Are you looking for the ultimate Skyrim mods list? Today, we have compiled a list of 50 most popular and best Skyrim mods ever created. This article covers the best Skyrim mods for textures, weapons, cheats, UI, armors, maps, races, and more.
From everything you can imagine to everything you can’t, there are gazillions of mods out there that have been created to enhance your The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Skyrim Special Edition experience. So, whether you’re playing this game for the first time or want to get into the Skyrim realm all over again, you can improve your experience with the 50 best Skyrim mods in 2022.
With so many mods already up for grabs, we know choosing a few that will work best for you can get overwhelming – even for the most experienced Skyrim fans. For this reason, we’ve compiled a list of the 50 best Skyrim mods in 2022 that have been deemed essential by most of the players who have downloaded and installed them.
Before we get started, it is pertinent to note that if you’re playing vanilla Skyrim on a modern PC, you will need to check your GPU software’s control panel and ensure that the game’s framerate is capped at 60fps. Verifying this aspect will ensure your game and all of its graphics run smoothly on a modern PC.
With that out of the way, we can finally begin our discussion of the best Skyrim mods to download and install in 2022. These mods include lore-friendly wardrobe, armor, and accessories additions as well as some amazing new spells and new quests.
What are you waiting for? Let’s jump right into it!
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The 50 Best Skyrim Mods in 2022
#1 SkyUI
The SkyUI mod adds several advanced features to the game as a PC-friendly, elegant interface mod. The improvements will blend seamlessly and integrate with the original interface’s style. Moreover, version 5 of this mod includes smithing menus, along with several other enchantments, alchemy, enchanting, and crafting.
The extended data columns, sorting, and full-text search – courtesy of the feature-rich panel – make for convenient inventory management. You can also access your essential items quickly and non-intrusively thanks to the powerful categorized favorites menu. What’s more interesting is that this mod includes 8 customizable hotkey groups that allow exploration of playstyles, which was previously extremely tedious.
The mod also features a Mod Configuration Menu [MCM], which has been used by plenty of other mods to support in-game, user-friendly customizations. You also won’t have to open the magic menu repeatedly as the active effects are directly displayed in the HUD instead.
The mod comes with multi-language support, keyboard navigation, and gamepad support.
Download the SkyUI mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#2 Skyrim HD – 2K Textures
The Skyrim HD – 2K Textures mod is one of the most downloaded and loved high-resolution texture mods you will find for Skyrim. It marginally differs from the HD DLC, offering 1K resolution in the lite version and leading up to 8K textures in the full version of the mod.
The mod will replace more than 600 normal maps and textures throughout the Skyrim world and add accumulated man-hours that are known to go efficiently into four-digit figures.
Some of the many covered cities include Farmhouses, Riften, Solitude, Markarth, Windhelm, and Whiterun, and even those that are found in Dragonborn DLC.
The mod also covers dungeon textures, including dwemer ruins and basic dungeons, which also include retextures of clothes, clutter, sky, water, and reflections.
The full version, which requires 4GB RAM, includes a maximum resolution of all the textures and averages around 4x of the official HD DLC. In contrast, the lite version, which requires 2GB RAM, includes 50% of the full version’s textures, averaging about 2x of the official HD DLC.
You can install both of these versions together using the Nexus Mod Manager and mix them for your preferred gaming style.
Download the Skyrim HD – 2K Textures mod for Skyrim now!
#3 Fores New Idles in Skyrim – FNIS
If you think custom animation isn’t possible in Skyrim, think again! The Fores New Idles in Skyrim – FNIS mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE allows gamers to add various types of animations to their game.
The animations include poses/idles, creatures, killmoves, paired animations, furniture, sequenced, arm offset, and many others. You can also add dance animations to your game with the help of this mod.
However, it is pertinent to note that this mod is incompatible with other mods that modify behavior files whether of creatures or characters. Moreover, some of the custom animations won’t work efficiently if the TK Dodge 3.0 is active.
Download the Fores New Idles in Skyrim – FNIS mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#4 ApachiiSkyHair
Converting hair from Sims3, Sims2 The Witcher, and Oblivion, the ApachiiSkyHair mod adds new male and female hairstyles for orcs, elves, and humans. The mod is a standalone version and adds around 216 new hairstyles for Skyrim characters.
The Racemenu requires Skyrim Script Extended [SKSE] for this mod to work. Moreover, you will also need to ensure that you’re viewing the changes in third-person when editing your character.
It is also pertinent to note that when you’re using a helmet, the head will appear bald. This glitch has been added on purpose to avoid clipping.
Download the ApachiiSkyHair mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#5 Skyrim 2020 Parallax by Pfuscher
The Skyrim 2020 Parallax by Pfuscher mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE, created by Pfuscher, adds high-resolution textures for landscapes, armors, clutter, dungeons, cities, and more.
You can also download this mod for Skyrim Anniversary Edition and VR. The installation can be done through the mod manager. Moreover, it has been split into three different pieces, including other stuff, architecture, and landscapes, to control the size.
You will have to overwrite all the mods that are not compatible with this one for it to work effectively. Additionally, you can also take a look at some of the additional textures and miscellaneous files, which include reflections for orc and iron armor as well as terrain parallax.
Download the Skyrim 2020 Parallax by Pfuscher mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#6 aMidianBorn Book of Silence
Created by CaBaL- EmeraldReign-the AMB team and available on Nexus Mods, the aMidianBorn Book of Silence mod is a complete package texture replacer that is high-resolution. In addition to weapons and armors, the mod also includes high-resolution textures of dungeons, architecture, equipment, and landscape.
The latter includes a complete overhaul of textures, which include those for forts, farmhouses, and cave mines. Currently, the use of game assets is minimal and it’s only restricted to equipment and normal maps.
Toher pieces have been created from scratch and you have the option of downloading the mod in parts, which have been divided to give you the option of choosing and customizing content to download for your game.
Moreover, it supports DLC from Bethesda and is compatible with other mods. It adds new collections and content that are not available in vanilla Skyrim, including body modifications for male and female characters and mesh modifications for weapons and armor sets.
The mod will also work for both genders and any of the body mods you might already have.
Download the aMidianBorn Book of Silence mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#7 Immersive Armors
The Immersive Armors mod, specifically created for Skyrim and Skyrim SE, is a lore-friendly mod that marginally improves the variety of armors in the game. The changes that this mod brings will perfectly blend with the feel, balance, and lore of the game, resulting in one of the most immersive experiences available through mods.
The new armor sets will seamlessly integrate into the game, giving you a chance to enhance your gaming experience without losing the natural feel of the game.
The armor sets are spread throughout the game and you will find numerous power-appropriate ones right from level one and leading up to level fifty and above. The mod also has the ability to evolve with your game, which is pretty cool, in our opinion.
If you include all the variants, the mod will add over 60 new sets of armor. Other things added through this mod include scarves, earrings, capes, eye patches, 396 new shields, and numerous non-set helmet options.
The enchantable, upgradeable, and craftable sets are integrated throughout the game through placements onto specific people or in dungeons, quest rewards, and leveled lists.
You can also customize your Immersive Armors experience with the recent addition of the MCM menus in version 7 of this mod. One of the primary reasons this mod has made it into our list of the 50 best Skyrim mods in 2022 is that it has relatively greater mod compatibility.
Before you download this mod, make sure that you have version 1.8+ of Skyrim.
Download the Immersive Armors mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#8 A Quality World Map and Solstheim Map – With Roads
The A Quality World Map and Solstheim Map – With Roads mod will significantly improve your gameplay with enhanced quality of the World Map in Skyrim, which also includes hand-drawn roads.
You will have the option to choose between having just the main roads or all the roads. This mod also includes the Solstheim map, which is found in Dragonborn DLC and offers installer support for Wrye Bash, MO, and NMM.
The mod requires version 9.0 or above to work efficiently and will add a new set of highly-detailed textures for the world map. You can also opt to download the Clear Map Skies add-on for an even better gaming experience.
The larger, more detailed textures also include Stone Roads and Flat Roads, which you can select to appear on your map. Moreover, Vivid 9.0 includes a tweaked appearance of the weather on the world map, which drastically improves the overall appearance.
This mod is compatible with other map marker mods and you can install and uninstall the mod in between the game.
Download the A Quality World Map and Solstheim Map – With Roads mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#9 RaceMenu
The RaceMenu mod has been created by Expired for both Skyrim and Skyrim SE and it adds new customization features, such as foot paints, hand paints, body paints, and RGBA warpaints, offering a complete overhaul to the character creation menu.
For RaceMenu to run efficiently in your game, you will require the Skyrim Script Extender [SKSE], which allows for more in-depth customizations of the characters. However, it is pertinent to note that this mod will not fix the internal class problems and will only add more features and redesign it.
The mod includes sculpt mode, equippable transforms, and bodygen randomize.
Before you download this mod you must also ensure that the original RaceMenu is working well within your game.
Download the RaceMenu mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#10 Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch
Created by the Unofficial Patch Project Team, this mod has been specifically designed to comprehensively fix bugs within the game. Its primary goal is to be able to fix every bug found within the game that has remained unresolved by Skyrim’s developers.
If you’re downloading this mod for Skyrim SE, you should have edition 1.6.353 or above because this mod is not compatible with older versions. This mod features the following:
- Compatibility with as many mods as possible
- Free of unsafe changes
- Bug fixes for placement, text, item, object, NPC, quest, and gameplay
- Dedicated work by the authors of the Unofficial Oblivion Patch series
Download the Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#11 Climates Of Tamriel – Weather – Lighting – Audio
The Climates Of Tamriel – Weather – Lighting – Audio mod is one of the most favorable weather and lightning overhaul for Skyrim fans. The mod will replace all o the vanilla game lightning and weather and replaces them with beautiful and unique styles.
The mod will add a variety of weather variations, which include sunsets, sunrises, foggy, blizzard, snowy, stormy, overcast, cloudy, and sunny weather conditions.
The mod will also add several effects, including lightning and real sheet effects, which will create volumetric fogs and violent thunderstorms. Moreover, you will also get new interior rain sounds and thunder sounds, which you can adjust through the in-game menu.
You can also add darker dungeons, more atmospheric interiors, and darker nights through the optional modules available as well as a new multiple lens flare system and auroras effect night lightning.
Before you download this mod, you must know that it is not compatible with other mods that offer similar features.
Download the Climates Of Tamriel – Weather – Lighting – Audio mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#12 Skyrim Flora Overhaul
Created by vurt, the Skyrim Flora Overhaul mod will add more detailed flora and trees and it overhauls the Skyrim landscape with such additions. You will, however, need iMaxGrassTypesPerTexure=7 in your skyrim.ini for this mod to work.
The Skyrim Flora Overhaul versions are standalone. So, if you upgrade from one version to another, you will first need to uninstall the previous one.
Download the Skyrim Flora Overhaul mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#13 Static Mesh Improvement Mod – SMIM
The Static Mesh Improvement Mod – SMIM will significantly increase the appearance of numerous static 3D models in Skyrim, including the landscaping, furniture, clutter, and architecture.
It makes the open-world RPG experience of the game a lot better with the improved 3D models that focus on improving the ugly seams and oddities of the neglected 3D structures that make up the entire world of Skyrim.
The mod includes over 30 thousand placements of meshes and approximately 900+ improvements. There’s also an optional Official High-Res DLC version and there are several other mods that complement this mod.
Download the Static Mesh Improvement Mod – SMIM mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#14 Immersive Weapons
Want to increase the variety of weapons available in Skyrim or Skyrim SE in a lore-friendly manner? This mod will help you achieve this by adding weapons that blend really well into the feel, balance, and lore of the game.
The custom weapons are spread across the gaming experience and they can be found starting from level one all the way to level fifty. The immersive weapons are also power-appropriate and they constantly evolve with the game.
The mod will add a whopping 230 new craftable, enchantable, and upgradeable weapons to your game through placements in dungeons and onto specific characters, vendors, and leveled lists.
Moreover, the immersive weapons will fit into the basic weapon category and their names have been inspired by real, historical weapons. The categories of weapons include:
- Battleaxes
- Dagger
- Greatswords
- Maces
- Swords
- Warhammers
Download the Immersive Weapons mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#15 Cloaks of Skyrim
The Cloaks of Skyrim mod will add about 100 new styles of cloaks to your game through static loot, leveled lists, and crafting. The cloaks are 100% enchantable and lore-friendly and there are a lot more options being added through updates.
You can keep the cold out in style while also adding a bit of flavor and variety to the world of Skyrim through this mod. You will also come across several NPCs donning these clocks, which can be worn by your character without replacing any equipment that you have on.
The cloak types include craftable cloaks, hold guard cloaks and capes, faction cloaks, unique or rare cloaks, and dragon priest cloaks.
Download the Cloaks of Skyrim mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#16 Realistic Ragdolls and Force
The ESP plugin of the Realistic Ragdolls and Force mod will reduce the force to a more reasonable level, which can be applied on ragdolls. Moreover, the MESH replaces the ragdolls and makes them easier to twist and bend as well as fall at a faster velocity. The friction to fix ice-like ragdoll sliding is also increased.
All of these features combined together give the ragdolls a more realistic look and feel. However, you must note that the mod will conflict with other mods that entail changing the skeleton.nif.
The following are some of the features of the ragdolls:
- Arms can twist behind the back
- The neck can bend and twist at an increased radius
- Fixes odd posses for humanoids
- Increases friction
- Increases weight for some ragdolls
- Reduces stiffness
In addition to this, the ESP does the following:
- Ragdolls will go flying with the Unrelenting Force Shout
- People will not fly 20 feet away with magic
- Ragdolls will have a realistic reaction to melee hits
- The bodies will not be pushed far away with arrows when killed with stealth damage
- Fixes the lightning spell duration
- Reduces the force required to move ragdolls to realistic levels and the option to choose a different force
Download the Realistic Ragdolls and Force mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#17 Enhanced Lights and FX
The Enhanced Lights and FX mod will add a more realistic and dramatic vibe to your Skyrim world with enhanced FX and lights. The mod does a wonderful job of removing lights without a source and adding lights to all light sources in the world of Skyrim.
Furthermore, this mod will also add numerous other effects, including ripple, volumic lights, and smoke. It will go perfectly with other ENBs or mods that darken interiors, adding several friendly designs and some dramatic redesigns.
The package includes enhanced FX and lights for Skyrim, ELFX enhancer, and lighting and FX changes for exteriors, weather, and ice.
Download the Enhanced Lights and FX mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#18 UFO – Ultimate Follower Overhaul
Created and published on Nexus Mods by fLokii, the UFO – Ultimate Follower Overhaul mod aims to expand and better follower use by adding a set of enhancements for the follower system.
The mod comes with Dawnguard, Heartfire, and Dragonborn compatibility and includes custom dialogues for followers. You will have enhanced usability and control of your followers in Skyrim with this mod.
What we love the most about this mod is that it’s so simple that it works even for those gamers who don’t like reading lengthy description instructions. Moreover, it also fixes follower bugs in the vanilla version and offers compatibility with most mod types currently available.
In addition to a variety of dialogues, the mod will also increase your follower limit to 15, increases follower horses to 8, and adds group commands. You will also have several miscellaneous changes with this mod.
It is pertinent to note that this mod requires version 1.8 or above of Skyrim to work properly.
Download the UFO – Ultimate Follower Overhaul mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#19 The Eyes Of Beauty
The Eyes of Beauty mod offers fast-paced updates that will give you more choices over time. The mod includes lore-friendly and realistic eye textures for female and male characters as well as Argonians, Khajiits, Orcs, and Elves.
The mod is compatible with other eye textures and offers player+NPC or player-only replacements. All the eye textures are completely high resolution, offering the best results for your game. This mod made it to our list because the eye textures are extremely unique and real.
You can download various packs, including the Dawnguard, NPC, and Player packs, which mostly include heterochromia.
Download The Eyes Of Beauty mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#20 HDT Physics Extensions
This SKSE plugin replaces generic animation with the existing Havok physics engine in Skyrim. These animations include the famous bouncing breasts, flowing skirts, and even swishing hair.
The mod makes use of the existing physics engine that is already a part of the game to alleviate the existing problems associated with the animations of Skyrim.
Download the HDT Physics Extensions mod for Skyrim now!
#21 Ordinator – Perks of Skyrim
The Ordinator – Perks of Skyrim mod uses clean and lightweight scripting and is highly compatible with other mods. It adds more fun and depth to character building with an overhaul of the perk trees of Skyrim.
The mod features several interesting things. For example, you can download the mod in between your playthrough and it enables new viable character builds. This mod overhauls perk trees doe 469 new perks.
The package includes alchemy, alteration, archery, block, conjuration, destruction, enchanting, heavy armor, illusion, light armor, lockpicking, one-handed, pickpocket, restoration, smithing, sneak, speech, and two-handed perks.
You will also receive ordinator perks for your NPCs and an optional thief skill rebalance through this mod.
Download the Ordinator – Perks of Skyrim mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#22 RealVision ENB
This mod provides more atmospheric and super realistic graphics for Skyrim by combining Enhanced Light and FX or Realistic Lightning Overhaul with Climates of Tamriel with the use of ENBoost.
It’s a collection of different mods that combined together offer the perfect synergy for your game. It will make your Skyrim experience more realistic without losing the essence of fantasy.
The mod will overhaul everything, including water and lightning, depth of fields, and anti-aliasing. Each set will be tweaked at the lowest performance cost to give your game a more realistic feel throughout.
Download the RealVision ENB mod for Skyrim now!
#23 SSE Engine Fixes (skse64 plugin)
This SKSE64 plugin has been created specifically for Skyrim SE to resolve a variety of issues with the game’s engine, including patch and bug issues. Whether you’re dealing with a rare crash or a common bug, this mod might have already solved it.
Some of the fixes entail alleviating the problems pertaining to weapon blocking, vertical look sensitivity, tree LOD reflections, camera movement, projectile firing, animations, lightning, and much more!
Download the SSE Engine Fixes (skse64 plugin) mod for Skyrim SE now!
#24 Apocalypse – Magic of Skyrim
If you’re on the lookout for one of the most famous spell packs for Skyrim, you don’t need to look any further! This mod adds 155 new, completely lore-friendly, balanced, and unique. The spells will blend seamlessly into the magic system of the vanilla game and use high-quality custom visuals to do so.
The 155 spells or 31 per school are in addition to the staves and scrolls. Moreover, they can be looted or bought exactly like the vanilla smells and are 100% compatible with magic scaling mods that are very popular in the Skyrim gaming community.
You will also be able to enable viable spellcasters without conjuration or destruction with no save bloat and a low script load. Furthermore, it goes a step further and fixes the bug related to the Restoration Ritual Spell quest.
While SkyUI is not a prerequisite for this mod, it will enable the configuration options that are available in the Apocalypse MCM. The complete list of spells includes alteration spells, conjuration spells, destruction spells, illusion spells, restoration spells, and scroll-only spells for novice, apprentice, adept, expert, and master.
Download the Apocalypse – Magic of Skyrim mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#25 Alternate Start – Live Another Life – SSE
Do you want to avoid the lengthy intro sequence at Helgen? Well, this mod will do just that by providing an alternative means to start the game. The mod will also give you a chance to choose a new life for your character to lead – in addition to the option of choosing your race.
The mod will open the gates to various choices that will have their respective consequences and impacts. You can also extend the mod with your own starts. For this mod to work, you will need Skyrim Special Edition 1.5.97 or above.
You might face some known issues with this mod. However, it is nothing you won’t be able to overlook. For this reason, this mod has made it to the list of the 50 best Skyrim mods in 2022.
Download the Alternate Start – Live Another Life – SSE mod for Skyrim SE now!
#26 Realistic Water Two SE
Created by isoku-TechAngel85-SparrowPrince, this mod is completely compatible with ENBSeries and offers vast improvements to effects across the game, adding distinct and crisp water in the world of Skyrim.
The new water flow system will allow water to change speed and bend around turns depending on the environment. This will fix the problem of off-looking water in some circumstances. For example, it will fix the issue with the small marsh pools that look like they’re flowing like rivers in the game.
The mod will fix most of the distant LOD issues, resolve flowing issues with most of the small bodies of water, including marsh, ponds, and lakes, add new ambient sound effects to oceans, rivers, and lakes, add certain animations to water, enhance the ice chunks and icebergs, and put coastal waves in some places.
There are several other features, assets, and optional files in this mod that are worth checking out. It is completely compatible with Skyrim SE v1.5.97 and v1.6+. Moreover, most of the reported bugs are user errors.
Download the Realistic Water Two SE mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#27 ShowRaceMenu Precache Killer
This mod will not effect any other mod while it enables gamers to use various hair mods with no delay and keeps the game from CTD when one starts ShowRaceMenu.
If you notice that your game crashes when you start ShowRaceMenu, this is because Skyrim tries to load all hair, eyebrows, or eyes at the same time. The mod will fix this issue. However, there will be a lag when you change these elements of your character. This lag is a lot better than a complete crash.
You will require Skyrim version 1.8.151, 1.9.29, or 1.9.32 and SKSE 1.6.9 or above for this mod to work.
Download the ShowRaceMenu Precache Killer mod for Skyrim now!
#28 Relationship Dialogue Overhaul – RDO SE
The Relationship Dialogue Overhaul – RDO mod will add over 5 thousand dialogues, using the original vanilla voices, for your NPCs. Your rivals, spouses, followers, and friends in Skyrim will have a lot more to say – courtesy of this mod.
Furthermore, the mod will also restore cut dialogues and fix unresolved dialogues bugs. There are more than 50 voice types in this mod that are based on the NPC’s relationship with the player and they work with the existing vanilla dialogues from the game.
The creator has used the existing lines from the game to add them to a more suitable situation. Moreover, the lines have also been edited and combined to form completely new and unique dialogues.
With this mod, if your spouse is a follower, it will speak to you like a spouse, friends will be friendlier, enemies and rivals will have more insults to pass, and followers will have a lot more to say to you. The latter will also use more appropriate dialogues in every aspect of combat.
Moreover, the mod will also fix the issue of overly talkative followers, such as Teldryn Sero, Erandur, and Mjoll. In addition to the list of generic voices given in dialogues, the following unique voices have also been added:
- Delvin Mallory
- Brynjolf
- Vex
- Karliah
- Frea
- Isran
- Harkon [combat only]
- Knight-Paladin Gelebor
- Serana
- Valerica
Download the Relationship Dialogue Overhaul – RDO mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#29 Address Library for SKSE Plugins
If you want to make the SKSE DLL plugins version independent with ease, this mod will offer you the database and header file to achieve this. You can mark this mod as a dependency otherwise the file size will marginally increase as you include more database files.
Download the Address Library for SKSE Plugins mod for Skyrim SE now!
#30 Mod Organizer 2
Are you someone who likes to experiment with a variety of different mods? Well, if you want a reliable and easy method to uninstall or install mods for Skyrim, this Mod Organizer mod can help you by enhancing the management of mod collections of great size.
Currently available for Skyrim SE, the latest version of this mod requires the newest Visual C++ 2019 redists installed in addition to the .NET Framework 4.8 installation. The feature-rich Mod Manager is specialized for Bethesda games and extremely advanced.
Moreover, this mod will not modify the vanilla game installation process in any manner and it uses its own set instead of messing with the game’s INI configuration files. This means that if you start your game normally, it will be in its unmodded vanilla state, and when you open your game through MO2, the mods will be active.
Download the Mod Organizer 2 mod for Skyrim SE now!
#31 BodySlide and Outfit Studio
The BodySlide and Outfit Studio mod will allow you to convert outfits between different body types, create new outfits and bodies, and customize different outfits and bodies with ease. What this means is that you can have any and all the outfits in Skyrim that you’ve ever dreamed of efficiently and easily.
The customization of bodies and outfits will not require the editing of mesh files and you can use sliders to create personalized shapes. The mod makes the experience of editing these elements enjoyable.
You will feel like an experienced modder with this mod in your game, giving you the ability to even correct animation weights and edit meshes with ease. If you already have some experience, you might even be able to edit static meshes in the game.
Download the BodySlide and Outfit Studio mod for Skyrim SE now!
#32 Immersive Citizens – AI Overhaul SE
The Immersive Citizens – AI Overhaul SE mod will enable friendly NPCs or citizens to react and act like humans in relation to an aggressor or to their environment, ultimately increasing the player in-game immersion with the help of significant AI improvements.
The mod specifically focuses on combat AI and adds a new survival instinct feature for citizens, giving them the ability to respond more realistically after evaluating the dangers from an aggressor while they are under attack.
Moreover, the citizens will make better use of the world around them to respond, travel, and behave in a non-combat environment. They will have specific and accurate responses to relationships, individual professions, and even the weather – adding more depth to your gaming experience.
Download the Immersive Citizens – AI Overhaul SE mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#33 JK’s Skyrim
The aim of this mod is to offer enhanced towns and cities overhaul in a single package. The overhaul of the towns and cities of Skyrim are completely script-free and lore-friendly.
Dragons Bridge, Dawnstar, Falkreath, Rorikstead, and Riverwood have all been given a more immersive and unique atmosphere, which has expanded the vanilla towns’ themes. The entire overhaul also covers 5 major cities, including Riften, Markarth, Solitude, Windhelm, and Whiterun.
Moreover, additional vendors and buildings have been added to the vanilla villages, making them more useful and vibrant for you during the gameplay. The town allegiances, such as guards and banners, have also been integrated to change during the professional of the Civil War.
Download the JK’s Skyrim mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#34 Interesting NPCs
The Interesting NPCs mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE will add more extensive role play and dialogue choices for your NPCs. The pack includes more than 50 quests, 15+ marriage NPCs, over 25 followers, and about 250 fully-voiced NPCs for your game.
The three-dimensional, well-integrated characters will add more life, humor, depth, and color to the Skyrim world with their extensive exploratory dialogue tree and interesting backstories. Want each of your conversations to become more interesting? This mod will do that for you!
The conversations have been integrated after or during the questlines and the followers have 1000+ lines each. They can also wear capes and fly around.
Download the Interesting NPCs mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#35 The Dance of Death – A Killmove Mod
The Dance of Death – A Killmove Mod mod has been designed to offer gamers control over their killmoves. This mod is 100% user-friendly and the latest update includes compatibility with all DLCs.
You can also manipulate ranged killmoves. It is pertinent to note, however, that you will have to make sure you download the version that properly correlates to the DLCs installed.
The mod will add a variety of unassigned or unused killmoves into the melee combats throughout Skyrim along with complete control over the settings which affect them through the Mod Configuration Menu.
You will need a few Perks to unlock killmoves, such as hand-to-hand, one-handed, block, and two-handed ones.
Download The Dance of Death – A Killmove Mod mod for Skyrim now!
#36 JaySuS Swords
This mod will add a total of 53 new weapons to your game. The weapons are craftable and you can equip your followers with these weapons for better visibility. Most of the gamers have made this pack their main source of weapons in Skyrim.
The weapons are well-designed and the only problem you will have with this mod is having to choose between some of the best-looking weapons you can get your hands on.
The designs have been inspired by a variety of historical weapon designs and they look extremely realistic while maintaining a distinct look and style. You will require advanced smithing perks or the steel smithing perk for some of these swords, which include two-handed swords, daggers, and war axes.
Download the JaySuS Swords mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#37 KS Hairdos SSE
The KS Hairdos mod contains 107 hairstyles for males and 876 hairstyles for female characters in the game, taking the total to 938 for this hair pack. The hairstyles have smooth bone assignments and have been retextured for a more realistic and clean look.
You can also change the hairstyle of Elves in your game with those available in this pack. The modder also recommends that you use RaceMenu for this mod. However, it is pertinent to note that some of your characters with bigger breasts might face some clipping issues with some of the hairstyles from this pack.
Download the KS Hairdos SSE mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#38 Wet and Cold
The Wet and Cold mod requires SKSE to properly function and its visual effects will automatically apply to all the actors. The mod will add NPC AI enhancements and weather-dependent visual effects.
If you have other mods installed, this mod will gain additional features. The effects include blizzard blind, strong winds, snowy effects, breaths, rain blind, soggy feet effects, and drips.
Your NPCs will go to a nearby inn if they live far away when the weather conditions are intolerable, walk briskly during blizzards, and return to their homes during rains. The SKSE version also includes several gears that your NPCs will wear during certain weather conditions.
Download the Wet and Cold mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#39 NetImmerse Override
The NetImmerse Override mod with an SKSE plugin will serialize to SKSE co-save with allowance for runtime shader property overrides. You will be able to override the Armor shader properties active on specific actors.
The advanced use will also allow the overriding of properties that relate to specific node names. You won’t have to reapply any of the modifications when you reload the game as they will be saved to the SKSE co-save.
Moreover, all the armor modifications will also be re-applied automatically. Among many other things, the mod will allow you to stop, start, or modify time controllers, and runtime emissive color changing, runtime texture swapping.
The entire pack includes shader modifiers, controller modifiers, and overlays.
Download the NetImmerse Override mod for Skyrim now!
#40 Landscape Fixes For Grass Mods
The Landscape Fixes for Grass Mods mod, as its name suggests, will reduce the grass clipping issue presented with a variety of grass mods. The lost details will be restored and the clipping through objects will be adequately reduced.
The secondary goal of this mod is to reduce some roads’ overgrown sections and improve the overall game performance by removing the grass in places such as inside the buildings of Falkreat and under Whiterun.
The fixes have been explicitly designed for expanded landscape grass mods, slope restricted grass mods, and vanilla landscape grass mods. The mod will fix these issues for about 150 different locations, including those in Solstheim.
Download the Landscape Fixes For Grass Mods mod for Skyrim SE now!
#41 Convenient Horses
The Convenient Horses mod has maximum compatibility and it adds fast dismount, horse inventory, herb gathering, mounted conversations, horse whistle, cinematic horse call, dynamic faction relations, mounted combat horse charge, horse armor, and a lot more advanced features and even scripted follower AI behavior.
The focus of the mod is also to add horses for followers and mounted combat for followers. However, it is pertinent to note that you can’t leave horses near Fort Dawnguard, in Blackreach, Soul Cairn, and Solstheim because they can’t pass through the zoning points themselves.
Furthermore, you can also choose which follower will ride which horse through the use configuration menu or the dialogue topic.
Download the Convenient Horses mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#42 Dual Sheath Redux
Whether you want to carry your shield on your back, add a sheath to the staves, or see your left-hand weapon in Skyrim, this mod has been explicitly made for you. The mod includes support for custom races that use compatible skeletons and allows integration of weapon, staff, or shield mods with minimal effort.
The mod is also compatible with Mod Configuration Menu [MCM] and all the current DLCs are supported. If you download and install this mod, your staves will be stored on the back, the shields with be stored on the back and move according to cloaks, and left-hand weapons and sheathes will be added.
Download the Dual Sheath Redux mod for Skyrim now!
#43 Frostfall – Hypothermia Camping Survival
This mod by Chesko will add survival gameplay elements for cold weather, making it a survival-style mod. The main components of this mod include Camping, Cold Water Survival, and Hypothermia, which will make your gameplay more immersive and deep.
The mod also keeps the tedium to a minimum and it will seamlessly and immersively determine your current condition after evaluating your worn clothing, time of day, weather, location, etc.
The mod also includes craftable camping equipment, such as craftable torches because it is combined with Campfire. It is compatible with most of the mods and it’s also highly customizable.
You will require Campfire, SKSE 1.7.3+, and SkyUI 4.1+ for this mod to work.
Download the Frostfall – Hypothermia Camping Survival mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#44 Immersive Patrols
In addition to adding roaming Rieklings, Reaver, and Skaal to Solstheim, the Immersive Patrols mod will also add Dawngaurd, Imperial, Thalmor, and Stormcloak patrols to Skyrim.
The patrols will have the ability to pass through the player while creating new encounters and even pass one another to do the same. Once you complete the Civil War quest, the battle NPCs and all patrol will be disabled and you will be left with just your troops.
Moreover, if you decide to destroy the enemy camps that have remained after the war, the troops from this mod will also disappear as they will no longer be needed. As a consequence, the Civil War will also end within the Immersive Patrols mod.
You must also note that the Dawnguard patrols will only appear after the reconstruction of the Fort Danguard has been initiated.
Download the Immersive Patrols mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#45 PapyrusUtil SE – Modders Scripting Utility Functions
This mod includes an SKSE plugin that will add various native functions and new scripts that offer different conveniences related to misc functions and data storage for modders or scripters.
You will be able to save any amount of string values, form, float, and int globally from papyrus scripts or any form. The mod also supports the lists of those data types and it integrates easy dynamic compatibility as the values can be accessed from any mod.
You will require Plugins, Address Library for SKSE, and SKSE AE 2.1.5 for this mod to work.
Download the PapyrusUtil SE – Modders Scripting Utility Functions mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#46 Total Character Makeover
The Total Character Makeover mod adds a collection of optimized and carefully curated character improvements for Skyrim and Skyrim SE. The complete character appearance overhaul aims to replace the unaesthetic vanilla Skyrim characters with more realistic and pleasing characters.
The characters have performance-friendly yet detailed textures, maintain a consistent look, and improve upon the already existing vanilla characters. While the mod does not include changes to individual NPCs, child meshes, hairstyles, or hair textures, it does include the following vital features:
- High-resolution scars, freckles, dirt, warpaint, and makeup
- Beard textures
- Eyebrow textures
- Eye textures for all races
- Enhanced teeth textures
- Complete vampire textures
- Complete snow elf textures
- Texturessets for all races
- Improved foot and hand meshes
Download the Total Character Makeover mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE.
#47 TES5Edit
This mod is an advanced conflict detector and graphical module editor or viewer. This means that it can be used to edit module files of different Bethesda Games and detect and view conflicts.
Download the TES5Edit mod for Skyrim now!
#48 Realistic Lighting Overhaul
This massive overhaul of Skyrim’s lighting includes significant overhauls of exteriors with no Post Processing and no FPS loss. The mod adds the Dwemer Lighting Technology to Skyrim and Skyrim SE and you can check the introduction to this feature in the Understone Keep.
This mod is one of the most comprehensive mods available in the lighting category and the changes are in vast number. The mod remains within the confines of the game engine while making the lighting as realistic as possible.
There’s no use of screen shader injections or other post-processing, meaning there will be no decrease in performance and you might even notice some FPS boost. Due to the optimization of RLO, the mod might work faster than the vanilla Skyrim in some instances.
While you can pick and choose between other mods, this mod does not require weather mods, striping fix mods, or fog removal mods. It is completely lore-friendly and the lighting fixes seamlessly integrate into the game making it seem as though Skyrim was always meant to look like this.
Download the Realistic Lighting Overhaul mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#49 Skyrim Immersive Creatures
Do you want to enhance your gaming experience with new creatures in Skyrim? This mod will add brand new characters that will blend perfectly into the world of Skyrim and with the existing creatures in the vanilla game.
The mod’s aim is to improve your gameplay and add diversity with new creature variants and creatures. The new creatures include warring goblin tribes, dwemer automatons, undead, and a lot more.
They also come with special weaknesses, strengths, and abilities and have been made to be more challenging than vanilla creatures. You will be encouraged to use various strategies to deal with the different characters added through this mod.
Furthermore, the difficulty can also be adjusted via the MCM menu and you can also enable or disable creatures according to your preferences. The purist preset will enable lore-friendly creatures that were seen in the earlier Elder Scrolls games.
You will require the DLC Dawnguard and the latest Skyrim Version [v1.9.32.0.8] for this mod to work.
Download the Skyrim Immersive Creatures mod for Skyrim and Skyrim SE now!
#50 Better Females by Bella
The Better Females by Bella mod replaces the existing female textures, including makeup, eyebrows, and lips, with high-resolution, improved versions. The mod will be applied to all the NPCs and your female character.
The mod is currently for all female humanoid races and includes optional files and updates, including the less makeup version and shine fixes for the faces.
Download the Better Females by Bella mod for Skyrim now!
Concluding Thoughts
These were the 50 best Skyrim mods in 2022. We hope you enjoyed finding out about some of the gamers’ greatest finds and that this blog has made your hunt for Skyrim mods a lot easier. These mods have garnered a lot of love and attention on Nexus Mods and are guaranteed to make your gaming, modding, or scriptwriting experience marginally better.
If you’re an experienced gamer and want to know about more specific mods for Skyrim or any other popular game, be sure to checkout the related articles section. We are constantly updating the website with the latest word in the gaming communities pertaining to the best mods you can get your hands on. You can also take a look at 18 Ultimate Skyrim Custom Race Mods of All Time here.