The Best Mods Included In Anniversary Edition

Skyrim: Anniversary Edition marks ten years of one of the most popular and praised RPGs ever released, and ten years of one of the most prolific and creative modding communities ever. It’s no wonder, then, that Bethesda worked with a variety of Skyrim mod creators when coming up with 26 new additions to be included with Anniversary Edition.

While Anniversary Edition comes with everything currently available in the Skyrim Special Edition Creation Club, it also introduces a variety of completely original mods too. Some mods serve as callbacks to previous entries in The Elder Scrolls series, while others completely overhaul the way players experience the world of Skyrim.

Updated December 6, 2024 by Erik Petrovich: Skyrim Anniversary Edition mods vary from small, quality-of-life or single-item additions to complete overhauls of the base game’s mechanics, leading to completely new experiences in the well-travelled world of the fifth Elder Scrolls game. This list of the best Skyrim Anniversary Edition mods provides a basic description for each of the most impactful mods included in Skyrim Anniversary Edition, but did not include several small mods in some sections that mentioned them. This list has been updated to include more details on the exact mods included in Skyrim Anniversary edition to help players learn what mods does Skyrim Anniversary Edition have that are actually worth engaging with.

1 Rare Curios

The Rare Curios creation seems simple on the surface, but thanks to its sheer variety it’s one of the best mods for Skyrim Anniversary Edition. Several Khajiit merchants throughout Skyrim will offer a new selection of Rare Curios sourced from throughout Tamriel.

Many of these new ingredients were previously seen in other Elder Scrolls games, and each one comes with unique traits for Alchemists to use in making extremely powerful potions. In addition to dozens and dozens of new ingredients, the mod also adds Poisoned Apples from Oblivion with a long-lasting damage health effect. Place it into NPC pockets to slowly (and secretly) kill them.

2 Forgotten Seasons

The Forgotten Seasons creation is one of several included in Anniversary Edition that adds an entirely new location for players to explore. The Dwemer ruins hidden behind Runoff Cave in the Reach houses a threat to all of Tamriel, and players must explore each of its four wings to put a stop to the Dwemer machines that threaten Skyrim.

Forgotten Seasons offers players four separate dungeons themed after the four seasons. Each has unique puzzles to figure out to progress through the ruin, and eventually, players come face-to-face with a Dwemer construct more dangerous than Centurions. Players can forge special Dwarven Crowns in this dungeon, each with season-themed Dragon Priest-like effects.

3 New Armor Packs and Unique Weapons

New Skyrim Armor Sets in Anniversary Edition

• Alternative Armors – Daedric Plate
• Alternative Armors – Daedric Mail
• Alternative Armors – Dragon Plate
• Alternative Armors – Dragonscale
• Alternative Armors – Dwarven Plate
• Alternative Armors – Dwarven Mail
• Alternative Armors – Ebony Plate
• Alternative Armors – Elven Hunter
• Alternative Armors – Iron
• Alternative Armors – Leather
• Alternative Armors – Orcish Plate
• Alternative Armors – Orcish Scaled
• Alternative Armors – Silver
• Alternative Armors – Stahlrim Fur
• Alternative Armors – Steel Soldier
• Spell Knight Armor
• Armor sets included in Ghosts of the Tribunal, The Cause, etc

There are no less than 15 alternative armor sets included in Anniversary Edition, not including armors included in non-standalone mods, each improving upon an armor set available in the base game and its DLCs. These sets put a new spin on everything from Leather and Iron to Daedric and Dragon Plate armors.

Many of these alternative armors originally appear in the mobile game The Elder Scrolls: Blades, which was particularly praised by Elder Scrolls fans for its aesthetics. These mods aren’t game-changing, but they add a new level of customization to keep a character feeling fresh.

There are several completely new armor sets included in the Skyrim: Anniversary Edition mods, like Spell Knight Armor, Lord’s Mail, Divine Crusader, and even two Horse armors that reference Oblivion‘s infamous DLC.

Dozens Of New And Unique Weapons

• Arms of Chaos
• Bow of Shadows
• Chrysanmere
• Dawnfang & Duskfang
• Elite Crossbows
• Expanded Crossbow Pack
• Goldbrand
• Headman’s Cleaver
• Redguard Elite Armaments
• Ruin’s Edge
• Shadowrend
• Staff of Hasedoki
• Staff of Sheogorath
• Staves
• Stendarr’s Hammer
• Sunder & Wraithguard
• Umbra
• Weapons included in Ghosts of the Tribunal, The Cause, etc

In addition to the huge variety of new alternative armor appearances come dozens and dozens of new weapons, many of which are named and unique. The Anniversary Edition completes the Tools of Kagrenac with Wraithguard and Sunder becoming available, adds the Staff of Sheogorath (no, not the Wabbajack), as well as the Aedric artifact Stendarr’s Hammer.

Each of the new weapons is vastly more powerful than the standard fare in the base game of Skyrim, offering players both aesthetically cool weapons that don’t pull any punches. Many of these weapons are tied to lengthy new questlines or other requirements, but the best things in life must be earned, right?

4 Callback Questlines: Morrowind and Oblivion Addons

Ghosts of the Tribunal Follows From TES III: Morrowind

Speaking of the Tools of Kagrenac, Anniversary Edition allows players to learn about what happened to the Dark Elf Tribunal of Living Gods in the decades following the Red Year. While Sotha Sil was murdered by Almalexia in Morrowind, and Almalexia herself was killed by the Nerevarine, nobody knows what happened to Vivec – whether he was killed or simply disappeared is unknown.

The Ghosts of the Tribunal addon doesn’t just add a lore-heavy questline, though. It also adds highly-requested Morrowind-themed armor, weapons, characters, and locations, as well as a promise to explain what happened in the years following the destruction of Vvardenfell.

The Cause Investigates What Happened After TES IV: Oblivion

While Ghosts of the Tribunal serves as Anniversary Edition‘s callback to Morrowind, The Cause serves as a continuation of the events of the Oblivion Crisis. While Mehrunes Dagon was defeated during the final events of Oblivion, the Mythic Dawn cult never disappeared.

The Cause adds a questline exploring what Mehrunes Dagon’s followers are up to after the defeat of their master. It also adds Oblivion-themed armor, weapons, and other items in addition to a explorable Ayleid Ruin (of course, with modernized visuals).

Saints and Seducers

Saints and Seducers is one of several creations included with Skyrim Anniversary Edition that calls back to the fourth Elder Scrolls game, Oblivion. The Saints and Seducers are, respectively, guardians of Mania and Dementia of the Daedric Prince Sheogorath’s Shivering Isles.

The questline included in Saints and Seducers takes players across Skyrim to discover who is directing Bandit attacks on Khajiit. Players find out that each bandit group has styled themselves after the Golden Saints and Dark Seducers, and must eventually face off against a cultist dedicated to a neglected Daedric Prince.

The Return of the Gray Cowl

The Gray Fox was the central figure of the Thieves’ Guild quests in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The Gray Cowl is not just a means of covering one’s face, it’s actually a Daedric Artifact that was stolen from none other than the Daedric Prince Nocturnal – thus, the Cowl has become associated with legendary thieves.

The Gray Cowl features Daedric script on its nose that reads “Shadow hide you”, a reference to its original owner. In Skyrim, the item gives its wearer the Detect Life effect, and is the only item in the entire game that provides this bonus passively.

5 Arcane Accessories & The Necromantic Grimoire

The Arcane Accessories creation is one of the most popular options in the Creation Club, thanks to its very well-developed new spells and the variety of dual-type Mage Robes it adds. Additionally, the Necromantic Grimoire provides many similar additions – though instead of traditional magic, it adds 13 new Necromancy spells and a new armor set for raising the dead.

Both of these creations add a new layer to Skyrim‘s magic system, and although none of the spells included are particularly game-breaking, they do serve as less costly alternatives to similar spells in the base game.

6 Survival Mode & Camping

Two of the most popular mods in the Creation Club are perfectly suited for each other. Survival mode completely overhauls the way players get through the game by introducing factors like hunger, fatigue, the way resources regenerate, removal of fast travel, and environmental effects on the player’s well-being like cold and warmth.

Camping goes hand-in-hand with Survival Mode, offering players a way to rough it in the wilds without becoming overwhelmed by the number of things that need to be maintained. Camping Supplies can be created at a forge, and players are given a basic introduction to the system upon placing their first campsite.

7 Pets of Skyrim & Wild Horses

The Pets of Skyrim mod adds a variety of cute and helpful creatures for players to bring with them on their adventures. Five pets are included with this creation, though other companions are found in several other mods included with Skyrim Anniversary Edition.

The pets include a Fox, who searches for loot, a goat that can carry items, a skeever that can find food (which works great in Survival Mode), a rabbit that can find Alchemy ingredients, and a spider that can trap enemies.

There is also a Wild Horses mod included in the full Skyrim Anniversary Edition addons list. This addon lets you locate special horses out in the wilds and tame them with a unique Horse Breaking system. Once tamed ,you can keep and customize your horses – and rumors are spreading throughout Skyrim that there’s even a Unicorn that you can tame.

8 Fearsome Fists & Unarmed Improvements

Unarmed combat in Skyrim was once regarded as a bit of a joke, something players only take on if they have explored every other means of taking down enemies. In fact, the Gloves of the Pugilist were one of the few Unarmed weapons available at all.

The Fearsome Fists addon, new with Anniversary Edition, changes this significantly. It improves Unarmed combat through the introduction of 15 new Gauntlets, some with blades, spikes, and other attachments to make your Unarmed attacks really pack a punch.

9 Goblins Are Finally Back

While nobody in particular missed the Goblins of Oblivion and other Elder Scrolls entries, nobody is complaining about their return in Anniversary Edition. It’s kind of jarring to see these tiny green homunculi in the Skyrim engine, especially when compared to the Draugr, spiders, and other enemies that Skyrim introduced.

Goblins were introduced in the Creation Club before being brought to Anniversary Edition, and can be found in the Blue In The Face questline which revolves around the Goblin’s worship of a blue-faced Orc.