Skyrim gets some hate these days, since it was first released in 2011 and although Bethesda is supposedly working on Elder Scrolls VI, we've seen practically nothing of the game. However, you have to admit that Skyrim is still around for a reason: it's fun, especially if you mod it, and new mods get released all the time. Since Bethesda's next big open world game, Starfield, won't be released until September, I thought it'd be nice to share our favorite Skyrim mods to help deal with the wait.
I'll start with some longtime staples of mine:
Skyrim Script Extender - A prerequisite for a ton of mods. Basically, it adds commands to the game's scripting language, which allows modders to create scripts that support more situations and variables in the game, beyond what is normally possible.
SkyUI - An overhaul to the UI, which makes everything easier to navigate on PC. Also adds the Mod Configuration Menu (MCM), which is used by a ton of other mods. Todd Howard himself endorses this one.
Better Dialogue Controls - Maybe it's just me, but I constantly had issues in vanilla Skyrim with the game picking the wrong dialogue option because of some weird glitch in the UI. So, here's another UI tweak. Basic, but a real "quality of life" upgrade for me.
RaceMenu - Like SkyUI, overhauls the character creation menu and adds RGB sliders for skin color, hair color, war paint and makeup. When combined with body mesh replacing mods, such as Caliente's Beautiful Bodies Edition (CBBE), you can also tweak specific body parts to do things like give female Nord and Orc warriors actual muscles. We start to cross into NSFW territory real fast with this one, though.
Apocalypse - Magic of Skyrim - Adds a few dozen spells to the game, greatly expanding the relatively limited amount of spells found in vanilla Skyrim. This is especially true for Master-level spells.
Naturally, there are mods that upgrade the textures to 2k or 4k, as well as ENB, which is a resource-heavy overhaul to the lighting in the game. I don't currently have a favorite texture pack or ENB though, since new ones come out on a fairly regular basis and I like to experiment with new configurations.
Anyway, that's enough from me. Looking forward to seeing other peoples' favorites!
This is quite tough, personally if anyone want tos try out an expansive amount of Skyrim mods I recommend Wabbajack. It allows you to install modlists that are quite expansive and well put together. I used to manually mod my Skyrim back in the day but this is leagues ahead of what I could ever have done.
For singular mods/adds
ENB Boris, the guy in charge of this is a Russian reactionary dude who has some very unkind thoughts about anyone who is not straight. He can be a massive asshole at any and all times. The problem with this is however how brilliant ENB is, anytime you have ever seen a hyper modded great looking Skyrim it's not just the 4k textures doing the heavy lifting. I guarantee it's ENB that really makes it pop out. I really wish Boris would just idk calm down and chill out, but it doesn't seem likely. You can like the work without supporting the artist of course but just keep this in mind about him.
Project AHO Arguably my favourite quest mod for Skyrim, if you liked Morrowind and felt Solstheim wasn't really scratching that itch then you might love this. It really harkens back to old 3rd era Morrowind, the basics of the story is that there is a settlement of House Telvanni, Sedrith Kegran, hidden in Skyrim. You are enslaved and brought there and then begin to work your way up finding out that Sedrith Kegran is attached to a Dwemer ruin with a powerful Dwemer device of some kind powered by Aetherium. I love this mod for many reasons but mainly the setting, story and rewards. This mod is quite kind with what it offers you, which is imo fair because this mod also demands a sacrifice from your character. As a slave you won't be leaving Sedrith Kegran easily any time soon, so it order to justify the lack of freedom and time spent the mod offers great rewards.
Clockwork Another quest mod, I try not to spoil much about this one but the brass tacks is you head through a passage in the Velothi mountains upon reading the note of a treasure hunter/bandit that attacks you. All is not as it seems. Warning whilst this mod is generally quite a normal romp through Skyrim, it demands isolation, no companions, and the first part of the mod can be quite scary. It's the best attempt at horror I've seen in Skyrim to this day and I've played a fair few mods in my time. But honestly give this one a shot, it comes with a great home as a reward at the end.
ENB might be the most popular postprocessing tool, but it's not the only one. Alternatives include ReShade and vkBasalt.