Highlights

  • Mods are essential to the longevity of Bethesda games like Skyrim, with a passionate modding community continuously fixing issues and adding new content.
  • Quality-of-life mods are often overlooked but greatly enhance the Skyrim experience by making gameplay more intuitive and seamless.
  • Popular Skyrim mods include updated maps, gamepad support, script engine improvements, UI enhancements, and improvements to lockpicking and follower behavior.

Mods are a core part of what makes Bethesda games have such a long lifespan. Skyrim is a great example of this. The game has been out for nearly a decade, yet it lives on thanks to the passionate modding community. Hundreds of mods are uploaded every day that fix issues with the game or add new content. It's truly impressive to see just how active the modding community for this game is to this day, and fans can't wait to see how Starfield is augmented with a fair share of fan-made mods when this game finally hits store shelves.

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One category of mods that many often overlook is quality-of-life mods, additions that focus on making a certain aspect of the game more intuitive. These can range from small bug fixes to new mechanics that offer solid alternatives to mundane tasks. Most people argue that there are some objectively great Skyrim quality-of-life mods players should be using. Keep in mind that most mods work on the PC version of Skyrim Special Edition, although they have alternatives or ports for consoles.

Updated February 3, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: Skyrim is one of the greatest video games ever made, with its popularity enduring to this day courtesy of the many mods that elevate the experience of playing this masterpiece. Players who think that getting into this game right now will be challenging have no idea how much of an impact mods have.

If the vanilla experience is something that players hold near and dear to their hearts, then there are mods that provide amazing QoL changes, improving one's experience with the game without changing anything too major. It's the perfect middle ground for players who want to enjoy a fantastic experience with the title without getting distracted by how dated some of its mechanics are.

1 A Clear Map Of Skyrim And Other Worlds

Downloads: 590,256

A Clear Map of Skyrim and Other Worlds mod for The Elder Scrolls 5 Skyrim
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

The world map that players see when they open the screen is pretty iconic in its own right, but some fans wouldn't mind an updated version that looks better and more practical to boot. Such is the case with this mod, which does precisely what is stated and adds a high-quality map to the world of Skyrim.

There are many worlds, both official and custom-made, that this mod supports. This helps the various mods of Skyrim feel more natural, which goes a huge way in helping players become more immersed in this wonderful game.

2 Gamepad Plus Plus

Downloads: 145,873

Gamepad Plus Plus mod for The Elder Scrolls 5 Skyrim
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

Most people prefer playing Skyrim on PC, with keyboard shortcuts and mouse control making the bulk of actions in this game easier to carry out. So, the idea of using a gamepad for this title sounds alien to some people, but this doesn't need to be the case.

After all, a gamepad that is configured properly to access most of Skyrim's systems more easily and can be configured according to what the user prefers would be highly recommended too. Gamepad Plus Plus accomplishes the same, making a gamepad a great device to use if players want to explore Skyrim with the controller of their choice.

3 Papyrus Tweaks

Downloads: 1,678,062

skyrim dragonborn walking through riverwood
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

Quality-of-life mods for Skyrim can take various shapes and forms, with the simplest ones optimizing the game and how it runs to minimize crashes, fix annoying bugs, and make the experience of playing this game pretty seamless. Such is the case with the Papyrus Tweaks mod, which does a great job of improving Skyrim's script engine and making it less buggy.

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It may seem like a minor mod, but any tweak that makes Skyrim more stable is one worth taking. The fact that this is one of the most popular recent mods for the game speaks volumes when it comes to how useful it is, making it a must-have for anyone playing Skyrim right now.

4 Compass Navigation Overhaul

Downloads: 513,466

Compass Navigation Overhaul mod for Skyrim
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

The compass in Skyrim gets the job done and encourages exploration, but players can't deny that this element of the UI has become quite dated in the years that have followed this game's release. Gaming UI is an ever-changing element that is constantly being improved with research and experimentation, and players would ideally want Skyrim to feel as modern as possible if they want to play through the game once again.

This is where the Compass Navigation Overhaul mod comes into play, allowing players to tweak this element of the UI in whatever way they see fit. There are many ways this compass is improved in the game, giving players useful information, indicating the height of the objective, and even giving a rundown of the quest and its summary if players wish!

5 Detection Meter

Downloads: 634,219

Player stealthily walks behild enemy
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

Sneaking around is a huge part of the gameplay in Skyrim, and there's a reason why the joke about players reverting to a stealth archer build in every playthrough is so prevalent. Stealth is a great way to take out enemies from a distance, feeling pretty satisfying whenever players drop enemies with a single well-placed arrow time and time again.

With this mod, players can add a modern detection meter on top of enemies whenever the player steers too close to them in stealth. It's a great way to make the simplistic stealth mechanics feel pretty modern, adding a palpable sense of tension as the Dragonborn sneaks around a hostile area while trying to avoid detection as much as possible.

6 Quests Award Perk Points

Downloads: 206,054

Astrid standing against a wall in the Falkreath Sanctuary
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

For the most part, perk points are only awarded in Skyrim when players level up their skills. This is a simple way to make players work towards improving their character, but this does add loopholes into the game where players are forced into leveling up useless skills in the most banal fashion imaginable to quickly level up.

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This is fixed with a mod that gives players perk points after finishing quests. It's a simple yet great way to reward players for exploring the world and completing the wealth of quests that lie within.

7 Blacksmiths Have Metals

Downloads: 24,177

Skyrim Blacksmith
  • Mod listed for Skyrim

It's rather odd that the blacksmiths all over Skyrim don't have enough materials for players to access and make weapons of their own. Thankfully, this issue is fixed with a simple mod.

Now, all blacksmiths in Skyrim will have a set number of metals of each type in the game. It's a great way to let players make high-level equipment early on while also adding to the overall immersion of the game.

8 Remember Lockpick Angle

Downloads: 819,961

lockpicking in Skyrim
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

Lockpicking is a simple minigame in Skyrim that players will interact with over and over again. As a result, small annoyances will be noticed more and more by the player over time, including the fact that the lockpick centers itself if it breaks during an unlocking attempt.

The Remember Lockpick Angle mod adds a simple yet much-needed fix in this regard. It ensures that the new lockpick is held at the angle as the previous one before it broke off, which is a logical change that many fans will grow to appreciate over time.

9 Follower Trap Safety

Downloads: 772,239

skyrim lydia companion closeup
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

There are various traps scattered across the many dungeons in Skyrim. The player will have the presence of mind to avoid any damage from these obstacles, but the same can't be said for their companions.

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To prevent these followers from looking dumb as bricks, the Follower Trap Safety mod is a must-have. True to its name, it prevents a player's companions and summoned creatures from triggering all the traps in a dungeon and endangering their lives for no reason. Immersion in the game is heightened significantly when the companions in the game don't seem braindead.

10 Heimskr Only Preaches On Weekends

Downloads: 162,771

10 Unpopular Reddit Opinions About Skyrim Heimskr not annoying
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

Whiterun is one of the biggest cities in Skyrim that players will frequent time and time again. So, the idea of hearing a character preaching his sermons at all times in the city might get slightly tiring after a point.

This mod adds a simple immersive fix to change that, compelling Heimskr to only preach on Loredas and Sundas. It's a simple yet welcome fix that many players will appreciate over time, especially if they're visiting Whiterun for the umpteenth time.

11 Bug Fix Mods

Downloads: 16,908,808 (for USSEP)

Skyrim Mammoth Flying Bug
  • Mods listed for Skyrim Special Edition

Bethesda and bugs are practically synonymous with each other. Games such as Skyrim are prone to thousands of unique bugs that can be as harmless as flying mammoths or a game-breaking issue that bricks a save file. Fortunately, there are plenty of mods that fix this.

There are too many amazing bug-fix mods to simply list one. The most well-known bug fix mod is the Unofficial Skyrim Patch by the Unofficial Patch Project Team, which fixes thousands of bugs and exploits. Other notable mods are Bug Fixes, Actor Limit Fix, and SSE Fixes, all by meh321. Havok Fix by rezy also deserves mention. When all of these mods are used together, expect a much more stable framerate, significantly fewer bugs, and the ability to play Skyrim above 60FPS without the physics engine going haywire.

12 The Choice Is Yours

Downloads: 1,676,458

Skyrim The Choice is Yours mod
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

Skyrim has hundreds of quests for players to experience, most of which contain multiple steps that can quickly flood a player's journal. It'd be much easier to control this if players could deny quests, yet the game doesn't allow players to deny a quest from an NPC.

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Thankfully, mod author kryptopyr has created a simple solution to this problem. The Choice is Yours allows players to deny a quest from an NPC during dialogue. It's a small addition, yet its impact on reducing journal bloat is hard to overstate. This mod is also useful for players who want to wait until they reach a certain level before starting a quest, as some of Skyrim's quests have rewards that scale based on the player's current level.

13 Stay At The System Page

Downloads: 1,424,214

Skyrim Stay At The System Page mod
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

The release version of Skyrim back in 2011 would bring players to the system tab whenever they'd press escape or start. For whatever reason, Bethesda changed this in the Special Edition to direct players to their journals instead.

Stay at the System Page does exactly what the name implies. Whenever a player presses escape or start, they'll be brought to the system tab instead of the journal tab, making it slightly faster to load a save or quit the game.

14 SkyUI

Downloads: 15,227,137

Skyrim SkyUI Cropped
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

Most menus in Skyrim were designed around controllers and a strange tab system that never provides enough information. If players are modding on the PC version, they are in luck. SkyUI is a great mod that updates Skyrim's UI to provide much more information without becoming obtrusive. Features include unique icons for item types and a search bar all while increasing the number of items a player can see at once. It also comes with the Mod Configuration Menu (or MCM for short), a must for PC modders.

15 MoreHUD

Downloads: 950,402

Skyrim MoreHUD
  • Mod listed for Skyrim

MoreHUD is yet another UI mod that attempts to provide more information to the player without overloading them with useless images.

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MoreHUD has plenty of quality-of-life features, such as showing magical properties on ingredients and enchanted gear while it is out of a player's inventory, marking which enchantments have been discovered, and displaying enemy Magicka and Stamina values in real-time with numerical values. The mod is fully customizable with an MCM menu for players who only want certain features enabled.

16 Acquisitive Soul Gems Multithreaded

Downloads: 1,333,723

Skyrim Soul Gems
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

Enchanters and most mages know the pain of having their grand soul gems get filled by petty souls on accident. It's a major inconvenience that actively discourages players from carrying only high-valued soul gems on their journey.

That is thankfully fixed with Acquisitive Soul Gems Multithreaded. This mod does two things: it prevents lesser souls from infusing into larger-sized soul gems and allows the player to fill multiple soul gems at once. Killing multiple enemies at once that are soul-trapped will now fill the respective amount of soul gems instead of just one. This is a must for any magic-focused character.

17 Better Dialogue Controls

Downloads: 3,216,494

Skyrim Better Dialogue Controls Mod
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

Dialogue in Skyrim behaves poorly when the player uses a mouse to select options. It will try to select the center option instead of where the mouse is pointing at. Better Dialogue Controls fixes this completely, allowing players to select non-highlighted options with their mouse with little issue. As minor as this fix sounds, it is a massive quality-of-life mod for Skyrim that serves as a huge improvement for mouse and keyboard users.

18 Honed Metal

Downloads: 784,890

Picture of Honed Metal Mod For Skyrim. Mod Created By skyliner390 (Nexus Mods)
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

Isn't it strange that players can never ask blacksmiths and enchanters to make gear for them? That is what Honed Edge tries to fix. Blacksmiths and enchanters can create, upgrade, and enchant gear for the player for a small fee.

Players will still need to obtain the materials for the item in question, making this more of an alternative to leveling Smithing and Enchanting than anything else. For those who are tired of crafting Dwarven Bows and Iron Daggers to max Smithing, give Honed Edge a look.

19 Better Jumping

Downloads: 3,719,056

A character jumping in Skyrim
  • Mod listed for Skyrim Special Edition

Better Jumping is one of the simplest yet most noticeable quality-of-life mods a player can install. In essence, this mod allows players to jump while sprinting while keeping the momentum from sprinting.

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A configuration menu also allows players to enable multiple jumps in the air and modify jump height if they so desire. Being able to jump while sprinting is a game-changer for traversal and combat.

20 Spell And Shout Organizer

Downloads: 39,413 (for the Spell Organizer)

Skyrim Spell Organizer
  • Mods listed for Skyrim Special Edition

Arguably the most underrated set of mods on this list is the Spell Organizer and Shout Organizer mods by MaskedRPGFan. These mods allow players to hide or delete unwanted spells and Shouts through a flexible Mod Configuration Menu. Anyone who plays with spell packs or Shout mods should give both mods a look.