Do you remember Skyrim looking like this?
Probably not! The Elder Scrolls franchise has quite possibly the largest modding community to date, boasting thousands of mod creators, and the most extensive selection of mods to choose from. NexusMods offers just over 53000 files, which have had 1174.57 million downloads over the course of 6 years. Everyone has their own taste in mods, and unless you have the same exact combination of visuals, our games will look vastly different.
Not only is there a surplus in options for textures, there are mods that cater to lighting, weather effects, and even cubemaps, which determine how an object 'captures' reflections. Along side a decent 'ENB' (an in-game post processing tool), Skyrim has the potential to be visually amazing and stand alongside today's most graphically impressive games.
For those who aren't interested in the technical know-how, feel free to ignore whatever the hell I'm saying and skip to more of my screenshots. Enjoy!
Here's everyone's favourite city, Whiterun! (AKA the place where every lazy modder dumps their shit in) Looks a little bland though doesn't she, let's throw in a bit 'PC magic'.
"What about at night?" Look no further.
Wind guide you, Dovahkiin
Skyrim's modding community is still going strong, leading Bethesda to release 'Skyrim Special Edition', a remastered version of the game, in an attempt to bring mods to the next-gen consoles. Special Edition is also available on PC, but everything you've seen so far is from the 'old' Skyrim. Why haven't I made the move yet? Skyrim SE only has about 7000 mods, and a very important one called 'SKSE', has not finished developing for it yet.
SKSE is a script extender, that enables authors to really push the limits of the creation engine. For example, here is the fully functional Couch Co-Op mod that allows you to play alongside with a friend. Although it comes with limitations (like needing a controller), this incredible mod enables local co-op to help you quest, slay monsters, and explore.
What's that, you want more waifus? Warning: lorebreaking anime girls ahead
That's it for today friends, I hope you've enjoyed a small collection of my screenshots. Imgur Album here for those who'd like to see them in higher resolution. If you haven't seen my New Vegas ones, feel free to check them out! I'll also be doing more of these in the future, so follow me to be notified as soon as they're out.