Best Skyrim Special Edition mods Archives
Best Skyrim Special Edition mods Archives
Project:Skyrim Special Edition
| Warning:THIS IS NOT A GUIDE! This is not a guide. It is only a storehouse for information. It may or may not be outdated! |
Intro
This will be the storehouse for information regarding STEP and Skyrim:Special Edition (SSE).
Staff Discussion Forum | User Discussion Forum
Do NOT use the included archiving tools that come with the new CK! They do not work properly. Follow these procedures for properly archiving mods for use with SSE: via Nexus Forums.
Tools
Mod Organizer 2 is the recommended mod manager to use for this guide.
Wrye Bash is used for Bashed Patching.
Bethesda Archive Extractor is used to extract SSE archives.
NifModify is a tool which will fix missing tangent and bitangent data in meshes. This can be valuable to modders porting meshes over to SSE, but also to users who may experience rendering issues with meshes from mods they port for their personal use. It's only available in command line.
SSE NIF Optimizer is a tool which will convert meshes to the new SE format while cleaning and fixing various issues found on the mesh.
LOOT is now available for Skyrim SE.
BethINI - just use it and save yourself some headache.
Known Issues
Certain older texture formats will cause CTD with the DirectX 11 version included with Windows 7: www.spearpointsecuritygroup.com?/topic/skyrim-se-texture-formats-question/?p=
Converted STEP Mods
Below is a list of mods from the STEP Guide which have been converted to SSE or their current status for a port.
2.C. Extenders
- ENBoost
- ENBSeries has been ported (limited) to SSE; however, ENBoost is not needed with SSE and will be dropped from the SSE Guide. Maybe someone needs Skyrim particle patch for ENB.
- Skyrim Script Extender 64
- Has been released for SSE as a open alpha, a stable is eventually expected.
2.D Fixes
- STEP Optimized Vanilla Textures
- Temporary replacement: Simply Optimized Textures for SSE, Optimized SSE Textures -FPS BOOST-.
- Appropriately Attired Jarls
- Currently not ported. Author will port when he/she has time.
- Clothing and Clutter Fixes
- Combined with Weapons and Armor Fixes.
- Weapons and Armor Fixes
- Combined with Clothing and Clutter Fixes.
- Smart Souls
- Currently not ported. Requires SKSE.
- Wiseman's Flora Fixes
- Currently not ported. Possible replacement: Flora Respawn Fix
- Complete Crafting Overhaul Remade
- Currently not ported. Requires SKSE. Can be ported manually: Complete Crafting Overhaul Remade for SSE - Patch and Instructions
2.E Interface
- Disease Descriptions for the Immersive Adventurer
- Currently not ported. Unknown if works in SSE. William will be porting the mod. Included in the STEP Compilation.
- EASIER LOCKPICKING - Without Cheating - Nordic Retexture
- Currently not ported. Gamwich will be porting.
- High Quality 3D Map
- Currently not ported. Author isn't active much so no word on a port or not.
- KenMOD - Time on loading screen
- Currently not ported. No word if there will be one or not.
- Main Font Replacement
- Be ported below. Has been reported to work fine with SSE. Font Overhaul - Realistic Typefaces for Skyrim is a very nice font overhaul and has the default font that STEP currently recommends for the UI. This could be a replacement.
- RaceMenu
- Need vanilla and skse64plugins.
- Smaller Cursor
- Be ported below. Works in SSE (confirmed by Tech). No word from the author. Included in the STEP Compilation.
2.F Conflicting Graphics
- Ultimate HD Fire Effects (included in the STEP Compilation)
- SkyFalls and SkyMills
- Currently not ported. Author is working on a port. Not really needed anymore with DynDOLOD. However, larger windmill sails are possible (needs testing) with SMIM Windmills Resized.
- HD Misc
- Currently not ported. Author is MIA. Has been reported to work in SSE. Realistic HD Misc Remastered seems to be a possible replacement.
- Tobes Highres Textures
- Tobes Highres Textures. Currently not ported. Author claims that no port is needed and that they have tested it themselves in SSE for ~40 hours.
2.G. Landscape & Environment
- aMidianBorn Caves and Mines
- Currently not ported. Issues have been reported with SSE. No word from CaBaL whether a port will be made or not.
- aMidianBorn Farmhouse
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from CaBaL whether a port will be made or not.
- aMidianBorn Solstheim Landscape
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from CaBaL whether a port will be made or not.
- aMidianBorn Whiterun
- Currently not ported. Issues have been reported with SSE. No word from CaBaL whether a port will be made or not.
- HD Dark brotherhood door
- Currently not ported. No word if it will be or not. At least 1 user has reported that it works in SSE as-is.
- HD Enhanced Terrain
- Currently not ported. Report says it doesn't work with SSE. Author said in November he will port it; 3 months, no port. Possible replacement is HD Detailed Terrain
- HD Stone Quarry and Clay Deposit for Hearthfire
- Currently not ported. Mainly works in SSE besides the clay mesh. No word from the author.
- High Quality LODs
- Currently not ported. Reported to work with SSE, as is. No word from the author.
- HQ Snow Texture
- See Nordic Snow below.
- Hybrids HD Plants and Herbs Retexture
- Currently not ported. Supposedly works with SSE, as is. No word from the author.
- Improved Vanilla Mountains HD
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word form the author.
- Just Ice - originally in The Ruffled Feather (Included in the STEP Compilation ).
- Lanterns of Skyrim SE - Author's port.
- Moss Rocks - originally part of The Ruffled Feather (Included in the STEP Compilation ).
- Nordic Snow - Author's port. - aka HQ Snow (its just been renamed)
- Northfire's Skidmarks 1K-2K
- Currently not ported. I (TechAngel85) have been given permission to port this. Currently in testing.
- Real Wood Textures - Farmhouses
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Re-Defined Dungeons WIP
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- RUSTIC MONUMENTS and TOMBSTONES
- MOUNTAINS has been ported below. Unknown if old one works with SSE. Author will likely port.
- TreesHD_Skyrim_Variation
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Vivid Clouds and Fogs
- This mod is currently included in the Vivid Weathers mod below. Unknown if the author plans to do a separate release.
- Whiterun Trellis Redesigned and HQ
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
2.H. Characters & Creatures
- Brows
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. Author is planning to port it.
- Coverkhajiits
- Currently not ported. Reported to work with SSE. No word from the author. Possible replacement: Feminine Khajiit Textures (Grey Cat and Leopard), Masculine Khajiit Textures (Grey Cat and Leopard).
- High-Res Dartwing Texture
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Lepidoptera Of Skyrim
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- More Realistic Hair
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author. Permissions grant conversion.
- PAINTERLY
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- PondFish and Salmon Replacer - texture
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- RUSTIC CHILDREN
- Currently not ported. Reported to work with SSE. Author will likely port.
- RUSTIC DEATH HOUND
- Combined with GARGOYLE.
- RUSTIC GARGOYLE
- Combined with DEATH HOUND.
- Superior Lore-Friendly Hair - HD textures
- Currently not ported. Mixed bag if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Wiseman's Critter Fixes
- Currently not ported. Reported to work with SSE. No word from the author.
2.I. Clothing & Equipment
- aMidianBorn Blade of Woe
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- aMidianBorn Book of Silence
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- aMidianBorn imperial light and studded
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- aMidianBorn stormcloak officer armour
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Dawnguard Crossbow Explosive Bolts Visualized
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Dragonborn Mages Robes Retexture Pack
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Skyrim Weapon De-LARP-ification Project
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author. It's probably just time to drop this mod. Currently there are only 54 meshes not covered by Better Shaped Weapons.
Greatsword Sheaths and Scabbards Redux SE - Author's port.
- Mage Outfit Texture Overhaul - Schools of Magic
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. Author seems to think it'll work, but plugins should be ran through the new CK.
- New Thinner Torch
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Nightingale Prime HD
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Not Really HD Mask of Clavicus Vile
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- TDN Vampire Armor Retexture
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
2.J. Animations & Effects
- Better Turn Animation only One pose
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Burn Freeze Shock Effects
- Currently not ported. Some report it works (loose files) with SSE while others have issues. No word from the author. Frozen Electrocuted Combustion as a possible replacement.
- Dawnguard Rune Weapons FXS Replacer
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- DROPS
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Dual Wield Blocking Animations
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- NoMaaM Breathing Idles BBB
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author. Waterbreathing Breathless Emerge SSE
- Realistic Boat Bobbing
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Running with your Bow Replacer
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Skyrim - Enhanced Camera
- Reworked below by the author. Requires SKSE. No word from the author. Will likely be dropped anyway.
- Smaller Ice Spike and Ice Spear
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
2.K. Clutter & Miscellaneous
- The th Step
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Dark Brotherhood Tenets Restored
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author. Possible replacement: Dark Brotherhood Tenets 16K 8K 4K 2K 1K Redone
- Detailing the Eldrich - Higher-Res Riekling Architecture
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Gemling Queen Dragon Claws
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- HD Linens
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- HD Ore And Ingots
- Currently not ported. Reported to work with SSE. No word from the author.
- HD Reworked Baskets - Author's port.
- HORNCANDLES - Author's port.
- HQ Paper - Author's port. - but is likely to have some issues with bright textures and compatibility with Book Covers Skyrim.
- N-R HD Display Case
- Currently not ported. Works with SSE (confirmed by Tech). No word from the author.
- Not Really HD Keys
- Currently not ported. Reported to work with SSE. No word from the author.
- Not Really HD Leather Strips
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Pilgrims Delight - High Hrothgar Shrine Retextures
- There is a port, but unknown if it's legit. No word from the original author.
- Radiant and Unique Potions and Poisons HD
- Currently not ported. Reported to work with SSE. No word from the author.
- Realistic Instruments - Flute Lute and Drum HQ
- Currently not ported. Reported to work with SSE. No word from the author. Possible replacement: HD Better Instruments
- Retexture for Bread - Hearthfire
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Retexture for Soup
- Currently not ported. Reported to work with SSE. No word from the author.
- RUSTIC DRAGON CORPSE
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author, but Gamwich is slowly porting his mods over.
- RUSTIC NORDIC MURALS
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author, but Gamwich is slowly porting his mods over.
- RUSTIC POTIONS and POISONS
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author, but Gamwich is slowly porting his mods over. His animated version is ported.
- Septim HD
- Currently not ported. Some issues reported with SSE. No word from the author. Possible replacement: M17 Septim Gold Coin Retexture
- Silly Level of Detail - Wine Cellar -- SLOD WC
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Skyrim Redesigned WIP
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Super Realistic Ore Textures
- Currently not ported. Reported to work with SSE. No word from the author.
- Sweet Mother - the Night Mother Improvement
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
2.L. Sound
Only the linked mods below have been converted; however, all sounds should work as is in SSE. Be wary of using the mods listed below as needing some sort of conversion. The effects of using a non-converted plugin are still unknown. If a mod is not listed, then it's only loose files and can be used safely with SSE.
These mods have archives that require conversion:
- Better Weapon Swing Sounds
These mods have plugins that should be converted:
- Dragons Shout with Voice (loose version works, but he location optional needs converted)
- Immersive Skyrim Thunder V6
- Improved Combat Sounds
- Smooth blade draw and Sheathe
2.M. Gameplay
- Auto Unequip Ammo
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author. Possible replacement: Simple Auto Unequip Ammo
- ClamsDropPearls
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Come together N Out of the way - Nausicaa-S Tweaker
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Dual Wield Parrying
- Currently not ported. Requires SKSE. No word from the author. Dual Wield Blocking for Idiots - Skyrim Special Edition is a possible replacement.
- Enhanced Skyrim Factions - The Companions Guild
- Currently not ported. Requires SKSE. Author will likely port when SKSE64 is available.
- Skyrim Coin Replacer Redux
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. Author is planning on porting.
- Skyrim -Community- Uncapper
- Currently not ported. Requires SKSE. Author has no plans to port the mod, but as opened permissions to allow someone to port it when SKSE64 is released.
- Stealth Skills Rebalanced
- Currently not ported. Requires SKSE. Author is planning on porting.
- Thieves Guild Requirements
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. Author is planning on porting it.
- Timing is Everything - Quest Delay and Timing Control
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. Author is planning on porting it.
- Traps Make Noise - More Dangerous Traps
- Reworked below by the author. Unknown if old one works with SSE. Author is planning on porting it.
- Wiseman's Trap Fixes
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works with SSE. No word from the author.
- Even Better Quest Objectives - EBQO - Author's port. - users can skip the patches if the use the STEP SSE Patch. Users should still download the "Dark Brotherhood Forever to Misc Quests - Addon" file.
2.N. Patches
- STEP Compilation
- This will be available when the SSE Guide is available.
STEP SSE Patch - This patch can be used as long as the user follows the advice provided below.
- Bashed Patch
- WB works for SSE and this will be available when the SSE Guide is available. Wrye Bash here.
- Dual Sheath Redux
- Currently not ported. Requires SKSE. Author is planning on porting. Possible replacement: Ecotone Dual Sheath
- Dynamic Distant Objects LOD - DynDOLOD
- Currently working in a limited fashion.
Using the STEP SSE Patch
First this patch has only been made for the current list of ported mods provided above. This means if the mod isn't linked to a SSE Nexus page above, then it hasn't been included within this SSE Patch. Users can skip all patches provided by the mods because they have been included in the STEP SSE Patch, unless otherwise stated within the list above. Mods in testing have NOT been included in the patch with the following exceptions. Users should have these mods installed, as well, if they are going to use the patch:
I've made this setup as simple as possible. Simply load LOOT, add the following meta rule, and sort:
STEP Compilation Mods
- Better Circlets
- Better Shadowmarks
- has been fixed in USLEEP so this mod is no longer needed.
- Disease Descriptions
- Currently not ported. Unknown if works in SSE. William will be porting the mod.
- Distant Decal Fix
- Dragon Glyphs-Fixed
- Enchantment Effect Replacer
- Finer Dust
- Frost Atronach HD
- HD Sacks
- HiRes Legible Road Signs
- Improved Foot Wraps for Females
- Realistic Smoke and Embers
- Realistic Wolf Howls
- Serious HD
- This is likely to be replaced by SRO.
- Skyrim Performance Plus
- This is really no longer needed. It'll likely be dropped.
- Smaller Cursor
- This works out of the box from classic Skyrim.
- The Beauty of Skyrim-Dungeons
- Currently not ported. Unknown if it works in SSE. Author is likely to port.
- The Ruffled Feather
- This will eventually be converted. Currently Moss Rocks is ported. Decrease Those Plants will not likely be ported. Just Ice and Stalhrim will be ported.
- Visible Windows
Potential Mods
This is a list of mods that could have potential in a STEP:SSE.
Hey there peeps!
Skyrim Ultimate Modding Guide was updated - for both LE and SE. It's the biggest update ever made before, with not only vast amount of new mods included, but also pages usability improvements to save your time.
Read the changelog below/watch the latest channel video to see what's inside.
Adventure awaits!
IS HERE! BIGGER & BETTER.
EACH section has plenty of new mods - sometimes few dozens of them. Enjoy!
About this guide:
This guide is a brother of my Skyrim LE graphics and gameplay guides, in a single one - and a result of many months of modding Skyrim SE. My goal is a complete guide to save other people time that they can have a complete base list of mods for ultrarealistic graphics and challenging, nextgen gameplay, knowing how much these mods will affect on performance and in what order they should install the mods, which are compatible and which are not, etc. Skyrim have thousand of mods here at Nexus and there's very hard to check them all, but I spent some time and did this - from the 1st till the last page (I'm not joking hehe) of all the mods on Nexus and chosen almost everything you need to transform your game and also to have some variants of similar mods to choose from. List of + mods (but at the same time "quality about quantity", including different variants to choose from) to install to make your Skyrim graphics look nextgen and gameplay feel on absolutely next level. Installation order, performance notes, patches list and personal recommendations included.
This guide has both graphics and gameplay parts, two in one. For graphics mods installation, the [installation] order matters the most - so, for the best results, it's humbly recommended to follow the same order as mods are listed. For gameplay guide, installation order doesn't matter, but load order does, so read the mod pages/my own notes if preset carefully. Also you can check the videos at my YT channel to see how game can look when fully-modded. To make guide navigation easier, I placed guide sections into so called "spoilers" - when you see "Show" button - just click on it to expand corresponding group of mods. Click "Hide" again to close it :) Please also note that this guide is still designed for modern rigs - yet, guide also has section for low-end rigs, and many other advises here and there, as well as performance-hungry mods marked - so, you can built and ultimate setup for your own PC, no matter what it strength is.
But here come another exciting part! Guide also has so called "modules" - a premade mod lists (don't confuse with mod packs please) for different tastes and goals - which you only need to mimic, without worrying about incompatibiities and other issues. Modules will fit perfectly the people who don't have enough of free time to go through whole guide themselves.
Feel free to suggest any mod you want to see in this list or ask me any compatibility/stability questions I'm running Skyrim SE without any crashes and issues with about mods installed - and you can have even more and still have your game % stable. That's not some kind of exaggeration - everything you need is to follow the guide attentively :)
Important note:
Before you start modding your game, consider modding Skyrim LE (Legendary Edition, "Oldrim"), for which I have the guide with the same structure and features as well. Skyrim SE is generally worse for modding in [everything] compared to LE.
- It is [less] stable when modded (more bugs appeared in SE itself, many SE versions of the mods being ported hastily or not even by mod authors themselves which results in more bugs compared to LE versions of the mods, and lastly, game CC updates which can break some of SKSE-dependand mods - while there is a mod which helps with this issue, solution is sadly not %-solving). This said, it doesn't mean SE will be crashing hard or something - but with medium-to-heavy modded game, you'll have much more headache with it.
- It has [worse] graphics - permanent engine limitation towards ENB from DX11 on which SE runs (LE runs on DX9 that has much better ENB support) - which results in vastly less amount of ENB effects and so, directly worse graphics capabilities. Here's a simple comparison of just some (but not all) effects that SE ENB lacks, open imagine in fullsize. As you can see, the difference is huge.
- It has much (more than twice) less mods.
If you want best possible results from whatever modding aspect - consider modding LE, to get much better graphics & more mods and less headache, while still having % modded game stability. Base game content-wise, SE and LE are identical.
Why making SE guide in first turn at all then, you may ask? Very simple - while I can give you an advice about better modding experience, it's all up to you in the end, and I don't differ SE and LE players in any way, supporting and updating guides for both versions, so read, think and make choice yourself - and best of luck with modding :)
Permissions:
Do not re-upload this guide to other website and/or resources, do not claim it as own work and do not sell it. In the rest - feel free to translate into other languages (just message me in Discord first), I'b be glad if you'll link it to help other people and so on. I'm here to serve - the more people can have stable ultramodded game, the happier I will be :)
Guide features:
- Complete list of graphics and gameplay mods for ultimate nextgen game, + mods in total. Landscapes, clutter, flora, weather & lighting, armors, clothing & weapons, towns & villages, body, face & skin mods, combat, magic & perks, creatures & factions, quests, new lands & dungeons, survival & utility - and much, much more. Not a single texture will remain ugly after you finish this, and all possible gameplay mechanics will be improved, as well as tons of new ones can be added, hell yeah!
- Everything you need yet nothing excess. Not a huge mod list, filled with subjective choices, yet a roadmap showing you how to build your own dream setup. While, if you lack time - there are some mod lists prepared for you, in [addition] to guide itself.
- Detailed installation order.
- Comfortable and easy-to-navigate design.
- Patches list for compatibility and my personal remarks for the best result.
- Performance notes.
- List of all basic things/tools/tweaks you need to start modding and have stable game.
- ENB installation guide + tweaks/fixes advice.
- The biggest problem of heavy-modded games, script overload, didn't go anywhere in SE, unfortunately - game script engine, Papyrus, was not changed and having too many script-heavy mods may break even the most stable game. Worry not! Many script-heavy mods are marked with special
mark in the guide, so you'll know in advance which mods you'll need to be careful with.
- Merging the mods easier then ever before! Mods that can be easily merged in a few click - marked with a special
- Separate section for low-end PC owners (which you can still use even if your PC is strong, to have FPS boost).
- Pre-made mod lists for different tastes and goals, which you only need to mimic and don't worry about incompatibilities and other issues - in addition to the whole guide itself.
- Constant updates and support :)
How to Support:
This project is completely free. Still, it takes insane amount of my time to build and expand it - the modding guides already took me over working hours in total while they are not monetized in any way. The more independent I will fee myself as an author, the faster new updates and modules will arrive. But support only if you really want it and able to:
Current guide version, changelog & future updates:
Version: for Skyrim Special Edition, at 10 September Biggest update ever made as for today
- Added around new mods in total - brand new & revolutionary, huge & tiny, dozens of hidden gems and so much more! Over new graphics mods (also 8 ENB presets) and around new gameplay mods
- Greatly improved guide navigation - now there are navigation buttons (semi-transparent until you hover on them, at the right side of the page) which can quickly get you to needed section instead of endless scrolling. This should save you plenty of time, I hope :)
- Outdated mods or those not needed as better alternatives were added, were removed
- Over typos fixed (thanks to everyone who contributed, especially to you Daralima, I love and hate you :P)
- General sections improvement
- More merging marks (WIP, added many new for armor/weapon mods, will be adding more on weekly basis)
- Added new pre-made mod mod lists for various tastes & playstyles (modules)
Future updates:
- Atm - fixes of typos and broken links, if present
- More merging marks
- To report the issues with the guide (typos, broken links etc) - please drop a message in #suggestions_to_sinitar room in our Discord server.
A: Not such NASA PC as you may think! Intel i5 k or AMD analogue, GTX Ti/ or AMD analogue, 16GB RAM - with similar specs you'll be be able to run absolutely monstrous setup with everything retextures, all needed lighting/weather/immersion mods, at ultra settings, with any ENB you want, 3D LODs and so on. Yes, this guide is made for ALL rigs - no matter if your PC srong, not that much or a complete potato - you can find recommendations, and build best possible modded game.
Q: So I should install ALL mods from this list?
A: You technically can ofc, but that's not mandatory. This is a guide - it gives you an ability to compare and choose. Open mod pages, browse the images, read the description. Install what you like and don't install what you don't like :) Lastly, there are pre-made mod lists for you to mimic.
Q: I have the game in language other than English, is it a problem?
A: The guide is made for original, i.e. English version of the game. Graphics mods will ofc work fine in most of cases, but as for the gameplay mods, there is no guarantee that they will work with non-English version of the game, or work at all. Moreover, many translations are often outdated which leads to various bugs and conflicts. If you want to be able to use Skyrim modding stage and this guide on its fullest, use English version of the game. I won't be able to give any troubleshooting support for non-English versions.
Q: I also want to install ENB, where's a tips for it?
A: Sure! Whatever you want - it is here ;) Just read a bit further.
Q: I got infinite loading screen/my game crashes/I have FPS drops while having a modern rig.
A: Please read "How to start" section carefully. Read it and install all the things needed before starting to install mods themselves.
Q: That doesn't help!
A: Trust me, if you have read everything carefully and installed mods carefully, it will solve all your problems in 99% of cases. If not, feel free to join our Discord server and community members or I will try our best to help you :)
Q: Where are you from? A few words about you?
A: Ukraine. Gamer, retarded slavic youtuber, One Piece & JJBA fan, gym addict. Web-developer in past, fitness trainer and nutritionist now (as hobby).
Q: Will you expand this guide and add this/that?
A: Sure - I will update and improve it. Unstoppably :)
Q: Ok, guide just received massive update, but how can I see the little new additions?
A: I add mods and fix text errors few times per week. All the mods freshly added to the guide will be marked with red-colored "==NEW==" sign.
Q: Wait, why the popular [mod_name] is not here?
A: One of the main goals of the guide always was to keep your game stable. There are some absolutely great and popular mods, but the thing is popularity now always equal same great quality and stability. Some mods are not included simply because they have major or too many minor issues and not fitting concept of stable heavy-modded game. Nothing more besides that.
Q: Can you just upload your Skyrim folder with all your mods somewhere so I can just download it and not to choose and install mods one by one?
A: Unfortunately, no. The reasons:
Firstly - I can't do this as many mods from the list are Nexus-exslusive and mod authors didn't give a permission to re-upload their works somewhere. I respect their work.
Secondly - everyone has absolutely different PC specs and different taste, and my setup can be absolutely unplayable for many people from both these aspects.
Trust me - when you're making your mod setup by yourself the result will be way better because most of mods are absolutely matter of taste.
Q: But there are a lot of modpacks in internet! I saw them! Even Nexus itself should have modpacks soon!
A: Of course. Modpacks are easy to find and get, but it's also one of the main reason of myth about "heavy-modded % stable Skyrim isn't possible" exists. For very same reasons, modpacks simply can't run the same good for everyone. In best case, modpacks is very, very subjectively made pick of mods, which will never fit your taste on % and almost always filled with arguable and outdated mods. In worst case, it will just break your game eventually. And if you're installing some list of mods via automated tool, even if all the mods are installed in correct order, you still will have to solve a lot of conflicts, merge mods, make bashed/merged patches, setup the MCMs and so on - and that's the point when you'll have no idea what to do, as this mod list was not made by you. From that point, you can either play the game as is, which will lead to glitchy gameplay and eventually a lot of wasted time, or you'll have to go to point zero and learn about all the mod in the modpack yourself, basically, doing what you had to to from the very beginning, but once again, wasting some time. Modpacks are like those ads in internet that are promising you 6-pack in 7 days without diet and training. There's no "magic button" in case of TES or FO games, and it's no matter who made it - random internet person or they are distributed by some popular authors or websites - it doesn't change anything in terms or aspects listed few lines above. Modpacks [can] work for other games with much smaller and simplier modding stages, yet for TES/FO games the only [real] ultimate game, in both graphics and gameplay terms, is the one you've built yourself
Before before you'll start modding. Disable Steam overlay, Afterburner overlay, add Skyrim to your antivirus/firewall "white list". Disable all possible overlays, "boosters", "tuners" programs you may be using in general. All of them can and most likely will screw up your modded game and/or it's many settings. Follow the guide slowly withou a rush. If it's written here to limit your fps using enblocal fps limiter - do it, and don't use and third-party software for it, and so on. You got the idea. Also, it's heavily recommended to disable game autoupdates in Steam.
1) Download and install mod manager. Choose between Nexus Mod Manager (use the .exe file), Mod Organizer 2 or Kortex Mod Manager==NEW==. All 3 of them are great mod managers, each with something own to benefit player. I personally use NMM. What's the difference? NMM is "simple yet effective". MO is a mod manager packed with tons of cool features, mod manager on steroids if we can say so. Kortex is something in between, more similar to MO, but has own pros and cons over it (look here for comparison). Almost all mods can (and should) be installed via mod manager. Do not install mods manually. The guide contains notices regarding some exceptional cases when you'll need to install some mod/part of mod manually, but for the % of cases - always use mod manager. You may also find these NMM tutorial, MO2 tutorial and Kortex info page useful.
IMPORTANT NOTE #1:
Kortex mod manager was tested by myself for working properly - I liked it, just don't personally prefer it over MO2 or NMM. Also, it's not quite the most popuar mod manager, so it lacks usage tutorials, and you'll need to learn how to use/troubleshoot it yourself. Due to the same reason, I won't be able to provide Kortex troubleshooting support in Discord - but once gain, it's a great mod manager and you should be absolutely feel free to try it.
IMPORTANT NOTE #2: Nexus Mods team is currently developing new mod manager called Vortex. It's looking pretty fancy visually, but sadly, it's still very glitchy and pretty dysfunctional. I won't be able to provide any troubleshooting support if you're using it as it's not suitable for modding games like TES or FO. My advice atm is, if really want to, track it and test it by modding some other games with much simplier modding stages. Do not use Vortex to mod Skyrim. Once again, DO NOT USE VORTEX TO MOD SKYRIM. If it will be fine one day, I'll let you guys know.
2) Download and install SKSE. If you allready have it - great. If no - install it. It's obligatory. SKSE is [essential]. Stability mods are also working through it, as well as vastly majority of amazing gameplay mods. Consider it a basic invisible evolution element of Skyrim.
Download the SE version as marked here. Download the archive somewhere, unpack it. From the folder, get the .dll, .exe files and \Data folder, and place them to your Skyrim SE folder, as showed here. MO users should archive the \Data folder and install it as any other mod trough MO (you can do the same in NMM as well if you wanna). From now on, launch your game only via SKSE (skse64_www.spearpointsecuritygroup.com), not the game regular launcher.
3) Download and install SkyUI. As mod itself, SkyUI is basically a "PCfication" of ugly vanilla Skyrim interface. On practice, it's also required by most of well-known mods in addition to SKSE. Also install this fix for it, this and this improvement==NEW==.
Optionally (but very recommended as it's just looks so much more alive and beautiful) install animated icons mod for it. Also optionally, install this "wider" addon for MCM look. Also install iHUD.
4) Download and install LOOT. Get the .exe version and just run it.
LOOT is a must-have tool if you planning to have many mods. It's very easy to install and use.
Its most basic and important function is mod sorting. Many mods should be loaded in strict load order to work properly together. This mod should be loaded before that mod, but after that, and so on. LOOT makes miracles! You can automatically sort all your mods properly by just clicking button 2 times. Sometimes (it happens rare, so mostly you won't to think about it) some mods have direct instructions about how they should be loaded, in this case it's also easy to sort them manually using it. Also, LOOT shows you all you need to know about your mods instlalled - errors, missing records etc. In many cases, if something is not right - it will let you know and it will advise you. Actually, you'll not need to read and lean more than this to use it, but if something is unclear or you want to look at very in-depth guide, check this awesome Gopher's video. Use LOOT sorting each time after you've installed a few mods.
5) Install Address Library for SKSE Plugins. This mod is a partial solution to endless game update issues in SE (which breaks dll SKSE mods) - it allows for such mods to keep working properly not depending on the game version. Solution is partial because it doens't work automatically - each dll SKSE mod must be updated by its author to depend on this one, and as not all authors are aware about this or just active, this solution won't be universal - but it clearly will help you with many mods which are usually broken after every update.
6) Install SSE Engine www.spearpointsecuritygroup.com: mods has TWO parts - first main file, the "Part 1" you can install with mod manager. Second, "Part 2", you should download manually, unpack and place all 3 .dll files to your Skyrim root folder (where Skyrim exe is).
7) Install Bug Fixes SSE. Fixes some SE engine bugs.
8) Install SSEEdit. It's an awesome tool for cleaning your mods, making changes to mod records (like balancing various values up to your taste, deleting conflicting and/or unneeded objects and so on) and more.
Mods may contain "dirty" records and some other issues. And when you will have hundreds of mods, that could be a problem and potentially cause crashes. Clean all mods that have dirty records (until it's directly written by mod author to not do that for some reasons) and all Skyrim's DLCs (which have [hundreds] of dirty records. Yeah - Betheshda didn't even bother to do this for the game "remaster"). Don't be afraid of it, it's not so hard to use as it may look. Check this one awesome general video tutorials about it. Also there are a lot of info and videos at it's Nexus page.
Note #1: Make double sure to clean all base game master files (www.spearpointsecuritygroup.com and all 3 DLC .esm plugins) - otherwise you'll experience random crashes.
Note #2: MO2 users can try to download and use zEdit instead. zEdit is like a successor to xEdit - but please take into account though that it's still a WIP (work in progress) project. If you're a newbie modder - better just stick to xEdit (SSEEdit) now as it's absolutely fine. zEdit may provide better functionality than xEdit, but it's still not fully stable and there are not as much video tutorials for its usage as for xEdit. It doesn't mean it's bad - quite the opposite, but until it's officially and fully released, I won't be able to provide troubleshooting support for it - so use it at your own wish. Here's a basic documentary and description of it here.
9) Install Wrye Bash. Scroll down and download the .exe version and intall it. The link now is temporary, as it's the newest release that fixes some bugs - so track the WB page itself from time to time to see if the newer version is uploaded at the mod page.
Amazing and essential tool to achieve maximum possible compatibility between all your mods.
We will use it later in our journey, so just grab it for now. I'll explain it later in the guide :)
Note: if you'll be noticing you're clearly going above active .esp plugins limit somewhere still in process of adding more and more mods - refer to step #1 in "actions to be made in the end" section at the deep bottom of the guide.
10) Download Merge Plugins. Yes, it's hosted in Skyrim LE sections and yes, it does work with SE absolutely fine :) You will need this if you'll make really heavy load order and reach the plugins (.esp) limit. This amazing tool can technically allow you to have almost endless amounts of mods intalled, so you will be limited only by your PC specs and mods themselves (meaning no using broken/dangerous mods and not overloading your game with script-heavy mods). It easily merges plugins into one .esp file, drastically decreasing the total amount of plugins and allowing you to install more and more mods. For A to Z simple tutorial about using it, watch this amazing video and follow the steps.
Note #1: But what about .esl'fying the mods? It's a new cool feature, so maybe we don't need to merge mods at all anymore? There is a bit more about that - indeed, marking plugins as .esl is a new alternative way of not reaching the plugins limit, but: 1) not all the same mods you can merge can be esl'fied, so sooner or later, you'll eventually need to merge mods anyway 2) esl plugins have some spesific bugs - you can avoid them, but this will mean spending additional time 3) Some other mods, especially mods with dynamic patchers (like ASIS) often simply don't recognize .esl plugins
Note #2: MO2 users, once again, can use zMerge which is inbuilt into zEdit, instead of Merge Plugins. You can also watch this tutorial video.
Note #3 if you'll be noticing you're clearly going above active .esp plugins limit ever after making Bashed Patch somewhere still in process of adding more and more mods - refer to step #2 in "actions to be made in the end" section at the deep bottom of the guide.
11) Install Alternate Start - Live Another Life (+ optional addon), Skyrim Unbound Reborn, RASR - Random Alternate Start Reborn or Realm of Lorkhan - Freeform Alternate Start. Why you need this? These mods provide wide amount of alternative starts the game for those who do not wish to go through the lengthy intro sequence at Helgen. The thing is that vanilla start (scene in Helgen) is VERY heavy-scripted. And when you will install let's say, +mods and start a new game, your Skyrim will be very heavy overloaded. And there's very high chance that your came will crash (because the Papyrus, Skyrim's script engine, was [not] updated in SE and it's same clunky and limited), even if the game itself is absolutely stable. And now these mods save the day! You can just skip this heavy-scripted scene and start anywhere you like. Besides, it has a really wide amount of alternative start, great for roleplay.
Which one to use, what is the difference?? Long story short, ASLAL provides more "roleplay-wise" starts - you will appear in a certain cell, depending on your start option choice, and also has plenty of additional start options addons. Unbound will spawn you randomly, so less "immersive" start, but it allows you highly adjustable character customization (gear, spells etc) which ASLAL doesn't, and the most important - it allows you to play as NON-Dragonborn (but you can "become" it in MCM anytime), which is really a great option. RASR is somewhat like a mix of these two, a pretty underrated gem and Realm of Lorkhan is a really fresh and unique alternate start mod, which may look note quite "lore-friendly" to some players, but it's really well-designed and give you very interesting starting choices for your character class and even curses - negative attributes to balance class bonuses (if you want so, all these features are entirely optional - my only 2 cents abou it is that some class bonuses are still somewhat too strong even with curses, so you may want to adjust them in TES5Edit, which is very simple). I personally recommend to use Skyrim Unbound or Realm of Lorkhan, but it's totally up to you. Lastly, Realm of Lorkhan has on pretty immersion-breaking (for some players) thing - crystals you appear from after starting the game are not going anywhere and are just scattared across Skyrim. To remove them, use this patch==NEW==.
12) Get the Cathedral Assets Optimizer This step is optional. Easy-to-use tool to convert meshes from LE to SE (and backwards as well). Skyrim SE has less coverage in terms of remodels/retextures, and while you can mostly use textures from LE ins SE without issues, the meshes you need to convert. This tool will help you.
Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch This mod should be already considered as part of vanilla game. It fixes litereally thousands glitches and bugs in Skyrim. RaceMenu Character creation menu how it should have been originally and great amount of customization options. Also get this==NEW==. ConsoleUtilSSE Required by decent amount of other mods. Hook Share SSE + Scaleform Translation Plus Plus Same, required by a few mods to work. Stay At The System Page This mod brings back the behavior of original Skyrim's Journal Menu. Whenever you press the Escape key, mod will open the System page instead of Quest page. Muh convenient! Whose Quest Is It Anyway Swaps the "Quest items cannot be removed" message for a more descriptive message informing you which quest the item belongs to. Yes Im Sure Disables annoying message prompts asking you if you're sure you'd like to craft/improve/exit menus. Better Dialogue Controls + Better MessageBox Controls Ever pick the wrong item in a dialogue with a NPC or struggled with not cozy controls in messagebox popups? No more! 1st Person Candlelight Fix Have you ever been annoyed that the candlelight spell is much brighter in 3rd person view than 1st person view? This mod aims to reduce that difference and make them more equal. Note: don't let any other mod overwrite it, in case of what. Also, if you're modding Skyrim "allegedly VR", use this==NEW== one instead. Better Jumping SE Allows to jump while sprinting. Glow Be Gone SKSE Updated Dynamically removes annoying edge glow from shader effects via an SKSE plugin. Similar to "No More Ugly Effects" for Skyrim LE. Player Eyes Blink Fix Enables blinking eyes for the player. Blacksmith Forge Water Fix Skyrim SE forge water still looks terrible. Fortunately, this solves the problem. Get the USSEP version. CRF patch in addition if you have or plan to have this mod. Enchantment Reload Fix SE Fixes the bug that causes weapon enchantments to drain more charges, and increase drastically in price, after the game is reloaded. Atlas Map Markers - Updated with MCM Essential mod that drastically increases amount of map markers. Remember how you was able to fast travel only to Whiterun itself or Dragonsreach? Now you can fast travel to Arcadia's Cauldron, Jorrvaskr etc. More then new map markers! Please also make sure to endorse the original modWeapons Armor Clothing and Clutter Fixes + Armor and Clothing Extension These two mod fix hundreds of bugs and inconsistencies for Skyrim's weapons, armors, clothing, jewelry, and clutter items and add more diversity and lore-friendly clothing options and gives NPCs more appropriate attire. Complete Crafting Overhaul ==NEW== Essential mod from author of previous two fixes. CCOR is reworking all vanilla craft recipes, offers many options for mining, chopping, smelting and so on - simply making everything crafting-related to be logical and really interesting. That's why you need it even if you never actually crafted a single thing in Skyrim - because now it's not that dull crafting system. Consider it as the vanilla part of the game as it always should have been from the release. Most of mod options can be enabled/disabled and configured via MCM menu. Flora Respawn Fix + Better Harvesting These two mods are fixing plenty of respawning flora/fauna and gives more realistic harvesting for flora and ingredients and death items on animals/creatures.
Note: for Better Harvesting, make sure to install "Better Harvesting - Flora Respawn Fix version" version of the mod. Heartfires Houses Building Fix Restores proper models of some building parts and furniture in crafting menu. Auto Hide Ammo Automatically hides your current ammo when there isn't a bow/crossbow equipped. More Informative Console This mod edits the UI to show a great deal of additional information on npcs, items, and other objects when the console is opened, similar to the way MFG console worked for Skyrim LE. It may help you in various cases of game testing and possible issues solving. Make sure to get the proper version of main file, currently the "More Informative Console for SKSE " one. Fuz Ro D-oh - Silent Voice An SKSE plugin that adds support for unvoiced in-game dialogs. Isn't doing anything by itself, by it's needed for many mods for mod-added dialogues to work properly. Actor Limit Fix==NEW== Fixes a bug where if you have more than actors in the same place they start floating around weirdly. Also fixes bug where NPC lips stop moving when a lot of them are nearby. Difficulty Balance ==NEW== This mod makes that the player and allies have the same difficulty damage factor. As a result, it will be corrected that the higher the difficulty, the less damage will be caused to the followers and the summoned actors.
Congrats, you're ready now!
It's a free, small and awesome tool that allows you to open .dds (texture) files just like any other images. Doing this, you can compare same textures from different mods and decide which one to install. It's a must-have tool.
P.S. Installer .exe file doesn't contain eny viruses. Just ignore your antivirus.
P.P.S. If you have problems with it on Windows 10 and you're NVIDIA user, try this.
P.P.P.S. If you're happy Photoshop owner, simply install this plugin instead and enjoy.
Important tip #1: During the installation process, overwrite all the files when you will be notified about this. There will be a few cases when you not need to overwrite some files or you need to install texture partially/manually, but I will notify about it.
Important tip #2: To install mods and then launch your game is not a best idea. I personally recommend to do in this way: install a few mods (let's say if these mods are big, if small), sort them with LOOT, launch your game, check it's stable. Install 5 more and so on.
Important tip #3: Don't use the "Vortex" button on top of mod pages to download the mods. This button automatically downloads the main version of the mod and that's it - it may be not the version you need, it may be not the only file you need etc. So make a good habit now - never use this button. Instead, always just go to "Files" tab and see what files are there.
Important tip #4: Don't use 4k textures untill you have 4k monitor with huge monitor size itself and you have Titan videocard and you're not aiming for screenarchery (like shotting a bugs or leaves). You won't see any difference between 4k and 2k textures until you come absolutely closely to them. 2k is perfect option for and even higher (2k) monitors. Using 4k textures you'll just waste tonns of VRAM but won't notice this actually. Using 2k will save tonns of VRAM and you're still having beautiful textures. The only where you can install 4k textures are interior cells (caves/mines etc) as interior use much less VRAM and some underground creature retextures (Dwemer/Falmer) due to the same reasons, as well as personal standalone armors/weapons mods. If your PC is not the strongest, or you just want to save some VRAM for something else - for example, latest ENB effects or 3D LODs from DyndoLOD - simply don't waste your memory on that. Graphics quality will be just fine.
Q: But why "waste" of VRAM?
A: It's pretty simple. Texture is basically a square img file. Most of people are used to think that 2k uses x2 more VRAM then 1k, and 4k uses x4 more VRAM then 1k, for example. But as texture img is a square, we will receive a bit different values. 1x1=1. 2x2=4. 4x4= So as you can see, 2k textures actually use x4 more VRAM compared to 1k, and 4k use x16 more VRAM, which is absolutely insane.
Let's go!
A: Ok, listen, young padavan. ENB is a graphical enhancement engine that adds visual affects that are not supported by the game initially, at all. Proper antialiasing, real HDR, qualitative bloom, ambient fog effects, various new shaders, ambient occlusion, complex particle lighting, depth of field and much-much more. ENB is also a PC-only engine - that's why modded Skyrim graphics are looking so superior compared with Skyrim graphics on consoles.
Q: I have the feeling ENB in SE doesn't look same good as in LEam I hallucinating?
A: You aren't. The thing is, indeed, ENB in Skyrim SE is not able to look the same good as in LE. But wait, SE is 64bit and LE is 32bit, and SE is newer, how come, you may ask. Yeah, but all those facts are not related with ENB possilities, in which SE engine is somewhat limited because of running on DX11, while LE us running on DX9. Long story short, ENB works different on DX11 and has less powers. It doesn't support some features (like objects parallax) and has overally weaker shaders quality in general. Lastly, it often has less customization options. All together, this leads to worse look and much smaller diversity of ENB presets compared to LE. If you are aimed on % of modded graphics results, you may want to mod Skyrim LE (which is also literally % stable today even heavy-modded) instead, following my existing guide which will soon receive a massive update.
Q: How much FPS will ENB eat? How do I know that?
A: First of all, you need to understand that ENB is ofc FPS-hungry and as it interracts with objects in game and adds a lot of visual effects, ENB performance will depend on many factors - how much texture mods are installed, what our PC specs are etc. But ENB effects are totally and more than worth their price :) Also, in SE, almost all ENB presets make more or less same FPS hit, so if you can normally run one ENB preset, you most likely will be able to run any preset without issues.
Q: Why installing ENB before the graphics mods? Texture mods are most important, no?
A: No. The thing is, as already mentioned, ENB adds completely new shaders and visual effects to the game - that's why it's the most important part of graphics transformation. A game with good ENB preset and no texture mods at all will always look better than game with even texture mods but no ENB. ENB preset is very much determining the visual style your game will have - so first, it's better to decided which ENB preset you like the most and get it, and then tune your game with retexturing and other mods.
Q: But what about weather/lighting mods? ENB preset I want to use requires that weather mod!
A: Don't worry. You can install weather/lighting mods required anytime. Weather/lighting "incompatibility" with ENB will not cause crashes, it's just about how the ENB colors and other effects are looking the best possible exactly with required weather/ligting mods.
Q: My PC/laptop is pretty weak and ENB gives me really low FPS!
A: Rrefer to the end of the guide where I prepared a section especially for low-end PCs - most likely it will allow you to use ENB even if your PC is pretty weak (up to some extent, ofc).
Q: I saw your videos and I like that ENB, what's the name?
A: I'm using the amazing Rudy ENB for Obsidian Weathers.
Before installing the ENB, make a few tweaks/installations for ENB to work and look % properly:
- Disable ingame DOF (depth of field) like it's shown here.
- In Skyrim SE launcher settings, disable Ambient Occlusion.
- In Skyrim SE launcher settings disable the improved snow options, or in www.spearpointsecuritygroup.com, set bEnableImprovedSnow= value to 0.
- In www.spearpointsecuritygroup.com, make sure bDrawLandShadows= and bTreesReceiveShadows= values are set to 1.
- In www.spearpointsecuritygroup.com, make sure fGamma= value is set to
- Install particle patch for ENB. Download the archive, add it to your mod manager and install as any other mod.
- Install Smooth Sky Mesh.
- Now, install the ENB binaries (core files) themselves: go here and download the latest version. Unpack the archive and from \WrapperVersion folder, grab d3ddll, d3dcompiler_www.spearpointsecuritygroup.com and www.spearpointsecuritygroup.com, and place them to your Skyrim SE root folder (where game .exe is located). That's it!
- Choose and download the ENB preset you like and drop it's content to the same folder (where Skyrim .exe is). Usually, it's simply the \enbseries folder and www.spearpointsecuritygroup.com file. Basically, the process of siwtching between ENB presets is as simple as deleting your current \enbseries folder and www.spearpointsecuritygroup.com and placing a new ones into Skyrim root directory. That's it.
- Make sure to cap your fps at 59 in www.spearpointsecuritygroup.com (set EnableFPSLimit= to true and FPSLimit= to 59).
- Antialiasing: there are a few options. First one - use the edge AA from ENB (set EnableEdgeAA=true in www.spearpointsecuritygroup.com). Second one - don't use ENB AA and use TAA (set in game launcher settings). Third one - use ENB SMAA. Not every ENB preset provides it - usually you can choose it in ENB GUI (like in Rudy ENB, for example). Fourth one - DSR (dynamic super resolution). With DSR enabled, game is rendered in higher resolution than your monitor resolution is and then squeezed to your monitor resolution. The difference between those methods: Edge AA is the most simple and fps-friendly, but the also not perfectly smooth (yet still superior to awful ingame AA). TAA is looking very good, but often causes weird "ghosting" artifacts when moving. SMAA is the best in terms of fps price and quality. DSR is superior to any of them, but the most fps-hungry due to how it works. Try all of them and choose the one most suitable for you. If you have somewhat midrange rig, it's either Edge AA, SMAA or TAA. If you have pretty strong rig and video memory is not a problem for you at all, try DSR for sure.
- Not a tweak itself, bur rather a useful info that not everyone are aware about: DOF (depth of field, "blurred effect/focus") is usually different for each ENB preset - as certain author sees it better in own perspective. Some ENB presets may have "lightweight" gameplay DOF - so only very distant views are blurred. Some may have a very strong "screenarchery" DOF - when everything further then a few feets from your character is blurred. And so on. So often it may happen you find an ENB preset greatly fitting your taste, but with terrible (for your taste) DOF. You can, ofc just disable it in ENB GUI, but there's a better thing - you actually can use [any] DOF with [any] ENB preset! Even more, you can actually even use DOF files between different TES/FO games - for example, I'm using Rudy ENB LE DOF in New Vegas and Oblivion, and so on. So just find ENB preset which DOF you like the most and just take it's DOF files (www.spearpointsecuritygroup.com and www.spearpointsecuritygroup.com) and drop them into your \enbseries folder. Profit!
When you'll be browsing the ENB presets for Skyrim SE, you may get the feeling that not all, yet many of them are very similar to each other. Unfortunately, that's how it is - due to different level of ENB support in Skyrim SE, it's not possible to have same visual quality and diversity of ENB presets as in Skyrim LE. Yet, today SE ENB presets look pretty great and so here are some of the most well-made of them, and with different styles as much as it's possible in SE. Let's see some (•̀௰•́ )
Also some shortening for weather/lighting mods you will see below: Vanilla - original game, no weather/lighting mod, Obsidian - Obsidian Weathers and Seasons, COT - Climates of Tamriel, NAT - Natural and Atmospheric Tamriel, Vivid - Vivid Weathers, Aequinoctium - Aequinoctium - Weathers and Seasons, Mythical Ages - Mythical Ages - weathers and lighting overhaul, Rustic - Rustic Weathers and Lighting, Dolomite - Dolomite Weathers - Natural Lighting Vivid Atmospherics II, Surreal - Surreal Lighting -- vibrant and cheerful weathers and lighting, Autumn Skies - Autumn Skies - A Weather and Lighting Mod, Cathedral - Cathedral Weathers and Seasons, ELFX - Enhanced Lights and FX, ELE - Enhanced Lighting for ENB, RLO - Realistic Lighting Overhaul.
Rudy ENB While ENB preset choices is a matter of taste more then anything else - still, there are always some presets that are top-notch in terms of overall quality and balance. And Rudy ENB is one of them - it's my personal favorite for both Skyrim LE and Skyrim SE. It has amazing quality of shaders, a gret balance between fantasy, cinematic and realistic look, great performance. Great lighting, great water look and just absolutely polished approach to ENB tweaking in general - that's all about Rudy's preset. In addition, you can always be sure it's always up-to-date with all newest ENB effects and it's also an absolute champion in terms of compatibility - it has version for almost each weather mod and compatible with all 3 popular lighting mods at the same time. If you are not quite sure about ENB choice now, but wanna start from something really great - seek no more! There's also an optional addon (tweaked LUT) for it available here==NEW==. Weather mods compatibility: Obsidian, CoT, NAT, Aequinoctium, Vivid, Rustic, www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE, RLO.
Silent Horizons ENB Greatly customizable fantasy-cinematic ENB preset with great compatibility spectrum. A member of my personal TOP ENB presets list. Weather mods compatibility: Obsidian, NAT, Dolomite, Aequinoctium, Mythical Ages, Vivid, www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE, RLO.
Mythical ENB Vibrant fantasy ENB preset of a great quality. A member of my personal TOP ENB presets list. Weather mods compatibility: Mythical Ages, www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: None officially supported, but looking fine with ELFX.
Ominous ENB A new ENB preset from a popular and talented ENB maker. Inspired by Grim and Somber ENB in Skyrim LE, this preset is cinematic, dark and grim. Weather mods compatibility: www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX.
Natural and Atmospheric Tamriel ENB A successor to very popular PRT ENB, NAT ENB is an incredibly cinematic ENB preset with unique filmic touch. A member of my personal TOP ENB presets list. Weather mods compatibility: None. USe ENB preset's own weather www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE, RLO.
Aequinoctium ENB A bright ENB preset with a bit of photorealism touch, with cinematic and vibrant look as well. Weather mods compatibility: www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: None officially supported, but looking fine with ELFX.
Semirealis ENB,Intrigued ENB,NVT ENB Three modern SE ENB presets from the same author - with pretty similar look, but a bit different in details. Cold, dark and cinematic vibes with great shaders quality. First two presets are for Cathedral and Obsidian weathers respectively, and NVT has a lot of version for different weather mods. A member of my personal TOP ENB presets list. Weather mods compatibility: Vanilla, Obsidian, NAT, Dolomite, Aequinoctium, Mythical Ages, Vivid, Surreal, Mythical, www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX.
CFL II ENB Amazingly cinematic/filmic ENB preset with simply a huge amount of presets inside it (around 60 of them to fit your taste). Weather mods compatibility: www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: None officially supported.
eisVogel v2 ENB A very vibrant preset with cinematic touch. Can be called a stripped down version of Tetrachromatic ENB for Skyhim LE (as unfortunately proper vibrant, saturated presets are not possible on the same level as it was possible in LE). If you're fan of vibrancy - this one is what you should definitely try. Also has a few color presets inside. A member of my personal TOP ENB presets list. Weather mods compatibility: www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX.
X ENB Somewhat cinematic preset with "vanilla-wise" look in general. Weather mods compatibility: Obsidian, Cathedral. Not officially supported, but looking pretty fine with - NAT, Vivid, Rustic, www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE, RLO. Though, there may be some weird exterior lighting cases as only interior lighting changes are officially supported.
Ruvaak Dahmaan ENB SE A cold, also vanilla-friendly, well-balanced and a bit cinematic ENB preset. A member of my personal TOP ENB presets list. Weather mods compatibility: www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX.
Imaginarium ENB Good-looking mix of "light" fantasy and realism. A member of my personal TOP ENB presets list. Weather mods compatibility: Obsidian, www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX.
Visceral ENB Soft preset also pretty close to vanilla look, with tiny fantasy touch. Weather mods compatibility: Aequinoctium, Dolomite, Mythical, Obsidian, Rustic, www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: None officially supported, but looking fine with ELFX.
Organic ENB A stripped down brother of the same named preset in Skyrim LE, it comes with good touch of realism, a bit of vibrancy and generally soft look. Weather mods compatibility: Vanilla, Vivid, Obsidian, Dolomite, www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: None officially supported, but looking fine with ELFX.
Dark Shadows ENB Pretty unique-looking, dark and grim preset. Weather mods compatibility: www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX.
Prismatic ENB Very vibrant preset with indeed somewhat "prismatic" look which may be a good choice for people who love saturated presets. Weather mods compatibility: www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX.
Sin Xtreme Realism ENB A very realism-centered preset that also went not too far from vanilla look, but made it more contrast. Weather mods compatibility: Obdisian, Dolomite, Rustic, vivid, NAT, COT, Mythical, Aequinoctium and all weather mods of this preset www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE, RLO.
Vividian ENB Nuff said from the name. An ENB preset for Vivid Weathers author for Vivid Weathers mod. Weather mods compatibility: www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE, RLO.
VIVE ENB One more preset for Vivid Weathers. Looks pretty good balanced and gives cinematic touch to vibrant Vivid Weathers itself. Weather mods compatibility: www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX.
OaxENB Most likely the best preset if you're aimed on "Vanilla +" graphics experience. Weather mods compatibility: Vivid. But goes fine with vanilla weathers www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: RLO. But goes fine with ELFX and vanilla lighting too.
Cyrn ENB VERY saturated preset. That's it. Try it if you wanna some COLOURS. Weather mods compatibility: Vanilla, Vivid, COT, NAT, www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE.
Ragnarok Enb Cold, cinematic & grim. It's REALLY old and not updated, but somehow one of those presets who manage to keep authentic look even without being up-do-date - that's why it's in the list :) Weather mods compatibility: Lighting mods compatibility:
Obsidian Weathers ENB Preset Pretty much underrated ENB preset for Obsidian weathers - with really well-rounded visual balance and pretty dark. Weather mods compatibility: www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE.
eVx ENB==NEW== A bright and (but not too much) colorful (in interiors, cinematic at night and interiors) ENB preset, with strong DOF and LUTs to choose from - mostly made for screenarchery, but can be good for gameplay as well if you'll change DOF to one of lighter ones. Weather mods compatibility: Dolomite, but works pretty much good with any weather mod or www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX.
Desmond's Lusty ENB REDUX==NEW== Somewhat photorealistic (as much as SE limited ENB is capable on that) preset. Weather mods compatibility: Vivid www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX, ELE, RLO.
Sinister ENB==NEW== Somber and cinematic,somewhat "lifeless" preset. Weather mods compatibility: NAT, Obsidian, Rustic, www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: ELFX, RLO.
Northern Realistic Lighting ENB==NEW== Realistic preset inspired by NLA ENB in Skyrim LE. Weather mods compatibility: Mythical www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: Relighting skyrim + ELE.
The Truth ENB==NEW== Wanna your game still look vanilla just a bit better? That's a preset for you then. Weather mods compatibility: www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: Anything.
Gameplay Performance ENB==NEW== Simple, a bit brighter than original lighting, vanilla+ performance-friendly preset. Weather mods compatibility: www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: Anything.
Impression ENB - An Aesthetic Cartoon Overhaul==NEW== Pretty special preset which images speak for themselves. Weather mods compatibility: www.spearpointsecuritygroup.comng mods compatibility: Anything.
Scenery ENB==NEW== Vibrant, bright preset for Skyrim VR.
Pala - Custom Palettes for ENB==NEW== A pack of palettes (colour overlays) which can be used with any ENB preset.
Now, let's go! To the graphics mods!
Once again, here's a simple "rule" - as the guide's task is to save your time as much as possible, installing and overwriting is very simple - just follow the lists of mods, pick what you like, install and overwrite everything ("yes to all" for NMM and giving bigger priority in MO). Mods are listed in the order which, after endless tests and mixing approaches, will lead to the most balanced and beautiful look. In some separate cases where a selective overwriting will be needed, I'll notify you :)
Also, as Skyrim SE itself requires at least somewhat decent rig to run it without issues, the overall performance impact scatter of graphics mods is different from Skyrim LE, and if you can run Skyrim SE on max settings without issues, you will be able to run most of texture/mesh mods without issues as well, so there is no need for "green-yellow-red" marking system as for Skyrim LE. Still, some mods have pretty "different" level of quality or some other details that may impact performance greatly on weaker PCs, and such mods will be marked with a special ==FPS== mark. This does NOT mean such mods will destroy your performance if you don't have "NASA PC" - but it means you should install such mods carefully (basically, testing ingame performance after such mod installation) even on strong rigs, and avoid certain options or mods entirely on weak rigs.
First of all, let's install some "core" texture/model mods that will serve us as a base:
Static Mesh Improvement Mod A core mod that greatly improves hundreds of flat vanilla models. Also grab this improvement patch==NEW== for it - but make sure to disable plugin if you'll be using lighting mods like ELFX. During the mods installations further, we'll be adding to it and improving what SMIM already improved, even more. As you may know, it's [not] recommended to start a game via vanilla (Helgen) start in a heavy-modded game, but if you're a daring one, don't forget to install this fix to not fly across Skyrim in prisoner cart. Ruins Clutter Improved Speaks for its name clearly. Another one huge core mod with myriads of models and texture improvements for various ruins and related clutter. Don't forget to install the Update files and also install this fix. Ultimate HD Fire Effects The fire your game deserves. Yes, the link goes to Skyrim LE version (SE version of the mod is a placebo). Here, you need to manually download the mod archive (pick the Ultra version), unpack it, and delete the \meshes folder inside. Then pack the \textures folder, add the archive to your mod manager and install as any other mod. Bingo! Use this mod [OR] the mod below for fire effects. Inferno - Fire Effects Redux ==NEW== An alternative to the fire effects mod above. Use one or another. Underground - a dungeon texture overhaul Huge mod that greatly improves a lot of texture for all types of dungeons.Bellyaches HD Dragon Replacer Pack + Bellyaches Animal and Creature Pack
A base retextures for dragons and plenty of animals/critters. High Quality Food and Ingredients Basic omnomnom retextures.
Now choose between the next few mods. Basically, they all are very big packs covering +/- same amount of textures, installing one after another will severely or almost completely overwrite the first one you've installed. As an option, you can compare texture images manually and keep the ones you like, mixing these mods. But in most cases, you won't need this, especially if you're a newcomer to Skyrim modding. Same is applied to each further "choose" notifications.
SSE Texture Pack - Osmodius This texture pack can be basically considered a "vanilla plus" retexturing project. Skyland - A Landscape Texture Overhaul Pretty qualitative textures pack with a great coverage as well. Skyrim Realistic Overhaul Another one "vanilla-wise" texture overhaul with a really huge coverage. It's disadvantage is it has plenty of unnecessary 4k texture where it's absolutely not needed - not the best optimization, in other words. But it may be a great choice if you 1) just wanna bump vanilla textures, sticking to original look 2) don't actaully want install many other mods. Noble Skyrim Mod This beautiful and qualitative mod stands for its name - it's an amazing texture project which gives Skyrim an indeed a noble touch. One of my two personal favourites in Skyrim SE. Install FULL pack (until you're not on a completely potato rig which struggles with Skyrim SE itself). Also don't forget to install the SMIM patch. Skyrim Textures by Pfuscher The most popular texture pack on SE Nexus - and that's absolutely deserved. Almost all Pfuscher's textures are pure piece of art - great quality, great optimization, fresh look, yet - still sticking to original Skyrim look at the same time in most of cases. Take into account - there are a lot of separate mod ffiles at Files tab - you need to download them all, if you want maximum coverage. Vivid Landscapes - All in One This pack doesn't give same big coverage as previous packs (mostly the landscapes and farmhouses), but it's also incredibly qualitative work and has own original look. Skyland AIO ==NEW== All Skyland textures in one pack. aMidianBorn Buildings and Landscapes ==NEW== Note: this one is optional - Amidianborn textures are old but great and you may find them better to your likings then same textures covered by bigger packs above. Try and see.Just a few recommendations if you can't decide what to pick: 1) Get the Skyland and then overwrite it with Noble. 2) Get only Noble 3) Get the Skyland and overwrite with Pfusher's packs. 4) Get the Noble and overwrite with Pfuscher's packs (that's what I'm using as base). Though, it's just my personal recommendations - always do as your heart and eyes are telling you :)
Now, caves/mines mods and few options for them. Note - for interior cells, like caves & mines, you can easily grab the 4k version of the mod if it's present - interiors eat vastly less VRAM.
CC's HQ MinesCC's HQ CavesGecko's Dwarven Ruins TexturesNow choose one from the next 3 mods which are retexturing Nordic dungeons somehow "forgotten" by big mods before, or just doing it better:
Skyland Nordic RuinsGecko's Nordic Ruins TexturesRudy HQ - Nordic Ruins SE My absolute favorite between Nordic retexturing mods - the level of details is just astonishing. You can install Skyland Nordic Ruins and then this mod on top, as Skyland covers few objects not touched by this mod. Also don't forget to get all optional addons and higher resolution textures.Fine, let's move
Blended Roads Amazing mod doing exactly how it's called. One roads mod to rule them all.Now, choose between the next few mods:
Skyrim Flora Overhaul ==FPS== The most popular tree mod for Skyrim which provides better textures and mods for vanilla trees, as well as new tree models. Note #1: until you absolutely love SFO's grass (in my opinion, other grass mods have grass handled better), install "Trees Only" version of the mod, as grass will be handled by other mods in the section below. Don't forget to install the update file too. Note #1: if you love this mod, but have non-pleasant FPS drops with it, try this amazing optimized textures addon for it (overwrite the mod files). Realistic Aspen Trees Retexture of aspen trees for a more realistic and diverse look. Yellow, orange and red colors.Note: use this mod only with Skyrim Flora Overhaul or vanilla trees. EVT (listed below) has it included and "3D" trees mod (listed below) has own aspen trees modification. Simply Bigger Trees SE ==FPS== A mod that makes trees bigger.
Note: similar as with previous mod, use it only with SFO and/or Realistic Aspect Trees (make sure to grab proper version in Files tab). Mods listed below are not compatible with it and don't need it. EVT, for example, has own option for bigger trees with much better performance impact. Tree Bark in High Definition A bark texture addon.
Note: usage - same as previous mods - with SFO, and/or RAT, and/or SBT only. Not needeed for EVT or "3D" trees mod. Skyrim 3D Trees and Plants ==FPS== This mod is kind of double-edged sword. Some of tree models are actually looking absolutely spectacular and really have much more volumetric look, while majority of other trees are looking plastic-like due to weird inflated models and unrealistic textures. If you'll be using this mod, don't forget to intall this fix for it. Enhanced Vanilla Trees ==FPS== My personal favourite tree mod for Skyrim. It greatly improves both models and textures of the trees, giving more lush and detailed look, while sticking to original appearance of the trees at the same time, and adding some trees here and there. It also has Realistic Aspen Trees included (choose it in installer options) as well as big trees option, which is the best between all similar "bigger" tree mods in terms of effect/performance hit ratio.
Note: SE version of the mod still has some non-critical visual glitches - so if you want the mod working on %, just use the Skyrim LE version of it - download it manually, add to your mod manager for SE and isntall as usual. Myrkvior - The Flora Of Skyrim ==FPS====NEW== New, original trees overhaul with a unique look and great quality. Only moment here is that it's placing plenty of new trees across the game world as well - so if using it, test the game deepy if you'll be using landscape overhauls. Yet, it's giving a really fresh touch to Skyrim trees look and definitely worth a try. Lush Vanilla Trees If you have performance issues with the mods listed above, you can try this one. Much simplier but also much more fps-friendly tree mod. Green and Lush Aspen Trees ==NEW== An overhaul of the aspen trees for a green and lush look - can use on top of the mods above - overwrite other mods when asked if using it. Aspens Ablaze ==NEW==
The best Skyrim mods in
The best Skyrim mods let you tweak or overhaul nearly every part of the game. There are options available whether you want to improve graphics, make your companions better company, turn the dragons into something silly, or play a whole new adventure as good as the original story. It’s been nine years, but Skyrim modding shows no signs of slowing down. Below you’ll find our picks for the best Skyrim mods.
This list is regularly updated, though the most recent revision deals more with changes to formatting and structure than wholesale content changes. For one thing, what was once nine pages long now all sits on a single page. Sweet! We’ll be back with more substantive updates in the weeks ahead.
How to install Skyrim mods
Before you start turning dragons into ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage, there are a few things you’ll want to install first. It’s also recommended to do a clean install of Skyrim and start a new game, especially if you’re going to be throwing a lot of mods into the mix. What I like to do is create a new, unmodified game, get somewhere like Riverwood and then create a save that I can use for testing. You don’t need to fire up the save after every mod, but it’s worth checking a few times during the process to make sure everything’s working. The fewer mods you’ve installed, the easier it will be to pinpoint any problems or conflicts.
Best Skyrim mods
We’ve only picked the very best Skyrim mods, but there are so many available that we’ve had to break them down by category. You can hop directly to the kind of mod you want via the links below. Almost every mod here is available for both Skyrim and Skyrim Special Edition, and where there are exceptions we’ve dug out a similar mod as an alternative. Check the bottom of each write-up for the Special Edition link.
Skyrim graphics mods
Skyrim NPC and creature mods
Skyrim weapon and armour mods
Skyrim combat and magic mods
Skyrim town mods
Skyrim quest and overhaul mods
Skyrim character customisation mods
Skyrim UI mods
Skyrim survival mods
Nexus Mod Manager
Even if you’re just planning on using a few mods, grabbing a mod manager will skip so much hassle. There are several good ones, but Nexus Mod Manager is your best bet. It looks a bit intimidating at first, but once you’ve got it set up, you won’t need to worry about it at all. If you’ve modded Fallout 4, you’ll already be au fait with the manager, and you can use it for several other games, including The Witcher 3. Here’s a tutorial from mod guru Gopher to get you started.
LOOT
A lot of the mods in this list can be used in tandem, but even compatible mods can have a falling out when they’re not put in the correct load order. LOOT solves this and myriad other problems, checking your load order, hunting for errors and directing you to naughty mods that aren’t playing nicely. Before you test anything in-game, run LOOT. It takes seconds.
Skyrim Script Extender
Several important mods won’t work at all without the Skyrim Script Extender. When Skyrim Special Edition launched, the script extender’s absence meant that a lot of mods couldn’t be used or ported over, so the original Skyrim remained the best version for anyone looking to spice up their game. It’s been updated since then, thankfully, and now works with both editions. Note that, from now on, you’ll need to launch Skyrim with the script extender, not through Steam. You can launch it directly from the .EXE or by connecting it to the Nexus Mod Manager.
Unofficial Skyrim Patch
Even if you’re not planning on adding a single mod, you should get the Unofficial Skyrim Patch. It’s one giant bugfix that’s constantly being updated, and as with every massive Bethesda game, Skyrim sure has a lot of bugs.
Special Edition
Cutting Room Floor
Like the Unofficial Skyrim Patch, Cutting Room Floor is worth getting even if you just want the vanilla Skyrim experience. It’s a large compilation of cut content, adding villages, NPCs, quests and countless other bits and pieces that Bethesda created but never implemented. None of this has just been flung back in, of course, and has instead been tweaked to make sure it all fits with Bethesda’s final version of Skyrim.
Special Edition
Achievements Mods Enabler
In Skyrim Special Edition, achievements can’t be earned if you’re using mods. That’s obviously dumb, so here’s a mod that gets around that. If you’ve got regular Skyrim, you don’t need to do anything.
Best Skyrim mods – Graphics
Static Mesh Improvement Mod
It’s a terrible name for a mod that you absolutely need to get. Basically, it spruces up a huge pile of 3D models, making all of Skyrim look nicer in hundreds of tiny ways. You’ll probably not even notice it most of the time, but it works its magic everywhere. It’s also a key ingredient in several other mods, so it should be one of your first downloads.
Special Edition
Skyrim HD
Skyrim HD is a long-running texture mod that replaces over textures. Everything from the sky and mountains to the interiors of ramshackle hovels has been done up. There are two complete versions, one of which is a 1K resolution ‘lite version’ for less powerful PCs. Optionally, you can download just the cities, landscapes, dungeons or miscelleanous packs. This is specifically for old Skyrim, but there are plenty of great alternatives for the Special Edition.
Skyrim Textures
Another huge, broad texture mod, this time specifically for the Special Edition. The latest version of the mod only comes with one complete file, but the version is more modular. You can pick what you want retextured, whether it’s just the roads, only mountains or all of Riften. The mod’s creator advises people with the old version to keep it, as it has some files that haven’t been added to the version yet.
RealVision ENB
More than most other mods, the lighting, post-processing and colour tweaks made by ENBs and Reshade mods are down to personal preference. In OG Skyrim, I was rather partial to RealVision ENB, and it still makes the seven-year-old game look absolutely gorgeous, though it does come at the cost of performance. You definitely won’t be able to use a PC that ran Skyrim in
SkyrimSE Re-Engaged ENB
When the Special Edition first launched, flashy post-processing options were limited while we waited for ENB to be updated. SkyrimSE Re-Engaged started out as a Reshade mod (it has since made the jump to ENB) and proved to be the best alternative, and while there’s now no dearth of competition, it continues to be my favourite. There are seven presets, not including vanilla, each dramatically different and designed with a specific weather mod in mind, and if there’s something you don’t like, you can adjust it.
Realistic Lighting Overhaul
If you don’t want to fiddle around with ENBs or take the inevitable performance hit that comes with the most impressive ones, Realistic Lighting Overhaul might be just your horn of mead. It’s a comprehensive lighting mod that doesn’t use any post-processing or screen injector tricks, so there’s no performance cost. It’s not as dramatic, either, but that’s the point. It aims to light up Skyrim realistically, based on actual light sources, whether it’s the sun or a candle.
Special Edition
Enhanced Lights and FX
Enhanced Lights and FX is similar to RLO, but it’s more dramatic and stylised. ELFX wants to make Skyrim pretty, not just realistically lit. Both mods are great, so it really depends on what kind of atmosphere you want to generate. You could always mix and match, and even throw in an ENB for good measure.
Special Edition
Skyrim Flora Overhaul
Since Skyrim is full of forests, Skyrim Flora Overhaul has a pretty dramatic effect. It includes lots of new, high-quality tree models, even more grasses and plants, and loads of visual tweaks that generally make forests look deeper and more imposing. There’s a grass-only and trees-only version, too, which obviously have less of a performance impact. This is one of those changes that’s worth sacrificing some frames over, mind.
Special Edition
Simply Bigger Trees
Simply Bigger Trees does exactly what it says on the tin, giving Skyrim’s forests a growth spurt. It’s a surprisingly significant improvement, and though it’s only partially compatible, I like to pair it with SFO. Some of the trees get overwritten, but there’s still plenty of variety and the forests look considerably more striking.
Special Edition
Realistic Water Two
Realistic Water makes the pools, coasts, rivers and lakes of Skyrim distinct, so it doesn’t look like they’re all full of the same murky bath water. If you see some H2O in the game, it’s probably been improved. There are so many tiny touches that make this mod brilliant, like curated sound effects and animated icebergs. The Special Edition introduced a new water flow system, which is nice and all, but it was applied to all bodies of water indiscriminately, which made less sense. Realistic Water also fixes that.
Special Edition
Better Roads
Better Roads makes Skyrim’s trails and highways more interesting, giving them a bit more character and adding some lore-specific touches. More walls and fences have been added – touches of civilisation – while bridges have been made a bit more diverse and in keeping with the architecture of the areas they’re built in. Generally, they’re just less drab. It’s a subtle improvement, but Skyrim’s a much better place to walk around with this in your mod library.
Special Edition
Climates of Tamriel
Climates of Tamriel is a massive weather and lighting mod that replaces all of Skyrim’s boring weather with hundreds of different weather variations, from sunny days to cataclysmic storms and everything in between. It’s predominantly a visual mod, but there are plenty of audio improvements to go along with it. Climates of Tamriel is at its best when paired with an ENB like SkyrimSE Re-Engaged ENB and Realistic Lighting Overhaul’s interior lighting.
Special Edition
Best Skyrim mods – NPCs and creatures
Interesting NPCs
Interesting NPCs is packed with new characters scattered all over Skyrim, each with their own background, schedule and branching dialogue. There’s over of them, including marriage prospects, followers and quest givers. Followers also have unique commentary, insights and questlines, so there’s plenty of reasons to ditch the largely forgettable vanilla cast and travel with some new pals.
Special Edition
Immersive Citizens
Skyrim’s NPCs aren’t always the sharpest knives in the drawer, but Immersive Citizens alleviates some of that by delving into their empty heads and leaving something there. With these tweaks, NPCs respond in more realistic and diverse ways to things like weather, attacks and their day-to-day schedules, depending on who they are. Most important is the survival instinct feature, letting NPCs evaluate threats and act accordingly.
Special Edition
Immersive Creatures
We’ve all killed our fair share of draugr and dragons (too many, probably), so thank goodness for Immersive Creatures and its long list of mostly lore-friendly monsters and creatures waiting to be battered. This throws in everything from warring goblin tribes to considerably more exotic and indescribable nightmares. The world a bit more deadly. It’s possible to tweak this mod to your liking, removing creatures and changing the difficulty via the menu.
Special Edition
Immersive Patrols
Skyrim’s supposedly warring factions don’t really get up to very much, but Immersive Patrols thrusts them into conflict a bit more often. It creates patrols for not just the factions of the civil war, the Stormcloaks and Imperials, but also the Dawnguard and Thalmor. There are even some raider patrols, too. These warbands clash in specific areas, with forts and territory changing hands depending on the outcome of the battle. It makes Skyrim feel like a more mutable place, and importantly one that doesn’t need you to get involved for changes to happen.
Special Edition
Amazing Follower Tweaks
Ever wanted to traipse around Skyrim with your very own supernatural band? Amazing Follower Tweaks is an extremely helpful follower management tool that lets you have multiple followers, organise their equipment and give them orders, but the best bit is being able to turn them into vampires and werewolves. The limit is five followers, but that’s much more impressive when it’s five deadly, magical monsters with a thirst for blood and flesh.
Special Edition
Run For Your Lives
Speaking of deadly, magical monsters with a thirst for blood and flesh, this mod makes NPCs run away when one of them attacks. Dragons and vampires will scare off NPCs, making them run to their home or the nearest inn until the area is safe again. No more risking your life to save some idiot with a torch who’s decided they can fight a dragon. Guards and Warrior Guild members will, of course, still impotently flail at monsters, since it’s their job.
Special Edition
Convenient Horses
It’s pretty clear why most people in Skyrim travel by foot – their horses are terrible. Not with Convenient Horses, however. The name doesn’t paint the full picture. Sure, it makes horses a lot more convenient, letting you loot, harvest and interact with the world while you’re riding, along with other time-saving features, but it also makes horses deeper generally. You can train them, put all of your followers on them, get new equipment via faction quests and crafting, and there’s an encumbrance system.
Special Edition
Relationship Dialogue Overhaul
Relationship Dialogue Overhaul makes Skyrim a chattier place. NPCs get a whopping 5, lines of new, reactive dialogue, all voiced. The mod’s creators used existing lines, adding them to new situations and, in some instances, creating new bits of dialogue by splicing lines together. NPCs react more realistically, letting you know what they think of you, while followers will take into account their relationship with you. If you’re travelling with your spouse, for instance, they’ll talk to you like a husband or wife rather than just another hired hand.
Special Edition
Simply Better Movement Speed
Simply Better Movement Speed tweaks how fast you move while walking, running and sneaking. Walking speed has been significantly boosted, while running is slower. The pace feels more natural, making it necessary to get a horse for long journeys, but making wandering around towns and villages much quicker. It also makes players the same speed as NPCs, so following people around is no longer a chore where you have to make constant adjustments.
Special Edition
Moonlight Tales
Getting lycanthropy is a great way to shake things up, but as much fun as it is to stomp around Skyrim as a massive wolf, the system is pretty underdeveloped. Moonlight Tales, then, is essential if you plan on tearing people apart during a full moon. It completely overhauls werewolves, replacing the perk tree, introducing new abilities, forcing lunar transformations and, best of all, letting you become a werebear. Whichever beastie you pick, you’ll also get lots of different skin choices.
Special Edition
Best Skyrim mods – Weapons and Armour
Immersive Weapons
There is a seemingly endless supply of user-created weapons on the Skyrim Nexus, but Immersive Weapons should always be at the top of your list. It’s an increasingly massive mod that adds over weapons and 21 archetypes to the game that you can buy, loot or craft yourself. The benefit of using this instead of adding all your weapons piecemeal is that these weapons have been designed to co-exist, keeping balance and lore in mind. Unlike lightsabers.
Special Edition
Immersive Armors
If you’re grabbing Hothtrooper’s Immersive Weapons, you should pick up their Immersive Armors as well. Like the weapon mod, it introduces hundreds of new pieces of lore-appropriate armour and shields, allowing you to finally live out your dream of wearing a saber-toothed cat on your head. There are some nifty accessories, too, including eye patches and scarves. You’ll be prepared for anything.
Special Edition
Bandoliers
If you’ve ever fancied dressing your Dragonborn up as a Rob Liefeld superhero, Bandoliers is the mod for you. It adds new item slots to your body and then provides a vast number of pouches, bags and bandoliers that you can strap onto yourself. If you’d prefer to look less like Cable and more like a wizard, there are also book and vial holders. They’re practical, too, letting you stuff your inventory full of junk.
Special Edition
Cloaks of Skyrim
If you don’t wear a cloak, how will anyone know that you’re an adventuring hero? Cloaks are an RPG necessity, so Cloaks of Skyrim provides an important public service. It summons a bounty of cloaks into the world, nearly styles in all, ranging from faction-specific clobber to tattered, monstrous garments that only a Daedra would wear. NPCs will wear them, too, and they actually make guards look more authoritative. A nice cloak commands respect.
Special Edition
Wearable Lanterns
Only mugs hold their own lanterns. Wearable Lanterns is a mod for the adventurer who doesn’t have time for holding extra junk while they’re slaughtering their way through undead-infested dungeons. You can attach the lantern to your belt, or you can just give it to one of your followers; they can hold or wear it for you. Even handier! Honestly, is there any need for the sun now that we’ve got this sorted?
Special Edition
Deadly Cabbages
Throw a magical cabbage at your enemies. Go on.
Special Edition
Best Skyrim mods – Combat and magic
Phenderix Magic Evolved
Phenderix’s Magic Evolved flings new spells into your magical repertoire. You can expand your arcane arsenal with blood magic, druidic spells and all sorts of new stuff that can then be combined to create even more powerful results. Cast some lightning magic on someone you just soaked with water magic, for instance, and you’re going to do a bit more harm. You can even clone enemies, turn them into chickens or break the laws of time and space. They’re customisable, too! You can change how they look, and while that has no practical benefit, being a wizard is at least 50% showmanship.
Special Edition
Apocalypse – Magic of Skyrim
Apocalypse has fewer spells, but boy are they fun. And flashy! You can summon tornadoes and volcanoes, rip ghosts out of corpses and send them towards enemies or trap people in mystical prisons. The handiest, however, are often the more mundane spells, like being able to find gold veins or conjuring up spectral bridges that transport you across large gaps. OK, that’s not mundane at all. The mod neatly slots into the game and feels like a natural extension of the existing magic system, but a lot more creative.
Special Edition
Wildcat/Smilodon – Combat of Skyrim
Wildcat and Smilodon are combat overhaul mods for Original Flavour Skyrim and Skyrim Special Edition respectively, both created by EnaiSiaion (they also made Apocalypse). There are some differences between the versions, but both improve combat AI and introduce attacks of opportunity and timed blocking. Generally, combat is faster and more deadly, with weapons dealing more damage. It’s designed to be tinkered with, however, so don’t just stick with the default settings if you’re finding them a bit too tricky.
Special Edition
VioLens – A Killmove Mod
VioLens lets you customise your killmoves, both melee and ranged, letting you decide how often they appear and what move each weapon triggers. You can create different profiles and tweak things like decapitations, slow motion, and what you see when you’re in first-person or third-person mode. If you want to give your fights some extra cinematic flair, this is a good way to go about it.
Special Edition
Pretty Combat Animations
Swap out the boring vanilla idle weapon animations for something a bit fancier. Pretty Combat Animations lets you pick from full animation sets that change what your character looks like when they run, walk and sneak while armed (or unarmed, if you’re just using your fists). You’ll look dangerous even when you’re just standing around.
Special Edition
Best Skyrim mods – Towns
Towns and Villages Enhanced
Towns and Villages Enhanced is a series of mods from Aplestormy that gives several of Skyrim’s settlements stunning makeovers. There are maybe a few too many trees, though I am a fan of the overgrown look. They’re more cluttered and lively as a result of the tweaks and additions, and they make vanilla Skyrim look positively dead in comparison. Unfortunately, the mods haven’t been updated in years, and they’ve not been ported over to the new edition. The should still work with Special Edition anyway, but there might be some unforeseen issues.
HQ Towns and Villages/Expanded Towns and Cities
They’re not quite the dramatic visual overhaul that Towns and Villages Enhanced is, but together these two mods replace the vanilla textures with high-quality versions and add new bits and pieces. And unlike Towns and Villages Enhanced, they’re designed for the Special Edition. If you’re looking for something that hews closer to Bethesda’s vision of Skyrim, these are perfect. The textures are much improved, but they otherwise maintain the original aesthetic, while the towns that have been expanded so far (Darkwater Crossing, Dawnstar and Riverwood) are familiar but busier.
Open Cities Skyrim
Skyrim hides all of its cities behind gates and loading screens; Open Cities Skyrim smashes them down. This beefy mod moves the cities into the main Skyrim map, rather than the pocket dimension in which they existed, so you can seamlessly move between city and wilderness. All you’re really bypassing is a brief loading screen, but what a difference it makes. The world feels more cohesive, guards react to what’s going on beyond the walls and you can ride your horse into town.
Special Edition
Helgen Reborn
Poor Helgen. It only got a few minutes of screentime before it got roasted, along with most of its inhabitants. Helgen Reborn, then, is a lovely mod that gives the town a second life. Not only does it let you bring Helgen back, there are six custom dungeons, loads of new NPCs, quests, feuds, a town guard to train, new sets of armour to discover – there’s a lot going on. It’s much better than leaving it a charred ruin, even if you still harbour a grudge for everyone standing by when you were about to get your head chopped off.
Special Edition
Winterhold Rebuilt
Similar to Helgen Reborn, this mod revitalises the gloomy town of Winterhold as you work through a quest. In the end, you’ll get yourself a new home, while Winterhold will get a bunch of new buildings and merchants. Those merchants, I should add, are very wealthy, so it’s a great place to offload your inventory. Everyone wins!
Special Edition
Best Skyrim mods – Quests and overhauls
Alternate Start – Live Another Life
Alternate Start is the best way to start a new game of Skyrim. Instead of starting out on the prisoner wagon heading to Helgen, you’ll be able to pick from a multitude of very different origins. Maybe you’re just a hunter camping in the woods, a patron of the Riverwood Inn or a vampire hiding with your undead kin in a dark cave. What you pick doesn’t just determine your starting location, it also changes your inventory. If you want, you can easily pick up the main quest again, or you can just revel in your new life as a recently escaped necromancer’s thrall.
Special Edition
Falskaar
Falskaar is a total conversion mod created by Alexander Velicky to prove to Bethesda he could make something that rivalled their DLC, but with a fraction of their resources. He’s since landed a job at Bungie as a result. Adding approximately 20 hours to the base game, Falskaar is an impressive mod that adds a whole new land independent of Tamriel, accessible by portal and later by boat. It boasts new items and shouts, and adds 26 new quests – which includes nine main story ventures and 17 side quests. If you’re looking to push more mileage from Skyrim, they don’t come much better than Falskaar.
Special Edition
The Forgotten City
Another ambitious conversion, The Forgotten City won a national Writer’s Guild award, a first in the medium, for its clever murder mystery script. It’s an eight-hour investigative romp set in an ancient underground city that is, not surprisingly, thick with mysteries. It’s a proper detective story, full of interrogations and sniffing around for clues. Think Poirot, but with magic and ethical conundrums. It feels like a professional production that just happens to also be a mod for Skyrim. A standalone game based on the mod is also in the works.
Special Edition
Moonpath to Elsweyr
Sick of chilly Skyrim? Hop on a wagon and take a trip to distant Elsweyr, the home of the fluffy Khajiit. The rainforest and desert makes a nice change of scene, and the Khajiit are far more interesting than the moody Nords. As well as a change in setting, there are plenty of entertaining quests, NPCs and, above all else, an airship of your very own. Moonpath to Elsweyr is almost as old as Skyrim and was a bit creaky as a result, but it started getting updated again last year. It’s the best time to take it for a spin.
Special Edition
Enderal
With a main storyline alone that amounts to 30 hours of questing, Enderal is a titanic mod set in an entirely new land made up of tropical costs, frosty mountains and dense forests. There are countless new assets, running the gamut from photo-scanned rocks to new monsters. Perks, combat and animations have similarly been overhauled – it’s essentially a new game. And a great one, to boot. Unfortunately, it’s not compatible with the Special Edition; you’ll need to do a bit of faffing to get it to work, though it’s entirely worth the effort.
Best Skyrim mods – Character customisation
Total Character Makeover
Total Character Makeover takes the best appearances from Skyrim Nexus, spruces them up even more and collects them in one convenient package. It doesn’t include new hairstyles, beards or body shapes, but it improves just about everything else for every race. It generally sticks close to the original style of Skyrim’s NPCs – you won’t see big anime eyes or uncanny dolls – but it’s still a meaty enhancement.
Special Edition
Apachii’s Skyhair
Worried your greasy hair is holding you back? Keep finding twigs in your mane right after a job interview? Get yourself Apachii’s Skyhair and replace your manky bird’s nest with silky smooth locks that a model would envy – adventurers can use conditioner too, you know. The mod offers up a ridiculous number of new styles. Remember to get the optional helmet wigs file to make sure your gorgeous hair can be shown off even when you’re wearing a hat.
Special Edition
Ish’s Souls to Perks
Souls to Perks adds a ‘Dragon Stone’ to Guardian Stones which allows dragon souls to be swapped for perk points without the restrictions other mods have come with. No more souls gathering dust because you’ve had your fill of Dragon Shouts.
Special Edition
Ordinator
Ordinator completely overhauls Skyrim’s perk trees, introducing a ridiculous new perks. They’re brilliant. It turns each perk tree into a cohesive class, though of course the perks are still all designed to be mixed and matched. Take Alchemy, for instance. The vanilla tree just gives you some resistances and lets you make more powerful potions. It’s rubbish. The Ordinator version, however, transforms you into a mad scientist, dripping horrible pools of magical (and explosive) oil and figuring out new ways to hurt people with poisons. Building your own unique class is infinitely more rewarding with all these exotic perks.
Special Edition
Best Skyrim mods – UI
SkyUI
SkyUI works magic with Skyrim’s interface, vastly improving everything from inventory management to crafting. There are search fields, you can make lists of favourites and everything is displayed clearly. It cuts out so much mucking around. It also includes the Mod Configuration Menu, an extremely handy tool that makes it easy to customise mods. It’s used by several on this list, making SkyUI even more essential. After a long wait, a Special Edition port appeared last year, but it’s still in alpha.
Special Edition
Immersive HUD
The best HUDs are the ones you don’t notice until you need them. Immersive HUD makes HUD elements like the crosshair and compass invisible until they’re called for. The crosshair will only show up if you’re holding a ranged weapon or hovering over an item, you can toggle the compass with the press of a button and meters vanish when they’re at %. It’s customisable, too, so you can tweak the transparency of the compass and fiddle with other elements. Skyrim doesn’t have too much screen clutter, but there’s no need for any at all when you’re just exploring peacefully.
Special Edition
A Quality World Map – With Roads
Skyrim’s map is pretty but largely indecipherable. It’s not the sort of map that you’d use if you were orienteering. You’ll get lost, stuck behind mountains, lose track of the road and curse the cartographer who made this unhelpful mess. A Quality World Map – With Roads is considerably more detailed, clear and, importantly, shows you where all the roads are. It’s essential for explorers.
Special Edition
Stones of Barenziah Quest Markers
A simple but effective mod that adds quest markers to all 24 Stones of Barenziah which feature in the ‘No Stone Unturned’ quest. It’s a massive pain in the arse to find them all without it.
Special Edition
Best Skyrim mods – Survival
Frostfall
Frostfall turns Skyrim into a survival game. It implements a system that tracks your location, the weather, the time of day, and your worn clothing among other things and, combined with the Campfire mod, adds a range of craftable camping equipment which you’ll need to combat hypothermia. Trekking through Winterhold wearing the wrong gear or taking a dip in an ice water lake can prove fatal – be sure to wrap up.
Special Edition
Campfire – Complete Camping System
Campfire takes the camping system from Frostfall and spins it into an even more developed standalone mod. You can craft camping gear, make roaring hearths that give you bonuses and even become a tracker. There’s a perk tree attached to it, as well. It’s handy if you want to play around with other survival mods without giving up the comforts of your campsite. It’s also required if you want to use the latest version of Frostfall.
Special Edition
Realistic Needs and Diseases
Nobody really needs to eat in Skyrim, which explains the abundance of food. It’s just sitting there, completely ignored. Imagine how miserable all the chefs must be, preparing food that nobody is remotely interested in. The best they can hope for is that an adventurer will scoff some as a last resort. Realistic Needs and Diseases returns food to its lofty status. If you don’t eat, you’ll starve. Drinking is similarly necessary. There are other negative effects before death, but also lots of positive ones for eating well. You need your rest, too, but watch out where you decide to take a nap – if it’s somewhere horrible you might contract a nasty disease.
Special Edition
Wet and Cold
Wet and Cold is a perfect accompaniment to Skyrim’s survival and weather mods. It mostly adds visual effects that complement the foul weather, but it also changes NPC behaviours. If it’s raining you’ll drip and, if you look up, you might get a raindrop in your eye. When it’s cold, you’ll see your breath (unless you’re a vampire, which is a fantastic touch) and, if it’s also snowing, your hair will get covered in it. During bad weather, NPCs will have different reactions depending on their race, age and job. Argonians, for instance, will stay outside when it’s raining because they can’t get enough of it, while children will flee because they have a deep, abiding fear of water.
Special Edition
What’s New in the Best Skyrim Special Edition mods Archives?
Screen Shot
System Requirements for Best Skyrim Special Edition mods Archives
- First, download the Best Skyrim Special Edition mods Archives
-
You can download its setup from given links:
Best Skyrim Special Edition mods Archives & Key Download
Best Skyrim Special Edition mods Archives& Kali Software Crack
Best Skyrim Special Edition mods Archives
About Author
