14 DAY TRIAL // The Skyrim Steam Workshop has gone online as the official mod repository for the game and modders are rushing to showcase their creations.
Getting the mods is as easy as clicking the "subscribe" button and waiting for them to be automatically downloaded and installed when you open the Skyrim launcher.
There are over 1000 mods to choose from, so it may be a bit hard to decide what to try out and what to ignore.
Luckily for you, I've decided to dive in and come up with a list of mods that are worth your time. I did my best to steer away from the Cheats category and also avoid mods that can only be classified as “ridiculous” (yes, Posh Mudcrabs and Staff of Sweet Rolls, I'm looking at you).
But enough talk, here's the list...
SkyUI
The default user interface in Skyrim has a modern minimalistic style and once you get used to it, it seems quite appropriate to the game (well, maybe except the font). In all fairness, it does make it harder to get all the info about specific items in your inventory.
We won’t go as far as to call it “dumbed down”, but hardcore PC players won’t be satisfied by this console-friendly experience.
Enter SkyUI, a mod that aims to fix this by turning all inventory screens into a table-like structure, complete with sorting and item search.
SkyUI requires that you also download Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE) and extract it into your Skyrim directory.
It also includes multiple icon themes (my favorite is the Celtic one). There doesn’t seem to be a way to pick a theme at the moment if you download the mod from the Steam Workshop, so you might want to get this one from the Skyrim Nexus instead.
It’s hard to criticize Skyrim’s graphics, especially now that the official HD textures pack has been released. Still, some players feel there are areas that lack detail in terms of level design. This mod will be right up their alley, since it adds extra elements to cities, such as trees, grass, plants, barrels and more.
It uses in-game assets so, apart from the small download size, it’s 100% compatible with the HD textures pack. It’s not complete yet, but it’s certainly shaping up as an excellent mod.This mod saves you from the trouble of fast-traveling to a city and then navigating the streets when all you want is to get to your owned house as quickly as possible. Now you can simply fast-travel directly to them by using these handy map markers!
This will make shadows drop in a more realistic fashion especially indoors. While that may not seem like much, it makes exploring dungeons and forts a much more atmospheric experience, so you might want to try it out.
Warning: leads to performance hit if used together with ENB mods.
When this mod was released, the collected cries of happiness and glee of the Skyrim community, especially those who like to play as thieves, were heard from outer space.
The name says it all: use the trap door to go directly to the Ragged Flagon instead of having to go through an additional loading screen. Easy to spot as it’s very close to the other “shortcut”.
Herculean strength aside, the giants in Skyrim seem a little underwhelming. Install this mod to make them really… “giantly”! Don’t worry, however, as all their other stats will stay unchanged.
There are many strange places in Skyrim, places where the shadows don’t feel right and not because of the assassins hidden in them. Subscribe to this mod to get rid of the “striped” or “aliased” shadows.
This mod is for higher level players who have gone past being a simple landlord and reached the status of real-estate moguls with houses in each big city. Frankly, that’s just a nicer way to say that you’re hoarding so much stuff you can’t fit it all in a single house.
The problem: having to fast-travel between cities and houses to access whatever you’ve got stored in there. The solution: this mod.
Realistic ragdolls and force Skyrim has true ragdoll and physics support although at times it doesn’t seem so, mainly due to the stiff character models (you cold-blooded killers know exactly what I mean). This mod tries to improve and fix various ragdoll issues.
Reduced dual casting spell cost
This mod will please all the war mages out there. Use it to stop feeling like you’re getting "mana drain disease" every time you dual cast destruction spells.
Improved container names
Got your cellar all filled up for winter and don’t need any more cabbages, apples, leeks and other tasty veggies? Tough luck, since Skyrim barrels are just like a box of chocolates! But not anymore with this mod: meet the Barrel of Produce, Sack of Reagents and other variations. Now where’s the Barrel of Mead?
These are some of the coolest mods I found but, depending on your play style and preferences, here are a few more that might be enjoyable.
If you feel the Skyforge doesn’t rise up to its name and history, use this mod to add the rest of the blacksmith equipment: Ore Smelter for making ingots, Workbench for armor improvement and Tanning Rack for leather and leather strips.
With this little mod your housecarls will dress to impress. To be honest, they’ll just use a random outfit instead of their default one but it’s still an improvement over their battle gear.
The skill and character leveling system in the Elder Scrolls series has always seemed more involving and logical than in other RPGs. This has carried over in Skyrim as well, but you may have noticed that the Alchemy skill advances a lot slower than all the others. Use this little mod to fix that and you’ll soon be brewing the most powerful potions in all of Tamriel.
Open Cities Skyrim
A word of caution about this one: it’s still a work in progress and may cause some issues with quests. Nevertheless it is a very ambitious and useful mod: it makes cities part of the main Skyrim map, so you don’t have to stare at the loading screen every time you go into Markarth to see how Hroki’s doing or to Riften just to check up on your fellow thieves.
These are just some of our picks from the huge amount of Skyrim mods now found in the Steam Workshop. Feel free to share your own picks by leaving a comment below. Expect more great mods to appear once crafty users start tinkering with the new Creation Kit.