Gameplay mods are an important offering from the Skyrim modding community, especially given how long in the tooth the vanilla game is at this point. When it first came out, Skyrim didn't have the best gameplay mechanics right out of the box, but it's even worse at this point. As Bethesda preps for production on the Elder Scrolls VI, one can only hope they will take this into account.
Meanwhile, Skyrim players are still having fun in 2020, and that's sure to spill over into the new year. Here's a list of mods that should provide some extra immersion and convenience to the gameplay experience as we move out of 2020, and into the 2021 gaming arena.
Updated April 30, 2021, by Thomas Bowen: Despite being almost a decade old, Skyrim remains an incredibly popular game with an active and sizable playerbase. One of the biggest reasons for this is the huge variety of mods that are available for the title; some of which can completely change the gameplay experience for players. These mods are also a great tool for squeezing a bit more life out of the game and can keep players busy long after the main story and many side quests have been completed and turned in.
15 Bears Of The North
While the wildlife found in the vanilla version of Skyrim is perfectly serviceable, some of the creatures that the Dragonborn encounters while on his adventures can be a little underwhelming when compared to their real world counterparts. JPSteel2's Bears of the North mod seeks to address this, at least when it comes to the game's bears, anyway.
The mod completely overhauls the look and feel of Skyrim's three types of bear, with each one being given new models and textures. Fur is more realistic, their body shapes are far more true to life and, perhaps most importantly, their size has also been greatly increased. This results in bears that are far more realistic than they once were; not to mention, a lot more intimidating.
14 Immersive Fat Idiot Son
Rufus is a good kid at heart, but he's not quite the sharpest arrow in the knee. Having him accompany the Dragonborn on his adventures can therefore lead to some pretty funny moments, but also plenty of frustrating ones as well. In fact, Nerd of Prey has gone out of their way to make Rufus as annoying as possible; hence the mod's Immersive Fat Idiot Son title.
There are over 100 unique lines of dialogue attached to the character as well as a short intro quest. Rufus cannot die, does a terrible job of holding onto items and will randomly start fights with bandits and monsters that will more than likely get players killed. He does provide players with plenty of love though.
13 Pet The Dog
That it somehow took almost a decade for someone to mod in the ability to pet dogs in Skyrim is really quite remarkable. Thanks to popular and prominent modder jayserpa and their Pet the Dog mod, however, the Dragonborn can finally show their appreciation to man's best friend.
The mod includes three unique animations and can be activated simply by approaching any friendly dog while having no weapons, magic or fists out. The animations aren't perfect, but should be more than adequate for all but the most demanding of dog lovers.
12 Night Sky HD SE
There are some truly stunning visual mods for Skyrim, although few are quite as beautiful as PraedythXVI's Night Sky HD SE mod. It allows a ridiculous amount of control over the night sky and includes 2 constellation meshes, control over the number of visible stars and textures that are up to 8K in resolution.
With the exception of a handful of textures, the modder created everything themselves and has done an excellent job of packaging it all together. The mod is easy to install, simple to customize and can completely transform the way that players feel about nighttime in Skyrim.
11 Rally's Solstheim AIO
Rallyeator is one of Skyrim's most prolific modders, having published more than a hundred mods for the game over the past five years. Many of these have focused on overhauling locations in the game and can often completely change their appearances.
Rally's Solstheim AIO is a collection of some of their best work which, as the title might suggest, centers around the island of Solstheim. It includes reskins for Raven Rock, Tel Mithryn and Riekling Outposts and also makes some general tweaks to the overall landscape of the island. The results are fantastic and bring a whole new vibe to the areas that they change.
10 Creature Resistance Tweaks
Vanilla Skyrim monsters are rather bland when it comes to combat, as most of them take damage based on the same criteria and multipliers. Creature Resistance Tweaks adds new flavor to fighting monsters by imbuing them with inherent resistances to particular attacks, which creates a better combat experience.
For instance, Flame Atronachs will become 100% resistant to fire, but will be 20% vulnerable to frost damage. Hargravens will be resistant to magic, and gargoyles will be resistant to poison. This should provide an extra level of challenge for players who want to switch up their tactics in-game.
9 Item Durability
Many fantasy games offer a game mechanic that erodes the quality and durability of armor and weapons through repeated combat. Skyrim has no such mechanic, which is why Item Durability was created. Though not as advanced as other variants in similar games, this should provide an extra level of immersion for players.
Weapons and armor may be tempered back up to quality after they've suffered too many knocks. Blacksmithing skill determines the effectiveness rate, which makes it a more important perk than before. This is a nice way of adding realism to the game's item system.
8 StayDown
Skyrim players who like to bring followers along in their adventures now have a mod that adds some realism dynamics to the equation. StayDown was designed as a remedy for the inexplicable healing of followers after they've taken too many hits. It seems to have been inspired by many games which require players to personally revive comrades so they can stay in the fight.
That's precisely how this mod operates. It fiddles with multiple game settings to create a scenario where a follower will go down and require the player to help them back up again. No more followers with Wolverine-style healing factors.
7 TDG's Lower Experience Gain - Enhanced Edition
Vanilla Skyrim has a tendency to level up players way too easily, which detracts away from the play experience. TDG's Lower Experience Gain is the best fix for this problem. It cuts all sources of XP to 25% of their original rate, which means a slower, more realistic character progression.
This is an especially handy mod for players who love to install content add-ons such as Beyond Skyrim - Bruma, Falskaar or other mods that expand the worldspace. By slowing down the rate of XP, the player can grow into the Dragonborn role in a more realistic fashion.
6 Helmet Overlays - Improved 1st Person Experience
Wearing helmets takes on a whole new meaning with his quirky gameplay mod. Helmet Overlays allows players to experience a bit more immersion with visible first-person boundaries depending on which helmet is being worn at any given moment.
This makes things more realistic, but it also makes combat much harder at the same time. It's perfect for Skyrim players who want to feel like they're in the thick of the fantasy world, with all the disadvantages that come with it. Not all helmets are supported, but hopefully community updates will remedy this issue.
5 Hidespots SE
Sneakers and thief types are always looking for more places to hide in order to avoid detection, which makes Hidespots SE such a gem. This simple mod allows players to hide in various items such as barrels in order to stay undercover.
The mod also allows players to check out the area in either 3rd or 1st person view, pickpocket people who pass by, or assassinate them outright. Hopefully the mod is expanded on to provide more immersive animations and other goodies, but for now this should suffice.
4 Essential Favorites
Some Skyrim players want to keep track of their items and prevent their accidental sale or destruction. Essential Favorites does exactly that by using the favorite category as a screen against unwanted actions. This is perfect for those who have found rare or well-crafted items and don't wish to lose them.
While the mod is in operation, favorited items cannot be sold, disenchanted or dropped. While it may seem unnecessary to have such a mod, there are times when players accidentally get rid of an item, only to discover so later down the road. This saves a lot of headache.
3 EMILI - Skyrem Immersion Series AIO
Mod author DrPharmDawg created this all-in-one compendium of mods designed for better and more fluid, realistic gameplay. The main mod consists of five individual cores known as Eve, Mia, Inez, Lora and Iris, all of which contribute to different facets of the game.
Eve (Evolving Value Economy) fluctuates the game's in-world economy for better balance and realism. Mia (More Immersive Activations) replaces text notifiers for vanilla situations. Inez (Improved NPC Encounter Zones) handles NPC encounters in a more logical manner. Lora (Loot Overhaul - Rarity and Abundance) reworks the game's leveled lists for loot in containers and chests. And finally, Iris (Indigent Residents in Skyrim) reduces cell clutter while logically rethinking what items are left around, based on value.
2 Alternate Start - Live Another Life
Alternate Start has been around for quite a while, but it's still a must-have for Skyrim players who want to try a different experience outside of the vanilla base game. This mod allows players to bypass the opening sequence of the game, and instead choose where the Dragonborn will start their quest.
Whether it's camping in the woods or busting out of jail, there are plenty of new experiences to try out. The game's base storyline remains intact (with some clever modifications), making Alternate Start a required mod for better gameplay in 2021.
1 Quick Loot RE
Fallout 4 fans know how convenient it is to simply hover over a body or a container and pick whatever items they wish without having to expand a new menu. Quick Loot RE is the Skyrim equivalent, and it works like a charm, just like its FO4 counterpart.
It is vital that players choose the RE version of the mod rather than Quick Loot SE, as the former is fully compatible with the newest Skyrim/SKSE (Skyrim Script Extender) updates. Otherwise, you may find the functionality simply does not work.