Top 5 Elder Scrolls mods that can be standalone expansions

Elder Scrolls mods are so creatively put together that some can even stand toe-to-toe with the game's official expansions. From breathtaking scenery and impressive visuals to silly texture replacements and new missions, they make the title so much more interesting, keeping its massive playerbase intact after so many years. Skyrim features almost 100,000 mods, easily making it one of the most modded video games of all time.

With the massive mod collection available in the game, it's almost impossible to curate a top-five list. Nevertheless, here's an attempt at that difficult feat. We have gathered the top five best Elder Scrolls mods that can easily be successful standalone expansions.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's views.

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Harthstone Isles and 4 other Elder Scrolls mods that are as good as official expansions

1) The Forgotten City

The Forgotten City is an award-winning Elder Scrolls mod (Image via Zenimax Online Studios)

While it's common to see mods perform better than official expansions, an award-winning one is rare to come by. However, The Forgotten City Elder Scrolls did exactly just that. In fact, it's the first to win a national Writer's Guild award for its script.

Set in an ancient underground city, this mod features a murder mystery investigation with a non-linear plot. This means that your decisions will certainly affect your story's conclusion. It's a great mod that offers six to eight hours of gameplay with multiple storyline outcomes, an original orchestra score, and professionally voiced dialogue.

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2) Wyrmstooth

Wyrmstooth is one of the biggest and most impressive Elder Scrolls mods (Image via Zenimax Studios)

Wyrmstooth is one of the bigger mods of Elder Scrolls and its content is as beautiful as it is massive. It features challenging dragon battles, huge dungeon fights, dragon puzzles, a handcrafted landmass, and a custom soundtrack, among others. It also introduces you to over 30 characters and 17 new quests.

With the amount and quality of content you get from this mod, it actually stands on par with the likes of the official expansions. Some players even claim that this could be an entirely different co-op fantasy adventure game on its own.

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3) Morrowind Rebirth

Morrowind Rebirth is a spectacular Elder Scrolls mod (Image via Zenimax Studios)

Morrowind is one of Elder Scroll's most successful games and players have been looking for ways to enjoy and revisit the RPG. A lot of mods specifically made for Morrowind exist, but Morrowind Rebirth stands as one of the best.

For a mod that is based on an existing game, it delivers a one-of-a-kind experience, creatively touching nostalgia while offering a fresh gaming experience. Apart from the changes it brings to the gameplay, it also aims to fix a lot of issues and bugs in the original title.

It features over 20 new characters, hundreds of novel items and equipment, tons of dungeons, and major reworks of cities and regions.

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4) Harthstone Isles

Harthstone Isles is an Elder Scrolls mod that introduces a whole new island located between Skyrim and Roscrea. It can easily be considered a standalone expansion offering a plethora of content players have been wanting for so long. This mod features multiple new locations, a bunch of silly characters, 3D level design, multiple quests, and an original storyline.

This short-term modding project is a perfectly executed cozy mod developed by growing artists and developers. Delve into new locations such as the Faadgolt, Rselret's Rest, and Casketweaver's Cairn. It also features custom music called Harthstone Isles Intro OST.

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5) The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal

One of the best Elder Scrolls mods to exist, The Gray of Nocturnal is a DLC-sized mod that takes players on a 10-hour gameplay that revolves around stealth and puzzles. This mod lets players explore the Alik'r Desert in Hammerfell where they are bound to face new enemies and challenging dungeons as they unravel mysteries.

They can enjoy unique lore items from previous Elder Scrolls games, new lands and locations, new spells, and a custom soundtrack in this Elder Scrolls mod.