Part 4: Real Game Changers
Here’s the real meat of Skyrim modification – drastically changing the game and how you interact with it. As incredible as the Skyrim sandbox is, it could stand to be far more immersive. The mods below will handle that, along with magic, combat, and completely different gameplay paradigms.
This mod revamps the start of the game. Instead of the lengthy Helgen dragon attack, you start the game from one of several ‘regular Joe/Jane’ upbringings. This makes Skyrim seem remarkably fresh and open while retaining the option to begin the main questline if you wish.
Adds realistic effects involving… wet and cold situations. Characters will drip after swimming, equip cloaks and hoods in the cold, and NPCs are more likely to go home if the weather is poor.
Frostfall
First off, this is NOT for everyone. Frostfall makes travelling dangerous. You’ll need to dress for the weather, stay dry, and build camps to survive the colder regions of Skyrim. It makes travelling to distant locations an adventure in itself, and I can’t stand to play without it anymore.
Realistic Needs and Diseases OR iNeed
Both of these mods do essentially the same thing – require you to eat, drink, and manage disease to stay alive. Water can be tainted, food can spoil, and all of the above will have real consequences on your character. Because Dragonborn or not, galavanting all over Skyrim for months ought to make you hungry.
For a land with a civil war happening, nobody seems too interested in patrolling territory. This mod adds patrol routes for all major factions including merchants. You may even stumble across epic, unscripted battles. Makes Skyrim feel lived in.
Adds precisely one boatload of new creatures to the world of Skyrim. You’ll find a greater variety of Draugr, new creatures like Goblins, and other brand new beasties to keep life interesting.
Hold Border Banners & BorderSense
I like these mods because they make each region feel more unique. Instead of an endless land with a few cities, the edges of regions are more defined, and make it seem like the various holds spend effort keeping their territory intact.
Makes people fall down more realistically.
Apocalypse – Magic of Skyrim
One of the greatest mods around, Apocalypse adds 155 desperately needed spells to Skyrim. This makes playing a mage characters infinitely more entertaining and free.
This mod overhauls combat in several ways, some of which include: making the AI smarter, adding timed blocking, increased stamina costs, and more NPC cooperation. It makes combat tougher, no doubt, but much more satisfying too.
Allows followers to ride horses and engage in horse combat while making riding a horse less of a pain – call your horse from anywhere with a magical whistle, and collect loot from horseback (thank the heavens).
Turns Dragons from boring, run of the mill monsters into terrifyingly difficult foes. This one is darn near essential.
And that’s all! Something else in the game you want to change? There’s probably a mod for that. Just browse around the Skyrim Nexus to see what’s out there!
Part 1:Â Interface & Overhaul Mods
Part 2:Â Technical Mods
Part 3:Â Character & Equipment Mods
Part 5: Quest & Follower Mods