Despite featuring plenty of Bethesda jank, Skyrim remains one of the best RPGs of all time, and for good reason. The latest chapter in the Elder Scrolls franchise combines an engaging open-world brimming with fun side activities with rich lore, plenty of equipment, and deep customization options to role-play as your ideal Dragonborn.
However, there’s no denying that mods have contributed a ton to the game’s enduring popularity. Whether it’s meme mods like Thomas the Tank Engine replacing the dragons or the more practical graphics mods that dial the beauty of Skyrim to an eleven, you’ve got a boatload of content to sink your fangs into. But if you don’t want to go through thousands of pages on NexusMods to build your ideal mod pack, here’s a list of my favorite mods to level my Dovahkiin experience.
Hands-on: How to play almost any Unreal Engine game in VR
As long as you have a powerful system, the UEVR Injector mod can make your favorite Unreal Engine games more immersive
As much as I wanted to feature the Unofficial Skyrim LE/SE Patch and Skyrim Script Extender in the list, many mods I’ve highlighted below won’t work unless you’ve installed these two beforehand. True to its name, the Unofficial Skyrim Patch fixes a ton of annoying bugs and glitches that Bethesda hasn’t tackled yet. Meanwhile, the latter exposes the in-game code libraries to your mod packs, allowing them to use (and modify) the necessary functions within the game engine.
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15 Shadow of Skyrim
Death is not the end for the Dovahkiin
The nemesis system from the Middle Earth: Shadow of series remains one of the most innovative mechanics of modern gaming. While it’s impossible to replicate the intricacies of the original version, the Shadow of Skyrim mod does a great job of scratching that nemesis itch. Similar to the official nemesis system, Shadow of Skyrim empowers every enemy that defeats you by granting them a name, increased stats, and a unique buff. Rather than experiencing a game over, you’ll reawaken in a random spot with missing gear and a new affliction – and you’ll have to return the favor to your assailant to remove the debuff and reclaim your equipment (and pride).
14 Comprehensive First Person Animation Overhaul
For Additional Mods, Visit: GGMods.com
For more realistic animations
Bethesda may have designed a lot of best-selling titles, but it’s hard to ignore the animation jank in its games – especially when you play in first-person mode. As you may have already guessed, the Comprehensive First Person Animation Overhaul mod adds more impressive first-person combat animations to Skyrim. From holstering weapons like an efficient killing machine to pulling out your Khajiit fists to pound the enemy into oblivion, you’ll have a good time with CFPAO if you prefer role-playing as the Dragonborn in first-person.
13 Alternate Start
For Additional Mods, Visit: GGMods.com
Hey you, you’re awa- wait, where’d he go?
When you’re about to embark on yet another Skyrim run after beating the game numerous times, it’s easy to get annoyed by the unskippable intro sequence at the beginning. That’s where the Alternate Start mod comes in handy, as it lets you begin your adventure instantly by skipping directly to the race selection screen. Not to mention, this neat mod provides several character backstories for you to choose from, making it useful when you wish to role-play as an outlaw, merchant, or even a vampire!
12 Nether's Follower Framework
For Additional Mods, Visit: GGMods.com
They’re all sworn to carry your burdens now
Without considering a conjured atronach or quest-limited companions, Skyrim only lets you bring one follower along for your journey… which is a tad low if you ask me. Thankfully, Nether’s Follower Framework not only lets you bring as many as ten followers but also lets you set different combat presets for them. Plus, it also increases the immersion by granting sandboxing, extra outfit sets, faster following speed, and mounts for your dragon-slaying team.
11 Dragonborn Speaks Naturally
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Yelling Fus Ro Dah was never this much fun
As the innate power of the Dragonborn, the Shout mechanic is a critical part of Skyrim's lore, with the game featuring twenty-seven phrases from the language of dragons for you to use against your foes. But if you want to add more immersion when pushing unsuspecting enemies off cliffs by yelling Fus Ro Dah, you can install the Dragonborn Speaks Naturally mod. By capturing audio from your microphone, this game-changing mod can activate the shouts whenever you yell at your PC screen. For gamers who love role-playing, this mod also lets you speak the in-game dialog options to converse with the NPCs.
10 Skyrim Revamped and Skyrim Combos AI Revolution
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Make Skyrim more challenging
With the sheer number of perks, equipment sets, and shouts at your disposal, you could find yourself one-shotting enemies even on the highest difficulty. If you’re looking for a real challenge, Skyrim Revamped is worth trying out. Rather than artificially increasing the difficulty by giving the enemies larger health pools, Skyrim Revamped adds new AI behaviors, attack patterns, and spells. But for Soulsborne veterans who want an unforgiving experience, SCAR will keep you on your toes – especially when you get surrounded by more than three enemies.
9 SkyUI
For Additional Mods, Visit: GGMods.com
Make the UI more manageable
If you’re deep into the RPG rabbit hole, you may be accustomed to sifting through menus to recover your health, switch equipment, and read item descriptions for that extra bit of lore. Unfortunately, Skyrim doesn’t have the most intuitive interface when you’re on a PC. Not to mention, it can become increasingly hard to find the right spells, weapons, and potions when you’re using the other mods on this list. SkyUI fixes that by making the UI more accessible with colored icons and extra columns. It also adds advanced sorting methods to help you quickly switch your loadout in the heat of battle.
8 Mantella
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Bring AI to the world of Skyrim
AI may be the most overhyped buzzword in recent times, but there are a couple of projects where it can come in handy. For example, you can use the Mantella mod to expand the dialog options for NPCs without affecting their original personalities and ideologies. Setting it up is a bit of a pain, as you’ll have to configure extra plugins alongside text-to-speech and speech-to-text generators for Mantella. But once you’ve got everything set up, you’ll have a blast pestering NPCs with useless dialog options and fourth wall-breaking, existential dread-inducing questions.
7 Enderal: Forgotten Stories
Same game, different experience
Total conversion mods feature plenty of new additions to games, and Enderal: Forgotten Stories is the perfect example of a third-party add-on that gets nearly everything right. Rather than continuing the story of the Dragonborn, this unique mod throws you into the cryptic world of Enderal, where you control a new protagonist called the Prophet, featuring a new storyline, powers, and gameplay mechanics.
6 Become High King of Skyrim
For Additional Mods, Visit: GGMods.com
Why play as a glorified handyman when you can rule Skyrim?
In typical RPG fashion, there are plenty of titles you can earn during your adventures in the lands of Tamriel. But if your power-hungry blood wants more authority than that of a mere thane, you can try your hand at becoming a monarch with the Become High King of Skyrim mod. Of course, the title isn’t just for show. You can call jarls for meetings, mark NPCs for assassinations, summon bodyguards, and even provision an army!