Skyrim: Links
- Brodual - Arguably the most prolific Skyrim mod reviewers are the two brothers that make up this active Youtube channel. Linked is their slick web site which neatly sorts all their many videos that highlight many of the top mods available. Unlike other popular Skyrim video commentators, their concise format keeps their mod spotlights short, no-nonsense and straight to the point. This makes Brodual a great source for quickly previewing mods in action.
- GophersVids - The home of my favorite Bethesda mod community personality Gopher. He's best known for his video guides to Skyrim and Fallout modding and mod use, as well as a series of entertaining Let's Plays on Youtube. He's also authored a few notable mods including one of my essential picks, Immersive HUD. His site currently houses links to all of his Youtube videos, although if you prefer you can also find all the same videos on his Youtube channel.
- MMOxReview [NSFW] - Another mod reviewer on Youtube but this guy's focus is on fun, often "slooty" (AKA sexual) mods that are usually lore-breaking. What makes this channel stick out is the Youtuber's consistent output, fast-paced and professional editing, off-color humor, and affable personality. I may not use most of the mods featured on this channel but it sure is entertaining to watch.
- Skyrim G.E.M.S. - The Gameplay Enhancement Mods for Skyrim project picks up where the S.T.E.P. Project leaves off by listing many of the best mods that directly impact gameplay. The list is neatly organized on a single page with mods organized by category. Unlike my guide, Skyrim GEMS provides many alternative recommendations for the same, or similar enhancements. For instance, they recommend eight different alternate start mods. Accompanying notes may help users to decide which mods to choose. If you don't like my recommendations for gameplay mods or if you just want to see more options this site is the place to go. My only criticism is that some of the mods listed here are now unsupported, out of date, and/or buggy. The site does try to warn users but these notifications are not always up to date or present when needed.
- Skyrim Lovers Lab [NSFW] - One reason people like to mod Skyrim (and all of Bethesda's games) is to fiddle around with adult-themed content such as nude skins, sex mods and skimpy armor. While most of the tamer and more mainstream adult mods can be found at the Nexus just about everything else of varying degrees of quality and ethical value can be found or at least discussed at Lovers Lab.
- Skyrim Nexus - Without a doubt, the Nexus has emerged as the top mod repository for all of Bethesda's games since Oblivion. With few exceptions, this is a one-stop location for downloading all the mods you could ever want. Due to its popularity, the Nexus has been struggling to keep up with demand and users may encounter occasional outages or unresponsiveness from download servers. In addition to the stress on servers, their own Nexus Mod Manager has fallen behind the superior Mod Organizer in support, features and updates. For these reasons it's currently recommended that users not use the "Download from Manager" option and instead download all mods manually before loading them into their preferred mod management program. Likewise, there has been some controversy with how the Nexus site is controlled, leading a few popular mod authors to abandon the site. Despite these problems, Nexus is still far and away the best place on the web to go for Skyrim mods.
- S.T.E.P. Project - The Skyrim Total Enhancement Project is an ambitious effort to document complete steps towards modding Skyrim to look and play better. It does not focus on gameplay or overhaul mods that change the way the game works as Skyrim G.E.M.S. does but rather it emphasizes many mods that enhance the vanilla look and feel of the game with a nod towards realism. This largely comes down to setup recommendations, fixes, texture packs, etc. There are a lot of mods covered, tons of tips and recommendations, and the site boasts an active community of experienced mod authors and users. STEP provided much of the inspiration for my own site which is meant to be a leaner, more concise and holistic guide to modding.
- The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages - While more of a complete wiki guide to Skyrim gameplay, mechanics and lore than anything else this exhaustive site is also valuable to mod users looking to enhance their game further. Beyond modding, the game's built in console remains an excellent option for applying quick changes and fixes to the game as you play. UESP has a handy Console page that lists a variety of commands to alter gameplay and fix problems such as changing how fast time passes in game, changing the field of view, getting yourself unstuck, or disabling select objects in game.