Make Skyrim or Sse Vanilla Again
The best Skyrim Special Edition mods
Several years into its life, the best Skyrim Special Edition mods caught up to the best in Oldrim modding. Many of our favorites from the original have been ported beyond, then you may recognize some of those on this list.
Oldrim Modding
Looking for mods for the original version of Skyrim? We've selected over 100 of the best mods for improved visuals and optimization, new quests and locations, roleplaying and immersion, creatures and NPCs, and much more than. These are the best Skyrim mods.
But there are plenty of newer mods besides—a decade into its life, both original Skyrim and the Special Edition you can safely alt-tab out of are still fertile ground for new creations. Skyrim modding still hasn't slowed down with new additions every week.
Skyrim Script Extender has been updated for the Anniversary Edition, and many of the mods that were cleaved during the changeover are working again now. Notwithstanding, once SKSE is installed, yous should go into Skyrim Special Edition'south properties in Steam and gear up it to "Only update this game when I launch it" and launch Skyrim with skse64_loader.exe, as otherwise any new updates will intermission the Script Extender and you'll accept to download a new version of it.
Some of the following Skyrim Special Edition mods tin be found on Bethesda's site, but the links nosotros'll post usually signal to our go-to sites, NexusMods or AFK Mods. Mods added in recent updates of this list have been marked with a ⭐. And if you're looking to take even more than fun in Skyrim, check out our listing of Skyrim console commands.
The all-time Skyrim Special Edition mods
Mod managing
It'south like shooting fish in a barrel to get carried away modding Skyrim Special Edition. To help yous go along track of all your diverse additions, be sure to employ a mod manager of some sort. Hither are the ones we suggest you endeavor out.
Vortex
For downloading, installing, and managing Skyrim Special Edition mods, we recommend Vortex. It's unproblematic to use, and information technology works with a number of other games like the Fallout series, the Witcher series, Darks Souls, XCOM ii, and lots more. Make sure to download the version that lets you pick a custom install installation if you don't have Skyrim on your C drive.
Mod Organizer 2
Equally an culling to Vortex, Mod Organizer 2 is meant for modders who plan to practice a lot of experimenting, keeping separate profiles and installing and then uninstalling various mods. If you really intendance nearly how neat your folders look, Modernistic Organizer 2 is probably for you. One downside to Mod Organizer 2 is that if you plan to modernistic multiple different games with information technology, switching between them can be a hassle. The easiest mode to exercise that is to install information technology separately for every unmarried game you lot want to mod.
Patches, UI, and cheats
We all know the reputation Bethesda's games accept. Plenty of fans take taken it upon themselves to set bugs, optimize systems, and brand user interface more to their liking.
SkyUI
The heavens parted, gilt saints sang, and SkyUI was supported past Skyrim Special Edition. This interface replacer makes Skyrim feel like information technology was designed for mouse controls, and lets you lot filter and sort inventory based on weight, value, harm and the like. Also adds an in-game mod configuration menu several other mods rely on. It'south essential.
Amend MessageBox Controls
Increases the clickable areas of menu items so they're the actual width of the detail rather than simply an absurd footling square in the middle of it. You accept no thought how much amend this tiny quality-of-life tweak makes things. It besides improves the keyboard controls in a few ways. For instance, tab will always accept you back a stage and enter will let yous select an choice even when you're crafting and would usually have to mouse back over it.
A Quality Globe Map
Skyrim's map is functional simply slow. A Quality Globe Map offers multiple ways to set up it. It can replace the map with a much more than detailed world texture, with colors that help delineate the separate areas much more obviously, just there'south also an pick to take a paper map, with a more Oblivion wait, if that's your affair.
Achievements Mod Enabler
Just because y'all're modding doesn't mean you're cheating (necessarily). And so why does the SSE disable achievements if you've got mods running? Stick it to 'em past using this plugin from xSHADOWMANx that lets yous earn achievements even while using mods.
⭐ Proteus
While y'all could switch to another savegame to play your Khajiit archer for a while, Proteus lets you import your characters into an existing earth state—meaning y'all can switch to a character with their own items, skills, and spells, simply keep your current quest progression. NPCs who have died remain dead, items left in storage can be retrieved, and then on. It also lets you edit NPCs and items, even the weather. Some of what Proteus makes possible is already doable with Skyrim's panel commands and existing mods, but this brings it all together in a single pop-up menu.
Proteus replaces an older version called Project Proteus. The new version runs faster, and when swapping between characters you now switch to their location rather than them beingness summoned to you, making for a more GTA five kind of experience. At that place are a agglomeration of other tweaks as well. If you've got Project Proteus installed, uninstall and replace information technology with Proteus instead.
An improved character creation bill of fare with numeric displays for all sliders and the power to cull any color for your hair, skin, or other tints rather than being limited based on race. There'southward a sculpt style if you want to get right into messing with the geometry of your head, and you can plough the calorie-free illuminating your face up on and off to see how your features will look in unlike situations, which is a blessing. (Note that an update to this mod made it uniform with the Ceremony Edition later on a long period of not working.)
⭐ Downgrade Patcher
If the Anniversary Edition update is causing your favorite mods grief (we're talking about Simply Knock here), this will ringlet you dorsum to Special Edition version one.5.97. There are two versions to download, and the Best of Both Worlds version lets you keep all the Creation Gild content added by the Anniversary Edition.
Unofficial Skyrim Patch
This mod is a compendium of hundreds of fixes for bugs, text, objects, items, quests, and gameplay elements assembled by prolific modder Arthmoor. The patch is designed to be every bit uniform as possible with other mods. If you lot've got a few hours, you can read through the patch notes.
Binaural 3D Surround Sound for Headphones - HRTF
"HRTF (Head Related Transfer Functions) refers to the way that the curvature of ane's ears are used to localize sound in 3D space." I don't know exactly what that showtime sentence means, but I understand the 2nd i. Make SSE more realistic for your ears with this mod, though notation it only works if you play exclusively in kickoff-person. You lot may as well want to cheque out Immersive Sounds for a huge overhaul of Skyrim'southward sound effects.
Quests and locations
Skyrim may be a huge place, but modders are e'er finding ways to make it bigger. Nosotros've nerveless some really impressive location overhauls to expand your Skyrim feel along with some huge quest mods to take yous on new adventures.
The Forgotten City
Skyrim's got lots of adventure, just here'southward about x hours more courtesy of writer and developer Nick Pearce. Play detective and solve a murder mystery while exploring a massive, aboriginal city. It'south got excellent, accolade-winning writing, a non-linear story, fantastic voice acting by a large cast, an enjoyable original soundtrack, and fifty-fifty a touch of time travel. Here's our write-upwards of the Forgotten City Skyrim mod. It'south as well been adjusted into a standalone game set in ancient Rome.
Legacy of the Dragonborn
Adds a gallery you lot tin fill with unique items, a museum to your achievements that is also a library, a storage facility, a questline of its own, and a identify to learn archæology consummate with its ain perks. While there is a version of Legacy of the Dragonborn for Oldrim, the v5 update specifically for Special Edition remaps the edifice to make information technology larger and more like a existent museum.
Enderal: Forgotten Stories (Special Edition)
This total conversion creates an entirely new earth, very virtually the size of Skyrim itself, and populates information technology with new dungeons, quests, monsters, and fully voiced NPCs. Some of Skyrim's systems take also been tweaked, there's a new custom story to enjoy, and a good 50+ hours of new adventures to be difficult. You can read nigh the opening hours of Enderal here.
Vigilant SE
Vigilant is a four-part quest mod that adds some Dark Souls flair to Tamriel. Afterwards getting stuck in Oblivion, you'll face off against otherworldly monsters and large, Souls-style bosses while exploring areas filled with special items and keys. Beyond that, the 'Anvil of Zenithar' allows players to craft their own wares subsequently finishing objectives, besting bosses and reaching new areas. Vigilant Voiced adds vox-interim.
You can besides snag the same modder's Bloodborne-themed adventure chosen Glenmoril.
Moonpath to Elsweyr
Moonpath to Elsweyr was one of the first quest mods for Oldrim back in the day. Information technology'south fabricated its way to SSE now with its ii new regions and custom quests. In Jody'southward Moonpath spotlight he talks to its original creator.
Helgen Reborn
Who's going to rebuild Helgen after it got toasted past a dragon at the beginning of the game? Y'all are, of course. It's a huge, fully voiced quest mod where you'll restore the town, cull a faction, and fight in the new arena. Chris wrote about Helgen Reborn years agone for Oldrim, so we're psyched to replay it in SSE.
Cutting Room Flooring
Another big modern from Arthmoor restores loads of content that exists in SSE's data files but wasn't implemented in the game. Numerous locations, NPCs, dialogue, quests, and items have been brought back into the light, and Skyrim is richer for it.
JK's Skyrim
This large construction overhaul modern redesigns all of Skyrim's major cities and some settlements too. Every city has been reimagined to more distinctly fit its own theme with new buildings and vendors. It doubles as an immersion mod as well, with local banners and guards irresolute allegiance every bit Skyrim'southward civil war develops.
The Asteria Dwemer Airship
There are histrion home mods to suit all tastes, only the Asteria is a particularly nice one—a flying send with all mod cons, by which I mean storage space and crafting tables. It's permanently docked, however, and can't be moved effectually, though information technology does take a teleporter for a more immersive alternative to fast-travel. If you desire a flyable skyship, try the Dev Aveza.
Visual mods
Fifty-fifty with Skyrim Special Edition, there's nevertheless plenty of room to make Tamriel prettier. Modders have updated how characters look and added higher resolution textures, among other things, to put a new shine on the game.
Climates of Tamriel
Climates of Tamriel is a huge overhaul adding new weather types, new lighting, and clouds. It can make nighttime-time darker every bit well for a more immersive adventuring experience. At that place'southward fifty-fifty a winter version that covers even more of Skyrim in snow.
Realistic Water Ii
Realistic Water Two, drawing and expanding on the work of some earlier water mods, adds better ripples, larger splashes, re-textured cream and faster water flow in streams, bobbing chunks of ice, and even murky, stagnant-looking water in dungeons. For all your extremely realistic screenshot-taking needs.
Total Character Makeover
Skyrim'southward NPCs already looked dated when the game was first released, and they certainly haven't aged well. The SSE might better the looks of the world, but it doesn't touch its citizens, so this mod from Scaria should exist on your listing. It gives everyone in the game (including your avatar) a facelift with more detailed textures that won't kneecap your framerate, without making characters look out of place.
Vanilla Hair Replacer
We can all hold Bethesda's RPGs aren't often stunners in the hair department. So many hair mods get carried away turning characters into models, though. Vanilla Hair Replacer aims for more lore-friendly changes for Skyrim'due south default hair choices so NPCs look a less scraggly merely still like they hail from Skyrim. Exist sure to check the "recommended mods" section of the page to become your characters looking exactly like the ones in the screenshots.
Static Mesh Improvements
While Skyrim Special Edition adds enough of enhanced visuals, it doesn't do a matter to improve the original game'southward low-poly meshes. This modern edits hundreds of 3D models placed in thousands of different locations for items like piece of furniture, clutter, architectural elements, and landscape objects to make them look nicer and more than realistic.
⭐ Security Overhaul SKSE - Lock Variations
The Security Overhaul Lock Variants and supplemental Security Overhaul Add-Ons mods add a whole bunch of new lock designs for you to peer at while yous're heroically robbing Skyrim of its every final septim. The locks range from startlingly beautiful to mystically eerie to fairly icky, but they're all lore-friendly and wonderfully animated. At that place are even new sound effects to accompany some of the weirder designs.
Glorious Doors of Skyrim
Hear me out. Aside from NPC's faces, what are you lot going to have your nose up against in Skyrim most ofttimes? Well aye, enemies, but also doors! Modder "Hype1" has created lots of new door meshes with glorious 4k textures so you'll never be stuck picking the lock on a low-res door again. While you're at it, Book Covers is a mod that will make books as beautiful as they deserve to exist.
Companions and creatures
Skyrim is an even more beautiful place thanks to the visual mods and new locations on this list, but y'all'll want to populate it with interesting people besides. These mods add together some of our favorite companion characters, and some cool creatures for them to fight besides.
Shirley
This companion mod is a particularly sweet one, based on pop octogenarian YouTuber Shirley Back-scratch, otherwise known as the "Skyrim Grandma". Created by fans and voiced past Curry herself, the Shirley companion shares Curry's likeness. Tamriel's Shirley has her ain lore-appropriate backstory likewise. After you lot've completed her recruitment quest, Shirley will join you, fighting alongside you as a barbarian warrior—Back-scratch's preferred combat style. Curry has already started playing with the mod herself, which you lot can catch the start of in her video series.
Inigo
Maybe you don't think a blueish Khajiit who follows y'all effectually commenting on everything and being sarcastic about Lydia is what Skyrim needs, but trust the states on this. Inigo has tons of dialogue, some tied to his own questline and more that crops upwards at appropriate times depending on the location you lot're at. He can be told where to go and what to do past whistling, and will follow you even if you've got an existing companion, chatting away with them thank you to skilfully repurposed voice lines.
Vilja in Skyrim
A sequel to a much-loved Oblivion mod (which Terry Pratchett contributed to), Vilja in Skyrim adds the great-granddaughter of the original Vilja every bit a follower. She's an alchemist with her own questline to follow and a unique arrangement to give her orders—substantially spells bound to hotkeys that tin exist used to co-ordinate attacks. Like Inigo she doesn't count toward your follower limit, and if introduced to each other Inigo and Vilja will even chat among themselves.
Yennefer of Vengerberg
Volition we e'er tire of crossovers between our favorite big RPGs? No, we definitely will not. This follower mod adds a custom-fabricated Yennefer that re-purposes her lines of dialogue from The Witcher 3. She dual wields magic, of class. Sadly, she isn't eligible for marriage. The same modder has also made a Ciri follower mod and contributed to mods for Geralt and Triss followers all based on their Wild Hunt selves.
Amazing Follower Tweaks
This extremely popular mod for Oldrim is one you lot'll desire to grab the Special Edition version of also. It lets you micromanage a lot of details about your companions like their gear, how to fight, and which of your many houses to alive in.
Convenient Horses
This modern makes having a horse much less of a headache. You tin can have conversations from horseback. Yous tin loot and gather herbs while mounted. Your followers can even buy and ride their own horses instead of sprinting helplessly behind you.
Diverse Dragons Collection
Despite the Special Edition's visual overhaul, its dragons are still a chip boring. This mod, contributed to by a large collection of modders, adds 28 new and unique dragons with different models and textures, and capable of over a dozen new breath attacks and abilities. The dragons come in dissimilar ranks also, to ensure you accept a claiming no affair what your level.
Strigoi - Enhanced Vampire Encounters
With Strigoi installed, whenever vampires spawn there'south a chance to meet some of its new varieties of bloodsucker. These powered-up undead might plow into bats, throw you around, or just more often than not be a lot tougher than regular vampires.
Insects Begone
Why is information technology ever spiders in RPGs? Well, information technology doesn't accept to be. Insects Begone replaces all the spiders and chaurus insects with bears and skeevers instead. Information technology besides removes decorative spiderwebs and other spider-related decor. If yous can't deal with all the giant spiders plaguing Skyrim, this modern will squash them.
Magic, combat, and skills
If beingness the Dragonborn isn't enough, these mods give you new abilities to tinker with. Some are mundane skills like boosted crafting abilities, others are new shouts and spells to play with.
Arcanum: A New Historic period of Magic
Arcanum is a huge add-on to Skyrim'south magic arrangement. It lets you summon tornados and meteors amongst many other feats. Information technology doesn't merely throw all these new skills at you lot as soon equally it's installed, though. Arcanum is great for starting a new playthrough of Skyrim with considering unlocking spells is a more lore-friendly journey of custom quests, crafting, and adventuring.
Combat Gameplay Overhaul
CGO strikes a groovy rest for those wanting a bit more out of Skyrim's gainsay without turning it into too much of a fast-paced action game. It adds the ability to dodge whorl, which surprisingly looks pretty decent in offset-person. In that location'southward also the ability to switch between one- and two-handed grips to change how attacks country. Oh, and you can attack in midair, along with lots of other smaller tweaks.
Modder "DServant" also created the Archery Gameplay Overhaul which takes a similarly fifty-fifty-handed approach to improving bow use.
Wildcat - Gainsay of Skyrim
Mutiny is a much heavier combat overhaul, and an extremely popular one. It makes combat more deadly with increased damage and stamina apply, but that's not all. Information technology also adds an injury system where taking enough damage has a chance to give you a serious injury that could knock you downward, unequip your weapon, or give yous other dangerous effects. Information technology rewards you lot for properly timed blocks and for attacks of opportunity while enemies are performing other actions also.
For the Thieves Guild and Dark Alliance members among u.s.a., Sneak Tools adds extra functionality to beingness good at hiding. Instead of just a damage bonus, you tin impale NPCs from backside with daggers, knock them out with fists, and assassinate them while they're sleeping. You can douse torches and arrows to better sneak through the shadows and use a bunch of new arrow types with sneaky benefits.
When you're non playing a metallic-plated tank, there'southward less apply for smithing. Archers, thieves, and other stealthy characters have no bug finding lite armor on their adventures, and so in that location's never been much reason to get in themselves. This mod by Arthmoor gives slippery sorts reasons to learn smithing past letting them forge arrows, lockpicks, and society-specific armor, as well as melt down bulkier armor they'd never actually wear into ingots.
Roleplaying, survival, and immersion
Roleplaying and immersion mods are all aimed at making Skyrim Special Edition feel just a bit more existent.
No NPC Greetings - Reduced Range Greetings
Sick of NPCs repeating the same catchphrase from across the street every fourth dimension they see you? Ill of guards commenting on your best skills, which they somehow know all about simply by looking at you—fifty-fifty Sneak? This mod has a few options for fixing the issue, whether you want to reduce the altitude these barks trigger at, or get rid of them altogether.
Simply Knock SE
Sometimes you don't want to break into someone's home and have the local baby-sit later on you lot. Instead of lockpicking, this modernistic gives you the option to simply, you know, knock on the door. If someone is home they might answer, giving you the option to earn entry with your speech abilities. If they don't answer, then get your lockpicks out. (If this mod causes crashes subsequently the Anniversary Edition update, cheque the viscous mail service at the peak of this folio for a solution.)
Alternate Start - Live Another Life
If you're playing Special Edition, you're starting from scratch whether you're a newcomer to Skyrim or a veteran. Why not offset your new game as someone other than the Dragonborn? Alternate Outset—over again, by Arthmoor—is a roleplaying mod that gives you choices on how y'all'd like to begin your next playthrough. Are you a patron at in inn, a company arriving past gunkhole, a prisoner in a jail cell, or a member of a society? You lot can commencement as a soldier, an outlaw, a hunter, fifty-fifty a vampire. It's a nifty manner to re-experience Skyrim from a unlike perspective, and skip the tutorial while you're at information technology.
Open up Cities
It's a little immersion-breaking to enter a urban center through a gate and run into a loading screen. Open up Cities aims for more of a Morrowind feel: the cities aren't instances, they're role of the larger world. Stroll correct in—or ride in on horseback—without a intermission in your experience, and these cities will feel more like real places than loaded-in maps.
Opening Scene Overhaul
This modern, by elderscrolliangamer, changes and enhances Skyrim'due south opening sequence past restoring dialogue that Bethesda chose to cutting, only which is however present in the game files. With that content restored, you'll acquire more about the world you're preparing to inhabit by listening in on additional conversations and seeing total sequences that were snipped before release. All-time of all, if yous choose to side with the Stormcloaks, you'll really exist able to escape Helgen with Ulfric himself at your side.
Relationship Dialogue Overhaul
This mod by cloudedtruth adds thousands of lines of voiced dialogue for NPCs to brand you experience like you have a closer and more personal relationship with followers and friends. Your spouse will no longer sound similar a random follower, but accost you in a more personal mode, and those you've angered will have a host of new insults to hurl your way.
Frostfall and Campfire
Skyrim Console Commands
At that place'due south no need to play Skyrim as a humble warrior. Become a behemothic, wing, walk through walls, spawn any detail you want, and fifty-fifty become Santa Claus with Skyrim console commands, and give yourself every item in the game with Skyrim item codes.
Looking to turn SSE into a survival experience without having to rely on the Creation Club's survival manner? Then bundle up and look no farther. These mods from Chesko make the frosty world of Skyrim more dangerous more immersive and enjoyable with a system that makes y'all manage your temperature in the common cold climate. Hypothermia is an issue, peculiarly if you swim through icy water, then you'll have to dress warmly, and camping elements include craftable tents, torches, and other gear. There's fifty-fifty a crafting skill organization.
Also, check out Wet and Cold, which adds weather-dependent visual furnishings and sounds.
⭐ Survival Control Panel
If you practise want to stick with the Creation Club survival mode, perhaps because y'all got information technology as part of the Anniversary Edition, this control console will let you change how it works. Yous can plow on and off options similar whether you need to slumber to level upwardly, too as modifying the warmth rating of clothes, including cloaks if y'all've got a mod that adds those.
Positive Undressed Reactions
What could peradventure be more immersive than walking effectually in your underclothes and being lavished with compliments by strangers? OK, mayhap information technology's not that immersive just it is a fun 1. On tiptop of that, this mod also uses a very cool new AI-based phonation synthesis tool called SKVA Synth to create some of its voice lines.
Source: https://www.pcgamer.com/best-skyrim-special-edition-mods/
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