Skyrim has a massive collection of mods available and often a mod list will contain hundreds if not thousands of different mods which can be a bit daunting especially for beginners. So as a way to provide a solid foundation to build from, as well as to challenge myself, I stripped back my own mod list and selected just 10 mods that will visually transform Skyrim and create a simple yet beautiful world to explore. I also mean Just 10 mods, there won't be any hidden requirements or long list of patches required.
So let's jump right in starting with a mod that probably features in almost everyone's mod list called Static Mesh Improvement Mod or SMIM for short. This mod will improve the mesh of countless items and objects found throughout Skyrim, making them appear more realistic and 3D. Now this mod is so popular and commonplace.
that a lot of people have probably forgotten what vanilla Skyrim really looked like. This is most notable on Ropes or Chains where this mod makes a massive improvement and is the reason why this mod has become such a staple in every Skyrim mod list. Up next is the grass mod called Skoglendi.
This mod will completely overhaul all the grass found throughout Skyrim and there are a few reasons why I've picked this one. First it's a complete package. A lot of other popular grass mods require 3 or 4 different mods patched together whereas Skoglendi is just an all in one installation by itself, making it a lot simpler especially for beginners.
It's also performance friendly and most importantly looks great across all landscapes. There are also two options for the white front tundra where you can choose between green or brown grass depending on your preference. On top of all that it comes with a fantastic installation foam mod with different density options, a pre-made INI file and several other settings making it a complete package when it comes to grass mods. In a similar vein is the tree mod called Traverse the Olven Wild. Now I've made it no secret that this is my favourite tree mod for Skyrim and it recently got updated so it no longer has any requirements, making it super user friendly.
It of course also looks fantastic, making each Skyrim forest feel dense as well as unique with a huge variety of trees. I also think it doesn't veer too much away from the vanilla feel of Skyrim. still maintaining that classic atmosphere.
For people worried about performance, there is an option to only install a vanilla tree replacer, meaning it won't look as dense but should provide some extra FPS. Ultimately, alongside Skoglendi, these two mods alone will completely transform the flora of Skyrim into the modern era. Then we have the texture overhaul known as Skyland All-In-One. This mod essentially retextures all of Skyrim including the landscape, architecture such as cities and towns as well as dungeons like Imperial Forts and Nordic Ruins. There are a few big retexture mods out there but in my opinion this one is the best and serves as a great base coat for your game that you can easily build from even though the textures from this mod already look great.
It also comes with a substantial installation foam mod where you can pick and choose exactly what textures you want and don't want. The list is very long so I won't go through it here but if you find a texture you don't like you can simply disable it in the foam mod. Overall this is a fantastic texture overhaul that I have been using for a long time now and will serve as a great foundation for your game. Up next is another mod by the same author called Skyland Bits and Bobs, A Clutter Overhaul. Similar to Skyland All in One, this mod covers a huge amount of small items such as dining plates, spell tomes, furniture, crates, the grinding wheel, tanning rack, the list goes on and on.
Often there will be a mod that replaces a single item, whereas this one does it all together making it a nice all in one installation. instead of having to install hundreds of single mods. Meaning it not only looks fantastic and enhances the visual quality of your game, but also saves you a ton of time picking and choosing certain mods. Following on from that, we have the landscape mod called Fantasia Landscapes, which will overhaul and enhance all the landscape textures found across Skyrim, ranging from the rocky shores to the snowy peaks, and complements the landscape very well. Now you may notice Skyland All-In-One also contains landscape textures and you are free to use them if you want.
But in my opinion Fantasia just looks better and I highly recommend picking it up. They are also made by the same author so you can use them for your own projects. You shouldn't notice any dip in quality, in fact this mod is so good I sometimes find myself just admiring the dirt.
Fantasia also comes with a parallax option to gain that nice 3D effect when used alongside an EMB or community shaders. Overall it's my personal favourite landscape overhaul and one that will serve you well. Up next we have the mod called Northern Farmhouses that will transform the farmhouse style architecture found all across Skyrim into a more Nordic style. The number of farmhouses seen in Skyrim is actually quite high, covering small towns and cities such as Riverwood and Falkreath so while it may seem like just a small change, this mod will significantly change the look of your game. The new art style also suits Skyrim very well.
and makes the architecture more aesthetically pleasing. All in all, this one mod will make a great addition to your Skyrim mod list. Up next we have the fairly new lighting mod called Skyrim is Luminous. This mod builds upon the vanilla interior lighting allowing extra sources to actually emit light while preserving what was already there.
Now there are a few popular lighting mods that require a lot of patching and can be a pain to get correct. This is where Skyrim is Luminous is more advantageous as it's inherently more compatible. It also comes with multiple lighting options, Allowing you to choose between bright, dark or even darker interiors.
For reference I am using the sombre option in this video. It's also a big improvement over vanilla lighting, adding much more atmosphere and ambience to your game. Then we move onto water and in a similar fashion we will be using the mod called Simplicity of Sea. This mod offers both great visuals with crystal clear water and is extremely lightweight and compatible making zero world space edits, meaning you shouldn't require any patches and is a great option for both beginners and experienced modders alike. It also provides improved shoreline blending and overall is a fantastic and easy to install mod to enhance the lakes and rivers found throughout Skyrim.
And then lastly is the optional weather and EMB combination. And for this we will be using the natural and atmospheric Tamriel or Nat 3 weather plugin and EMB. These two mods will overhaul the weather in all locations and provide atmospheric natural lighting and a perfect balance between realism and fantasy.
Now I've left this one last because it is optional and does have some soft requirements to install. for the EMB to work as intended. But if you want to use an EMB then I highly recommend checking out Nat 3 as it is my favourite and the one I have been using for a long time.
I find it complements Skyrim perfectly, adding greatly to the visual quality of your game. For beginners, an EMB can be tricky to install so I recommend watching an installation guide to make it a lot easier. It will also affect your game performance depending on your hardware but is well worth it in my opinion.
And that's all for my simple and stunning visual overhaul of Skyrim. Again, the aim of this video was to showcase how easy it can be to improve the graphics of your game and provide a solid foundation for people to begin building their own mod list. I will also say that the majority of these 10 mods make up the base of my own personal mod list, so it's great for both beginners and experienced modders alike.
But otherwise, I hope you enjoyed the video and thank you for watching. Happy modding everyone!