There will likely be a few expected choices as well as some headscratchers. If you haven’t played any of these mods or only a few, they may turn out to be a few hidden gems worth looking into. 

10. Immersive Armors

Coming in at #10, we have Immersive Armors. Many in the modding community have used this awesome mod and. As such, it is likely not a surprise for many who have been playing the game for a while. 

 Immersive Armors retextures many of the more commonly seen armors globally, giving them a more immersive look while also appearing completely stunning. The mod also adds several brand new armor options while giving them to numerous NPCs throughout the Dragonborn’s journey.

9. Alternate Start – Live Another Life

 Another excellent mod that won’t be too surprising for many players, Alternate Start – Live Another Life is, as the name implies, an alternative start to the game’s intro. Rather than being moved into Helgen as a prisoner destined for execution, this mod gives you many alternative beginnings. For example, you could start the game as a new member of a guild, a soldier in one of the two warring armies, an adventurer from another land, and many more, making the game as straightforward or as difficult as you’d like.

 One reason it is so widely received is due to the many supporting mods connected to it. Numerous additional alternate starts to even alternate starts to other mods in the community, creating an in-depth experience that many players love. 

8. Enhanced Blood Textures

At number 8, we have Enhanced Blood Textures. While not nearly as initially impressive as the earlier two, this mod has a lot of versatility while adding to the overall immersion of the game. 

 Like Immersive Armors, Enhanced Blood Textures improves much of the blood splatter and overall look of blood in the game. Now, whenever fighting an enemy, sharp or bladed weapons will leave a blood splatter of varying sizes based on the weapon. Two-handed swords leave huge swaths of blood while daggers only a relatively small pool. 

 What makes this mod so impressive is its continued progressive updates as well as incredibly long life. Not only are updates coming out for this mod even as recent as late 2020, but the mod itself first arrived for players as early as 2011, a day after Skyrim was first released. There’s no wonder why it’s made it so far on this list. 

7. APACHIISKYHAIR

An exciting ranking at #7, APACHIISKYHAIR is a hair mod that adds numerous additional hair model options for the player to choose from. Many of these hair options come from earlier games such as Oblivion, while others come from other games like the Witcher or the Sims. 

Besides its overall simplicity, one of the reasons this has made it so far up on this list is. Because many other visual character mods require this mod to be installed as a base, for example, if a mod creates a potential follower option or recreates a preset character for you to play, you’ll often have to play with this mod added. 

6. CBBE

 A bit of an expected option for those that enjoy beautiful women, CBBE comes in at the 6th spot. This mod allows you to fully customize the attractiveness of the various female inhabitants of Skyrim, including your character. This ranges from exceptionally smooth and beautiful skin to much more potentially exaggerated body proportions. 

 Besides the attractiveness that it grants the female characters in the game, one of the main reasons it has so many downloads is the extensive amount of customization to the player for both their character and others. For many, the more they can affect and control the Skyrim world, it’s only natural for them to become more engaged with it. 

5. A Quality World Map

 A Quality World Map does what its name implies, making it take a definite spot in our Top 5. Replete with a variety of different map options for you to view, this mod dramatically improves the standard vanilla World Map in the game. Not only is it much more detailed in appearance, but you can observe various connecting roads throughout the northern province as well as the option to look through Skyrim with a more Tolkein-esque visual paper appearance. 

4. Skyrim HD – 2K Textures

 Now nearing the Top 3, we have Skyrim HD – 2K Textures. This mod is, for many, a must-have due to the immense amount of quality textures it gives the game. Especially if you’ve been playing the standard vanilla version, 2K Textures has been shown to utterly transform the visual experience for many players, reaching well over 20 million downloads. 

 That said, despite its incredible popularity and amazingly high downloads, the mod itself is a bit dated and arguably a hard sell for most people coming into Skyrim in 2021. This is mainly due to it only being available on the original version of Skyrim and not the later editions. Not only that, but its most recent update was in 2015, meaning that it’s likely dead at this point. Still, one can’t help but respect the level of popularity this mod had and what it inspired others even to this day. 

3. Unofficial Skyrim Patch

At number 3 with just under 25 million downloads, the Unofficial Skyrim Patch is the definitive evidence that preempted Skyrim Special Edition. Available on virtually all versions of the game, Unofficial Skyrim Patch fixes many of the bugs and issues Bethesda was unable to resolve. This has resulted in many, many people downloading this mod across every platform available. For many, it is another “must-have” mod requirement, ensuring that the game runs as smoothly and bug-free as possible. 

2. Fores New Idles in Skyrim

 Now for the runner-up for most downloaded mods throughout the time of Skyrim, Fores New Idles in Skyrim comes in at just over 27 Million downloads and is only available for the original version of the game as well as Skyrim Special Edition. 

What makes this mod so appealing and has resulted in it doing so well over the years is that it allows for custom animations for your character when performing various tasks. This can vary from seeing your character eat foods, fighting while using different weapons and fighting styles, and even accentuating character physics. It is incredibly versatile and is often used as the foundational springboard for numerous other mods out there. 

1. SkyUI

Coming in at our #1 most downloaded mod is none other than the great behemoth itself, SkyUI. With over 30 million downloads to date, this incredible mod essentially overhauls the clunky and annoying vanilla inventory menu. It allows for items to be easily categorized and available by scrolling through your options. This is used for all menus, from standard inventory to NPC inventory and trading options to even magic. 

SkyUI is something that nearly every PC player using mods will pick up and is available on every platform save consoles. Its incredible versatility and easy interface work well with tons of other mods, making it a foundation point for virtually any customizing mod out there. And it is because of this that it takes the top spot in most downloaded Skyrim Mods ever. 

Starting with one of the more unsightly aspects of Skyrim, Majestic Mountains does what many don’t consider. While there are many different mods to add textures to water and lightning, very few mods make a point of fixing the mountainous ranges throughout Skyrim. Majestic Mountain does just that. 

This mod adds textures and details to rocks, hills, and (of course) mountains and mountain ranges all across Skyrim. Clouds are now more transparent, allowing you to see through them easier. Simultaneously, rocky crags are more pronounced and defined, meaning that manipulating the vanilla’s shoddy appearance to jump through will be largely reduced, forcing a more immersive and realistic playthrough as a result. 

At first blush, this may seem like a bit too much praise for a single mod that only does a single thing. However, once you’ve installed it, you will not be able to go back to looking at the very “gamey” mountains in the vanilla version again. 

• Majestic Mountains – Cathedral Concept

Static Mesh Improvement Mod – SMIM

 Another criminally underrated mod, Static Mesh Improvement Mod, or SMIM, is a visual mod that alters the static models found throughout Skyrim, such as fences, tables, chairs, and other like objects. 

Again, like Majestic Mountains, upon first seeing it, one might doubt its place on this list of the best visual mods to install, especially when considering the more well-known graphical options presented. However, while many of those mods are excellent (with some even being on this list), they do not fundamentally change the more static and foundational items in the game, instead of keeping them largely the same with only a few tweaks. 

SMIM entirely revamps these items so that they are fully immersed in the gameplay. This means that standard objects will appear as realistic standard objects rather than excessively beautiful or slightly better vanilla versions. 

• Static Mesh Improvement Mod – SMIM

Realistic Water Two (SE)

Next up on the list is Realistic Water Two. This is likely going to be much less contentious, as even a cursory glance between the vanilla version and this modded version is miles apart in terms of quality. While the Special Edition of Skyrim certainly made some improvements to the water visuals, they still largely share many of the same runny aspects that pull at their overall enjoyability and appearance. 

Realistic Water Two handles all of these issues beautifully by making the water appear like, well… water. 

• Realistic Water Two SE

DynDOLOD

If Realistic Water Two was understandable, then DynDOLOD is downright expected when discussing essentials for the Skyrim visual experience. This mod adds details to Skyrim’s landscape’s far-off parts, effectively cutting pop-in models by a huge margin.  

Not only that, but depending on your settings, DynDOLOD can be incredibly forgiving to your overall processing power while still making the game look amazing. While all of these mods are essentials, DynDOLOD causes the world to feel much more real and less like a video game. 

• DynDOLOD

ENB

For anyone that has heard of ENB, everything you’ve heard about it is true. In terms of turning your Skyrim world into a customizable wonderland to fit your prerequisites, ENB doesn’t have an equal. If you want a Skyrim experience that feels much more in line with Dungeons & Dragons, you can do it. If you want an experience that is considerably more horror-filled, you can do it. If you want something that plays like it’s straight from a Fantasy film, you can do that too. 

 Unlike all the other mods on this list, ENB offers the player complete control over their overall visual experience. We’ve included a more enhanced version of the vanilla Skyrim as a preset, so you know what you’re getting into, but be sure to play around with it and experiment. You may find a look at Skyrim that truly feels right to you. 

• ENB – Enhanced Vanilla Preset

Noble Skyrim Mod HD – 2K

 Next on the list is Noble Skyrim Mod HD -2K. This visual mod completely alters the look and textures of various architectures throughout the northern province. These can range from homes and buildings to caves and mines as well. 

What makes this mod so great is that, while it already works well when combined with the previously mentioned mods, it also works excellently on its own, making buildings much more realistic in appearance. Particularly when combined with SMIM, this mod completely turns homes and buildings into truly breathtaking structures that you won’t want to leave. If you combine this with ENB, you’ll feel like you’re in a fantasy home. 

• Noble Skyrim Mod HD – 2K

Vivid Weathers Definitive Edition

For those that wish that the weather looked a bit more realistic and immersive, Vivid Weathers Definitive Edition is probably what you need. This mod does exactly as its name implies by making all the weather in Skyrim much more vivid. Cloudy nights while raining will appear much more grayed and depressing, while cloudlessly sunny days will appear much brighter. 

While not a particularly essential mod in itself, this mod works exceptionally as a supplement to many of the other mods we’ve talked about already. 

• Vivid Weathers Definitive Edition

Enhanced Lights & FX

 Enhanced Lights & FX is a less intensive version of ENB. Don’t let that confuse you into believing this mod is subpar by any means. While ENB is something of the “gold standard” of lighting and effects throughout Skyrim, it can be equally daunting and intimidating for those who don’t need nearly as many alterations in their game. 

 Enhanced Lights & FX can create beautiful and immersive lighting effects that will draw you into the game to a degree you didn’t think possible. What’s more, it does all of this with a comparatively minimalist menu screen compared to ENB, meaning that you can get much of the same effects without nearly as much experimentation and potential frustration. 

• Enhanced Lights & FX

Skyrim Flora Overhaul SE

Skyrim Flora Overhaul SE dramatically improves the forest overgrowth throughout Skyrim, giving the game a decidedly more “chaotic” look and appearance. Unlike in the vanilla version of the game, which feels like a forest-lite experience, this mod turns the northern lands into something truly still part of nature and much more fantastical and fantasy-like as a consequence. 

 This mod gives over 18 different new tree models and over 65 new plants and grass types to wander through. Trees are much taller, with forests feeling old.

• Skyrim Flora Overhaul SE

Total Character Makeover

 Finally, we have Total Character Makeover. This mod gives not only gives you several different additional face options to choose from when starting the game, but it also overhauls all of the NPC characters, giving them much more appealing faces and appearances. 

 The reason this mod is here two-fold. The main reason it is here is that this is an excellent base mod for character faces in the game as a jumping-off point. While there are certainly others out there that are better, this mod is one of the only ones that work well independently. 

 The secondary reason references the first. This mod is often a requirement for many of the other NPC face models as a solid foundation. Because of this, not only is it a considerable upgrade from the vanilla version, but it will be the foundation point in which most other mods operate to make faces even better. 

• Total Character Makeover

Starting out, we have Dual Wield Parrying. This mod does as the name suggests by allowing you to block even while using both hands. Unlike in the vanilla Skyrim, where you’d need one hand free or holding a shield, this mod allows you to defend if you are using a secondary weapon, casting spells with your free hand, or even holding a staff. The mod works well for adding a bit of logical realism to the game by designating a secondary button to block.  

Despite its simple nature, depending on the difficulty (as well as many of the other mods on this list and beyond), being able to block despite holding another item not only makes logical sense but can be a lifesaver. 

9. Battle Fatigue & Injuries

Next up is Battle Fatigue & Injuries. This mod takes realism to a whole new level, forcing you to treat every combat experience with extreme caution and care before engaging. 

When in combat, if you take a large amount of damage in a relatively short amount of time, this mod will cause you to suffer additional debuffs to your character. Such as reducing your ability to perform Pick-pocketing, Archery, or use a one-handed weapon if, for example, your arm is injured. As you continue to fight, even if you are using potions, your character will slowly become more and more fatigued, suffering slower movement and reduced Stamina. Thankfully, this ability works on opponents as well. 

Ultimately, while certainly an exhausting gameplay mechanic, this adds a level of realism and difficulty to the combat that it’ll feel oddly lacking when playing the standard version again. 

8. Violens

This next mod, Violens, is pretty cool overall. It unlocks all of the kill moves throughout the game for both ranged as well as melee combat. This mod will allow you to determine how often you get to see the killing move during combat. You can have it range from every single time you kill an opponent, only after the last opponent in a group is killed.

All in all, it’s just a super wholesome mod that everyone can enjoy.

7. Combat Behavior Improved

An exciting mod that greatly improves the overall enjoyment and fluidity of combat gameplay. The Combat Behavior Improved mod allows for both the player and the NPCs to interrupt their melee attacks, opening up several different options for feints, fast blocks and quick parries, to name a few. 

This is particularly great as it allows enemy NPCs to come across as considerably smarter without using complicated scripts or fully installed character animations. 

 If you want an easy and fun way to add complexity to combat, this is a must-have mod to get. 

6. Action Combat

An excellent mod that adds numerous small immersive bonuses and, seemingly, complete combat prefigurations, Action Combat helps make every battle considerably more exciting and fun. 

With this mod in place, many things taken for granted in vanilla Skyrim will be brought into reexamination. Things like dodging and blocking are more realistic, with the attacker being slightly pushed back and virtually all direct hits resulting in the person getting staggered. There are many, many additions to this mod, but you get the point. 

5. ASIS

Without a doubt, one of the more essential mods on this list, ASIS, removes all of the unfair advantages that the player has over the NPC. Now, random enemies will be able to use potions to regain their health in combat, have a wider variety of spells based on their class, and even have access to the same additional spells you may have installed from other mods. 

Essentially, it turns every battle with an opponent into a mini PVP matchup, where you will have to “be better” than them. 

Again, it may seem a bit daunting initially, but you honestly won’t want to play the standard version ever after playing it. 

4. Revenge of the Enemies

 Revenge of the Enemies is a combat mod that ultimately makes every situation a much more challenging and difficult one. Enemy combatants will use everything they have to beat you in a fight, including changing their fighting stance, using all the spells in their arsenal, and using any items they may have in their inventory. 

If ASIS made enemies comparable to PVP matchups, Revenge of the Enemies makes all your opponents Boss-level. For those that want a real kick into high gear, consider combining the two and seeing if you deserve the title of Dragonborn. 

3. Combat Evolved

 Coming in at #3 is the mod, Combat Evolved. This mod is another powerful addition towards indeed increasing the NPC enemies’ skills and abilities around you. They will now fight much more strategically, whether in groups or on their own. As an example, whereas in vanilla Skyrim, the enemies will often lower their guard after swinging, almost asking for you to kill them, in Combat Evolved, they will treat their own life as if it’s essential, keeping their guard up at all times. 

Not only does this further make enemies much more intelligent fighters, but it does so on its own as well as in addition to any of the other mods listed. If, for example, you had both ASIS and Revenge of the Enemies installed as well as Combat Evolved, your opponents would work in tandem with one another. You were using their abilities whenever your flank was open while always being willing to down a health potion to stay alive in the fight. 

If you feel you cannot perform under stressful combat scenarios or don’t like for an opponent to fight you with the same intelligence as you have, you’re probably not going to like this mod. 

2. Archery Gameplay Overhaul

Suppose you’ve always enjoyed playing an Archer but felt that there were a few critical points about Skyrim’s gameplay that held the experience back. In that case, Archery Gameplay Overhaul is the perfect mod for you. 

As the name states, this mod completely overhauls gameplay for Archers, making the animations much more exciting and visually appealing. Now, you’ll feel like a ranged hunter as the method for drawing, walking, and even bashing with a bow have been completely reworked. Also, third-person gameplay has been refigured as well, with the camera moving over the shoulder rather than directly behind the player. 

There are many different and exciting aspects to this mod overhaul that ultimately make an Archer more fun than it’s ever been. You really will need to get it for yourself to find out. 

1. Deadly Combat

 And taking the top spot as the #1 combat mod is Deadly Combat. This mod completely overhauls many of vanilla Skyrim’s most significant combat flaws and instead revamps them entirely. For one, the game rebalances many of the vanilla’s stats, making it all-around a more rewarding experience for skilled players. Attacks now do more damage to both you and the NPC as well as stagger when hit. To accommodate this, players are encouraged to master blocking (like in actual combat) while punished for merely holding the block button indefinitely through a Stamina cost. 

Enemies are the smartest with this mod and will become just about high-tier player level when used in conjunction with the other earlier mentioned mods.  

The mod does so much that it’s challenging to do it justice. The best way I can describe it is that if you’re looking for a true “Dark Souls” type of experience, you’ll get this mod and supplement it with ASIS and a few of the others. 

Interestingly enough, however, one method that isn’t talked about nearly as much as the others is that of the Unarmed fighting style. It’s no secret that swinging enchanted swords or casting devastating spells can be fun, but so too can pummeling a person with your bare hands before performing a suplex. 

Here, we’ve created the Best Unarmed Build guide for those that aren’t afraid to punch a dragon square in the snout or play as your favorite martial art fighter. We’ll be going over everything you’ll need to make the most powerful character never to wield a sword. From your character’s race to their skill focus to even their armor type, this is the one-stop-shop for your bashing needs.

Race

First thing’s first, you’re going to have to determine what race your character is. Now, while one might instinctively consider the Orsimer Orcs, the Redguard, or even the Nord to act as a viable combatant option, you’d be wrong. 

The best-unarmed combatant race, by far, is the Khajiit. 

Yeap, you heard that right. The furry, sneaky cat people are described as super thieves and assassins. Those are the number one-hitters when it comes to hitting. 

This is because the Khajiit has a unique racial ability known as Claws, which essentially gives them a +12 on all unarmed attacks. Not only that, but, as Beastfolk, the Khajiit have an additional +10 to their unarmed attacks similar to the Argonians. If you’re counting, that means these mean kitties have an insane +22 to all their hits. To put into context, the Dragonbone sword, the most powerful weapon in the game, in its standard base state, +15 points of damage. 

Yeah… and that’s before you even leave Helgen. 

Sidenote: Just so you are all fully aware, every other race has an unarmed attack of +4. Argonians are a distant 2nd as their racial bonus bumps them to a +14, but yeah, it really is no competition. 

Armor

When it comes to what you will want to be wearing, it may seem crazy considering your character’s race, but you’ll want to be completely outfitted in Heavy Armor. 

Heavy Armor has several different benefits for an Unarmed Build (some of which we’ll get into during the Skills & Perks section). Still, the main one is that Heavy Armor dramatically improves your defense much more than any other base armor type. 

Unlike other methods of combat, you’re going to be right in your opponent’s face, punching with reckless abandon. That means you’re pretty much leaving yourself open to longer-reach sword strikes, ranged attacks from their allies, and hard-hitting blunt strikes from hammers. If you don’t have enough padding between you and their hits, it doesn’t matter how hard you can throw a punch. 

Skills & Perks

Heavy Armor

As mentioned earlier, you’re going to want to be outfitted in Heavy Armor. Because of that, and the fact that there is no Unarmed skill tree, you’ll want to divert as much of your time building up the Heavy Armor Skill Tree. Through this, you’ll become that much sturdier and faster, as many Heavy Armor perks reduce the weight of Heavy Armor. 

The other factor that makes Heavy Armor and the Heavy Armor Skill Tree so vital is the perk, Fists of Steel. This perk adds the armor rating of your Heavy Armor gauntlets to your unarmed damage. That means, as an example, if a set of gauntlets had an armor rating of +10. Your overall total damage would go from +22 to +32, putting your little fists on par with some of the more powerful weapons in the game. 

One-Handed

So, before anyone gets their hopes up, this is more for a practical aspect rather than for any direct stat increase. If you’d like, you can honestly skip this and still be largely on track in terms of One-shotting pretty much everyone you fight. 

If you do want to maximize your damage and take your killer blows to the next level, however, there are a few skills you’ll want to grab from here. 

First, you’ll want to grab Dual Flurry and max it out. This will allow you to swing dual-handed “weapons” from 20% to 35% faster than normal. Specifically referring to your fists, that means you’ll be able to fire off those +32 punches 35% faster than before when “actually trying”. 

The next skill you’ll want to get is the Dual Savagery perk. This perk will allow you to perform an extra 50% damage when pulling off a dual power attack. 

So in mathematical gamer speak, if we use the earlier +10 for the gauntlets to get the +32 points of damage per fist, you’ll be doing +48 damage with Dual Savagery. This is multiplied by 4 when you factor in Dual Flurry, bringing your total damage output to 192 damage. 

Yeah, that’s a lot of damage. 

The one downside is that you’ll have to invest some time training your One-Handed skill as unarmed attacks don’t affect it. A good method is to find various trainers in the world and pay them to train up your skill. You can also spend some time cutting away at your friend during the initial escape from Helgen, as this will allow you to level up your one-handed while not having to worry about playing the actual game with anything but your hardened knuckles.

Enchanted Items

Next up on our quest to become the true One Punch Man, you’ll need to get the Gloves of the Pugilist. These are located in The Ratway under Riften and are worn by Gian the Fist. Kill him and obtain the fur gauntlets for yourself. These gauntlets have the Fortify Unarmed enchantment on them and grant you a +10 when fighting while unarmed. These are the only Fortify Unarmed items in the game, so you must collect them. Luckily you aren’t going to be wearing them just yet since, as they are now, they’d largely just get in your way. 

Next, you’ll head to the nearest Enchanting station and disenchant the gauntlets, teaching you the ability. Make sure you have a high enough Enchantment level (through normal progressive use or by stacking Enchantment Elixers) before enchanting both your current heavy armor gauntlets as well as a ring. You ideally want it above a +10, though even that is fine considering how much damage you’ll be doing. 

Because of the effects of Fortify Unarmed stack on both your gauntlet and your ring, if we low-ball it to the +10 damage, that means you’ll be doing an additional +20 points of damage per swing. When used in conjunction with Dual Savagery, this turns your initial +48 to +78, while your Dual Flurry makes this a whopping 312 damage! Again, this is with slightly above average armor gauntlets with slightly above average Fortify Unarmed enchantments. This means your strength is actually on the lower end of what it could potentially become. 

At this point, even with the 312 damage, you are stronger than pretty much any enemy in the game and can make short work of all but the most powerful opponents. Congratulations. 

But we’re not done quite yet.  

Dragon Shouts

 Like I said earlier, at 312 damage, you’re more powerful than “all but the most powerful of opponents”. If you want to cross that threshold and truly get to the point where your fists alone are enough to slay Giants and murder Dragons, it may be worth it to consider learning these Dragon Shouts. 

Dragon Aspect Shout

Found in the Dragonborn DLC, the Dragon Aspect Shout, when fully learned, will grant the Dragonborn an additional 25% to their power attacks. This means you’re now doing a total of 390 damage after everything is factored in. 

Marked for Death Shout

Next, the Marked for Death Shout is found in the Autumnwatch Tower, Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary, and the Forsaken Cave. When fully active, this shout causes the target to lose health and suffer an armor penalty progressively every second for a total of 60 seconds. At full strength, this shout will take 180 points off of their health and incur a 4500 penalty on their armor over a 60 second period. 

This works on any enemy in the game, from the lowly bandit to Alduin himself, and effectively means you truly can tear just about anything apart with your fists with no difficulty. When combined with the Dragon Aspect Shout and all the other perks, you will have no rival. 

1. Ancient Shrouded Armor

It is an ultimate armor with an extremely high armor rating. The set is like a combination of Scaled Armor, Glass Armor, and Dragonscale Armor but way better. When all pieces are worn, the armor rating will further increase by 25. It can be acquired by joining the quest “Locate the Assassin of Old.”

2. Nightingale Armor

It is a symbolic armor to the Nightingales, a secret inner circle dedicated to the Daedric Prince Nocturnal. This can be acquired in “Trinity Restored,” a quest wherein the Dragonborn must join the Nightingales. Since the armor is already leveled, its enchantments and value will be subjected to the character’s level and skill.

3. Dragonscale Armor

It is an armor made of dragon scales and grants protection against poison. Each piece can be found or looted around level 50. In forging the armor, you will first need to acquire the Dragon Armor perk, which requires a smithing skill of at least 100. Compared to Glass Armor, the Dragonscale Armor is heavier and has a much higher armor rating.

4. Deathbrand Armor

It is an armor worn by the legendary Haknir Death-Brand. This Stalhrim light armor set’s unique pieces can only be acquired in the quest “Deathbrand.” This armor can rank higher than Daedric armor, given that the whole set is worn. It can increase your stamina by 15, carrying capacity by 10, while causing 10% more damage to enemies. It can also grant you water-breathing when the helm is worn.

5. Guild Master’s Armor

It is an upgraded version of the Thieves Guild Armor. The armor itself has an additional 50 points carrying capacity. Other pieces include boots, gloves, and hood. The boots render a pickpocket success of 35%. Its gloves can make lockpicking easier by 35%. The hood will increase your skill of persuasion by 20%. You will see this armor in Riften worn by Brynjolf, Delvin Mallory, and Vex but without the hood.

6. Ancient Falmer Armor

It is a unique armor with bat patterns, Celtic knots, and an ancient Falmer crown that completes its feature. The armor can only be acquired from the quest “Touching the Sky.” There, you can loot the armor from Arch-Curate Vyrthur after killing him in battle. To double its armor rating, forge its pieces with a refined moonstone at a workbench.

7. Armor of The Old Gods

It is a special set of Forsworn armor that can be acquired as a reward from Kaie, the Forsworn leader. You can earn it after helping Madanach in the quest quest “No One Escapes Cidhna Mine.” Just like the Stormcloak Officer Armor, you also need to improve your smithing skill to over 100 before you can forge it.

8. Chitin Armor

It is a set of armor that is usually found in Solstheim. There are two variations of this armor, namely, Morag Tong Armor and Chitin Heavy Armor. The armor resembles the giant western fiery chiton, a mollusk with eight armored plates common in the north Pacific Ocean.

9. Stormcloak Officer Armor

It is a set of light armor that Stormcloak captains usually wear. There are a few ways for you to acquire this armor. First, by taking part in the “The Battle for Fort Snowhawk.” After completing the quest, Ulfric Stormcloak will reward you if you chose to join the rebellion. Another is if you fight for the Imperial Legion in the “Battle for Whiterun.” There, you may plunder the armor from the corpses of dead Stormcloak generals. You may also acquire this armor in other quests, like “Battle for Windhelm,” “Hail Sithis!,” and “Siege on the Dragon Cult.” Since it is the armor of Stormcloak Officers, expect it to have a higher armor rating. To forge it, you need to improve your smithing skill to over 100.

10. Elven Armor

It is a set of light armor that Thalmor soldiers usually wear. There are two variations of this armor: the Elven Armor and the Elven Light Armor. The first variant consists of armor, boots, gauntlets, helmet, and shields. You can start finding these pieces at random once you hit level 12. The pieces of the second variant will start dropping at level 13. If you want a stronger Elven Armor, you may purchase a cuirass called Elven Gilded Armor. It looks the same as the Elven Armor but with a higher armor rating. When you reach the level of 30, the armor has to be forged using either refined moonstone, quicksilver ingot, leather strips, or iron ingot.

It modifies the war maidens, wives, and Bijin NPCs into making them more beautiful than ever. The high-quality faces of the women in this mod will take your breath away. Serana is one of the few known pure-blood vampires and arguably the most popular NPC in the game. You may notice that she has different stunning looks, that is because you have the option to make your alterations of Serana. In this mod, you may select the perfect look that you like in this adored vampire. Enhancements include Lydia, Iona, Aela, Jordis, Mjoll, Uthgerd, Freya, Ria, and Njada.

2. The Ordinary Women

It is a mod that enhances the appearances of over 60 NPCs all over Riverwood, Whiterun, Riften, Windhelm, Winterhold, Morthal, Solitude, and Markath. The Ordinary Women mod can add delight as you travel all across Skyrim as it beautifies almost all the women you will encounter. Compared to Bijin Warmaidens, this mod is more immersive and lore-friendly, but merging both will be a powerful combination as it can transform over a hundred NPCs in the game.

3. Seranaholic

If you can not get over Serana, why not embrace her even more by enhancing her features into something even more spectacular. Many choose her as a follower and even more prefers to have her as a wife. You can choose how beautiful your Serana will appear by customizing her hair, eyes, and even facial expressions with this mod. Not only that, but you can also enhance Serana’s mother and choose your preferred look for her.

4. The Men of Winter

Now that you have enhanced all the women in Skyrim, why not improve some of the male NPCs, as well? The Men of Winter is a standalone mod, and it will not need any other mods to function. The enhancements are more focused on the significant male NPCs like Athis, Balgruuf the Greater, Erik/Erik the Slayer, Farkas, Golldir, Emperor Titus Mede II, Vorstag, and others. It grants them firmer and immersive facial features that only enhance their warrior status.

5. RS Children Overhaul

The enhancements that you will bring to the game will never be complete without this mod. If you notice, the children in Skyrim look rather odd, definitely unrealistic. To make the game more immersive, children also have to look realistic, just like all the rest in Skyrim. This mod breathes a new life to these children by making them appear better than ever. Having this mod will make you feel the need to adopt your children to create a beautiful Skyrim family.

6. Enhanced Character Edit

If you dream of creating a almost entirely your character, then this mod is for you. It features over 30 pairs of eyes, nose, and lips to humans, elves, and orcs. You may also select their skin, hair, and facial expressions. With its multiple new sliders, you can surely create your very own character that you can be proud of.

7. Beards

Beard is a unique feature of a warrior, and it is associated with strength. It undeniably grants its wearer masculinity. In this light, why not add a bit of texture to your great warrior with the use of this popular mod? It adds a highly detailed beard to the male characters and a must-have mod for a more realistic game.

8. Northborn Scars

Scars are seen as badges of honor which make those who have them look stronger and sexier. This mod gives your characters that badass scarred look in the most detailed way possible. You will not be considered a warrior if you don’t have scars. The best thing is, the mod has scars available for both men and women warriors in Skyrim. Grant your characters these true marks of a warrior that you can customize. There are over 20 selections that you can select, from gashes to burn; this mod has so much to offer for variety.

One note to consider before we begin. This list is meant primarily for Skyrim Special Edition. As such, it is essential to consider that, while some may work for the original version of the game, there may be performance issues or potential crashes when installing or playing with the standard version of Skyrim. 

1. USSEP, SMIM, RCI

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Arguably the foundation for which all these other mods will work, these three mods (USSEP, SMIM, and RCI) are realistically the first ones you should be getting, acting as the core basics for which all these other mods will build upon. 

2. Pfuscher Textures

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An outstanding balance between photo imagery and realism, the Pfuscher Texture Mods significantly improves Skyrim’s minor day-to-day items throughout the world. Now, when you look at a door or a pillar or a rock on the ground, it won’t appear as if it’s part of something on the ground but something that exists in the real Skyrim world. 

3. Realistic Water Two

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Arguably one of the best, if not best, mods for water in all of the Skryim modding community, Realistic Water Two looks gorgeous. Compared to the standard vanilla version of the game (and even some of the other better-looking water mods out there), Realistic Water Two (RWT) amazingly stunning and makes water look like… well, water. 

4. Enhanced Vanilla Trees

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Similar to the RWT mod, Enhanced Vanilla Trees (EVT) has plenty of worthy competition in the modding world. That said, of them all, only EVT effectively balances true realism and beauty while also keeping true to the immersive original look found in the vanilla game. 

A great way to consider it is that this mod “enhances” the standard vanilla trees rather than overhauls them. (Kind of like how the name implies)

5. Northern Grass

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That is just inescapable because Skyrim SE does not have a huge number of grass mods like the original or the Legendary Edition. That said, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any gems available. 

Northern Grass is an excellent choice as it pulls from several other beautiful grass mods and fits them for the SE version of the game. The grass is lore-friendly to their specific area while being very dense overall. 

6. Blended Roads

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An immersive mod that works well with pretty much every mod on this list, Blended Roads is excellent while maintaining much of the intended lore and presentation of the worn, bumpy roads of Skyrim.

7. Enhanced Lights & FX (ELFX)

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Both large in scope and detailed in design, the ELFX mod significantly improves all of Skryim’s lighting quality. From dungeons and homes to taverns and the outdoor lightings, this mod makes everything much more realistic and at a higher overall quality, especially when compared to the standard vanilla version. 

8. Obsidian Weathers & Seasons

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Obsidian Weathers & Seasons does precisely what its name implies. Enhancing the innate weather and seasons in Skyrim, this mod ensures realistic looking rain and snow and beautiful sunrises and sunsets, to name a few. 

The great thing about this mod is that it does all of this while still staying very close to the original Skyrim settings, something that other mods, while excellent in their way, do not do. 

9. Minty Lighting & Wonders of Weather

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A smaller yet highly immersive mod addition, both Minty Lighting and Wonders of Weather add light touches to your Skyrim experience through highly detailed lighting strikes during storms or subtle rainbows during rainy seasons. 

10. Rustic Texture Series

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Another stellar mod that adds a powerful sense of immersion to the game, Rustic Textures, makes dozens and dozens of different items in Skyrim feel as if they are real. This mod will make you feel like you can reach through the screen and touch it from health potions to windows. 

11. FrankFamily Textures

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If you want to enjoy 3rd person perspective while playing the game, you’ll want to get the FrankFamily Textures mod. This turns all armor sets virtually into beautiful pieces of art by merely retexturing them. A great example that looks amazing is the Nightingale Armor. This excellent armor design is made to feel like it’s meant for a movie or high scale cutscene through their work. 

12. Kajuan Textures

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If FrankFamily is the master of armor textures, then Kajuan is the god of creature textures. This mod turns standard-looking Skeletons, Draugrs, Giants, and Trolls (to name a few) into terrifying yet stunning visual works. 

13. High Poly Project

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This smaller mod is another fixated on turning mundane items throughout the world into miniature works of art. This mod helps transform the little things from pieces of lettuce to wine and beer bottles to pieces of garlic and wooden plates.

14. Skyrim “3D” Series

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Especially noticeable in Skyrim SE, many objects, despite being “3D”, come across as more than a bit flat. With the Skyrim “3D” Series mods, numerous items like smithing tables, cooking pots, stone walls, and many others will appear much fuller and real to the touch while playing the game. 

15. ElSopa Textures

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A great lore-friendly mod, ElSopa Textures works on tons of different small items in the world while giving them some fantastic textures. One of the most widely discussed beautiful handmade store signs that you’ll see whenever going through a town or city in the game. 

16. Embers HD & Smoking Torches and Candles

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This excellent mod combo adds another level of realism and immersion to your gameplay experience. When it comes to candles and torches, Skyrim has always left them as just “there”. This mod improves the overall quality of their appearance and has them smoking to give the appearance as if they are burning! 

It’s a small inclusion, but one that you won’t be able to go back from after experiencing it. 

17. Rudy HQ

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Rudy HQ is an exceptional addition to this list of mods as his works are stunning. From common items like apples and haystacks to much more essential items like Nordic Runes dungeon walls, Rudy HQ truly enlivens them with detail and realism. 

18. JohnSkyrim Textures

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While many of his mod textures are excellent, some of JohnySkyrim Texture’s most impressive works are the various quest items in the game. One such example is the numerous Dragon Claws used to open dungeon doors in the game. Whereas most texture mods would have made them higher quality versions of their vanilla selves, JohnySkyrim instead completely reimagined them with incredible detail that you truly have to see to believe. 

19. Dark Forests of Skyrim

If you’ve often felt that Skyrim’s forests are a bit bland, you will love this mod addition. Dark Forests of Skyrim completely transforms standard forests throughout the northern province, giving each area its own unique and varied style to match the logical environment. 

20. DynDOLOD

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A revolutionarily yet straightforward essential mod to have running, DynDOLOD drastically increases LODs in the game. This means that the amount of pop-ins that happen during your playthrough will be considerably reduced. 

21. Settlements

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An optional, if a highly recommended option, these mods Towns and City Settlement mods work to revamp most of the different settlement areas throughout Skyrim, significantly improving their visual appeal. 

1. Ordinator Overhaul

First up on our list is the Ordinator Overhaul Mod. This mod completely overhauls the standard level-up Perk System found in the vanilla version of the game by reducing the more bland stat/damage increase perks and replacing them with more exciting and immersive options. For example, the One-Handed Perk Skill Tree now has a full set of varied and unique options for swords, daggers, axes, or maces. A far and away superior comparison to vanilla Skyrim’s paltry options. 

And this is just one example. This perk overhaul mod can create specializations and builds that you couldn’t even dream of in the vanilla game. Want to play as the Sandman and steal people’s dreams? You can. Want to be an evil Mage that can turn paralyzed victims into gold? You can. Want to train a pet rabbit to steal gold and money for you? Yeah, you can do that too. 

While all of these mods are considered “must-have” essentials, the Ordinator Overhaul mod is a requirement for anyone that truly wishes to specialize in their character beyond simply a general type expert. 

2. Alternate Start – Live Another Life

When you first played Skyrim just under a decade ago, the opening to the game with you as a prisoner being inadvertently saved by the World Eater himself while barely escaping his fiery destruction of Helgen was amazing. The second time, still fine, but it probably needed a “Skip” button. The fifth time, it wasn’t fun, and the twelfth time made you seriously consider if you should have a different race character saved at the end of the intro. 

The reality of the situation is that, after the first run-through, being a prisoner isn’t all that fun. 

Luckily this mod changes all that up entirely. 

The Alternate Start: Live Another Life mod completely changes up the opening scene for an entirely different and immersive set of options, each as varied as they are lore-friendly. You can play as a Stormcloack recruit, a Bandit seeking to redeem themselves, a Thalmor Agent, a Humble Merchant, or a far-off traveler interested in the Dawnstar Museum. There are many more, but you get the idea. 

These options are all fully fleshed out and fully realized, giving you a truly immersive and engaging experience that makes you feel as if you are truly a part of this world as opposed to simply “the Protagonist” as the vanilla version can often seem. 

3. Imperious – Races of Skyrim

If you haven’t played any of the other TES games, you wouldn’t know this, but previously, each of the various races had much more distinctive traits that made them feel truly unique. 

Unfortunately, along with many other RPG elements, Skyrim dialed back on many of these features, resulting in various races that are slightly more stat optimized than others. 

With Imperious – Races of Skyrim, however, that is completely changed. Now, in addition to each race having base stats that are much more consistent, this mod adds racially specific quests and abilities that help you fully connect with them, whether they are an Argonian, an Orc, or a Dunmer. 

4. Realm of Lorkhan

The realm of Lorkhan is to Live Another Life what Live Another Life is to the vanilla opening of the game. Whereas Live Another Life grants you a tremendous amount of RPG-style introductions into the world, Realm of Lorkhan allows you to be truly whatever you want. It takes the largely grounded aspects of Live Another Life and completely throws them out to give way to complete and unabashed character customization. 

The mod starts you off in the aptly named Realm of Lorkhan. There, you will be able to essentially make your character as powerful or as weak as you want and acquire whatever level weapons or armor you want. 

Honestly, I can’t do this mod enough justice for what it offers. If you want to start the game as a fledgling Mage with no ability, you can. If you want to be an Orc Barbarian that is also incredibly intelligent, you can. If you want to start the game as either the most blatant overpowered Main Character Protagonist or someone who feels little more than a random side character, you truly can. 

The downside to this incredible amount of freedom in your character is that it isn’t as storied compared to Live Another Life, nor is it as ground. As such, both of these options are excellent options and should be considered equally viable depending on what you are looking for. 

5. Apocalypse – Magic of Skyrim

If you’ve played the earlier games in the Elder Scrolls universe, you’ll know that, similar to the races. The magic system has similarly been watered down in terms of variety as well spell types. 

Thankfully, Apocalypse – Magic of Skyrim fixes that issue in spades. In addition to bringing back many of the older spells from the earlier games, this mod creates a ton of new and creative ones and adds over 150 different spells to the player’s arsenal. 

Considered an excellent RPG mod in and of itself, Apocalypse – Magic of Skyrim works tremendously with the Ordinator above Perk Overhaul mod. Using these two mods combined will create an RPG experience truly unlike any other. 

Ok, so some of these are a bit more essential than others. In this case, SkyUI is at the top of the list of importance and essentials to playing Skyrim on VR. 

SkyUI completely revamps the inventory and menuing system so that it works excellent on VR. If you want a much easier time moving through various options with a simple tilt of the head, this is something you need to have installed. 

2. Custom Favorites Menu

While not as essential as SkyUI, Custom Favorites Menu is an excellent option for making the Favorites Menu much more usable and effective. This mod helps you configure your different items as well as fully categorizes them based on their type. 

3. Insects Begone

If you’re someone that feels more than a bit uncomfortable with spiders, insects, and other scuttling creatures (particularly in VR), this is the mod that’s perfect for you. Insect Begone will entirely remove Insects, Spiders, and Chauruses from the gaming experience, giving your bug anxiety a break. 

“But what about the insect-specific locations?” you might be asking. Well, this mod does well in that regard too. Instead of merely entering an empty room, you’ll instead be swarmed with numerous Bears. Their number is based on the overall danger rating the various other insectoid creatures would have posed. Not only that, but the game also gives an adequate lore-friendly explanation during the load screens stating that previous creatures were killed or driven away! 

4. Cathedral Landscapes

Made with VR in mind, Cathedral Landscapes is a stellar modding option for those that are using VR but still want a lush and beautiful world environment. 

An interesting fact about using this mod is that it causes the game to perform BETTER than the standard vanilla version’s grass! 

5. Realm of Lorkhan

We’ve talked about this mod previously on other mod lists, and it very much deserves its place here as well. 

Realm of Lorkhan is an alternative starting option for the Dragonborn that has them begin the game without becoming a prisoner heading for execution. You start the game off in this heavenly world to choose various characteristics about your character outside of their race and name. You can select various weapons and items, several different and unique blessings, and even some Standing Stone traits. 

Though this version isn’t nearly as all-encompassing as the other versions mentioned, it still allows you to start the game without dealing with the pesky intro of being a prisoner and looks phenomenal in VR.

6. DYNDOLOD

Another mod that we’ve talked about here at varying lengths, DYNDOLOD, is an excellent mod for reducing pop-in visuals while still keeping the game smooth and functional. 

7. Locational Damage

A great game that adds a much-needed sense of realism to the world, Location Damage localize damage done or taken from an injury. This means that if you strike a person’s arm hard enough, they won’t be able to use that arm. Considering the vanilla version of the game would treat that same instance as fatal, this is much more enjoyable and immersive. 

8. Scoped Bows VR

As an alterated version of the Scoped Bows mod, this version is specifically meant for those using the VR headset. As a result, shots fired or aimed will be much more accurate than previously. 

9. Elemental Arrows

A fantastic option for archers, Elemental Arrows grants the Dragonborn the ability to fire powerful arrows with numerous different elemental abilities. They take a bit of time before you can use them, but it’s almost impossible to go back when you do.

10. Skillful Chef

For those that wish that eating was more worthwhile than consuming a very weak health potion, Skillful Chef may just be the mod you’re looking for. 

This mod gives you experience in Alchemy whenever you cook food, giving you a huge advantage when raising the Alchemy skill stat. 

11. Skyrim Recycling

Honestly, an essential mod on all versions of the game, Skyrim Recycling does exactly as its name implies. Whenever you have extensive lists of useless swords and shields, rather than sell them for no money, this mod allows you to go to any smelter in the game and convert them into ingots to be used at your discretion. This means you don’t have to continually purchase tons of ingots when looking to raise your Smithing skill. Now, whenever you get a mostly useless weapon, recycle it! 

12. Eldritch Battery

One of the more comfortable and less complicated options for gamers is the Eldritch Battery mod. This allows your Magicka bar to slowly raise, similar to your Stamina whenever you cast spells. 

While not a must-have for every player, it greatly improves overall gameplay while not worrying about getting a Magicka potion.

13. Vokrii – Minimalistic Perks of Skyrim

While it’s no secret that Ordinator is the gold standard of Perk alterations, that doesn’t mean it’s without its faults. As Ordinator is so large with numerous perks offered, it does run into issues when used in conjunction with other gameplay mods. 

Vokrii doesn’t have this issue. 

Still granting more than the vanilla game, Vokrii grants the player a minimalistic overhaul that is much easier to use with other game patches as a result.

14. Animated Clutter

Essential more for its immersive nature than anything else, Animated Clutter makes everything seem much more fun and realistic whenever you are opening chests or crates for items. Rather than simply move to the content screen, there will be a brief scene of the storage item opening up with an accompanying sound to make it feel like you’re interacting with the world. 

15. InnCredible

Another immersive mod that greatly improves the Skyrim world, InnCredible gives each Inn and Tavern their unique appearance and flavor rather than the standard “copy-paste” in the original game. 

16. Skyrim Trading Post Remastered

Skyrim Trading Post Remastered adds several Trading Posts throughout the world, giving you a more comfortable time buying, selling, and trading items. These Posts are all stationary and restock on a schedule similar to that of town markets. 

17. Audiobooks of Skyrim

Probably one of the most criminally underrated gems in the modding community, Audiobooks of Skyrim turns every one of the various books, stories, and tomes in Skyrim into an Audiobook that you can listen to at your leisure. 

Unlike previously, where you’d have to devote your entire attention to reading the book, this mod allows you to listen to them while moving throughout the northern province. 

18. Nether’s Follower Framework

A very lightweight yet highly functional setup for your followers, Nether’s Follower Framework is an excellent option for those that like to manage large parties of followers to form their adventure guilds and exploration parties. 

19. Spells Clean

While not as “sexy” as some other mods, Spells Clean is highly functional as a utility service. This mod allows you to hide any newly created spell configurations you may have installed from other mods so that your menu isn’t clogged. Again, while not the most fun-sounding in the world, once you’ve gotten enough different spell mods running, you’re going to be thankful you’ve introduced this into the mix. 

20. Beyond Skyrim – Bruma

Finally, one of the heavy-weight champs of the modding world, Beyond Skyrim – Bruma, is an expansion pack rather than a singular mod. This brings the entire northern world of Cyrodiil into the Skyrim ecosystem, allowing you to experience many nostalgic references to TES IV: Oblivion. 

What makes this mod unique is that it’s only a fraction of the full game. Eventually, the Beyond Skyrim group is planning to create a whole recreation of Cyrodiil and even Morrowind. When that day comes, you’d better believe this mammoth-sized mod will be minuscule by comparison.

Unlike Destruction, Restoration, or Conjuration Schools, each proving both incredibly useful early on and quite dangerous as a weapon, the Alteration School can be somewhat benign, especially in the earlier stages. That said, if you are willing to devote time and energy to the skill, you’ll see that it offers some of the most rewarding abilities in the game, particularly in its Master-level spells. 

This overview will be going over how to gain the Master-level Alteration spells in the game and their overall use. 

Enter the College of Winterhold

Firstly, you’ll need to have at least reached the level of 90 in the Alteration Skill, as anything less will result in the questline being unavailable. If you have not reached the level, one of the easiest methods of achieving this is to invest time in the Transmute spell. This not only will dramatically improve your Alteration level but will also result in you becoming considerably richer as a result. 

Once you have reached level 90, go to the College of Winterhold and speak with Tolfdir. Here, you can ask him if there is anything else you can learn in the Alteration School, whereby he will ask you to collect Dragon Heart Scales. He will then direct you to collect a special dagger to perform the task, known as Kahvozein’s Fang. This will start the questline, Alteration Ritual Spell. 

Retrieve the Dagger

A unique dragon priest dagger, Kahvozein’s Fang, is not quest-locked and may have already been acquired by the Dragonborn even before getting the quest. If you haven’t gotten the dagger yet, there are several potential locations it may be, any of which being marked on your map upon starting the quest: 

• Foelhost Refectory
• High Gate Ruins
• Lost Valkygg
• Ragnvald
• Skuldafn
• Valthume
• Volskygge
• Castle Volkihar 
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No matter which area it is located in, move through the ruins and defeat the main boss, and collecting it among the other items. 

Acquire Dragon Scales

After retrieving the dagger, your next step is to acquire Dragon Scales to carve. You will need to find and slay a dragon, collecting his scales while holding Kahvozein’s Fang in your hand. The scales will automatically be carved and harvested. Now return to Tolfdir and collect your reward. 

Return to Tolfdir

After giving him the Dragon Heart Scales, Tolfdir will reward you with the Master-level Alteration spell, Dragonhide. He will also sell to you the other spell, Mass Paralysis. 

Now that you’ve gotten the spells let’s take a look at what they can do. 

Spell Overview

Dragonhide

The most potent armor-enhancing spell in the game, Dragonhide, directly reduces all damage taken by 80%. While it is mighty, effectively muting any damage taken, it is not without some drawbacks. It costs an incredible 837 Magicka to cast and only lasts for 30 seconds. That said, you can significantly decrease the cost by using items enchanted with the Fortify Alteration enchantment. 

Mass Paralysis

The much more powerful version of Paralyze, Mass Paralysis, when cast, has an area of effect of 40 feet that instantly and immediately paralyzes anyone in the area for a full 15 seconds. The downside to this spell is that a strong enough opponent can resist it, so it is best to consider this more for crowd control than facing off against a boss-level opponent.