Even though we are now almost fourteen years and two console generations out from its release, the modding scene forThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Editionis still going strong. The sheer amount of mods available for this game is staggering, making it difficult to know what all to choose, much less where to begin.
Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Anniversary Edition
Anniversary Edition is currently the latest and greatest version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and offers fun content for those still exploring Tamriel.
That said, however, therearea few essential mods that just about every Skyrim fan, new or old, should verify to add to their PS5 installation before striking out into the wilds once more. Some are technical, some improve overall quality of life and others are just fantastic pieces of fan-made content. Okay, let’s get started!
10Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch
Bugs? What bugs?
This mod by The Unofficial Patch Project Team has existed in one form or another since practically the beginning of the Skyrim modding scene and it’s still just as essential as it ever was. As the name suggests, this is a utility patch aimed at cleaning up the various bugs found in vanilla, unmodded Skyrim.
The full list of changes this mod makes is exhaustive, but put simply, this mod targets and resolves bugs for quests, NPCs, objects, items, text, placements and general gameplay. It’s broadly compatible with other mods and takes care to not outright remove content from the files. It’s not a dramatic mod, but the adjustments it introduces make for a much better experience all the same.
9Unofficial Skyrim Creation Club Content Patches
Clean up all those pesky Creation Club issues.
This one, by “garthand,” can be thought of as a companion mod to the Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch. What the latter does for the base game, the former does forCreation Club content.It also helps to improve compatibility between said content and the Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition patch.
This one by its nature is not as extensive as its cousin, but it’s still vital for those who want to use both normal mods and Creation Club content. As for why it’s necessary at all, it’s likely due to content from the Creation Club being handled somewhat differently within the game.
One would hope such things wouldn’t be necessary, but then Skyrim wouldn’t be a true Bethesda game if they weren’t, right?
8Character Editor
More options for crafting the perfect Dragonborn
This mod by Julihah may have a somewhat boring title, but it’s actually perfectly descriptive. This mod expandsthe character editorwith a great many more options for character customization. What’s more, the new options look a sight better than the old, so with a little tweaking, the Last Dragonborn can look more like aproperhero instead of some variety of ghoul.
There’s no need to fear, though. The new options may look better, but the usual Bethesda awkwardness is still there. It just wouldn’t look right otherwise, right?
7Epic Enhanced Console Graphics
Make Skyrim look new again!
If there’s one thing that thePC modding scenehas proved time and again over the years, it’s that old games need not always look so. Skyrim has basically been the prime example of this on PC and now it can be so on the PS5 as well.
Epic Enhanced Console Graphics by ImperialAgent1992 might not match the supremely extensive overhaul mods available on PC, but it still does a great job of dialing up the details and lighting from what they are in vanilla Skyrim. It also adds much-needed color to the experience, making the Empire’s northernmost province appear like an entirely new land.
6Realm of Lorkhan
Even legendary openings get boring eventually
The cart ride into Helgen might just be the most well-known video game opening ever made. Not only did it (at the time) set the stage for Bethesda’s premier RPG in a new and interesting way, but it has also enjoyed long-standing meme status, still popping up more than ten years later.
Unfortunately, one can only sit through that opening mission so many times before getting thoroughly sick of it, which is where the Realm of Lorkhan mod by Twin Crows comes in. This adds a ton of different ways to start the game, including different packs of starting gear depending on what kind of character one wants to play. And it’s all wrapped up in an awesome, ethereal starting location.
5Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim
Really build out your characters!
The perk trees in vanilla Skyrim are nice and all, but they leave a lot to be desired for those who really like to dig into character building. There’s actually a solution to this, though. It’s called “Ordinator – Perks of Skyrim” by Enai Siaion, andwowdoes it make a difference!
Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR
Skyrim offers the most complete VR experience on PlayStation 4, but it comes at a cost. There’s just been so many versions of the game.
This mod massively fleshes out Skyrim’s barebones perk trees, adding over 460 new perks across the entire range of skill classes. With this installed, players can finally make anything from the pure two-handed, axe-wielding warrior of their dreams to the ultimate cross-class jack of all trades. All it takes is a bit of time and planning.
4Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim
More magic for aspiring mages to enjoy
What Ordinator does for Skyrim’s skill trees, Enai Siaion’s Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim does for its magic system. Once this one is downloaded and properly installed, magic enthusiasts will finally be able to do more than sling borderline basic spells. Indeed, becoming a magical force of nature will not be such a far-fetched thing anymore.
In total, Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim adds 155 spells to the game, with 31 going to each school. Not only are there tons of new combat spells, but players can even do things like conjure objects, control the weather and even take on a new godly form.
3Rabbit Hole Dungeon
Can you make it to the bottom?
There comes a point in normal Skyrim where combat becomes something more akin to a boring chore than an engaging activity; it’s just not where the game’s strengths normally lie. Such is not the case in the Rabbit Hole Dungeon, though. Here, at least, players can push themselves and get the most out of Skyrim combat.
This dungeon mod by Jake Washenfelder offers players fifty floors of combat with ten tiers of difficulty. As they descend, players will encounter NPCs, take on new quests, find new weapons, try out two new spells and possibly take on one of four new followers. The Rabbit Hole Dungeon respawns itself twice a day too, offering a newly-remixed challenge each time.
How would you like an entire extra territory?
Falskaar, by AlexanderJVelicky, is by no means a new piece of fan-made content for Skyrim, but it’s still one of the most worthwhile thanks to its sheer scale and scope. For those unfamiliar, Falskaar takes players to a new territory that’s about the size of three of Skyrim’s holds.
Contained within is an additional twenty-plus hours of gameplay, complete with fully-voiced quests, a unique soundtrack, a new main quest, seventeen sidequests, a new shout, and plenty of new items, weapons and armor. Seriously, this is practically an entire DLC expansion at no extra cost.
1The Forgotten City
So good, it won several awards!
One of the most famous mods to ever be released and the first to ever win a National Writers’ Guild award, The Forgotten City, by Nick Pearce, is perhaps the single most essential piece of Skyrim fan-made content. Seriously, this one was and is so good that it got remade into a standalone game.
Skyrim Shows Why VR is the Best Way to Explore Tamriel
The Forgotten City takes the Last Dragonborn to an unusual Dwemer ruin, one that’s actually populated and also happens to be stuck in some sort of destructive time loop. If the Dragonborn is ever going to put a stop to the loop and escape, then they’re going to have to get to the bottom of what caused everything to go wrong in the first place. It might sound simple, but with all its twists and turns, The Forgotten City is anything but.
This is, of course, only a small selection out of literally hundreds of fantastic mods available for Skyrim on PS5. So by all means, make sure to explore the mods menu even more after giving all of these a try!
