Mods are by far the most exciting part of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition. The fact it’s coming to the next-gen consoles and updated graphics are nice too, but the clincher is the mod support.
I’ve had a blast running magic mods on the PC version of Skyrim, and I’ve gotten a bit spoiled. Here are a few that I’d love to see appear in October.
Skyrim Magic Mod #1: Apocalypse
This one is my personal favorite. The utility and variety of spells is unreal.
For example, there’s an Alteration spell that makes you run much faster and is very inexpensive to cast. Some Conjuration spells allow you to summon mounts — nice when you’re tired of just using horses all the time or find yourself strapped for cash.
It’s difficult to summarize 155 new spells, but here are a few more to give you an idea of what Apocalypse has to offer:
- Bone Spirit – Basically like the Bone Spirit spell in Diablo that seeks enemies.
- Lamb of Mara – When the target loses health, you gain health!
- Slay Living – If an enemy falls under 25% health, this spell instantly kills ’em.
- Compelling Whispers – Slow-acting spell that converts an enemy into fighting for you.
Great stuff.
Skyrim Magic Mod #2: Forgotten Magic Redone
This mod is more focused on changing the mechanics of magic in the game than just adding tons of new spells. In fact, it really just adds 39 new spells.
BUT it does add some neat features. For example, each spell can be upgraded 10 times. So you can look at it as 390 spell improvements.
This is nice because it is less overwhelming than some of the other, larger mods. Filtering through just 39 more spells is very manageable, especially since you’re likely going to build a (somewhat) specialized type of mage, right? (I mean — there are lots of Skyrim Special Edition mage builds to choose from!)
Forgotten Magic Redone actually breaks up the spells into builds, so you have Druid spells, Paladin spells, etc.
Skyrim Special Edition Magic Mod #3: Lost Grimoire of Skyrim
There are actually several of these available. These add hundreds of spells to the game, and is similar to Apocalypse in that these spells add more utility rather than just adding vanilla, boring spells.
For example, it allows every school of magic the ability to take down opponents. In vanilla Skyrim the only real damage came from Conjuration and Destruction.
Here are a few examples of the neat spells offered in these mods:
- Glamour – Disguises yourself as a member of another faction.
- Live Coals – A damage over time (DOT) spell that also explodes if it gets hit by another fire spell.
- Shapeshift Claws – The caster grows long claws to increase unarmed damage.
The best thing is these spells don’t overlap with Apocalypse. So between both sets, you can add hundreds of unique, well-designed spells to your arsenal. While it may seem intimidating, you get used to it. Especially if you are concentrating on just 1-3 schools of magic instead of dipping into all of them.
Magic Mod #4: Empowered Magic
If you were reasonably happy with vanilla’s magic system, Empowered Magic may be what you’re looking for. It doesn’t add any spells to the game, but instead implements new perks and spell mechanics.
In essence, it allows every spell to be viable no matter what level you are. So rather than Flame becoming absolutely useless late-game, it is still strong and a possible option to burn down your foes.
It also brings balance to the game. In vanilla Skyrim, a conjurer with two Dremora Lords just wrecks everything. With this mod, summoning two DLs just isn’t as powerful, (again) making other options more feasible late-game.
Yet another example is Alteration. I HATED vanilla Alteration spells because they just don’t last long enough. Having to re-cast in the middle of a fight is irritating. This mod lets buffs last longer.
So again — it doesn’t add tons of variety, but you can think of it as Vanilla Magic 2.0.
Skyrim Special Edition Magic Mod #5: Colorful Magic
This mod adds 345 spells! A lot of them are unique, but a lot of them are also just a fancier way of doing the same thing as vanilla spells.
Several editions are available to help you customize the mod to your liking. For example, one edition adds 50 new followers to the game, whereas another creates the same 50 NPCs as enemies instead of followers.
I’d say the main benefit of this one is just the variety. With that many new spells, it really brings a lot to the table and opens up new ways to play the game.
Conclusion
There are many, many more magic mods out there. From allowing you to specialize in Necromancy to granting NPC access to all spells, it’s difficult to highlight everything in one article.
Either way — let’s all hope we see these and many more magic mods in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition.
