The guilds and factions that make up Skyrim have all become part of who we are and why we love the game so much – especially if you’re like me and you’ve been playing Elder Scrolls since before Skyrim came out.

As time keeps going by, though, factions start feeling the same.

OK, i just came back to play skyrim after my oblivion is now in glitch limbo, and find all characters (myself and NPCs) to have strange glowing skin, it doesn't affect faces or hands but everything else, and its unnoticeable if you wear armour that covers everything, but that's kinda hard to fined, i mean have you searched for armour mods lately? I appreciate any help provided, thx. I deleted everything in skyrim folder and reinstalled everything, issue still persists. Any ideas on how to fix is greatly appreciated, thanks! Yeah thats the problem im having, it sucks. I dont mind playing normal Skyrim but i would like to have enhanced textures. Sadly, that does greatly reduces the Not Safe For Work (NSFW) opportunities for Skyrim console mods, but don't fret: it doesn't eliminate them entirely! There's plenty of mods that make things just a bit more racy without going fully nude or sexual, and there's loads of options for making this latest Elder Scrolls entry more mature and violent than was originally intended.

Skyrim Shiny Skin Fix

And we tend to look for ways to make them better or… at the least change a bit about the way they look.

I found myself in the same predicament and I decided to go on a hunt to find the best mods that change factions in subtle and complex ways, to make the game feel a bit different in my next playthrough.

I think the list that I came up with here is actually pretty good, and I really hope you agree. Let’s get to it!

25. College Visitor Pass

What kind of college won’t let you visit it just because you aren’t a member?

I mean, how on Earth am I supposed to know whether I’d like to join if I can’t even see its infrastructure first?

The answer is The College of Winterhold, where they tell you that you can’t pass because you aren’t enrolled, but they probably just want to make you a member first before you check out the decadent state of its grim interiors.

The College Visitor Pass mod allows you to walk and roam freely through the halls of the college, even allowing you to complete side quests that shouldn’t require you to be a college mage to get them done anyway.

24. Thieves Guild Requirements

This mod makes the Thieves Guild much stricter when it comes to who they recruit.

You now need to be a proper thief if you want to join, and you will need to follow requirements if you wish to activate the questline.

23. Underground Gladiator Arena

Oh man, I was super excited when I saw this mod at first.

If you are like me and spent countless hours playing Oblivion, then you probably grew as fond of the arena as I did. That Colosseum feel might be hard to imitate in Skyrim. But this mod is as close as you’ll get to reviving the Oblivion arena as possible.

It adds an underground arena where you can go against some of the strongest fighters in Skyrim and show your true might against countless foes until you face the Grand Champion.

Kill him and become the champion yourself!

22. Trainers Guild for Aspiring Mages

The Trainer’s Guild is a new guild that has opened up in Skyrim, which allows everyone to join them for a fee.

The main objective of this guild is to gather mages who have no sort of affiliation with the College of Winterhold and wish to remain like this, but still wish to form part of an organization that gathers magical talent in the lands.

The mod includes a player home as well as a fence and a new enchanter to spice things up for the Dragonborn and their quest to become the ultimate mage in the land.

21. Work a Steady Job as a Blacksmith

Although not a guild per se, you can become a freelance blacksmith if you choose to install this mod.

How cool is would it be to have a nine to five job in Skyrim?

Probably not that cool I guess, but if that’s what you want to roleplay as then this is the mod for you.

With this installed you get unlimited tasks that you’ll be able to perform and get paid for doing them, and you can keep doing them until you’re bored or if you feel that you have more than enough money already.

It’s your life as a blacksmith in the world of The Elder Scrolls!

20. Aldmeri Dominion Strengthened – Join the Thalmor

Wood Elves, High Elves, and Khajit will now be able to join the ranks of the mythical Thalmor.

All of the Thalmor in the land will become friendly with you after you join them, and although this mod doesn’t bring a whole bunch of quests to the game, it will add new followers as well as the gratitude of the Thalmor instead of their usual disdain towards the player.

What’s even better is that you’ll get to enter the Embassy again after you’ve completed the quest. Gone are the days of hate towards the Dragonborn.

19. Archmage Tolfdir

Being the Archmage of the College of Winterhold is a particularly draining task. And you might want to help the college at first, but taking on the role of their leader is too much for some.

This mod allows you tell Tolfdir to take the role himself, which will make him take the same role as the previous Archmage and live in the quarters of the College wearing the robes.

Keep in mind that this mod will still let you finish quests that need you to be the Archmage to start, so you won’t lose any potential missions.

18. Dark Brotherhood for Good Guys

Well this mod isn’t as “evil-to-good” as the Thieves Guild for Good Guys mod.

But it doesn’t let you study your targets more before you kill them.

You will be an assassin anyway who works for the forces of darkness, but you will learn why some people need to die before you execute each kill.

The mod also reworks the dialogue of the player, so you sound less like Christian Bale in American Psycho and more like Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I know it’s not much of an improvement, but still.

17. Better Archmage Quarters Inside the College of Winterhold

If you’ve already installed the mod to make Tolfdir become the Archmage, then go back.

You will want to give this mod a try as it makes the quarters of the Archmage inside the College much better.

It will finally feel cozy and not like you’re living in a ruin that seems to be falling apart. Also you get new mannequins. How cool is that?

16. Imperial Legion Armor Variety

Imperial Legionnaires might be fearsome and mighty warriors, but they sure as hell lack a sense of fashion.

It’s not easy to get your battle wears designed by Hugo Boss like the Nazis (yes that happened), but a bit of variation suits everyone well.

This mod makes the Imperial fighters dress differently, as it adds new variations to the way they dress. A simple mod, but visually appealing.

15. All Thieves Guild Jobs Concurrently

Skyrim Shiny Skin Fix 1

Enough with taking up to two jobs at a time.

With this mod you’ll be able to take all seven types of jobs that the Thieves Guild offers at once.

Gone are the days of not being able to multi-task when it’s actually a simple thing to do for a skilled thief. Make the best use of your skills as possible and take on multiple small jobs at once.

14. Glorious Fort Dawnguard

It’s time to make Fort Dawnguard the best version of itself possible.

Get down to business with this standalone mod that is meant to take you on a mission to rebuild Fort Dawnguard and make it a much more glorious version of itself.

It will get new areas, new patrols, new NPCs, and much more. Just be sure to complete the entire guide!

13. Dawnguard Sentries Plus

Congratulations! If you downloaded this mod, there are now Dawnguard sentinels in every major city in the game to aid citizens and guards in their attempt to fight off vampires.

It really makes no sense for all the forces to be concentrated in Fort Dawnguard or spread thin across the lands when they can easily be patrolling towns and cities to prevent vampires from running havoc.

I have no clue why this isn’t a thing in the base DLC, but it is now after I’ve downloaded the Dawnguard Sentries Plus mod.

12. The Forsworn Legacy

This lore-friendly mod allows the Dragonborn to become part of the Forsworn, one of the weirdest and most frowned-upon factions in t