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 adding tough bandits, incredibly stealthy manoeuvres, and cosy homes to redecorate, with a few even going as far as completely rejuvenating the unique abilities offered to each of Tamriel’s races or replacing Meridia’s beacon with some bacon.
If you’re a player who often finds themselves paying visits to the various Aedric and Daedric temples and shrines located across the province, a new mod, which lets you form a strong bond and receive some nice boons from your adopted deity, might be worth adding to your load order.
Feel like making your next Skyrim playthrough a bit more spiritual?
The mod in question is called ‘Gods And Worship’, and is the work of prolific modder Steelfeathers. Some of their previous projects have completely overhauled the game’s magic perk trees and given you the chance to rebuild Hroggar's burned-down house into a picturesque player home.
This time, they’ve finally released a massive mod that’s been “in development on and off for years”, which comprehensively overhauls the way religion works in the game via a raft of new mechanics, a couple of fully-voiced followers and even a lore-friendly player home that doubles as a functional temple to your god of choice.
Foremost among the mod’s mechanics is an in-depth affinity system for all of the Aedric and Daedric deities present in the game, which will kick into action once you approach a shrine to any of these entities and make an offering of gold or an item.
From here, a variety of in-game actions will result in you gaining or losing favour with your chosen god, allowing true believers to ascend through a “series of devotional ranks” ranging from “Believer” to “High Priest/High Priestess”, all of which come with new boons and abilities, while blasphemers can become a “Pariah” and be temporarily banned from using shrines.
Those who’ve maxed out their affinity and taken on the burden of priesthood can even found their own place of worship via a large player home dubbed “Et'Ada temple”, which will be revealed to you via a holy vision and functions similarly to the homesteads of the Hearthfire DLC.
The mod also currently allows you to join up with an established temple in the form of Whiterun’s Temple of Kynareth in a similar manner to the vanilla game’s factions, as you can in the showcase clip below, with Steelfeathers planning to add other temples across Skyrim to the joinable list via future updates.
Regardless of whether you’re now calmly praying after installing this interesting alternative to the massively popular ‘Wintersun - Faiths of Skyrim’, make sure to follow us for more updates on The Elder Scrolls 6 and the interesting world of Skyrim modding. You can also check out our mods of the month for March 2023.