The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim may have released in 2011, but following the reveal of Skyrim Special Edition at E3 2016, attention has once again returned to the snowy landscapes of Tamriel's northern region. Not only will it look better on consoles this time around, with improved visual effects and lighting, but it will also support modding.
In the years since its original release, Skyrim has fostered a creative modding community on PC, leading to UI changes, combat tweaks, and new areas to explore in the game's open world.So with an abundance of successful mods to choose from, we dove into Skyrim's mod library to find the ones we'd most like to see in the upcoming remaster.
SkyUI
By Psychosteve, Mardoxx, snakster (Steam)
It's still unclear whether Bethesda will be implementing changes beyond visual upgrades with Skyrim Special Edition. If the base game doesn't address UI annoyances or inventory management, though, SkyUI could fill that role. This mod introduces a variety of changes to Skyrim's interface: sorting tools and a full text search for locating items in your inventory; a similar search for specific locations on your world map; and a mod categorization menu to facilitate in-game mod usage and customization. In general, SkyUI just makes Skyrim easier to navigate, removing barriers between you and the massive open world.
Improved World Map
By IcePenguin (Nexus)
Branching off of SkyUI, this improved map also makes Skyrim's interface a less irritable affair. This mod adds detailed roads to the world map, letting you plan your long distance treks more accurately, over mountains and through populated villages. It also makes use of improved textures, differentiating the snowy northern wastes from the lush swampland of the south. The Improved World Map mod is useful for players who refuse to fast-travel and need detailed roads, or for players who fast-travel often, and just want a better-looking map.
Realistic Needs and Diseases
By perseid9 (Nexus)
As the other half of Bethesda's open-world series duo, Fallout often places survival front and center, with weapon degradation, radiation management, and drug addiction weaved into the franchise's post-apocalyptic appeal. But recent Elder Scrolls games have shied away from that hardcore approach. With Realistic Needs and Diseases, though, Skyrim players have to manage fatigue, hunger, and progressive diseases, increasing the need for micromanagement in the fantasy setting. The mod creates a world that's not just threatening, but downright dangerous.
Immersive Weapons and Armor
By Hothtrooper44, Ironman5000, Eckss (Nexus Armor, Weapons)
This is actually two separate mods, but they were created by the same people, and focus on the same idea: making Skyrim more believable. While there are a variety of distinct item types in the original game, Immersive Weapons and Armor both add items with new aesthetics that not only let you customize your travelers further, but also lend more character to the world around you. The mods add hundreds of new armor and weapon items that make sense within the context of the regions you find them in. "Immersive" has become cliché in the world of video game marketing speak, but if included, these mods would actually make Skyrim Special Edition more, well, immersive.
Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim
By Enai Siaion (Nexus)
This one is straightforward, but for magic-focused players, pretty monumental. Apocalypse adds 155 new spells to the Skyrim arsenal, running the gamut of magical schools, from conjuration spells, to mind tricks, to offensive attacks. Some notable ones include: Thoughtsteal, which temporarily grants you every spell equipped by the target; Ocato's Recital, which prepares three buffs that automatically activate whenever entering combat; and Slay Living, an attack that obliterates any nearby enemy below 25 percent health. Apocalypse doesn't reinvent any overarching systems, but it definitely earns its name.
Falskaar
By Alexander JVelicky (Nexus)
Unlike the other mods we've selected, Falskaar adds to Skyrim's actual geography. That is, it places a whole new region in the game outside of Skyrim's icy climes, with 20-30 hours of additional gameplay, a nine-quest main storyline, new spells, weapons, and armor items, to name a few. Falskaar acts more like an actual expansion to the base game than just a mod, offering an experience similar to that of Skyrim's Dragonborn DLC, which also whisked us to new lands set within the game's existing structure.
Dovahbit of Caerbannog
By Mickyan (Steam)
Finding the right companion can be hard in a place like Skyrim--it's a land of reticent travelers, clingy merchants, and overly enthusiastic warriors. But then there's Dovahbit. He's bucktoothed, smelly, and not too useful in combat, but this rabbit will stay out of your way in tight spaces. He'll steal for you. He'll harvest five times the amount of alchemy ingredients than you would by yourself. He also will never engage in combat, making him ideal for stealth-inclined players. In a game where followers are prone to technical issues and behavioral problems, it can be useful to have someone to rely on. Or, in this case, some rabbit.