Modders have put an awful lot of effort into making sure Skyrim has continually evolved and expanded in the years since it was first released into the world.
Many have focused on changing the game by fresh quests, challenging boss battles, and majestic player homes to it, with a few even going as far as giving the Dragonborn the chance to help Belethor’s sister take over his shop or wield some spells inspired by the Eye of Magnus.
If you’re someone who loves heading below the surface of the province to explore the mysterious and impressive underground city of Blackreach in hopes of uncovering the sectors of the Dwemer, a new mod might be worth taking a look at.
Fancy exploring an even more visually impressive version of Skyrim’s Blackreach?
The mod in question is called ‘Blackreach - Clockwork City’, and is the latest work of modder Amasido. One of their previous projects gave Markarth a visual overhaul designed to help it live up to its ‘City of Stone’ moniker.
This time, they’ve decided to do something similar for the Dwarven city of Blackreach, which has already impressed scores of Skyrim players over the years thanks to its unique aesthetic and atmosphere, which offer a stark contrast to the world above ground.
However, it seemingly didn’t live up to Amasido’s expectations, leading them to create a mod that: “seeks to enhance the [Blackreach] cavern by adding in some key landmarks and renovating the central Silent City [area] to appear more like a clockwork city, rather than [the] cardboard box [it resembles in the vanilla game].”
Their changes, which attempt to meld that clockwork them with aesthetic influences from the Babylonian civilisation of our own world, include a hanging garden area designed to pay homage to those famously found in ancient Babylon, some pyramid-shaped burial crypts, and a bunch of abandoned homes built into the walls of the cavern to make it feel more lived-in.
Meanwhile, existing buildings like the Debate Hall and Hall of Rumination have gained some new animated gears and battlements to rejuvenate them a little.
While the mod only affects exterior visuals as of now, Amasido seemingly hopes to add some interior cell changes to it at some point in the future, as well as a few quests and NPCs.
That said, you might want to leave your follower behind if you’re planning on picking up the mod in its current guise, as Amasido admits Blackreach’s navmesh is a bit janky in terms of pathing.
Regardless of whether you’re now hopping in a great lift to do some more expiring of Skyrim’s hidden jewel, make sure to follow us for more updates on The Elder Scrolls 6 and the interesting world of Bethesda game modding, including our top mods of the month.