Summary
- Mods are essential to the longevity of Bethesda games like Skyrim, with a passionate modding community continuously fixing issues and adding new content.
- Quality-of-life mods are often overlooked but greatly enhance the Skyrim experience by making gameplay more intuitive and seamless.
- Popular Skyrim mods include updated maps, gamepad support, script engine improvements, UI enhancements, and improvements to lockpicking and follower behavior.
Mods are a core part of what makes Bethesda games have such a long lifespan. Skyrim is a great example of this. The game has been out for nearly a decade, yet it lives on thanks to the passionate modding community. Hundreds of mods are uploaded every day that fix issues with the game or add new content. It's truly impressive to see just how active the modding community for this game is to this day, and fans can't wait to see how Starfield is augmented with a fair share of fan-made mods when this game finally hits store shelves.
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One category of mods that many often overlook is quality-of-life mods, additions that focus on making a certain aspect of the game more intuitive. These can range from small bug fixes to new mechanics that offer solid alternatives to mundane tasks. Most people argue that there are some objectively great Skyrim quality-of-life mods players should be using. Keep in mind that most mods work on the PC version of Skyrim Special Edition, although they have alternatives or ports for consoles.
Updated February 3, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: Skyrim is one of the greatest video games ever made, with its popularity enduring to this day courtesy of the many mods that elevate the experience of playing this masterpiece. Players who think that getting into this game right now will be challenging have no idea how much of an impact mods have.
If the vanilla experience is something that players hold near and dear to their hearts, then there are mods that provide amazing QoL changes, improving one's experience with the game without changing anything too major. It's the perfect middle ground for players who want to enjoy a fantastic experience with the title without getting distracted by how dated some of its mechanics are.
1 A Clear Map Of Skyrim And Other Worlds
Downloads: 590,256
- Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition
The world map that players see when they open the screen is pretty iconic in its own right, but some fans wouldn't mind an updated version that looks better and more practical to boot. Such is the case with this mod, which does precisely what is stated and adds a high-quality map to the world of Skyrim.
There are many worlds, both official and custom-made, that this mod supports. This helps the various mods of Skyrim feel more natural, which goes a huge way in helping players become more immersed in this wonderful game.
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2 Gamepad Plus Plus
Downloads: 145,873
- Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition
Most people prefer playing Skyrim on PC, with keyboard shortcuts and mouse control making the bulk of actions in this game easier to carry out. So, the idea of using a gamepad for this title sounds alien to some people, but this doesn't need to be the case.
After all, a gamepad that is configured properly to access most of Skyrim's systems more easily and can be configured according to what the user prefers would be highly recommended too. Gamepad Plus Plus accomplishes the same, making a gamepad a great device to use if players want to explore Skyrim with the controller of their choice.
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3 Papyrus Tweaks
Downloads: 1,678,062
- Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition
Quality-of-life mods for Skyrim can take various shapes and forms, with the simplest ones optimizing the game and how it runs to minimize crashes, fix annoying bugs, and make the experience of playing this game pretty seamless. Such is the case with the Papyrus Tweaks mod, which does a great job of improving Skyrim's script engine and making it less buggy.
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It may seem like a minor mod, but any tweak that makes Skyrim more stable is one worth taking. The fact that this is one of the most popular recent mods for the game speaks volumes when it comes to how useful it is, making it a must-have for anyone playing Skyrim right now.
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4 Compass Navigation Overhaul
Downloads: 513,466
- Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition
The compass in Skyrim gets the job done and encourages exploration, but players can't deny that this element of the UI has become quite dated in the years that have followed this game's release. Gaming UI is an ever-changing element that is constantly being improved with research and experimentation, and players would ideally want Skyrim to feel as modern as possible if they want to play through the game once again.
This is where the Compass Navigation Overhaul mod comes into play, allowing players to tweak this element of the UI in whatever way they see fit. There are many ways this compass is improved in the game, giving players useful information, indicating the height of the objective, and even giving a rundown of the quest and its summary if players wish!
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5 Detection Meter
Downloads: 634,219
- Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition
Sneaking around is a huge part of the gameplay in Skyrim, and there's a reason why the joke about players reverting to a stealth archer build in every playthrough is so prevalent. Stealth is a great way to take out enemies from a distance, feeling pretty satisfying whenever players drop enemies with a single well-placed arrow time and time again.
With this mod, players can add a modern detection meter on top of enemies whenever the player steers too close to them in stealth. It's a great way to make the simplistic stealth mechanics feel pretty modern, adding a palpable sense of tension as the Dragonborn sneaks around a hostile area while trying to avoid detection as much as possible.
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6 Quests Award Perk Points
Downloads: 206,054
- Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition
For the most part, perk points are only awarded in Skyrim when players level up their skills. This is a simple way to make players work towards improving their character, but this does add loopholes into the game where players are forced into leveling up useless skills in the most banal fashion imaginable to quickly level up.
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This is fixed with a mod that gives players perk points after finishing quests. It's a simple yet great way to reward players for exploring the world and completing the wealth of quests that lie within.
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7 Blacksmiths Have Metals
Downloads: 24,177
- Mod listed for Skyrim
It's rather odd that the blacksmiths all over Skyrim don't have enough materials for players to access and make weapons of their own. Thankfully, this issue is fixed with a simple mod.
Now, all blacksmiths in Skyrim will have a set number of metals of each type in the game. It's a great way to let players make high-level equipment early on while also adding to the overall immersion of the game.
Download Link
8 Remember Lockpick Angle
Downloads: 819,961
- Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition
Lockpicking is a simple minigame in Skyrim that players will interact with over and over again. As a result, small annoyances will be noticed more and more by the player over time, including the fact that the lockpick centers itself if it breaks during an unlocking attempt.
The Remember Lockpick Angle mod adds a simple yet much-needed fix in this regard. It ensures that the new lockpick is held at the angle as the previous one before it broke off, which is a logical change that many fans will grow to appreciate over time.
Download Link
9 Follower Trap Safety
Downloads: 772,239
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- Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition
There are various traps scattered across the many dungeons in Skyrim. The player will have the presence of mind to avoid any damage from these obstacles, but the same can't be said for their companions.
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To prevent these followers from looking dumb as bricks, the Follower Trap Safety mod is a must-have. True to its name, it prevents a player's companions and summoned creatures from triggering all the traps in a dungeon and endangering their lives for no reason. Immersion in the game is heightened significantly when the companions in the game don't seem braindead.
Download Link
10 Heimskr Only Preaches On Weekends
Downloads: 162,771
- Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition
Whiterun is one of the biggest cities in Skyrim that players will frequent time and time again. So, the idea of hearing a character preaching his sermons at all times in the city might get slightly tiring after a point.
This mod adds a simple immersive fix to change that, compelling Heimskr to only preach on Loredas and Sundas. It's a simple yet welcome fix that many players will appreciate over time, especially if they're visiting Whiterun for the umpteenth time.