Skyrim: 10 Essential Console Mods to Make Your Start Easier

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a modern gaming classic that set a new standard for role-playing games over a decade ago. In recent years, every square inch of the northernmost nation of Tamriel has been explored, every dialogue heard, and every random encounter experienced.

With so many players spending so much time in the world of Nirn, an unprecedented modding scene has emerged, and Bethesda's game has become a self-sustaining machine, with a dedicated community tirelessly working to change and improve it. Bethesda then brought this community to consoles in 2016, giving you the opportunity to experience fan-made content that was typically limited to PC gaming.

10 Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch

Before you decide to become a Jedi or Thor, the God of Thunder, you should start with the Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch. This extensive mod provides comprehensive bug fixes for the lovable mess that Bethesda seemingly cannot or does not fully address.

It may not be the most glamorous mod in the world, but you won't regret installing it when your game runs unusually smoothly and hardly any quest becomes unplayable. The highest recommendation that can be given to this patch is that you will likely forget that you even installed it while it quietly and diligently works in the background to optimize your gaming experience.

9 Alternate Start – Live Another Life

The introductory sequence of Skyrim is timeless, but on your 18th playthrough, it can become a bit boring. If you can recite every line of the execution by heart, then it might be time to install Alternate Start - Live Another Life. This mod allows you to start your game in various ways, whether it's as a slave to a warlock or as a soldier in the Imperial Legion.

Since these changes dynamically impact how you start the game, they also help immerse you in the world. In addition to the ability to start your game much faster, Alternate Start also offers you the opportunity to play Skyrim while delaying or even ignoring your destiny as the legendary Dragonborn.

8 Ordinator – Perks of Skyrim

Essentially, there's nothing wrong with Skyrim's skill tree, but after installing Ordinator - Perks of Skyrim, you'll never want to go back to the limitations of the original game. With over 400 new perks, all skill trees in the game are significantly expanded, adding tremendous depth to your gameplay experience.

The mod makes Skyrim feel like a true role-playing game and gives it that sense of absolute freedom that you would expect from tabletop role-playing games, allowing you to play the game the way you want without worrying about being underpowered. Want to play as a mage? Ordinator makes each magic school viable in its own way, with Restoration in particular receiving significant improvements compared to the standard version.

7 Apocalypse – Magic Of Skyrim

For even more depth, there's Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim, a massive overhaul that adds a total of 155 new spells, many of which come with high-quality custom animations. Both mods, Ordinator and Apocalypse, are created by the same author and are fully compatible with each other as well as with most other mods.

The added spells include practical movement spells like "Longstride," passive spells that automatically activate beneficial effects when entering combat, and shotgun-style destruction spells that are deadly at close range. With all of this and much more, Apocalypse is a significant overhaul of an underdeveloped aspect of the base game, making you feel like a true wizard in no time.

6 Imperious – Races Of Skyrim

Another immersion-focused mod, Imperious - Races of Skyrim, is a revamp designed to make the experience of each race in Skyrim more unique. Each race receives more extensive bonuses, including three passive abilities and new powers unlocked through quests. These apply to both you and NPCs in the game world, integrating the changes and making them feel natural.

For example, as a High Elf, you may be physically weaker than many other races and potentially more vulnerable to physical damage, but increased Magicka and Stamina regeneration at low health will balance out your negative traits. Imperious creates a balanced experience where your heritage plays a significant role beyond just your appearance.

5 Immersive Citizens – AI Overhaul

Immersive Citizens - AI Overhaul is a mod that significantly enhances the AI of NPCs to further enrich your gameplay experience. Wondering if the carriage drivers in Skyrim are even capable of standing upright? Wonder no more as you observe these previously static citizens move through complete day and night cycles without hindering your ability to locate them.

With Immersive Citizens installed, you will no longer feel like the only person in Tamriel who has something to do, as the citizens of Skyrim spend their days with significantly increased level of detail. The changes made by the mod feel natural, so Immersive Citizens is already a great addition to the mod library of any newcomer solely for its role-playing value. No guarantees that Nazeem will be less annoying though!

4 Open Cities Skyrim

Open Cities Skyrim solves all these problems by allowing seamless travel between Whiterun and the surrounding plains or Riften and the autumnal landscape of The Reach. What initially seems like a small change makes a big difference in immersion, and you'll be amazed that you ever put up with those long loading times.

3 Old Kingdom – Armor Overhaul

Similar to the skill tree, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the armor designs in Skyrim. But if you want to add a bit more shine to your game, Old Kingdom offers over 1300 new textures and meshes for the game, covering nearly every piece from the base game and DLCs.

In addition to general improvements, unique armor sets that previously had standard models are updated to have distinctive appearances that match their individuality. All of this helps create an experience that further enhances your game and makes previously dull designs exciting.

2 Old Kingdom – Weapon Overhaul

As a companion to the armor overhaul, Old Kingdom - Weapon Overhaul does exactly what the previous mod did, but this time for the weapons of Skyrim. Featuring meshes and textures from over 50 mod authors, this overhaul showcases the magnitude and organization of the modding community that has formed around the game.

Covering all weapons from both the DLCs and the base game, Old Kingdom includes new models for over 60 unique weapons, along with their accompanying backstories. Some changes are more subtle than others, but the combined effect of each author's work on this mod makes it a must-have that justifies its large file size.

1 Convenient Horses

The horses in Skyrim are not much more than a means to an end, and it's likely that you hardly use them unless you're playing in survival mode. However, with Convenient Horses installed, you can dynamically level up your horse and choose skill improvements such as strength, speed, and stamina that suit your playstyle.

The additional ability to whistle for your horse or summon it by blowing a horn puts an end to scouring the landscape of Skyrim trying to figure out where your horse ran off to while you were in the midst of fighting a mudcrab. There are also options to change behavior in combat and outside of combat, allowing you to transform your simple mount into a formidable armored steed.