Beautifying Skyrim with mods is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable parts of the game, but it's also frustrating for those who are playing Skyrim for the first time. To compensate, it's good to know which mods to tack on, and what order to place them in for maximum brilliance. From there, the foundation is laid for players to customize the game's aesthetics with other mods.
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Baseline mods are vital for starting out on the right foot, and with only a handful of mods, players can completely transform Skyrim from a dull and aged game into something that looks straight out of 2021. It all starts with applying the right mods, in the right order, and comparing the two games side-by-side.
Skyrim Realistic Overhaul
• Special Edition version (can be used with Legendary Edition)
"Oldrim" and Special Edition Skyrim modders alike will want to grab this texture pack to act as a baseline for the entire game. It should be one of, if not the first mod in the list, allowing players to build upon it with replacement texture mods as they go. It overhauls the near-entirety of Skyrim with realistic textures, acting as a one-stop solution.
The mod is broken up into four very large files, so it will take some time to download them all. They can then be merged directly into one pack and activated on the mod list. Once done, it's recommended that players log into the game and note the differences, which will be quite noticeable, even at such an early stage.
Static Mesh Improvement Mod
• Legendary Edition version | Special Edition version
The Static Mesh Improvement Mod, or "SMIM" as it is commonly abbreviated, is considered a vital cog in Skyrim modding. It's another baseline mod that can be activated on top of Skyrim Realistic Overhaul as the first of several replacers. SMIM goes after some of Skyrim's most notorious graphical sins and corrects them outright.
An eye-watering amount of mods depend on SMIM as a foundation, which means it's a must for download. Players can customize the SMIM install package as they see fit, or activate everything for a one-click, out-of-box overhaul. Having this mod in the load order guarantees the framework for a beautiful Skyrim.
Noble Skyrim HD-2K
•Legendary Edition version|Special Edition version
The next baseline mod to add to the load order is Noble Skyrim HD-2K, which goes after Skyrim's main architecture, and applies a gorgeous new coat of paint. All textures are done in 2K, but there are several options for those with graphics cards lacking in V-RAM.
Noble Skyrim changes a ton of stuff, fromclutter and city textures to environmental textures, ships, and boats. It will overwrite previous mods where applicable, blending everything together into a highly detailed and higher resolution version of Skyrim.This mod will work in conjunction with the bestof Skyrim's immersion mods to draw the player into the fantasy feel of the game.
Rally's All The Things
•Legendary Edition version|Special Edition version
Mod author Rallyeator has a ton of excellent mods that overhaul so much of Skyrim, it's hard to know where to begin. Thankfully, the author was kind enough to combine all these mods into a single package called "All The Things," which does as the title implies.
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The sheer amount of things this mod overhauls is staggering and includes everything from household clutter, candle flames, and hanging moss, to city manholes, road signs, and water foam. As a baseline mod, it's hard to top and works in conjunction with previous mods to further enhance Skyrim's graphics.
Skyrim 2020 Parallax
•Legendary Edition version|Special Edition version
Parallax textures go a long way towards creating a more immersive and realistic look for Skyrim. The methodology is simple, giving otherwise flat textures a seemingly 3-dimensional level of depth by fiddling with the texture coordinates to fake the experience. It's clever, and it works.
This mod comes in two flavors by the same author, depending on which version of Skyrim players are using. The result is the same, and both serve as great baseline mods on top of the others already installed and activated in the load order. It is recommended that players read the descriptions on the mod page carefully.
Tamrielic Grass
• Special Edition version only
There are a ton of grass mods available for Skyrim modders, but few are as versatile as Tamrielic Grass. It can be used as a baseline grass mod, which also works well alongside other popular grass mods like Folkvangr. It overhauls the grass in every single Skyrim region with no actual terrain edits, making it highly compatible with other mods.
It's also a bit more lightweight in comparison to some grass mods which are quite heavy, and can cause FPS drops. The mod comes with a .ini configuration file called TamrielicGrass.ini, allowing players to fiddle with the iMinGrassSize value to achieve the right balance of performance and beauty.
Tamrielic Textures 1 - Landscapes
•Legendary Edition version|Special Edition version
Another entry in the "Tamrielic" lineup is a texture mod pack that goes after Skyrim's landscapes, coating them in a brilliant new shimmer. It's a highly comprehensive mod that delivers high-fidelity beauty to everything from rocks, roads, and beaches, to name just a few. As a baseline mod, it's an excellent companion to those already installed.
Not only does this mod pack deliver on the visual front, but it also plays nice with other landscape overhaul mods like Septentrional Landscapes. The idea is to hit every part of Skyrim with a high-res texture replacement, thereby covering every base in each of the province's distinct biodomes.
Septentrional Landscapes
•Legendary Edition version|Special Edition version
This mod affects landscape textures primarily, covering the various environmental floors with amazing high-fidelity and brilliance. Quality hounds can rejoice, for the mod comes in several flavors going all the way up to an astonishing 8K. Most gamers might want to stick with either 2K or 4K textures, however.
Septentrional Landscapes delivers amazing realism that is light years beyond the base game, and should be viewed as yet another baseline mod in the load order, following the ones already added. The sheer level of detail, realism and beauty is top of the line, giving gamers everything they need to enjoy completing the best quests Skyrim has to offer.
Mari's Flora
There are a plethora of plant retexture mods out there, including the oft-lauded Skyrim Flora Overhaul, but Mari's Flora shouldn't be overlooked, either. It's a bit more compatible with other mods, making it an easier baseline add-on from which to build on Skyrim's flora.
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The mod description page is a bit limited, but the pack essentially groups all of the mod author's flora mods into one. This is advantageous, as there's less to keep track of. The mod overhauls the various plants in Skyrim with brilliant new models and textures, but they can over overwritten with other mods on a per-item basis.
Better Dirt Cliffs And Alphas
• Special Edition version only
Skyrim players will spend a lot of time bumping into dirt cliffs, as they're quite prevalent in the game. They also happen to be one of the ugliest aspects of the vanilla experience, and in dire need of a rework. This mod is the solution, giving a relatively common piece of the environment a much-needed update.
By adhering to the order of the previous mods, Better Dirt Cliffs and Alphas will blend much nicer with the environment, creating a seamless look. It can also be supplemented with the Ugly Root Remover mod for gamers who want to eliminate the roots from the sides of the cliffs, altogether. At this point, gamers should have an excellent baseline that will affect mods which add new locations into Skyrim.
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