Skyrim: Which Mods would you like to see?
I’ve been hearing a lot about the PC version of Skyrim lately. Mostly from people who wish to see the PC version in action, so they can be satisfied by the PC’s extra graphical glory upside the now outdating PS3 and Xbox 360. I’ve also heard a lot of talk about possible mods for Skyrim. Both of these subjects warrant attention, but I will only be addressing the latter since the first subject is a given. The PC version of Skyrim will look better than its console cohorts.
Mods, on the other hand, are not so black and white. Will there be mind blowing graphical mods? Sure. Will modders choose to create dragon mounts? Uh duh! Why wouldn’t they?!
With modding comes the sure fact that there will be literally thousands of useless mods to sift through in order to find the few good ones out there. A great example of this already exists in the mods that are readily available for Oblivion. There are literally thousands upon thousands of mods for Oblivion, yet only a small fraction of those are worth using. The rest are mostly regurgitations of existing ideas or are simply… stupid. The following are generalized categories of mods. Some are welcome and others, not so much.
First off, I’ll start with the categories of mods that I rather enjoyed in Oblivion and would welcome a variation of in Skyrim.
- Graphical enhancements.
I rather enjoyed seeing Qarl’s Texture Pack on Oblivion. It brought a sense of extra artistic beauty to the game. - Environmental.
These types of mods can add an extra depth of immersion that may be missing from the game. I am not sure what kind of environmental mod would be implemented in Skyrim, though, since it already seems to have a greatly articulated environment. - Unique player homes.
If done correctly, these can be a great addition to the game. Oh, and they have to at least be buyable. (I don’t like free stuff.) - New side quests/new dungeons.
I love seeing a new side quest or dungeon that is challenging and results in a good reward. - Character enhancements.
I always welcome new ways to make my character look even better and more unique! - New original equipment.
Nothing pleases me more than finding a new piece of equipment that gives me an edge over my enemies! Especially if that piece of equipment is entirely original, but still manages to fit within the lore of Elder Scrolls. - Dragon Mounts.
I’ll be honest and say that I’m not interested in seeing an Akatosh mount again, but I am very eager to see what kinds of mods will be created using the dragons of Skyrim!
Now, for the list of mod ideas I don’t want to see, but already know will exist in the near future.
- Equipment from other games.
What do I mean? It’s simple really. I don’t want to see equipment from World of Warcraft or Star Wars showing up in Skyrim mods. If you want to play WoW, then go play it! If you want Star Wars then go play Star Wars games. That goes for any equipment mod that isn’t true to the lore of Elder Scrolls. - Creatures from other games.
Believe what you may, but Balrogs are not part of Elder Scrolls! - Famous/game characters.
It just makes no sense to be wandering around and then bam! You run into a character that looks suspiciously like Jack Sparrow or Altair. They aren’t needed. Get rid of them. - Item color redux.
There’s no reason to have several versions of the same item, and in different colors. One color is good enough. And one version of the item is good enough too. - Easily found items.
Items should be bought or found hiding in the depths of some dungeon. They don’t need to be strewn about on the ground in one location like so many mods were in Oblivion. Imperial Market District anyone? - God Items.
Whenever you find any item that is ridiculously strong, it really takes away from the balance of the game. I actually enjoy having to battle my opponents. Yes, 1-hit kills and insane defense make for a boring game! - New races.
What’s wrong with races we already have? I’d rather see mods that enhance and perfect the races of Elder Scrolls, then to see a bunch of Japanese anime races make a debut in Skyrim. Also, we don’t need a bunch of different elven races. Three is enough. - Ridiculous player homes.
Can anyone explain to me why someone would create a player home for an Elder Scrolls game and then decorate it with sofas, lamps, sinks, toilets, and a refrigerator? I’m perplexed as to how anyone could see that as enhancing the core game in any way! 
Sexual mods.
There is no need to make fully nude characters! Nor is there a need to have them perform acts of fornication. Elder Scrolls is a video game. Not pornographic art. And to those who create these mods, stop playing video games so much and get a girlfriend or boyfriend!- Game overhauls.
I know I might be fighting a losing battle on this one, but hear me out. Game overhauls completely alter a game into something it wasn’t meant to be. Enjoy the game for what it is before you morph it into an Elder Scrolls-esque experience!
I know the above bad ideas will indeed come to fruition someday as they have in the past. When that day comes, I’ll be cursing at my computer screen and wondering how absurd one’s life has to be in order to see these as improvements for a game. In the meantime, I’ll be anxiously awaiting Skyrim’s release like so many other people and I’ll be hoping for the best as far as future mods are concerned!
Nice Article, I think that I might also have to get the PC version. Thanks for the input and welcome to the team!
Thanks!
The absolute most essential part of any TES game is to mod the vanilla combat. Maybe Bethesda finally got it “just right” this time around, but I know that modders like Duke Patrick will breathe life into it regardless. Anyone who has played any of his mods knows what I’m talking about here. That guy knows what combat is supposed to taste like.
Yea I understand people who want to fix the combat system. It doesn’t bother me too much in most cases, but I can see that over time Elder Scrolls battle systems become monotonous.
actually theres 4 elves.. orcs are technically elves… jussayin
I just want everyone to know that he’s right. I failed to include that bit of lore in my thinking so I said there were 3 types of elves instead of 4. I apologize for this mistake on my part!
I want to see a mod that adds spellmaking back into the game, it was one of my favourite things abuot Oblivion. While we’re at it I wouldn’t actually mind something to bring back Oblivion’s extreme powergaming – I spent a lot of time refining character builds – to the point that it probably quadrupled (at the least!) my game time, and I loved it.
I have to agree with this idea. I am a little bothered by spellmaking being removed from the game. I’m also slightly bothered by the fact that they removed weapon degradation. Who knows, maybe someone will create mods for both of these!
1. Shields in right hands (i.e., not left)
2. Spears (if it doesn’t break the game)
3. Pipboy
You can have a shield in either hand. I tried when I played at PAX for a couple hours. You can switch weapons and shields from hand to hand in the menu.
Cool. Got info from this: “According to the tweet made just now by Twete Hines, we cannot put shields in the RIGHT hand, only left hands, so lefties are not possible in Skyrim regarding sword and board. ” But if you got it first hand, that good enough.
Check out all the answers we obtained from Bethesda here:
http://nerdtrek.com/skyrim-answers-bethesda/
Spears would be a nice addition. That is one piece of equipment that I definitely would like to see make a return. As far as the pipboy.. maybe some sort of variation that is embedded in dwemer technology would do?
Call me crazy, but I always crack up when a meme or other nostalgia gets into the game. You could be walking through some nord town, and just out of the corner of the screen, wait was that a thundercat that ducked into that tavern, why does that Kajit have a thundercat symbol? Or what about as you go to the horse corral and there’s a yellow horse with a pink mane with three little butterflies tattooed on it’s flank. That would be so funny to me. Little things like that, I know they don’t belong (this is a serious business game) but it does make the next few hours seem a little less like a drudge when you’re killing boars to make enough money to buy the sword of a thousand truths.
OK, you got me. But it’s only because of the Thundercats comment! haha I will admit that it would be somewhat hilarious to see a Khajiit dressed up as a Thundercat. I will also admit that easter eggs or random cameo appearances can make a game funny.
Another Skyrim could use is more Rick Astley. But you could say that about anything.
Never gonna give you up?
I concur! I still haven’t found many of the mods I am looking for. Most are just things that don’t belong in an Elder Scrolls game. Also, good lists
Thank you for the comment! Yea I must have wasted days looking through what seemed like an endless sea of mods to find the ones that I felt added to the game.
Dragonlance game overhaul mod. I want the entire continent of Ansalon during the War of the Lance. Is that too much to ask?
OK, although this is from another realm, I have to admit that it would be pretty awesome to see this.
I have to disagree on game overhauls.
Have you ever played Nehrim or Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul ?
Now those games are in my opinion far better than oblivion itself.
Nehrim is like a game expansion never made
And OOO makes oblivion what it should have been right from the start.
you have to try those 2 out.
“Creatures from other games” once again not exactly from another game but mod called
“Mart’s Monster Mod” was really awesome for Oblivion
Yeah i agree on nude mods they get old and boring really fast.
The number one mod that i would like to see in Skyrim is:
“Drop lit torches”
Its a small really good mod that makes combat better cause you don’t have to fight in the dark.
Let me explain:
You get engaged in combat, when you equip your sword etc you will automatically drop torch on the ground.
Now you can see and fight in the dark (if you had torch lit on your hand before drawing out your sword that is
Actually MMM is one of the mods I was referring to, because it does contain Balrogs as part of its monster list.
I never have tried Nehrim, but I have been told that is a great mod before. I may give it a try to see for myself. OOO on the other hand, I have tried. It is a solid mod and I won’t say that it is really all that bad, but I personally don’t have a problem with most games in their unaltered states. Well, that is as long as the game doesn’t have serious bugs that wreak major havoc.
“Drop lit torches” was a good one. I have to agree with that. I also liked “darker nights” and “darker dungeons.” These really gave a need for the torches or nighteye in the first place!
I would prefer none. It tickles me that some people can come to the conculsion that they can do it better, or that so-and-so SHOULD be in the game. If you’re that high up on your soapbox go compile your resumé and submit it to Bethesda. The general population of PC gamers are just spoiled rotten, give me give me. sheesh
I couldn’t agree more in the long run Cameron! I always play games in their original state first. I never do cheats, or add anything extra until after I’ve beaten a game without them. I didn’t play Oblivion first on PC. I played it on PS3 and I loved it just the way it was! Curiosity, though, eventually led me to play it on PC just to see what all the fuss was about. I can see why PC gamers enjoy modding a game, but as I have said I enjoy games more in their natural state. Modding for me isn’t an absolute must. It’s more of a curiosity that I have.
I would agree with you, other than the staunch conclusion that we are spoiled rotten. Modding makes a game much more replayable and allows for creative freedom. For example, when you see Counter Strike or Counter Strike Source, those games are MODS. PC gamers are not greedy, they want to add what they would like to see, also if bethesda did not want mods they wouldn’t make a comprehensive modding tool packaged with the install of the game. It also allows more intricate specific things to be added that couldn’t be added due to time constraints of bethesda. Like spears, that would be very cool. And eventually (when these graphics are not the standard in the industry) a revamp on the textures or graphics.
All in all, i would play the game to its extent as it is, then replay it with mods and such to expand the life and fun of the game to a crazy extent, if you never had modded, i can see how you believe this but modding is probably the best addition to any game someone can add.
I would love to find a mod that gives you pieces to build your own rooms rather than fudge a player house with some of the vanilla interiors…. Castle Eltz did something very similar to what I’m talking about, each of his “rooms” were built with individual wall pieces that had actual windows which gave so much more depth to the game.
that sounds like a really awesome idea. Even to expand on that, what if you could build your own house within the game
This is a good idea! So, basically you’d have to gather all the materials in order to create your own house. I wonder if they would have to create set sizes with set amounts of materials needed, but then allow you to customize from that point?
Yeah!! and you could staff it and profit off it. And maybe integrate it into the economy eh? First you would have to buy land, then expand on that by buying labor to build the house and buy or find the material necessary from the nearby lumbur mill or stone quarry or whatnot. That would be an incredible mod!
Yeah!! and you could staff it and profit off it. And maybe integrate it into the economy eh? First you would have to buy land, then expand on that by buying labor to build the house and buy or find the material necessary from the nearby lumbur mill or stone quarry or whatnot. That would be an incredible mod!
Ah great thread but your forgot the most important mods od all in my opinion.
REAliSM MODS.
mods that turn the game into a more realistic and immersive environment.
i know its not for every1 thats why, its great as a mod so u have the choice to include it.
My mod requests would be.
>realism mods such as -needs eating sleeping drinking, if u dont do this u die or get penalized
>More realistic health and damages – so u dont hit sum1 with a sword for mins to kill em. u actually have to block the hits to save your life
>realistic injuries and diseases and bandaging
>Backpacks to carry your gear -how u can fitt all that stuff under your belt amazes me
>slow backwards running to prevent running full speed backwards to kill evry1
>unlimited NPC companions so u can get bit of a clan going
>more hot keys, use all of the keyboard instead of say 10 buttons
>map mods so i can remove the magic markers on the radar/compass
>no fast travel
>>
ah the list goes on but thatll do for now
heh jsut to add to my list id love to be able to pull out a map that looks like a map andplace markers myself instead of the old load it into my pipboy style.
being as this is an age when computing wasnt even thought of yet a bit more manual interaction with maps and having to navigate from1 like u would in the real world would be great..
but aye im getting a cloth map with my pre-ordered copy so i guess i could use that
tho id prefer not to draw all over it
I have to agree with this list in it’s entirety, but the last point was interesting I think: Game Overhauls. I enjoyed Oblivion, but overhauls made it a challenge and fun. They were necessary after a point, especially when you consider Oblivion’s age.
However, when I played Fallout I felt it was much more “balanced” than Oblivion, and I didn’t see the need for crazy new overhauls for it.
And now here comes Skyrim, and people are already looking forward to the overhauls? To me, Skyrim will BE the Oblivion overhaul that has been long overdue, and until I’ve clocked at least a hundred hours on it I see no reason to even consider such a drastic change to the game.
All that being said, certainly there will come a point when even Skyrim will start to show it’s age, and the true beauty is that in the years to come as modders perfect their Skyrim mods I’m sure we’ll see some amazing things. But hey, that’s down the road folks; I’m still totally excited about Skyrim AS IS
Fallout 4 campaign mod anyone?
The only mod I felt added gameplay was the ability to open closed oblivion gates.
Why wouldn’t you want to see armor from different games in this game? There is nothing wrong with that. You already know you’re gonna see it and a huge vast of players are gonna add it because they enjoy seeing armor from other games in this game.
I can care less what types of mods are uploaded as long as there are some I enjoy and can use. That’s all that matters!
I don’t think I’m a big fan of dragon mounts, but that’s basically just because I don’t think the species would tolerate riders in-setting. They’re smarter than simple beasts and as far as I can tell, most (save those like Akatosh) dislike the men and mer.
As for the color redux, maybe it’s just the customization fanatic I am or the fact that it isn’t too hard to conceive of people dying their cloth items more than one way, but I don’t mind it. Out-of-setting items and monsters also don’t really bother me as long as the tech level / character style matches that of the game (such as a katar that uses short blade stats and the unarmed strike animation or a bunch of nord characters loosely based off the Aesir) and it isn’t ungodly overpowered.
Game overhauls are fine, though. If a player beats most or all of the things to beat, has done all the things that interest them, etc., why not find or make another adventure for it? It’s almost like being a DM in D&D; sometimes its just fun to write up your own world, and see the players flesh out their stories within it.
I would love for there to be a mod so that I don’t have to wait for loading when I go to a different map. Is this even possible?
I would like to see cloaks and caps in skyrim
i want nude mod
Wow…what an incredibly whiny article.
Bottom line some people don’t like lime green glass armor or dragon scale armor that isn’t the same color as any dragon in the game.
You don’t have to download them.
Here’s a tip. If you want to play the game how it was “meant to be”(in your opinion only) with only proper lore Don’t ever visit PlanetElderScrolls or Nexus…Just don’t mod it, and magically, it will somehow stay the same way it was originally “meant to be” Because technically even a house existing that wasn’t there before alters the lore from what the creators made and how the game plays.
If you really *actually* wanna play a Bethesda RPG how Bethesda meant it to be played though, then no mod is a problem for you. Bethesda makes these games to be modded to hell and back, hence giving us the GECK and TES:CS. Bethesda supports modders. They give us a canvas, we do with it what we will, and everyone comes out with a little bit different game.