Best Mods for Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Despite the popularity of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, one of the most memorable aspects of the RPG is the malleability of the experience. But the amount of mods created for Skyrim can seem daunting. With that in mind, here are the best mods for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Unofficial Skyrim Patch

As is so often the case when it comes to modding a Bethesda RPG, your first port of all should always be the Unofficial Patch mod. Skyrim is an exceptionally buggy game, and although many have been able to overlook its many glitches for the sake of the grander adventure, it’d be nice not to have to worry about them. The Unofficial Skyrim Patch includes fixes for “hundreds of gameplay, quest, NPC, object, item, text and placement bugs,” meaning that if you’ve encountered any kind of issue during your adventures, they’ll likely be addressed by the USP.

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As is the case with the Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch, USP doesn’t make any “unsafe” changes to the game, meaning you won’t have to worry about corrupting any aspect of the game’s files when you install the mod. The best part is that it still receives regular updates, and each edition of Skyrim (there are MANY) is compatible with USP. It’d be silly not to start your modding journey with this essential patch.

SkyUI

Similar to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Skyrim‘s UI is known to be… unpleasant on PC. The menus were clearly designed with a controller in mind, so those players who prefer using a mouse and keyboard will no doubt be able to recognize that browsing through Skyrim‘s many menus can be utterly painful. Rather than scratching around in an old drawer to liberate your Xbox One controller, just install the SkyUI mode. It implements several significant changes to the UI that make it all a lot more palatable for PC players.

The changes include the addition of a full-text search bar to help players scan through their inventory for specific items, eight customizable hotkeys to encourage the fast and efficient switching of playstyles, and even a “powerful, categorized favorites menu that still keeps true to the original idea of a fast, non-intrusive way to access your essential items.” SkyUI is essential if you want to play Skyrim in the most uninterrupted way possible. And if you’d rather be looking at all those landscapes than a series of menus, this mod is a necessary install.

Monsters Reborn

Not to be confused with the Yu-Gi-Oh! card, the Monsters Reborn mod is designed with two things in mind: Variety and challenge. At a certain point in Skyrim, you’ll likely have developed enough power to kill any enemy that stands in your way. Installing this mod introduces 40+ new enemies into the game, each with its own unique stats and abilities. We’re talking lowly Thalmor Spies all the way up to the devastating might of a Sun Striker.

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The other aspect Monsters Reborn brings to Skyrim is difficult. In the unmodded game, it’s very common to reach a high enough level and just stop whatever poor foe gets in your way. This mod makes many of the included enemies only spawn at higher levels, and their stats reflect the experience needed to bring them into existence. It allows players to continue roaming the world without feeling like One Punch Man, robbed of all meaning due to the lack of challenge. Be warned, though, some of these creatures are BRUTAL.

Immersive Weapons

I’ll be open and honest – I simply do not care for the weapons in Skyrim. Frankly, I feel like there are just too many uninteresting swords and hammers strewn about the place, and while that may make discovering a rare item more exciting, it happens too infrequently for my liking. Immersive Weapons is what I used to address this problem, and while it may not be essential, it’s one of my personal favorite additions to Skyrim.

This simple yet shockingly impactful mod adds a slew of new weapons (230 and counting!) to the game, including in a way that’s congruent to the lore of the land and doesn’t immediately break your immersion. You may not find any guns, but you will be able to pick up all kinds of new killing utensils, including quarterstaffs, katanas, war picks, halberds, and even a club. It’s genuinely a game-altering tweak to a world that’s already littered with ways to eliminate your foes, so if you want to take it to the next level, I strongly recommend installing Immersive Weapons.

Valhalla Combat

Let’s be real – you’re not playing Skyrim for the compelling combat. While there are plenty of positive things to say about its world, quest, and exploration, fighting in The Elder Scrolls always feels floaty and unimpactful. To remedy this, I recommend installing the Valhalla Combat mod, which overhauls many of the systems you’ll use in the middle of a brawl. Stamina is reworked to be less intrusive and more meaningful, and the addition of a parry and execution mechanic means that players wanting some level of skill when encountering an enemy should be well satisfied.

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The best part is that this mod is still in active development, with creator dTry already planning for even more extensive overhauls in the future. Fans can expect upgraded enemy AI, the introduction of combat perks, and even a reactive poise system that should make even the most common fight a real challenge. It’s a genuinely excellent mod that I can’t recommend enough.

Legacy of the Dragonborn

Now, I may not be an expert when it comes to modding Skyrim, having only spent a few hours dabbling with various tweaks, but I can safely say that there’s no mod quite as impressive as Legacy of the Dragonborn. The amount of content included in what is described as a “DLC expansion sized mod” is staggering. Players can expect to find hundreds of new, unique items, a safe house to store all of their interesting finds, dozens of new quests, and even an entirely new guild.

That isn’t even getting into the crafting system, which is intuitive and groundbreaking in a way that’s difficult to describe in words. It feels so expertly crafted – it’s a wonder that this is fanmade. Legacy of the Dragon feels like a full-blown expansion in every sense of the word. It enhances so many aspects that it feels criminal to play Skyrim without this mod installed, so make sure you have it queued to download the second you begin your modding quest.