Welcome to our compendium of the best Skyrim Special Edition mods for Windows PC!
Skyrim Special Edition brought advanced support for modding with 64-bit on PC, meaning players can load up more heavy mods with fewer issues and instability. The only downside to this release is that modders need to update all their hard work to take advantage of the new version of Skyrim. While some of the more popular scripts and add-ons aren't yet ready, namely SkyUI and SKSE, we'll take a look at some of the best mods available right now if you're looking to hop into a playthrough soon.
For all the mods listed in this round-up, we'll be using the Nexus platform and the Nexus Mod Manager to install them. We've already got a guide on how to get started if you're new to modding Skyrim.
- A Quality World Map
- Alternate Start
- Apocalypse
- Darker Nights
- Enhanced Lights and FX
- Immersive Armors
- Ordinator
- Realistic Ragdolls and Force
- Realistic Water 2
- Run For Your Lives
- The Forgotten City
- True Storms
- Unofficial SSE Patch
A Quality World Map
The map isn't necessarily bad in Skyrim, but there are a few improvements that A Quality World Map by IcePenguin brings to the table. The mod includes a set of highly-detailed world map textures, complete with roads. This is a must-have for anyone who enjoys walking (or riding) everywhere without the use of fast travel. This mod also adds a detailed Solsteim map. And there's even a paper-style map!
Alternate Start
When modding Skyrim, some bad things can happen, especially during the opening scene. This is a heavily scripted part of the game and one that can cause problems if you have mods that interfere with Bethesda's code. Alternate Start provides the option to skip the start of the game altogether, protecting against crashes, and can even allow for some interesting role-playing adventures.
Apocalypse
This is an important mod for anyone looking to do a mage build. We'll let the list of features do all the talking:
- 155 all new spells (31 per school) with high-quality custom effects and animations.
- Immersively adds the spells, scrolls, and staves to existing spell vendors and loot lists.
- Balanced to match the power level of vanilla magic while providing more options.
- Compatible with popular magic scaling mods.
- Enables viable spellcaster characters without Destruction or Conjuration.
- Includes a fix for the Restoration Ritual Spell quest bug in vanilla Skyrim.
- Low script load, no save bloat.
- Configuration options available in the Apocalypse MCM if SkyUI is installed (SkyUI not required to use Apocalypse).
Well worth downloading for Magicka users. It's worth noting that you'll need to wait for something like ASIS (Automatic Spells, Increased Spawns) to be ported to Skyrim Special Edition for NPCs to be given new items and spells.
Darker Nights
As the name suggests, this mod makes the nights in Skyrim darker, depending on personal preference. For many, the evenings in Skyrim were far too bright, and Darker Nights provides the option of 6 different levels that can be set to create a more atmospheric experience during the late and early hours of each day.
Enhanced Lights and FX
Enhanced Lights and FX is a sizeable mod that creates a more dynamic and realistic mood to the Skyrim landscape by adding actual lighting to all light sources and removing any light without a source, as well as the addition of numerous effects including smoke, volumic lights, and more. If you want dungeons, interiors and Skyrim, in general, to look better, you need to install ELFX. Just don't install the weather part of the mod if you plan to use True Storms.
Download Enhanced Lights and FX
Immersive Armors
Skyrim has a bunch of armors already available, but Immersive Amors is a mod that takes kitting out your characters (and NPCs) to the next level. Here's what is included:
55 new sets of armor to the game (over 60 including variants), tons of additional non-set helmet options, 396 new shields, and a large number of other items such as eye patches, capes, earrings, scarves and more! There are 2693 files in all. They are all craftable, upgradable, enchantable and are integrated into the game through leveled lists, quest rewards, placement in dungeons and/or onto specific people.
That's a lot of new items to play around with. The best bit is how the different sets and items have specific stats that are integrated into the game through quest rewards, placement in dungeons, and given to certain people.
Ordinator
The perk tree could do with some improvements to make each playthrough and build feel more interesting and unique. This is where Ordinator comes in, adding more than 400 perks to the game, completely overhauling each skill tree. You'll need to visit the Nexus page to see all the perks added, but it's a comprehensive list and Ordinator is a mod I simply cannot play without.
Realistic Ragdolls and Force
The ragdoll effect in Skyrim can lead to some hilarious situations, including those moments when a giant will send you to outer space with a whack of its club. That's no good for role-playing and immersion, which is where Realistic Ragdolls and Force can lend a hand. Bodies now react to gravity and force more realistically. It's a small, but effective, mod.
Download Realistic Ragdolls and Force
Realistic Water Two
With the updated water flow system and more included in Skyrim Special Edition, mods that affect the natural liquid are now more important when the aim is to create a more realistic-looking environment. Realistic Water Two takes Bethesda's improved system and takes everything to the next level with higher quality effects and textures, not to mention more accurate water body movement depending on the location (sea, river, pond, etc.).
Run for your lives / When Vampires Attack
These two handy mods were developed and uploaded by the same author and achieve similar results, so we bundled them together into a single listing. The two mods affect the way NPCs react to dragon and vampire attacks, namely those who are unable to fight back. Instead of witnessing absolute carnage due to citizens of Skyrim not fleeing to the safe indoors, installing these mods lets you fight off deadly beasts with guards by your side.
The Forgotten City
How does an expansion sound? The Forgotten City has you covered with an award-winning unofficial experience, backed by superb writing, original orchestral score, and voiced dialog that offers around eight hours of gameplay. You're tasked with entering an underground Dwarven city and uncover a mystery, and it's non-linear too with multiple endings.
If you've finished the main plot numerous times and are soon running out of things to do, give The Forgotten City a go.
True Storms
The weather effects in Skyrim are pretty good, but since everything was compiled way back in 2011, there's definitely room for improvement. Cue True Storms. This is a must-have mod for anyone looking to create a more immersive Skyrim experience with the weather really adding to every outing. It brings fog, variable weather, high-quality sound effects, new textures, dust storms, and more.
Download True Storms Special Edition
Unofficial Skyrim: SE Patch
This is a must-have download for anyone, even if you do not wish to get into modding your Skyrim install. As the name suggests, it's a compiled package of fixes, improvements, and additions to the title. Here's a quick look at what's actually included:
- Hundreds of gameplay, quest, NPC, object, item, text and placement bugs fixed.
- Created by the authors of the Unofficial Oblivion Patch series.
- No unsafe changes (such as deletions of stock objects).
- Designed to be compatible with as many other mods as possible.
Seriously, there's no reason as to why you shouldn't install this patch.
Download Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch
Static Mesh Improvement Mod
SMIM is a huge mod. And by huge we mean massive in both scale and size of the download. Totalling nearly 1GB, this package contains a bunch of improved 3D models for various things like robs, chains, lanterns, and other objects. It's particularly effective if you're one to notice when things look slightly out of place or aren't high-quality assets.
Download Static Mesh Improvement Mod
What we're waiting for
While there's already a collection of fantastic mods available for Skyrim Special Edition, we are holding out for the likes of SKSE (currently in alpha (for developers)!) and SkyUI (requires SKSE — is in early testing) to make the journey across to glorious 64-bit Skyrim. There's, unfortunately, no time frame for the release of these mods, but that is the beauty of modding where we have to rely on the available time and dedication of authors and teams.
But what are your favorite mods for Skyrim Special Edition? Are there any you have for Skyrim that haven't been ported yet? Sound off in the comments. We'd also like to thank modders for their continued support in extending the enjoyment of games, particularly Skyrim. You guys are incredible.
Updated October 30: We added a few more mods to the collection and updated details surrounding SKSE and SkyUI.