Mods are supposed to make a game more fun but the definition of that word has become flexible and even vague when it comes to video games in the advent of anomalies like Dark Souls. Now, games that hand players victory on a platter are not "fun" anymore because the fun is supposedly obtaining a hard-earned reward and overcoming a challenge. Sadly, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim hasn't aged well in this department.
It's a game with laughably easy combat and inconsequential challenges that even the difficulty slider cannot fix. It's nearly a decade old, so that can be excused; however, players need not settle for that sort of comfort zone. No, in order to embrace the cold harshness of Skyrim, one must enhance the experience with these 10 mods that will enforce the value of dear life onto the players' minds.
10 FROSTFALL - HYPOTHERMIA CAMPING SURVIVAL
Speaking of frigid cruelty, most of Skyrim's snow is just for show. This shouldn't be the case, that's why someone invented a mod called Frostfall. It introduces new survival mechanics to the game such as hypothermia and other physical debilitations involving cold weather.
Now, the player character must abide by the rules of thermodynamics and opt to wear as many layers of clothing or armor as possible in order to stay warm. The best part is that it's highly compatible with camping mods and those might even be necessary in order to make this mod viable.
9 ALTERNATE START - LIVE ANOTHER LIFE
Being able to shout expletives in dragon tongue is awesome and all, but nobody asked for it and the "chosen one" trope is way too overplayed already. Some players just want the life of a regular Joe or Jane in some Nordic wasteland.
Alternate Start - Live Another Life is a mod that allows such freedom for players. No longer will the players be burdened by Ralof's infamous "good morning" line-- every new game lets the players customize their character's origins, alignment, belongings, and even their fate. Of course, choosing a disadvantageous position in life is mandatory if one wants to use this mod for cranking difficulty.
8 TOUGHER TRAPS
Skyrim's caves and dungeons have become nothing more than distracting side trips with no consequences. The traps they include aren't even deadly. That's why Tougher Traps exists so that players can no longer breeze through caves and dungeons.
This makes every spelunking trip or treasure run more exciting and deadly. The damage values of the said traps have been increased and some of them are now lethal even at full health. To make for this, companions will no longer trigger traps and pressure plates can now be disarmed.
7 DYNAMIC IMMERSIVE SERIOUSLY DARK DUNGEONS
Now that we've fixed the jokingly easy dangers of the dungeons and caves in Skyrim, it's time to supplement their atmosphere with a proper color palette. That would be black and nothing else. Because light is for milk-drinkers and true Nords embrace whatever rushes at them from pitch-black darkness.
The Dynamic Immersive Seriously Dark Dungeons mod is all about serious business, as the name suggests. It forces players to wield a torch in their off-hand in order to see in caves and dungeons and makes Khajiit eyes are more valuable than ever.
6 VIGOR - COMBAT AND INJURIES
There's our combat mod. Most of what players will be doing in Skyrim is either bashing someone else's skull or getting theirs bashed. In order to make that bashing more immersive than ever, Vigor - Combat and Injuries is a suggested remarkable mod.
It adds new layers of status effects during and after combat as well as other hindrances to player resources like health and stamina. With this, combat becomes less of a default option, and players with more civil skills can choose to be more diplomatic.
5 iNEED - FOOD, WATER, AND SLEEP
In addition to requiring some proper clothing against the subzero temperatures of Skyrim, the Dragonborn also has basic needs. Erase that video game chosen one privilege by installing a mod called iNeed - Food, Water, and Sleep.
It also adds new mechanics to the game where the player character now needs to feed and look after the Dragonborn's physical limitations. Staying fed, hydrated, and rested are just some of these and while it turns the Dragonborn into a Sims character, it makes interactions with the world more realistic and meaningful.
4 REVENGE OF THE ENEMIES
One can improve the combat in Skyrim but if the enemies remain the same pushovers that they are regardless of their levels, the game will still be painless. Revenge of the Enemies spices things up by making the enemies more specialized or skillful.
The mod does this not just by artificially pumping up enemy stats but also by giving them active skills like invisibility. Some enemy A.I. has also seen straight improvements where they block or attack with better tactical awareness instead of just following Skyrim's default script.
3 CUTTHROAT MERCHANTS
Making gold in Skyrim is way too easy. Players can simply channel their inner kleptomaniacs and take everything then fence them to any merchant with a sizeable purchasing capacity. Cutthroat Merchants fixes this easy exploit by making merchants more clever.
No longer will they purchase player items at the original price. The prices have been significantly lowered and if the players want to find a reliable fence or buyer for their stuff, they need to develop their Speech skill further.
2 SANDS OF TIME SLEEPING ENCOUNTERS
This one is best used when installed with the iNeed mod as it makes being a literal happy camper in Skyrim more unattainable. Besides, sleeping in a dangerous dungeon or cave usually shouldn't have a good ending, so the Sands of Time Sleeping Encounters mod will make it more dynamic.
This mod makes the player character vulnerable while they sleep where they can be woken up by an enemy encounter. To drive the point home that one shouldn't sleep in a dark forest or a bandit-infested crossing, the enemies that will wake you up are also buffed and more difficult.
1 SKYRIMSOULS - UNPAUSED GAME MENUS
Last but not least, a mod that will turn Skyrim into Dark Souls by adopting one of the latter's most punishing rules-- no pauses. It's called SkyrimSouls - Unpaused Game Menus and ought to be the cherry on top when all other difficulty mods are installed.
Moreover, SkyrimSouls also removes a common illogical exploit in the game where players will open the inventory with a sliver of health remaining and chug down 50 potions or eat a hundred blocks of cheese to get back into fighting shape. You're on your own if you install this mod, no help from the developers or the game menu.