[Editor’s Note:] Since publishing this article our preferences for visual style and content have altered slightly and this article will not be kept updated to our current list of mods. All of the mods here are still recommended very highly, but if you want a full, current list of all 100+ mods we are running in Skyrim VR on PC, then you can find that list here.
Skyrim VR is an amazing game. It was already fantastic when it originally released on PSVR last year and now that it takes full advantage of the Rift and Vive’s more powerful hardware and improved controllers, this may very well be the definitive version of Bethesda’s timeless RPG epic fans have been waiting for. We certainly can’t get enough of it.
And even though Bethesda isn’t officially supporting mods for Skyrim VR, most of the Skyrim Special Edition PC mods do still work as long as they don’t rely on the Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE) and you’re okay with doing a bit more tinkering than usual. We’ve got a guide on using mods with Skyrim VR right here.
So now that we have Skyrim VR on PC and we’ve got mods, the question is which mods are the best? That answer might be a bit different for the VR version of the game so we’ve done our best to put together a comprehensive list of recommended mods, split into a few different categories. Our goal with these mods is to toss in as much as we can that still retains a lore-friendly approach to the game and will still feel like Skyrim, but just make it better and offer more.
The Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch
Before you install any other mods you should grab this one. This fixes a bunch of bugs that Bethesda never got around to fixing and it applies to the VR edition as well.
Best Skyrim VR Graphics Mods
This one is actually a collection of several different mod files, each of which address different areas of the games textures from the landscapes and bridges to cities and mountains. Definitely get them all. The better GPU that you have, the better your performance will be but the visual improvement is just absolutely worth it.
Makes the plants and grass and trees look way better.
Road signs in vanilla Skyrim are almost unreadable and they just look downright blurry in VR. This fixes that.
Textures and meshes are two different things. You don’t really need to know the difference, but just understand that you’ll want this mod on top of the Skyrim 2017 Textures mod to address the areas that one misses.
Skyrim does not have the best looking character faces. It’s a fact that Bethesda still struggles to make a decent looking NPC. Luckily, modders are helping out with this nifty mod.
This mod enhances all of the water throughout the entire game to make it look even better. Standing beside a peaceful lake or watching a cascading waterfall in VR is extremely calming. Make sure and grab the LOD fix as well.
Once you’ve got the base visuals and textures enhanced, this mod is really the cherry on top. It will improve all of the weather effects and really make Skyrim feel like the dangerous wilderness that it is.
Realistic Light Overhaul (RLO)
This is the best and most comprehensive lighting mod, but it’s not 100% confirmed that it really works with Skyrim VR. I have it installed and don’t notice much of a difference, so maybe a better one is out there. This one is great for non-VR Skyrim though.
This mod is very customizable for the blood detail, color, and splatter size. I love cranking it up so that I feel like even more of a badass warrior while playing.
Best Skyrim VR Sound Mods
If you’re like me then you probably wish Skyrim had a bit more ambient noise. Chirping birds outside, creepy moans in dungeons, or the chatter of townsfolk all help make the game feel more immersive. This mod adds a ton of great, immersive audio to the game that felt missing before.
The default audio is flat and inaccurate in Skyrim VR. This fixes that.
Sounds are supposed echo and bounce off of surfaces. This mod helps everything sound and feel much more realistic.
Best Skyrim VR Immersion Mods
This is another mod collection that adds a bunch of lore-appropriate detail to every city.
I always thought it was weird there weren’t many light sources around at night time, so this fixes that.
Sometimes the draw distance is a bit crummy with trees and mountains and other objects, so this actually adds some atmospheric fog in the distance around mountains. It’s a great effect and helps mask some of the draw distance issues.
A lot of the book covers look like trash and are repeated throughout the game. This one makes every book and readable object unique!
Some people hate how dramatic the ragdoll can be in the base game, so this can tone it down for you. Or, if you’re like me, maybe you crank it up a little bit higher.
This one just adds a bunch of minor magical-themed enhancements to the college to make it feel more like a proper Mage’s College.
This one adds a bunch of varied birds. That’s about it.
This mod does a lot, but the short version is that it makes NPCs behave more realistically. Definite must-have for immersion.
Adds lore-appropriate guards and soldiers to the overworld on patrol paths. They can help you in battle if nearby and even fight each other when they cross paths.
Exactly what it says. Adds more bandits sprinkled around the wilderness.
It always bothered me how isolated the College of Winterhold was, so this adds school outposts to the major cities.
It never made sense to me why wards couldn’t block melee attacks — this made mages feel under-powered at times. This mod fixes that.
Best Skyrim VR Follower Mods
This mod lets you take multiple followers, manage their outfits, spells, and combat style, and even assign them to a certain home and level up their skills. They’ll also ride horses, make camp, and even dance with you.
Easily one of the best modded followers ever made for Skyrim. He’s fully voiced with tons of personality. Grab this mod if you want an excellent companion on your journey.
If you’d rather take a female companion that’s less annoying than Lydia, Sofia is a good choice. She’s also fully-voiced and really well-done with a great sense of humor.
Best Skyrim VR Weapon and Armor Mods
Adds a ton of lore-friendly armor to the game, spread out throughout all of Skyrim, so you find it all naturally.
Carry weight always feels too small? This is nifty lore-friendly way to increase how much you can carry by equipping bags.
Lets you and NPCs wear cloaks. That’s it. I love this one.
Adds more clothing variety.
Lots of new weapons added to the game and spread out.
Same as before, but more.
Same as the other two, but more still.
Makes the artifacts in Skyrim more powerful and unique than before.
Best Skyrim VR Gameplay and Content Mods
Mihail actually has a whole collection of mods that add all kinds of creatures, animals, and monsters. Look through the list and pick the ones you want.
More dragon diversity with unique models, textures, and even new abilities. Definitely makes things a bit more exciting.
Enchanting is one of the most underrated but most powerful parts of Skyrim, this mod makes it even better.
After spending almost seven years with the spells in Skyrim it’s time for a change. This mod adds 155 new spells that all feel lore-friendly without breaking the game. A lot of these abilities frankly should have been included to begin with and makes playing a mage way more fun.
I’m a sucker for things that streamline my access to content, so this one just adds a simple notice board near each tavern that can assign the randomly generated Radiant Quests at will. Super nifty.
Now finally, before you play, make sure you follow these instructions to get the mods set up correctly and then download LOOT to sort and organize them into the correct load order. Then you should be good to go!
That’s it for this list. There are thousands of mods for Skyrim out there, many of which work with Skyrim VR, so we can’t possibly include them all here. For more suggestions check out this stickied thread on the game’s subreddit.
We left out large quest mods, location expansions, or major overhauls because those typically alter the game and throw in non-lore-friendly content, so we intend on doing follow-ups to this article to focus on some of those larger standalone expansion-style mods instead.
Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know down in the comments below!
