Skyrim mods really make the game into something even more special. It’s what makes the game tick, and puts it above and beyond the majority of its peers. The modding community has been plugging away for over half-a-decade on perfecting every inch of this RPG masterpiece. No stone has been left unturned and no dragon not turned into ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage. But you can’t truly say you have the definitive experience until you’ve downloaded these top 10 Skyrim mods.
Best Skyrim Mods
Cutting Room Floor
As you can imagine, during production for Skyrim, many things simply didn’t make the cut. But what if they did? That’s the question the team behind Cutting Room Floor answered in some style. Unused NPCs, scrapped quests, weapons that were left behind – it’s all here.
There’s over a dozen new quests for you to get stuck into, ranging from collecting beer to assassinating Jarls. If you need some extra help in completing the quest then the collections of cowls, clubs and crowns will ensure you’ll never run out of new things to see in Skyrim.
(Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/47327)
Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch
This may not carry the glitz and glamor of other Skyrim mods on this list, but it’s downright essential. Bethesda are known for creating sprawling worlds with more than their fair share of glitches. It comes with the territory. This patch, though, does away with hundreds of annoying bugs and quirks that plague Skyrim, from quest NPCs not being where they should, to squashing larger, more irksome bugs (and I’m not talking about Charus Reapers here).
With over 3 million downloads (as well as being available on Xbox too), it’s clear that, before you do anything else, this is the patch you need to make sure your game is running as smoothly as the wintry slopes making their way up to the Throat of the World.
(Link: https://bethesda.net/en/mods/skyrim/mod-detail/2947804)
Pure Weather
Don’t know your nimbostratuses from your cirrocumuluses? Worry not. This Pure Weather mod for Skyrim might give you a better understanding of cloud patterns and climates, mostly because it is too beautiful to look away from Bringing a much more vibrant set of weather scenarios to Skyrim not only heightens the immersion, it gives much more characters to the lands and locales you’ll be visiting during your time in the snowy climes of Tamriel.
A major thing the mod fixes is the use of lighting. Gone are the dimly lit streets of Dawnstar, Whiterun and Windhelm and, in its place, you’ll be getting a far more (if you’ll excuse the pun) illuminating experience.
(Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/52423/?tab=description)
Duel – Combat Realism
Been playing Kingdom Come Deliverance and thought, hey, Skyrim needs to follow suit? Well, you’re in luck. The Combat Realism mod strips away all of the haphazard slashing of the vanilla system and, in its place, comes a battle of wits and timing. Improving group AI, enhancing stealth and archery and even implementing different attack patterns depending on what armor and weapons you’re using – Skyrim is a whole new beast when you’re going mano-a-mano and relying on your trusty sword to get you out of a jam.
(Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/2700/)
Swearing Mudcrabs
Because Mudcrabs dropping the f-bomb as you punch them to death will never, ever get old. Sure, it’s a bit sillier compared to some of the Skyrim mods on this list but it’s really, really funny. Take that, team who spent hundreds of hours tweaking the lighting for a weather mod, we have Mudcrabs that can call you a m-fer and drop every swear word under the sun down on top of you.
(Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1951)
Enderal
This is just ridiculous. Hats off the modding team here because what they’ve created is something truly special. Welcome to Enderal, a brand-new world (roughly the size of Skyrim itself) that offers gamers up to 100 hours of extra playtime. Fully voice-acted, with dozens of quests and new locations to explore, it’s almost as good as the original Skyrim – and it’s completely free. If you’re bored of Skyrim, take a trip down to the jungles and deserts of Enderal and see why one of the greatest ever Skyrim mods is completely worth your time.
(Link: https://sureai.net/games/enderal/?lang=en)
2K Textures
If your rig can handle it, then 2K Textures might just be the biggest must-have pack for Skyrim. It’s the sort of mod that will make you stare at a brick wall for a few minutes just to admire the attention to detail, it’s that good. Taking everything (and I mean everything) from the trees to the taverns and making it considerably better than Bethesda’s original effort takes some doing. The best compliment I can give the mod is that the lick of paint and serious sprucing-up makes it seem like a whole new Skyrim, one where things actually look beautiful.
(Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/607/)
Sounds of Skyrim
We’ve covered the looks – and then some. But what about the hustle and bustle of Skyrim? The vanilla game sounds eerily quiet most of the time, save for a few NPCs reminiscing about taking arrows to the knee. Sounds of Skyrim changes that. Coming in three packages, Wilds, Dungeons and Civilizations, each one adds another layer of realism to the game.
Birds chirping, foghorns blaring, the sound of running water in the distance. It’s like you’re playing your very own David Attenborough documentary. Nearly 500 sounds have been added as cities are now teeming with life, dungeons echo and creak, and the wildlands are filled with a cacophony of creatures. It’s enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Yes, even when you hear an old man snore.
(Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/8286/)
Live Another Life
Perfect for those who don’t want to be anchored down by the laborious trials of the Dragonborn. Life Another Life gives you over two-dozen scenarios to choose from as you’re finally free to be who you want to be. Fancy being a soldier in the Imperial army? Check. Narrowly survived a shipwreck? Check. Hell, you can even be a vampire if that’s what you want to sink your teeth into.
(Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/272/?tab=description)
Vigilant
For those who want their Skyrim mods to have a slightly more Dark Souls flavor. Many in the modding community regard this is as the finest of all of the quest mods, and it’s not hard to see why. Possessing several questlines, a main story that puts many developers to shame, and even a balls-to-the-wall horror section midway through the game. To say anymore would spoil an incredible adventure. You owe it to yourself to play this.
