Skyrim Mods: The Biggest DLCs You Never Knew Existed!

Summary

Massive mods like Wyrmstooth bring DLC-sized expansions to Skyrim, featuring new lands and quests.
Darker mods like Beyond Reach offer a grittier take for Skyrim players with detailed storytelling and settings.
Projects like Tamriel Rebuilt aim to integrate Morrowind’s mainland seamlessly with the base game, expanding lore.

In the realm of “The Elder Scrolls” series, these fictional landscapes are vast and ripe for discovery. Yet, given that many enthusiasts invest countless hours, sometimes exceeding a thousand, into this franchise, there’s an insatiable craving for additional exploratory content. Fortunately, since the release of “Morrowind” in 2002, modding communities have had access to Bethesda’s construction set tools, enabling them to broaden these virtual worlds.

This section showcases some of the most daring endeavors by mod creators to expand each game in the Elder Scrolls series, such as Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim. Modifications known as “total overhauls” (like Nehrim, Enderal) or complete remakes of previous games (Skywind, Skyblivion) that can essentially be considered separate games will not be covered in this discussion.

Elsweyr The Deserts Of Anequina (Oblivion)

Integrating The Home Of The Khajiit Into Cyrodiil

Development Time: ~4 years (unfinished)
Scope: A New Desert Provence
Download Link

Despite being largely incomplete, this vintage mod for Oblivion remains one of the most significant and nostalgically cherished expansions of its playable realm. The Deserts of Anequina provides an opportunity for the Kvatch hero to explore the vast sandy dunes and tropical landscapes of the Khajiit homeland, Elsweyr.

Despite the fact that Elsweyr could easily stand on its own as a separate game due to its wealth of lore and history (including moon sugar, magic lamps, grand trade caravans), this impressive Oblivion mod doesn’t disappoint by offering towns, cities, three small-sized guilds, and an abundance of quests.

Wyrmstooth (Skyrim)

A Dragon Slayer’s Hunting Ground

Development Time: ~9 years
Scope: A DLC-sized mod
Download Link

Skyrim is primarily known for its dragon-slaying gameplay, but this mod introduces an island roughly as large as Solstheim and revolves around hunting dragons as the main focus. With witty dialogue, impressive voice acting, and a well-balanced challenge level, Wyrmstooth effectively captures the original design ethos of The Elder Scrolls 5 and improves on some of its rougher aspects.

In Wyrmstooth, there’s ample room for exploration both above and below ground, filled with intricately designed quests, NPCs, foes, and hidden riches. This environment mirrors an organic expansion of the core gameplay in Skyrim. For players who truly cherish their time on the island, there’s also an opportunity to construct and live in a personal residence.

Beyond Reach (Skyrim)

A Darker Tale Of Intrigue And Squaller

Development Time: 12+ years, since 2013 (ongoing)
Scope: A DLC-sized mod
Download Link

In Skyrim, the scenery is stunning and there can be moments of laughter, but some aspects of the game are as dark as the depths of Nocturnal’s Oblivion realm at midnight. The Beyond Reach mod emphasizes these gloomier tones in its setting, themes, custom soundtrack, and narrative.

In the location where Skyrim’s three largest holds join forces, the game “Beyond Reach” is set along the border between the land of the Nords and High Rock. The scenery and architecture in Beyond Reach have a distinct appearance that differs significantly from what lies to the east. This area is filled with diverse (all shades of gray) non-player characters, many of whom offer optional dialogues. However, not all these characters have voiceovers as of yet.

Chanterelle (Skyrim)

A Mostly Untouched Land And A Survivor’s Dream

Development Time: 3+ years
Scope: a DLC-sized mod
Download Link

Describing Chanterelle as a DLC-sized mod doesn’t give it justice, considering the land it introduces is roughly twice the size of Skyrim. Despite offering an expansive wilderness ideal for survivalists, its inclusion of NPCs, dungeons, and narrative elements is quite limited compared to its vast outdoor terrain.

There’s a tale hidden within the earth about the land and its scarce residents that unfolds through artifacts and stories found along the way. The game, Chanterelle, is primarily designed for Skyrim players who appreciate survival, hunting, crafting, and rugged camping experiences, with all necessary mods already installed.

Lyithdonea – The Azurian Isles (Morrowind)

The Lands Between Tamriel And Akavir

Development Time: 8+ years (ongoing)
Scope: A large-DLC-sized mod
Download Link

According to the storyline, once the prophecy set by Azura was fulfilled at the end of the main quest in Morrowind, it was said that the Nerevarine disappeared, presumably traveling to the distant continent of Akavir. Although some mods have tried to portray this exotic locale, none have done so extensively.

In essence, Lyithdonea serves as an immersive experience for Morrowind players, offering them a glimpse into this region by enabling exploration of the Azurian Isles – a land straddling Tamriel and Akavir, with characteristics from both. Despite eight years of dedicated work, the mod remains incomplete, but in 2024, the creator announced their intention to persist until it’s fully finished.

The Forgotten City (Skyrim)

A Time-Traveling Adventure That Grew Beyond Skyrim

Development Time: 4+ years
Scope: A large-DLC-sized mod
Download Link

As a gamer, I find myself venturing far from the typical expansion of other content mods for Skyrim, instead, I’m drawn into an entirely different world – a forgotten Dwemmer outpost hidden beneath the earth’s surface with The Forgotten City mod. This subterranean realm might not be geographically expansive, but it’s brimming with captivating stories, immersive gameplay, and intriguing characters that keep me hooked!

The concept behind this mod is that no one within the city can break the law, or else the entire citizenry may face destruction. By conducting investigations and occasionally time-traveling, the player must devise a means to overthrow the oppressive “golden rule.” With its complex storyline and multiple conclusions, this mod has evolved into a full game titled “The Forgotten City“.

Project Tamriel – Project Cyrodiil, Skyrim: Home Of The Nords, And More (Morrowind)

The Provinces Reimagined By Morrowind’s Lore

Development Time: 17+ years, since 2008 (ongoing)
Scope: Making all of Tamriel explorable beyond Morrowind’s borders
Download Link

Among all the expansive content-enhancing mods for The Elder Scrolls games, Project Tamriel stands out as the most grandiose undertaking. Despite its lofty objectives, it remains the most unfinished due to its goal of replicating every corner of Tamriel within Morrowind, adhering to Morrowind’s original narrative which underwent significant changes prior to being revised in Oblivion and Skyrim.

Two significant, yet still in progress, projects are named Project Cyrodiil and Skyrim: Land of the Nords. At present, these projects encompass the westernmost region of Cyrodiil, including the Gold Coast and Anvil city, as well as Skyrim’s Reach area. Although it was a relatively small section in Oblivion’s map, Project Tamriel’s Gold Coast is vast. The remaining areas of Skyrim and Cyrodiil are under development, and Project Tamriel is also actively working on their renditions of High Rock and Hammerfell.

Beyond Skyrim (Skyrim)

Giving Adventurers More To See In The Fourth Era

Development Time: 14+ years, since 2011
Scope: Making all of Tamriel explorable beyond Skyrim’s borders
Download Link

In contrast to Skyblivion, which focuses on recreating Oblivion’s Cyrodiil, Beyond Skyrim aims to broaden the Skyrim map to encompass the Heartlands during the Fourth Era, staying true to both old and new Elder Scrolls lore.

In every province of Tamriel, there are plans for development. Thus far, Bruma stands alone as the fully realized area, with Morrowind and Atmora’s outskirts currently under construction. Despite the pace appearing slow, it’s evident that the team prioritizes quality over quantity. The content they’ve created – quests, NPC interactions, landscapes, architecture, and dungeons – is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Tamriel Rebuilt (Morrowind)

The (Grand And Intoxicating) Dream Of A Complete Morrowind

Development Time: 24+ years, since 2001
Scope: Integrating Morrowind‘s mainland into the base game
Download Link

The team responsible for this project has evolved throughout the years, but the ambition for a unified Morrowind within a single game was conceived prior to the launch of The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind. This initiative mirrors Project Tamriel, where modifiers have been extending playable zones within Morrowind, with the aim of harmonizing these expansions flawlessly with the game’s overall narrative.

This approach aims to significantly expand the playable area beyond Vvardenfell’s original size, while also enhancing its complexity and depth – elements that made Morrowind stand out. Unlike subsequent games, this project does not require volunteers to deal with voice acting or high graphical realism. Instead, there’s a strong focus on maintaining balance and adhering to lore, which could account for the project’s longevity spanning over two decades.

2025-02-13 08:16