One aspect of Skyrim that probably hasn’t stood the test of time is the combat. Sure, we loved the combat of Skyrim when it came out, but as more time has passed by and more games have come out with very fleshed out combat mechanics, it’s alright to feel as if the combat in Skyrim feels very barebones.

This coupled with predictable enemy spawning and not a massive amount of enemy variety can really affect subsequent playthroughs for some.

So, today we take a look at the 15 best combat and enemy mods available for Skyrim!

15. Glamorous Combat

Mod Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/3120

Glamorous Combat is a simple mod, yet it brings a great new dynamic to the fights that you have. All it does is activate the slow-mo feature at different parts of the fight, giving them a very cinematic feel.

This mod is ranked the lowest on this list because it doesn’t really add much to the game or the encounters more than just making them feel cooler, which I think is still a great reason to include it!

14. Horsemen- Mounted Combat Enhancement

Mod Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/24286

They added horses, but not proper horse mounted combat. Why? Well, this mod seeks to fill that gaping hole in Skyrim by not only adding proper combat mechanics while mounted, but also adds enemies who have their own horses and will fight you on them.

Another great addition is that if you use followers, they too can have their own horses and can help run down enemies on them.. This mod should be downloaded  to add more depth to your Skyrim adventures!

13. Archery Gameplay Overhaul

Mod Link:

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/24296

Archery is already one of the top picks for the overall build that most people choose, so why not make the whole thing even better? Modder DServant has made substantial changes to the archery in the game, now allowing builds way more versatility and power than ever before.

This mod adds new kinds of arrows, new animations, new status effects such as bleed, among many other things. This is definitely a must have for those who want a complete archery build.

12. Spellsiphon- Immersive Combat

Mod Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/26627

A mage build is one of the most common builds available in Skyrim, where you focus almost all of your points into the magic skill tree. Though this opens the door to many magical abilities, it can become boring after a while to see the same destruction spells again and again..

This is where the Spellsiphon mod comes in- adding a vast variety of new spells that allow for the mage to feel way more powerful and also adds a new depth to magical combat. Definitely look into this mod if you are planning a mage playthrough of Skyrim.

11. Mortal Enemies

Mod Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/73921

This is one for all the realism nuts! It can be really frustrating when you come across a horde of enemies and when they run you down, they’re all perfect in their assault. It can really break the immersion as the human element of the enemies is taken out.

What this mod does is that it essentially makes combat much more engaging and skill based. Enemies can now miss their attacks and so can you, making each encounter unique and requiring proper timing and placement, unlike the vanilla game where combat encounters are all just battles of durability.

10. True Armor

Mod Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/15921

No matter what armor you are wearing in Skyrim, the overall combat stays the same. Aside from the defense rating that you have and the overall weight that you are carrying, your armor doesn’t have any affect on how you play the game.

True Armor is a mod that adds the different benefits and disadvantages of light and heavy armors to the game, which affects the way you play the game. Light armor allows for faster attacks while heavy armor doesn’t, so it's fun to see which one would best suit your play style.

Moreover, the different sets of the game have their own strengths and weaknesses, and a Dwarven set might include something that a Dragonscale set might not, so you might even want to stick with an armor you got way earlier in your playthrough.

9. Genesis Unleashed Dungeons

Mod Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/23871

When you first visit a dungeon in Skyrim, it’s great; spooky and awe-inspiring. However, when you’re an overleveled Dragonborn and can kill Draugr Deathlords in just 2 swings of your sword later on, the dungeons become way too easy and because of this, boring.

However, this mod doesn’t make dungeon enemies difficult, it just adds many of them. There are set spawn points in each dungeon, ensuring that the player is always under a constant yet manageable threat. If one isn’t careful, they can quite easily die, meaning these dungeons are now just as terrifying as the residents of Skyrim say they are.

8. Beast Skeletons

Mod Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/517

Isn’t it weird that the only race whose skeletons you come across are those of humans, especially because of the fact that Skyrim is such a diverse land with so many different races living there? It’s kinda stupid to think that it is only humans who have ever died here.

What the Beast Skeletons mod does is that it quite simply adds the skeletal remains of all the other races in the game including Orcs, Khajiit, Argonians etc. This adds great immersion to the game as well as giving an even greater feeling of how this land has been lived in for centuries.

7. Real Wildlife

Mod Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/17466/

Now this is a great mod. What this mod does is that it adds almost 500 entirely new species of fauna into the game, as well as adding a vast variety to the already existing enemies. 

This mod allows for many new kinds of animals to travel and live in packs, adding new animals which are pretty territorial and can completely change the way you journey around the land!

6. Skyrim Revamped - Complete Enemy Overhaul

Mod Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/14598

Most of Skyrim’s enemies feel very samey and they can easily be dispatched if you spend the time to level yourself up as they don’t really require much skill past your typical hack and slash approach. This is where the Skyrim Revamped mod comes in!

This mod seeks to change all that by giving different enemies different abilities and features, allowing for there to be a greater diversity of enemy encounters that you can have. Enemies will now use different attacks depending on who they are, as well as using magic and other perks that enemies in the vanilla game couldn’t.

5. Magic Duel - Reborn

Mod Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/3957

Love Dragonball Z? Love Harry Potter? Love both? Well, have no fear because this is ultimately one of the best magic combat mods that are available for the whole game! An overhaul that completely transforms the way that 2 foes have magic related fights.

After a duel is initiated, 2 magic wielders can go mano-e-mano to see who is stronger. Unlike the vanilla game, however, the destruction magic that comes with this mod can clash with the destruction magic of the enemy, causing the stronger mage to win. This all also adds a new element of skill to the magic combat of Skyrim.

4. Disable Combat Boundary 

Mod Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/937

Unfortunately, one of the biggest elements of Skyrim that has definitely not aged well is the AI of the enemies and friendly NPC’s. This has allowed many players to have the opportunity to exploit this AI using the boundary of the game, making it so enemies stop following you when you reach a certain place.

However, this mod comes in for the save as it completely removes this aspect of the game, causing the enemies of the game to follow you relentlessly, meaning you can’t cheese your way out of an encounter.

3. KS Dragon Overhaul

Mod Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/19051

Dragons. The legendary flying terrors of Skyrim, able to bring down entire cities with nothing but their fiery breath, the ancient horrors stem from tales passed down from generation to generation, reminding the people of Skyrim of their true enemies…. Aaaaaannnd the dragon has been killed by Whiterun archers.

Don’t get me wrong, the dragons in the game are super cool and one of my favorite aspects about the whole game, but the fact that a random giant or a group of city archers can kill the beasts really makes the Dragonborn kinda useless.

This brilliant mod changes that as it transforms all the dragons in the game to the fabled mythical beasts that the lore says they are. In this mod, dragons now have way more shouts and can really only be killed by you, making every single dragon encounter mean far more in the grand scheme of things.

2. Elemental Dragons

Mod Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/8394/

More dragons! If there’s one thing I love, it’s dragons. The dragons added to Skyrim in this mod makes almost every single dragon encounter memorable. While all the dragon varieties in Skyrim are cool, they only really start to differ at specific level caps, and even then they don’t change too much.

With elemental dragons, you now have truly unique skins and abilities for different dragons which you can even set to appear at any level. It is a very special mod and one that is a staple of my load order in every playthrough.

1. Diverse Dragon Collection

Mod Link: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/695

My favorite Skyrim mod ever. This mod is a lot like the previous one, but dialed upto 11, as this not only has a bunch of new dragons, it uses assets that aren’t from the game and uses it to truly diversify and make completely unique and bizarre dragons, 90% of which could actually still fit in the vanilla game.

This is also very similar to the elemental dragons mod where different dragons have different kinds of abilities and even elements that they are partial to as compared to others, as well as including entirely new elements such as poison for the dragons. I cannot recommend this mod enough for anyone who wants a new twist to their playthrough!

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