Skyrim is a pretty popular game -- so popular, in fact, that Bethesda can't seem to stop themselves from re-releasing it on as many platforms as it'll fit on!

However, even a game as well regarded as Skyrim has its flaws, as evidenced by the numerous overhauls and tweaks available through mods for the game. Now, you could try to enhance your Skyrim playthrough by downloading a couple of random mods that happen to catch your eye, but you might be better off tailoring your game to build a more cohesive experience.

For example, why not try modding Skyrim to emulate the gameplay of another third-person, medieval fantasy action-RPG that's actually renowned for its combat?

Dark Souls TESV Armor Pack comes with 10 armor sets with 12 different types of weapons and 8 different types of shields from Dark Souls added to Skyrim. The armor pack come with Havel's Set (HDT), Black Knight Set, Adventurer Set, Favor Set, Thief Set, Pyromancer Set (HDT), Hunter Set, Warrior Set, Sorcerer Set, and Wanderer Set (HDT). Dark Lore Grimoire SE (Broken by SE, Avoid) Dec 15 2016 Full Version 1 comment. Dark Lore Grimoire is an EPIC mage mod that adds a lot to the game even if you are not playing a mage. 50 Quests Mage based quests.

Here are six mods that'll bring your Skyrim run a little closer to Dark Souls.

TK Dodge

• Skyrim Special Edition version can be downloaded here.
• Skyrim version can be downloaded here.

What would Dark Souls be without dodge rolling? Well, the game would still be beatable for some people, but for the majority of players, it just wouldn’t be the same. Nexus Mods user tktk1 has produced quite a number of highly rated mods for the website (and I recommend checking them out), and amongst the most popular is TK Dodge, which adds a configurable dodge roll to the game.

You’ll be able to change the dodge’s input method (e.g., double-tapping a movement key to dodge vs. using a dedicated dodge hotkey), adjust the stamina cost and the invincibility frame duration of the dodge, and even choose between two different dodge animations!

Wildcat -- Combat of Skyrim

• Skyrim Special Editionversioncan be downloaded here.
• Skyrimversioncan be downloaded here.

One of the Souls series’ hallmark features is the lethality of combat, and it’s not just the player who’s fragile; most of the enemies your size will fall after three or four hits as well.

There are quite a few highly configurable combat overhauls available for Skyrim that make combat deadlier for all parties involved, but Wildcat in particular is fairly lightweight and adds a few extra mechanics that many Souls veterans will find familiar.

• Stamina costs for all attacks, not just power attacks
• Faster stamina (and magicka) regeneration
• Staggering is more common (though I’d probably disable the injury system)
• Increased damage dealt to characters in the middle of an attack

However, if you've already got a combat overhaul that you like, that should do the job just fine.

VIGILANT

• Skyrim Special Editionversioncan be downloaded here.
• Skyrimversioncan be downloaded here.

With VIGILANT, your character becomes a Vigilant of Stendarr tasked with keeping the holds of Skyrim safe from the encroaching darkness. However, things get a little more complicated when a Daedric Prince takes an interest in the Dragonborn.

VIGILANT is divided into four parts (all included in the mod), taking you on a journey that will bring you to some truly Souls-esque set pieces to fight some equally Souls-esque enemies. VIGILANT also doubles as a weapon & armor mod, and you’ll be able to pick up some setting-appropriate equipment (there’s actually even some Bloodborne stuff in there) as you progress through the story.

Also note that while the base mod is not voice acted, the Skyrim Voice Alliance produced an English voice acting add-on for the mod -- you can get it here!

SkyrimSouls -- Unpaused Game Menu

• Skyrim Special Editionversioncan be downloaded here.
• Skyrimversioncan be downloaded here.

With “SkyrimSouls” in its title, there can be no mistake about which audience this mod was intended for -- though of course, players looking for a more immersive Skyrim experience will appreciate the mod’s function all the same.

SkyrimSouls -- Unpaused Game Menu does exactly what it says: it stops in-game menus from pausing the game. This means that you won’t be able to open your inventory to pause combat, chug five healing potions, swap out your armor, eat a wheel of cheese, and then resume combat. The mod is also highly configurable, and you’ll be able to pick and choose which menus you want exempt from the modified menu behavior (for example, you may not want the game to continue running while the system menu is open).

(If you really want to crack down on the potion chugging, you may want to check out Potions Animated, which forces the player character through a drinking animation whenever they consume a potion.)

Lock-On

Skyrimversioncan be downloaded here.

Skyrim doesn’t have the same omnidirectional camera movement that the Souls games have -- if you have your weapon drawn and you turn your camera, your character turns in that direction too. This makes a lock-on system less of a necessity, but like tumbling, the lock-on system is a pretty big part of Souls combat.

As far as customization goes, this mod is pretty straightforward, but if you find that the default lock-on texture isn’t to your liking, there’s aDark Souls-themed texture replacer you can check out.

Unfortunately, there is no version of this mod currently available for Skyrim Special Edition. However, the Simple Face to Face Conversion mod has a Simple Lock-On Alpha listed under miscellaneous files that you might want to give a try.

The Grim and Somber ENBs

Skyrimversioncan be downloaded here.

Dark Souls and Skyrim are all about atmosphere, and they both nail it -- in their own respective ways. But if you want to bring Skyrim's atmosphere closer to Dark Souls', you can do to Skyrim what every fantasy and sci-fi film director has done to their own works: add post-processing effects!

.. or, have someone else do it for you!

The Grim and Somber ENBs are a collection of ENB post-processing presets meant to give Skyrim a darker mood. Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as it looks to install -- just follow the instructions and you’ll be good to go!

If none of the Grim and Somber ENB presets are to your taste (or you’re playing Skyrim Special Edition), just be aware that there are tons of ENB presets available at Nexus Mods -- you can find them all here (or here if you’re playing Skyrim Special Edition.)

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Given the depth of Skyrim's modding scene, I'm sure there are plenty of mods that could fit on this list. Let me know of any that I may have missed!

If you're looking for more Skyrim-related content, you can find it all here!

One of the best things about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is the huge number of quests available. Some are lighthearted, whereas others are pretty evil and dark.

In my opinion, here are the five darkest quests in Skyrim. There are a few others that didn't make the list, so don't worry about this being your only options if you are looking forward to being a bad guy.

Spoiler alert - It's difficult to discuss quests without spoilers. If you're sensitive to them, leave now!

Dark Quest #1: Innocence Lost

When you visit Riften, you may find yourself in an orphanage. Where every kid is the exact same age as every other kid in Skyrim.

I know- weird.

Anyways, it's easy to see the caretaker, Grelod the Kind, doesn't live up to her name. She verbally abuses the kids, making you feel sorry for them since they have nobody else to turn to.

As you talk to the children, you quickly learn that one of their playmates escaped from the orphanage. They drop a hint he may have returned to his hometown of Windhelm.

In Windhelm, you may hear a few people talk about the boy's abandoned home. If you break in, you'll find him on the top level doing a dark ritual. He's trying to summon an assassin from the Dark Brotherhood to kill somebody in exchange for money.

As you might guess, he wants Grelod the Kind whacked.

To me, an eight-ish year old kid doing a dark, magic ritual to have someone killed is pretty dark.

But there's more!

Skyrim Dark Quest #2: The House of Horrors

This quest has you kill not one, but TWO good guys.

It all starts in Markarth. You'll find a Vigilant of Stendarr named Tyranus asking locals about an abandoned house. He thinks something sketchy is going on, and asks you to investigate with him.

..pretty trusting to check out a weird house with a complete stranger, but that's just me.

Anyways, as you start exploring the home you hear a voice. It tells you to attack and kill Tyranus before he returns the favor. If you don't, Tyranus eventually realizes what's going on. A Daedric prince is occupying the home, and he advises you get outta dodge ASAP.

Unfortunately, the door is now locked. The prince, who turns out to be Molag Bol, says you and Tyranus have to fight to the death to escape. Tyranus obliges, so you have to kill him.

Molag Bol then explains there's a certain priest he's come to despise. He demands that you bring the priest to the house.

But your job doesn't end just by bringing the priest to the house. You also bring him downstairs where a cage is awaiting him. Molag Bol traps him, then forces you to beat up the priest. After the poor man finally submits, you're told to smash the priest's head in.

But hey -- at least you get a new mace. I guess.

Dark Quest #3: Boethiah's Calling

Like most things in Skyrim, this is a quest I just happened to stumble upon. I started walking up this mountain and find myself surrounded by a bunch of cultists.

The funny thing is that you can also start this quest if you get attacked by one of these cultists anywhere in Skyrim. I just happened to dodge that somehow.

Anyways, you learn this is a proving ground to gain the favor of the Daedric price Boethiah. The thing is -- you can't really progress in the quest without doing a dark deed.

You have to lead a follower there -- someone who knows and trusts you -- and sacrifice them.

If you're like me, you will find a follower you don't care about at all. For example maybe it will be a guild member who has a name but nothing is too special about them.

After the sacrifice, Boethiah occupies the body and tells you (and all of the cultists) to battle to the death. After all, only the strongest can become Boethiah's champion!

So all of these people that were (relatively) friendly with each other suddenly start slashing each other in the face. If you don't want to end up as troll bait, you'll use everything you can to make sure you're the only one left standing.

But that's not what makes this quest so dark in my opinion. It's the fact that you intentionally lead a lamb up there to be sacrificed just to make a Daedric prince happy isn't the happiest thing I did in Skyrim.

Skyrim Dark Quest #4: The Taste of Death

You may be able to guess where this is going, just based on the name of the quest.

This one starts by learning that there's something weird going on in Markarth. Corpses in the crypt are getting eaten.

Yeah. Human corpses. Eaten.

At first, you figure maybe it's some kind of monster. Personally I figured it was a vampire with a weird fetish, or maybe a werewolf. Plus there are skeletons nearby, so perhaps the skeletons were just weirdos and confusing themselves with zombies. I dunno.

Well as you investigate, you come across a bit of a weirdo. You can tell as soon as you meet her that she's a little off, but to continue the quest you have to go with the flow and do what she says.

As it turns out, there's a group of cannibals in the city. D&d 3.5 defenders of the faith pdf. And they're kinda getting tired of two things:

1. Eating people that have been dead for a little while.
2. That pesky priest of Arkay that runs the crypt.

Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to trick the priest into following you to the cannibals' hideout.

Keep in mind that this guy really hasn't done anything wrong. He's trying to keep the dead from taking over the world and prevent bad things from happening to dead people.

But that doesn't matter in Skyrim.

If you choose to complete the quest.. well, you can assume what happens. Cannibals + human enemies = dinner.

Dark Quest #5: Frostflow Abyss

This one is very different, in that it doesn't involve your character doing the dark deed. Instead, it involves unraveling a sad story that is probably fairly common in a land as harsh as Skyrim.

The quest starts by entering a lighthouse. You immediately realize that things aren't right though, as you see a dead body in the main living area. When you inspect the body, you'll find a journal. Read the journal and you get an idea of what happened.

The quest becomes a little bit of a riddle. You do a little searching around the house for clues, and slowly piece everything together. Eventually you find the cellar key and venture down, which is where the fighting begins.

The short of it is -- a family's dream of living in a lighthouse came to a nasty end.

Conclusion

As I mentioned earlier, there are a number of other dark quests. Sometimes it's digging around for information on a quest giver's loved one, only to find out the person died in the cold world of Skyrim.

Betrayal isn't uncommon either. Several quests either require you to betray someone or tell the story of someone betraying a loved one.

Bottom line -- there are plenty of dark quests in Skyrim Special Edition to seek out next month. Good luck and have fun depressing yourself!