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SPOILER INFO
Brief description of many mods and how they affect the game. I guess that inevitably includes a number of minor spoilers.
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I have now decided to abandon my game that has lasted 555 real-world hours, or 1 year and 3 days in Skyrim time (or 2 years and a month in the real world which'll be about 44 minutes a day on average).
The reason is that I (the player character) have done pretty much everything there is to do (not quite completed the main quest, though) and have become so strong that there is no real challenge anymore in anything. Apart from which, I (the real person) find myself increasingly missing the feel of innocence of a clueless runaway discovering his new world. I miss figuring out how to sneak around a danger or find my way out of a hotspot. I miss the triumphant feeling of having won a tough battle. All I have now instead is an occasional "what??" when an enemy doesn't fall from my first arrow. So, it seems it's time for my Skyrim incarnation to hang up his bow and enjoy his millions of septims in one of his houses with the selected finest of his consorts and slavegirls. In Manor Keep, for instance.
Eager as I am preparing for my new game which is going to be very different in some ways, I shall do my best to avoid digressing in this article and concentrate on telling you as clearly as I can how the mods I have been using have stood up to the test of more than five hundred hours of Skyrim game.
On the whole, I'm extremely satisfied with my mod configuration. In my previous game, it was different. After I had played 300 hours, I couldn't wait to start a new game in which I would use all those fascinating mods I had discovered in the meantime. This time, however, I won't be making radical changes in my new game, apart from a nice-looking perk overhaul which wasn't available in early 2017. I will improve some minor things I had no idea could be made better still, as well as fix a few annoyances I couldn't find a fix for 2 years ago.
Here is my final evaluation of the mods switched on in my Mod Organizer and used for 555 hours almost unchanged. They are grouped by my categories which I created in the past to reflect my requirements better than the official Nexus categories.
Please note that:
1. This review refers to mod versions downloaded in late 2016 or early 2017. One or another flaw I have pointed out may have been fixed by the time you are reading this.
2. This article's purpose is to inform you about mods. That's why it doesn't discuss ini tweaks I'm using (for example, adjustments to the way shadows are displayed), nor changes I've made with TES5Edit (such as children's height).
3. Many links in this article point to the Nexus website. I'm happy to tell you that starting from 2019-11-26 Nexus have turned their website back to its original design which is pleasant to look at and convenient to use. However, it remains to be seen if they have also corrected their buggy URL interpretation.
This is what I mean: when a mod's NexusID is, say, 12345, it shouldn't matter if you write
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/12345
or
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/12345/
Unfortunately, it does sometimes. Some links work only with the slash and some work only without the slash. Most work either way.
The point is: if you are told the mod has been deleted, then it has really been deleted, but if you just see some weird scribble, try adding/removing the slash in the end, and you should get the mod page to open. (If that fails, add a question mark after the slash and try again. If everything fails, try again the next day. More often than not, it'll work then.)
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CATEGORY: BUG FIXES
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OneTweak
Why?
In vanilla game, it is very cumbersome to switch between Skyrim and other programs with Alt+Tab. In order to get back to Skyrim, you will have to click on it in the taskbar, then press Alt+Tab again and then click on the Skyrim tab in the taskbar again.
My experience
This mod makes it possible to switch between Skyrim and the other open programs with Alt+Tab as normally.
I also think that this mod is the one that corrects the console bug where characters are sometimes displayed as squares or not at all.
Important to keep in mind
You might need to fumble around with the settings a little bit. I had this weird effect where text typed in another window was noticed by Skyrim and interpreted as keys pressed in the game. Turned out someone in a forum had had the same problem and the solution was to change a certain parameter in an ini file from 0 to 1 (or vice versa).
Verdict
If you ever want to look up something on the internet, or, for that matter, adjust your computer's audio balance while playing, this mod makes your life very much easier.
Absolutely recommended.
A Small Patch For Labyrinthian
Why?
The mod author claims there is a glitch or something in Labyrinthian which this mod corrects.
My experience
I have never encountered anything problematic in Labyrinthian, without or with this mod. I looked very carefully at the "before" and "after" screenshots on the mod home page and they look exactly the same to me. So I wouldn't be able to tell if this mod does anything meaningful at all.
Verdict
You might want to run a test game and go to Labyrinthian and see if the problem the mod author is referring to actually exists. Then run another test game with this mod activated and see if you can notice any difference.
Enchantment Reload Fix
Why?
According to the mod description, enchanted items lose their charge too quickly. Indeed, I felt they did in my previous game, although I didn't exactly keep track of how many charges one or another weapon was supposed to have and how many it actually had. I just had the feeling that the weapons didn't last as long as the game said they would.
This mod is supposed to correct that bug.
My experience
In this game, I haven't noticed any enchanted weapons uncharge too quickly, so the mod seems to be doing what it's supposed to.
Verdict
It's not like soul gems are rare or expensive, but if you are unhappy with your enchanted weapons uncharging too quickly, you might want to install this mod. At any rate, it doesn't do any harm.
Skyrim Realistic Archery
Why?
Bethesda's biggest blunder in Skyrim by far is the insane bow-shooting system. Arrows are automatically redirected to where the target was at the moment you released the shot. That makes it theoretically impossible to hit moving targets, unless they run directly at you. Most cynically, those scumbags have named that abomination Aim Assist which is the exact opposite of what it really does – deflects your arrows from your target.
This mod corrects that monstrous "feature" and allows you to adjust a number of other bow-shooting parameters if you wish.
My experience
Without this mod enabled, I took hundreds of shots at flying dragons and I don't think even one of them hit. With this mod enabled, archery is still not easy, but the immense frustration of all moving targets always somehow eluding my arrows is no longer there.
Verdict
This mod is inevitable if you want to use bows in Skyrim.
Brawl Bugs Patch
Why?
In vanilla Skyrim, when someone offers you a wager on who will prove stronger with bare fists, and you win, you are occasionally charged with a crime of assaulting the opponent.
This mod is meant to correct that.
My experience
Indeed, brawls don't result in bounties now.
Unfortunately, there is another problem which is not this mod's fault. In this game, I had disabled character essentialness – meaning, nobody is immortal in my game. Since, as I found out after a long search, brawling normally works by making both contestants temporarily immortal, all brawls now end with one contestant's death. As suggested in forums, there is no way around that.
Important to keep in mind
By now, the mod has evidently become obsolete and indeed it's no longer available for download. This mod is being recommended in its stead.
Verdict
Fixes the brawl-causes-bounty bug all right. Just keep in mind that it doesn't (and isn't meant to) help against the brawl-to-death bug.
NARC – No Animals Report Crimes
Why?
In vanilla game, you can sometimes be charged with a crime although there are no witnesses. The problem has been adressed in forums a lot and it's apparently caused by a simple blunder – the game only checks if someone saw a crime, but fails to check if that someone is actually able to speak. In other words, in vanilla Skyrim, animals can go to the authorities and tell them they witnessed a crime.
This mod corrects that nonsense.
My experience
As far as I can remember, this mod works the way it's supposed to.
Verdict
A necessary bugfix.
True Yield
When enemies tell you that they surrender and beg for mercy in vanilla Skyrim, it's always a lie. I don't know if the game developers of Bethesda are mean bastards with no sense of honor, or they actually thought it was funny to screw their players, but that "feature" obviously renders surrendering in battle meaningless.
This mod corrects that.
My experience
This mod does what it's supposed to do. When the enemies say they surrender, they actually will stop attacking you.
Important to keep in mind
It is not sufficient to turn this mod on in Mod Organizer. It requires in-game activation. (A simple console command, needs to be entered only once.) Read the mod description for details.
Also keep in mind that surrender expires when you leave the location. If you return later, that defeated enemy might attack you.
Verdict
Unless you think shameless lying is normal, this mod is a necessity.
Don't Push Me While I'm Talking
Why?
The sloppy Bethesda programmers have failed to give the NPCs enough sense to walk around you. I could understand conflicts arising with two people walking into each other, but in vanilla Skyrim you can stand still and the NPCs still want to walk right through you. Idiotically, the game lets them – their walking into you makes you move.
This mod corrects this problem partially, by preventing the NPCs moving you while you are in the conversation mode.
My experience
The mod seems to do what it's supposed to do.
Verdict
Since the full fix of people pushing you away doesn't seem to exist, this mod is better than nothing.
Fires Hurt
Why?
In vanilla game, fires have no meaning. You can stand in a fire and nothing happens.
My experience
With this mod enabled, walking through fire results in your taking a little damage and making a corresponding sound.
Verdict
Although this mod doesn't make an essential difference in your game, I recommend it for increased realism.
Traps Make Noise
Why?
The mod author claims that in vanilla game you can walk into a trap without attracting the nearby enemies' attention. This mod is supposed to correct that.
My experience
I haven't been paying much attention to what attracts attention and what doesn't, but I suppose this mod is working the way it's supposed to. When it is switched on, the nearby enemies certainly hear it when I set off a trap.
Verdict
Recommended for some increased realism.
Weighted Arrows
Why?
In vanilla game, arrows are weightless which is illogical.
This mod makes arrows weigh a little.
My experience
This mod gives your arrows a little weight all right. Unfortunately, your inventory still displays their weight as 0. Only when you gain or lose arrows, you can see a difference in your total weight. The author honestly admits that flaw in the mod description. Apparently, it is either impossible or unreasonably complicated to make your inventory display very small per-item weights.
Verdict
It's not like I enjoy heavier equipment, but weightless items just make no sense. Although this mod doesn't make an essential difference in your game, I certainly recommend it for increased realism.
Ash Pile Expiration
Why?
In vanilla game, ash piles (such as remaining from people who were burned to death with magic) remain in the streets and such forever. That is obviously unrealistic. This mod corrects that.
My experience
As far as I can tell, this mod works properly.
Important to keep in mind
LOOT lies about this mod being redundant. Do not follow LOOT's wrong advice. Do not turn this mod off. It is not included in USKP. With USKP turned on and this mod turned off, the ash piles never disappear. I know it from my own games, and there are several forum posts by other people who have had the same experience.
Verdict
Absolutely recommended if you don't want the remains of incinerated creatures to lie around forever.
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CATEGORY: ANNOYANCE FIXES
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Bard Instrumentals Only
Why?
By far the most annoying thing in Skyrim is songs. In fact, in my last game, I killed every inn bard I saw, except for a number of mod-added bards who didn't play the vanilla songs. To my greatest grief, I even had to kill a pretty female bard, because she just wouldn't stop singing, even when tied up and gagged.
This mod forces the bards choose their repertoire from instrumental pieces only.
My experience
The mod works exactly the way it's supposed to.
Verdict
If you are annoyed by the same three (or was it four?) songs being repeated over and over, this amazing mod is what you need.
Vendor Sale Delay Gone
Why?
In vanilla game, whenever a vendor replies to your "What have you got for sale?", you have to wait for them to say their line to the end, and only then will the trade window open. Every fucking time. The delay has no useful purpose and gets very annoying when experienced hundreds of times.
This mod corrects it.
My experience
The mod does exactly what it's supposed to do. The vendors still say their replies, but the trade window is opened the moment they start talking, without the irritating delay.
Important to keep in mind
This mod doesn't affect some mod-added traders. Nothing is broken, simply their sale delay is there like in vanilla game.
Verdict
I absolutely recommend this mod for removing a small but very frequently-occurring annoyance from your game.
No NPC Greetings
Why?
When you get close enough to NPCs, they often say something to you. Most of the time, this is very appropriate, but sometimes it is disturbing when you are eavesdropping on an interesting conversation and another NPC approaches you out of the blue and starts gabbing.
This mod lets you adjust the distance from which the NPCs address you uninvited.
My experience
I find that this mod makes life much more convenient. I have decreased the speaking radius, and now the NPCs still address me, but not so frequently that it would become annoying.
Verdict
Recommended.
Fuck Off Courier and Forced Greetings
Why?
It was driving me crazy how the obnoxious couriers forced me to drop whatever I was doing and listen to their lengthy tale of how they have something important for me – always the exact same lines.
This mod forces the couriers to wait until you address them first. It is also supposed to prevent other NPCs from forcing you into dialogue.
My experience
It doesn't work 100%, but it does decrease the occurrence of forced dialogue significantly. Especially the sight of a courier waiting until I choose to address him is a real delight.
Verdict
Definitely recommended.
No Naked Comments
Why?
When you walk around naked, people often tell you how you shouldn't.
This mod eliminates that.
My experience
As I always play in 1st person view, I generally find it useful to be pointed out by passersby when I have forgotten to put my armor back on after sex or something. On the other hand, it is very irritating, to say nothing of nonsensical, when my sex partners sarcastically comment on my nakedness immediately after sex. That's the reason why I'm using this mod.
It does exactly what it's supposed to do.
Important to keep in mind
This mod seems to have been removed from Nexus. This one might be doing the same thing, but I haven't tested it.
Verdict
Recommended if you are annoyed by NPCs telling you that you are naked.
Guard Dialogue Overhaul
Why?
It would appear that in vanilla game, guards maintain their overbearing and haughty attitude towards you even when you're very powerful and indeed greatly respected in that particular location.
This mod makes guard dialogue on your higher levels more appropriate.
My experience
I am not sure if I have ever played for a significant time without this mod. So I can only say that with this mod installed, guard dialogue sounds quite all right.
Verdict
Recommended, I guess. Surely doesn't do any harm.
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CATEGORY: BELIEVABILITY
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Killable and Lootable Children
New Children
TK Children
Why?
In vanilla game, children can't be looted ot killed. It is obvious nonsense, a bug really, except that it's deliberate, caused by Bethesda's cowardice. It's not like I ever want to loot of kill children, but children's invulnerability is a theoretical nonsense.
My experience
KLC makes children injurable and lootable like any NPC. The other two just make them look nicer, which is really necessary as vanilla children look almost as hideous as vanilla grown-ups.
Note that completely looted children still keep their underwear, so you needn't worry about stripping children naked.
Verdict
Recommended for increased realism.
Kidmer
Khajiit Child Maisha
Why?
The number and variety of children in vanilla game is ludicrously small. Not that they play any important part in the game, but it's just unrealistic.
My experience
These mods add a number of non-human children. They just hang around and don't talk much, but it makes Skyrim a little more believable.
Verdict
Recommended for increased realism.
iNeed
Why?
In vanilla game, the physiological functions are of no importance. There is food, drink and beds, but they don't affect your game in any way (except increasing this or that by a meaningless 10%). It's obviously unrealistic and makes one think that Bethesda deliberately designed this feature as a framework for modders to develop properly.
My experience
This mod makes you need food, drink and sleep in a way that feels realistic and yet doesn't burden you. A number of adjustable parameters enable you to make your game pretty damned close to perfect in this respect.
Important to keep in mind
The mod has a number of flaws which I have addressed in my article Physiological needs in Skyrim.
Verdict
Although not perfect, this mod is far better than any other physiological needs mod I have seen. So it's a necessity.
Drinks for the Thirsty
Why?
In vanilla game, all drinks are alcoholic, with the exception of water and milk. The latter cannot be bought anywhere. You can only loot it from some women. (OMG, the way I just said it, it sounds really horrid.)
Especially when you use iNeed and have enabled alcohol effects in the MCM, water remains essentially the only thing you can drink on a regular basis and that is rather lame.
My experience
This mod creates a number of non-alcoholic drinks which you can brew with the Cooking Spit.
Important to keep in mind
Some drink recipes contain alchemy ingredients, so if you need them for potions, you might want to pay good attention to the right side of the screen when brewing your drinks.
Verdict
It isn't in any way essential, but I like it very much for realism.
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CATEGORY: BETTER INTERFACE
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Compass Mod - Immersive Undiscovered Locations
Why?
When you get near an unknown location, the vanilla compass (in the center of the upper edge of the screen) always shows you what kind of a location (cave, mine, dwemer ruin etc.) it is. Not a major spoiler, of course, but it is a bit unrealistic.
My experience
With this mod turned on, your compass will only show that there is something, but you won't know what. Only when approaching a location you have discovered in the past, the compass will show you what kind of a location it is.
Verdict
If you prefer fewer spoilers in your game, you might want this mod.
People are Strangers
Why?
The vanilla game shows you every person's name, even when you are seeing them for the first time. That is a bit of a spoiler.
My experience
This mod introduces unknown people as Unknown. Only when you talk to them, you will get to know their name.
Of course, it makes no essential difference if you get to know a person's name a few seconds sooner or later, but I took a liking in this mod for another reason – I now know whether I am seeing a person for the first time or I have met them previously.
Verdict
Recommended for a little touch of extra realism.
Long-Lasting Night Eye
Why?
In vanilla game, the Night Eye power is automatically turned off after 60 seconds.
This mod makes it last forever, that is until you press Z again to switch it off.
My experience
The mod works correctly, but by now I have almost entirely quit using Night Eye anyway, so this mod has become redundant.
Verdict
Unnecessary unless the limited duration of Night Eye really bothers you.
MainMenu
Why?
Skyrim displays the list of savegames in a manner that lacks almost any useful information. And when you rename the savegames yourself, you will see only a very small number of characters in the list.
My experience
This mod makes the savegames list display the full names of savegames (unless really very long), thanks to which it will be much easier to navigate the list and choose the savegame you want. Especially when running test games to try out new mods, it's really convenient to be able to quickly find the right savegame you want to load.
Important to keep in mind
In spite of being titled Main Menu, this mod (as far as I can tell) only affects the list of your savegames. The rest of the main menu remains the way it's always been.
Verdict
Absolutely recommended.
Hide Those Futile Quests
Why?
You will occasionally encounter quests which you have no interest in doing. Unfortunately, there is no way to make the game understand it, so they will remain in your quests list forever.
My experience
With this mod enabled, you can switch quests on and off in an MCM menu.
When you accidentally complete a quest that has been switched off, the game still registers it and you'll get the corresponding benefits. Meaning, this mod doesn't kill the quests, it only prevents them from cluttering your quests list.
Important to keep in mind
When you gain or lose an item required for a quest you have switched off, you are notified, but not told which quest that thing was for. It can get a little confusing at times. Fortunately, it doesn't happen too often.
It would appear that the mod has been removed from the Nexus site. Unfortunately, I don't know where you can get it from.
Verdict
Absolutely necessary in order to keep your journal free of useless clutter.
Auto Harvest 2
Why?
This mod picks things up automatically without your having to target items one by one and press E . Meaning, it spares you thousands of repetitive routine movements and saves a huge amount of time.
My experience
The mod lets you adjust a number of parameteres, so you have near-total control over what is automatically picked up and what isn't, and whether or not you are being notified that you have just picked something up.
The system of categories is not entirely logical. Sometimes you have to find out by trial and error which category an item belongs to. Some items (such as torches) aren't automatically picked up at all, unless you create something called a favourite or a player category or something. Read the mod description for details.
Important to keep in mind
There is no denying that this mod is a cheat. That is because nobody in the world can have the perception and patience to pick up everything that this mod picks up. (Most notably, I doubt that anybody searches for ore veins when traveling over hills at night.) However, once you have experienced this mod, it will be extremely difficult to turn back to picking up everything by hand, one thing at a time. So it's an ethical choice: how much are you ready to cheat for the sake of huge convenience.
This mod has one major bug: it automatically picks up items that are behind gratings. Meaning, you'll find yourself picking cage door locks or solving door opening puzzles only to find that everything inside the cage was already moved into your inventory while the door was still closed and locked.
For the same reason, it is imperative to keep this mod disabled (as it is by default) in the beginning of the game. Meaning: turn it on in Mod Organizer before you start your game, but upon game start do not activate it from the MCM. Only after your hands are untied, go to MCM and activate this mod. That is because the mod won't realize your hands are tied, so you will pick up stuff from the corpses past which you run and you'll end up overweight in no time, which means you won't be able to run, and you won't be able to drop anything because you can't open your inventory with your hands tied.
Keep in mind that quest items are not picked up by this mod. It's not the author's fault, it has something to do with the way quests are programmed in Skyrim. Somehow autoharvesting quest items would prevent quests from moving on.
You may also want to keep in mind that when you pick up notes and books, you will be notified all right, but it's very easy to miss the notice. That's why you might want to check your inventory for unread notes and books whenever leaving a location. I keep forgetting it – so every now and then I notice notes in my inventory containing important information about a location, but it's impossible to tell which location it's referring to.
The mod doesn't work in some mod-added regions, for example in the one created by Moonpath to Elsweyr . In those, you'll have to pick things up manually just as you would in vanilla Skyrim.
Verdict
Makes your life much easier and saves you an unbelievable amount of time, but is actually a cheat. Whether or not to use it depends on whether your laziness outweighs your honesty or vice versa.
By the way, in order to decrease cheatiness, you can decrease the autoharvest radius. I played with 600 which seems to be making the game too easy. In my next game, I'll revert back to the default 300.
Added later: Yes, 300 is fine.
Hold Border Banners
BorderSense
Why?
Skyrim is divided into administrative units known as holds, but the hold borders are not marked in any way, so it's impossible to tell in which hold you currently are. There isn't even a console command for finding that out.
Hold Border Banners places large banners on hold borders – only on roads, though.
Border Sense displays a message when you are approaching a hold border, and when you have actually crossed into another hold (on or off road).
My experience
Although the banners placed by Hold Border Banners are a bit ragged, I think it totally makes sense to have hold borders marked.
Border Sense still won't enable you to figure out in which hold you currently are. All you can do is to take a map of hold borders, determine your approximate location on it, then verify your estimate by saving your game, picking a direction, flying until notified of approaching another hold, and then reloading. Nevertheless, I find the mod very useful as it notifies me whenever I am crossing a hold border.
Verdict
I recommend Hold Border Banners for a bit of physical beauty and realism.
Border Sense is recommended if you are interested in being warned when entering another hold – for instance, when you have a bounty there, it would not be advisable to approach a guard and talk to him. In vanilla game, you would have no warning.
Notification Log
Why?
The game messages that are displayed in the upper left corner are – amazingly – not stored in any way, so when you miss a message, you have no way of ever knowing what it was.
This mod records those messages so you can view them in MCM.
My experience
It works as advertised, except that when you exit the app, the messages will be gone.
Verdict
Absolutely recommended.
Khajiit - Sense of Smell
Glowing enemies
Why?
With all its scenic nature, the visual design of Skyrim leaves something to be desired as far as combat is concerned. Too frequently, the enemies are almost invisible against the background, and in most cases it's nearly impossible to tell who is friend and who is enemy. It is, however, very important to know – when you accidentally hit a town guard, all the guards in the town will become your enemies. Getting screwed so hugely just because a minor, virtually unavoidable mistake is grossly unjust. It's bordering on a bug.
Glowing Enemies makes all the NPCs that are actually in combat against you at the moment glow in red.
Khajiit – Sense of Smell goes further than that. It allows you to equip a special power called Sense of Smell (and you can have it even if you are not a Khajiit). When you use the power by pressing Z, you'll be able to see all creatures up to a certain distance in red, blue or yellow, regardless of them being in your line of sight or not. The red ones are hostile, the blue ones are either friendly or with intentions yet unknown, the yellow ones are slumbering draugrs who will turn red when awoken. There are occasional exceptions which you will find out about eventually.
My experience
Considering that NPCs always know who is friend and who is enemy, even in darkness, there is no reason why you shouldn't be given the same knowledge. All the vanilla game offers, however, is a friend-or-foe spell, as if the game developers seriously expected the player to mount the spell, cast it, and re-mount his weapon or shield every once in a while. That is ludicrous. Therefore, Glowing Enemies is certainly appropriate. Occasionally, the red glow is too subtle to see properly. Other than that, the mod works flawlessly and really makes the game a lot easier by removing a major, needless inconvenience.
Khajiit – Sense of Smell is really a cheat. While it's prefectly plausible to smell things that can't be seen, it makes no sense to "smell" creatures' exact location through walls. The mod makes dungeon combat unfairly easy for the player. I would never use it if it wasn't for the faulty texture design that grants many NPCs a near-chameleon-like camouflage. Without this mod, I found myself, time and again, spending seconds figuring out where was wall and where was enemy. It was just killing my joy of playing. I think cheating with this mod is a lesser evil.
As I like to take screenshots sometimes, I find it slightly annoying that the glowing can't be switched off the way you can switch off Night Eye by pressing Z again. With the Sense of Smell power, all you can do is wait until the effect passes. Either that or put up with having those glowing silhouettes on your screenshots.
Added later: I eventually found a remedy for those flaws. Please read this article for details.
Important to keep in mind
Khajiit – Sense of Smell has one inexcusable bug: unaggressive animals who would never attack you (such as foxes and elks) are always marked as hostile. The author admits that in the mod description and acts as if it was normal. It is not. Over time, you learn, of course, to recognize harmless animals by their silhouettes, but it is somewhat irritating to be given false signals like that all the time. I doubt that it would have been impossible or unreasonably difficult for the mod author to do it right.
Another occasion of misinformation are slumbering non-draugr hostiles. Unlike slumbering draugrs, they are marked blue as if friendly, and turn red only when you get very close. Fortunately, such creatures are very rare. I'm not even sure there are any outside of Solstheim. So it's not a big problem.
Verdict
As the price of mistakenly hitting an ally in a skirmish is so insanely high, Glowing Enemies is an absolute necessity for telling foe from friend.
Khajiit – Sense of Smell is a cheat to be used only if you find yourself very annoyed by the creature textures and wall textures being unreasonably hard to tell apart.
Understandable Draugrs
Why?
As the draugrs speak their own language, their combat taunts can't be understood. This mod translates them in the subtitles.
My experience
Of course it's of no importance whatsoever what it is the draugrs say while trying to kill you. I just thought the mod adds a tiny bit of realism. In reality, though, my attention in the presence of draugrs is always occupied with killing the damn things, so I'm not sure I have ever read any of those subtitles.
Verdict
Unnecessary, but doesn't do any harm either.
World Map Min_Max Height Pitch Tweak
Why?
Skyrim world map has that very annoying tilt which makes it near-impossible to compare distances between locations. Also, you can't zoom out properly, meaning you can only see a very small part of the map at a time.
This mod enables you to have to look at the map at 90 degree angle, and zoom out significantly farther.
My experience
You still can't zoom out enough to see the entire Skyrim on your screen. Other than that, this mod is a godsent gift.
Verdict
I consider this mod a necessity as it provides a proper map the vanilla game is lacking.
Simply Knock
Why?
In vanilla Skyrim, the game informs you when a house door is locked, but (of course) not if there is anyone in the house.
This mod gives you the option to knock on the door and ask to be let in (or learn that there is no one inside). You can adjust the probability of being allowed to enter and some other parameters in the MCM.
My experience
I have come to the realization that it doesn't make much sense for people to let strangers in at night. However, it is realistic, as well as convenient, to be able to knock on a door and find out if there is someone in the house before you pick the lock.
Verdict
Not essential, but makes it possible to avoid breaking in to houses while its occupants are at home.
RaceMenu
Why?
Although Skyrim's character creation menu has a large number of options, it still tends to deliver very ugly player characters.
This mod is supposed to give you more parameters to adjust.
My experience
In my previous game, I don't think I had this mod, and I managed to create a quite good-looking male Khajiit. In this game, I had this mod and tried several times to create a male Nord with whose looks I would have been happy, but I just couldn't.
That said, it seems to be adding a few sliders here and there.
Apart from that, this mod allows you to make changes to your character's looks anytime during the game. I never did, but it may come useful if you make some kind of a bad mistake during character creation and notice it only later.
Verdict
Check it out.
Brows
Why?
The choice of eyebrows in Skyrim's character creation menu is a complete failure. Not one of the eyebrows offered look like human eyebrows.
This mod is meant to correct that by giving you more eyebrow shapes to choose from.
My experience
This mod actually enabled me to give my character natural-looking eyebrows.
Verdict
Recommended for a slight decrease in player character ugliness.
Player Size Adjuster
Why?
In vanilla Skyrim, all adult characters have exactly the same height.
This mod lets you adjust the height of your character in-game.
My experience
I used this in my test games, but in the actual game I used other means to create character height variety. I left this mod turned on just in case the game would somehow screw up the height of my character. That didn't happen.
Verdict
Unnecessary, except for testing how your own height adjustments would look like in the game environment.
A Matter of Time
Why?
The fucking Yanker bastards who created Skyrim are forcing that retarded 12-hour clock on the players. Every time you look at the clock, you have to stop for a second to recall which one was AM and which one was PM.
Apparently the retard clock is hard-coded into the game, so it can't even be mod-corrected. This mod does the next best thing: displays a clock on your screen while you play, and the date if you choose so. That means you won't have to open the map just to see the time, and in 12-hour format at that – you have a proper clock on the screen while you play.
My experience
I was at first very skeptical about having a clock permanently on my screen. I thought it would be annoying clutter. Because of the intolerability of the Yanker retard clock, though, I had to give this mod a try. I found out that, after I had adjusted the extremely stupid default settings, the permaclock was actually not disturbing at all.
Important to keep in mind
The mod is enabled by default, so when you start a new game, it is automatically turned on with default settings, which means your in-game messages will be obscured by this huge useless semicircle in the upper left corner, until you change the settings in the MCM.
For a strange reason, though, the mod is not automatically turned on when you load a savegame. You have to wait a few seconds and then press the hotkey several times. I have found no way around it. I presume it has something to do with the script lag.
There is also a little bug – the combination of the weekday and date can sometimes be too long to fit into one row. That is due to the mod author's sloppiness and cannot be corrected in the settings. No matter where you place it and how small you make the font, the text will still spill over into the second row.
My settings you can use if you want to:
Symbol 1: disabled
Date Format: tamriel dow, dd month
In-Game Clock
Scale: 200%
Transparency: 100%
Horizontal Anchor: right
Vertical Anchor: top
Horizontal Offset: –10
Vertical Offset: –4
In-Game Date
Scale: 125%
Transparency: 100%
Horizontal Anchor: right
Vertical Anchor: top
Horizontal Offset: –58
Vertical Offset: 36
Verdict
In spite of minor flaws, the mod is an absolute necessity, except for Yankers who can't count beyond 12.
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CATEGORY: TOOLS
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SKSE
Why?
Many mods require this mod to work, so it's actually inevitable to practically everyone.
Important to keep in mind
You might be interested to know that the mod enables you to use a thing called "crash dump" which records something each time the game crashes. When you post that something in a special forum, someone might help you figure out what it means, that is, why the game crashed. (I am not joking. There really is no manual for interpreting those crash reports.)
Verdict
You don't need this mod unless required by another mod – but that is almost certainly the case.
SkyUI
Why?
The vanilla game's inventory interface is an utter disgrace. I can't believe Bethesda actually expects people to play with it.
This mod creates a user interface that is not perfect but at least acceptable.
Important to keep in mind
When you look at your inventory for the first time, you may find yourself disappointed because it doesn't display the items' value relative to their weight. Actually, the value/weight column is there. You just have to activate it manually. Astonishingly, the author has decided that it should be turned off by default. A really perverse joke.
The books/notes submenu shows you whether an item is read or unread. Unfortunately, it doesn't distinguish between different items with the same name, such as bounty letters. (Could well be a Skyrim bug and not this mod's fault.) So when you have read one note titled "Bounty" and add another one to your inventory at a later point of time, it will be marked as read even though it isn't. There's nothing you can do about it.
Occasionally, 4-digit numbers are displayed in 3 digits. For example, when your bow does 1002 points of damage, your enchantment menu would show its damage as 100. Don't be alarmed. There is nothing wrong with your bow. It will still do 1002 points of damage, it's just that that particular display hasn't been programmed to support 4-digit numbers. When you exit the enchanting menu and open your inventory, you will see the correct damage.
You will probably notice a diamond symbol next to one or another item in Weapons and Armor submenus. It has no significant meaning and you can just ignore it. (It means – I'm not joking – that that item is more powerful than the item currently equipped!!! The author of SkyUI seems to think you don't know Arabic numbers.) Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a way to make it disappear.
Verdict
Absolutely necessary to replace vanilla Skyrim's 2000-ish user interface. Apart from which, many mods require this mod.
Unofficial Skyrim Patch (USKP)
Unofficial Dawnguard Patch
Unofficial Hearthfire Patch
Unofficial Dragonborn Patch
Why?
Firstly, many mods require these to work.
Secondly, they make many little things better.
Important to keep in mind
A patch known as USLEEP replaces all those four patches. Meaning, as far as I know, you can just install USLEEP instead of these four. The only reason why I am not doing it is because some other mods I use require one or another individual patch and won't accept USLEEP in their stead.
Verdict
Recommended even when none of your mods require them. USLEEP may be preferable but I can't vouch for that because I have never used it.
Crash fixes
Why
Modded Skyrim is very unstable and crashes frequently.
This mod is supposed to make crashes less frequent.
My experience
It is far above my abilities to verify or refute the author's claims as to what this mod does. I haven't noticed it to be of any help or harm - except that occasionally when the game crashes, it displays a message telling me why the game crashed. A fat lot of good that is doing!
Important to keep in mind
Never mind the suggestion in the mod description that you should follow STEP guides. I just don't get that STEP craze. Some advice in STEP guides is outright nonsensical. Not to mention the obvious fact that the whole point of modding is to get the kind of game you want, not a standardized version someone somewhere has come up with.
Verdict
You might want to try it, as you'll need every possible help you can find against crashes.
Vanilla Reduced Textures
Why?
Since Skyrim is very hard on your computer's resources and, as numerous sources suggest, really badly programmed, it is often stuttery.
This mod replaces the game's textures with ones that take less hard disk space and are thus processed faster by the game. They are supposed to look the same to the human eye.
My experience
I am indeed not seeing any visible difference compared to the full-size textures I was using previously.
Neither am I observing less stutter, though.
Verdict
This mod is certainly worth a try, but unfortunately it seems to have disappeared. It's possible that this mod does the same thing, but I have never tried it.
Skyrim Elys MemInfo
Why?
This mod enables you to see in real time how much overall memory, video memory, and such, the game uses.
My experience
Trying to decrease the occurrence of crashing and freezing, I used this mod while testing mods.
By pressing a hotkey during your game, you can toggle the display of memory use on and off. It is very well made. The information is displayed with a small font in various colors, so it's clearly visible, yet doesn't occupy much space on your screen.
Although not needed in the game, I kept it installed just in case.
Verdict
For troubleshooting only, if you want to observe the memory usage of your game.
Elephant's Script Latency Tester
Why?
One cause of game malfunction are long delays between the game engine's reading a command and actually executing it. It is called script latency.
This mod displays the script latency on your screen while you're playing. There is information in forums as to how much script latency is normal and how much is a reason to get concerned.
My experience
It does exactly what it's supposed to do. The information is clear and understandable.
Although not needed in the game, I kept it installed just in case (and deactivated it in the MCM, obviously).
Verdict
For troubleshooting only, to find out if the game executes commands too slowly.
Body Slots MCM
Why?
Should you encounter problems related to the game's use of body slots, this mod allows you to see which slot is currently using which item.
My experience
I installed this mod because the undressing of sex participants is very buggy. However, that problem didn't seem to be related to the use of body slots, so I ended up none the wiser. I kept this mod turned on in Mod Organizer just in case, but I wasn't using it in my game at all.
Verdict
Might be of some use for troubleshooting. Most likely to be irrelevant in an actual game.
Memory Blocks Log
Why?
According to Gopher, Skyrim's use of RAM is very badly programmed.
This mod allows you to find out whether or not the cause of the last crash was the game's running out of memory.
My experience
It's easy to use, the information given is clear, and knowing whether or not the game crashed because of too little memory might help you save considerable troubleshooting time.
Important to keep in mind
Before you use this mod, make sure you watch Gopher's excellent instruction video on YouTube.
Verdict
Recommended if you have frequent crashes.
PapyrusUtil
Why?
This mod records a large amount of information about your game. It doesn't actually display anything on your screen, it only creates a file commonly referred to as Papyrus Log. When your game is malfunctioning and you are asking for technical assistance in forums, you are usually required to post your Papyrus Log along with other information.
My experience
I used this a lot during mod testing and am keeping it switched on all the time just in case.
Most of the information in the log file is too complicated for us the common mortals to make sense of, but occasionally you will be able to see what caused your game to crash.
Important to keep in mind
Some people say that PapyrusUtil itself puts a strain on the game engine and the information it provides isn't really worth it. I have no idea if it's true or not.
Verdict
If you want to get help from Skyrim forums, you need this mod turned on.
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CATEGORY: NEW LANDS
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Why?
All the mods in this category are meant to help you against getting bored after having played a lot in Skyrim proper and gotten to know it inside out.
Falskaar
My experience
This mod adds an island that is visually much more beautiful than Skyrim proper, has nice people and interesting quests.
You can read my review if you want to.
Important to keep in mind
Too often, one little mistake (such as going through a door before the NPC who is accompanying you has) can break a quest beyond repair. Make sure you save even more frequently than usual.
Verdict
Awesomely brilliant. You just have to check it out.
Beyond Reach
My experience
This mod adds a new small region west of Skyrim proper.
I found it visually very uninviting. Everything was gray and it was raining all the time. Among the inhabitants of the first village I saw, there was only one young woman and she was ugly. There was nothing interesting to do. That's why I soon returned to Skyrim proper.
Verdict
Even more dull and joyless than vanilla Falkert. Not recommended.
Summerset Isle
My experience
This mod adds a new land with several towns, many NPCs and new quests.
I loved it. Click here if you want to read my review.
Verdict
Most emphatically recommended.
MJY The Mysterious Island
My experience
This mod adds a tropical island with beautiful but crudish graphics.
I have been there once and there wasn't really anything going on there. Neither did I see any human beings. Maybe I didn't look around thoroughly enough, or maybe it's really so small.
It looked nice, though. A welcome change after the snowy, dark and depressive Skyrim.
Verdict
You may want to check it out, although Summerset is just as beautiful and much bigger.
Moonpath to Elsweyr
My experience
The mod adds a room to the Falkert inn where there is a cart that can take you to Elsweyr. Looks like a miniature subway station. It's ludicrous. Would someone please tell the author that horsecarts are supposed to stop OUTSIDE buildings?
The actual Elsweyr was nothing like I had expected. None of that warm sands thing. Apart from a brief episode in the beginning, I only saw wetlands. The Khajiits were cool but the main quest quickly turned into a complete and utter nonsense. Really.
Verdict
Not recommended.
BlackLand
My experience
This mod adds a small region with a village and a number of other objects.
It is otherwise very nice, but the voice acting is beyond appalling. The author has apparently just asked a number of friends to speak the lines into their phones, and they have done so without any attempt at acting their part, and the mod author hasn't even bothered to normalize volume or reduce noise. I have huge respect for mod authors who bother to actually voice their dialogues, and I used to think I would never criticize voice acting in mods, but in BlackLand, I soon noticed I actually dreaded having to talk to people. Seriously, replacing "actor" voices with silence would greatly improve the playability of BlackLand.
Also, the main quest soon turned out impossible to continue. I tried to follow the vague and cryptic instructions given by the quest, but nothing worked. There was some talk about it in the forums, but no one seemed to know what to do to get the quest to move forward.
These are the two reasons why I left BlackLand rather quickly.
Important to keep in mind
This mod doesn't follow the usual convention of using different refIDs when respawning NPCs with the same baseID. This means that when you find a pretty villager you fancy, you should fuck her before you leave BlackLand, because when you return, she will have disappeared and there will be another villager with the same refID but completely different looks. On the positive side, each time you return to BlackLand, there will be a number of new women. (All female guards look exactly the same, though, so when you have fucked one, there'll be no point in bothering to strip any others naked.)
Verdict
Check it out if utterly abhorrent voice acting doesn't disturb you.
Darkend
My experience
This mod adds a new land. I took a little walk among lifeless ruins and then returned to Skyrim.
Important to keep in mind
The entrance is rather well hidden. There's a shipwreck in which there is an easy-to-miss door that takes you downstairs, and there is a glowing object which is the entrance portal.
Verdict
Check it out.
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CATEGORY: NEW LOCATIONS
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Why?
The mods in this category add new settlements to the existing land of Skyrim. It is really necessary to do that, as there are absurdly few settlements in vanilla Skyrim. A "hold" consisting of one town and one village is ridiculous.
Legendary Cities – Tes Arena
My experience
This mod adds ten or so towns to various regions of Skyrim.
In spite of appalling, often incomprehensible English, as well as incredible sloppiness in the spelling of names (Ruslan/Rusland, Nedris/Neldris), the sheer number of new locations (meaning new places and people, including women) is amazing. That's why I'm really very happy with this mod.
Verdict
An absolute must.
Falkreath Hold Extended
My experience
This mod adds a small village southwest of Falkert. It's not like I go there often, but I find it really cute.
Too bad this mod also creates a number of buggy caves. You go in and you find yourself in the midst of blackness. There's nowhere to go and you have to turn yourself this way and that way until you'll be able to get out again.
Verdict
A nice addition to Falkreath Hold. Recommended.
Aurora Village
My experience
This mod adds an amazing village on the southern shore of Lake Ilinalta, between Falkert and Riverwood. There are shops and interesting people.
Verdict
Absolutely recommended.
Moon and Star
My experience
This mod adds a serious quest and a small village on the coast of Lake Ilinalta which is extremely cool.
The quest contains puzzles which IMHO are almost impossible to solve without reading the walkthroughs.
Important to keep in mind
If you are using Aurora Village, it is imperative to load MoonAndStar_MAS.esp after AuroraVillage.esp. Otherwise the village added by this mod will be rather badly fucked up. It is not sufficient to put the Moon and Star mod below Aurora Village mod. It is not sufficient to get the Moon and Star Aurora patch. You'll still need to create the rule in LOOT as to the priority of the esp's.
Verdict
Although I didn't like the quest, I emphatically recommend this mod because of the village.
Old Hroldan Ruins
My experience
This mod adds huge ruins where in vanilla game there is only that inn in the middle of nowhere.
It's just ruins and a vendor. There is nothing to do there. What is worse, the mod adds a free player home with all kinds of resources that constitutes a blatant cheat.
Verdict
Adds a little realism to the Old Hroldan area, but contains a cheat home. Not recommended.
Places: Laintar Dale
Places: Oakwood
My experience
Those mods – by the same author, as it seems – add a small village each.
Nothing spectacular, just a little more variety.
Verdict
Recommended. The more, the merrier.
The Forgotten City
My experience
This mod is so brilliantly inventive that I don't want to tell you much about it. Go there and experience it yourself.
Important to keep in mind
The beginning of this mod is grim and uninviting. Don't give up. It will get better soon.
Early in the mod, there are a couple of letters that read themselves with voice. (You might want to use The Forgotten City - No Audiobooks which I found after this game.) The subsequent letters will be normal.
## I am sorry to say that the main quest is almost impossible to solve in a satisfactory manner. There are a number of courses of action to choose from and only one of them is right, and it is in no way evident which one. Very disappointing. See this article for details.
Verdict
Flawed but still recommended.
Wood Elf Refuge
My experience
This mod adds a Bosmer camp – half a dozen tents with a dozen inhabitants.
It is actually a (minor) cheat, as it offers you free followers. I installed it in order to increase racial variety of the game, but with all the other mods I have, I don't think there are too few elves in the game. Apart from which, the inhabitants of this village look too similar to each other and quite different from the other Bosmers in the game.
That said, the village is really nice.
However...
Important to keep in mind
This mod fucks up Arcadia.
In this game, Arcadia wouldn't train, and neither did Faendal and Faralda. It slipped my attention during mod testing, and when I discovered it, it was too late to start anew.
I won't bother you with the details, but after a long and tedious error-search I eventually found out that when Wood Elf Refuge is turned off with nothing else changed, Arcadia trains, and when it's turned on, she doesn't. So Wood Elf Refuge is clearly the culprit.
It may have something to do with the record Dialog Topic > OffersTrainingTopic (000E3A35), but my knowledge of Skyrim scripting is insufficient to tell for sure.
What is clear is that Arcadia is one of the very few trainers who can be easily found early in the game and thus very valuable. Making her dysfunctional is unforgivable.
Verdict
Not recommended because of a harmful side effect.
Elisdriel
My experience
This mod creates a player home in western Skyrim. It is equipped with everything, from baking plate to arcane enchanter.
I disapprove of free player homes, but this one is so cute it's just unreal. And it's far away from settlements, so its cheatiness is minimal.
Important to keep in mind
The mod description makes you think you can craft poison arrows. In reality, it didn't work. I had all the ingredients but still couldn't craft any poison arrows. Besides, the arrows are so weak that by the time you have found the required ingredients, your weapons are so strong that the poison arrows no longer matter. They would make a noticeable change only very early in the game.
Also, the mod robs you of the joy of discovery by marking Elisdriel on your world map before you have discovered it. That is an unforgivable spoiler.
Verdict
Check it out.
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CATEGORY: WINDHELM
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Why?
Vanilla Windhelm needs improving more than any other vanilla settlement. Not only is it too grim, it's clearly too small for a city of such importance. That is why I ended up trying lots of mods for it.
Snow City
Windhelm Exterior Altered
My experience
These two mods add many houses and people, both in- and outside the city walls. By a curious coincidence (or intention), one of the mods alters one half of the city and the other one alters the other half. If someone put these two mods together and smoothed out their really very minor overlappings, it would result in a perfect Windhelm overhaul.
Important to keep in mind
If you use these two mods together, there will be objects on a couple of staircases that don't belong there. This article explains in detail how to correct it.
Verdict
Absolutely necessary if you want Windhelm to be an actual city, as it deserves to be.
Dunmerized Gray Quarter
My experience
This mod adds walkways and buildings to the elf quarter of Windhelm, mostly above the street level. There isn't much going on there, but it's really nice and I like it.
Verdict
Recommended.
Windhelm Lighthouse
My experience
This mod creates a lighthouse northeast of the city.
It's nothing special, but I like it to be there.
Verdict
Recommended for a touch of increased realism.
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CATEGORY: IMPROVEMENTS TO VANILLA SETTLEMENTS OTHER THAN WINDHELM
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Why?
Settlements in vanilla Skyrim are shamefully small. It has been suggested that Bethesda actually released an unfinished game to meet the deadline they had announced earlier. I can totally believe it.
Expanded Towns and Cities
My experience
This mod adds buildings and people to almost all vanilla settlements.
There is a modular version which gives you a lot of choice as to what you want and what you don't.
Important to keep in mind
The mod adds two women named Emelia Celata to two different settlements. Don't get confused. They are two separate persons and their names are identical only because of the mod author's sloppiness.
Verdict
Absolutely necessary.
Solitude Expansion
My experience
This mod adds large suburbs to the southwest and east of Solitud. They are awesome.
Verdict
Absolutely recommended. I think it's the best Solitud enhancement mod.
Crowded Solitude
My experience
This mod adds generic NPCs to Solitud. They don't do or say much, but it's a very welcome addition that makes Solitud really look like the capital of Skyrim.
Verdict
Recommended.
Solitude Public Bathhouse
My experience
This mod adds a brothel-looking bathhouse not entirely unlike the one in Morthal. The girls are gorgeous and the design is magnificent.
Important to keep in mind
In a subsequent game of mine, I was very sad to see the interior lighting of the bathhouse fucked up big time. If you are using any mods that change anything that has to do with indoors lighting, you'd better run a brief test game to check this place out before you launch your actual game.
Verdict
Recommended.
ImpeREAL - Falkreath
My experience
The miserable village of Falkert in vanilla game is bordering on a bug. This mod makes Falkert an actual town.
Verdict
One or another Falkert improvement mod is really a must. I tried several and prefer this one. (That's why I am not using ETaC's Falkreath module.)
Whiterun Expansion Redone
My experience
Whereas EtaC adds a small suburb to the southwest, this mod adds a large suburb to the east, along with a second city gate.
It is a bit cramped and looks like a heap of ruins from the distance, but I still like it.
It's fully compatible with The Naked Dragon.
Verdict
Check it out and see if you like the way it looks.
CoP - Markarth
My experience
This mod doesn't add any buildings or people. It only improves the textures in Markarth. (In fact, CoP stands for "Coat of Paint".)
I find it an excellent idea to make Markarth more beautiful. It looks much too bleak in vanilla game.
Verdict
Absolutely recommended.
Sexy Winterhold College
My experience
This mod makes a vast improvement to the mage college's textures. Once you have seen it, it's very unlikely that you'll want to return to the bleak vanilla college.
It doesn't affect NPCs in any way.
Important to keep in mind
The mod has nothing to do with sex. The word "sexy" in the title is but a cheap trick to attract attention. That said, the mod is really very good.
Verdict
You just have to see it.
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CATEGORY: NPCS AND THEIR BEHAVIOR
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Hearthfire multiple adoptions
Why?
The Hearthfire DLC allows you to adopt only two children. This mod removes that limitation.
My experience
In test games, this mod worked the way it was supposed to. In my actual game, though, I was unable to adopt any children at all. It's likely to be a bug of the Hearthfire DLC, not of this mod.
Added later: With EFF, you can circumvent this bug, sort of, by force-recruiting the child as your follower, setting his home in your house and then dismissing him. He will remain living in your house. There will be no parent-child dialogue, though.
Verdict
If you are interested in adopting more than two children, test this mod and see if works for you.
Additional Child Beds For Major Hold Vanilla Homes
Why?
If you want to adopt more than two children, you will need room for them.
This mod creates more space in selected player homes, so that when you buy a children's bedroom, there will be more than just two beds.
My experience
In my test games, this mod worked as advertised, but in my actual game I am unable to buy any children's rooms whatsoever. No matter if I buy them from the steward or activate them with a cheat code – the room that is supposed to be children's bedroom remains empty. I have no idea why.
Added later: Worked fine in my next game, though.
Verdict
If you're interested in adopting more than two children, test this mod and see if works for you.
Run For Your Lives
When Vampires Attack
Why?
When a settlement is attacked by a dragon or vampires in vanilla game, the inhabitants attack them, even when without weapons, armor and any fighting skills. As a result, they often get themselves killed.
These mods are supposed to make them run away and seek shelter in a safe place instead, leaving the fighting to the guards. The first mod is for dragon attacks, the second one for vampire attacks.
My experience
I have certainly seen occasions when civilians attacked superior enemies, even when unarmed and stark naked. However, I can't remember if it was dragons/vampires or regular bandits or wild animals (the attacks by which these mods are not meant to affect). What I'm certain of is that these two mods have saved many innocent (and useful) lives in my game.
Verdict
I consider these two mods an absolute necessity. However, the author has taken them down and combined them into one mod. Added later: Used the new mod in my next game. It worked fine. Recommended.
Immersive detection of NPC
Why?
The mod description suggests that the algorithm for the detection of enemies in vanilla game is flawed and this mod improves it.
Please note that the mod's name is misleading. (The author is obviously not a native English speaker.) The mod does not affect your detection of NPCs. It affects the detection of you by NPCs, depending on the time of day and such.
My experience
I can't recall exactly how the enemies detected me in my previous game (without this mod) compared to the current game (with this mod). That said, the enemies behave in a perfectly believable manner in this game.
An exception is Falskaar where bandits have unrealistically been noticing me from behind hills. It is therefore possible that this mod doesn't work in Falskaar, and without this mod, such weirdness would prevail all over Skyrim. But I haven't tested it thoroughly enough to be able to tell for sure.
In a subsequent game, I noticed something similar in the mod-added land of Bruma, which further supports this hypothesis.
Important to keep in mind
This mod may be better. Check it out.
Verdict
Good.
No Talk Detection
Why?
The description of this mod says that in vanilla game the enemies detect you when your followers gab in sneak mode, and this mod is supposed to correct it.
My experience
I can't remember even one occasion in my previous game (without this mod) that my followers' talking caused us to be detected by the enemies.
That said, I don't think this mod would make anything worse either.
Verdict
Check it out.
No Spinning Death Animation
Why?
Someone in Bethesda apparently thought it would be fun if NPCs that get killed would make utterly nonsensical dance movements before they fall down.
This mod corrects it. When you shoot someone to death, he'll just fall down in a physically believable manner.
My experience
Works as advertised. Many killed NPCs remain lying in absurd positions, though, but I don't think it's this mod's fault.
Verdict
Absolutely recommended.
Immersive Patrols
Why?
This mod adds bandits and such all across Skyrim, in order to increase the frequency of random encounters.
My experience
I think the author has found the perfect balance. The mod makes your game more interesting without making it burdensome. You are still able to walk around without being attacked every minute, but you sure won't get bored.
Verdict
Absolutely recommended.
Populated Prisons
Populated Skyrim Prisons Cells Reborn
Why?
In vanilla game, there are almost no prisoners in prisons, which is unrealistic.
These two mods add a number of generic prisoners into prison cells.
My experience
They work as advertised. It's not like I need the prisoners for anything, but I like this touch of increased realism very much.
Important to keep in mind
Just like BlackLand, one or both of these mods recreate their NPCs from time to time so that they have the same refID but different looks.
Verdict
Absolutely recommended.
College Students
Why?
In vanilla game, Winterhold College has absurdly few students. It's bordering on a bug.
This mod adds more.
My experience
Although the additional students don't say anything of interest, I really like them being there.
Verdict
Absolutely necessary if you want Winterhold College to resemble an actual college.
Holidays
Why?
This mod makes the game visually more beautiful by adding decorations and events on certain dates.
My experience
Even though some holidays are rather simplistic, it's really nice to see buildings decorated and people gathering on the streets to sing and dance.
Important to keep in mind
One of the holidays makes an infinite number of skeletons attack you when you happen to be outside of settlements at the wrong time. Yet another reason to save frequently. Also it might be a good idea to read holiday descriptions in the MCM.
Verdict
Generally very nice. Recommended.
Public Executions
Why?
This mod makes public decapitations occur in Solitud – as far as I can tell, one every afternoon.
My experience
I rarely pay attention to the executions, but I find them a nice touch of increased realism.
Verdict
Check it out and see if you like it.
Creature Size Variants
Why?
When you have played for a long time, you might become annoyed by all the bears being of exactly the same size, all the skeevers being of exactly the same size etc.
This mod makes animals vary in size, resulting in better realism and more interesting fights. It has a wide variety of user-adjustable parameters.
My experience
I like it very much for increased realism.
Important to keep in mind
I recommend you disable the resizing of dragons. In my test game it made them hang in the air in one place even when dead. The mod author himself admits honestly that the resizing of dragons might make the game act weirdly.
Verdict
Most certainly recommended.
Agent of Righteous Might
Why?
This is a quest mod. It adds a virr station in Winterhold where you can talk to the priest and get tasks.
My experience
I didn't like this mod. The priests are loony fanatics and the tasks are quite pointless. I did a few but it didn't look like they'd lead to anything meaningful, so I stopped doing them.
Verdict
Uninteresting. Not recommended.
An Altmer Intrigue
Why?
This mod adds a rich High Elf who is living in a castle southwest of Hviterun. He'll give you quests which look like nothing at first but eventually turn out really interesting.
My experience
The castle is huge, its surroundings are nice and there's a number of interesting people. I didn't like the mod's protagonist very much, but the quests are great. Also, the backstory is really cool.
My only major complaint is that the reward for completing the final quest is absurdly large. I left it all there because it was just grossly unrealistic.
Important to keep in mind
When you have completed the first quest, it will look like there will be no others. However, if you go back to the castle after a while and talk to the owner, he will give you a follow-up quest which is much more interesting than the first one.
There is a certain quest item used in this mod which you might have already found earlier in connection with one of the vanilla Skyrim quests. It doesn't matter; you still have to find it anew for this mod's quest. It's the exact same item, albeit in a different location. It is apparently this mod's bug. The overlaps with another important vanilla quest are handled flawlessly, though.
Verdict
In spite of minor flaws, this mod is absolutely recommended.
Nernies Thief Pack
Why?
This mod adds a few things here and there.
My experience
It is not immediately obvious what has been added by this mod and what hasn't, but I think all those extra houses in Riften are this mod's work, and I'm very happy with them.
Verdict
Not necessary, but heartily recommended.
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CATEGORY: GENDER CREDIBILITY
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Masculinized Level Lists
Why?
Vanilla Skyrim may be not as pathologically feminist as the English-speaking world in general, but still in most places in Skyrim, 50% of guards, bandits and such are female, which is just absurd.
This mod greatly decreases the number of female warriors of all kinds, leaving a few for variety.
My experience
I don't want female soldiers completely removed, as I enjoy raping one every now and then. This mod strikes a balance that is just about perfect.
I have tested a number of mods that have the same purpose, and this one is without doubt the best.
Important to keep in mind
This mod may not work together with mods that add new locations. It doesn't ruin anything, you will just find that there are unusually many female guards in that new location. (Meaning, as many as there would be in Skyrim without this mod.)
Verdict
I'd hate to have to play Skyrim without this mod.
EBD – EveryBodys Different Redone
Why?
In vanilla Skyrim, every NPC has exactly the same height which is obviously unrealistic.
This mod allows you to assign height ranges of your choosing to each race, separately for males and females. Thus you can make women realistically smaller than men, as well as make some races taller or smaller (on average) than others. Most importantly, you don't make all NPCs of the same race and gender equal in height. You will set the maximum and the minimum. The game assigns heights randomly to individual NPCs within those limits. For example, I have set the height of male Imperials to 0.92..1.02 and the height of female Bretons to 0.86 to 0.96. This means that while the average Imperial man is 0.06 units taller than the average Breton woman, some Breton women may still be taller than some Imperial men.
My experience
Works flawlessly. For that matter, among all the mods that claim to randomize the size of NPCs that I tested, this one was the only one that actually did.
Important to keep in mind
You might be interested to know that one Skyrim height (tallness) unit equals 182.88 cm. (That's exactly 6 feet.) So, height 1.05 means 192.024 cm, and so on.
Verdict
Absolutely essential to avoid gross unrealism in NPC size.
No More Females Walking Like Machines
Orc female idle fix
Why?
In vanilla Skyrim, soldiers and some other women walk and sit like men. It may not sound important, but when you have to watch it all the time, it gets annoying.
I understand the reason to this is that the game simply orders those women to use male animations.
The first of these two mods claims to make all women use female animations.
The second one claims to make all Orc women use female animations.
My experience
Unfortunately, some women still walk as men. I can't imagine why it's so difficult to undo the vanilla game's instruction for the females to walk like men, but strangely enough none of the mods I have tested is able to do it.
That said, these two mods make females walk like females in a large majority of cases.
Verdict
Even though not working 100%, these mods are still an absolute must – until a genius emerges who can do the job properly.
Super Sleeves of Skyrim
Practical Female Armors
Skyrim Modesty Mod
Why?
I can't stress strongly enough how I disapprove of making women run around half-naked in subzero temperatures. I wish Bethesda had employed a consultant who had actually experienced a nordic winter.
Furthermore, both male and female armors in Skyrim are very unpractical. Numerous people have written articles on that topic.
A complete overhaul of Skyrim armors is likely to be humanly impossible, but these three mods make a most welcome attempt to alleviate the problem.
My experience
I still routinely see NPCs in weather-inappropriate attire, but a lot less than before. I am aware that there are limits to how much change the game allows. Surely the authors of these mods have given their best and I totally appreciate their effort.
Verdict
It's not like these mods make a significant difference in your gameplay, but they do make Skyrim armor look a little bit less ludicrous. That's why I like having them.
No same sex
Why?
Vanilla Skyrim allows people to get married to people of either sex which doesn't make sense in that kind of a world.
This mod disables same-sex marriages.
My experience
I don't intend to get officially married by Skyrim rules. I installed this mod mainly as a matter of principle – and to avoid potential lewd suggestions from men while I happen to wear the Amulet of Mara.
Verdict
You might want this mod if you find same-sex marriage in a medieval world unrealistic.
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CATEGORY: POSSIBILITY OF SEX
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Why?
Vanilla Skyrim doesn't support even nakedness, let alone sex.
CBBE
What does it do?
This mod removes underwear from women, so that they are actually naked when all items are removed from them.
My experience
It works flawlessly, except in very rare occasions when there is, for example, a woman's dead body on an altar and the game considers her a part of the decoration rather than a dead NPC. Obviously, such cases don't make any essential difference in your game.
Important to keep in mind
There are several naked female body standards from which you must choose one. Whenever you install another mod that makes use of naked female body, make sure you get the version that is compatible with your female body standard. Female body standards are extremely confusing, but all you really need to know is that the two most popular ones are CBBE and UNP. Mods that use nakedness usually have both CBBE- and UNP-compatible versions.
Verdict
This or one of the other available naked body creation mods is inevitable if you want the women in your game to be able to get naked.
SOS - Schlongs of Skyrim
What does it do?
This mod removes underwear from men. You may not fancy naked men, but I'm sure you'll want your character to be naked and fully equipped during sex. Trust me, a blowjob without a penis will look rather awkward.
My experience
There are occasional (mod-added, I think) dead bodies which remain in their underwear, and in rare occasions living men keep their underwear on when supposed to get naked. Other than that, this mod works perfectly.
Important to keep in mind
There is one more naked male body standard (called Atlas-something), but most mods that make use of the naked male body require SoS and don't work with that other thing.
Penises created by this mod are, unfortunately, very large, mutilated and always erect. If you want believable-looking penises, you need to complement this mod with others. (See below.)
Amusingly, the author of the Sounds of Skyrim series has chosen the same acronym – SoS. There is, however, little danger of confusing the two. ;-)
Verdict
Inevitable if you want the men in your game to be able to get naked.
FloppySOS
What does it do?
This mod makes naked men's penises flaccid while not fucking.
My experience
The mod acts the way it's supposed to, even though you have to help with hotkeys every now and then.
If you are not happy with the standard penis, it is possible to install other mods that add different-looking penises for you to choose from. You can even set percentages how likely the NPCs are to have this or that penis shape. However, there are huge compatibility problems. You need SexLab Framework, SoS and FloppySoS in your game, and these three work together perfectly. Any other male genitalia mod you add, be prepared to see men having erections when not supposed to and vice versa, or having two penises at the same time, or having some underwear artifacts (brown patches) when they're supposed to be naked. Whatever you add to your game, test it before you actually start a new game.
As concerns penis shapes, the two in my mod configuration, described in this article – Leito and ERF Whanger – were the only ones I've found from among many that actually worked together with the three essential male nudity mods. But you might have better luck than I've had.
Important to keep in mind
I used to be under the impression that FloppySoS makes it possible for a penis to be flaccid – meaning, without it, men would have non-stop erections.
Only after I had quit this game and was doing mod testing for the next one did I find out that it is not the case. When I had SoS switched on and FloppySoS switched off, male NPCs were still having erect penises while fucking my (female this time) character and flaccid penises while just standing there naked. Jesus Christ, what is the fucking point of having FloppySoS then, I wondered.
As it turned out, there is just one thing SoS doesn't do on its own. During sex, a male NPC always has an erection, no matter if you are fucking him or he is fucking you. As long as you are happy with that, you don't need FloppySoS at all. Only if you want an NPC not to have an erection while being fucked, you need FloppySoS. There is a floppiness hotkey (Shift+Ins by default). When you press it during sex, you can change your partner's penis from erect to flaccid or vice versa. (You might also want to set "Toggle Mode" in FloppySoS MCM to "Manual").
Verdict
This mod is not necessary to enable the flaccid penis as such. It's necessary only to prevent the passive partner from having an erection.
I most certainly want that, so I will continue to use this mod.
Skyrim SexLab – Sex Animation Framework
What does it do?
This mod, commonly referred to as SexLab Framework , makes copulation physically possible.
My experience
Some controls in the elaborate MCM are not easy to figure out. Other than that, I am very happy with this mod.
Verdict
You need SexLab Framework because the sex act as such will be impossible without it.
Auto Unequip Ammo
What does it do?
SexLab Framework has one ludicrous bug – it often fails to strip the participants fully naked. I can't believe the author can be so sloppy. Considering all the amazing things SexLab Framework does and the amount of work that must have gone into it (meaning, the incredible expertise and industry of the author), I just can't understand how he still hasn't fixed a function as elementary as taking off all one's clothes and equipment for sex.
In particular, you will often find yourself with a quiver on the back of your otherwise naked body.
This mod fixes that. (It's not intended for sex. It just happens to be useful for that purpose as well.)
My experience
It really does the job. However, having been infuriated countless times by the buggy stripping in SexLab Framework, I have by now made it a habit to always strip naked manually before sex.
However, this mod is still useful for making my partner not wear a quiver during sex, although it doesn't work 100%.
Verdict
This mod is useful for correcting the bug that keeps the quiver on you or your sex partner's back when you're otherwise naked.
HDT Physics Extensions
FNIS
NetImmerse Override
RCAE
Realistic Ragdolls and Force
XP32 Maximum Skeleton Extended
What do they do?
These mods were required for sex animations to work, as I found out the hard way. Don't ask me what each one of them does.
Important to keep in mind
Nothing should overwrite XP32.
It's recommended to turn off the esp file that comes with XP32 Maximum Skeleton Extended. That is, leave all the other files active, just turn off the esp. That is because the esp is reported to cause a number of weirdnesses in the game and even the author himself recommends turning it off unless you need it for a specific reason.
RaceMenu is supposed to make NetImmerse Override redundant. It doesn't. RaceMenu does contain a file titled nioverride.dll, but it's a different version and in fact has been repeatedly reported to crash the game. If you use RaceMenu, turn that dll file off and keep the original NetImmerse Override.
Verdict
These days, it is likely you won't need all the above mods. Read the instructions of your version of SexLab Framework with supreme attention and make sure you have all the required mods (and their required mods) installed. Otherwise you'll risk your sex animations not working (still a big problem as you can see from numerous help requests on forums).
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CATEGORY: SEXUAL SETTINGS
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Realistic Body System remade
Why?
Sex is rather pointless when every woman's body looks exactly the same.
This mod corrects that.
EBD (see above) and RBS complement each other in the following way:
1) EBD scales characters up or down and does not change the size of body parts relative to each other. With RBS, one woman can be, for instance, fatter or slimmer than another woman of same height;
2) EBD affects both men and women. RBS affects only women.
My experience
Among a number of mods I have tested, this is the only one that is actually capable of creating anatomical variety, that is making, say, some breasts smaller and some bigger relative to the body. It could be much better still, but it seems the author has achieved the maximum that the body physics in the Skyrim game allows.
Important to keep in mind
In the settings, do not check "Diversified animations". It makes women sit in totally weird positions.
Verdict
The mod is very old and requires an astronomical amount of hard disk space, but it works perfectly. I have used it for 1000+ game hours and I can't imagine Skyrim without it.
(mod name hidden)
(mod name hidden)
Why?
Vanilla Skyrim has only three age categories: children, adults and elderly.
These mods add three teenage girls. The first one creates them perfectly decent, the second one allows them to get naked.
The girls have certainly reached the legal age of consent in my physical location, but US-based websites are very prudish about such things. That's why I'm not telling you the mods' names. I'm sure you'll be able to find them by searching the two most popular sites that host Skyrim mods.
Added much later: It would seem the first mod's author has taken it down. I don't know why. Without the first mod, the second one is (as far as I know) useless.
My experience
I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, those girls add a welcome touch of variety to the game. On the other hand, they have a grossly exaggerated stereotypical teenage attitude (apparently they have been created by someone who has no understanding for teenagers) and are absurdly mighty warriors (even though they can get killed if you are careless). I ran around with them for some time and then lost interest in them.
Also, there is something wrong with their sizing. They often get instantly 20–30 cm taller or smaller in front of my very eyes. I have played around with height settings in TES5Edit and haven't been able to fix this problem. Probably these mods have problems working together with some other mods.
Verdict
Not essential by any means, but if you would like to see some more variety in NPC age, check these out.
SexLab Defeat
Why?
SexLab Framework merely makes it physically possible to have sex. It does not provide any game situations where people end up having sex. This mod takes care of that – to a part. It enables you to creep up on NPCs, overpower them and rape them.
It also allows you to get raped by NPCs, if that's your thing. (Can be enabled or disabled in the MCM.)
My experience
There's a wide variety of options that allow you to make this mod work pretty much exactly the way you want.
Apart from occasional glitches and the inevitable limitations of computer animation, this mod is pretty damn perfect.
There are one or two other mods that enable rape, but this one is clearly the best.
Verdict
Recommended if you are interested in raping people in your game.
It is most unfortunate that, apart from a number of prostitution mods, no one seems to have yet created a mod which would create believable situations leading to consensual sex.
The Naked Dragon
ApachiiSkyHair
Why?
While Defeat only enables rape, this mod lets you have consensual sex with prostitutes. It creates four brothels near various towns in Skyrim.
ApachiiSkyHair is required for The Naked Dragon to work.
Added later: If you are playing a female character, you definitely want ApachiiSkyHair even when you don't use The Naked Dragon. That's because it adds great many hairstyles and for a female character it's really very important.
My experience
The brothels look quite different and each one, along with its employees, is utterly adorable.
The author is intelligent and sensible and appreciates user feedback.
Verdict
Most emphatically recommended.
Fox Club Z
Why?
This mod adds a house in Riverwood which can't possibly be anything else than a brothel.
My experience
There is very enjoyable brothel atmosphere. The girls and their outfits are stunning.
Important to keep in mind
Unfortunately, the mod is unfinished insofar as there are no dialogue options leading to sex, so you will just have to initiate sex from the SexLab Framework MCM and remove a suitable amount of money from your inventory with the console command player.removeitem f ###, where ### is the amount in septims.
Verdict
Check it out if you have any interest in prostitution.
Sleeping Innkeepers
Why?
Many NPCs in Skyrim are awake 24 hours a day which is unrealistic.
This mod forces all innkeepers to sleep, usually on a bedmat behind the bar counter. You can still wake them up if you want to hire a room or something.
Oh... Why is it in this category? Because NPCs can't be grabbed to be raped while awake and in sight of other people. Since there are NPCs who never leave the sight of other people, I would very much like them to sleep occasionally – otherwise I can never rape them. This mod does it only for innkeepers, but it's better than nothing.
My experience
Works exactly as advertised.
Verdict
If you, like me, are annoyed by the unrealism of NPCs who never sleep, then this mod is a must.
I wish there was a mod that forced every NPC to sleep regularly. (There is one, actually, but it comes with many completely unacceptable changes to NPC behavior.)
Sleep Tight
Why?
It's rather unrealistic that NPCs always sleep fully dressed.
This mod makes people change into bedclothes to sleep. It has an MCM menu which, among other things, allows you to set some NPCs, such as bandits, to sleep naked, if you wish.
My experience
There are occasional glitches. When you initiate sex with someone who is sleeping undressed, it can happen that she has her clothes on during the intercourse. Other than that, the mod works exactly as advertised.
Verdict
Of course it's a trifle, but this mod adds a nice touch of realism, and I like it very much.
Colored Collars
Why?
This mod adds collars which you can make your slaves wear.
My experience
The collars come in various colors and are very beautiful. You can't buy them anywhere. You can only give them to yourself with the console, but that is quite all right. You can easily get the list of all available collars along with their ID codes by entering the command help collar .
Verdict
Not a necessity by any means. Only to spice up your slavekeeping a bit.
NPC Clothes Changer and Maintainer
Why?
If you, for whatever reason, want to change an NPC's default outfit, this mod lets you do it.
My experience
Somewhat inconveniently, this mod requires you to put on a special ring to work. When you wear that ring and press E on an NPC, you will get the clothes-changing option along with the usual dialogue options.
The mod works very poorly with NPCs who are tied up. I use it only to put slave collars on them, and sometimes they don't stay on and sometimes even this mod's dialogue fails to appear even though I'm wearing the ring. Mind you, dressing and undressing in SexLab and/or Defeat in general are very badly programmed, so this problem is more likely to be their fault than this mod's.
Important to keep in mind
My slaves kept losing their collars after sex. The only remedy I found was to set the collar to be never removed in the SexLab MCM.
Verdict
Only for those who want to alter the NPCs' default clothing for some reason. Doesn't work perfectly but it's the best I've been able to find.
Better Torches
Why?
This mod makes torches emit stronger and prettier light.
My experience
I never use torches for any other purpose than dropping them when having sex in darkness, to be able to make proper screenshots. Over time, however, I have realized that the Magelight spell is a simpler way. Therefore, this mod is has pretty much become redundant for me.
Added later: I suspect that this mod makes the light absurdly bright in some indoors locations. Test it most thoroughly before you use it.
Verdict
Check it out if you're not happy with the torch light as it is.
Drop Lit Torches
Why?
In vanilla Skyrim, it seems to be completely random if a dropped torch keeps burning or not. It can get rather irritating. This mod attempts to correct it, with varied success.
My experience
As I just said, I have learned to use the Magelight spell instead of dropping torches for lighting my sexual activities, so this mod has become redundant for me.
Verdict
The mod merely increases somewhat the likelihood of a dropped torch remaining lit, but I haven't seen any mod that would do it properly.
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CATEGORY: BETTER NPC BODIES
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Why?
The vanilla Skyrim's NPCs look just horrible. What kind of a twisted freak would create something so ugly on purpose is just beyond me.
For female bodies, there is great variety to choose from. I have chosen
Sexy Natural Body
for female body meshes (meaning: anatomy) and
Fair Skin Complexion
for body textures (meaning: how the skin looks like).
These mods make the women pretty much as beautiful as you can expect in a computer game. But, as I hardly need to tell you, you might well find other analogous mods that are more to your liking.
Consistent Older People
CBBE makes women naked, but unfortunately equips many old hags with young bodies. It is grossly unrealistic. It's not like I actually want to see elderly women naked, but when I kill or loot them, it happens inevitably.
This mod is supposed to give all elderly women elderly bodies. Sometimes it succeeds, sometimes it fails. Yet, it's better than nothing.
This mod does not alter the bodies of middle-aged women, such as Arcadia and Danica. It seems to be technically impossible to make their bodies look the same age as their faces, as the game distinguishes only between elderly and non-elderly, while young and middle-aged are the same as far as the game engine is concerned. That is unfortunate, but of course not this mod's fault.
DCE – Realistic Male Face
Handsome male elves and humans
Unsurprisingly, vanilla men look even more repulsive than vanilla women. Unfortunately, there is very little one can do about it, as most mods that attempt to improve the men's looks actually make them worse. I am happy to have found at least these two that make men less ugly while retaining them believable.
SOS – Leito Schlongs Addon
As I mentioned earlier, Schlongs of Skyrim equips men with mutilated penises. The only explanation I can think of is that the author of SoS himself has a mutilated penis. This means he has to live his life knowing that he can never experience the sensations that a foreskin enables. In order to avoid feeling inferior to most men in the world in regard to such an important organ, he has no other choice but to pretend mutilated penises are normal, and take his little revenge on the whole men by forcing the users of his mod to look at mutilated penises.
As the very concept of genital mutilation is disgusting beyond words, one needs another mod to complement SoS 's male body with a normal penis.
I've done a lot of searching and experimenting, and this mod is the only properly working one that allows your player character to have a non-mutilated penis. So it's really a must.
Mind you, it doesn't overwrite the penises created by SoS or other mods you may have installed. You'll be able to choose in the MCM a desired penis shape for your character as well as for NPCs by race.
SoS ERF – Whanger Addon
Another huge flaw of SoS, not corrected by Leito Schlongs Addon, is the absurd size of the penises. Even at the smallest available size, the flaccid penis is likely to be much longer and thicker than any penis that you have ever seen in the real world (porn videos and anthropology magazines not counted).
This mod adds a penis that, although mutilated, is of realistic size.
I don't mind my player character having a really large penis, but I am using this mod for the NPC penises.
Open Faced Guard Helmets
I don't like town guards wearing helmets that cover their faces. Town guards are the Skyrim equivalent of the police. They are there to protect and help the population. This means that the people have to be able to trust them. It is not very easy to turn for help to a man whose face is hidden by a metal mask. That's why I think that town guards must not cover their faces.
This mod alters guard helmets so that the face is visible.
It works exactly the way it should (except with mods such as BlackLand ) and I totally recommend it.
Less Harsh Elves
In vanilla Skyrim, elves have horribly ugly faces. I don't give a rat's ass how lore-friendly it may be. I don't want to look at such wrinkled monsters all the time.
This mod makes elf faces prettier. I admit that occasionally they get too unrealistically smooth, but it's a vast improvement compared to vanilla.
Better Khajiit female body Texture
Vanilla Khajiits are cute enough already, but this mod makes them even cuter.
It's not a necessity, but I like it.
Revised Khajiit and Argonian Textures
Feminine Argonian Textures
A Beast Race Beautiful
Vanilla Argonians are rather ugly. I used to think they were beyond improvement, but these mods actually make them quite good-looking. I am very pleased.
FYI, these mods have many options you can choose from. I'm using them for Argonians only.
Strictly speaking, Revised Khajiit and Argonian Textures is redundant in my game, being completely overwritten by the other two. I am keeping it switched on as a backup – should I ever decide I don't want A Beast Race Beautiful, I can switch it off and the game will revert to Revised Khajiit and Argonian Textures rather than to the awful vanilla Argonians.
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CATEGORY: FOLLOWERS
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Housecarl and Homeowner Greeting Fix
Why?
This mod is supposed to fix some illogicalities that occur when you go into your house and your on-site housecarl greets you.
My experience
It does make the housecarls somewhat less annoying.
Verdict
Never mind, the author has deleted the mod. The above link is dead and I wasn't able to find any analogous mods.
Serana Dialogue Edit
Why?
Serana's attitude is absolutely unacceptable.
This mod claims to fix some illogicalities in Serana dialogue.
My experience
Although one can see a number of altered lines with TES5Edit, I haven't actually noticed any essential difference in the game. Serana is still an insolent bitch who has repeatedly brought me to the verge of killing her.
Verdict
Pointless, as far as I can tell.
Better Stealth AI for Followers
Why?
This mod is supposed to make the behavior of followers in sneak mode more realistic.
My experience
I am not sure if this mod does anything at all. The followers still talk occasionally when supposed to be sneaking, yet their talking in the sneak mode doesn't cause detection by the enemy. However, it was exactly the same in my previous game without this mod. That said, the mod isn't making anything worse.
Verdict
You might want to check it out if you are having problems with your followers in sneak mode.
Follower Trap Safety
Why?
It's extremely difficult to protect your followers from taking heavy damage from traps.
This mod is meant to correct it.
My experience
I suppose it's working. I haven't been able to pay close attention to my followers' behavior near traps, because when one is near traps, one is usually also near enemies, so one's attention is focused on watching out for the enemies and not on what the followers are or aren't stepping on. Meaning, I can't swear this mod works, but I don't think it's doing any harm either.
At any rate, it does absolutely nothing to prevent one's followers from running into the swinging blades and getting themselves killed, and that is a problem far worse than traps.
Verdict
Somewhat helpful, I suppose, but not exactly important.
Winterhold Housecarl
Why?
The vanilla game has a rather weird bug – the thaneship of Winterhold comes without a housecarl. (The Falkreath housecarl bug is corrected by one of the DLCs or Unofficial Patches, but it still leaves Winterhold without a housecarl.)
This mod creates a buyable player home in Winterhold with a housecarl in it.
My experience
When you buy the house, you are asked if you want a male or a female housecarl. They are both really nice.
Important to keep in mind
The mod is slightly buggy. I bought the house with the housecarl, spent some time in the house, went traveling, returned to Winterhold, went to my house, and I was again offered the house for purchase and asked if I wanted a male or a female housecarl.
Verdict
In spite of that minor bug, I am most pleased with my housecarl and consider this mod a must.
Lets get naked
Why?
Normally, if you wanted to strip your follower naked, you would have to open the inventory dialogue and take her clothes, weapons and armor away from her.
This mod adds the command to strip naked to your follower dialogue.
My experience
It works correctly, except when you strip several followers naked at the same time. In that case, their clothes can get mixed up when you redress them. There is an honest warning to that effect in the mod description.
However, I am no longer stripping my followers naked just for fun. I only do so for fucking, and then they get naked anyway. So this mod has become redundant in my game.
Verdict
Recommended in case you want a convenient way of getting your follower naked quickly.
Extensible Follower Framework (EFF)
Why?
Follower controls in vanilla Skyrim leave something to be desired. For example, when you lose sight of your follower, it's almost impossible to find her without console commands. Also you can't have more than one follower, unless a mod adds followers who are excempt from that limitation.
This mod allows multiple followers and adds a menu for giving them individually or collectively a variety of orders.
My experience
This mod's menu is somewhat counterintuitive – you'll need some time to find where is what, and in order to access a follower's inventory, you'll have to click on Equipment, not on Inventory – the latter opens an empty inventory the purpose of which I still don't know.
The possibly best part about this mod is that it adds two special powers – one called Leader's Telepathy for giving commands to the followers of your choice, such as "Wait", and the other one called Leader's Teleportation which instantly summons all followers. (Not a cheat, obviously, because the followers are supposed to be following you all the time, and it's only due to Bethesda's programmers' incompetence that they don't.)
It is also most pleasing to be able to access follower commands without the annoyance of their saying something in return to every command.
What I still sorely miss is a hotkey for quickly switching between "wait" and "follow" modes for all followers at the same time. Currently it requires 1) equipping the special power Leader's Telepathy, 2) pressing Z , 3) marking all followers, 4) pressing Tab and 5) clicking Wait (or Follow), and then possibly 6) reequipping the special power I actually want to use. But even this is a vast improvement. Without this mod, you would have to target each follower (which, of course, presumes you know where she is) separately, press E , listen to her reply, order her to wait (or follow) and hear yet another reply.
Another very important thing this mod is lacking is the order to keep a minimum distance from you. Skyrim followers come much too close to you and neither this mod nor any other I have seen lets you do anything about it. So if you don't want the stupid girls to stand right next to you while you're having sex, the only thing you can do is take them to some distance and order them to wait. (And, of course, afterwards you will have to tell them to follow again.)
Important to keep in mind
Some mods add followers who ignore EFF. They still act as followers, but when you press E on them, you will get the vanilla follower dialogue rather than the EFF menu.
Verdict
Unless you want to put up with the limit of one follower at a time, you need a mod, and this mod is totally the best. The other widely used multiple follower mod didn't work in my test game at all, and my attempt to get help in the Nexus forum only resulted in haughty affronts from its fans who were too stupid to give straight answers to simplest questions.
My Home Is Your Home
Why?
If I remember correctly, the vanilla game doesn't let you change the places where followers return to when dismissed. This means that whenever you hire a follower, you will have to remember or write down where you hired her from, so you'll know where you can find her, should you ever dismiss her and then want to hire her again someday.
My experience
This mod allows you to order a follower to be at home in the location where you currently are. Mind you, it doesn't have to be a house you own; the mod's name is slightly misleading. You can choose any place you want. For instance, I have a number of my followers reside at a jarl's palace. I thought they will have more of a social life there while waiting for me to get interested in them again.
Verdict
Follower home can be set with Extensible Follower Framework as well. However, there are mod-added followers who ignore EFF, so this mod is still necessary.
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CATEGORY: VISUAL BEAUTY
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Why?
Stunning as Skyrim is, there are things that can be made prettier still.
Bloody Dragon Bones
This mod makes dragon bones more credible-looking. Meaning, bloody.
It's not like the vanilla dragon bones look in any way wrong, but this mod makes them a little better.
Immersive Fallen Trees
This mod adds fallen trees on roads and across rivers here and there.
Just a nice little touch of increased realism. I like it.
Realistic Nights
What the developers of Skyrim have chosen to call "night" is obviously unacceptable.
I tested several mods that make nights actually dark and chose this one.
It lets you choose from 5 grades of darkness, so you are sure to find one that suits you.
Real Rain
Rain is but puny drizzle in vanilla game.
This mod creates rain that looks actually realistic.
I tested several rain mods and found this one to be the best.
Lightning during Thunder Storms
The weather in vanilla Skyrim in rather dull. This mod improves that by creating lightnings. They are somewhat too strong to be real (can be altered in the settings) but they look awesome, so I kept them.
Get Snowy
This mod covers people with snowflakes when walking around in snowfall.
The way the clothes get snowy is perfectly realistic. Unfortunately, the faces sometimes get snowy and sometimes don't, and when you have sex in snowfall, the woman's body is covered with snowflakes, but when your ejaculation begins, she is suddenly all clean.
Other than that, it looks really great. This mod is absolutely recommended.
Animated Dwemer Lift Load Doors
This mod makes the dwemer elevators move for a second or so when activated. It's really a trifle but it adds a touch of realism.
Check it out.
Lanterns of Skyrim
When nights are mod-darkened, village streets can get so dark that moving around is near-impossible. Now, it's normal when there is complete darkness in the middle of a forest, but populated places can be expected to have some night lighting.
This mod adds lanterns which are lit at night in settlements and along highways.
It greatly adds to the realism to have more light near civilization. Also, the lanterns look really beautiful.
That's why I heartily recommend this mod.
Skyrim Better Roads
This mod makes main roads somewhat more realistic.
After you have read the mod's bombastic self-description, you might find yourself a little disappointed to learn that it's unfinished – it covers only a very small part of Skyrim.
That's why I chose to use only the Solitud module and I am very happy with it. The roads near Solitud do look a lot more like real highways now, compared to vanilla.
Check it out and see if you'll like it.
Cinematic Fire Effects 2 HD
This mod makes fires look more beautiful. No, this sounds so nothing special. Let me rephrase it. This mod makes fires look you have no idea how stunningly awesome.
I'm serious. I know fires have no meaning in the game. So, strictly speaking, you don't need this mod. However, I insist you check it out. It makes fires so beautiful that they are an utter delight to watch. I had no idea that looking into an animated fire can be such a joy.
I can't recommend this mod strongly enough.
Imaginator
As beautiful as vanilla Skyrim is, it still looks somewhat dull – sort of colorless like SECAM TV or old European movies.
That's why many people use ENB. However, ENB is insanely complicated. So I tried a number of substitutes and found this mod. Turn up color saturation and your Skyrim will look almost like on all those ENB-ed screenshots, and that with a thousandth of time and effort you'd need to make that piece of earthworm shit ENB work.
I emphatically recommend this mod. Make sure you get the MCM version.
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CATEGORY: ECONOMY
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Perseids Inns and Taverns
Why?
In vanilla Skyrim, sleeping at inns is almost free, and it costs the same no matter if you are in Roriksted or Solitud. That is grossly unrealistic.
This mod changes inn room prices to what actually makes sense.
My experience
Not only does this mod work exactly as advertised – you can even easily alter inn rates in the MCM if you don't like the default ones. More than that, this mod affects non-vanilla inns too. You can't correct rates in mod-added inns individually, but you can set the generic inn rate in the MCM which is then applied to the inns added by other mods. Can't get much closer to perfection than that.
Verdict
An absolute must.
Skyrim Economy Overhaul (SEO)
Why?
One of the biggest problems with vanilla Skyrim is the ludicrously low money supply. I am sure pretty much every Skyrim player has been annoyed having to go from merchant to merchant, trying to sell all the loot he has picked up in dungeons. The problem has been addressed in numerous forum posts.
This mod gives merchants more money and makes their inventories more varied. It also adjusts the prices of virtually all items in the game. Considering the unbelievable time and effort the author must have spent, it is rather surprising that the prices of weapons and armor are still rather loosely connected to their strength.
Also, this mod improves the vanilla game's retarded potion names. (I mean, hands up who know whether Solution is more potent that Philter or vice versa.) Thanks to SEO, you can look at your inventory and actually tell quickly which potion does what.
My experience
As much as I admire this mod for all the useful improvements it makes, I still have to point out it has serious flaws which require some work with TES5Edit. This blog addresses the shortcomings of SEO in several articles. Most importantly, SEO weakens health potions so much that they are useless for all practical purposes. It also renders enchanter's potions nofunctional, which, strictly speaking, makes sense, but the lack of the slightest warning in the mod description caused me many hours of futile and frustrating error-search.
As to the money supply, this mod still leaves it painfully inadequate. Then again, I have come to think that maybe we don't need to be able to sell everything we loot. There isn't much to use all that money on.
Verdict
Generally makes things a lot better, but also does significant harm. Above all, you might want to alter health potion strengths with TES5Edit. Which, by the way, is a perfect opportunity to make yourself familiar with that most useful tool.
Khajiit Merchants Buy Stolen Items
Why?
As I've written in a separate article, vanilla Skyrim's rules make it impossible to sell stolen goods until you are so rich and powerful that you no longer need to steal anything.
Apart from that, Khajiit caravans not bying stolen goods simply doesn't make sense.
My experience
This mod makes Khajiit caravans buy stolen items, regardless of your perks and Thieves' Guild membership.
Verdict
I recommend this mod to correct a game flaw which is bordering on a bug.
Coin Replacer Redux
Why?
It is mind-blowing how the developers of Skyrim are too stupid to know the difference between the concepts of gold, money and coin. The NPCs routinely use the words "gold" and "coin" in the meaning of "money" and even prices are quoted as so-and-so-many "gold", even though the unit of money in Skyrim is the septim.
My experience
This mod alleviates the problem somewhat.
It also adds a little touch of realism by adding two kinds of coins which you will find in ruins. They are listed as ingots in your inventory and can be exchanged for septims in shops. So you will no longer find Empire's money in Dwemer ruins and such.
Verdict
Lacking a proper Skyrim money overhaul, this mod is better than nothing.
Skyrim Community Uncapper
Why?
In vanilla game, none of your skills can rise above 100, which is very disappointing.
This mod removes that limit, allowing your skills and your overall level to increase almost infinitely.
My experience
There is no sensible reason why one should be stuck with Smithing or Alchemy at 100 with other skills slowly catching up. This mod made my game so much more realistic and rewarding.
Verdict
An absolute must. A bugfix, really.
Smart Training
Why?
With each level you gain in the vanilla game, you get 7 training slots. Due to the game developers' incredible meanness or stupidity, upon gaining two levels at a time, you still get only 7 training slots rather than 14. This means that whenever you notice you are eligible to gaining a level, you will have to find a trainer very quickly – because if you'll gather enough experience for yet another level, you'll lose 7 training slots. That is a major inconvenience.
This mod allows the training slots to be carried over to the next level.
My experience
Works flawlessly.
Important to keep in mind
After finishing this game, I noticed people writing that this mod is obsolete and a better one is available that does the same thing. You might want to do a search or something.
Verdict
This (or another analogous) mod is one you just have to have. It's essentially a bugfix.
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CATEGORY: SKILLS
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Make Haste
Why?
The running speed in Skyrim is fine in the early stage of a game, but the more one's skills improve, the more annoying it becomes to remain unable to run any faster, ever.
My experience
This mod increases your movement speed by 1% per level. It is a very slight increase, but it's better than nothing. With my level in the 50s, I already began to notice a significant improvement, and at level 100 I was quite satisfied with my running speed.
Important to keep in mind
The use of this mod causes a very weird effect which, I'm sure, is the fault of Skyrim and not of this mod.
In vanilla game, you might have noticed that when you want to run downhill, you find yourself jumping and taking health damage. I think the reason is that three-dimensional movement is programmed incorrectly in Skyrim – when the path descends a slope, you don't actually run slightly downwards as we do in the real world. You move horizontally forward in the air and then fall down. Remember all those cartoon characters running over the edge of a cliff, moving horizontally in the air, then looking down, realizing that they are over the edge, and then falling down? That's essentially how running downhill works in Skyrim.
Now, when we descend indoor staircases, there is usually a rectangular opening in the floor. You tread into the opening and end up on the highest step of the staircase. Then you take the next step and end up on a lower step of the staircase, and so on until you have reached the lower floor. After installing Make Haste and gaining a number of levels, you will suddenly notice that you can't step on a downward staircase anymore. You simply run over the opening as if it was solid floor. The only reason I can think of is the same weird way of movement programming in Skyrim that makes you fall down instead of walking down perfectly walkable slopes. You see, when you step on a staircase, you don't just move forward and downwards. You move horizontally forward and then fall through the floor opening onto the staircase. With Make Haste increasing your movement speed, you move forward faster, so that you end up floating across the opening before you have the chance to fall down onto the staircase.
It took me some time to find out how to descend indoor staircases at all with this mod activated. This is what you need to do. When in front of a downward staircase, press W for just an instant and release it. This causes you to move slightly forward and, with any luck, fall down onto the staircase. Again, press W for an instant, and hopefully you will descend a little more. And so on. (Or, I suppose, you could press CapsLock to walk instead of running. But I got the hang of this bit-by-bit running quickly enough.)
The other weird thing I noticed that wasn't happening without Make Haste activated, was running up that outdoor staircase-street in Dånstar. There are, I think, two spots where I press W and just can't step onto the next step. That problem can, of course, be solved by jumping. Without jumping, the staircase is simply unascendable.
Those two inconveniences seem to be the inevitable consequence of using Make Haste. However, the greater running speed when moving from town to town more than compensates for it.
Verdict
This mod is recommended if you wish your running speed would increase along with your other skills.
No Health Regen
Why?
In vanilla game, your health is automatically restored. Meaning, unless severely wounded, you don't need healing potions or spells at all. It may be convenient, but it's horrendously unrealistic.
This mod eliminates automatic health regeneration altogether.
My experience
I was very skeptical about having to equip and use the Healing spell after each and every minor skirmish, but I tried it and found it not too inconvenient. Besides, it's a really great way of increasing your Restoration skill.
Important to keep in mind
Unsurprisingly, all potions and effects that increase health regeneration speed become meaningless with this mod activated. They still cost money, though.
Added later: It's possible that when you set your health regeneration rate to 0 with the console, it is saved in your savegame and thus you won't need this mod at all. I have to test it.
Verdict
I like this mod. Check it out.
Animated Shout Farting
Why?
The Skyrim game features a ludicrous concept called "dragon shouts" – powers you can equip that enable you to do things to enemies, or, say, run extremely fast for a brief period of time.
This mod makes dragon shouts sound like farts. Their effects are not altered.
My experience
I found it very funny and decided to keep it in spite of its obvious unrealism.
Undeniably, the mod is a boyish joke. But then again the whole concept of dragon shouts is a bad joke to start with.
Verdict
For amusement only. Doesn't change anything meaningful.
Ish's Souls to Perks
Why?
The only thing dragonsouls can be used for is reloading dragon shouts, and situations where it makes sense to use dragon shouts are very rare. This means that in vanilla game, one is likely to end up with dozens of dragonsouls one has simply no use for.
This mod allows you to exchange 10 dragonsouls for 1 perk point.
My experience
The mod doesn't make all that much difference in your game, as the dragonsouls can be exchanged only in one location in the world, and most Skyrim perks are as good as useless anyway. However, if you use a perk overhaul mod, you might find those extra perks really valuable.
Important to keep in mind
Make sure you don't leave yourself with zero dragonsouls, especially before traveling to Solstheim. You will need a dragonsoul there quite soon, and I would feel very silly having to return to Skyrim looking for a dragon to slay – or wait for one to turn up in Solstheim.
Verdict
Not a necessity, of course, but it won't do any harm to have the option of exchanging your excess dragonsouls for something at least slightly useful.
