Skyrimmodding has been around since the game was first released back in 2011. The modding community experienced a renaissance back in 2016 whenSkyrim Special Editionwas released. This newer version ofSkyrimis capable of supporting moremodsthan theLegendary Editionand is more compatible with modern PC hardware.
Because of this update in performance and stability, the community has been able to create massive modlists using a wonderful little program calledWabbajack.Wabbajackis an automated modlist installer that can be downloaded onto a user’s PC. This program allows its users to both create and download modlists for a number of games. For the best experience, it is recommended that users get aNexusmodspremium account to make the downloading of mods less time-consuming.
Updated June 28, 2025, by Hamza Haq:One of the biggest reasons the Skyrim modding scene is still thriving to this day is because the community isn’t content with simply resting on its laurels even after all these years. New tools to make modding easier not only for the modders themselves but for the player base as well are always in the works, keeping the fans eager and coming back for more. Wabbajack has been on the scene for a good while now, giving prospective mod authors plenty of time to iterate and perfect their modlists for the end user. Today, the modlists players can download from Wabbajack are in their most optimized forms yet, making them as stable and performance-friendly as it is possible to be with the current tools that are available for use. Two new lists have been added to give players even more options when picking out the next big Wabbajack Skyrim modlist to install.
12Do Not Go Gentle
Most Requiem-centric lists tend to either forgo visuals entirely or favor a gritty, dark, unforgiving, low-fantasy world look. ButDo Not Go Gentleis a balance between the two extremes. Offering a compromise between the intrinsic harshness Requiem promises while still integrating incredible visuals that even mid-tier PCs can handle.
The Author has also added some combat mods with new animations to bring a modern combat experience to Skyrim while still being compatible with Requiem; not an easy ask. Combined with large-scale quest mods like Vigilant, it offers content to explore outside of the Nordic snows of Skyrim for players who are tired of visiting Whiterun for the six hundredth time.
Intel i7 9900k
16 GB
400 GB
11Path Of The Dovahkiin
Path of the Dovahkiinstrives to bring the ultimate ARPG experience toSkyrim. The list takes inspiration from classic RPGs likeDiablo 2, Path of Exile,andLast Epoch.Path of the Dovahkiinachieves this by having large perk trees, increased enemy variety, repeatable dungeons, and plenty of new weapons and armor.
The list is alsofocused on replayabilitythrough near-endless character-building theory crafting. Everything included in this list is centered around making the player character a powerful, enemy-slaying, gold-collecting, loot-hoarding machine. This list is perfect for those looking for a fun ARPG power fantasy experience.
350 GB
10The Phoenix Flavour
The Phoenix Flavouris a visual and gameplay-focused modlist that features over 700 mods. The modlist’s main focus is on being a coherent and stable experience.The Phoenix Flavouris one of the more demanding lists onWabbajack, luckily it has some performance options for those who have weaker PCs.
This modlist also includes somecombat-enhancement modslikeBlade and BluntandDragon War - Reduced Difficulty. The list also has ultra wide-screen support, allowingSkyrimto be enjoyed in crisp 4K. This list is a great choice for players who are looking for a vanilla-plus experience.
Intel i7 8700k
8 GB
9Ghoulified Reality
At the core ofGhoulified Realityis an even more hardcore version of Requiem, called 3BFTweaks, which takes the already intense level curve and difficulty setting of Requiem and dials it up to eleven while attempting to make the game feel more fair by introducing different balance changes and modifications to the base formula.
Ghoulified Realitycombines the visuals of NGVO, a graphics-only modlist, with the punishing gameplay of 3BFTweaks. To add to the element of danger, the modlist also uses Skyrim Souls, which makes the menu unpaused, justlikeDark Souls. This prevents players from cheesing encounters by freely downing health and stamina potions whenever their meters get low, making each encounter much more dynamic and fun to play.
Intel i5 10400
310 GB
8Nordic Souls
Vanilla Plus lists are popular for a very good reason. They are easy to get into because players don’t have to learn completely new mechanics and secrets that a lot of the heavier lists on Wabbajack introduce, while still elevating the base Skyrim experience to something truly enjoyable.
For those looking for the definitive Vanilla plus Skyrim experience, Nordic Souls is the way to go. This mod list promises a general uplift of everything in Skyrim, from the graphics to the weapons and armor to the NPCs, by using SimonMagus’s suite of mods as a base. All the while, it still remains performance-friendly enough to run on potato PCs. A core tenet of Nordic Souls is to remain as lore-friendly as possible; everything added to Skyrim feels like it belongs in the Elder Scrolls universe.
Intel i5 9400
210 GB
7Lost Legacy
The Lost Legacymodlist is the successor to the very popularQWESTmodlist. This list is compatible with bothAnniversary EditionandSpecial Edition. The list is focused on being a full-on power fantasy modlist. It accomplishes this through its inclusion ofVokriinatorand theEnaiRimmod package.
Lost Legacyalso includes plenty of quest mods and 5000+Legacy of the Dragonbornmuseum displays, so there are plenty of new things to see and do. The list also includes some optional survival mode mods and mechanics as well as performance options.
AMD Ryzen 3 3300U
335 GB
6Living Skyrim
Living Skyrimis about breathing life back intoSkyrim. The inspiration for this modlist comes from the author’s experience of playing vanillaSkyrimand finding that he/she had nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no one to talk to at many moments in their playthrough. The author seeks to correct this by adding new NPCs, quests, dungeons, followers, and more.
That goal on its own would be enough to make this list a fan favorite, but the author has gone the extra mile in adding other additions like gameplay enhancements, extra combat mechanics, larger perk trees, new spells, and enhanced visuals. This list is an excellent choice for players looking fora slower-paced playthrough.
5Wildlander
Wildlanderis a massive modlist centered around the ever-popularRequiemoverhaul.Requiemis a massive overhaul that touches practically every aspect ofSkyrim’s mechanics in some way, shape, or form, with the intention of transformingSkyriminto the true RPG experience it could have been.
Wildlanderexpands upon thisRequiemwith added visuals, quests, NPCs, locations, and mechanics. The modlist utilizes survival mechanics and is considereda hardcore experience, although, there are options available to make the modlist easier for players looking for a more casual experience. This is one of the most ambitious modlist onWabbajack, featuringan entire roadmapfor planned features and updates.
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
135 GB
4NGVO - Next Generation Visual Overhaul
NGVO is the most up-to-date, visual-only modlist currently being hosted on Wabbajack. The purpose of this list is to give players a stable, performance-friendly, graphically impressive version of Skyrim without adding a single gameplay-altering mod in a complete package that can be iterated upon by the user.
NGVO is not meant to be a plug-and-play list—though it can definitely be used that way. The idea is that Skyrim fans who have a very specific combination of gameplay mods can use NGVO as a visual base to bring their ideas to life. There is no need to worry about conflicts with the existing mods when adding new ones; the modlist has been designed from the ground up to be conflict-free.
10th Generation i5 or better/equivalent
RTX 3060
16GB DDR4 Ram + 40GB Pagefile
250 GB
3Apostasy
Apostasyis the latest creation of Aljo, a renowned mod author who has a history of putting together extremely stable, modernSkyrimlists likeFahluaan,Arisen, andAscencio.Apostasyis a power fantasy modlist that’s not meant to be especially challenging. Combat is rehauled using the Stances, a mod that give the Dragonborn four different movesets for every weapon type, with completely new custom animations for all attacks.
Best of all,Apostasyadds a whole bunch of custom mods not found anywhere on Nexus that were built by Aljo specifically forApostasyin order to give players who play it a truly unique experience. In this modlist, players can backstab enemies, use attacks of opportunity, inflict status effects like Bloodied and Confusion, and a whole lot more. Custom difficulty sliders are there as well for players looking for a more hardcore playthrough. To round it all out,Apostasyincludes a ton of new content in the form of quest mods, followers, player equipment, and a lot more.
Ryzen 7 5800X Or Equivalent
375 GB
