Veteran RPGers have seen and done just about everything Skyrim has to offer, and that's where the modding community comes in. In addition to crafting new weapons, armor, quests, and texture upgrades, they are also busy cranking out brand new lands for players to explore, which further extends the shelf life of the game.
By attaching a few of these to a load order, players can take a simple boat ride away from Skyrim, and adventure in a whole new land. Not all land mods are created equal, but some stand tall and proud as excellent, polished projects that deserve a lot of respect, even from AAA game developers.
Darkend
As such, darkness is a prevailing theme as gamers explore new environments, dungeons, and catacombs in search of powerful artifacts. The mod is activated by visiting the icy area northwest of Winterhold, where a wrecked ship lies in wait to trigger the quest.
Land Of Vominheim
This mod is still technically in production, with plans to add a full-scale questline. At the moment, it's a large land with a basic overall story that will undoubtedly grow as the game is updated. Land of Vominheim has multiple villages to explore, complete with NPCs to interact with.
On a broader level, the mod includes five distinct islands to explore, plenty of enemies to battle, and dungeon-diving galore. In of size, it's nearly the same as Solstheim, which is a decent-sized area to adventure in. Hopefully, the update schedule is swift, and more content is added.
Beyond Reach
Beyond Reach has been in production since 2016, and continues to get regular updates as recently as June of 2021. It's a DLC-sized mod taking place in an area of Tamriel (known as The Reach, which is east of High Rock). It's a story-based mod with a dark and somber narrative for Dragonborns to explore.
The land is about the same size as three of Skyrim's individual holds, which is fairly large. It's filled with interesting characters, antagonists, and treasures to find, which is all part of the fun. It lacks a bit of polish, particularly when it comes to things like voiced NPCs, but these might be buffed out in future updates.
Midwood Isle
Although not as large as some of its peers, Midwood Isle is a quaint and enjoyable mod that offers players the chance to explore yet another distinct new land. The story focuses on the Sun Elves and their distinct culture and history, which is a nice attempt to expand on Elder Scrolls canon.
It's the size of two Skyrim holds, which is decent enough and includes fully voiced NPCs brought to life by a team of 30 individual voice actors. The main storyline runs 11 quests, with 24 side quests in total to round out the immersion. Players can even purchase and upgrade a home, turning Midwood Isle into the perfect vacation getaway.
The Republic Of Maslea - Chapter One
This mod is apparently the first in a series yet to be fully released, so many fans are hoping it grows parallel with the team's ambitions. The Republic of Maslea centers its action on a brand new piece of land between Tamriel and Akavir, and ties in with established Elder Scrolls lore.
It's about the same size as the Dragonborn DLC and includes a story-based main quest with lots of characters to interact with and learn more about. The mod also sports a new musical soundtrack, weapons, creatures, and architecture, giving it a distinct feel.
Chanterelle
Fans of survival games light on story, such as Ark: Survival Evolved, may enjoy what Chanterelle has to offer. It remains to be seen where the modding team goes with it, but the mod's current iteration offers a huge piece of land to explore, without any pesky quests or threats getting in the way.
It's perfect for nature lovers, featuring sprawling forests and ancient ruins to check out. Size-wise, it's about the same as Skyrim itself, which is no small feat. For those who like to rough it alone in the wilderness, few mods can deliver quite like Chanterelle.
Beyond Skyrim - Bruma
The Beyond Skyrim team is busy undertaking a truly mad quest - to replicate all of Tamriel's regions into the main Skyrim province. Many gamers would love to live in this idealized fantasy world to begin with and the objective of this mod is to duplicate that feeling, at least in some way.
Bruma is the first and most complete version of this new vision. It replicates the northernmost region of Cyrodiil and allows players to learn about its history, following the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Whether the mod reaches full completion is anyone's guess, but this is definitely a strong start.
Wyrmstooth
Alongside Falskaar, Wyrmstooth is perhaps the most famous DLC-sized mod to come out of the developer community. For a while, the mod disappeared completely from the scene, and speculation arose that it was mothballed permanently. However, it recently made a roaring comeback, to the delight of longtime fans.
Wyrmstooth integrates an intriguing storyline into Skyrim's main narrative, bringing players to a brand new land to slay a dragon under contract. However, there's more to it than that. This large new area includes many quests, dark dungeons to explore, and plenty of loot to nab in the process. It's definitely a must-have.
Falskaar
The ambitious best quests Skyrim has to offer. A lore-friendly quest transports players to this new land, where new adventures await.
In addition to 20+ hours of content, there's an entire countryside to explore with fully-voiced characters, new side quests, and a ton of new locations to dive into. Players can travel between Falskaar and Skyrim with a simple boat ride or an add-on mod that allows for fast travel between both locations.
Skyblivion/Skywind
Although still in production, Skyblivion and Skywind represent the most ambitious modding projects in Skyrim's history, and possibly gaming as a whole. Two separate teams are currently near completion of what was once thought impossible - remaking the Elder Scrolls III and IV inside of the Skyrim engine.
Both projects have been going for years at this point, but evidence is emerging that the long road to production might be coming to an end, very soon. The latest developer diaries for both titles look spectacular, and that's good news for gamers who want to experience Morrowind and Oblivion with a fresh new coat of paint, and a new perspective as well.
