The Skyrim Mod Forge – Episode 12 - Houses, Lovely Hairstyles and Riding Like a Boss

The Skyrim Mod Forge is back, bringing you some of the best mods produced by the modding community dedicated to improving The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The purpose of this column is to help those that may be a little disoriented with the size and scope of what the Skyrim modding community offers. You’ll find it here on DualShockers every Thursday.

Speaking of Thursday, you may have noticed that today is not... well... Thursday. Unforeseen occurrences happen, and that's why this column is reaching you on a Friday. Fear not, as the Skyrim modding community is as active as ever (and probably more than ever), with the mod count now well beyond the 10,000 mark.

But, as every week, it’s time to let the mods do the talking. So without further ado, let’s head past the break to see this week’s highlights.

Static Mesh Improvement Mod

There are many mods that replace the textures of Skyrim, but not as many that actually change the 3D mesh under them. The original meshes of the game aren't exactly the most detailed in the gaming scenario. This mod by Brumbek replaces a number of the common meshes of the game like tables, barrels, food and similar items. It also includes better textures for the items affected, which is a real plus. You can download it on the Nexus or on Steam Workshop.

Enchantment Cleanser

Enchanting in Skyrim is powerful, but it's also a tad annoying. Once you enchant an item, there's no way to upgrade it, even if you happen to learn more powerful or appropriate enchantment down the line. This mod by SirReality solves the problem. It lets you disenchant equipment you have enchanted (for now you still can't disenchant random loot or unique weapons), making it ready for a brand new enchantment.

You can download it on the Nexus or on Steam Workshop. Enchantment! Wait... Wrong game.

Treehouse - Baumhaus

Quite a few player abodes are being added to the game thanks to the release of the Creation Kit, but this one by Rakani1112 is not only really well made but also definitely original and imaginative. It basically puts a platform on top of a very high tree in a scenic position near a lake, and gives you a lovely and fully featured house built over it. Not only is it useful, but it also looks awesome, granting you lovely vistas and fiery sunsets as you rest your Dragonborn bones between adventures. At the moment it can be downloaded only on the Nexus.

The Reserve

The Reserve by Lithxe is another full-featured and very well designed player home just outside Rorikstead. Both the interior and exterior design are absolutely lovely, and there are plenty accessories, mannequins and containers to fit every Dragonborn's basic needs. The only small nitpick would be that the interior is way bigger than the exterior, but I doubt many will really mind. You can download it on the Nexus or on Steam Workshop.

Skyrim Scaling Stopper

When Skyrim was announced many feared to see Bethesda apply the same method of leveling monsters and equipment they used for Oblivion or Fallout 3. I have to admit that I was part of that unhappy bunch. I like to play in a realistic world. An environment that levels together with me, with simple bandits wearing expensive armor and in which absolutely no one is weak just because I'm a high level doesn't make much sense.

This mod by David Brasher removes the leveled aspect and implements a healthy and static mix of weak and stronger enemies, giving them more realistic and common equipment with the occasional rare piece of fat loot.

It's an entirely different Skyrim experience, and the first few levels can be very harsh on the survival side of things. You can check it out on the Nexus here.

Like a Boss

If you want to ride "like a boss," Skyrim's horses may not be enough for you. That's where this mod by fLokii may be of help. It will enable a friendly mammoth, a sea lion and a large white wolf for you to ride. There isn't much else to say about it, other than it's pretty awesome. You can download the mod from the Nexus.

Killmove Plus

One of the things that aren't really lackluster in the original Skyrim are finisher animations, but there's nothing in a moddable game that can't be improved. This mod by Danni does just that, adding new "fatality" animations and a few improvements to the whole bloody affair, such as more control on the camera. It also removes the "last enemy" requirement, that made finishers happen only on the last remaining enemy of a group.

You can download it from the Nexus or from Steam Workshop.

Lovely Hairstyles

This mod by Sn00p adds quite a sizable number of new hairstyles to the game. It's actually a blessing considering that the default hairstyles are... lackluster... to put it in a rather charitable way. Some of the new hairstyles are directly imported from The Witcher 2, thanks to the fact that CD Projekt allowed the modding community to use their assets (and again, that's incredibly cool of them) in other games.

You can find it only on the Nexus here.

That’s it for this episode. I hope you found something useful to improve your game. As usual remember that full and exclusive credit for the mods listed above goes to their talented authors (and to CD Projekt RED for the mod based on The Witcher 2). Do come back next week on Thursday for more mods at the Skyrim Mod Forge.