Summary

  • Skyrim mods enhance gameplay and visuals with overhauls like combat improvements and new NPC combat styles.
  • The modding community adds depth to Skyrim with expansive worlds, immersive armor sets, new spells, and engaging companions.
  • Popular mods like SkyUI, Climates of Tamriel, and Enderal offer extensive UI changes, weather effects, and total conversion experiences.

Bethesda might not have the most stellar reputation right now — given their track record in modern times — but there's no denying the fact that they still have a bunch of brilliant and imaginative titles under their belt to this day. One need only look at the sheer enduring popularity of Skyrim to understand why this is the case. The handcrafted world and amazing sense of exploration were a huge reason why players loved Skyrim to bits, and it's a shame that this was abandoned for Starfield in favor of bland, procedurally generated planets that felt like a waste of time to explore.

The fifth entry in the popular Elder Scrolls series is still going strong to this day as one of the most played games around, mainly due to its incredible modding support. The game might've been released in 2011, but the sheer number of mods that tweak — if not completely improve — the overall experience is so immense that most people will never notice the age of this game. Players who want to revisit the magic of this title should do themselves a favor and download the best Skyrim mods around to modernize the experience and make it more palatable, especially since a lot of this game's mechanics haven't aged all that well.

Updated on February 19, 2025, by Mati Kent-Nye: Despite being released well over a decade ago, Skyrim is still going strong. The modding community around this game is among the best out there, offering countless mods that improve and completely overhaul gameplay. From the simple to the complex, there's a mod out there for everyone. With the release of The Elder Scrolls 6 still some years away, there's no better time for players to jump into the modded action. Players still eager to immerse themselves in the beautiful land of Skyrim will be thrilled to know even more fan favorites have been added to this list.

37 Fluted Armor

Adds Fluted Armor

Fluted Armor Mod In Skyrim

There are lots of armor types to find, craft, and use in Skyrim. Fans of heavy armor sets may want to take a look at the Fluted Armor mod. This mod brings in a new heavy armor type: Fluted Armor. This armor looks stunning. It's incredibly well-made and contains lots of intricate details.

While this armor set can't be crafted, it can easily be found in Weynon Stones. This mod is perfect for those players who want to give their character a more medieval look.

36 Skytactics

80 New NPC Combat Styles

Skytactics Mod In Skyrim

Skytactics is a relatively new mod that is gaining a lot of attention for all the right reasons. This mod adds over 80 dynamic combat styles to NPCs. For this mod to work, players will also need to download SkyPatcher. However, all of the details regarding that are provided in the link above.

One thing that gets a bit stale in Skyrim after a while is combat. It doesn't take long for players to begin knowing what an NPC is about to do before they do it. This mod brings in a lot of great styles that bring a fresh feel to combat in Skyrim.

35 NPC Lookup

Spawn & Teleport Every NPC

NPC Lookup Mod In Skyrim

As players progress through the game, traveling back and forth to various NPCs or finding certain NPCs can get a little tedious and time-consuming. This mod takes out the hassle involved with tracking down NPCs by providing the player with an in-game menu that allows them to teleport and spawn every NPC in the game.

While this mod isn't great for those who don't want to break immersion, for those who want an easier ride, this mod is a great choice. Players can also mark up to 16 reference points on the map, making finding and traveling to lesser-known areas much easier.

34 Forgotten Creatures

Retextures Enemies

Wolf standing in grass from Forgotten Creatures mod

Not all mods need to add wild and unique inclusions of their own to make the game more engaging. After all, some players still treasure the vanilla experience and only want to improve this feel with mods instead of completely overhauling it.

This is where the Forgotten Creatures mod comes into the picture. It provides a re-texture of many enemies in the game without compromising too much on the vanilla design, which is exactly what many players want with their mods.

33 Show Player In Menus

View Your Character Through The Inventory

Player's character being shown while player is accessing inventory
  • Creator: myztikrice
  • Number Of Downloads: 1,651,743
  • Download Link

Sometimes, it's the simplest of Skyrim mods that end up making the game feel as modern as possible. Such is the case with the Show Player in Menus mod, which is pretty self-explanatory.

It lets players look at the Dragonborn whenever the inventory is opened, which is helpful for obvious reasons. Suffice it to say that players will have a great time checking out what the Dragonborn looks like in real time as they switch and swap their equipment.

32 Combat Gameplay Overhaul SE

Overhauls Combat

Player striking test dummy with hand axe

There's no denying that Skyrim's combat is pretty bare-bones and serviceable at best. There aren't any combos to speak of, hits don't feel weighty, and weapons aren't balanced properly. Most people gave this gameplay pillar's shortcomings a pass back in the day because of how enjoyable the overall package was. However, in recent years, it has become harder and harder to ignore what is objectively a poor combat system.

Skyrim Best Quests To Do Early Molag Bal
Skyrim: Best Quests To Do Early

Some quests in Skyrim can reward players with high stat gear early on, and these are the quests players should spend their time on before others.

Thankfully, modders have come to save the day yet again. One of the best Skyrim mods, Combat Gameplay Overhaul SE, adds everything from combos to dodge rolls into the game to make this aspect of gameplay more exciting than ever before. Players will love whipping out their skills and avoiding damage with great finesse after they download this mod and figure out how things work.

31 Skyrim Together Reborn

Play With Friends

Numerous players posing on a bridge for a screenshot
  • Creator: The Together Team
  • Number Of Downloads: 1,727,433
  • Download Link

Skyrim Together Reborn is easily one of the most impressive achievements in the modding community. It deserves a spot on this list simply because of the technical expertise required to integrate such a massive change in the first place.

This mod adds co-op into the world of Skyrim, which is amazing for obvious reasons. However, this mod isn't very compatible with others and is pretty buggy, which is why it doesn't rank higher.

30 Vanargand Animations - Crossbows

Crossbow Overhaul

Feature image showing character wielding a crossbow with mod name to side

Crossbows were added in the Dawnguard expansion and are fun to use in the game. Of course, modders have no problems with overhauling the animations of this weapon and improving some gameplay systems, too.

Vanargand Animations does this exact task and makes the act of using crossbows more fun. Players who want to focus on this weapon for their playthrough should check this mod out.

29 Sofia — The Funny Fully Voiced Follower

Adds A Fully Voice Acted Companion

Shoulder up view of Sofia in inn
  • Creator: John Jarvis and Christine Slagman
  • Number Of Downloads: 1,870,314
  • Download Link

Various fan-made mods of Skyrim add new and unique followers to spice up one's experience with the game. However, out of all these followers, one has to admit that Sofia is easily the most popular and well-developed one of the lot.

The Best One Handed Weapons in Skyrim
Skyrim: The 42 Best One-Handed Weapons In The Game (& How To Obtain Them)

One-handed weapons tend to be the most popular in Skyrim since they allow dual wielding or the use of a shield. These are the best of them.

Featuring excellent voice acting and some truly well-written dialogue — almost overshadowing Bethesda's character writing in many aspects — Sofia is a great companion mod to add to the game if the base game's companions end up being rather boring and one-note.

28 Animation Queue Fix

Reduces Bugs

Character posed in Whiterun city below title

Skyrim is a pretty old game, so it's only a given that some of its mechanics are going to be pretty dated as well. The animations in this game are a great example of this, with bugs occurring if too many animations are queued up at once.

To take care of these issues, players can download the Animation Queue Fix. It's a must-have mod for players who have downloaded a bunch of custom animations and don't want NPCs to glitch out every single time multiple complex processes are being executed at once.