When it comes to new location mods for the ultra-popular Skyrim, all eyes are fixated on the upcoming Skywind and Skyblivion mods which seek to painstakingly recreate The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind and The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion within the Skyrim engine. Both ports are incredibly ambitious and have been in development for years at this point. Meanwhile, Skyrim players can sate their desire for expanded content by diving into the current crop of mods that add new locations to explore, and that goes far beyond just simple player home mods.

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Not all of these mods are necessarily lore-friendly, but veterans of Skyrim won't mind. After all, these titles do a great job of justifying their existence as either standalone experiences or extensions to the world of Skyrim, both of which are appealing in their own way. Regardless of whether players are okay with ambitious mods that aren't vanilla-friendly, there's no denying that the sheer amount of love and effort put into these mods is something truly remarkable.

Unless specified otherwise, all mods support The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Special Edition.

Updated on December 22, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Skyrim is a game known for its litany of amazing mods, with these fan-made patches, content additions, tweaks, and everything else along the lines doing a great job of modernizing a game that is certainly quite dated. The disappointing launch of Starfield has just gone on to prove what a landmark achievement Skyrim is, with the game continuing to be played quite a bit to this day. Some mods are so ambitious that they add whole new lands for players to explore in the game, with the content in these areas keeping players occupied for many hours on end.

18 Wyrmstooth

Downloads: 1,941,789

five year update february 2021

When people talk about ambitious mods for Skyrim, it's only a matter of time before Wyrmstooth is mentioned. This popular mod adheres to the lore of the Elder Scrolls and lets players enjoy a wondrous world that is packed to the brim with content.

There are a lot of tasks players can accomplish in Wyrmstooth, with the island featuring a castle players can buy and a new shout to discover as well. The effort put into Wyrmstooth is admirable and makes it worth checking out for any fan of good-quality Skyrim mods.

17 The Republic Of Maslea

Downloads: 58,709

The Republic Of Maslea mod for Skyrim

Players who want to explore a tropical area in Skyrim's engine will be well-serviced by The Republic of Maslea. This ambitious mod lets players explore the eponymous location that is roughly the size of the Dragonborn DLC, making it a pretty impressive feat.

With a compelling main quest, numerous side quests, and a wealth of new content to explore in this vast world, it's easy to see why fans who download The Republic of Maslea will find themselves hopelessly enamored by its content. With the success of this mod, Episode 2 is going to be a reality sooner rather than later.

16 Shumer And The Fall Of Allagard

Downloads: 32,612

Shumer And The Fall Of Allagard mod for Skyrim

A massive and detailed area with two additional islands to check out, Shumer is a great place for the Dragonborn to get lost in. Many people find it hard to believe that this lore-friendly area was actually made by a passionate fan.

Players can easily spend around 30 hours in this area, which is around the same length as an entire game. It's easy to see why so many people find this mod to be impressive and a worthy addition for players to check out if they've memorized the map of the base game and its official DLCs.

15 Unmarked Locations Pack

Downloads: 263,299

Unmarked Locations Pack for Skyrim

There's no denying that Skyrim is jam-packed with a wealth of locations to explore, but there are times when the copy-paste nature of these areas becomes a bit too overbearing at times. Players have been spoiled by the many innovations that have taken place in the open-world landscape following the release of Skyrim, and a bit of innovation would most definitely be welcome.

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This is where the Unmarked Locations Pack comes into the picture, adding fifty unique areas all around the world for players to explore. Players who have a great time with this mod can download the Sovngarde edition of this mod, which gives players a lot of things to do in the Nordic afterlife and fleshes out an area of the game that most people find to be a bit too brief for their liking.

14 Warden Of The Coast

Downloads: 132,512

Image from a Skyrim mod showing an Oblivion gate as seen in The Elder Scrolls 4.

Players who found the storytelling and companion mechanics of Skyrim to be a bit too lacking will love what Wardens of the Coast brings to the table. The mod is inspired by BioWare's RPG systems and has a ton of effort put into it, featuring an enthralling main quest and many lines of voiced dialogue that bring this adventure to life in the best way possible.

The story has different endings and lasts for around 15 hours, which is a testament to how incredible this mod is. Fans looking for a mod that lets them explore a brand new world with unique companions and a lot of heart will love what Wardens of the Coast brings to the table, making it one of the best new mods (relatively speaking) for this game.

13 Elden Root - A Tale Of Valenwood

Downloads: 10,604

Elden Root mod for Skyrim

Players who love The Elder Scrolls and want to explore numerous locales set in this world will have a great time in Elden Root. The location added by this mod is truly beautiful and does great justice to the established lore of the franchise.

However, as impressive as Elden Root may be, fans should be aware of the fact that this mod is solely meant for exploration purposes. There aren't any quests to speak of, which can be rather disappointing, but the effort put into making such a well-realized world should be lauded regardless.

12 Darkend

Downloads: 1,554,935

Skyrim Darkend Modded World

Players who always dreamed of mixing the Dark Souls atmosphere into Skyrim should definitely give the Darkend mod a chance. The mod adds a brand-new area called the island of Phalos, which draws a lot of inspiration from the Souls games and universe. Unlike most other new locational mods, Darkend doesn't actually have any active quests and focuses more on open-ended exploration.

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New features include a brand-new location, filled with new enemies and challenges, as well as dungeons. With new monsters to fight also come new, powerful, and unique weapons players can discover during their adventures. Due to how tough the mod can be, the creator of the mod has mentioned that players should level up to level 15 before attempting to enter Darkend.

11 Beyond Reach

Downloads: 831,641

Skyrim Beyond Reach Mod

Another cool location Elder Scrolls fans have been hoping to explore is High Rock. It was one of the locations theorized to be the subject of The Elder Scrolls 6, which is why it's no wonder modders decided to turn it into a full-blown fan-made DLC called Beyond Reach. With its unique quests and story, it expands the story of Bretons and the history of The Reach.

There are brand-new locations to explore, which according to the creator of the mod, total the size of three Skyrim holds. There are new characters and factions, which are still in the process of being fully voiced. And finally, players can expect to find new gear, including unique weapons and armor, and even brand-new spells for dedicated mages.

10 Summerset Isle

Downloads: 125,817

Skyrim Summerset Isle Mod

The Summerset Isle has been mentioned in Elder Scrolls lore before as the home of High Elves or Altmer, making it a perfectly plausible location for a DLC. The Summerset Isle mod itself is massive in scope, promising huge amounts of content that could rival the Dragonborn DLC. There are new quests, locations, NPCs, merchants, and a whopping seven new homes the Dragonborn can live in.

Not only is the content and its quality staggeringly good, but it also has dedicated voice actors. Moreover, the mod adds a bit of challenge with players forced to explore rather than following after their quest markers religiously. Storywise, it expands on the lackluster College of Winterhold quest line, with the new Arch-Mage invited to the isle.

9 Midwood Isle

Downloads: 428,372

Skyrim Midwood Isle Mod

Midwood Isle is a smaller locational mod, but by no means poorly made. In fact, this new location is incredibly beautiful, featuring another island that's estimated to be the size of two Skyrim holds according to the mod's creator. Included is also an alternative spirit world that's roughly the same size.

What makes this mod so special is the attention to detail. There are dedicated voice actors for each new NPC and a bunch of new stories and quests that will unfold as soon as the Dragonborn arrives at Midwood Isle. And with adventure also comes loot, as players can expect new gear, weapons, and even two additional unique Dragon Shouts.

8 Land Of Vominheim

Downloads: 312,330

Skyrim - Land of Vominheim

This mod picked up some steam when it debuted in January 2020 to massive acclaim and a Hot Mods of 2020 nomination. Land of Vominheim is exactly that - a new area to explore that is almost the same as Solstheim. It comes complete with a backstory detailing each of the five islands that can be explored by the player.

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No questlines have been added to the mod (yet), but that's no reason to skip it. There are lots of new areas to explore, plus new loot, journals, and dungeons to sate curious adventurers. Where it goes from here is anyone's guess, but future updates could expand on the mod in a big way.

7 Moonpath To Elsweyr SSE

Downloads: 1,127,745

Skyrim - Moonpath to Elsweyr

The original version of this particular mod has a long and storied history. It was one of the first and most ambitious mods ever developed for Skyrim, predating the existence of developer Bethesda's Creation Kit platform. Throughout the years, it has become a must-have for modders looking to inject exciting new content into Skyrim.

This latest version of Moonpath to Elsweyr boasts the same cinematic and story-based experience featuring frightening new enemies strewn across a multitude of different environments, including jungles and desert locales. Beware of possible bugs due to how long in the tooth this mod is, however.

6 Pit Of 100 Battles

Downloads: 9,097

Skyrim - Pit Of 100 Battles

Skyrim brawlers will love what Pit of 100 Battles brings to their gaming experience, especially since exploration is also a major component of the mod. The premise is simple - the player is tasked with descending a full one hundred levels tied to various different architectural styles while tackling foes on each floor.

Further, every tenth floor is home to an extremely powerful boss character that will require cunning skill, and raw power to overcome. Those who enjoy bragging rights will love what this mod has to offer. Players can challenge themselves to see if they can make it through the entire hundred floors.

5 Skyrim Underground

Downloads: 911,308

Skyrim - Skyrim Underground

The advantage of crafting underground mods is that they don't require much in the way of scripted integration with Skyrim in the same way that an exterior location mod would. This allows modders to unleash their creative potential with mods like Skyrim Underground, which is far more ambitious than it first appears.

This mod creates an entire network of underground dungeons littered with new monsters to slay while gamers complete various quests with full voice-acted NPCs. It's a creepy and atmospheric mod that injects an incredible new area into Skyrim.

4 Hope's Abandon

Downloads: 20,141

Skyrim - Hope's Abandon

This mod introduces a brand-new dungeon to the west of Whiterun near Gjukar's Monument for players to explore, and was designed to test skills with a challenging play experience, and one very tough boss to top it all off.

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Hope's Abandon even includes an entirely new custom follower in case one needs a little backup. Traps, puzzles, and secret loot abound as the player inches ever closer to victory against a force trying to wipe out all of Skyrim's would-be heroes by luring them inside for the final kill.

3 Forgotten Dungeons

Downloads: 524,058

Skyrim - Forgotten Dungeons

If dungeon exploring is something players enjoy a lot, then there's always room to expand. Forgotten Dungeons adds 50 brand new dungeons peppered all across the country for players to find. Some of these dungeons are simple exploratory affairs, while others are radiant-quest enabled.

A healthy dose of creativity went into the creation of each dungeon, which means there's plenty of adventure to be had. This mod is sure to expand Skyrim's gameplay time by a significant margin, and when mixed with other expanded content mods, can keep the adventure going for years.

2 Falskaar

Downloads: 1,481,685

Skyrim - Falskaar

Few location mods are as large and bold in undertaking as Falskaar. This is a DLC-sized mod boasting over 20 hours worth of exploration, quests, and content. NPCs are fully voiced by a team of actors to help sell the immersion of the game.

Falskaar is essentially a new map to explore, and although it isn't quite as large as Skyrim, it's still going to take gamers into a lot of uncharted territories. The mod integrates well with the base game by providing a story-based transition to the new map. Gamers can take a boat between Falskaar and Skyrim any time they choose, as well.

1 Beyond Skyrim - Bruma

Downloads: 6,579,188

Skyrim - Beyond Skyrim: Bruma
  • Creator: The Beyond Skyrim - Cyrodiil Development Team
  • Download Link

Quite possibly the largest and most popular new location mod to date is Beyond Skyrim - Bruma. It offers a brand-new experience for Skyrim players used to sticking within the boundaries of the country by opening up its borders and allowing them to explore the Bruma territory.

The mod is designed to showcase a post-Oblivion Bruma while still offering the same feel. High-resolution textures, huge quests, new armor, and weapon sets, and a top-notch voice-acting cast are just some of the highlights of this mod.

elder scrolls 5 skyrim cover
Skyrim

Platform(s)
PC , PS3 , Xbox 360 , Xbox One , Xbox One X , Xbox Series S , PS4 , PS5 , Switch
Released
November 11, 2011
Developer(s)
Bethesda
Genre(s)
RPG , Action , Adventure