For many players of the beloved Skyrim and Skyrim Special Edition (SSE) a new year can mean a new Skyrim!
The following lists are the most recent Mods of 2018 that not only enhance the experience of Skyrim going into this new year, but also can add entire new locations and lands to explore.
This list is separated into 7 categories so if you're looking for just a new land or how to make it even more immersive in 2019 you can skip to one of the following sections:
General Gameplay - These mods don’t change the story or game other than how it looks or your character interacts with it.
Immersion - These Mods make the game feel more life-like and help you get lost in the magic of Skyrim
New People/ Followers - A fully voiced new companion you can recruit on your adventures
New Quests/ Dungeons - New dungeons to delve, and mysteries to solve, these take place within the existing lands of Skyrim.
New Lands - Whole new areas with their own Non Player Characters (NPC), quests, dungeons, bosses, and hopefully loot!
Virtual Reality (VR) - VR is the next big thing and these Mods will help you capitalize on that sweet VR action
Major Overhauls - These Mods change everything about the game, so if you want to an entirely new game within the same lands of Skyrim check this out.
Honorable Mentions - More Mods that either didn’t quite make the current list of greats or are time-trusted gems that any new modders need to check out.
Disclaimer: All of these Mods are available on the Nexus Mod Manager(NMM) website but may not be installed through the NMM application. Some may be available through Steam. These Mods also may not be compatible with each other so check compatibility before installing.
WIth that, let’s get to the list of the Mods that are going to make 2019 the best year for Skyrim to date!
General Gameplay
25. Skyrim 3D Landscapes
Its 2019, we want Skyrim to look the best is possibly can. One often overlooked, not to mention over-tread, aspect are the plants and flowers. This mod helps remedy that by changing and adding textures to the plants to make them just plain beautiful. Look at them, they’re great.
Why you should use this mod
- Unique Trees
- Unique Plants
- Unique Waterplants
- Unique Flowers
- Dirtcliff Weeds
How this mod makes things fun
- New plants
- Changes the look of plants across the lands
- Let’s make the game even better to look at
Get the mod HERE
It just looks fantastic, if you’re don’t see it, watch the video!
24. Guard Dialogue Overhaul SE
It’s a well known meme, “But then I took an arrow to the knee.” The arrow to the knee story is funny the first time, but seven years later it’s a little old. This mod revamps that so the guards might actually honor your accomplishments as more than just the Dragonborn. Winterhold guards should probably recognise you as the arch-mage.
Why you should use this mod
- No more “Arrow to the knee”
- Fixes All the Skyrim Guards dialogue bugs
- Adds dialogue options for your character to use
- Add non guard specific dialogue to other NPCs
How this mod makes things fun
- Give that warm feeling of accomplishment when guards and NPCs actually comment on your real accomplishments.
- Helps the realism of interaction with the guards
- It just improves the mood of the game
Get the mod here
Also the axe. I bet you recognise the axe. Yeah it’s Wuuthrad. I reassembled it myself!
23. JK's Skyrim
This mod almost falls in the complete overhaul category. It overhauls the cities and towns of Skyrim, but not the whole game. It updates the five major cities like Whiterun and Riften, as well as the minor towns like Rorikstead. It gives them each a unique atmosphere and personality as well as expanded buildings and it works dynamically in the civil war. It is completely lore-friendly and the link below will provide a pretty comprehensive list of compatible mods.
Why you should use this mod
- Entering these towns will feal new and unique
- Gives the towns and cities diverse personality
- 500,000 downloads means that it’s pretty popular
- It probably works for your other mods
How this mod makes things fun
- Beautiful new-ish towns
- Freshens more play-throughs
- You get to explore Windhelm all over again
Get the mod HERE
I don’t remember Ysgramor in Windhelm but boy that city looks pretty.
22. Imperious - Races of Skyrim
Imperious - Races of Skyrim revamps the basic races of Skyrim, hence the name. Each race gets 3 new abilities and a power the player has to unlock. This would give you a new feel for each race when your doing your 2019 playthrough. It also adds some nifty new components to unlock and utilize for your playthrough.
Why you should use this mod
- Revamps the races
- New abilities
- Basic changes that make character progression different
How this mod makes things fun
- Redguards can slow time once per day
- Ork’s Berserk is a better ability
- You can build a new quick-clawing khajik
Get the mod HERE
“I’ma let you finish but lets slow this down. Real slow.” - That Redgaurd (probably)
21. Tamriel Online - Skyrim LAN Multiplayer
Skyrim Online, multiplayer, need I say more? This is what we’ve all been waiting for. I just want to play Skyrim with my friends, not an MMO. This mod does just that. It’s Skyrim. It’s Multiplayer. Aand it’s not Elder Scrolls Online. Enough said.
Why you should use this mod
- You can play with your friends
- You don’t have to deal with players who are not your friends
- You can continue to use your awesome Arch-Mage
How this mod makes things fun
- You can play with your friends!
- You can play with your friends!
- You can play with your friends!
Get the mod HERE
Oh him? He’s just my dumb, less handsome brother
Immersion
20. Immersive Movement
This mod makes wielding that large, two handed, battle axe actually slow you down like a thirty pound axe would. Combat is a little bit slower, but much more lifelike. If you like the game but felt like it wasn’t very realistic then try this mod in 2019. It will make that easy archer build much, much harder since enemies can actually run up to you and hit you. It’s 2019, challenge yourself.
Why you should use this mod
- Changes humanoid mobility
- Changes creature mobility
- Changes animal mobility
How this mod makes things fun
- Dwemer Automatons are probably faster than you
- All combat is a little, different and more realistic
- Wolves move like wolves
Get the mod HERE
The horse even moves like an actual horse. Maybe not up the side of a mountain though.
19. Complete Alchemy and Cooking Overhaul
Skyrim comes with a robust feature of crafting special potions and stews. However the alchemy system itself was a little unbalanced and mostly just used for potions of fortify enchant. While the food crafting was little more than an added feature for realism, and the food was mostly useless. This mod fixes that by giving cooking its own set of skills, unlocking harder recipes as you get better, and balancing the existing alchemy system. Beyond that it completely overhauls most of the ingredients as well as adds many new necessary ingredients like blood for vampire blood potions.
Why you should use this mod
- Better Alchemy
- New potions
- New food
- You can actually get meat now
How this mod makes things fun
- BOMBS!
- Blood potions for vampires, never go hungry again
- Cannibalism for followers of Namira
- An optional lightweight hunger system so you actually need to eat
Get the mod HERE
Since you can now create bombs, I want to blow Alduin up.
18. Immersive World Encounters SE
If you’re like me and don’t really like using the fast-travel system, traveling across the land can get a little boring. This mod fixes that, it adds 70 new random encounters and many new world events. It also adds fully voiced NPCs that interact with the Dragonborn realistically during the new events so it feels seamless. So no more random bounty hunters over and over again.
Why you should use this mod
- Realistically adds new events that make the world fresh
- New NPCs that actually interact with you
- Makes Vanilla events better, such as giving the refugee farmer gold will grant you a charity bonus
How this mod makes things fun
- There’s a bandit beat down random encounter
- There’s a desperate vampire running from the sun, complete with sunburn
- You can run into guild members in different towns now
Get the mod HERE
You get to see your hirelings skills in action.
17. Immersive Weapon Integration
Six hundred and twenty one new weapons. Need I say more? This mod compiles a whole bunch of other mods of weapon lists, makes sure they work with immersion and then adds them to leveled lists so you can find them within the world of Skyrim. It also adjusts those lists so they vary depending on location, so you wont find an elven greatsword in the burial grounds but rather an ancient nordic greatsword. This mod alone would give your 2019 playthrough a new feel if you haven’t already tried it.
Why you should use this mod
- New weapons means new characters to use those weapons
- New uniques to find
- No more janky crafting lists that make it hard to find any given item to craft
How this mod makes things fun
- Spears, one handed mauls, Khajit specific weapons
- Sailors/pirates have proper cutlasses
- Akaviri Katanas that you have to learn to fold steal to make
Get the mod HERE
How does one use a giant khukuri? I don’t know but I’m game to find out.
New Quests/Dungeons
16. Immersive Dungeons SSE
Yeah, this beautiful dungeon is Fossil Rock.
This mod adds 7 entirely new dungeons complete with their own questline. You delve through these seven dungeons while trying to find a powerful new artifact for the Psijic Order. All seven dungeons are not just beautiful but also lore-friendly so don’t they mess with the overall story of Skyrim. They just add an incredible chapter.
Why you should use this mod
- New dungeons to explore
- Work with the Psijic Order
- Rumors have been heard in the Rift
How this mod makes things fun
- The dungeons are huge and incredibly crafted
- Perhaps you can claim the powerful artifact for yourself
- More time spent in the RIft is always a good time
Get the mod HERE
Yes that’s a dwemer boat in a giant dwemer base, I too! Want to know more.
15. LC_Build Your Noble House
I don’t know if this is necessarily a quest but it’s 2019 and maybe you want to be more than just a Thane this year. You’re the Dragonborn, you deserve your own Noble house, lands, maybe even city. Don’t stop at being a Thane but rather be your own Jarl. This mod goes way beyond building your own house like the DLC, but you build an entire town that you get to rule and benefit from.
Why you should use this mod
- You get to build an entire city from scratch
- Each building yields revenue and materials
- New year new home
How this mod makes things fun
- You can design the look and feal of your palace or fortress
- Serfs pay you
- You can have a dark brotherhood village
Get the mod HERE
Your hold actually looks like a palace worthy of the Dovahkiin
14. VIGILANT SE
Since Vigilant came out in 2017 it’s a little old for this list but that just attests to its greatness. If you haven’t tried this quest delving into the vigilant of Stendarr you need to ASAP. It’s a top of the line, fully voiced mod that feels like a wonderful DLC. It also comes with new weapons and armor specific to Stendarr. It’s just great.
Why you should use this mod
- Cool new weapons and armor
- Four episode quest line
- Brand new areas to explore
How this mod makes things fun
- (Spoiler) You get to go back into Oblivion
- New creatures to kill
- Crafting Stendarr specific gear on the Anvil of Zenithar
Get the mod HERE
Now here is someone I can relate to
13. Path of Champion SSE
Cue the giant boulder. I hope you brought your whip
Path of Champion is a fun little crawler of 7 connected dungeons. These are crafty levels full of monsters, puzzles and mysteries to solve. Not to mention treasure to find. For an idea of what it’s like, the modder, Urtel, wanted to make a choose your own adventure type dungeon so there a lot of options to take. Also, bring a torch.
Why you should use this mod
- Fun dungeon crawl!
- DnD inspired dungeon
- Urtel learned to script to bring you this mod
How this mod makes things fun
- Complex puzzles
- Dungeons that you have to jump and swim to maneuver through
- Exploring might not seem so straightforward
Get the mod HERE
It may be eerie but at least your not being chased by a giant boulder… hopefully
12. Jornheim SSE
So the ruins are within a cave, within a cave. “Yo dawg, I heard you liked caves”
Getting to the Throat of the World takes a long while to get to the top. Now you can also delve in order to get to the bottom, although for vastly different results. Jornheim is a brand new custom nord ruin to explore in the stomach of the word. Delve in, as to discover it’s riches, although you’ll probably get your boots dirty.
Why you should use this mod
- Cool new nord ruins
- Navmeshed and clean install
- Lore-friendly
How this mod makes things fun
- More Drougr to kill/re-kill
- More traps and tricks to figure out
- The ruins are amazing to explore
Get the mod HERE
The cave entrance is just north of everyone’s favorite shack
11. Whispers of Words - SE
It’s fas-ROH-dah. Not fas-roh-DAH!
Whispers of Words is a lore-friendly quest that helps the players find all the Word Walls in Skyrim. Now you don’t have to google each of the Word Walls to collect them all because some of them can be hard to find. They also provide Role-PLay friendly descriptions of each location so if you don’t want to just resort to the quest markers there’s more involved in finding the walls.
Why you should use this mod
- Help find the word walls
- Lore-friendly
How this mod makes things fun
- Read Arngeir's secret journals
- Master the language without cheating
- Find the 9 journals accross the 9 holds
Get the mod HERE
Also the descriptions of the walls in the journals come with some pretty cool custom artwork
New People/Followers
10. Lucien - Fully Voiced Follower
Lucien is a new, fully voiced follower designed by Joseph Russell. What makes Lucien cool and unique is that he progresses in ability right alongside you. He starts off as a weak scholar and barely agrees to join you in Falkreath but as you explore dungeon after dungeon he not only grows in strength but also in confidence. His dialogue actually changes as you progress.
Why you should use this mod
- Cool new fully voiced follower
- Lore friendly and immersive
- 2000 lines of voiced dialogue
How this mod makes things fun
- He doesn’t count as a follower so you can have more followers
- You can train him
- Teach him light and never carry a torch again or have to cast it yourself
Get the mod HERE
While he my start at level 10, just likes the Dragonborn he gets pretty awesome hin his own right.
New Lands
9. Project AHO
Project AHO is basically a whole new DLC to try out in 2019. It’s a giant quest wherein you decide the fate of the hidden settlement of Great House Telvanni. Through the story you also get to unlock the secrets of the grand Dwemeri invention: Aetherium Hyperspace Observatory, which just sounds cool. This mod has everything you expect from a top tier DLC, new locations, NPCs, dungeons, armor, weapons, and even music! That’s right they hired a professional composer for it’s very own music.
Why you should use this mod
- You get to play through a brand new expansion for free
- 11 beautiful new music compositions
- You can unlock the secrets of the grand Dwemeri invention: the Aetherium Hyperspace Observatory
How this mod makes things fun
- They’re hiding in an ancient Dwemer city so it just looks incredible.
- Explore over 40 locations, from cozy Dunmer houses to epic Dwemer buildings
- More than 20 fully voiced NPCs
Get the mod HERE
I wish I had a giant claw to hang a clothesline from. I just have to use my shower rod.
8. Home Sweet Hell
Home Sweet Hell is a new mod for those players who feel a little nostalgic of Oblivion. Now you can go back to Oblivion, whenever you want. After short quest you will unlock your own portal to Oblivion. If you have a fondness for fire and brimstone there is even a custom player home for you, just think you never have to pay for heating again.
Why you should use this mod
- Go back to Oblivion
- 3 New locations
- A spell tomb that allows you to travel between Skyrim and Oblivion
How this mod makes things fun
- Several boss fights
- Lots of treasure
- A warm and cozy new home
Get the mod HERE
Nothing says warm and inviting like a boiling lake of lava
7. The Shire SE
This epic mod allows you to save your favorite lands from Lord of the Rings(LOTR), The Shire! It’s on the brink of disaster and it’s up to the Dragonborn to save it. The mod is fully voiced with dynamic quests and dialogue that actually react to your actions. So if your Dragonborn is an orc and you want Frodo’s vision to come true, here’s your chance you filthy animal.
Why you should use this mod
- 30+ hours of playtime
- 6,000+ lines of fully voiced and dynamic dialogue
- New followers and NPCs
How this mod makes things fun
- Skyrim is fun, LOTR is fun, put them together and it’s great
- You can be Ranger just like Aragorn
- The dialogue is well scripted and often comedic, just think of Pippin
Get the mod HERE
Also, you can also build your very own Bag-End from scratch.
6. Hammerfell- Shadows of Dragonstar
Hammerfell - Shadows of Dragonstar is a massive adventure ⅓ the size of Skyrim itself. You also get to travel south of Skyrim to the northern lands of Hammerfell where a mysterious magical tower appeared overnight. Now you get to investigate the tales of horror, and visit new realms, towns, and dungeons in the process. Currently the mod is somewhat of a work-in-process and doesn’t play the best, but it’s getting a lot of attention and I would definitely keep up with it in 2019 to see how it shapes out.
Why you should use this mod
- It’s huge with many hours of added gameplay
- New meshes and skills to make it actually look like Hammerfell
- Whole new adventure
How this mod makes things fun
- You get to expell a grand new evil
- The new forest trolls are crazy
- It’s in Hammerfell
Get the mod HERE
Stay tuned to see the giant forest troll destroy the Hammerfell bridge. Also the buildings look great.
5. The Republic of Maslea - Chapter one - SSE
The Republic of Maslea is a massive island nation that you get to explore with this mod. It comes with its own main quest and fifteen side quests. It also has its own soundtrack that fits the mood of this beautiful island. Since this mod takes place in a new land, it should work fine with many other mods.
Why you should use this mod
- Grand new lands to explore
- Many hours of gameplay
- New NPC’s, gear, and loot
How this mod makes things fun
- The music makes it feel like it’s own fantastic RPG
- Your Pirate character now has an island to explore
- Immersive lore and story
Get the mod HERE
I’m on a boat! Also Maslea looks like a nice vacation from the cold of Skyrim
Virtual Reality
4. Khajiit Prowess
Now you get to move and play like everyone’s favorite wandering Khajiit
Khajiit Prowess makes you move like a real cat in Skyrim. It is mostly a mobility mod for VR that also adds a couple of bonuses to the Khajiit race. Basically it changes the character movements to closer resemble that of a cat including speed while jumping, the noise levels, and how far/high you can jump.
Why you should use this mod
- Changes the Khajiit race to be more realistic, especially in VR
- Khajiit have increased sneak speed
- Made with VR in mind
How this mod makes things fun
- Play like a cat
- You can jump over people
- Decreases fall damage so you can land like a cat
Get the mod HERE
This is a 6ft wall that any cat could jump on, so now you can too
3. Skyrim Unleashed VR
The game will look the same in Skyrim Unleashed VR but playing the game will feel completely different
This is something of an overhaul and immersion mod that revamps many aspects of the game to improve the gameplay quality for a new VR experience. It particularly improves experiences with encounters with bandits and wild animals because they will warn you, much like a dog growls, before attacking. In VR your character responses are going to be improved so it makes sense that the AI responses should be improved too.
Why you should use this mod
- Improved leveled items lists
- Realistic AI for people and creatures
- Doesn’t require any other mods to revamp your gaming experience
How this mod makes things fun
- Enemies are harder to kill
- All that money you collect is now actually worth something
- Restructured and rebalanced crafting system
Get the mod HERE
It doesn't change the way the game looks in any way, so here's a cute bunny!
2. Oculus Controller Remapping Tool for Skyrim VR
It looks like this. It's super exciting
This mod allows you to remap the contronroller for the Oculus controller. If you tried playing with the Oculus but like many, you don’t feel comfortable with the controls, now you can change them to your preference. Currently this mod only works for the Oculus but the creator is working on Vive and WMR adaptations. Have fun killing dragons in sweet VR with your own mapped controller.
Why you should use this mod
- Remap your Oculus Controller
- Make the controls work for you
How this mod makes things fun
- Better controls mean easier dragon slaying
Get the mod HERE
The sabercat is not amused by the lack of relevent pictures
Complete Overhaul
1. Dungeons and Dovahs - A Massive Skyrim Overhaul
Insert Mod Title
Dungeons & Dovahs is a truly massive overhaul of the mechanics of Skyrim. If you loved traditional RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons then give this one a try. For example, now each race doesn’t start with higher skills but get experience boosts to the two skills that their race is most familiar with. Also, smaller aspects like heavy armor affecting running speed are in play.
Why you should use this mod
- Make Skyrim like a more traditional RPG
- Change most functionality like armor, or Vampirism, or food and alcohol
- Revamps creatures and magic
How this mod makes things fun
- More spells
- Unique magic items that allow you to cast spells that can’t be learnt
- Damage and resistance system is more realistic
Get the mod HERE
It certainly looks cooler than Jimmy's drawing of his DnD character
Honorable Mentions
NARC Remade - No Animals Report Crimes for Skyrim SE
This is a small mod but now you horse won’t report you for stealing if they see you take something.
Audiobooks of Skyrim
If you love the lore of Skyrim but want to play video games and not read books, this will do the latter or you so you can do the former.
Featuring the all new Beetz by Dovahkiin
SkyUI
SkyUI is a fantastic User Interface overhaul that’s been around for awhile but they consistently update it to make it look cleaner. This is an older Skyrim mod that that is highly rated and if you’re new to modding it’s a great place to start.
Once I tried SkyUI I never looked back
Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch
This a necessary and should be mandatory patch that just improves many minor aspects of the game. Most mods require this patch for the mod itself to work.
Here’s an example
Immersive Armors
Similar to the immersive weapons above, this mod adds a whole bunch of cool new gear. It’s been out for a while but if you’re new to modding it’s definitely a great one.
These are just a few of the hundreds of new lore-friendly armors
Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim
Apocalypse is probably the most popular spell pack with over 150 new spells. Another older but fantastic mod to check out.
I’m quite partial to Volcano, because Volcanos
Alternate Start - Live Another Life
If you love playing Skyrim but are tired of the same old quest of hunting Alduin then check this mod out! Like the name suggests you get to choose from a variety of alternate starts, or a random beginning with gear and locations to start your own adventure.
You can start as a lone survivor in a traveling caravan, or a shipwrecked sailor, or in good old Elder Scrolls fashion in a forgotten cell
Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE)
SKSE is a tool that expands the scripts for in Skyrim for modders to affect. If you’re new to modding then you may not use it all that much but it’s required for many of the best mods out there.
