Best Skyrim Mods: 62 Mods To Make Skyrim Great Again

Skyrim is nearly a decade old, so it needs some love and care from the community to feel on par with recent releases. Check out our list of the Best Skyrim mods if you’re looking to enhance your experience.

May 8, 2023

Despite being released nearly eight years ago at the time of writing this article, Skyrim has become a mod platform in a way that its predecessors Oblivion and Morrowind had never dreamed. With tens of thousands of mods available in the Steam Workshop and Skyrim Nexus, it can be a daunting task to find those that offer the best value.

Before we delve too quickly into the mods themselves, this article will break them down into several sub-categories. There are simply too many mods, offering a vast array of improvements or changes, to just throw them into a list without context. The categories of best Skyrim mods we will be focusing on will be:

As a side note, this article will not be focusing on Adult Content mods. While some complete overhaul mods may offer nudity settings, the focus of this article is not to provide a list of mods focused on nudity or sexual activity. So if that is what you are hoping to find here you will most likely be disappointed. It will also not be focused on “rapid levelling mods”, “item spawning mods”, or “teleportation mods”. These are things you can do with the console if you want and really don’t need to be mentioned in a list of mods to improve the game.

How To Install The Best Skyrim Mods

There are two versions of Skyrim that exist today, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim Special Edition. For the purposes of this article, we will be focusing solely on the non-Special Edition as it has easier access to mods and is, in my opinion, the superior edition of the game.

There are two types of mods that will be on this list, those that are on the steam workshop, and those that are on Skyrim Nexus. Here are a few guidlines that will teach you how to install Skyrim Mods.

Installing Steam Workshop Mods

Steam mods are by far the easiest to download and install. Simply subscribe to the mod in question and wait for it to be installed. Nothing could be easier.

Installing Nexus Mods

This is slightly more intensive, but not by much. Simply create a Nexus account, which, if you have created a website account at any point in your life should be a breeze.

Download the mods in question, usually they will come in a .zip or .rar or .7zip file.

Simply extract them into a temporary folder and then copy the files into your skyrim Data folder (I should note that some mods are a little more intensive than this and so you should read the installation notes on the mod description page).

The other, and easier way, is to simply download the mod from Nexus, using the Nexus Mod Manager, which I will go over next.

Nexus Mod Manager – Download Link

Nexus Mod Manager does not seem like the most intuitive piece of software when you first install it, but it will aid you in your modding experience immensely. In fact I would consider it to be almost vital if you plan on downloading a lot of mods from Nexus, which a significant portion of these mods will be from.

Activating Mods

Okay so you have your mods in your data folder or you have subscribed to them on Steam (which puts them in your data folder) and you are ready to go. You click on the Mod menu in your launcher and there is a giant list of mods.

How can you possibly figure out which order they should load in? Well it is time to break out a handy program called LOOT. This program will organize your mods and to some extent detect incompatible mods to make your modding process a little easier (please get this it will save you so much time and frustration believe me.)

Skyrim Script Extender (SKEE)*** Mandatory ***

That’s right… a double-triple asterix. This program is so vital to modding that it is mandatory. No really, I mean that. Most of these mods will crash horribly if you do not have this script extender installed.

Get this program first. It is 100% crucial to any modding you plan on doing.

Disclaimer

Not all of these mods will play nice together. Modding Skyrim can be a labor of love and you should read about incompatibilities on each mod’s page prior to installing them. There is an almost 0% chance you will be able to install and run all of these mods in tandem.

In addition, heavily modding your game can, in a large amount of cases, cause game instability, FPS drops, or loss of save files on occasion. Just keep that in mind. Save often. Save in different spots and enjoy the magic of Skyrim.

This article also does not cover special edition mods. In nearly all cases I have found that the Legendary Edition is superior to the Special Edition. There are simply more mods compatible with Legendary Edition.

So, with that out of the way, here’s a list of the best Skyrim mods.

Complete Overhaul (Conversion) Mods

The mods in this list can be described as mods or more accurately mod packs that change the underlying game in a significant manner.

These will either expand the gameplay far beyond what was intended from the base game, or could be classed as a new game themselves set in the Skyrim game engine.

1Unofficial Skyrim Patch

Created By Unofficial Patch Project Team
Download Link Nexus Mods
Let’s face it… no one can deny that Bethesda games are often a hot mess of game-breaking bugs and other systemic problems with using an ancient and buggy game engine (looking at you Gamebryo).

This mod fixes a ton of the problems that plague the vanilla game including, but not limited to, NPCs, Quests, Object Placements, Text problems, etc. If you were to pick one utterly essential mod in this list to install, this is that one. It’s one of the best mods for Skyrim to pick up if you don’t want to invest too much effort into modding.

2Enderal

Created By SureAI
Download Link Nexus Mods
STALKER SHADOW OF CHERNOBYL screenshotg

 

This is probably the most well known and popular complete overhaul mod for Skyrim. Created by the SureAI team and released in 2016, Enderal is a completely independent game set in its own unique realm of Vyn.

There is new voice acting, a new soundtrack, and, depending on how in-depth you want to delve into the environment, 30 to 120 hours of gameplay.

Enderal truly pushes what is meant by the phrase “Mod”. It is more accurately an entirely new game that utilizes Skyrim’s core architecture, gameplay, and some assets, completely overhauling it.

3 Falskaar

Created By AlexanderJVelicky
Download Link Nexus Mods
Falskaar best skyrim mods

 

Falskaar is somewhat similar to the Dragonborn DLC in that it adds a new land to explore outside of the game map. You will need to initially access the land of Falskaar through a dungeon the first time, but afterwards there will be a boat that will take you to the island, not unlike the Dragonborn DLC.

This Mod offers around 30 hours of gameplay and includes new voice acting, new music, new items, and its own storyline and quest tree. If you have reached the end of your Skyrim adventure and do not want your journey on Tamriel to end, I cannot recommend this mod more.

4 Beyond Skyrim: Bruma

Created By The Beyond Skyrim - Cyrodiil Development Team
Download Link Nexus Mods
beyond skyrim bruma best skyrim mods

The Beyond Skyrim team has the mission of bringing the other provinces of Tamriel to life and allowing your Skyrim character to journey throughout the continent on a vast, encompassing journey. Currently, Bruma is the only county available and is situated to the south of Skyrim, in the northern reaches of Cyrodill, the central province of the Empire.

Do not mistake this to mean that this mod is small or underwhelming by any means. In a similar vein to the incredible Dragonborn DLC, you will find a new storyline, new dungeons, new voice acting, and a new city to explore. The journey to Bruma is simpler than that of Falskaar in that you simply have to travel south and over the border.

5 Vigilant

Created By Vicn
Download Link Nexus Mods
Vigilant best skyrim mods

Vigilant is a little bit less intensive than the mods noted above, but is still very impressive in its own right. It adds a four-chapter story that focuses on the Vigilants of Stendarr, which are a faction dedicated to combating Daedric incursions, as well as other “evil” denizens of the world.

It should be noted that Vigilant also has a dramatic power spike of enemies when compared with the base game, so you may want to hone your fighting skills before delving in. It should also be noted that Vigilant really embraces a horror aesthetic so expect a scary and tense environment.

6 MediEvil – Hero of Gallowmere

Created By KorinOo
Download Link Nexus Mods
MediEvil Hero of Gallowmere best skyrim mods

Admittedly I have not yet completed this mod, but as an avid fan of the Medieval series, I could not in good conscience omit it from this list.

While it only encompasses the first four levels of Medieval (PlayStation), one cannot help but support the developer’s desire to bring the adventures of Sir Daniel Forteque into Skyrim. I would honestly love if the entirety of Medieval could be ported into Skyrim, but at least with this mod, we are given a taste.

7 Ultimate Skyrim

Created By Ultimate Skyrim Team
Download Link Ultimate Skyrim
ultimate skyrim best skyrim mods

One of the few mods that has its own web page dedicated to it. Ultimate Skyrim adds so much to the game that it can only be considered a total overhaul or conversion mod.

This amalgamation of over a dozen other mods improves roleplaying by adding survival mechanics, and also changes everything from the combat mechanics, to character progression, to factions, and even the game economy.

It really adds a lot to the game, though it is not for the weak of heart. Some of these new mechanics make the game more complicated and intensive to play.

8 The Forgotten City

Created By Nick James Pearce
Download Link Nexus Mods
Forgotten City best skyrim mods

The Forgotten City is a truly great mod. While not a complete overhaul like Falskaar or an entirely separate game like Enderal, it adds an underground city with probably one of the best storylines of any RPG game let alone mod.

The writing is truly fantastic and I cannot recommend this mod enough. It plays more like a mystery/investigation narrative, so put on your detective hat and get to interrogating and gathering clues.

9 Voyage to Dreamborne Isle

Created By VzRedemption
Download Link Nexus Mods
Voyage to the Dreamborne Isles best skyrim mods

This is perhaps one of the most beautiful overhaul/expansion mods that I have ever experienced. Everything about this is picturesque and feels truly fantastical.

It falls more into the investigative/puzzle side of quest lines but there are some fights so don’t skimp on leg day. I could not recommend this mod more to those of you who enjoy working out your brain and your brawn, and who want to have an ethereal journey with their Skyrim character.

BEST SKYRIM MODS: Visual Mods

There are literally thousands of mods that change everything from textures to environments to asset swaps. For the purposes of this list, I have decided to include those that I find add the most to either the realism, atmosphere, or immersion of the game.

In other words, there will be no Thomas the Tank Engine or Randy Savage dragons. You have been warned.

In addition, some of the mods on this list are those many deem vital as they often serve as the backbone of other visual mods, so if you see an * beside the title of a mod, it is one of these super important ones that you should absolutely get.

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Textures

1 Static Mesh Improvement Mod*

Created By Brumbek
Download Link Steam Workshop
Static Mesh Improvement best skyrim mods

This is an absolutely vital mod that changes the actual 3d meshes for hundreds of game assets. Most of these changes are subtle and in all honesty, you may not even notice them, but a large amount of other visual mods use the mesh mapping of this mod while doing their own texture mapping, making it crucial if you plan on adding any other visual mods later. Pick this mod up if you’re looking to vastly improve how the game looks – when it comes to this department, it’s one of the best Skyrim mods that you can get.

2 Skyrim HD

Created By NebuLa from AHBmods
Download Link Nexus Mods

Skyrim HD best skyrim mods

Let’s face it. Skyrim is getting a little long in the tooth. When it was released back in 2011 most people considered 1080p to be cutting edge and 1440p would not become viable on most systems for another few years.

Nowadays, however, we have systems that can run 2k or 4k resolutions and so Skyrim has to adjust to this new era. To this end, Skyrim HD will retexture many game assets to allow you to view them at 2k resolution.

It should be noted that there is a 4k texture pack on nexus as well, but I have not had a chance to play around with it as I do not have a 4k monitor. Nevertheless, if you want to wipe some of the dust off of the game’s old engine, this is one of the best graphics mods for Skyrim out there.

3 Pure Waters

Created By Laast
Download Link Nexus Mods
Pure Waters best skyrim mods

Back when Skyrim first came out in 2011, the water effects were pretty damn impressive. But a lot has changed in eight years. While the water effects are still passable today, the connoisseur of finer graphics will note that they are looking a little drab in comparison to newer games.

To remedy this, simply install Pure Waters, a mod that makes the rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water look absolutely breathtaking once again.

4 Enhanced Blood Textures

Created By BakaKemono
Download Link Steam Workshop
Enhanced Blood Textures best skyrim mods

The blood effects in Skyrim were never awe-inspiring, even when it was first released. With this mod you will know for certain your blow connected as blood will copiously flow from your enemies as you eviscerate them.

In addition, this mod adds green blood for spiders and oil blood for machines. Oh! It also adds death spasms which is neat.

5 The Eyes of Beauty

Created By LogRaam
Download Link Nexus Mods

Eyes of Beauty best skyrim mods

I have mixed feelings about this mod to be honest. On one hand, it replaces the horrible soulless gaze of the vanilla game with breathtakingly detailed eyes… on the other hand, every female character looks like she has done her eye makeup immaculately even in the dingy, war-torn landscape of Skyrim.

It does tend to break the immersion a little, but it’s a small price to pay to get rid of the dead-eye gaze of the base models.

6 A Quality World Map and Solstheim Map – With Roads *

Created By User_3142012 - Uploaded by The Care Taker
Download Link Nexus Mods
High Quality Map Mod best skyrim mods

To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure if this belonged in gameplay mods or graphics mods, but I think it fits better here. It is an updated, detailed and much more aesthetically pleasing map than the base game’s rather drab overview.

While this mod is not vital by any means, it is a nice quality of life improvement that I could not support more. Get this mod if you want a quality world map.

7 Better Embers

Created By Dragonborn77
Download Link Nexus Mods
Better Embers best skyrim mods

I will be the first to say that this is by no means a vital mod, and for the most part, other than when you are crafting, you will not really notice the changes.

It is, however, a nice texture improvement to making embers more realistic. So if you are not content with the way forges and fire pits look, you should pick this mod up.

8 Lanterns of Skyrim (+ Towns and Villages Enhanced Patch)

Created By MannyGT; improbable
Download Link 1 Nexus Mods
Download Link 2 Nexus Mods
Lanterns of Skyrim best skyrim mods

Okay, so you may notice there are two links above. The first is simply for Lanterns of Skyrim, which adds lanterns along the roads and in some villages, towns, and cities.

It is a very nice quality of life improvement for those who like to explore at night and can work especially well with the “Realistic Nights” mod which plunges you into an inky black during the darkest hours of the night.

I have included the Towns and Villages Enhanced Patch that allows this mod to work with that mod because I think Towns and Villages Enhanced is vital and these two work well together. If you do not have Towns and Villages Enhanced you do not need the second link.

9 Ultimate HD Fire Effects

Created By BuzzDee84
Download Link Nexus Mods
Ultimate HD Fire Effects best skyrim mods

Ultimate HD Fire Effects, Image Source: Steam Workshop

We have covered a lot of texture changes in this article, but one we have not yet touched on is fire itself. The fire effects in vanilla Skyrim were a little lackluster, let’s be honest.

Ultimate HD Fire Effects ramps up the detail of fire in a truly stunning away. This mod is especially great if you plan to play a magic-wielding character, but is also good for anyone who glances at torches from time to time. This is one of the best Skyrim mods that you can get, so I highly recommend it.

BEST SKYRIM MODS: Lighting

1 Relighting Skyrim Mod*

Created By grayscruffy
Download Link Steam Workshop
Relighting Skyrim best skyrim mods

There are several lighting mods that will be on this list, however, I find this one to be one of the best for those who do not want to spend hours fiddling with settings.

It is a very low profile mod that adds more realistic lighting to many areas of the game without a noticeable drop in performance and is a “must-have” for those looking for quick improvements to the visual aspects of their game.

2 RealVision ENB

Created By SkyrimTuner
Download Link Nexus Mods
RealVisionENB best skyrim mods

RealVision ENB, is a truly breathtaking graphical overhaul primarily focused around lighting, colors, depth of field, water effects, and anti-aliasing.

It is an extremely system intensive mod, and despite its creator doing what he can to minimize performance loss, you should expect to take a hit to your FPS if you are not running a pretty powerful gaming PC.

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3 Enhanced Lights and FX

Created By anamorfus
Download Link Nexus Mods
enhanced lights and fx best skyrim mods

If Relighting Skyrim is a minimalist improvement to lighting and Realvision ENB is an intensive improvement to lighting (among other things), Enhanced Lights and FX is that wonderful middle ground that adds a lot without becoming overwhelming.

If Relighting Skyrim Mod isn’t up to your exacting standards but you don’t want to spend a whole lot of time configuring a mod, get this one.

4 Realistic Nights

Created By MountainFisherman
Download Link Nexus Mods

Realistic Nights best skyrim mods

This is a mod I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, it is very cool and makes night time in Skyrim legitimately scary at times. On the other hand, it is really really hard to maneuver around at night and can get a little annoying due to the scarce light sources.

I should note that this mod will take some configuring to ensure it works with weather mods, and there is a whole section in the mod description dedicated to explaining how to implement it properly. If you are looking for spooky scary nights, look no further.

BEST SKYRIM MODS: Weather/Environment

1 Climates of Tamriel

Created By JJC71
Download Link Nexus Mods

Climates of Tamriel best skyrim mods

Climates of Tamriel is an expansive addon that changes a significant portion of the world’s environmental effects to make them more realistic and immersive. It adds hundreds of weather systems and changes the atmospheric conditions of areas throughout Skyrim based on their location.

In addition, it adds new audio for storms. If you thought the base weather in vanilla Skyrim was a bit lackluster, I highly recommend picking this mod up.

2 Skyrim Flora Overhaul

Created By vurt
Download Link Nexus Mods

Skyrim Flora Overhaul best skyrim mods

Unlike most mods, which require very little file editing knowledge, this one requires a few slight changes to your skyrim.ini file. Luckily, the author explains how to do that on the mod page so just follow those simple instructions. Skyrim, as you may know, is a land of rolling hills, towering mountains, and dense forests.

This mod simply makes the plant life more varied, more detailed, and more numerous. The changes are rather dramatic and it can cause a bit of an FPS drop if your computer hasn’t hit the gym in a few months.

3 Pure Weather

Created By Laast
Download Link Nexus Mods

Pure Weather best skyrim mods

Pure weather was made by the same creator as Pure Water and works well in concert with it. That said, I personally prefer Climates of Tamriel for my weather replacer.

If, however, you like a sense of completion in your mod list, Pure Weather works incredibly well with Pure Water, as it should, and is a worthy addition to your mod list… though you probably should not try to use it in combination with Climates of Tamriel as it will cause problems.

 

4 Towns and Villages Enhanced*

Created By Aplestormy
Download Link Mod 1
Download Link Mod 2
Download Link Mod 3
Download Link Mod 4
Download Link Mod 5
Download Link Mod 6

Towns and Villages Enhanced best skyrim mods

First of all, I should note that this mod is actually six different mods that work in concert to create a truly great experience. So don’t freak out when you see six links in the table above.

Okay, with that out of the way, this is a mod that I truly think everyone should pick up. I used it during my Skyrim playthrough on YouTube and found that it made the towns and villages around Skyrim much more enjoyable to travel in.

What this mod does is add a ton of foliage, light sources, containers, seating, animals, etc. to the major cities and towns and villages through Skyrim to make them feel more organic and alive. Let’s face it, the settlements in the base game were bleak and depressing affairs.

Oh also… this mod is pretty computer-intensive, so just be aware of that.

5 Total Character Makeover

Created By Scarla
Download Link Nexus Mods
Total Character Makeover best skyrim mods

Total Character Makeover, Image Source: Nexus Mods

This mod almost makes the characters of Skyrim too pretty. It does add a much needed graphical upgrade to the face texturing of nearly every NPC and of course your PC, but at times it can come off as a little bit too clean and pretty for the rugged landscape of Skyrim.

That said, it is a vast improvement to the cold dead lifeless eyes staring out at you past dirty, low-res skin.

BEST SKYRIM MODS: Audio Mods

1 Sounds of Skyrim

Created By Cliffworms
Download Link Mod 1
Download Link Mod 2
Download Link Mod 3
This mod, again is actually three seperate mods working in concert to improve the audio quality of Skyrim on the whole. So when you notice three links in the table, do not be alarmed.

Okay so, with that taken care of. The three mods change the ambient sounds of the Wilds, the Dungeons, and of Civilization.

While you technically can install only one of the three and leave the other two uninstalled, I would not recommend it. The improvements to your auditory atmosphere can bring you further into the living breathing world surrounding your character.

Gameplay Mods

These are mods that change the gameplay of Skyrim in one way or another. These are some of the best Skyrim mods that avid modders usually seek, so if you’re fine with the original graphics and textures, give these ones a shot.

1 SkyUI

Created By SkyUI Team
Download Link Nexus Mods
SkyUI best skyrim mods

I wasn’t quite sure if this mod classified as a gameplay mod or a graphics mod. What it does, however, is streamline the game UI for PC players.

Skyrim, upon release, suffered from a little bit of Consolitis, where it was pretty clear the UI had been designed with console players in mind and PC players were just supposed to sort of suck it up. This fixes a lot of those problems and makes the game UI much more intuitive for people using a keyboard and mouse.

2 Interesting NPCs

Created By Kris Takahashi
Download Link Nexus Mods

Interesting NPCs best skyrim mods

So I think we can all agree that aside from the quest NPCs, the generic inhabitants of Skyrim are a little bit bland and samey. This mod is one part graphical update and one part audio update.

It adds over 200 new interesting NPCs into the game with new voice lines and new voice actors, bringing new life into the dreary, if uncomfortably dangerous, life of the Skyrim resident.

3 Sneak Tools

Created By Borgut1337
Download Link Nexus Mods
Sneak Tools best skyrim mods

Let’s face it… for the most part, you either live to become a sneaky archer, or you die trying to play a 2h berserker for the 10th time (but for sure you will stick with it this time). Sneak Tools revamps what it means to be a sneaky rogue.

You are able to perform actions that were not part of the base game like: Slitting Throats, Knocking People Unconscious, Coup De Gras on Sleeping People, Wearing Masks, etc. These really improve your abilities as the stealth archer (which I conservatively estimate 99% of players become… +/- 1%).

4 Run For Your Lives

Created By Arthmoor
Download Link Nexus Mods
Have you ever wondered why NPC’s, after whining about how some minor problems in their lives are insurmountable, will charge Dragons with daggers at the first sign of trouble?

Well if you haven’t, worry no more. This mod will send NPC’s running for safety in houses or inns the moment vampires or dragons land in their towns or cities.

A much more realistic response than trying futilely to poke a dragon with an iron dagger. This mod does not affect soldiers or guards, because they are made of sterner stuff.

5 Relationship Dialogue Overhaul

Created By cloudedtruth
Download Link Nexus Mods

Relationship Dialogue Overhaul best skyrim mods

Skyrim is a place where people talk about the same seven or so things over and over again. This mod adds thousands of lines of voiced dialogue for NPCs to use spanning 50 different voice types.

This helps create a sense of actual individuality and perceptiveness to the NPCs as they seem more aware of their environment and what has been happening in the world around them. I would consider it pretty important if you are getting bored of the generic NPC dialogue.

6 Wearable Lanterns

Created By Chesko
Download Link Nexus Mods
Wearable Lanterns best skyrim mods

This mod allows you to wear lanterns on your belt.

Wait, wait, don’t go. Think about this carefully. If you take a gander up towards the visual mods section of this list you might notice a mod that would work amazingly in concert with this one. YES!

Wearable Lanterns allows you to have the scary and inky Realistic Nights mod and also still be able to see where you are going. In truth Wearable Lanterns on its own is a nice quality of life improvement, but with Realistic Nights it really hits its stride.

7 Open Cities Skyrim

Created By Arthmoor
Download Link Nexus Mods
Open Cities Skyrim best skyrim mods

This mod is a bit of a mixed bag for me. While on the one hand it gets rid of the annoying loading screens between the open world and the cities, allowing guards to be more interactive with the world outside the walls, and allowing you to take your horse into town, it can cause other problems.

Dragons can attack major cities, leading to the deaths of NPC’s you maybe didn’t want to see die. Also if said dragon descends upon you in the middle of a city-centric questline, it can cause a few problems as well. With that said, it is still a very good mod, which I would recommend getting.

8 Ish’s Souls to Perks

Created By ishmaeltheforsaken and Oscar Wilde
Download Link Nexus Mods

Souls to Perks best skyrim mods

This mod, quite simply, allows you to spend Dragon Souls on Perk Points. Simply travel to your nearby Dragon Stone (which are at the Guardian Stones) and spend your hard-won dragon souls on some delicious perks. Also, don’t forget to save a few for Dragon Shouts… just saying.

9 More Perk Points Per Level and Dragon Souls to Perk Point

Created By DarkenDE
Download Link Nexus Mods
More Perk Points Per Level best skyrim mods

Similar to the mod above, with this mod you will be able to spend your Dragon Souls to get more Perk points. It also increases the number of Perk Points per level, which I actually find a little bit unbalancing. Regardless it is a solid mod, though I do recommend Ish’s Souls to Perks slightly more in terms of general balance.

10 Ordinator – Perks of Skyrim

Created By Enai Siaion
Download Link Nexus Mods
Ordinator Perks of Skyrim best skyrim mods

Ordinator is a mod that changes literally every perk tree in the game. It is so in-depth that pretty much none of the trees are recognizable afterward.

It may take some getting used to but one you have taken a quick glance at each tree you will see that the new trees are so much more unique and iconic. A strong addition if you are tired of the vanilla game’s perk trees.

11 Apocalypse – Magic of Skyrim

Created By Enai Siaion
Download Link Nexus Mods
Apocalypse Magic of Skyrim best skyrim mods

This mod adds a ton of new spells to each spell school. With 155 new spells in total, the variety and utility of these new magics will instantly increase your desire to grind out levels in Alteration, Conjuration, Destruction, Illusion, and Restoration to see what you can do with your powers. As a person who found the base magic in Skyrim to be exceedingly underwhelming, this mod was vital to changing my mind.

12 Stones of Barenziah Quest Markers

Created By toaDime
Download Link Nexus Mods
Stones of Barenziah best skyrim mods

A truly vital mod for anyone trying to complete the stones of Barenziah quest. There are so many of these damn things hidden in the world that missing them is almost guaranteed.

Simply get this mod and you will be able to see their markers spread throughout the land, just like any other quest. Get this mod and save yourself a headache.

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13 Duel – Combat Realism

Created By Gabriel Mailhot as LogRaam
Download Link Nexus Mods

One of the more popular combat mods on Nexus, this mod improves enemy AI and implements a stamina based staggering system. It makes combat much more realistic in that blocking and avoiding hits is vastly more important than standing toe to toe and beating each other until one person runs out of red stuff.

It also really ramps up the difficulty against archers because, much like in real life, arrows are pretty lethal. I would definitely recommend this mod if people are looking for a challenge or if they feel like taking some of the fantasy out of this fantasy RPG.

14 Better Combat AI

Created By joop
Download Link Steam Workshop
This mod changes the battle AI of most of the game’s enemies and NPCs. It increases the aggression of certain creatures and lowers the aggression of others, making for a more realistic combat experience, especially against creatures like sabre cats and skeevers.

It also changes the fighting strategies of human NPC enemies like bandits and Forsworn. It definitely improves the general feel and flow of combat.

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15 Reverse Crafting

Created By 3PSQWERTY
Download Link Nexus Mods
This small, unassuming mod is actually one of my favorites. The people of Skyrim really do not follow the mantra of reduce, reuse, recycle, at all.

This mod allows you to destroy unused items and break them down into their component pieces for re-use in other projects. With how much of a pain it is to gather resources in Skyrim sometimes, this mod also helps to level that pesky crafting skill.

Additional Content Mods

These are mods that change the gameplay of Skyrim in one way or another. These are some of the best Skyrim mods that avid modders usually seek, so if you’re fine with the original graphics and textures, give these ones a shot.

1 Cutting Room Floor

Created By Arthmoor
Download Link Nexus Mods
Cutting Room Floor best skyrim mods

This is a unique mod in that it does not add anything “new” to the game, but instead resurrects aspects of the game that had been cut by Bethesda prior to release.

There are quite a few quests, items, and NPCs that were hacked out of or hidden in the game prior to release that this mod will restore to their former rightful place as game assets. If you’re looking for a good quest mod, this is one of the best that you can pick up.

2 Immersive Creatures

Created By lifestorock and jackstarr
Download Link Nexus Mods

Immersive Creatures best skyrim mods

While Vanilla Skyrim had a fairly diverse group of monsters, there are only so many Draugr, Wolves, and Dragons you can kill before you start to long for something more. Immersive Creatures adds dozens of new creatures to the game, giving you a much greater array of baddies to hack or blast apart.

3 Immersive Weapons and Armor

Created By Hothtrooper44 - Ironman5000 - Eckss
Download Link 1 Immersive Weapons
Download Link 2 Immersive Armors

Immersive Weapons best skyrim mods

While there is a fairly wide array of equipment in the base game, Immersive Weapons and Armor adds a lot of new equipment sets to find and craft in order to make your character more unique and iconic.

From what I have experienced playing with the mods on, the new equipment types seem balanced and fit into the game world very well. I would recommend these mods for those of you who like having a wide variety of equipment aesthetics, immersive armors and immersive weapons to try out.

4 Cloaks of Skyrim

Created By Noodles
Download Link Nexus Mods
Cloaks of Skyrim best skyrim mods

There are two types of people in the world, those who believe that cloaks are a vital aspect of a thriving fantasy RPG world, and those who are wrong.

Cloaks add a sense of epicness and authority to even lowly guards, and you would be remiss in not adding them to your Skyrim experience. I could not recommend this mod more.

5 Qaxe’s Winterhold Rebuild and Helgen Reborn

Created By QaxeQaixaci
Created By Mike Hancho aka Balok
Download Link Download Link 1
Download Link Download Link 2

Winterhold Rebuild best skyrim mods

These two mods do functionally the same thing for their respective cities. The first repairs some of the broken buildings in Winterhold with some merchants and a player house.

The second entirely restores the city of Helgen, which you may know is destroyed pretty early on. Both mods are not vital to the game, but do add some good additional content.

6 Monsters Reborn

Created By Thimor
Download Link Nexus Mods
Monsters Reborn best skyrim mods

While not the most widely downloaded of mods, Monsters reborn offers a slew of new enemies for you to battle throughout Skyrim.

Some of the new monsters are truly brutal as well like the Sovngarde Dragon. I would recommend this mod to anyone who is a little bit bored with the standard Skyrim fare.

7 Into the Deep Atlantis

Created By David Montecalvo
Download Link Nexus Mods
Into the Deep Atlantis best skyrim mods

This nifty little mod is not quite a large as a conversion or overhaul mod, but does add a very interesting new area to explore. It is a four, or so, hour dungeon and allows you to explore Atlantis in the Skyrim universe.

This ancient ruin is not devoid of life or danger, however. There are myriad traps, enemies, and a boss to slay as you die your way through the vast dungeon. This is a small, albeit high-quality addition to the game.

8 Wyvern Rock Castle

Created By Lucas Bolt
Download Link Nexus Mods
Wyvern Rock best skyrim mods

This relatively popular player housing mod adds a new home for you to obtain on a mountain between Whiterun and Windhelm. It is quite large and has secret rooms and treasures to seek out.

It is also one of the largest player housing mods with tons of storage area, a lot of mannequins, weapon plaques and racks, and a bunch of bookshelves. This is the perfect mod for those hoarders out there.

9 Asteria

Created By Mattcm919
Download Link Nexus Mods
Asteria best skyrim mods

If you’re really into Skyrim’s competitive real estate market, this is probably one of the best Skyrim mods for you. The Asteria is one of the most popular player housing mods on Nexus and with good reason.

It is a giant airship that you can claim as your home. I don’t know if I need to say anything further, but I will. It is located West of Riverwood and has all of the crafting and storage you will need in your playthrough.

While admittedly it does not have as many mannequins or weapon racks as Wyvern Rock Castle, it is a Dweomer Airship. How cool is that?

10 The Evil Mansion

Created By Sebastian Metz
Download Link Nexus Mods
The Evil Mansion best skyrim mods

It has been a long time since I have played Resident Evil (aside from the L4D2 custom map version), but even I instantly recognized this iconic mansion. Have you ever wanted to have that creepy, eerie mansion for yourself?

Well, here is your chance. Simply complete the questline associated with it and it will serve as a lovely new addition to your growing real-estate portfolio.

Conclusion

This wraps up our list of the best Skyrim Mods. What are your favorite mods? What would YOU include into the list? Tell us in the comments below!

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Eltimar

Eltimar

Contributor

I was introduced to the world of gaming at a pretty young age. My dad would invite his friends over, and they would descend into the basement for hours. At first, I was too young to really grasp the games they were playing; Dungeons and Dragons, Ravenloft, Greyhawk. But it was when they began to shift their focus to computer games, that I became really interested.

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