It's been around for the best part of a decade, so to inject some life into Bethesda's fantasy epic, you need to download some of the best Skyrim mods. The Elder Scrolls Skyrim hasn't aged particularly well, but you can transform it into a stellar RPG with these best Skyrim mods, from graphic enhancements and quality of life improvements to huge new quest lines and even brand new companions. In our list of the best Skyrim mods below, we've listed what platform each mod is available on, along with a respective link to either the NexusMods page for PC or the Bethesda mod site for console.
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Falskaar
Available on: Xbox One, PC
Those of you who have finished Skyrim should head immediately to Falskaar. Considering it's the size of a DLC and that it landed its creator a job at Bungie, the fact that it's on this list shouldn't be that surprising. As the harbinger of an ancient prophecy (minus any special powers), you have to bring peace back to Falskaar - but nothing is ever as simple as it seems..
Forgotten City
Available on: Xbox One, PC
This is the best story mod out there, in my honest opinion. Stuck in an underground town overseen by old automated Dwemer moral police system, you just have to find a way out. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Oh, just you wait..
Clockwork
Available on: Xbox One, PC
The Dwemer don't really get enough time dedicated to them in Skyrim, despite being the most enigmatic race to ever grace Nirn. Yet this strange mansion you stumble upon is run by two of their contraptions..and their master is missing. Guess you'd better find out what's gone on!
Moonpath to Elsweyr
Available on:Xbox One,PC
Moonpath to Elsweyr connects Skyrim to the vast deserts of the feline Khajiit. Here, you can bask under azure skies and hunt ferocious raptors in wild tangles of bush and jungle. This was actually one of the first quest mods ever made for Skyrim, but has recently started receiving regular updates again, making it one of the best mods around at the moment.
Beyond Bruma
Available on: Xbox One, PC
Do you remember the days you spent wandering around Bruma back when Mehrunes Dagon threatened to destroy Tamriel in Oblivion? Well, now you can go back to Bruma from Skyrim. With over 70 residents, Bruma looks better and feels more alive than ever before.
Markers: No more wandering aimlessly
Stones of Barenziah markers
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
The bloody Stones of Barenziah. This quest sat in my tray for the time it took me to complete all the major quests and a chunk of the sidequests, and I had only found about six. This mod is essential if you want to get all of the stones and find out what mysterious item they make in the end.
Impatience of a Saint markers
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC (not on Nexus, so it's on Bethesda's mod website) ![]()
I was running around the hellish Soul Cairn in circles for a good hour trying to find all of the pages to Jiub’s opus, and this mod cut that time down to about ten minutes. Completely worth it.
Travelling around Skyrim
A Quality world map and Solstheim map
Available on: Xbox One, PC
My god, I cannot emphasise enough how much better this mod made Skyrim. If you’re like me and you don’t like to fast-travel the vanilla map, whilst pretty, is almost useless when you’re trying to find a road which will take you from Riften to Solitude. This mod overhauls the map so it’s easy to find routes between cities and picks out most of the paths you could easily miss otherwise.
Diverse dragons collection
Available on: Xbox One, PC, and try Splendor: Dragon Variants on PS4
As soon as you unlock your dragonborn blood, appearances of these winged reptiles will start becoming as regular as rain. So why not spice up the sight of them appearing on the horizon with this mod, which introduces 28 news dragons, each with a different model and texture. As well as the typical frost and fire breath, some even have a drain vitality attack, and thanks to their unmistakable appearances you'll be able to tell which one is swooping towards you on the horizon. Gnarly.
Rain and Snow FX
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
A small addition but one that makes a bucketload of difference: makes you look wet in rain, and frost tints you body when you’re walking through a blizzard.
Note: The PC link leads to the 'Wet and Cold' mod, which has a very similar effect.
Better horses
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Among other things, this equine mod has a new horse AI so your mount will flee combat, more stamina (so more galloping), invulnerability (especially useful for me as I tend to Leeroy Jenkins in every fight), plus they’re faster.
Note: The PC link leads to the Bethesda.net website, as the NexusMods file is no longer supported.
Open Cities Skyrim
Available on: Xbox One, PC
This means that you don’t have to endure loading screens when you enter cities, which makes for a beautifully seamless transition between shooting deer in the wilds and selling your haul from raiding dungeons to merchants.
Castle Volkihar redux
Available on:PS4, Xbox One, PC
For those bloodsuckers amongst you this mod is sure to be a favourite, as it turns Castle Volkihar into a small town, finally making it feel like you’re really part of the night-walking, bat-loving elite.
Note: The PC link leads to the Bethesda.net website.
Really useful dragons
Available on: PC
Have you ever gotten bored of dragons? Although the diverse dragons mod makes the colossal beasts far more interesting, they’re still the same serpentine monsters you’ve been slaying since 2011. Cue really useful dragons, which changes all the dragons in Skyrim into Thomas the Tank Engine trains. You’re welcome.
Improving gameplay
Skyrim Special Edition Unofficial Patch
Available on:Xbox One, PS4, PC
I’ll keep this brief: download it. It fixes a ton of bugs and is compatible with the vast majority of mods. Win-win.
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The Choice is Yours
Available on:Xbox One, PC
Have you ever been seriously annoyed about the fact that unfinished quests just sit in your journal forever? Well, thanks to The Choice is Yours, you can just straight up reject quests. Sorry, I’m the Dragonborn. I haven’t got time to fetch you a mammoth’s tusk.
Static Mesh Improvement
Available on: Xbox One, PC
This mod adds vast, very visible improvements to the 3D models for most objects in Skyrim. It replaces the low-polygon meshes for most banal objects in the game, and trust me - you'll notice the difference. If you're still unconvinced, head over to their page on Bethesda or Nexus and see the screenshots for yourself.
Skyrim Graphic Overhaul
Available on: Xbox One, PC
It’s simple: this mod makes Skyrim look a ton better. It adds textures to objects in-game such as more plants and grasses, fur looks like fur and not sheets of grey, as well as smoke. Expect in-game immersion to shoot up after installing this mod.
Note: The PC link leads to Osmodius' SSE Texture pack, which livens up the textures to the same degree as the mod on Bethesda's site.
Alternate Start - Live Another Life
Available on: Xbox One, PC
Fed up with being the Dragonborn? I don’t blame you, and this mod lets you start as almost anything from a necromancer’s assistant to a shipwrecked sailor. For those of you who love to replay Skyrim, it lets you roleplay to your heart’s content.
Become a Bard
Available on: Xbox One, PC
As if the title wasn’t self-explanatory enough, I’ll spell it out for you: this mod lets you become a proper bard, not just a travelling Dragonborn who occasionally helps out the Bard College in Solitude. You can pick your preferred instrument, decide which songbooks you want to specialise in, choose bard followers, and play songs anywhere including in taverns where you’ll earn tips for your musical endeavours. Become a Bard gives the Bard’s College a purpose, letting it stand tall alongside the Thieves’ Guild, the Companions and the College of Winterhold.
Dragon Souls to Perks
Available on: Xbox One, PC
By the time you’ve sunken about 50 hours into Skyrim, you’ve probably got a heap of dragon souls sitting beside your Thu’ums, useless. If you don’t use shouts particularly often, this mod makes sure the souls don’t go to waste. They let you ‘buy’ perks, with the ones higher up the skill trees costing more souls to purchase. Get out there and slay some dragons!
Ordinator - Perks Of Skyrim
Available on: Xbox One, PC
An almighty overhaul of Skyrim's perk tree, this adds 400 new perks, bulking out each basic skill to give a ton more options to spend your precious perk points on. From 'Fog of War' in the stealth tree to 'Flee Fool' in the two-handed tree, there's plenty of new abilities to master!
Left Hand Rings
Available on:Xbox One, PC
Pretty simple, but somehow overlooked by Bethesda - after all, rings aren’t restricted to your right hand in real life, so why should they be in Skyrim?
Sounds of Skyrim: Civilisation; Dungeons; The Wilds
Available on:PC
The immersion will jump once you install this mod, as it means that dungeons, towns, and the countryside will sound different each time you venture out. That means no more hearing the same birdsong no matter where you are, no more repetitive dripping from Ancient Norse obelisks, or certainly a rediction in that dratted clanging sound of the blacksmith’s hammer in every city you go to.
Unread Books Glow
Available on: Xbox One, PC
The completionist in me loves this mod. Make sure to make this one of the first mods you download though, as if you download it mid-game all the books you’ve read to that point will be marked as unread. The feeling of reading the last glowing book before you add it to your collection is so satisfying.
Newmiller’s spell books retextures 2
Available on: PC
To build on that last mod, you can actually download a texture pack that turns Skyrim’s ordinary spell books into leather-bound tomes that look as if they’d smell musty. These are arcane texts, after all — they’ve probably been around for hundreds of years!
Useful Alteration
Available on:Xbox One, PC
This mod will change your life. Although Alteration is often seen as the ugly duckling of the arcane arts, installing Useful Alteration will provide the College of Winterhold’s Tolfdir with a whole new range of Alteration tomes. Described by the modder as “annoyance removal” spells, these are generally used to make playing Skyrim less mundane. “Solve” solves a nearby pillar puzzle immediately, while “Unlock” automatically unlocks a locked chest or door. Who knew that Alteration was the best magic school?
Fixing NPCs
Realistic conversation overhaul
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Ever been walking through one of Skyrim's cities when five citizens are suddenly simultaneously clamouring for your attention? Of course you have. The people roaming through Windhelm, Riften, and Falkreath just love to chat and this mod lets them do it to their heart's content. Just, to other NPCs - not you. This means strolling through a village is suddenly much more immersive with its inhabitants having a chat outside the Inn or as a break from harvesting wheat. Small change, but a big difference.
Immersive citizens AI overhaul
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
NPCs in Skyrim are interesting beings to say the least, as they’ll try to pick a fight with any dragons swooping around their village. This mod means that they won’t try to fight you (or any other overpowered creature) if you’re a higher level than them; instead they’ll run and hide in a hideout, which will be assigned randomly and could be a home, temple, Jarl’s stronghold, or anything similar.
Immersive Patrols
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
If the sight of golden skin of the Thalmor looming over the horizon, or the sound of the self-righteous Stormcloaks as they tramp by deafens you, this mod is what you're looking for. No longer do just the two civil war factions patrol round Skyrim: Immersive Patrols adds scheduled Dawnguard, caravan, and guard patrols to Skyrim and Reaver, Skaal, Redoran, and Riekling patrols to Solstheim, as well as making existing patrols regular. It also adds moderately-sized civil war fort battles so you can sink your axe, arrow, or destruction magic of choice into even more heads.
Run for your lives
Available on:PC
NPCs in Skyrim are surprisingly ballsy. They’ll take on bandits and even dragons. That’s fun to watch, but it will sometimes result in quest-givers getting roasted a bit too badly, and expiring before your very eyes. This mod changes that, and makes NPCs run for cover when enemies approach, which saves you the trouble of running around trying to save the brave, valiant idiots.
Relationship dialogue overhaul
Available on: PC
No more hearing about arrows in knees. NPCs get more dialogue options with this mod, and they even address you with over 50 different voice times. There’s nothing like the thousandth hearing of not-Schwarzenegger’s ‘Let me guess. Somebody stole your sweetroll?’ for breaking immersion.
The Paarthurnax dilemma
Available on:Xbox One, PC
I got quite irritated at the quest Delphine gives you to kill Paarthurnax, as there’s no option to quite simply say no. If you decline, the quest has to litter your journal for eternity. That’s all changed in this mod, so you can spare your scaly friend and let him fly free.
Combat: make things more deader
Phenderix: magic evolved
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
For those who love the sight of lightning crackling from their fingertips, you’re spoilt for choice with this mod as it adds over 370 new spells. There are new spell archetypes, including bombs, growth, and plus you can summon any creature in Skyrim!
Better combat AI
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
With this mod NPCs fighting styles drastically change. Now they’ll try to block, bash, and stagger, as well as disengage from melee combat when they get too far away from ranged characters. Genius!
Note: the PC link leads to 'Combat Evolved' mod, which does a very similar thing.
Enhanced blood textures
Available on: Xbox One, PC, and try Increase Blood Amount on PS4 It’s simple and the title says it all. Gore never looked better.
VioLens: A Killmove mod
Available on:PS4, Xbox One, PC
I love seeing my character execute a badass kill-move to take down enemies, and this mod makes fighting a joy. Flourishes when you’re about to kill somewhen while dual-wielding, brutal finishers, executions for dragons - it really has it all.
Wounds
Available on: PC
So you’ve been absolutely wrecked by a Draugr Deathlord, barely escaping with your life. However, all you have to do is down a health potion or two before you’re back to normal. With Wounds, you can actually pick up debilitating injuries that take days, weeks, or even months to heal properly. Smashed femur? That’s going to be an issue for two whole months.
Voice of Madness: A Wabbajack Shout
Available on: PS4
Unfortunately, this mod is only on PS4 at the moment. However, if you’re lucky enough to own a copy of Skyrim on PS4, and unlucky enough to have yet to experience the wonder of this mod, you should download it immediately. Everybody knows Sheogorath is the Daedric Prince of Madness, but what happens when you harness his chaotic energy and channel it into your Thu’um? Prepare to Wabbajack enemies into Oblivion and rain explosive cheese from darkened skies!
Cross and Jab
Available on: PC
In some games, hand-to-hand combat is a joy. Just think of all the Fists of Fury quests in The Witcher 3! However, it’s pretty mundane in Skyrim. Cross and Jab changes that by adding in faster, more diverse punching animations, to the extent that you’ll likely start taking on dungeons as a bare-knuckle boxer just because of how satisfying it feels. It’s time to become Skyrim’s world heavyweight champion.
Bonus companion
Dovahbit of Caerbannog
Available on: Xbox One, PC
Dovahbit is a rabbit who carries your stuff, comes with its own little saddlebags, and can wear helmets. You haven’t enjoyed Skyrim at its fullest until you’ve looked behind you and seen a small brown bunny wearing a horned helmet hopping after you.
Note: The PC link takes you to Bethesda's mod page where you can find the fluffy, loyal companion. Aww. Hong kong garden lawrenceville ga.
Dwemer dogs companions
Available on: Xbox One, PC
Although the Dwemer ruins of Skyrim are mostly abandoned, this mod adds three Dwemer doggos to Salvius Farm. They won’t actually fight for you, but they’ll follow you around and bark, which is incredibly wholesome and makes Skyrim about fifty times more enjoyable. You can also conjure these dwarven doggos if you buy the spell tome from Farengar in Whiterun. It’s amazing.
Vilja
Available on:PC
Vilja is a Nord alchemist that’s been helping players fulfil their destinies since way back in the days of Oblivion. Now she’s made her way to Skyrim to help the Dragonborn on their quest to prevent the apocalypse at the hands of Alduin, the World-Eater. However, perhaps the most interesting thing about Vilja is that Sir Terry Pratchett himself helped to develop her character. Now all we need is a full-blown Discworld mod!
Bear Musician
Available on: PC
This mod can only be downloaded directly from Steam. It’s pretty self-explanatory — it allows you to travel with a lute-bearing bear minstrel. Bring it to the Bard’s College so that it can fulfil its wildest dreams.
Skyrim cheats | Best Skyrim companions | Skyrim armor | Skyrim perks | Skyrim enchanting guide | Skyrim alchemy guide | Skyrim hidden chest locations | Skyrim hidden quest locations | Skyrim Black Books guide | Skyrim Daedric Quest guide
There is much to do in Bethesda’s masterpiece, Skyrim. If you’re a social butterfly, there are NPC’s to talk to, and if you get bored of that, they will be more than happy to give you a quest. (What would these poor souls have done if the Dragonborn had never shown up?) You can slay a dragon, get rag dolled by a giant, explore caves, barter with merchants, and decorate your home. There is something for everyone. A true open-world experience that gives players the freedom to experience Skyrim in a multitude of ways.
However, even with so much to do and see, adventuring can still get lonely. For some, Skyrim’s vast landscape is best experienced with a like-minded (or at the very least, entertaining) companion. Others simply need a tank or support character to help them survive the more challenging areas of the game.
Whatever your playing style, Skyrim has a follower for you. Unfortunately, not all companions were created equal. For every capable archer or mage, there is a dimwitted warrior or an eager citizen who got in over his head, wanting adventure but never truly considering the reality of that decision. Some seem out to kill themselves or—even worse—you! Choosing the right follower is the difference between leaving a cave with all of your loot and becoming over-encumbered as you recover items from your companion’s corpse.
There are many potential followers in Skyrim. Trying to figure who is worth pursuing and who isn’t, can be overwhelming. Don’t get stuck reloading your previous save. Our handy list highlights the best—and worst—that Skyrim has to offer.
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15 Best: Aela The Huntress
A well-rounded follower, Aela, a loyal Nord werewolf, becomes available once you complete the Companions questline. Not only is she great with a bow for long-distance attacks, but she is decent enough with one-handed weapons for melee attacks. At her level cap of 50, her Sneak skill reaches 97 (thanks to her thief classification), making her the perfect follower for sneaky thieves and stealthy archers.
Oh, and Aela won’t judge you morally bankrupt players either. Commit any crime you want—even murder! She will never raise her blade against you or leave your services. However, just because she’s willing to look the other way doesn’t mean she will join in on the fun. She declines requests to attack innocent characters or steal—even though she is a thief.
However, she comes with perks such as on-the-go archery training and the ability to give lycanthropy, which is a pretty sweet deal.
14 Worst: Roggi Knot-Beard
Be sure to avoid Kynesgrove, or a wild Roggi Knot-Beard will appear. The lowly miner will ask for your help recovering his ancestral shield. I know this makes him sound like some badass warrior but, trust me, he isn’t. In fact, good old Roggi’s level is capped at 20 (the lowest in the game).
As you have probably already guessed, his stats are pretty mediocre. His highest-level skills are non-combat ones such as Smithing at level 45 with Alchemy and Enchanting pulling in a measly 40. His other skills are so pathetic that I won’t bore you by listing them here. Just know that he is below average in every possible stat. He’s also a coward who will flee from battle when injured and won’t commit any crimes.
His only redeeming quality is his love for mead. However, there isn’t enough in Skyrim to make you forget his incompetence.
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13 Best: Barbas
Barbas is no ordinary dog, in fact, he isn’t a dog at all but a shapeshifting Daedra. He is found on the road outside of Falkreath and will follow you indefinitely as long as you do not complete his quest by either killing him with the Rueful Axe or returning him to his master. That’s right, Barbas is a quest character and invincible!
Barbas is a great decoy but also makes quick work of weaker enemies, making battles against stronger ones easier to manage. Outside of battle, he is likely a poor choice for thieves, as he can detect you when you are stealing. Get around this by telling him to stay beforehand.
Despite this, Barbas is still a solid choice, and since he isn’t technically a follower, you can have one additional companion as well. So, if you hate traveling alone, Barbas is the one for you.
12 Worst: Sven
Sven is a lute-playing, Nord bard that you encounter at the beginning of the game in Riverwood at the Sleeping Giant Inn. To gain his companionship, you must help him win the heart of Camilla. If you choose to help his rival, Faendal, instead, Sven will become unavailable—which isn’t a bad thing.
Sven’s stats are similar to Roggi Knot-Beard’s. He is of the citizen class and tops out at level 20. His primary skills are Alchemy, Enchanting, and Smithing, and although his secondary skills are Archery, One-Handed, and Two-Handed, none of them ever surpass level 45. Simply put, Sven isn’t built for battle. He isn’t even wearing armor when you first encounter him. It’s like he woke up that morning and was like, “You know what would be great? Going on an adventure with little-to-no preparation or useful skills.”
That sweet lute music isn't enough to fell a dragon.
11 Best: Mjoll The Lioness
Found in thief-ridden Riften, Mjoll the Lioness is a Nord warrior who has taken it upon herself to rid the town of corruption. If you want her companionship, you must first earn her favor and then retrieve her lost sword. Trust me, she is worth the trouble. Mjoll is an essential character, which means that she can never be killed—not even by friendly fire during an intense battle.
At her level cap of 40, she maxes out both her Heavy Armor and Two-Handed skills (with 580 health), making her a great tank for players that prefer long-range attacks. Not only is she a beast on the battlefield, but she is also a pleasant person. As you travel, she will regale you with story after story about her past.
If you don’t mind traveling with a chatterbox—or her creepy stalker, Aerin—Mjoll is the one for you. Just don’t earn a bounty in Riften.
10 Worst: Adelaisa Vendicci
If you are wandering around the docks in Windhelm, you will run into a woman in Imperial armor. She may look strong and capable, but Adelaisa Vendicci is anything but. If you want to test her out, she is available as a follower after completing 'Rise in the East'—though there is little incentive to use her for anything other than a sacrifice for Boethiah.
Although she is an Imperial soldier, she is classed as a citizen with a level cap of 25. Just like Roggi Knot-Beard, her primary skills are non-combative—Alchemy, Enchanting, and Smithing aren’t going to be very effective during a battle or ever. As one of the weakest characters in the game, Adelaisa is a major disappointment. This is one character you should leave on the dock of the bay.
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9 Best: J’zargo
To attain this confident Khajiit mage, travel to the College of Winterhold and help him test his scrolls. J’zargo is one of two available Khajiit followers, so he’s a good choice if you need a little variety. However, be forewarned, some might find J’zargo’s arrogance somewhat off-putting—even if it is warranted.
Stat wise, J’zargo is arguably one of the best followers in the game. He has no level cap, which means he continues to level up with the Dragonborn indefinitely. Destruction and Restoration spells are his expertise, making him a great support character for close-combat players. At around level 50 he maxes out his Heavy Armor and One-Handed skills, which make him a great battle mage or tank (if he’s out of magicka).
You may find that he will only cast low-level Destruction spells. To fix this give him adept or higher level staffs.
J’zargo is ready for more adventure.
8 Worst: Farkas
When you first encounter the Nordic werewolf, Farkas, in Jorrvaskr, he appears to be a strong and intimidating warrior. However, the Dragonborn soon discovers that he’s a nice guy who often finds himself on the receiving end of insults from his fellow Companions about his intelligence.
Okay, but he’s strong, right? Well, not exactly. Although he maxes out his One-Handed skill at his level cap of 50, his Heavy Armor and Block skills never exceed 20 (ironically, he is a master-level trainer for the former). When he isn’t trapped behind a gate in Dustman’s Cairn, he’s on his knees trying to recover his health.
The source of Farka’s problems is his blacksmith class, which gives him mastery in non-combative skills such as Smithing and Speech. Also, even though his Light Armor skill is higher, he wears Heavy Armor.
Perhaps it’s time for Farkas to find a new line of work.
7 Best: Serana
Serana, one of the Daughters of ColdHarbour, became a pure-blooded vampire by pledging herself to Molag Bal during a terrifying ritual. Like Mjoll, she is an essential character who cannot be killed; she comes as a part of the Dawnguard DLC. However, she will not have the full set of follower commands until you finish the main Dawnguard questline.
A powerful necromancer, Serana's level caps at 50, and she will raise corpses to help in battle. If she runs out of magicka while obliterating everything in sight with Destruction spells, she’ll switch to a melee weapon (One-handed is one of her primary skills) so give her a strong sword or dagger.
Outside of combat, Serana is a unique follower who can interact with her environment (e.g., sitting down, using workbenches, etc.). If so desired, you can have her bite the Dragonborn to turn them into a Vampire Lord.
6 Worst: Lydia
Even non-Skyrim players know about Lydia and her antics. You meet your first housecarl early in the game at Dragonsreach after killing your first dragon. If you decided to help Sven out back in Riverwood, you are likely desperate for a new companion at this point. Especially a warrior-classed one in steel armor and ready to fight.
On paper, Lydia is a good follower who has a level cap of 50, maxing out Heavy Armor, One-Handed, and Block. You may be happy to take her along, but soon notice little annoyances like her attitude, or the way she refuses to follow you down the mountainside, seeking out a safer path instead. She seems determined to block every door, set off every trap, and get caught sneaking around. When she does fight, she blindly rushes into battle and gets herself killed.
Don’t settle. Unless, of course, you like yelling at your companions.
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5 Best: Teldryn Sero
The only Dunmer on our list, Teldryn Sero, is a spellsword and mercenary that you can hire for 500 coins. You can find him in The Retching Netch in the Solstheim town of Raven Rock. In battle, Teldryn is a force to be reckoned with, topping out at level 60 with One-Handed, Light Armor, Destruction, and Conjuration being his primary skills.
Teldryn’s class and skill set make him a triple threat. He is a savvy swordsman who is more than capable of holding his own in battle, but also blasts opponents with Flame or Firebolt when appropriate. On top of all of this, he will also summon a flame atronach to add to the onslaught. When he does suffer damage, he heals himself or uses ward spells for added protection.
He also makes for a pleasant traveling companion, as he offers unique commentary for various cities across Skyrim.
4 Worst: Uthgerd The Unbroken
The notorious Nord warrior, Uthgerd the Unbroken, is found at The Bannered Mare in Whiterun. Beat her in a tavern brawl to receive 100 coins and her services. Uthgerd is a decent warrior; however, even at her level cap of 30, she never manages to max out any of her skills. Her One-Handed and Heavy Armor skills are a little above average whereas her secondaries, Block and Archery, are average.
Overall, she is another run-of-the-mill follower with a low Sneak skill destined to set off every trap she encounters. Not to mention, she is a despicable, hypocritical person. If you are willing to listen, she will tell the Dragonborn about how she was denied entry to the Companions because she killed a boy. Instead of being remorseful, she bears a grudge against them. This from someone who will attack you for murdering an innocent character.
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3 Best: Frea
Frea is a Nord shaman found in the Skaal Village on Solstheim and is only available if you own the Dragonborn DLC. Not only does Frea not have a level cap, she is essential and thus cannot be killed. You can make her a permanent follower by either passing a persuasion check or successfully bribing her after completing 'The Fate of the Skaal.'
Frea’s primary skills are Alteration, Light Armor, Restoration, and One-handed. There are two reasons why she’s pretty cool: she dual wields weapons and is smart enough to wait for you to disable traps (unlike some others on this list). Another plus is that she will also use spells to heal herself. It is unlikely she will ever fall to her knees and beg for mercy in battle.
2 Worst: Cosnach
Cosnach is a drunken Breton found in the Warrens or Silver-Blood Inn in Markarth. He challenges the Dragonborn to a fistfight, betting 100 coins. Beat him, and he will follow you for free (and you will be a little richer).
Although his stats aren’t terrible, they are nothing to write home about. His level cap is 30, with One-Handed at 78 and Heavy Armor at 79. On top of being a generic warrior, he is rude and is always begging for money for drinks. He also isn’t in a very practical location for a character with such low stats. By the time you make their way to Markarth, you will have encountered better followers.
He isn’t worth the journey unless you plan on marrying him. Sure, he might be good for laughs, but if you actually cared about him, you would send him to AA.
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1 Best: Cicero
If you prefer to adventure on the right side of justice, then the jester assassin, Cicero, is not for you because you have to join the Dark Brotherhood to acquire him. You must also choose to spare his life after he flees to Dawnstar Sanctuary—once again making him an essential character—during “The Cure for Madness.”
Cicero’s high-pitched voice, dark humor, and mini dance parties are an acquired taste but also make him one of the most developed characters in the game. There’s never a dull moment with him as your companion.
Cicero’s level caps at 50 with mastery in One-Handed and Sneak—he won’t set off traps—and high levels in Light Armor and Archery. He is a versatile fighter who excels at close combat but is also an effective sneaky sniper.
He’s nearly the perfect follower—in small doses.
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I love Skyrim. I have over 400 hours invested in it, and I expect to invest many more; but there is one problem with the game which I find hard to let go.
I started playing the game at the default difficulty setting: Adept. I'm an old hand at Elder Scrolls games, so it didn't take me long to realize that Adept wasn't going to cut it for me. I skipped over the next difficulty setting, Expert, and went straight to Master.
With earlier games in the series, I'd never bothered to play at higher difficulties, but I've become a much better gamer since Oblivion came out so I decided to give myself a bit of a challenge. I figured that if I ran into difficulty, I could always dial it back down to Expert. I can't describe for you the disappointment I felt when I realized that Master just wasn't going to be difficult enough.
I'm not telling you this to impress you with my 'leet gaming skills' because I am not a particularly good gamer. I'm telling you this because this is one of the most common complaints about the game.
Challenging Games
There has been a bit of a resurgence, of late, among hard-core gamers seeking more challenging gameplay experiences.
The most obvious illustration of this was the enormous popularity that Demon's Souls attained after word of its difficulty got around. (In gaming communities, difficult games always get noticed, which should be enough of an indication that there is a disconnect between gamers and developers.)
Demon's Souls, and it's successor, Dark Souls, is a fantasy RPG franchise with a much steeper learning curve and higher degree of difficulty than games like the Elder Scrolls and Dragon Age. Combat is punishing and does not tolerate failure. Even small tactical mistakes can cost you, resulting in a quick death and extensive replay to regain lost progress. So why did these games become so popular?
Peak Gameplay Experiences
Aside from the opportunity to flaunt ego, challenging games provide experienced gamers with a chance to experience peak gaming experiences.
Anyone who plays a lot of games knows how good it feels to finally beat a challenging boss in a boss battle, make an extremely difficult jump in a platformer, or unravel a particularly intricate puzzle.
That feeling of pride and accomplishment is intoxicating and can make the hours of unsuccessful and frustrating attempts that precede that moment worthwhile. But hard-core gamers get more out of that experience than an emotional high, they also come out of it with an increased sense of skill and competence, a better appreciation for the relationship between hard work and success, and a big boost in confidence and self-esteem. When you take the challenge out of a game, you deprive players of one of the most intense experiences achievable in a game, and, for many players, that's the only reason why they play them.
Dumbing Down
There is thus an understandable backlash among certain gamers at the perceived industry-wide tendency toward simplifying and 'dumbing down' games. In their efforts to appeal to a broader audience and make their games accessible to more players, the game developers are cutting back on challenge.
The unfortunate side-effect of reducing challenge is the elimination of these peak gaming experiences for seasoned gamers. This might seem like an unfortunate but inevitable consequence: in order to give those same peak gaming experiences to less-experienced gamers, you have to make the game easier. But this is a false dilemma because games already have a mechanic that is supposed to eliminate this problem: difficulty sliders. The problem with Skyrim is that it's difficulty settings don't accomplish this.
Skyrim's Difficulty Settings
In Skyrim, there are five difficulty settings: Novice, Apprentice, Adept, Expert, and Master. The settings are cleverly tied to the ranking system used throughout the game which uses the same five titles to distinguish five different degrees of quality or challenge.
In Skyrim, the difficulty sliders do two things: they decrease the amount of damage that the player's attacks do to enemies, and increase the amount of damage done by enemies to the player. (You can find the exact ratios on the UESP (Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages).)
To call this mechanic uninspired is generous. It's actually worse than uninspired because it tries to solve the problem of providing more challenging gameplay by altering game balance in a way that is inconsistent with the the rest of the ruleset.
Increasing the difficulty by using the sliders changes the flow of combat: your attacks feel ineffectual and your enemies seem to possess an unnatural ability to absorb or soak up damage. Yes, it does make the game more challenging, but it does so at the expense of the gameplay experience, and it stretches credibility to the point where even players who want more of a challenge often go back down to easier settings because the mechanic used to increase the challenge breaks their immersion. It creates a distortion in gameplay similar to the 'fish-eye' effect you sometimes see used in artistic photos. In short, it's a terrible 'fix'.
Leveled Lists
What is most disappointing about this approach to solving the problem is the fact that the game already has a very robust mechanic for increasing difficulty: leveled lists.
As a player gains levels, the enemies that they encounter become more challenging: NPCs are higher level, possessing more powerful spells and equipment, weaker creatures are replaced with more powerful variants, and the number of enemies that the player encounters is increased.
Leveled lists increase challenge in a more natural way that doesn't distort gameplay or break immersion: you don't become weaker, and your enemies don't just soak up more damage (though, because they are more powerful versions of other creatures, they do that as well); instead, they change in more fundamental ways that force you to adopt new strategies and learn how to use new perks, spells, and items. In other words, they force you to grow and challenge yourself as a player.
Leveled Difficulty
The immediate and obvious way to implement difficulty settings, from my perspective, is to tie them to leveled lists.
By adjusting the difficulty setting up or down, the player could artificially inflate or deflate their effective level for the purpose of calculating enemies spawning from leveled lists and the level of scaled NPCs. On Apprentice, one level down from the default setting, enemies might spawn at half your actual level. At Novice, they might only spawn at one-quarter of your level. Conversely, at Expert, enemies could spawn at twice your level and at Master, enemies could spawn at four times your level. (Note that this could be designed to affect the level of the enemies without affecting the loot that they carry, so there is little danger of unbalancing the game from that perspective.)
The specific numbers we use don't matter; the ones I mentioned are just meant to be suggestive. The important thing is the effect this change has on gameplay at higher difficulty settings. Higher level enemies, by definition, not only do more damage and take more damage, but they also frequently have additional advantages over enemies spawning from lower leveled lists. With the existing mechanic, when you fight a wolf on Master, it takes longer to kill, but it's still the same wolf. By artificially inflating the leveled lists, that unnaturally powerful wolf would be replaced with an Ice Wolf or, possibly, with two wolves. The challenge is increased, but in a way consistent with existing gameplay mechanics and logic.
This might seem like a subtle difference to some players, but when it comes to immersion, these subtle differences can have a profound impact on the player's enjoyment of a game.
A New Kind of Slider
You could make this mechanic even more robust by doing away with the cute difficulty rankings and provide players with a slider that generates a floating point multiplier.
This gives players a very fine degree of control over their challenge, avoiding the dilemma some players encounter of having to choose between a setting that is a little too easy and a setting that is a little too hard.
You could also extend the range of the slider by setting the lowest point on the slider to something absurdly low, like 1/10th of the player's actual level (in this scenario, they would never encounter anything higher than a level 8 enemy) and the highest to 10x the player's level (making the max encounter level around 800). This simple mechanic would allow players to set their own difficulty anywhere from 'I like to chase bunnies' to 'who put a Dragon Priest in Bleak Falls Barrow?'
Interestingly, this actually helps solve one of the crucial design challenges facing developers: how difficult should the game be? By providing players with a very fine degree of control over the difficulty (and this article only discusses a single element, there's no reason additional sliders couldn't be provided to address other aspects of gameplay) they make it easier for players to tweak the game to their liking, thus increasing player satisfaction and encouraging more of those peak gaming experiences. Fixing the Difficulty
Fixing the difficulty settings would be surprisingly easy and consists of two parts: first, add a multiplier that is factored in the calculation used to determine what enemies to spawn from a list and what level to set leveled NPCs; second, extend the leveled lists to much higher levels.
The beauty of this system is that it provides greater challenges without impacting players using the default settings. Because the player's level is being artificially inflated to levels beyond what the player can actually achieve, players who don't want the added challenge will never encounter those higher level spawns. You can't roll a level 100 dragon if you can only get to level 81.
The Future of Gaming
It might seem strange that I'm placing so much emphasis on a mechanic which seems relatively unimportant to many players but I think there is a really good reason to do so: gamers are growing up.
The marketing mantra that makes sense now: 'make the game accessible to a wider range of players', is not going to be a meaningful metric when games are consumed as ubiquitously by as large a group of people as those who watch television. In a couple of years, the vast hordes of 'casuals' that have embraced gaming, an activity which is no longer held up to social stigma, is going to be a lot more experienced and hungry for tougher (and more complex) challenges. Not all of them, granted, but enough of them that more games like Dark Souls are going to be required to satisfy a growing need.
Developers need to start taking difficulty settings as seriously as other design decisions because not all players are created equal. Sooner or later, the die-hard fans of your franchise are going to outgrow your default settings and they're going to look elsewhere for a challenge if you can't provide it. By the same token, games like Dark Souls may be limiting their accessibility by attempting to fill the void created by other games.
Games don't have to be made easier to be more accessible, or harder to attract a niche market: developers just have to start taking this dimension of gamplay seriously and design appropriate challenges for players of all abilities. Peak gaming experiences shouldn't be--and don't have to be--restricted to the narrow band of players that the game is arbitrarily optimized for. Developers: raise your difficulty level. Challenge yourselves!
What Do You Think?
NPCs and creaturesInteresting NPCs
Interesting NPCs is packed with new characters scattered all over Skyrim, each with their own background, schedule and branching dialogue. There’s over 250 of them, including marriage prospects, followers and quest givers. Followers also have unique commentary, insights and questlines, so there’s plenty of reasons to ditch the largely forgettable vanilla cast and travel with some new pals.
Immersive Citizens
Skyrim’s NPCs aren’t always the sharpest knives in the drawer, but Immersive Citizens alleviates some of that by delving into their empty heads and leaving something there. With these tweaks, NPCs respond in more realistic and diverse ways to things like weather, attacks and their day-to-day schedules, depending on who they are. Most important is the survival instinct feature, letting NPCs evaluate threats and act accordingly.
Immersive Creatures
We’ve all killed our fair share of draugr and dragons (too many, probably), so thank goodness for Immersive Creatures and its long list of mostly lore-friendly monsters and creatures waiting to be battered. This throws in everything from warring goblin tribes to considerably more exotic and indescribable nightmares. The world a bit more deadly. It’s possible to tweak this mod to your liking, removing creatures and changing the difficulty via the menu.
Immersive Patrols
Skyrim’s supposedly warring factions don’t really get up to very much, but Immersive Patrols thrusts them into conflict a bit more often. It creates patrols for not just the factions of the civil war, the Stormcloaks and Imperials, but also the Dawnguard and Thalmor. There are even some raider patrols, too. These warbands clash in specific areas, with forts and territory changing hands depending on the outcome of the battle. It makes Skyrim feel like a more mutable place, and importantly one that doesn’t need you to get involved for changes to happen.
Amazing Follower Tweaks
Ever wanted to traipse around Skyrim with your very own supernatural band? Amazing Follower Tweaks is an extremely helpful follower management tool that lets you have multiple followers, organise their equipment and give them orders, but the best bit is being able to turn them into vampires and werewolves. The limit is five followers, but that’s much more impressive when it’s five deadly, magical monsters with a thirst for blood and flesh.
Run For Your Lives
Speaking of deadly, magical monsters with a thirst for blood and flesh, this mod makes NPCs run away when one of them attacks. Dragons and vampires will scare off NPCs, making them run to their home or the nearest inn until the area is safe again. No more risking your life to save some idiot with a torch who’s decided they can fight a dragon. Guards and Warrior Guild members will, of course, still impotently flail at monsters, since it’s their job.
Convenient Horses
It’s pretty clear why most people in Skyrim travel by foot – their horses are terrible. Not with Convenient Horses, however. The name doesn’t paint the full picture. Sure, it makes horses a lot more convenient, letting you loot, harvest and interact with the world while you’re riding, along with other time-saving features, but it also makes horses deeper generally. You can train them, put all of your followers on them, get new equipment via faction quests and crafting, and there’s an encumbrance system.
Relationship Dialogue Overhaul
Relationship Dialogue Overhaul makes Skyrim a chattier place. NPCs get a whopping 5,000 lines of new, reactive dialogue, all voiced. The mod’s creators used existing lines, adding them to new situations and, in some instances, creating new bits of dialogue by splicing lines together. NPCs react more realistically, letting you know what they think of you, while followers will take into account their relationship with you. If you’re travelling with your spouse, for instance, they’ll talk to you like a husband or wife rather than just another hired hand.
Simply Better Movement Speed
Simply Better Movement Speed tweaks how fast you move while walking, running and sneaking. Walking speed has been significantly boosted, while running is slower. The pace feels more natural, making it necessary to get a horse for long journeys, but making wandering around towns and villages much quicker. It also makes players the same speed as NPCs, so following people around is no longer a chore where you have to make constant adjustments.
Moonlight Tales
Getting lycanthropy is a great way to shake things up, but as much fun as it is to stomp around Skyrim as a massive wolf, the system is pretty underdeveloped. Moonlight Tales, then, is essential if you plan on tearing people apart during a full moon. It completely overhauls werewolves, replacing the perk tree, introducing new abilities, forcing lunar transformations and, best of all, letting you become a werebear. Whichever beastie you pick, you’ll also get lots of different skin choices.
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