skyrim. When you "activate" a fountain, it will give you three bottles of water and if you play in 3rd person you can see an animation.
Skyrim Artwork Imports
Adds dozens of paintings and tapestries to homes across Skyrim.
Hold Riders
Inspired by Oblivion.
Realistic Capacity
Your inventory space is no longer capable of holding several suits of armor at a time. You can carry the clothes on your back and the weapons on your belt without issue, and your armor will likely have some pouches to store some meager supplies, but unless you get a backpack, you likely won't be able to carry much more than that.
Public Executions
Adds public executions to Solitude and the option to capture bandits for executions.
Bottles Of Skyrim
Adds unique bottles to each beverage.
Rude Imperial Soldiers Escort Prisoner fix
Sick of rude Imperial soldiers that are escorting prisoners on the road telling you to bug off in a threatening tone, even when your rank is Legate? They will no longer be rude to Imperial legionnaires. Bonus - you can fool them if you wear Imperial chest armour, even if you're not an Imperial legionnaire.
I'm a Customer Dammit
Allows eating of food and bartering with merchants directly from world.
Just Do It - An inventory-free way to use items ==NEW==
A more feature-packed alternative to the mod above.
Creature Size Variants
Adds some diversity to Skyrim creatures, and generic NPC's, by dynamically resizing them. Customizable with the MCM.
Ultimate Spinning Arrows
Because FWOOOSH.
Harvest Those Mammoth Skulls
Makes the tusks on all mammoth skulls harvestable.
Immersive City Gates
Now the guards won't let you enter the city when you want. Cities are closed during the night and you need to pay the tax to enter during the day. Note: Mod may conflict with city mods.
Frozen in Time
Add frozen bodies to Skyrim.
Tamrielic Culture
Mod adds various different elements of Tamriel cultures to Skyrim here and there. Note: Coverage is pretty massive, so it may conflict with landscape overhauls/dungeon/quest mods. CACO patch and RnD patch are available.
Goldenglow Is Yours
On reading the Goldenglow deed that you get from Gulum-Ei, you actually become the estate's owner. Then you can keep it and get a monthly income, or sell it to Maven for a hefty sum.
Banners of victory
Simple fix of Bethesda overlook - after winning the war the imperials and solitude banners are replaced for Stormcloak banners at Dragon's Bridge, Solitude, and Castle Dour.
Septimus Signus Outpost Overhaul
Always wondered how he survives in this cold ice cave? Now it's fixed.
Better animations for movement, actions and fighting, and new animations.
Here, you first will need to choose between 2 mods (rather, frameworks) - FNIS or Nemesis. Both are mods for custom animations and absolutely must-have, as they are required for most of animation mods to work. What to pick?
FNIS is the older one, which was basically the only for many years. It's now abandoned, but that doesn't mean it became bad due to this - it's working perfectly fine, but it has less capabilities (and namely, supports less animation mods, especially new ones).
Nemesis is a successor to FNIS which is more capable and supports much more mods FNIS didn't. It's also being supported and updated actively. Why not just to remove FNIS then if Nemesis is better in everything? Indeed it is, but technically Nemesis is still in beta atm - it works flawlessly though and it's absolutely safe to use it, but for now both will still be linked. Choice is up to you, but once again, for best results it's strongly recommended to get Nemesis. Usage is very plain and simple for both of them.
Basic installation: - Install FNIS Behavior V7_6 - Install Creature Pack V7_6 (optional, necessary for creature animation mods) - Install FNIS Spells SE 7.0 for the spells (optional, necessary for the spells) - Good, you’ll need to do only 1 move to finish it, but it will be later.
FNIS PCEA2 - Player Exclusive Animations (dynamic)
With this amazing mod you can simply switch between different animations for your character via MCM. Also it already has several amazing animation mods included. Just install and have fun!
Nemesis - Unlimited Behavior Engine
Nemesis, a better and recommended alternative to FNIS. Link leads to file releases page on Github - just grab the latest version archive (usually the .rar file) somewhere, add this archive to your mod manager and install as any other mod. Bingo! DO NOT USE BOTH FNIS AND NEMESIS TOGETHER, CHOOSE ONE. Also, if you have some mods which may affect creature animations (sometimes it's not quite obvious - for instance, Ultimate Combat does that) - grab this patch ==NEW== to make them compatible with Nemesis.
Project New Reign - Nemesis PCEA
As you may already have guessed - Nemesis own PCEA mod, an alternative to FNIS PCEA.
Good! let's continue to animation mods themselves, shall we?
Now, let's grab some essential animations mods which will either serve as a solid improvement base that or as an element of controlling the new animations:
Realistic Ragdolls and Force Simple as that. Immersive Animations This mod can be considered an essential "vanilla animation +" mod - all animatons are still immersive and realistic, but much better than dull original animations. Install this mod as base - whatever other animation mods you will install later, they will just overwrite it, and those animations not covered will be still better than vanilla ones. XP32 Maximum Skeleton Special Extended - XPMSSE The one and only. King of skeleton mods. Install with mod manager. Everything is simple, I also strongly recommend to NOT install anything you are not aware of. Just do the basic installation and you’ll be fine. Do NOT overwrite XPMSE after this. Never. The ONLY currently "safe" case is Rougeshot meshes mods for creatures (if you already have them intsalled, simply do [not] overwrite them with XPMSE). AGO patch available.
Simple Dual Sheath ==NEW== [OR] Dual Sheath Redux
Why can’t you see your left-hand weapon on you? Why can’t you have shield on back? Why can’t you see your staves on you? Think no more - install one of those!
Which one and what/why? First one is a freshly released SKSE plugin which should work with most of the weapons out of the box. While being still a work in progress, it has minor cons bugs here and there, but in general, works just fine (and doesn't require patches for mod-added weapons which is great advantage) so it's the recommended mod. As for DSR (LE mod), you can convert it to SE using this article. If using DSR (the non-SKSE one), you can also convert this huge collection of patches for dozens of weapon mods and also take a look on patches here and here. LeanWolf's Better-Shaped Weapons Awesome mod for weapon meshes, compatible with every retexture mods, that makes weapons looks much more glorious and elegant. Note: Choose between this mod or the one below. Believable weapons A freshly-released mod of a great quality, with a same goal as mod above but own approach to weapon models. Choose one or another. D13 Faster GET UP STAND UP animation vanilla friendly Great balance mod - get up after being ragdolled by dragon, mammoth or other such enemy faster than in vanilla, but still not too fast. This mod is pretty much needed when playing with gameplay mods, as AI mods often make enemies more savage and/or give realistic attack impact physics to them, and playing with super long vanilla animation speed would simply lead to silly character demises too often. If you want even faster animations, look here ==NEW==. EVG Conditional Idles Absolutely essential mod, as for me. Adds various animated idles that are roughly 9-13 seconds long, that only play in specific conditions, like rain, snowstorm, out of stamina etc. Such a simple functionality yet such a tremendous addition to the immersion through animations. Configurable in ini file. Doesn't take a plugin slot. You can see my showcase of it here. EVG Animation Variance Another mod from the same author, greatly improving another part of animations for NPCs. Adds variety to existing animations, through NPC personality types, conditions, or just randomly, making NPCs look much more alive and how it's being handled in modern AAA games. Doesn't take a plugin slot. Conditional Expressions - Subtle Face Animations ==NEW== Tired of seeing your character eat bread without opening their mouth? Conditional expressions adds subtle face animations that will bring more life into your character. You can also watch a showcase of it here. Immersive Interactions - Animated Actions ==NEW== See your character perform context-aware animations when interacting with the world. Animated greeting of NPCs, pickpocketing, lockpicking, resources harvesting, petting your dog and more! Note: If you're using (or planning to use) "A Cat's Life" and/or "House Cats" mods, install this patch so the mods pet feature will be working for cats in addition to dogs :3
Good! Now let's see some other qualitative animation mods. These type of mods in general are always and absolutely a matter of taste, so I won't be recommending much personally here - just list some qualitative/original looking mods, from which you can choose yourself :)
Animated Armoury - New Weapons with third person animations This amazing (and imo, just essential) mod adds new, really working animations for rapiers, pikes, halberds, claws and more, as well as adding those weapons to the game. You can see a brief showcase of it here. There are also few extra patches here. 360 Walk and Run Plus AND YY Animations Animated Eating Redux (Super Fast) Immersive Animated Looting Animated Clutter Faster Transform - To Werewolf and VampireLord Pretty Combat Animations Magic Casting Animations Overhaul Pretty Female Idles Pretty Jump Animations No Spinning Death Animation FNIS Sexy Move Character Behaviors Enhanced Unique mod that adds previously non-existing moves and animations - attacks in mid air, underwater combat and so on. Its only disadvantage is no compatibility with FNIS (if you're still using it) - but on the other hand, Nemesis supports it just fine (which is just one more reason to switch). Also grab the fix for it. Alternatively, if you want only the mid air attacks and underwater combat - you can get this lite alternative ==NEW== trimmed down from the original mod. Movement Behavior Overhaul Enhanced behaviors allowing for proper direction transitions, momentum stop, and much more. Jump Behavior Overhaul Who knew jumping could be this immersive? Get ready for brand new animations, improved behavior, and much more... With NO scripts or plugins at all. Orakin2020 profile For beautiful alternative melee weapons animations. distar66 profile For various, mostly dark-souls inspired animations. DAR - Dynamic Swimming Devil in immersive details! Changes the swimming animation depending on stamina level and armor weight. You can see my showcase of it here. YY Anim Replacer - Zweihander Two-handed animations from talented YY. New Animation for Magic Casting One more magic animations pack from XPMSE author. Thu'um - Fully Animated Shouts ==NEW== Adds a toggleable shout behavior which provides unique shout animations for each shout in game. Absolutely brilliant and almost an essential mod to me personally. True Directional Movement ==NEW== Overhauls the third person gameplay similarly to modern action RPGs, entirely through SKSE. Move and attack in any direction. Includes a custom target lock component and animated healthbar widget, target headtracking, projectile aim support during target lock, boss bars, mount support and more! Modular and customizable through MCM. Note: The mod is still WIP and has some bugs here and there, and due to being a really massive movement (mostly but not only, some more combat-related features exist in it as well) overhaul, it has compatibility issues with some other popular mods. Read the mod page carefully and test it with your current setup to see what and how. You can see a video showcase of the mod here. (SGC) SkySA - Combat Behavior Compulsion ==NEW== Animation replacers work pretty simply - they, as you can guess, replace animations. While new animations themselves can be much more detailed then vanilla ones, and so, much more smooth, combat behaviors are still the same. This mod aims to overhaul the combat behaviors, allowing the combat animations and whole combat movement as whole to look more fluid and three-dimensional. Mod also has a nice growing support from other mods (meaning that new animation replacers are created by other people which require this mod as base, like this one or this one for example). Also, make sure to install this lil patch for it. Skysa Grip Switch ==NEW== Standalone grip switch from CGO. Requires SkySA. UNDERDOG - Animations ==NEW== Freshly released, highly-realistic animation overhaul for movement, sneaking and some new idles. Eating Animations and Sounds ==NEW== Add individual animations and sound effects for each food item. Some patches are also available here. First Person Combat Animations Overhaul ==NEW== 60+ new animations to enhance your first person combat experience. New unique animations for katana style weapons and daggers. New block idles, block bashes and more. You can a see a showcase of it here (video demonstrates mod version 1, so some of animations were changed and some new were added, but it will give you a good overview anyway). If you're a katana lover, you can look for various katana mod patches here. First Person Artifact Animation Replacer ==NEW== This mod adds new first person animations to artifacts in Skyrim. Dynamic Sitting Idles ==NEW== Setups that give you a variety of sitting animations using DAR. Smooth Combat non Combat idle Animation ==NEW== Mod adds a difference between idle animations in combat and non-combat situations even when holding a weapon. You can a see a showcase of it here Conditional Armor Type Animations ==NEW== Changes the player and NPCs animations depending on their armor type (heavy armor, light armor, non-armored). Relaxed Sneak Animations Sneaking animations with a raised center of gravity, straighter posture with arms reeled in and no bent wrists. SIdeSaddle Combat Animations A mod that adds sideSaddle horse rider combat animations. Stronger Swimming Animation New swimming animation. Cross and Jab Speed fix Fixes unarmed animation mod cross and jab, so that the animation's match the ingame unarmed combat speed. ndh's Animation Overhaul New animations for walk, run, sprint for females. Run and sprint for males. DAR - Modesty - Cover Yourself Uses the Dynamic Animation Replacer - Framework to hide nudity with Cover yourself animations. DAR - Onehand Melee Exhaustion This DAR Plugin will change human Actors one handed weapon attack-grip to its slower two handed counterpart if his Stamina fall below 33% and changes back, if its Stamina is higher than 33%. Extra Drawing Animations A behaviour edit that adds in a few extra equip animations. Momo Acrobatic Jump Elegant, acrobatic-looking jumping animation replacer. JUST NEW FEMALE ANIMATIONS Just... those, yes. Running, walking, idle poses, for the main weapons: Bow, sword, magic, and some combat animations. Feminine but not oversexualized. Feral - Claw Unarmed Attacks for Beast Races - Vampires - Werewolves Animation replacer for unarmed attacks of khajiit, argonians, vampires and werewolves. Injured Animations Dynamic Replacer Implements injured animations. Armor Type Specific Animations Adds animations specific to armor types. Subtle Jump Simple jump animation replacer. Dynamic Random Female Idles Simple as that. Simple Female Running Animation Simple and nice. Sit Crosslegged Yup. AWS - Animated Wedding Scene Breathes more life to the player wedding scene by playing a new set of animations between you and your new spouse. Idle Animations WheelMenu Allows you select and play idle animations through a wheel menu, kind likes the "emote menu" from fallout 76, fortnite or other games. Totally contains 75 different idle animations, all animations can be easily selected and played through the wheel menu. Witcher Style Meditate Waiting By pressing a custom hotkey, you can meditate waiting just likes in Witcher 3. Crouch Sliding Adds in a crouch slide, when you're sprinting press your sneak key to perform a crouch slide, this gives you i-frames and(optionally) cause surrounding NPC's to ragdoll away from you. Works in first person as well. No Throat-Slashing Animation (Sneak Attack Killmove) Always backstab ("Rear Stab") instead of slitting throats ("Rear Throat Slash") Rolling after landing (Controllable) Allows you to do a forward rolling animation after landing from high to reduce the fall damage. This action is activated by a custom hotkey. Simple Female Idle Replacer A really simple replacer for the female idle. Very neutral. Unique Player Throne Animation Simple animation replacer for the way your character sits on the throne. E3 Witcher 3 Dodge Animations Animations similar to the dodges shown in the e3 presentation for Witcher 3. Can be used with TK dodge and The Ultimate Dodge Mod. Samurai Killmove port ==NEW== Samurai-inspired killmove animations. Animated Potion Drinking ==NEW== Helping the Dragonborn be more fancy while remaining nimble. Adds a small animation when you're drinking potions just like Dark Souls that works will moving. DAR - Animated Fear ==NEW== A mod which adds new NPC animations to fear magic effects. Parkour in Skyrim ==NEW== As flashy as usual, you can now jump with those stylish freerunning stuffs like front flip, side flip etc. Jump animations are player only and only played while weapon sheathed. Requires DAR. Sky Sprint ==NEW== Player exclusive handmade sprint animation replacers. Stances - Dynamic Animation Sets (Add-On) ==NEW== Ever wished you could switch between different sets of combat animations mid-battle? With this DAR-based mod, you can. You can also optionally install this addon for it. Enemy Magelock - NPC Magic Casting Commitment ==NEW== A really simple mod to switch up combat rhythm especially for those who love enemy enhancer mods - it makes enemy mages to briefly stop moving when spellcasting. You can also watch a showcase of it here. Reduce Attack Skating Movement ==NEW== Simple as that. Look on the modpage for demonstration. Use this mod or the mod below. Ice skating fixed for real ==NEW== A mod with a similar goal, but this one is actually and completely disabling the infamous "skating". Use this mod or the mod above. Verolevi profile ==NEW== For some really beautiful and smooth animation replacers (mostly for movement, but for stances as well). miken1ke profile ==NEW== or some nice animation replacers for each certain weapon type (battleaxe, dagger etc). edenexile profile ==NEW== For a middle-fantasy weapon animation movesets. UncreativePontiff profile ==NEW== For a manly two-handed weapon movesets. ptowndrew21 profile ==NEW== For some combos and movesets. Quicker Bed Exit ==NEW== Yup. TK Dodge AddAttack SE by Ni-iru ==NEW== Adds ability to perform a stylish attack while dodging. Requires TK Dodge mod. Twohanded animations inspired by Guts from Berserk ==NEW== Twohanded animations for all attacks, except for normal attacks, inspired by Berserk games. Hand to Hand Blocking Animation ==NEW== Diverse Random Normal Attack ==NEW== Randomizes normal attack animation. Animation Motion Revolution ==NEW== This SKSE plugin removes the mismatch between displacement and animations (the infamous ice-skating problem). Akaviri Martial Arts - Oriental Swordsmanship Redux ==NEW== One-handed animation replacer, mainly geared towards an Akaviri/Samurai playthrough. 1st Person Dagger Stab with DAR ==NEW== Replaces 1st person dagger power attack with strong forward stab. Weapon Animation (Dawnbreaker) ==NEW== Unique animation when using Dawnbreaker. GuitarthVader's Better Battleaxe and Warhammer Equipping Animation ==NEW== Tavern Dancers of Skyrim Raks Sharki ==NEW== Adds dynamic dance for the women in Skyrim, provided they are using the beer drinking animation in a conditional way. Crosshair-aligned Crossbow ==NEW== Improves first person aiming with crossbows. You can see a video showcase of it here. Faster Mining Animation (DAR) ==NEW== Rumple's Dual Wield Idle ==NEW== Male Idle Animation ==NEW== Basic replacer for the derpy male idle made via DAR. Artifact Animation Replacer - Wabbajack Adds custom animations to the Daedric artifact Wabbajack. Modified first-person idle weapon animation One-handed weapon animations replacer for first person. Random Emotions Mod adds a small script that will rule emotions of player's and up to 10 followers' faces in a semi-random way. A Skyrim Kiss Try a little tenderness: Hug and kiss any human NPC at the use of a spell. A Skyrim Waltz 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3... Waltz with a partner of your choice at the use of a spell. From the author of mod above. Monster Facial Animation (MFA) This mod adds facial animation to werewolves, werebears and vampire lords. Undead summons emerge from the ground This mod makes all summoned undead emerge from the ground when summoned. Faster Reanimation ==NEW== A simple mod that reduces the duration of the reanimation animation by editing the three corresponding .hkx files. install one of the preferred versions. Use this mod or the one above. 5poiler for various badass animations Girly Animation Feminine Jarl Sitting Animation Pretty Sit Idles Feminine Pickup Animation mcgFemaleWalk for Skyrim 2H katana attack animations Mofu 1h Sword Power Attack forward Phalanx Stance - A Shield Block Idle Animation Replacer EAD - Every Attack Different
Just a sidenote: If some animation mod you like is available for LE, but not for SE, you can port animations from LE to SE yourself using this tutorial.
These various patches/fixes/small mods are absolutely not obligatory, but may be very useful. It's totally up to you - install them or not.
Various mods, patches and fixes - these can tehcnically belong to any of categories above, but are usually really tiny or matter of taste ones, so grouped here.
QUASIPC - Qwinn's Unified Automated Self Installing Patch Compendium A very simple yet very useful mod - a super-patcher. Just run the installer and let it automatically detect whether you need or not one, few or many patches from 103 patches it has. Using this patcher is not something you will have crashes without, but it will polish various minor compatibility issues here and there. WiZkiD Patches Compendium One more similar patcher mod. Miscellaneous Patches And a few more patches for some mods. PACE Allows you to set the PACE of the game, via MCM, to your personal preferences. Alter movement speed for every circumstance **NPC's included**, decide exactly how quick, or slow, every weapon should swing, and control time itself at the push of a button. All features toggleable via the menu. BorderSense Ported from Skyrim LE, a small mod that lets you know when you are near the borders of a hold. Optionally notifies you of your bounty in that hold. Classic Sprinting Redone Makes sprinting behave the same way as it did in old Skyrim. Hold instead of toggle. Disease Fixes Fixes a few issues with disease effects so that they can enjoy a minimal consistency. Diseases can only be transmitted to the player, and can be identified by keyword. Finding Derkeethus Fixes some issues with the quest to find Derkeethus, such as moving his cell key to a more logical location (i.e. not inside his cell with him), exposing the quest information in your journal, optionally adding a quest marker, and expanding the dialogue options for all those involved. Reading Is Good This mod reworks skill books so that instead of granting levels instantly, they give you a permanent boost to your leveling speed in the respective skill. This means that you benefit more by reading them as soon as you find them. Raven Rock - Fix Exit on Horseback
When using horse mods in Solstheim, you might have issues exiting Raven Rock through the small shaft. This small tweak aims to fix that.
Taarie's Dialogue Fix
Just a small fix for Taarie's dialogue, so that she stops criticizing your attire after having completed the 'Fit for a Jarl' quest.
Get On With It - No more waiting for doors
No more door animations if you wanna save some time.Note: This is a pure mesh mod, meaning it will overwrite any mod that is changing doors in game, like high-poly door mods by Hype1, etc. It's one or another. Better descriptions Not much realistic ofc, but may look useful for some players - it adds on-screen information and more precise names to various objects, containers, clutter and misc items and activators. Fast Travel by Horse Simple as that. No More Standing Too Close
Simple mod that make NPCs never say "Huh?" and step back from you again.
Realistic Regeneration - RealRegen
Control regeneration rates for Health, Magicka and Stamina at any time in the game.
Immersive Stolen Goods
Adds over 30 new unique treasures to the game, that you can steal from various places in Skyrim.
Pirates Wield Cutlasses
No way huh.
Concerning Chillrend
Adds a note that adds a backstory to how Mercer Frey came to possess Chillrend.
The Real Lusty Argonian Maid
A Skyrim's version of the "The Lusty Argonian Maid - The Untold Story" mod for Oblivion by BlackPuma.
Trespass
The fort soldiers are sometimes displaying erratic behavior about trespassing, attacking followers even though player is an ally - this mod helps.
Windhelm Disappearing Objects Glitch Fix
When you walk around the corners of Windhelm, there are several spots that some objects suddenly disappear from your view and thus break your immersion. This mod fixes them.
Modern Clap Bug Fix
Prevents NPCs from going into the cheer idle animation when casting certain spells nearby them.
Homecooked Meal Bug Fix
Addresses the vanilla bug where your spouse would stop providing daily meal.
Lights Out. Solitude Lighthouse Fix
Automatically relights the solitude lighthouse during the quest Lights Out.
Mount Anthor Dragon Fix
This fixes the 'misplaced dragon' bug at Mount Anthor.
Source of Stalhrim Quest Fix
Allows to seamlessly start the quest "A New Source of Stalhrim" if it gets stuck. For those who don't like using the console and find it unimmersive.
Halldir's Cairn Crash Fix
Skyrim "Special" Edition is so amazing that devs not only didn't fix most of notorious bugs and engine crash culprits, but vice versa, added new ones. This mod fixes one of them - namely the ghost spawn locations inside of Halldir's Cairn in Falkreath that would cause instant crashing to desktop.
The Skyrim Bestiary (WIP)
Do you wish Skyrim had a bestiary, but don't want to write your own? Here's my solution: Craft bestiary books using creature components gathered from your kills.
Shrub's Little Riddle Hunt
A little scavenger hunt with riddles as clues to take you across Skyrim, for a bit of treasure.
Saw Logs
How many saw logs you have left to build your next house? With this little plugin no more you will be able to view the amount left in your inventory.
Gems in All Mines
Find gems in all mines and throughout the depths of Blackreach. This mod also adds the missing Diamond and Garnet Geodes to your game.
Unquantum Forgemaster's Fingers
The existence of the Forgemaster's Fingers is no longer based on whether or not you're observing them.
Welcome Back to the Bee and Barb
A small dialogue tweak. If you give them the three amethysts, Keerava and Talen-Jei will forgive you for extorting the 'owed money'.
Respect for the Legate
You've been promoted to Legate, the Imperials should know who you are by now. The imperial patrols will no longer harass you.
tarlazo profile
For various tiny mods/fixes of different purpose.
Thieves Guild Dialogue Fix
Causes Thieves Guild members to wait until the beginning of Trinity Restored to spill their life stories to you. No more weirdly intimate conversations with people you just met.
Aela Doesn't Approach If You Don't Help
You just happened to pass by, and she comes up to you and reproaches you for not helping her or just waits and doesn't go until you talk to her? No more.
Skyhaven Additions
Adds more Blades to Skyhaven, along with a forge, alchemy bench, 3 merchants, and a barracks.
More Salt
Adds more salt to food vendors. Useful for survival-oriented mod setups.
Amulet Evangelism - Priests Sell Amulets
Priests sell amulets for their Divine.
Mapseller
Adds the cartographer Nataly Dravarol to the game. She sells maps of the territories. If you have the DLCs, there will be mapsellers for those new areas too. These maps show you every map marker in that territory (except the military camps), but they're not for fast travel.
Neutral Hjerim
After Blood on the Ice, Hjerim is purchasable, regardless of Civil War involvement or lack thereof.
Battle Cry Fix
Fixes Battle Cry so that it only affects *enemy* NPCs. Also, it should now work against undead and daedra as well (but NOT dwarven machines).
Simple Leather Backpack ==NEW==
A craftable backpack to the game, with three variants in two different colours.
Simple Offence Suppression ==NEW==
SKSE plugin that prevents neutral NPCs from turning hostile when you accidentally hit them.
Angi's Camp Tweaks ==NEW==
Reworks XP gain from Angi's archery challenges to be independent of your current skill level, and allows you to gain extra XP from practicing on your own. Your character won't be a beginner anymore if you can complete all the challenges.
Only Dead Lovers Cause Inheritance Letters ==NEW==
This mod increases the required relationship rank, for inheritance letters to occur, from 1 (friend) to 4 (lover).
Labyrinthian Shalidor's Maze Fixes ==NEW==
Tiny fix for some of Shalidor's Maze's issues.
Scare my Enemy Bug Fix ==NEW==
Addresses a longstanding issue with the Scare my Enemy radiant quest.
Czasior profile ==NEW==
For some useful patches (mostly for settlement overhauls).
Skyrim Armor Perk Fix ==NEW==
No Undetected Thieves Guild Dark Brotherhood Dialogue ==NEW==
"Psst. Hey, I know who you are. Hail Sithis." Tired of guards saying this to you when they should have no idea you're an assassin? Then this mod is for you.
Mannequin movement fix ==NEW==
Mannequins will finally stay put.
Alduin's Wall - Sven Fix ==NEW==
Fixes the issue where sven(bard of Riverwood) will not sing during the entire quest process of "Alduin's Wall".
Andrealphus' Exploit Fixes ==NEW==
A compilation of various fixes to common minor exploits.
Lizzy's Patch Library ==NEW==
Some patches that may get in handy.
elwaps' Patches and Fixes
For various patches/fixes/addon between/for various mods - ofc not all, but possibly couple of them may come in handy for your setup.
kj's Patch Collection
Similar things.
lilebonymace's patches
And a few more.
Janquel profile
And few-few more.
Vanilla And Morning Fogs SSE - Easy Seam Fixer
Easy .nif fix/adjustment to eliminate water-fogs seams in vanilla Skyrim & in the wonderful Morning Fogs mod.
Required Key Tweaks
When you try to open a door, that requires a key, you can get a message with the name of the key. Pretty simple.
Potema Spawn Crash Fix
In most of cases you won't have this issue at all because this bug is fixed by XPMSE, which I strongly recommend to use. But if for some reasons you don't have XPMSE - this will help.
Elemental Fury Fix
Elemental Fury will work on enchanted weapons, bows, unarmed, and will now properly apply to your offhand when dual wielding.
Don't Talk With Your Mouth Full
A simple mod that prevents NPC eating and drinking animations while talking to the player.
Silenced Prisoners
Guards shouldn't let walking weapons of mass destruction run around freely. All prisoners are now fitted with anti-magic cuffs that prevent them from casting spells or Shouts.
Ragged Flagon secret entrance
Makes a secret entrance from next to Riften maingate to Ragged Flagon in Thieves guild. Not that much secret actually, but definitely saves some time.
Utility & QOL (quality of life) mods - often not directly affecting gameplay, can have their functionality similar to cheating etc, but making your life simplier and useful for various purposes:
AddItemMenu - Ultimate Mod Explorer Super-useful mod that can add any item from vanilla game or from the mod. Useful for testing or when you screwed up some quest or its item bugged out, etc. SkyTrek - Skyrim on Autopilot This mod allows automated horse/dragon riding and walking to set and radiant destinations with varying speeds. Also includes idle mode, automated NPC following, ability to set a custom destination for travel and an automated combat system. For roleplay, videos or screenarchery etc. BlockSteal lite - Prevents accidentally pick up
This mod will prevent you from stealing items. When you try to steal, nothing happens. To steal an item, you have to go in sneak mode, and then you can steal all you like.
Quick Light
Turn on/off a light when long press the activation key. An improvement patch is available.
Smart Training - Tweaked
Mod makes your training sessions carry over to the next level if you don't train the max times allowed on your current level.
Notification Log
Caches notification messages, so you can look at them later.
Disable Character Lighting
Skyrim "Special" Edition also got a few absolutely useless additions transferred from FO4 (on which engine version it's made). Use this to disable one.
Player walks Indoors
The mod switches to walk mode when you enter an interior area and to run mode when you leave the interior.
Disable Follower Collision
This mod disables collisions between the player and allied NPCs. Allied NPCs include followers, actors commanded by the player, and actors commanded by followers.
Sleep In Lingerie ==NEW==
Followers, going to bed or invited to go to bed, will remove their outfits and pick a sleep outfit from one of the lists of sleep outfits with matching conditions (name, location, worn equipment, season). They will reequip their original outfit after waking up or linger in lingerie for some time.
MaskedRPGFan profile ==NEW==
A nice collection of QOL scripts for various popular mods that have MCM - with support of these scripts, MCM settings of these mods won't be reset when you start a new game.
Hide Your Quests ==NEW==
Allows you to hide any quest in your journal. MCM-configurable.
Regional Save Names ==NEW==
SKSE plugin that fixes saves not being named after the region they were saved in.
No Attack Messages ==NEW==
SKSE plugin that removes critical and sneak hit notifications.
Menu and Load Smoke Removed for ENB ==NEW==
Menu/loading smoke remover with latest ENB "no menu and loading screen" feature support.
Essential Favorites ==NEW==
SKSE plugin that prevents favorited items from being sold, crafted, disarmed, disenchanted, or dropped.
Completionist - Quest Tracker ==NEW==
Complete automatic MCM quest tracking of the base game, DLC and a whole load of popular quest mods.
NPC Lookup ==NEW==
An in-game menu to find any NPC. You can teleport them, spawn them, mark them on the map, select them in the console, and more. Comes with powerfully fast filters to find any NPC among the thousands that exist in the game.
Marked Treasure ==NEW==
Adds quest markers to the treasure map targets for the vanilla maps, maps added by Legacy of the Dragonborn, New Treasure Hunt, and Treasure Hunter.
Skyrim auras ==NEW==
Adds roughly 80 equippable cosmetic effects from the game for your roleplay or screenarchery purposes.
Start On Save ==NEW==
SKSE plugin that automatically loads saves on game launch.
Enhanced Death Cam ==NEW==
SKSE plugin that improves death/ragdoll camera, with free rotation/fly camera and other features.
Powers Keyring ==NEW==
Adds an MCM that allows you to add unwanted powers to a sub-menu accessed with a power.
Hide Quest Items in Container Menu ==NEW==
Hides quest items from the player's inventory when in container menu since you can't put quest items in a container anyways.
Outfit Switcher
This mod allows you to save your current outfit in its entirety, while switching to a previously saved one.
No Silly Physics Damage - Carts Pots Bones etc
You will no longer lose HP when walking on dynamic objects such as bones or when walking towards a cart.
You Can Sleep
Disables the regular restrictions on sleeping (like owned beds, being asked to leave, etc). Configurable.
Jaxonz Lights Please
Simple but great mod that allows you to cast light spell instantly using a hotkey.
RaceMenu Poser
Toggleable animations to stop character from moving or test clipping in Racemenu.
Take All Loose Gold and Arrows
After picking up a coin or arrow from the world, automatically picks up coins and arrows near you.
Consume Loose Items
Allows you to consume potions, food and ingredients from the world, rather than storing them in your inventory.
Open Inventory
May be useful for I have no idea what cheating/testing purposes. But still, it may be.
Numerical Smithing Upgrades
Changes the naming system of upgraded equipment to a number-based system. So instead of items being amended with (fine), (superior), (exquisite), etc., you have (+1), (+2), (+3) and so on.
Face Light
This mod adds lighting spell "Facelight" for brighter face when it's needed, useful for screenarchery.
AreYouThere - Actor NPC Follower
Find all NPCs in the mod using the simple tool.
No Bethesda intro
Begone.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT SECTION, DO NOT SKIP IT
Here comes some "final" mods and/or actions that you'll need. Due to how they are made or how they are working, you should deal with them after your mod list is more or less complete. DynDOLOD, ASIS, DSR and some other actions needed to finalize your setup. Let's set them up - the final push is now!
#1 - BUILD A BASHED PATCH
Run Wrye Bash (if you don't have it or forgot why you need a Bashed Patch, return to stability section, step #10).At the bottom, you'll see plugin called Bashed Patch, 0. Right-click on it and click on "Build Patch" option, click ok and build the patch. It will take some time. If the process will be interrupted with some errors popped in window - just disable the mod listed and build the patch again. This happens really rare, so most likely you won't even encounter that at all. If you're above active plugins limit, proceed to step 2.
#2 - MERGE YOUR MODS (optional, if you're still above 254 plugins)
Over 255 active plugins limit? Worry not! If you don't have Merge Plugins/zMerge or forgot why you need a to merge mods, return to stability section, step #9.It's not hard at all - just do it slowly. Watch this video for "fast yet enough" instructions or this video for more in-depth turorial.
Our main task now is to get amount of plugins to 254 or lower. Merging process itself is very easy and the main issue is to know which mods you can actually merge. Until you are building a super-heavy mod list (with like 700+ mods), you can use the next simple instructions which can consider "a simple steps for easy merging":
0) You may remember a note about esl plugins in the beginning of the guide. If you have (most likely) some esl/ified plugins in your load order, you need to turn them back into regular plugins and then merge together with the rest of the stuff. It's quite easy - simply load such a plugin into xEdit and unflag the esl flag on it in "File Header". If plugin has an actual .esl extension, change it to .esp. Do this for all your esl/ified plugins. That's it!
1) You can ofc merge everything possible into a single .esp, but that's not recommended. Try to merge the mods of same "common" category. For example, merge weapons & armors mods in one merged .esp. patches into second and various other small gameplay mods in third one.
2) Follow the "Rule Of Three". Just grab some mods you want to merge and see if:
- All mods you wanna merge are not directly conflicting (between themselves, conflicts with base game .esm and dlcs is fine), using the xEdit option showed on this screenshot.
- All mods you wanna merge do NOT have MCM.
- All mods you wanna merge do NOT have navmesh records (the records showed on this screenshot).
If answer to all 3 questions is "NO" - you can easily merge these mods in a few clicks using Merge Plugins basic functionality - just make sure to place them one after another in load order (to avoid "non-contiguous" error in MP). If some mods don't fit the "rule", just leave exclude them from to-merge list. Oh, and NEVER merge .ESM plugins.
And now, the exciting detail! Remember the
indicators? This indicator means that #2 and #3 in "Rule Of Three" you don't need to check for this mod already - only check the mods for conflicts in SSEEdit and add them to the merge :)3) Repeat this until you have as many mods to merge as possible and make the merge. Remember that in rare cases MP will show you errors in some mods, that doesn't mean crashes - you can ignore them to add this mod to merge as well, as showed on this screenshot.
4) Remember that you can merge merged .esp plugins as well - as many times as you wannna - so better do everything slowly, step by step, merging mods by tens or so - don't try to merge 100 mods in on fell swoop if you're doing this first time :)
5) Merge mods until your amount of plugins will be less than 250. Profit!
Note: "rule of three" is just the most "simple-to-go" one, which you can use as a "base" for merging without any additional actions required. Merging mods with navmesh records is also not hard at all - in this case you just need to rebuild navmeshes in CK Such details are coming with experience and you should not be afraid of them - and you can always be sure that the guide provides you with all needed "first steps" for modding experience. For more in-depth but easy-to-swallow tips and tricks for making more "hard" merges, check out this tasty tutorial from ETAC authoress (explains navmeshed mods merging as well).
#3 - REBUILD & TWEAK YOUR BASHED PATCH (ONLY IF YOU DID STEP #2)
Run Wrye Bash and rebuild your Bashed patch, same as you did in step one.#4 - MAKE A MERGED PATCH
Run SSEEdit (if you don't have it or forgot why you need a Merged Patch, return to stability section, step #8).Now, watch the part of this video. Link is with timing, but just in case, you need to start watching from 4:45.
After it's generated, open it and delete leveled records (also shown in the video). If you're using NMM, watch till 6:41, if you're using MO, watch till 7:01. Deleting the leveled records is needed as Bashed Patch that we made in previous step, handles this a bit better. Don't forget to clean unneeded masters, same as we just made for Bashed Patch.
Q: why not to use Smashed Patch instead? It's said this tool is doing everything both Bashed and Merged patch are doing in terms of conflicts, but just better. So?
A: Mator Smash is indeed an amazing work! And indeed, if often covers more conflicting records merging then Bashed nor Merged patch do, so if you're using Smashed Patch, you don't need neither Bashed or Merged. But the thing is, whatever its algorithm is, it's doing those records merging pretty "wild" - often inaccurate, which can lead to various issues, from just weird ones, like double merchant stock, to more serious ones, like visible ingame bugs and crashes. No automated tool is perfect (Bashed and Merged too), but atm, Smashed Patch is just working too much inaccurate which can sometimes bring you more headache than good results. If you wanna use it instead of Bashed/Merged combination, you're free too, but keep in mind to always check the Smashed Patch yourself manually after building it, and make a deep ingame test. Once again, this is a great tool with a lot of efforts put into it, but I simply can't directly recommend or disrecommend it. Use at your own preference.
#5 - RUN FNIS, ASIS & DSR PATCHES (if using them)
- ASIS patcher is file named "ASIS.jar" in \Data\SkyProc Patchers\ASIS. Remember to [not] use anything besides perks, spells and potions. Click on "Patch" and wait until it's finished, it can take couple of minutes. Remember to run patcher each time you've installed mods that add/change NPCs, perks or spells. You can also just make a shortcut of "ASIS.jar" to your desktop to same time in future.- DSR patcher is file named "Dual Sheath Redux Patch.jar" in \Data\SkyProc Patchers\Dual Sheath Redux Patch. Just run the file, click on "Patch" and wait unti it's finished, it can take few of minutes (usually longer than ASIS). Remember to run patcher each time you've installed mods that add/change weapons/armors. You can also just make a shortcut of "Dual Sheath Redux Patch.jar" to your desktop to same time in future.
- FNIS patcher is file named "GenerateFNISforUsers.exe" in \Data\tools\GenerateFNIS_for_Users. Run the file, choose essential patches in the list of options in lower part of window ("Gender Specific Animations" and "Skeleton Arm Fix"), optional patches if needed and click on "Update FNIS Behavior". Wait until it's finished (usually it takes just a few seconds), close the window and click on "Yes" when asked (this will simply add a shortcut of patcher at your desktop). Make sure to run patcher each time you installed mods that are affecting animations.
#6 - CHECK EVERYTHING YOURSELF
No automated tool is perfect - so when your Bashed, Merged and ASIS patch plugins are ready, load them in xEdit and go through all sections in them yourself, seeking for irrational records. For example, you may see duplicated items on traders, wrong perks on enemies, or improper NPC visual records (which often leads to infamous "dark face" bug). In other words, just go through without a rush and see if you'll see anything suspicious - and if you'll see such records, correct them by dragging proper values from the mods into the bashed patch records.
#7 - MAKE YOUR DISTANT OBJECTS BEAUTIFUL AS NEVER BEFORE
What is DynDOLOD? It's a constantly updated, awesome and great, revolutionary, in some sense - but needs some time to install and use. Its a successor of Tes5LodGen, which is basically generating the LODs (optimized textures of distant objects far from you - trees, buildings, light sournces, glowing windows etc). Vanilla Skyrim LODs just sucks. For example, somewhere far infront of you (you know that let's say) there are 200 trees. But game engine will load 10 LODs as maximum - and so, distant view will look bald, and when you'll come closer - all the rest 190 trees will just instantly pop-up out of nowhere. Annoying, isn't it?Secondly, neither Skyrim engine and Tes5LodGen were able to generate LODs for mods. DynDOLOD can! Yes, yes, yes - that's what you're thinking about. If let's say you installed a mod that adds new houses near village - you will see these houses LODs in distance. If mod places new trees - you will see them all. If you're playing some kind of new land mod - even here, LODs will be generated.
DynDOLOD even has 3D-LODs option for trees! This literally means LODs can be generated in 3D-like look with greater quality and with meshes (LOD don't have models by default, only flat textures, that's why even while being dense, they still noticably differ from actual rendered trees) so you won't actually notice the transition between regular objects textures and LODs, making exploraton almost seamless. Note: If you have a high-end rig and not problems with FPS with your current setup, you can try the new, WIP DynDOLOD resources instead of linked above, for even better quality of distant terrain LODs.
That's what DynDOLOD about - it's absolutely essential mod that will drastically improve how your worldscape look.
Absolutely simplified installation of Dyndolod looks like this:
1) Installing DynDOLOD required mods.
2) Installing DynDOLOD core files, namely the "DynDOLOD Resource SE" via mod manager. Right after you've installed the resources, also install the "DynDOLOD Bright LOD Waterfall Fix" from here and this lil LOD improvement ==NEW==.
3) Downloading the DynDOLOD files (archive with generators .exe) themselves, namely the "DynDOLOD" file, manually and unpacking it anywhere you want.
4) Installing billboards in the same order you installed trees/landscape mod (i.e. if you have tree mods A, B, C, you should install billboards for mod A, then for mod B, then for mod C, and overwrite). Note - vanilla Skyrim billboards you can get from TES5LodGen Files tab (Skyrim LE mod) - they are same for LE/SE.
5) Generating textures via texgen.exe, archiving them, dropping to your mod manager mods folder, installing via mod manager. Make sure you're running DynDOLOD .exe files for SE, as described here.
6) Making sure no antivirus is running, or adding DynDOLOLD executable to its whitelist. Disabling ASIS, DSR/Ecotone, Cutting Room Floor, Bashed/Merged Patch, Skybirds .esp plugins (if you have them) before running the generator executable.
7) Generating dyndolod via dyndolod.exe (running it as admin), archiving the files, dropping to your mod manager mods folder, installing via mod manager.
8) Activating dyndoldod .esp plugin and plugins you disabled (if) in step 6.
9) Profit :3
Watch this awesome guide if installation still looks complicated for you.
To make some lods even more detailed, you can use this and this great mods alongside DynDOLOD (install before generating).
I also highly recommending this great distant "noise" (distant terrain) texture replacer for best possible blending. If you're getting "lighting bulb glitch" no matter what, try this fix.
For 3D LODs instructions (they are actually more then simple), read the "3d lods help.txt" tutorial inside the main EVT file archive. I'll make a video tutorial for 3D LODs a bit later on my YT channel.
Note: 3D LODs can eat some FPS depending on your PC specs.
#8 - THAT'S IT! YOU CAN START PLAYING!
Congratulations, you've made it to the very end! If you was attentive during all the way, you will now have beautiful, interesting and challenging Skyrim journey you've always dreamed about. Just make a test run for a few hours first, to make 100% sure everything is fine and you didn't forget anything. Skyrim is a legendary game and everyone who plays it deserves the best graphics and visuals. I want to say so much thanks to each mod author who put their time and knowledge into Skyrim mods to make it look so awesome. And thank you guys for reading this! Wish you a stable and exciting gameplay in your modded Skyrim. Run LOOT the last time to sort your load order, and start your journey!Want to support the development of this project? Take a look on Patreon page.
Your rig is pretty old, but you still want somehow to run ENB and some graphics mods? Don't worry, that's more then possible! Please take into account that "low-end" is pretty wide term, so here I will just put all possible advice and tricks that may help you. You can also refer to this section even if your PC is strong - to get more FPS for different purposes.
Have too weak rig but still wanna have some of those tasty graphics mods? Have a strong rig, but need to gain a few FPS? Look here!
1) Open SkyrimPrefs.ini and find iShadowMapResolution= value
It's usually set to 4096. Change this value to 2048 or even to 1024. Save the changes, close the .ini file. Changing it to 2048 will make almost zero visual quality loss for shadows, but give you 5-8 FPS boost depending on your PC specs and mod list. Changing it to 1024 will ofc make shadows looks worse, but can sometimes give up to 10-15 FPS. One-click boost!2) Use performance optimized textures for SSE
Skyrim SE texture are mostly in 2k resolution. This mod has 2 versions with 1k and ever 512 textures resolution.3) Use Ordenador
Simple as that. Still bad FPS? Just use this amazing tool to optimize textures minmaps and compress ALL your textures to 1024 or even 512. Make sure to use this .ini file. You can also read this tutorial for it.4) My PC can't afford DynDOLOD and ENB DOF, but I don't want to see these ugly LODs! What can I do?
Use DYNAVISION which gives simple DOF with literally 0 FPS hit.5) Use Paramount - FPS and Fixes Galore
New and absolutely amazing mod for low-end rig. It Optimizes texture resolution for dozens common object types in the game and removes various minor, not much needed effects and tiny objects - you most likely won't ever notice that, but have a good performance boost. It also comes with handy FOMOD installer, so you can choose all options you want and don't want yourself.6) Still need more FPS in wilderness? ==NEW==
Install Less Vanilla Trees (keep only one plugin depending on how much less trees you want to have - 33%, 50%, or 66% less).7) Still bad FPS in cities?
Use No grass in Cities.8) Lower you ingame resolution
For example, if you have FullHD monitor (1920x1080), set ingame resolution to 1280x720. While ofc playing on lower resolution is not what you may want, but it's not very noticable after you play a bit, but even downscale from 1080p to 720p can give you 10-20 FPS - which you can use to run ENB and/or run DynDOLOD on low settings, and this benefit definitely overlaps the resolution disadvantage.9) Mod Skyrim LE.
What? How? You may ask. The thing, is, Skyrim SE by itself require much better PC to run the game itself than original Skyrim, so if you have really weak rig which struggles with performance even with the game itself on ultra settings, or with minimal graphics mods setup, modding LE is a direct way for you - LE itself requires much less resources than SE initially, and can be optimized much better than SE. Even more - for example, there was a person in our community who was able to run Skyrim with ENB (low-end ENB preset, ofc, but still a real ENB) and some graphics mods on GTX 285! This GPU, as you can guess, won't even handle Skyrim SE itself without mods normally, but in LE, player was able to run simple ENB and so achieve much better graphics than he would get in SE. You got the point. My Skyrim LE guide also has low-end section with even more tips.
If you don't want to go trough the whole list yourself and think about which mods and how to combine, or just don't have time - this section is what you need! Below you can find several "plug and play" mod lists that I personally compiled - so you don't have to worry about testing mods, finding which play well together and which not - don't have to worry about compatibility at all. Just choose the mod list that you like the most, by reading its description - and then simply mimic it in no time. Playing modded Skyrim (or Skyrim at all) first time? Wanna have casual combat and be OP? Hardcore combat and survival? Lightweight mod list with "vanilla plus" experience or super-heavy mod list where each tiniest details are improved? Modules section has a mod list for any preference. Modules can also list certain ENB presets that I see "fitting" the mod list purpose in general and have certain advice about graphics mods in general - but these recommendations is just a cosmetical advice.
Important note #1: Each of modules assumes you already implemented Stability and Graphics parts of the guide. While graphics part is ofc totally up to you (and depends on your PC capabilities), make 200% sure you've implemented whole Stability section as it's an essential one, no matter how big mod list you are planning to have. I won't be able to provide any troubleshooting if you didn't make the Stability part. Implement it.
Important note #2: Some of the mod lists names may be hinting their setup, some no - mostly I just picked the names I wanted and that's it. Name of the mod list can be purely cosmetic at all. So make sure to read each module description, besides the name.
Important note #3: After you mimic the mod list (any of it), proceed to the "Mods to be installed or actions to be made in the end of modding process" section.
To choose your mod list, look below ↓↓↓
This module is a perfect mod list if you're playing Skyrim for the first time at all. Any TES game is an immensely huge, many times bigger than any other game of similar type - and it's an unspoken canon to first time play game without changing it by mods. First of all, if you'll install a lot of mods to your first walkthrough - you will be simply lost in amount of features, spells, items, quests and so on - because you won't have experience of original game. Secondly, playing with original functionality will help you to see how insane is the difference between vanilla and modded game.
This mod list is small and will not change any game mechanics drastically, but fix bugs or just plainly boring/silly vanilla mechanics, and add some content here and there - but in absolutely non-intrusive way. It will be still the vanilla Skyrim experience, just better.
ENB preset recommendations: Rudy ENB, X ENB, NVT ENB
Additional recommendations for graphics mods: From big texture packs, Osmodius or Skyrim Realistic Overhaul are recommended. As for the main tree mod, I'd recommend to go with Lush Vanilla Trees or EVT [without] bigger trees option in installer. As for the grass mod, go for Northern Grass or Verdant. Don't use weather mods. As for landscape overhauls, I'd recommend to not use any, maybe only Skyrim Better Roads, same goes for settlement mods - keep the vanilla settlements for now.
Mod list:
High Quality Music Lore-Based Loading Screens Cloaks of Skyrim Lore Weapon Expansion EFF - Extensible Follower Framework Unlimited Bookshelves Splendor - Dragon Variants Install only the main file. Diverse Werewolves Collection Install only the main file. GRAHL - The Ice Troll (Bloodmoon Creature Restoration Project) The Falkreath Hauntings Cannibal Draugr on Solstheim (Bloodmoon Creature Restoration Project) Install the "Cannibal Draugr on Solstheim" version of main file, not the "Replacer" version. Zim's Dremora Improvements Improved College Entry - Questline Tweaks Teldryn Serious - A Teldryn Sero Backstory Quest No Force for Illusion Magic High Level Enemies Take the "High Level Enemies" version of main file, [not] the "Scaled" one. ABT SE - Arrows and Bolts Tweaks Choose [only] faster arrows/bolts (+50%) in installer, and deeper bolts impact, nothing else. Realistic AI Detection (better sneaking) Install the "Realistic AI Detection 2 SE - Lite" main file version. VioLens - A Killmove Mod Don't forget to enable "Player Killmove Immunity" in MCM. Multiple Floors Sandboxing Serana Dialogue Edit Vampire Attacks Restored Outside of Walled Cities Mortal Enemies Install the "Mortal Enemies SE - No Run Walk Changes" version. Immersive Patrols Even Better Quest Objectives Skyrim Is Windy Hold Border Banners Realistic Ragdolls and Force Install the "Realistic Force" main file version. D13 Faster GET UP STAND UP animation vanilla friendly Potema Spawn Crash FixGood! Now sort your load order using LOOT and you're good to go. Also, if you're owner of a windescreen monitor, install this fix and take a look ad low-end section of the guide if you have weak rig or just need to gain a few FPS.
Note: The "Mods to be installed or actions to be made in the end of modding process" section isn't required for this mod list. You can make step #1 in it, but that's up to you.
The Winking Skeever module is perfect for those who already played Skyrim and/or other TES games, and maybe even played with mods here and there, but still, never had a heavy-modded experience and not quite sure about own goals in terms of gameplay, or just played the game few years ago. Module will provide you with not only needed bugfixes and improvements, but also make add enough content & new mechanics, and make gameplay much more challenging and fun, without making it hardcore or adding too much new content - you will feel the game refreshed as much as not to become lost in new content. Just as much enough of everything to have a good "tease" of modded Skyrim yet with very fast modding process.
ENB preset recommendations: Rudy ENB, X ENB, NVT ENB, Silent Horizons ENB, Intrigued ENB, Visceral ENB.
Additional recommendations for graphics mods: From big texture packs, Skyland or Noble are recommended. As for the main tree mod, I'd recommend to go with SFO or EVT. As for the grass mod, go for Northern Grass, Verdant or Veydosebrom. For a "lite" base of landscapes "overhauling" I'd recommend to get Skyrim Better Roads, Nordic Ruins of Skyrim and Skyrim Bridges. From the weather mods, I'd recommend to pick either Obsidian (also grab the ==NEW==MCM patch) or COT, or just stick to vanilla weathers.
Mod list:
High Quality Music Sovngarde - A Nordic Font Lore-Based Loading Screens Skyrim SE Skill Interface Re-Texture Constellations Retextured Constellations Retextured The DLC Cloaks of Skyrim Lore Weapon Expansion Unique Uniques Royal Armory - New Artifacts Also install the model improvement addon and PCE patch if using PCE. Immersive Armors Talos Housecarl Armor Pack The Gifts of Akatosh Barbarian Steel Armor EFF - Extensible Follower Framework INIGO Unlimited Bookshelves Breezehome Helgen Reborn The Forgotten City Clockwork If you're using Quaint Raven Rock settlement overhaul, make sure to install Clockwork patch from its mod page. Moon and Star Also install the tiny fix for it. Paarthurnax - Quest Expansion Teldryn Serious - A Teldryn Sero Backstory Quest Hammet's Dungeon Packs Skyrim Immersive Creatures Also install "High Level Enemies SIC SE Edition" file and the official fixing patch for it, namely the "SIC_UP_SSE" file. Deadly Dragons Splendor - Dragon Variants Install only the main file. Diverse Werewolves Collection Install only the main file. The Falkreath Hauntings Zim's Dremora Improvements Zim's Immersive Artifacts Also install WACCF patch and SIC patch. Immersive College of Winterhold Also install this and this tiny improvements. Improved College Entry - Questline Tweaks All Thieves Guild Jobs Concurrently Dark Brotherhood Reborn - Dawnstar Sanctuary Glorious Fort Dawnguard No Force for Illusion Magic Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim Also install Vokrii patch. Summermyst - Enchantments of Skyrim Also install WACCF patch. ABT SE - Arrows and Bolts Tweaks Choose [only] faster arrows/bolts (+50%) in installer, and deeper bolts impact, nothing else. Vokrii - Minimalistic Perks of Skyrim Also use the patcher to get a few patches needed. Morningstar - Minimalistic Races of Skyrim Andromeda - Unique Standing Stones of Skyrim Lucidity Sound FX Install only the main file. Trade and Barter For fBarterMax, fBarterMin, and the Buying Prices it's recommended to set them to 6.5, 4.0 and -50% respectively in the MCM. GIST - Genuinely Intelligent Soul Trap NARC Remade - No Animals Report Crimes Left Hand Rings Modified Realistic AI Detection (better sneaking) Install the "Realistic AI Detection 2 SE - Lite" main file version. Alchemy Potions and Food Adjustments Poisoning Extended VioLens - A Killmove Mod Don't forget to enable "Player Killmove Immunity" in MCM. Multiple Floors Sandboxing Serana Dialogue Edit Vampire Attacks Restored Outside of Walled Cities Combat Evolved Mortal Enemies Install the "Mortal Enemies SE - No Run Walk Changes" version. Immersive Patrols Even Better Quest Objectives Guard Dialogue Overhaul Redux Realistic Conversations Relationship Dialogue Overhaul Also install USSEP patch (only the "RDO - USSEP Patch.esp" plugin from "RDO - CRF and USSEP Patches Final" archive) and "RDO - EFF v4.0.3 Patch Final". Lanterns of Skyrim Install the first main file. Skyrim Is Windy Hold Border Banners Man Those Borders Farmhouse Chimneys DLC Integration Install only one main file. Realistic Ragdolls and Force Install the "Realistic Force" main file version. D13 Faster GET UP STAND UP animation vanilla friendly Immersive Animations Choose everything you would like to have in installer. Potema Spawn Crash Fix QUASIPC Just download and install. Installer will automatically detect your mods and install some needed patches. WiZkiD Patches Compendium Same here. Classic Sprinting Redone This mod installation is optional.Good! Now proceed to the "Mods to be installed or actions to be made in the end of modding process" section. Required steps are #1, #3 and #4. Step #6 (DynDOLOD) is optional - it will make your game distant objects absolutely beautiful, but it requires some time to read about the installation, so decide yourself. Also, if you're owner of a windescreen monitor, install this fix and take a look ad low-end section of the guide if you have weak rig or just need to gain a few FPS. After you've finished these steps, just sort your load order with LOOT and you're ready to go.
This "difficulty rebalance and abilities" module consists of various gameplay-altering mods - combat, AI, various overhauls, magic related mods, realism and some other, but with a specific goal - to give you a good setup of different gameplay changes so the overall difficulty, be it combat or economy, would be nor casual neither hardcore, but somewhere in the middle to appeal to most of tastes in general. If you want more things, and things to be more challenging, but you're easily overwhelmed when there's too much new stuff, this module is a great setup for you. It will partially cross with others, but what differs it from them is the exact pick of some mods in situations where you have the choice, to maintain the difficulty balance mentioned. You can combine it with other modules as you wish.
Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim Get the main file and Odin compatibility patch. Odin - Skyrim Magic Overhaul Morningstar - Minimalistic Races of Skyrim Evenstar - Minimalistic Standing Stones of Skyrim Wintersun - Faiths of Skyrim Summermyst - Enchantments of Skyrim Alchemy Redone Skyrim Immersive Creatures Get the main file and also install a fix patch here. SkyTEST - Realistic Animals and Predators Get the main file, then also install "ESM only" version, and delete the .esp, so you'll only have .esm plugin. Then, from here, get "Immersive Creatures" and "DLC Creature Extension" files. Mortal Enemies - De-aimbot Your Foes Get the "No Movement Tweaks" main file, as well as "Realistic Animals Predators Patch" and "SIC Patch" files. Ultimate Combat Wounds In the mod MCM in game, set all chances of injuires to minimal values. TK Dodge Also get the sound patch. Campsite Install the main file. Optional files - up to you. Frostbite In the mod MCM in game, set all chances of injuires to minimal values. Immersive Needs - For The Conscientious Modder Mealtime - a Food and Recipe Mod Carriage and Ferry Travel Overhaul Install the main file. Optional files are up to you, patches - as per your settlement mod setup. Spell learning and discovery Use this mod or the one below - see which one features you like more. Spell Tutor Use this mod or the one above - see which one features you like more. Realistic AI Detection (better sneaking) Get the Lite version. Resistances Rescaled Bring Your Silver Also grab patches if you have the mods listed. Scarcity - Less Loot Mod Download the mod archive manually somewhere, unpack it and look inside the folder. Delete all plugins asides from "Scarcity - Less Loot Mod", "Scarcity - 4x Loot Rarity" and "Scarcity - 2x Merchant Item Rarity". Zip what you have now back, add resulted archive to your mod manager and install as any other mod. Potion Tolerance Reliquary of Myth - Artifact Overhaul Choose patches for mods you have in installer. If you'll be installing mods after this module, reinstall this mod to make sure you have all needed patches picked for installation.
Lastly, if you're planning to actually play as vampire/werewolf not only during Dawnguard and Companions questlines, install these (one or both):
Growl - Werebeasts of Skyrim Also grab patch here. Sanguinair Vampirism
This module is a highly immersive one, for player who wanna have overall game improvements and some new feature and content here and there for sure, but want Skyrim harsh environment to be the main challenge in first turn, without hardcore combat itself. Plus all possible visual and others immersive moments here and there. The winds chilling to the bones, dangerous waters and diseases, hunger and thirst, and of course, cozy warming at your camp fire. With this mod setup, game will be cruel and dangerous to you, in first turn, because of fearsome, strongly realistic survival aspects.
ENB preset recommendations: Rudy ENB, X ENB, NVT ENB, Silent Horizons ENB, Intrigued ENB, Natural and Atmospheric Tamriel ENB, Visceral ENB, Ominous ENB.
Additional recommendations for graphics mods: From big texture packs, Skyland or Noble are recommended. As for the main tree mod, I'd recommend to go with SFO or EVT. As for the grass mod, go for Northern Grass, Verdant or Veydosebrom. From the weather mods, I'd recommend to pick either Obsidian (also grab the MCM patch) or COT, or just stick to vanilla weathers. Lastly, you may be interested in beautiful Winter Overhaul to add to harsh winter Skyrim abmience in terms of scenery appearance. The Nordic Ruins of Skyrim and Skyrim Bridges can be a great addition too.
Mod list:
High Quality Music Sovngarde - A Nordic Font Lore-Based Loading Screens Skyrim SE Skill Interface Re-Texture Constellations Retextured Constellations Retextured The DLC Cloaks of Skyrim Bandolier - Bags and Pouches Also install this patch so NPCs also could appear with items from the mod. Lore Weapon Expansion Unique Uniques Royal Armory - New Artifacts Also install the model improvement addon and PCE patch if using PCE. Immersive Armors Talos Housecarl Armor Pack The Gifts of Akatosh Barbarian Steel Armor EFF - Extensible Follower Framework INIGO Unlimited Bookshelves Breezehome Campfire - Complete Camping System Tentapalooza for Campfire ElSopa - Campfire HD Warm Drinks - Simple Tea And Coffee Recipes Gather Wilderness Resources - A plugin for Campfire Cheery Crafting - Campfire Edition FrostbiteNow, choose between the next 2 mods. Both are great, and both have own advantages and disadvantages over each other. Read the mod pages and choose one your prefer yourself. I'd personally advise to go with iNEED, but once again, that's totally up to you.
iNeed - Food Water and Sleep - Continued Also install fruits addon (optionally). Realistic Needs and Diseases All-In-One for USSEP Also grab Dawn of Skyrim patch (if using it) and fruits addon (optionally).Nice, let's continue
Skyrim Fishing Exhaustion Holidays Test the mod in game first before keeping it - it may conflict with settlement mods. JK's Skyrim Files tab has compatibility patch for it. SFO patch is also available. Nordic Cooking General Stores sells Salt and Flour Wood Frame Backpacks Carriage and Ferry Travel Overhaul Wearable Lanterns Also grab the MCM fix. Frozen in Time Fires Hurt Skyrim Battle Aftermath Helgen Reborn The Forgotten City Clockwork If you're using Quaint Raven Rock settlement overhaul, make sure to install Clockwork patch from its mod page. Moon and Star Also install the tiny fix for it. Paarthurnax - Quest Expansion Teldryn Serious - A Teldryn Sero Backstory Quest Hammet's Dungeon Packs Hidden Hideouts of Skyrim Skyrim Immersive Creatures Also install "High Level Enemies SIC SE Edition" file and the official fixing patch for it, namely the "SIC_UP_SSE" file. Deadly Dragons Splendor - Dragon Variants Install only the main file. Diverse Werewolves Collection Install only the main file. The Falkreath Hauntings Zim's Dremora Improvements Zim's Immersive Artifacts Also install WACCF patch and SIC patch. Immersive College of Winterhold Also install this and this tiny improvements. Improved College Entry - Questline Tweaks All Thieves Guild Jobs Concurrently Dark Brotherhood Reborn - Dawnstar Sanctuary Glorious Fort Dawnguard No Force for Illusion Magic Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim Also install Vokrii patch. Summermyst - Enchantments of Skyrim Also install WACCF patch. ABT SE - Arrows and Bolts Tweaks Choose [only] faster arrows/bolts (+50%) in installer, and deeper bolts impact, nothing else. Vokrii - Minimalistic Perks of Skyrim Also use the patcher to get a few patches needed. Morningstar - Minimalistic Races of Skyrim Andromeda - Unique Standing Stones of Skyrim Lucidity Sound FX Install only the main file. Trade and Barter For fBarterMax, fBarterMin, and the Buying Prices it's recommended to set them to 6.5, 4.0 and -50% respectively in the MCM. GIST - Genuinely Intelligent Soul Trap NARC Remade - No Animals Report Crimes Left Hand Rings Modified Realistic AI Detection (better sneaking) Install the "Realistic AI Detection 2 SE - Lite" main file version. Alchemy Potions and Food Adjustments Poisoning Extended VioLens - A Killmove Mod Don't forget to enable "Player Killmove Immunity" in MCM. Multiple Floors Sandboxing Serana Dialogue Edit Vampire Attacks Restored Outside of Walled Cities Combat Evolved Mortal Enemies Install the "Mortal Enemies SE - No Run Walk Changes" version. Immersive Patrols Even Better Quest Objectives Guard Dialogue Overhaul Redux Realistic Conversations Relationship Dialogue Overhaul Also install USSEP patch (only the "RDO - USSEP Patch.esp" plugin from "RDO - CRF and USSEP Patches Final" archive) and "RDO - EFF v4.0.3 Patch Final". Lanterns of Skyrim Install the first main file. Skyrim Is Windy Hold Border Banners Man Those Borders Unique Border Gates Farmhouse Chimneys DLC Integration Install only one main file. Realistic Ragdolls and Force Install the "Realistic Force" main file version. D13 Faster GET UP STAND UP animation vanilla friendly Immersive Animations Choose everything you would like to have in installer. Potema Spawn Crash FixThese mods are absolutely optional. You can install all of them or none, depending on your own vision of immersion depth you need:
Skyrim Sleeping Bags SE - Sleep Under Blankets Pumping Iron - Dynamic Muscle Growth Also grab this improvement addon for it. Reflection - Level Up Messages Go to bed Bells of Skyrim Bring Out Your Dead Note: May cause clipping issues with settlement mods, so test before actually playing. Point The Way Ask The Way YOT - Your Own Thoughts Rotmulaag - Immersive Meditations on the Words of Power Equipment Durability System This mod is optional - depending on whether you want your armor and weapons degrade with time, or it's already too much. Time Passes Reading Improves Speech Take Notes - Journal of the Dragonborn Public Executions I'm a Customer Dammit Harvestable Mammoth SkullsPheeewww!
QUASIPC Just download and install. Installer will automatically detect your mods and install some needed patches. WiZkiD Patches Compendium Same here. Classic Sprinting Redone This mod installation is optional.Good! Now proceed to the "Mods to be installed or actions to be made in the end of modding process" section. Required steps are #1, #3 and #4. Step #6 (DynDOLOD) is optional - it will make your game distant objects absolutely beautiful, but it requires some time to read about the installation, so decide yourself. Also, if you're owner of a windescreen monitor, install this fix and take a look ad low-end section of the guide if you have weak rig or just need to gain a few FPS. After you've finished these steps, just sort your load order with LOOT and you're ready to go.
Drunken Huntsman is a "golden middle" in terms of heavy-modded game. It's already a pretty heavy mod list that's making gameplay not only expanded, but greatly challenging. It also adds much more new content as well as new gameplay features in each modding category. It's a mod list for those who already played with mods for some time and want "advance to the next level" and build their first really heavy-modded game - but, it's also not "that" huge to become ovewhelming in terms of both gameplay or modlist building process itself. Take into account that this module will make your game much harder - but also much more rewarding.
ENB preset recommendations: Rudy ENB, Silent Horizons ENB, X ENB, NVT ENB, Mythical ENB, Natural and Atmospheric Tamriel ENB, Aequinoctium ENB, eisVogel 2 ENB, Ominous ENB.
Additional recommendations for graphics mods: From big texture packs, Noble or Pfuscher pack are recommended (you can also install Pfuscher pack on top of Noble). As for the grass mod, go for Northern Grass, Viscous or Verdant, or look at Short Grass if you wanna more "green" summer look of groundcovers. For base of landscapes "overhauling" I'd recommend to get Skyrim Better Roads, Dark Forests of Skyrim, Nordic Ruins of Skyrim and Skyrim Bridges. From the weather mods, I'd recommend to pick Obsidian (also grab the MCM patch), Dolomite, Aequinoctium or Rustic, or just stick to vanilla weathers.
Mod list:
High Quality Music Sovngarde - A Nordic Font Lore-Based Loading Screens
Skyrim SE Skill Interface Re-Texture
Constellations Retextured
Constellations Retextured The DLC
Serio's Cycle Hotkeys
Favorite Things - Extended Favorites Menu for SkyUI
I'd recommend the "Adept" version.
Viewable Faction Ranks
Cloaks of Skyrim
Divine and Daedric Cloaks
Bandolier - Bags and Pouches
Also install this patch so NPCs also could appear with items from the mod.
Lore Weapon Expansion
Unique Uniques
Royal Armory - New Artifacts
Also install the model improvement addon and PCE patch if using PCE.
InsanitySorrow Weapons Pack
Legendary Skyrim Crossbows and Bows
Artifacts - The Ice Blade of the Monarch
Valkyrja - Viking sword
Immersive Armors
Black Mage Armor
Stormcloak Battle Armor Replacer
Guards Armor Replacer
This mod is optional. Install if you prefer more medieval look of guard armors. Imo, it's still very lore-friendly, just looking more practical.
Heavy Legion
This mod is optional, similar to previous one. Optional crafting patch available.
Volkihar Knight - Vampire Armor
Talos Housecarl Armor Pack
The Gifts of Akatosh
Barbarian Steel Armor
EFF - Extensible Follower Framework
INIGO
Lucien - Fully Voiced Follower
Unlimited Bookshelves
Breezehome
The Forgotten City
Clockwork
If you're using Quaint Raven Rock settlement overhaul, make sure to install Clockwork patch from its mod page.
Project AHO
Also install this and Apocalypse patch from here.
The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal
Also install this HD textures pack, patcher, flora overhaul and a little immersive patch.
Carved Brink
VIGILANT
Make sure to install English voice acting addon.
Darkend
Paarthurnax - Quest Expansion
Teldryn Serious - A Teldryn Sero Backstory Quest
Hammet's Dungeon Packs
EasierRider's Dungeon Pack
Apotheosis - Lifeless Vaults
Red Flame
The Midden - Expanded
Skyrim Immersive Creatures
Also install official fixing patch for it, namely the "SIC_UP_SSE" file.
Deadly Dragons
Ultimate Dragons
Splendor - Dragon Variants
Install only the main file.
Diverse Werewolves Collection
Install only the main file.
The Falkreath Hauntings
Immersive College of Winterhold
Also install this and this tiny improvements.
Improved College Entry - Questline Tweaks
All Thieves Guild Jobs Concurrently
The Brotherhood of Old
Dark Brotherhood Reborn - Dawnstar Sanctuary
Dark Brotherhood for Good Guys
Glorious Fort Dawnguard
No Force for Illusion Magic
Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim
Also install Ordinator patch.
Arcanum - A New Age of Magic
Note: Latest version of the mod is improperly packed and carries lots of bugs, so until mod author fixes that, it's strongly advised to use latest mod version [before] Conjuration spells were added.
Dawnguard Arsenal
Dragonborn Ascendant
Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim
Install 9.26 version. Also install this , this and this .
Imperious - Races of Skyrim
Andromeda - Unique Standing Stones of Skyrim
Wintersun - Faiths of Skyrim
Sacrosanct - Vampires of Skyrim
Lupine - Werewolf Perk Expansion
This mod is optional - install only if you're planning to play as werewolf.
GuruSR's Werewolf Transformation Meter
This mod is optional - install only if you're planning to play as werewolf.
Summermyst - Enchantments of Skyrim
Also install WACCF patch.
Lock Overhaul
Install the "Lock Overhaul - Ordinator Version" main file.
ABT SE - Arrows and Bolts Tweaks
Choose [only] faster arrows/bolts (+50%) in installer, and deeper bolts impact, nothing else.
OBIS - Organized Bandits In Skyrim
Also install patrols addon from mod Files tab and Cloaks of Skyrim patch.
Revenge Of the Enemies
Now, optionally, install this mod. Take into account that it will make fights much more tactical and realistic, but also even more hard in most of cases:
Know Your Enemy - Trait-based resistances and weaknesses
Good!
AIM FIX - combat camera with aiming control Also install "AIM FIX compatibility patch for iHUD" and "AIM FIX compatibility patch for non-vanilla start" files. Horses On PatrolThe next 3 mods are absolutely optional - install them if you wanna to have "lite" survival experience in your game. All 3 mods are very lightweight and won't give any script issues to your setup.
Campsite Frostbite Vitality Mode - Basic Needs - Eat Drink and SleepBooinnn-nnnnk.
Audio Overhaul for Skyrim From the mod Files tab, also instal patches for: Enhanced Blood Textures, Legacy of the Dragonborn, Lore Weapon Expansion and whatever weather mod you're using (if you do). Lucidity Sound FX Install only the main file. Thundering Shouts Falskaar Also install this patcher which will detect some of other mods you're using to make few other minor patchings. Also grab RS Children patch from this page Files tab if using RS Children. Zim's Immersive Artifacts Also install WACCF patch and SIC patch. Trade and Barter For fBarterMax, fBarterMin, and the Buying Prices it's recommended to set them to 10.0, 6.5 and -60% respectively in the MCM. GIST - Genuinely Intelligent Soul Trap NARC Remade - No Animals Report Crimes
Left Hand Rings Modified
Realistic AI Detection (better sneaking)
Install the "Realistic AI Detection 2 SE - Medium Interior Medium Exterior" main file version.
Alchemy Potions and Food Adjustments
Poisoning Extended
VioLens - A Killmove Mod
Don't forget to enable "Player Killmove Immunity" in MCM.
Multiple Floors Sandboxing
Serana Dialogue Edit
Vampire Attacks Restored Outside of Walled Cities
Wildcat - Combat of Skyrim
Install only the main file.
TK Dodge
Skyrim Skill Uncapper ==NEW==
This (fixed version of initial LE version port) mod is optional. It allows you to uncap your skill (i.e. progress above 100 instead of silly vanilla "legendary skills" system). You can also adjust leveling speed, how many perks/atrribute points you will receive per lvlup and and more.
ASIS
Realistic Melee Range
Mortal Enemies
Install the "Mortal Enemies SE - No Run Walk Changes" version.
Populated Lands Roads Paths
Install only the main file.
Populated Forts Towers Places
Even Better Quest Objectives
Guard Dialogue Overhaul Redux
Realistic Conversations
Relationship Dialogue Overhaul
Also install USSEP patch (only the "RDO - USSEP Patch.esp" plugin from "RDO - CRF and USSEP Patches Final" archive) and "RDO - EFF v4.0.3 Patch Final".
Lanterns of Skyrim
Install the first main file.
Skyrim Is Windy
Timing is Everything
Not So Fast - Main Quest
Not So Fast - Mage Guild
Hold Border Banners
Man Those Borders
Unique Border Gates
Farmhouse Chimneys
Disease Fixes
Install only the main file.
DLC Integration
Install only one main file.
Realistic Ragdolls and Force
Install the "Realistic Force" main file version.
D13 Faster GET UP STAND UP animation vanilla friendly
Immersive Animations
Choose everything you would like to have in installer.
Fores New Idles in Skyrim - FNIS
Install only the main file and "FNIS Behavior 7.4.5 SE add-on 3 (AGO.TK)" file.
FNIS PCEA2 - Player Exclusive Animations
XP32 Maximum Skeleton Special Extended
Read the installer options carefully. After you'll install the mod, go here and install "Bolt quiver meshes for XP32 Users beta1" file.Simple Dual Sheath [OR] Dual Sheath Redux
Which one and what/why?
First one is a freshly released SKSE plugin which should work with most of the weapons out of the box. While being still a work in progress, it has minor cons bugs here and there, but in general, works just fine (and doesn't require patches for mod-added weapons which is great advantage) so it's the recommended mod. Second one is well-known Skyrim LE mod that's not officially ported to SE (but you can port it yourself). The choice here is completely up to you. You can conver DSR (LE mod) to SE using this article. If using a converted DSR, you can also convert this huge collection of patches for dozens of weapon mods. Legacy of the Dragonborn Install the main file and the update file. Then download and run the "Legacy of the Dragonborn Patches SE" patches installer. It should automatically detect all needed mods you have, but still, read the options carefully yourself. Finally, install this and this. QUASIPC Just download and install. Installer will automatically detect your mods and install some needed patches. WiZkiD Patches Compendium Same here. Classic Sprinting Redone This mod installation is optional.
Good! Now proceed to the "Mods to be installed or actions to be made in the end of modding process" section and follow the steps in it. Also, if you're owner of a windescreen monitor, install this fix and take a look ad low-end section of the guide if you have weak rig or just need to gain a few FPS. After you've finished these steps, just sort your load order with LOOT and you're ready to go.
This module is for those who don't want neither hardcore combat or survival challenges, but have and endless adventuring spirint and wish to visit as many new lands and dungeons, make as many quests, solve as many puzzles and mysteries as possible. This is an adventuring/relic hunting/questing mod list that will be a great choice if you just want to have a vivid, interesting walkthrough with huge amount of content but without gameplay itself being hard.
To be added... The more free time I'll have, the sooner I'll be able to add these. Cheers! :)
A module dedicated to thieves/rogues/assassins/archers. If you're sure you'll be playing exactly with this archetype now - look here for sure. This modlist includes various mods - from combat & spells, to quests & animations - but not only mods themselves, yet also certain advice on them (i.e. which spells to use and how, for example), and even A to Z character build videos on my YT channel. Note: This module focuses on [dedicated] mods - meaning for a complete mod list, you will still need to go through sections of the guide, but you will have a solid core mods base exactly for this playstyle (or can visit this section just to make sure you didn't miss anything).
Mod list:
Moonpath to Elsweyr The Brotherhood of Old The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal Also install this and this (optional, pick what you need/like). The Sinister Seven Ravengate - Riften Underground Quest mods ofc are a matter of taste in first turn, but I recommend these mods purely from the perspective that fits rogue/assassin character roleplay-wise. Royal Armory - New Artifacts A must-have unique weapons mod for everyone no matter of class. Also grab this addon, this improvement patch ==NEW== and this patch if using PCE. Immersive Armors A must-have armor mod for everyone, no matter of class. Unique Uniques ==NEW== A great groundbase for unique look of many artifacts. An updated port with some initially existing bugs fixes.Now some armors which I personally see greatly fitting rogue types of characters. Their installation is absolutely up to you ofc:
Bosmer Armor Pack Sithis Armour and Blades Nordic Ranger Outfit Rough Leather Armor Contractor Armor Evil MasterMind Armor Zerofrost Mythical Armors For superior Nightingale armor. Demon Hunter Armor by Jojjo DreamBurrows Regal Huntsman Armor Armor Of Intrigue Away - Come Away
Same for weapons:
Lore Weapon Expansion Great lore-friendly weapons base. Legendary Skyrim Crossbows and Bows and Bows Scoped Bows Also grab this patcher to get a bit better compatibility if needed. The Huntsman Daggerkiin Katana Crafting Hag's Breath (with animated eye) Lux and Noctis Katanas
Note: Latest version of the mod is improperly packed and carries lots of bugs, so until mod author fixes that, it's strongly advised to use latest mod version [before] Conjuration spells were added. Summermyst - Enchantments of Skyrim No Force for Illusion Magic As assassins and thieves are using Illusion spells pretty often, this mod will be useful. Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim Sacrosanct - Vampires of Skyrim Rogues are more likely to pick vampire over werewolf due to questline and roleplay ascpect, and Sacrosanct is great option for overhauling vampire abilities in a single mod. Imperious - Races of Skyrim Plenty of new abilities and improved vanilla ones for races usually used for rogue classes. Andromeda - Unique Standing Stones of Skyrim Same for standing stones. Wintersun - Faiths of Skyrim Pick a deity which fits your trickster mind craves and receive powerful bonuses for your faith. Ultimate Combat Wildcat - Combat of Skyrim Mortal Enemies - De-aimbot Your Foes TK Dodge Loot and Degradation Also get Summermyst patch. Thieves Guild Requirements Opulent Thieves Guild Also grab this lil patcher. Dark Brotherhood for Good Guys Save the Dark Brotherhood Dark Brotherhood Reborn - Dawnstar Sanctuary ABT - Arrows and Bolts Tweaks Recommended base settings to pick in installer: 50% faster arrows/bolts, deeper bolt impact (per your tate), 50% less arrows/bolts recovered/in loot/in stocks. Realistic AI Detection (better sneaking) Carefully pick the mod version depending on your mod lists (read files descriptions). If you're not sure - get Lite version. Suspicious City Guards Sensible Crime Reporting Stamina Matters - No more useless stamina TDF Equipment Restriction Nighteye For NPCs Weapon Speed Fix Lock Overhaul Get the Ordinator version. Poisoning Extended Reasonable Reloading Shadowmarks Improved Reliquary of Myth - Artifact Overhaul Better to install this mod in the end of making your setup, to pick patches on maximum in installer.
Meanwhile, you can also watch a few unique modded character builds available at my YT channel:
A module dedicated to mages/necromancers/warlocks/priests etc. If you're sure you'll be playing exactly with this archetype now - look here for sure. This modlist includes various mods - from combat & spells, to quests & animations - but not only mods themselves, yet also certain advice on them (i.e. which spells to use and how, for example), and even A to Z character build videos on my YT channel. Note: This module focuses on [dedicated] mods - meaning for a complete mod list, you will still need to go through sections of the guide, but you will have a solid core mods base exactly for this playstyle (or can visit this section just to make sure you didn't miss anything).
Mod list:
Project AHO Also grab DSR patch (SE version in Files tab) and fix. Carved Brink Also grab DSR patch (SE version in Files tab) and fix. The Wheels of Lull Awesome questline with a lot of secrets an puzzles, related with TES lore. Five dungeons within the main quest, complete with fleshed out boss battles, and massive, unique locations. A new town, complete with extensive characters. 7 side quests, 10 new weapons, new armors and even a new custom race. Clockwork (Clockwork Castle) Quest mods ofc are a matter of taste in first turn, but I recommend these mods purely from the perspective that roleplay-wise, mage characters should more craving for lore and travelling into different dimensions. Royal Armory - New Artifacts A must-have unique weapons mod for everyone no matter of class. Also grab this addon. Immersive Armors A must-have armor mod for everyone, no matter of class. Unique Uniques A great groundbase for unique look of many artifacts.Now some armors which I personally see greatly fitting mage types of characters. Their installation is absolutely up to you ofc:
Black Mage Armor Archmage Khadgar's Robes DCR - King Crusader Armor Great choice for necromancer. Hedge Mage Armor Arcane Conjurer Robes Raven witch armor Liam's Armoured Mage Robes Necromaster Robes Nether Mage Armor
Same for weapons:
Caranthir Tower Reborn Terra Umbra - Mobile Floating Island The Tale of Tsatampra Xiros Astronomer's Loft -- Small Loft Library Player Home in Whiterun EVG Conditional Idles For those injured and out of magicka idles. Combat Gameplay Overhaul This mod is totally optional as it has both pros and cons (nothing gamebreaking, and it's cleary an amazing work in first turn). At one hand, CGO adds several features and fixes to combat and movement. It has responsive dodge rolls, procedural leaning, grip changing, mid-air spellcasting, staves melee attacks, 1st & 3rd person weapon animations, and more. At the other hand - its lack of cutomization of some features, and possible compatibility issues with some other animation mods. You can see my review of it here. Movement Behavior Overhaul For much more realistic movement behavior like momentum stop and more. If you're using CGO (mod above), pick the compatibility patch in installer. Finally First Person Magic Animation College of Winterhold Entry Requirements Make sure to disable/delete "Khajiit Speak" plugin after mod activation. Better College Application College Days - Winterhold Resistances Rescaled Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim Also install Ordinator patch (if you'll be using Ordinator and not POS, look below in list). Arcanum - A New Age of Magic Note: Latest version of the mod is improperly packed and carries lots of bugs, so until mod author fixes that, it's strongly advised to use latest mod version [before] Conjuration spells were added. Spell Research No Spell Tomes as Loot or From Vendors Use the 2 mods above (Spell Research and No Spell Tomes as Loot or From Vendors) for "hardcore" version of spell learning mechanics, [OR] the mod below for "lite" version of it. Spell learning and discovery Summermyst - Enchantments of Skyrim No Force for Illusion Magic Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim Use this mod [OR] the mod below as a perk overhaul. Path of Sorcery - Magic Perk Overhaul Use this mod [OR] the mod above as a perk overhaul. Immersive College of Winterhold Sacrosanct - Vampires of Skyrim Mages are more likely to pick vampire over werewolf due to questline and roleplay ascpect, and Sacrosanct is great option for overhauling vampire abilities in a single mod. Imperious - Races of Skyrim Plenty of new abilities and improved vanilla ones for races usually used for mage classes. Andromeda - Unique Standing Stones of Skyrim Same for standing stones. Wintersun - Faiths of Skyrim Pick a deity which fits your mystic soul craves and receive powerful bonuses for your faith. Ultimate Combat Wildcat - Combat of Skyrim Mortal Enemies TK Dodge Magic Duel - Reborn A mod made to be used mostly for fun - but what a great fun, for a mage characters. Not So Fast - Mage Guild Loot and Degradation Also grab this patch. Reliquary of Myth - Artifact Overhaul Better to install this mod in the end of making your setup, to pick patches on maximum in installer.Meanwhile, you can also watch a few unique modded character builds available at my YT channel:
A module dedicated to warriors. If you're sure you'll be playing exactly with this archetype now - look here for sure. This modlist includes various mods - from combat & spells, to quests & animations - but not only mods themselves, yet also certain advice on them (i.e. which spells to use and how, for example), and even A to Z character build videos on my YT channel. Note: This module focuses on [dedicated] mods - meaning for a complete mod list, you will still need to go through sections of the guide, but you will have a solid core mods base exactly for this playstyle (or can visit this section just to make sure you didn't miss anything).
Mod list:
VIGILANT Ofc, any quest mod can be played through by any class - but VIGILANT has those huge, epic bossfights similar to Dark Souls ones, and fighting them exactly as a warrior is the most plesant. Also grab english voice addon. Royal Armory - New Artifacts A must-have unique weapons mod for everyone no matter of class. Also grab this addon. Immersive Armors A must-have armor mod for everyone, no matter of class. Unique Uniques A great groundbase for unique look of many artifacts.Now some armors which I personally see greatly fitting warrior types of characters. Their installation is absolutely up to you ofc:
Warmonger Armory Realistic Armor Zerofrost Mythical Armors Talos Housecarl Armor Pack Barbarian Steel Armor Chainmail armor Heavy Nordic Armor Kynreeve Armor Nordic Crusader Armour Sithis Armour and Blades Aetherium Armor and Weapons Compilation For heavy dwarven armor lovers. Also grab this. Away - Come Away Azura's Shield
Same for weapons:
Lore Weapon Expansion A must-have weapon pack of all types. Legendary Skyrim Crossbows and Bows and Bows johnskyrim profile For plenty of not quite realistic (as most of them are WOW-inspired), but absolutely badass weapons. billyro profile Vice versa here - realistic, medieval, fantasy-looking but still "serious" weapons. Vanguard's Claymore FunkyGandalfCat profile crazylion profile The Devil's Tooth The Munich The Witcher 3 Weaponry Radzig Longsword Artifacts - The Ice Blade Of The Monarch Leviathan Axe - Dwemer Artifacts
Mods adding both armors and weapons:
Vikings Weaponry - Johnskyrim The Gifts of Akatosh King Crusader Mega Pack Artifacts - The Breton Paladin Resplendent Armor and Greatsword Stormcloak Hero Armory Also grab a fix. Imperial Dragonknight Armory Dragon Carved Armor Set Also grab a fix. Nordic Wanderer Equipment
Note: For animation mods that require FNIS, it's recommended to use Nemesis instead (all mods relying on FNIS work with Nemesis too) - why and how - look in animations section.
Animated Armoury - New Weapons with animations Also get CCOR patch and Ecotone patch. EVG Conditional Idles For those injured and out of stamina idles. Believable weapons Combat Gameplay Overhaul This mod is totally optional as it has both pros and cons (nothing gamebreaking, and it's cleary an amazing work in first turn). At one hand, CGO adds several features and fixes to combat and movement. It has responsive dodge rolls, procedural leaning, grip changing, mid-air combat, dual-wielding two-handed weapons, 1st & 3rd person weapon animations, and more. At the other hand - its lack of cutomization of some features, and possible compatibility issues with some other animation mods. You can see my review of it here. Movement Behavior Overhaul For much more realistic movement behavior like momentum stop and more. If you're using CGO (mod above), pick the compatibility patch in installer. Keeper Carcette Survives with more Vigilants of Stendarr Stendarrs Beacon Enhanced Glorious Fort Dawnguard ABT - Arrows and Bolts Tweaks Recommended base settings to pick in installer: 50% faster arrows/bolts, deeper bolt impact (per your tate), 50% less arrows/bolts recovered/in loot/in stocks. Resistances Rescaled Stamina Matters - No more useless stamina TDF Equipment Restriction Battle Cry Fix Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim Also install Ordinator patch. Arcanum - A New Age of Magic Even warriors often use restoration/alteration spells - and here these 2 mods can be in a great service, offering you a wide amount of immersive healing and supporting spells.Note: Latest version of the mod is improperly packed and carries lots of bugs, so until mod author fixes that, it's strongly advised to use latest mod version [before] Conjuration spells were added. Dawnguard Arsenal Summermyst - Enchantments of Skyrim Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim An essential mod for every class - and ofc, for warrior too. Growl - Werebeasts of Skyrim Warriors are more likely to pick werewolf over vampires due to questline and roleplay ascpect, and Growl is great option for overhauling ww abilities in a single mod. Imperious - Races of Skyrim Plenty of new abilities and improved vanilla ones for races usually used for warrior classes. Andromeda - Unique Standing Stones of Skyrim Same for standing stones. Wintersun - Faiths of Skyrim Pick a deity which fits your brave warrior soul craves and receive powerful bonuses for your faith. Ultimate Combat Wildcat - Combat of Skyrim zxlice hitStop TK Dodge Mortal Enemies Also grab this. Wounds If using this mod, make sure to disable Wildcat's wounds in its MCM. Reasonable Reloading Draw - A Dueling Mod Super Simple Lock Bash Dirt and Blood - Dynamic Visual Effects Pumping Iron - Dynamic Muscle Growth Also grab this improvement addon for it. Loot and Degradation Also get this. Weapon Speed Fix Reliquary of Myth - Artifact Overhaul Better to install this mod in the end of making your setup, to pick patches on maximum in installer.
Meanwhile, you can also watch a few unique modded character builds available at my YT channel:
A true hero of Skyrim. A protector of the realm. This module is the ultimate setup of mods - basically, very close to what I'm using myself. If you're a veteran Skyrim player and have decent modded walkthrough experience (or just crazy enough ^,,^), if you remember all its details and want dozens of new stories & adventures, if you want your gameplay to be incredibly challenging yet incredibly rewarding, if you want the each smallest, tiniest, microscopic detail of Skyrim gameplay to be improved, and bug/overlook - fixed, together with a lot of cool new features and mechanics, if you want nextgen, "devil in details" mod list that will surprise you on each step no matter how many hours (or thousands) or hours you have in this series - Fatherland Saviour is waiting. This mod list also contains not only general instructions, but also all needed tweaks, till the smallest ones, in mods MCMs, together with my own edits in many cases.
To be added... The more free time I'll have, the sooner I'll be able to add these. Cheers! :)
Huge thanks to each and every patron of mine, existing and past ones, who helped me to keep going and deliver Skyrim Ultimate Modding Guide - without your support, I would never be able to have enough time to compile it <3
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