Modders have historically put a lot of effort into making Skyrim feel as immersive and realistic as possible, bringing everything from destructible furniture to gear-equipping animations and dynamically-learning NPCs to the game.
This focus has made the game a lot more interesting from a roleplaying perspective, with those who prefer to live the outdoorsy lifestyle of a hunter, survivalist or druid being among those who’ve benefited the most from mods which help simulate the trials and tribulations of life in the inhospitable wilderness.
Now, though, a new mod is offering you the chance to kick off possibly your most interesting nature-based Skyrim playthrough yet.
Have you ever wanted to be more at one with Skyrim’s flora and fauna?
The mod in question is called ‘Natura’ and is the work of modder Norive, whose previous work has added some fascinating poison-themed spells to the game along with some summonable holy weapons.
This time, they’ve added a bunch of new spells and masks aimed at those who long to live among the creatures of Skyrim’s forests and glens.
These spells fall into a number of different schools, with alteration, conjuration and restoration all benefiting from fresh incantations, such as ones that fire destructive insect swarms at your enemies, reflect incoming damage using thorns and summon a variety of animals, including a couple of new varieties of spriggan unique to the mod.
If that last detail has you excited, the mod also has another treat for you in the form of a range of spriggan-themed masks (all of which have special enchanted variants) that can be dropped by the creatures on death and will ensure your character looks the part when wandering the woods.
While the ‘on death’ part of that might have those who wouldn't dream of harming one of Skyrim’s naturalistic protectors quaking in their sustainably sourced boots, you don’t necessarily have to be the one doing the killing.
For example, you could use your magic to calm a spriggan, have them fight alongside you and, if they fall, possibly pick up the mask from their body in order to keep their spirit nearby as you fight to defend the natural world.
Regardless of how you plan to rationalise wearing a spriggan’s face as fashionable headgear, make sure to follow us for more updates on The Elder Scrolls 6 and the wacky world of Skyrim modding.