Skyrim is getting on in the years having recently celebrated its 10th birthday with the release of Skyrim Anniversary Edition. On release, the game redefined graphics and pushed the consoles of 2011 to their limits. In 2021, though, it's starting to show its age – particularly when it comes to the low-quality foliage, trees, and flora of the world.
Skyrim Flora Overhaul makes Skyrim's surroundings feel much more natural and much more filled in by replacing updating old tree models and adding new ones to fill in gaps throughout the world. It might seem like a simple mod, but even in its simplicity it radically changes the way the game looks and feels throughout the entire experience.
What Does The Flora Overhaul Change?
The Skyrim Flora Overhaul adds 18 new tree models, 16 of which replace existing tree models in the base Skyrim files. It also adds more than 60 new plants, grasses, and other small vegetation that give every outdoor surface a much more lush feel. It also adds new colors and details to forested areas throughout the province, giving them a more ancient vibe.
If that isn't enough, the mod also adds new details to snowy areas and particularly for snowy trees, some of which actually bend under the weight of their branches. It makes a ton of other small changes that turn Skyrim's normally empty plains and fields into landscapes full of vegetation and life, and the forests and other flora of the game see major improvements, too.
How To Install Skyrim Flora Overhaul
Skyrim Flora Overhaul is a third-party mod only available on PC. It can be installed either through a mod manager, like the Nexus Mod Manager, TESMM, or Wrye Bash, or manually. The Skyrim Flora Overhaul mod is not available on consoles as it can't be installed through Skyrim Special Edition's in-game modding platform.
- Nexus Mod Manager: Install the Nexus Mod Manager, then find your Skyrim installation listed in the launcher. Search for the "Ordinator" mod either in the launcher or on the Skyrim Nexus in your browser (which should bring you back to the launcher). Enable it before launching Skyrim through NMM.
- Other Mod Managers: Download the Skyrim Flora Overhaul files and locate the zip with your Mod Manager of choice. Install it into your Skyrim directory by following the included readme files included with the Mod Manager.
Generally speaking, NMM is more user-friendly than TESMM, which is more user-friendly than Wrye Bash. While mods can be installed directly into your Skyrim/Data folder, it's not a good idea unless you really know what you're doing because it can be nearly impossible to identify and uninstall files that aren't working – especially when using other mods too.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is available for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S