Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Best Graphic Mods For 2020

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a massive game with a massive fan base. Originally released in 2011, the game has seen several re-releases on different platforms and even a remaster in 2016 with Skyrim: Special Edition. Combined with its active modding community, there is a multitude of ways to enhance and improve Skyrim for a new playthrough.

But now that 2020 is upon us, Skyrim’s vanilla graphics may seem a bit outdated. So below is a list of mods that will graphically enhance the Skyrim experience. But since these are mostly third-party mods, I remind all potential downloaders to keep the following in mind:

• Please read the Installation Instructions carefully.
• Remember that not all of these Mods are compatible with each other.
• Using a Mod Manager to download these Mods is generally safer.
• Some PCs can run these Mods better than others.

Cathedral Weathers and Seasons (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

A successor to other mods like Obsidian Weathers and Aequinoctium, this mod will effect snow, rain, clouds, fog, light and much more. The aim is to provide not only aesthetically appeasing weather graphics but to simulate weather and climate variations across Skyrim by affecting weather probabilities. So not only does weather vary by region, but it also changes over the course of the year.

The mod can be found here

Skyland- A Landscape Overhaul for Skyrim (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

This mod is essentially a large texture package for most of Skyrim’s landscape. This includes handcrafted materials and photogrammetry-generated textures. These graphics are meant to look as realistic, accurate and hi-res as possible and are capable of reaching 2k resolution.

The mod can be found here

Enhanced Textures Detail (UV-Tweaks) (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

Unlike most other mods that will import new textures and meshes, this mod uses textures that already exist within the game. As such, performance loss is expected to be minimal. But it does contribute to enhancing Skyrim’s visuals by affecting the size of existing graphic patterns. That way when you get exceptionally close to an item or object then you will be less likely to see ‘smudged’ visuals.

The mod can be found here

Dragonborn HD Ultra – Volume One – Apocrypha (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

With so many mods focusing on either Skyrim’s overworld or dungeons, there are some areas in the game that feel overlooked or forgotten in the visual department. One of those areas is Apocrypha—an area that is only available with the Dragonborn DLC. Adding several HD textures for the books and statues of the area, this mod is a more than welcome visual upgrade to a dark corner of Oblivion.

The mod can be found here

Realistic Water Two (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

As the title implies, this mod seeks to graphically enhance the water in Skyrim. This includes rivers, oceans, waterfalls, marches and even blacksmith troughs. But this mod doesn’t simply give all water the same, albeit graphically enhanced, look and call it a day. Rather, this mod seeks to give certain bodies of water their own color, flow and water effects based on where they are. The player can expect brown-green ponds with still water, waving oceans and small bobbing icebergs. All in all, the mod gives water a greatly needed visual and atmospheric enhancement.

The mod can be found here

Noble Skyrim Mod HD-2K (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

Imported from classic Skyrim, Noble Skyrim is something of a community favorite with how it replaces Skyrim’s architecture with custom textures. With its obvious focus on cities and towns, these custom textures breathe new life into any new playthrough. But it also adds new textures to several other things like dungeons, clutter, etc. It even comes with a performance pack for those who want a version of the mod that is less stressful for their computer.

The mod can be found here

Skyrim Flora Overhaul SE (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

Emphasizing the plants and trees, this mod comes with several new models and textures for Skyrim’s flora. There is enough graphic variety that not only does Skyrim’s flora get a more updated feel, but players may also be able to note some subtle differences between Skyrim’s regional areas. Like how the grass in the volcanically active plains of Eastmarch differs from the grass found in the wooded areas of The Rift. There is also a trees only version for those who don’t want an overly intensive flora overhaul.

The mod can be found here

Skyrim 2020 with Parallax by Pfuscher (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

This mod is a collection of high-res textures for a multitude of objects and items. It adds fully retextured landscape, dungeons, towns and much more to give the game as a general whole a big graphical enhancement. With this mod affecting as much as it does, players can easily think of it as a graphic and visual overhaul.

The mod can be found here

Deadly Spell Impacts (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

While it is not as extensive as some of the other mods on this list, this mod still contributes to graphically enhancing the game by focusing on spells impacts. These “spell impacts” refer to the graphic effects that are left when the player is done casting a spell. So cast a frost spell leaves ice trails, fire spells leave scorch marks, etc. This mod gives these spell impacts an enhanced appearance. Complete with scorch marks, burning embers, crusted ice, etc.

The mod can be found here

Frozen Electrocuted Combustion (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

Similar to the mod above, this mod focuses on spell effects. But this mod focuses more on spell effects when an enemy is killed.  Most of the time when an enemy is killed in vanilla Skyrim they just fall down and perhaps have a temporary spell impact linger on their corpse. But if you kill with this mod, then their corpse will be drastically altered depending on which spell type the player uses. Use a soul trap spell and their bodies may appear drained of life. Use a lightning spell and bodies will likely start spasming and even exploding. Not only does it add a layer of immersion, but the effects themselves are pleasing to look at.

The mod can be found here

FleshFX (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

This mod replaces the default alteration “flesh” spell effect with a new set of visually distinct spell effects. With vanilla Skyrim basically giving all “flesh” spells the same boring green glowing effect, this mod makes it seem like the player does indeed have some material in their flesh when they cast a spell. Ironflesh, for example, will have grey particles scintillate across the player’s skin while ebony flesh has a purple metallic-looking appearance. This mod not only gives a much needed visual enhancement but also a sense of variety for an otherwise boring set of spells.

The mod can be found here

Dust Effects by HHaleyy (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

This mod simply adds HD dust effect to Skyrim, but it does wonders for improving ambiance in the game. Replacing the vanilla dust particles with more detailed flowing dust and compact dotted dust textures, this mod may prove a welcome addition to any player who wants to graphically enhance their game.

The mod can be found here

Better Dynamic Snow SE and Better Dynamic Ash SE (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

Alright so technically this entry consists of two separate mods, but they are exceptionally similar. At its base, these mods are deceptively simple. They just replace the default snow/ash shader with a dynamic shader that better applies existing snow/ash textures to Skyrim to result in a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. Even when using default vanilla textures the visual enhancement is easy to see. But when paired with a mod that adds new snow or ash textures the effects can be phenomenal.

The mod can be found here (Dynamic Snow SE) and here (Dynamic Ash SE)

LeanWolf’s Better-Shaped Weapons SE (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

Focusing on the weapons found in the game, this mod reshapes the meshes of all vanilla weapons to make them less bulky, dull or unwieldy. The result is that weapons now look more effective and even realistic when compared to their vanilla counterparts. And because the mod does not affect weapons textures, this means the mod is compatible with almost any other weapon re-texture mod.

The mod can be found here

Static Mesh Improvement-SMIM (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

This mod seeks to greatly improve the appearance of countless items in Skyrim like architecture, furniture, clutter, etc. While it was initially posted in 2016, it has since been updated several times with its latest 2018 version still being considered something of a community classic on account for how it has over 900 improved meshes that have been placed throughout the game.

The mod can be found here

Ruins Clutter Improved (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

Seeking to improve the dungeons, caverns, and ruins of Skyrim, this mod retextures most of the clutter objects found at these locations. This includes pots, sconces, candles, doors, dwemer pottery, etc. While not as vast as some of the other mods on this list, this mod nonetheless improves the appearance of dungeons which is likely where the player will spend a good amount of their time.

The mod can be found here

Sigils of Skyrim (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

Inspired from the popular Designs of the Nords mod, this mod can be considered the ultimate sigil mod with how it affects banners, cloaks, shields, and capes. All of its retextures and meshes seeks to bring a more rustic, grungy but still aesthetically appealing style for all of Skyrim’s sigils. And since it had compatibility in mind, it is capable of working alongside popular mods like Hold Border Banners and USSEP.

The mod can be found here

High Poly Project (for Skyrim: Special Edition)

This mod received its latest update in March 2020. With its beginnings in 2017, this ambitious project seeks to improve all models in the game with polygons, UV edits or just outright replacing them. It doesn’t affect all that many items (yet), but it more than makes up for that fact with how it is compatible with other major graphic mods like SMIM.

The mod can be found here

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is available on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Switch.

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