The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition doesn’t hold up well graphically and gameplay-wise. So here are the best Skyrim Special Edition mods to make it feel like a modern game.
Disclaimer: This is not a modding guide. I simply introduce some must-have mods for your game and they will all be lore-friendly. These mods will improve your game’s look and feel and also improve certain aspects of gameplay. Also, we won’t be covering mods that will alter the gameplay and look of the game to a major degree. The mods on this list will suit the first-time playthrough or otherwise. As the title says, these mods are for the Special Edition of the game, but most of them are also available for the Legendary Edition, which is the classic Skyrim. Or Oldrim, as some gamers like to put it. The links for the mods will be provided.
There will be multiple sections of this article so it will be easier for you to read. If there’s a certain aspect of the game which you don’t want to mod, you can skip that section.
- Graphical mods
- Sound mods
- Weapon and Armour mods
- Gameplay mods
- Miscellaneous mods
Also, I won’t be overly describing any of these mods because their respective pages have described them better and to the point.
Graphical Mods
Skyrim Realistic Overhaul
This is the best Texture Mod you can get for Skyrim Special Edition. It covers almost every texture of the game, from the walls and trees to minor objects. It’s a good idea to have Skyrim Realistic Overhaul as a base. It’s a really hefty download, though. The mod is broken into multiple parts and you can download it here: https://www.moddb.com/mods/skyrim-realistic-overhaul
Noble Skyrim
Noble Skyrim is another texture mod that affects the architecture of the game. This works well with SRO with it as a base. Walls and ground textures will be replaced with higher-quality counterparts.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/21423
Static Mesh Improvement Mod
SMIM is a must-have mod for Skyrim. As the name suggests, it completely overhauls the static meshes of the game and makes it so much less hideous.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/659
Skyland – A Landscape Texture Overhaul
Skyland upgrades the textures of roads, bridges and much more to a great degree. This mod makes the game look truly next-gen. The mod author says that this mod is compatible with any mod.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3820?tab=description
Enhanced Blood Textures
You’re going to be slaughtering many foes on your journey so might as well upgrade the blood textures, right? This is the best blood texture overhaul out there.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2357
Skyrim Flora Overhaul
This is a beautiful grass and tree mod. It covers all things foliage and will also add a lot of new plants. This is one of the best-looking mods for Skyrim, in my opinion.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2154
Enhanced Lights and FX
This is the best lighting mod there is for Skyrim. It makes the lighting very realistic and immersive. It’s a must-have mod in any mod list.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2424
AmidianBorn Book of Silence
This mod retextures weapons, armour, creatures and items.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/35382?tab=description
Realistic Water Two
This is probably the best water mod for Skyrim and it’s definitely the most popular. There are a lot of presets of water for you to choose from and it makes you want to jump into every water source you see.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2182
Vivid Weathers
Vivid Weathers is one of my favourite weather mods for Skyrim. It makes the look of the game more vibrant and vivid, as the name itself implies. There are a ton of new weathers and it really is the ultimate weather mod for Skyrim.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/2187
Vividian ENB SE
This beautiful ENB was made to work well with Vivid Weathers and more weather mods. But really, ENB presets are up to personal preference and you can choose whichever you want as there are a ton of them.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/26065
Sound/Audio Mods
Improving and overhauling the soundscape of a game is often overlooked by gamers. These mods will make the game more immersive and atmospheric.
Immersive Sounds – Compendium
This mod adds a lot more sound effects and greatly overhauls the existing ones as well. This is the best audio overhaul mod for Skyrim, so look no further.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/523?tab=description
SSE High-Quality Voices
SSE High-Quality Voices mod vastly improves the voices of characters, making for clearer and better-sounding conversations. Use a pair of good headphones and this mod’s effect will be truly felt.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/17035
Immersive Music
If you’re tired of hearing the same music tracks from Skyrim, this mod will improve your experience significantly. The music from this mod is lore-friendly and is as beautiful and atmospheric as the vanilla game’s music.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/16402?tab=description
Weapon and Armour mods
Immersive Weapons
This fantastic mod adds a lot of new lore-friendly weapons to the game, vastly improving variety. It’s one of the most popular and most downloaded weapon mods.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/16788?tab=description
Immersive Armors
This mod is made by the author of the previous mod. Immersive Armors is the most popular and most downloaded armour mod for Skyrim.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3479
Gameplay Mods
RaceMenu
This might not be considered a gameplay mod, but creating the perfect character is part of the gameplay in my opinion. After all, we all take at least three days to create a character, right? RaceMenu adds a ton of new options for you to create a good-looking character.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/19080
Stones of Barenziah Quest Markers
The Stones of Barenziah quest is one of the most tedious and tiresome quests in the entire game. This mod adds markers for the locations of these gems.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/684
Skyrim Reputation
The mod name says it all. It adds a reputation system to the game and characters will react to your behaviour.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/22374?tab=description
Immersive Citizens – AI Overhaul
This mod greatly improves the AI of NPCs and they act more human and less like robots. It also makes the characters more interesting.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/22374?tab=description
First-Person Combat Animation Overhaul 2.0
Adds a lot of new animations to the first-person combat to make it more dynamic and fun.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/45177?tab=description
Immersive First-Person View
Enables you to see your character’s body in the first-person mode. Also works while on horseback.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/22306?tab=description
True Directional Movement
Unlike the above two mods, this is for the third-person perspective. It allows the character to move more like a human and less like a robot.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/51614
VioLens – A Killmove Mod
The title says it all. It adds more cool killmoves.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/668
Ultimate Combat
This mod makes the combat much, much better. Enemies have better AI and it makes you think tactically in combat situations. Be mindful that it makes the combat harder as well.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/17196
Epic True Fus Ro Dah
The name of this mod is so awesome. It replaces the boring shout of the vanilla game with the epic and thunderous shout from the trailer.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/14902/
Ultimate Shouts
The lore-accurate Dragonborn can shout with more power than a maths professor when you haven’t done your homework. This mod adds more power to your shouts, making the Dragonborn actually lore-accurate.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/57722
Thundering Shouts
This mod makes the Dragonborn’s shouts sound thundering.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/14352?tab=description
JK’s Skyrim
This is one of my favourite mods. It adds new details and architecture to every major city. Completely lore-friendly.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/6289?tab=description
Cutting Room Floor
This mod restores a lot of cut content from the game.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/276
Miscellaneous mods
Here are some miscellaneous improvements for the game. Not essential, but will surely make your experience much more fun and engaging.
Sovngarde – A Nordic Font
Replaces the vanilla font of the game with the beautiful font displayed in the above picture.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/386
A Quality World Map
The A Quality World Map mod makes the map a pleasing sight to the eyes.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/5804
Wearable Lanterns
Your own light source that will be a lifesaver inside dark dungeons.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/7560
