Looking to spice up the combat in your next Skyrim playthrough? 

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been around since 2011, and has been released on nearly every platform imaginable.

One of the biggest reasons it’s still being heavily played is that hundreds of new game-changing mods are created every day. These are the ten best mods that will make your combat experience feel like an entirely new game. There’s something here for everyone so let’s get started! 

10. TK Hitstop  

Easily take down enemies like this skeleton and draugr.

When you find yourself in an underground ruin with multiple Falmer running at you, it can be hard to tell when your attacks land. With this mod, you get a subtle pause and camera shake that gives you the feeling that your character hit something.

Features:

• Combat feels more impactful
• Lots of customizable options to tweak to your liking
• Simulates a pause for both the player and the enemy, making your hits feel even more powerful

Get the mod here./se version.

9. Realistic AI Detection

Play as a stealthy Dark Elf like this one and add some challenge to your game.

If you’ve had a Skyrim playthrough that was focused on stealth, you know that sneaking at high levels feels unrealistic. Sure, some people enjoy walking right in front of a guard in plain sight and going undetected. This mod is perfect for those who want a real challenge added to their stealth playthrough. 

Features:

• Many features play into enemies detecting you, such as lighting and equipment weight
• Where you are in terms of an enemies line of sight matters, which forces you to plan your attacks
• Stealing items becomes a much bigger challenge, making thievery feel much more rewarding to pull off

Get the mod here./se version.

8. Immersive Weapons

With swords like these... you'll never run out of new weapons to get your hands on. 

In a game as vast as Skyrim, sometimes the weapon variety feels lacking. Immersive Weapons (along with countless other standalone mods) aims to fix that problem. The new types of weapons make combat much more interesting and make the world feel more alive.

Features:

• Well over 200 brand new weapons for both you and your enemies
• Introduces dual-wielding opponents to challenge you
• The new weapon types allow for more variety in your character builds

Get the mod here./se version. 

7. Deadly Mutilation

Bandits won't stand a chance as you send them to their gory doom. 

For those who aren’t satisfied with their enemies just falling to the ground after being defeated, look no further than Deadly Mutilation. Be warned: this mod is fairly gory, but also introduces some interesting mechanics.

Features:

• Spells and their elements have real effects, killing your enemy with flames can burn their corpse to an unrecognizable crisp
• Different weapons have different effects, and power attacks are finally worth the stamina
• Discover new causes of death while playing, adding lots of variety to your game

Get the mod here. 

6. Mortal Enemies

It only makes sense for this trained assassin to have a leg up on some bandit thugs, right?

Tired of missing attacks on your enemies, but they seem to land every hit on you? Mortal Enemies reworks your opponents so that they don’t track you with unrealistic accuracy, making combat more tactical and realistic.

Features:

• This mod applies to all enemy types. Tweaks have been made from wolves to draugrs
• The turn rate of every creature so that they have less than perfect aim in melee range
• These changes make combat more about tactics since either opponent can miss even in close range

Get the mod here./se version.

5. True Armor

This dragon taking a bite out of steel-plated armor shouldn't hurt the same as it would with fur pants. (Though it can't feel good). 

Armor should be a very important part of Skyrim. There are tons of unique sets, however, most of them function similarly. A huge plated set of steel armor and a set of fur armor vary only in their armor rating. Wouldn’t it make sense for thick metal armor to be more difficult to pierce? 

Features:

• A complete overhaul of the vanilla armor system, armor is broken down into different categories with varying attributes
• Damage to your player or enemies armor is calculated to be either deflect or pierce damage and is decided by the type of armor worn
• All of the changes are fully customizable to your liking, and the mod even works with custom armor sets

Get the mod here./se version.

4. SkyTEST: Realistic Animals and Predators

This pack of wolves is bound to come up against your character with more confidence than a small lone wolf. 

In Skyrim, the way animals behave in combat can be frustrating. This mod completely reworks their behavior in a way that feels like it should’ve always been included. If you put this mod into your game, you’ll notice differences in even passive animal behavior constantly. 

Features: 

• Animals behave realistically: fleeing when they are near death, some fear fire,  and some run from dragons and daedra
• Large animals can knock you down, and creatures such as wolves will behave differently alone than if they are with their pack
• Other small tweaks such as animals can no longer report crimes

Get the mod here./se version.  

3. Archery Gameplay Overhaul

Level up your archery skills and become a pro like this stealthy character. 

Archer character builds in Skyrim have great potential, but something about the vanilla archery combat always left something to be desired. This mod makes using your bow and arrow a much more enjoyable experience. The mod includes optional items such as enchantable arrows (fire, ice, magic, and shock).

Features:

• New animations for first and third-person view, cut bow draw time in half (from 1.63s to 0.83s), and arrows now inflict bleeding on targets
• Huge improvements to the bow crosshair that are fully tweakable to your liking
• The shakiness you get when your bow is drawn has been removed, and optional arm fatigue when your bow is drawn too long causes shaking and stamina loss

Get the mod here./se version.

2. Ordinator- Perks of Skyrim

​A look at the Alchemy perk tree with all the new perks this mod has to offer. 

Ordinator is one of few mods that are considered a necessity. The additions it makes throughout the perk trees give you endless unique character builds to choose from. Once I had this installed for a playthrough, I couldn’t imagine playing without it. 

Features:

• An addition of 469 perks added all across the skill trees, giving you endless options for new characters
• Unique perks that add to gameplay, such as Game of Fate which transforms containers in random parts of the world into ones that contain surprises 
• Includes a perk refund system for if you install this mod during an ongoing playthrough 

Get the mod here./se version. 

1. Apocalypse: Magic of Skyrim

Look as cool as this mage with over 100 new spells to master. 

Apocalypse is essential for a mage character build. It seamlessly integrates itself into the game, with all of the spells being available for purchase or to loot just like vanilla spells. This mod truly transforms the combat experience for mages or any character that dabbles in magic.

Features:

• Adds 155 brand new spells, 31 per each school of magic, as well as scrolls and staves
• The new spells are balanced with vanilla spells and boast custom lore-friendly animations 
• Compatible with other magic scaling mods, and easy on your game with a low script load

Get the mod here. / se version.

You may also be interested in:

• Top 15 Best Skyrim Weapons and Where to Find Them
• [Top 10] Skyrim Mods That Add More Enemies
•  
• Top 50 Best Skyrim Cosplays (Most Beautiful Skyrim Cosplays)
• [Top 10] Skyrim Best Builds of All Time
•  
• Skyrim Best Light Armors And How To Get Them
• [Top 25] Best Skyrim Mods For a Brand New Experience
•  
• [Top 10] Skyrim Best Swords and How to Get Them
• [Top 10] Best Skyrim Horror Mods For a Brand New Experience