The Dunmer of Morrowind are one of the most iconic races of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, perhaps even the most iconic Elven race in all of The Elder Scrolls. Their homeland Morrowind was the subject of the third Elder Scrolls game, though the events of the Red Year have turned the once-proud race of Dunmer into refugees all across Tamriel.
While Dark Elves make plenty of appearances throughout Skyrim, there is a lot the game could do to more fully convey the destruction of Morrowind, and there's a lot more the game could do to make the Dunmer feel as developed as they were in games from 20 years ago. Luckily, Skyrim is one of the most modded games of all time, and Dunmer have lots of options for improvements.
5 Shadow of Morrowind
When it comes to fan-made expansions for Skyrim, there are a few that stand out. Until the ever-promised Skyblivion or Skywind mods are released, Shadow of Morrowind serves as a Skyrim player's best way to access the ravaged island of Vvardenfell and see what has happened to the Dunmer homeland since the Red Year.
It is beautifully detailed and features a number of familiar faces and enemies throughout Morrowind, some of which was taken from the Dragonborn DLC. Although it hasn't been updated properly since late 2014, it's still worth installing for its high attention to detail and its faithful recreations of some of The Elder Scrolls III's most iconic locations.
The Shadow of Morrowind expansion can be downloaded (and installed) through the Skyrim Nexus.
4 Dunmerized Gray Quarter
The Gray Quarter of Windhelm is a place where many Dunmer refugees ended up after the events of the Red Year, partially thanks to Vvardenfell being so close to the Windhelm docks. While Nords are extremely wary of Elves in all their forms, the Gray Quarter was established to house these Dark Elves – though being segregated doesn't mean they are protected from racism.
The Dunmerized Gray Quarter mod seeks to make that little corner of Windhelm feel more Dunmer than Nord to match the culture of its inhabitants. Featuring many designs and buildings from Solstheim, this mod makes Windhelm feel a little bit more like home for a Dark Elf, even if there isn't much of a Morrowind to return to eventually.
The Dunmerized Gray Quarter can be installed through the Steam Workshop.
3 Dark Elf Amazing Race Tweaks
The Amazing Race Tweaks series of mods are among the most-used addons in the Skyrim Steam Workshop as they build racial immersion without breaking the game. Dark Elves are given access to their Ancestor's Wrath as a lesser spell, their fire resistance is increased and now restores Magicka too, and they are given a huge 25% Weakness to Frost.
Additionally, Dark Elves are given the Ancestor's Power and Knowledge to improve Destruction (and other Magicka skills) hugely, as well as an increase to one-handed weapons with the Ancestor's Fighting Style skill. They are given large bonuses to Destruction, One-Handed, and Sneaking, while Alteration, Conjuration, Illusion, and Restoration all receive small buffs.
Dark Elf Amazing Race Tweaks can be installed through the Steam Workshop.
2 Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim
Some of the most impressive mods created by Skyrim's huge modding community add completely new spells and abilities to the game. Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim holds the honor of being the most-downloaded custom spell addon on the Steam Workshop, and as a Destruction-focused Dunmer, there's a lot to take advantage of in its 150+ new spells.
Spells like Bolide (a distance-based firey boulder), Dragon's Teeth (an area-of-effect ground-based spell), and the very Dunmer-fitting spell Volcano (which spews lava from a specified point) all show just how diverse the spells of Skyrim can be. As a Magicka-attuned race, Dark Elves will find much to their liking in every new offering from each school of Magic.
Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim can be installed through the Steam Workshop.
1 Morrowind Imports
Dark Elves are given lots of representation throughout the province of Skyrim, most notably in the Nord settlement Solstheim which is closer to Morrowind than anywhere else in the province. However, Dunmer merchants throughout mainland Skyrim usually sell nothing related to Dark Elves at all, not even things available in the Dragonborn DLC.
The Morrowind Imports mod seeks to change this by giving Dunmer merchants throughout Skyrim, most notably in Riften and in the Gray Quarter of Windhelm, an array of Morrowind-derived goods. Everything from yams to Morrowind books to Chitin and Bonemold armor can now be found at Dunmer merchants. These Dunmer merchants have had their stock tweaked with, too, so they are less likely to sell non-Dark Elf goods like Nordic armor. It's a small mod, but it goes a long way in making the refugee Dunmer people feel at home in Skyrim.
The Morrowind Imports mod can be installed through the Steam Workshop.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in its original moddable version (not Special Edition or otherwise) is only available for PC.