The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is all about player choice. One of the most important decisions fans must make at the beginning of the game is their race. Playing as an Orc, for example, offers plenty of interesting possibilities. As pure warriors, Orcs represent the ideal choice for dealing damage and absorbing all manner of blows.
What's more, the fun of playing as an Orc doesn't have to be limited by vanilla Skyrim's gameplay mechanics. A plethora of mods is available to download on Nexus, many of which are geared specifically toward making each race feel more unique, including the rough-and-ready inhabitants of Orisinium. Here are some of the best options for those who want to play an Orc Dragonborn.
8 Racial Body Morphs
Although the inhabitants of Tamriel are quite diverse, they can often look blandly similar from an aesthetic perspective. Mods that add a little more variety regarding how characters look, including Orcs, is a great place to start. Fortunately, Nexus possesses no shortage of mods in this department.
One of the best mods players can't go wrong with is Racial Body Morphs. It tweaks the physical characteristics of every race in the game so that they conform more closely to their appearances in the lore. As such, Orcs will appear bigger and more burly than the other races in this mod.
7 Orc Armor Visuals Improved
Now that the Orcs themselves look better, it's best to make sure their equipment appears just as great. Orc armor and weaponry in The Elder Scrolls lore is highly prized, so it's essential that Skyrim's Orcish equipment also receives an upgrade.
The Orc Armor Visuals Improved mod accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. It retextures the game's Orcish armor, giving it a truly HD makeover that really makes it pop. For Orcs who plan to deck themselves out in their race's signature armor, this mod is highly recommended.
6 CL's Weapon Replacers
Improving an Orc's armor is only the first step. Their vaunted weaponry also deserves some attention in terms of upgraded graphics. Since physical weapons will most likely be an Orc player's primary means of dispatching enemies, it's important to make sure they look the part is important.
CL's Weapon Replacers retextures a variety of weapons. Most importantly, the mod replaces the vanilla Orcish weapons with new models that make them stand out unmistakably on the battlefield. Even better, using these deadly implements feels just as good as they look.
5 Dominon's More Orcs
Skyrim belongs to the Nords, an ideal that the game's NPCs are all too willing to repeat. However, there are several communities of Orcs that inhabit the land. These far-flung settlements take the form of guarded strongholds, where non-Orcs aren't particularly welcome.
Nonetheless, throwing even more Orcs into the mix may be something players want to consider. Dominion's More Orcs mod adds 20 more NPCs to the game. These new Orc characters can be found in the strongholds, as well as occupying posts such as city guards, mercenaries, and even members of pre-existing guilds.
4 Become The Chief To Vosh Krazak
Speaking of strongholds, wouldn't it be nice if Skyrim allowed Orcish players to become the chieftain of their own community? It's an interesting concept, one that represents a missed opportunity on the part of the vanilla game. Luckily, a mod exists to rectify that shortcoming.
The Become a Chief to the Stronghold of Vosh Krazak mod introduces a new questline that allows players to become a chieftain of their own settlement, Vosh Krazak. The mod includes a fully functioning stronghold, complete with new NPCs/followers. Residents of other strongholds can even be invited to join Vosh Krazak, where the player can give them jobs to perform within their new home.
3 Tharash Dol – Orc Stronghold & Player Home
When playing as an Orc, one can never have too many strongholds. In a similar vein to the previous mod, Tharash Dol-Orc Stronghold & Player Home gives players access to a new settlement situated amidst the ruins of an Imperial fort.
Tharash Dol represents a truly grand abode for an Orc. Plenty of storage and trophy spaces are available to store everything players have collected. Crafting workshops, vendors, and much more are on offer at Tharash Dol, the quintessential player home for Orcs.
2 Imperious – Races Of Skyrim
Fans have a tremendous amount of options when it comes to overhauling Skyrim's gameplay. Mods that players definitely should consider are the ones that enrich the game's playable races. Having each race possess more unique attributes helps make the next playthrough seem less familiar.
Imperious - Races of Skyrim does an admirable job of achieving that goal. With this mod, each race is given 3 new passive abilities and 1 unlockable power. Orcs receive Bloodlust, Shockwave, and Strength of Steel, all of which greatly increase their offensive capabilities.
1 Wintersun – Faiths Of Skyrim
Every culture in The Elder Scrolls follows a set of religious beliefs. In Skyrim, one of the main controversies the player witnesses is an issue over religious worship. Unfortunately, the game doesn't offer much latitude to the player in terms of choosing a religion, outside of selecting temporary shrine blessings.
Wintersun - Faiths of Skyrim, developed by the same author of the previous mod, fixes that problem. Players can pledge their devotion to a variety of different deities in return for varying bonuses. Orcs, for example, may choose to worship Trinimac or Malacath, beings that play a central role in the Orcish pantheon.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim released in 2011 and is currently available on PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. As of November 2021, it will be available for Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.