How to give Skyrim a medieval makeover with only 5 mods

Skyrim lives up to the high-fantasy elements that previous Elder Scrolls games laid out.

Nirn, the known world as explained in the lore, is a magically endowed place. The inimitable hallmarks of high fantasy in Elder Scrolls are visible in the very morphology of its races on the character creation screen. Other than men and mer, there are feline and reptile folks in the civilized world.

Yet, the unquestionable brand of Scandinavian landscapes and environment pins Skyrim, the home of the Nords, to some semblance of reality. For players looking for a more muted, realistic medieval experience like Kingdom Come: Deliverance, a simple five-mod arrangement can go a long way.

Five mods to turn Skyrim into a realistic medieval experience

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1) Nordic and Slavic Music

Music is a crucial element that factors into setting a game's tone. The original soundtrack of Skyrim, composed by Jeremy Soule, is heralded as one of the best orchestral pieces to accompany a role-playing game. It is nearly twice the amount of playtime compared to Oblivion, and Soule tries to bring some diversity into it.

Reasonably enough, the fourth era marks a time of racial diversity in Skyrim, as the very nature of the province as the home of the Nords is contested by the ruling Empire. In doing so, however, Soule's music leans towards parity with Cyrodiil's idyllic tunes from Oblivion, making the tone overall more homogenous.

ktomaczas' Nordic and Slavic Music replaces most of Soule's work in Skyrim with Baltic music. Lifted from the works of artists like Warduna and Percival, these tracks use era-appropriate medieval instruments for a more Nordic feel.

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2) True Medieval Economy

In line with their attempts to make the Elder Scrolls experience more accessible, Bethesda made Skyrim's economy exploitable and lenient for the player. One run through a beginner area like Embershard mine nets players enough to lend them the price of a horse. The immersion-breaking flaw here is the inconsistency in item pricing.

Although areas like The Pale may not be farmable, fertile sprawling farms like Rorikstead, it is implied, make up for it. True Medieval Economy tries to turn lore into gameplay practice.

Items are now priced more sensibly and intuitively. True to medieval times, food, drinks, and unqualified labor are incredibly cheap, while horses, arrows, and similar equipment are significantly more expensive.

Cutlery and jewelry are also reasonably priced to reflect both the material and the craftsmanship. Additionally, the mod also makes the price of blood high through harsh bounties.

No longer can a lycanthrope dragonborn walk away from mass murder sprees easily.

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3) Vaultman30's Armor Extended

Skyrim's armory is much more stylized and heterogeneous than its Oblivion counterparts. Some of their early variants, like hide and fur armor, are even practical in their make.

In this aspect, the design team goes back to the drawing board to strike a balance between the distinct personality of the chestpieces and the recognizability of the material.

This is a commendable achievement but at the cost of sacrificing consistency with any historical age. Vaultman30's Armor Extended eschews some of the vanilla design ideas, but in return, it introduces a swath of armor replacement drawn from historically realistic inspirations.

These are byrnies, gambesons, hauberks, brigandines, and cuirasses of the early middle ages, as seen in games like The Witcher 3 or Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

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4) Believable Weapons + Real Bows

In the same vein as its coats of arm, the weapons of Skyrim stick to its high-fantasy stylization. The iron and steel weaponry retain their realistic, worn-out look, while the imperial weaponry takes inspiration from the real-life Augustine weapons like the Gladius.

When it comes to orcish, elven, and high-tier weapons, however, Bethesda makes good on their artistic license for unrealistically bulky or sleek designs for the sake of variety.

Those looking for a good balance between realism and affinity with the materials of Skyrim will find Believable Weapon as a lightweight solution. The mod does not meddle with textures or normal maps at all.

Instead, it replaces the weapon meshes with the proportions and scales expected in real-life smithing. 'Real Bows' does similar mesh-replacement work for bows.

For actual historical accuracy, 'Somewhat Historically Accurate Weapons and Viking Gear' can be used to add supplementary real-life medieval armaments.

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5) Less or No Magic

The Elder Scrolls universe was established in the 90s, the early era of role-playing games with a keener connection to its DnD roots and Tolkien-esque arcana. The experience of first-hand magic usage and a separate class of mages mark its very core design and balance.

In a more realistic medieval-era modlist, however, magic takes a backseat. It would not be possible to put away the deep entrenchment magic has in the mystical world of Tamriel.

Instead, the usage of magic can be limited to a handful of mystical sources. These exceptions include magical creatures like vampires and dragon priests and scholars from the College of Winterhold.

This, exactly, is what 'Less or No Magic' sets out to do by stamping out in-game magic usage in a non-scripted method.

Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.