Mod shoutout: Sink or Swim - an skse plugin that allows you to walk underwater when wearing full heavy armor. Take off 1 piece of heavy armor to float, put it back on to sink. Also allows underwater combat, so you can finally kill slaughter fish.

• Skyrim Se Heartbreaker
• Skyrim More Killmove Mod
• Skyrim Special Edition Killmove Mod

Armor. The main defensive means of any warrior.

1. This gore-y mod makes it possible for you to rip apart the heart of your foes when they’re down on health. It’s a super violent mod that truly makes the Dragonborn look like a blood-thirsty murderer whenever you activate the option to take a heart by force, but hey – it’s super fun to look at.
2. Unofficial Skyrim Patch. Best Skyrim PC Mods 2020. One of the most crucial Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Regardless of the quality of your shield, having a decent set of armor can be the decisive factor between life and death.

As good as some base game armors come, there are some things which could be added and improved.

The Skyrim modding community has been developing some incredibly well-made armor mods for years. And since the release of Skyrim for PC the number of mods has only grown larger.

Right now the number of extra armor mods you can download is so large that browsing any Skyrim mod forum will take you hours if you are solely looking for wears!

So I’ve compiled a list of the finest extra armor mods to help you whittle down the best of the best. Be sure to grab anything that looks enticing and just remember these are all totally free!

20. Blades Samurai Armor and Kimonos

Have you ever desired to roleplay a Samurai in Skyrim without breaking the character of the Dragonborn?

Fear not, this mod is exactly what you are looking for.

It adds a variety of heavy armor sets to the game intended to be used by the Blades.

The design fits right in with the Blades’ armors so it is as close to a legit Samurai armor as you will get in the game.

The best thing about this mod is that it also adds weapons with the Samurai theme to the game. Which means you will be able to roam around the plains of Skyrim with your trusty katana and a lust for blood!

Skyrim Se Heartbreaker

19. Ritual Armor of Boethiah

If you are interested in lore-friendly sets of armor this one is going to be just a plain treat.

Those who like to roleplay dark characters might want to give the Ritual Armor of Boethiah a try, as it was a set of armor originally forged by cultists who praised the Daedric Prince Boethiah.

Now you can craft the set of armor yourself and bring terror to the hearts of the innocent in the realm.

18. Goyen, The Draconic Knight Armor

This heavy set of armor once belonged to Goyen, a knight who used to serve the Dragon Kings.

After he was betrayed, the man went on a bloodlust to kill all of the kings, and his armor became a thing of legend.

If you want to get your hands on the set of armor once belonging to this fearsome warrior you will have to kill the boss in Dovah Kendaar Do Jun.

But be warned: you will need to be prepared to face a very strong opponent here. It is an additional set, after all.

17. Alfheim Knights

Have you ever noticed how most sets of armor in Skyrim do not seem to fit Elven characters quite right?

In fact, you would even think Elven characters seem to be made specifically for the purpose of being mages. And using any other type of armor other than a robe would look a bit ridiculous.

There must be a way to fix this, right? Good news – there is!

The Alfheim Knights armor is a set which adapts to an Elven knight almost perfectly.

It belongs to a race of warrior elves who combine both their intuition and the strength of most humans from Skyrim.

16. Warchief Armor

The Warchief armor is very unique, but it somehow does not feel out of place in the game.

The creator of the mod has stated the main goal of this armor was to fuse some of the main aspects of the main warrior races of the game, a purpose which seems to have been diligently fulfilled.

The Warchief armor incorporates bear skin and skulls of slain foes to an otherwise elegant set of fur.

You can use this armor in light as well as heavy versions, so it is up to you to decide how you want to dress for the kill.

15. DreamBurrows Regal Assassin Armor

This set is based on the classic armor sets of Assassin’s Creed. And it has that traditional hood we all fell in love with.

However you can choose how you want to wear this armor: you can craft it as light or create it as clothing.

If you do not want to dress heavily then this is a great set of armor for you to use. Especially for Creed fans who like to intermix their fandoms a bit.

Do keep in mind it is mainly aimed at thieves and assassins, so it may not be the best set if you are roleplaying a knight.

14. Armor of Intrigue

Now this armor can be used by any type of player.

The creators of the mod made sure that you can craft equipment to the armor depending on how you want to play, which means thieves and knights alike will find a use for this highly-detailed set of armor.

It is up to you to decide which elements to add to it.

13. Dragonbone Ebonsteel Armor

Have you ever wondered how the Dragonbone armor would look if it were to be crafted by a smith capable of working with ebony?

This is your answer to an otherwise uncommon question.

Dragonbone Ebonsteel Armor is one of the most beautiful sets on the list. And though it is extremely heavy, it will protect you from all kinds of foes including the mightiest of dragons.

12. Perfect Legionnaire – Imperial Armor Reforged

Skyrim More Killmove Mod

The armor worn by the Imperial Legion has been a sign of prestige.

And many warriors prefer to wear it proudly, though they do not belong to the Imperial Legion themselves.

This mod aims to overhaul the way the Imperial armor looks by making it slicker and more impressive than in Oblivion and Skyrim. I’d say it turned out pretty well.

11. Lost Paladins of the Divines Wrath Armor

Do you remember that beautiful set of Paladin armor going around back in the days of Oblivion?

This mod is a complete rework of that set which gives you an armored horse with a similar set to the one included for your character.

It is a very beautiful set of armor and it somehow seems to fit perfectly well with the lore of the game.

10. Raven Witch Armor

This female-only armor works best if you intend to wear it with humans only. Which means you will want to avoid trying this dark set on an Argonian for sure.

The mod adds the Apex Werewolf armor to the game which is beneficial and can be crafted if you have the advanced armor smithing perk.

9. DreamBurrows Regal Huntsman Armor

If you have ever wanted to feel like a hunter in Skyrim, but none of the sets included in the base game seem to do the trick, then you will definitely want to check out the Regal’s Huntsman Armor.

It is a beautiful set crafted with fur and adds decent protection on top of a spectacular look that is almost unmatched by any set found in the base game.

Also it’s clearly based on Assassin’s Creed, as is the case with the last DreamBurrows set mentioned on this list.

8. Daedric Reaper Armor

Have you ever felt like the Daedric armor is not as evil as you would like?

Well this Daedric Reaper mod takes the regular Daedric armor one step further and makes it look as if it came straight out of the Diablo universe.

This armor includes a set of two extremely powerful swords along with defensive wear.

And though the set itself does not seem right to be worn by the Dragonborn, it is an awesome and extremely detailed piece of wear you will definitely want to check out.

7. Demon Hunter Armor

This female-only armor, which should honestly be called Demon Huntress Armor, is a detailed piece of leather wear that complements its defensive look with some metal alloys.

The set itself is very lightweight and adapts to most types of playstyles. Although admittedly it looks much better on nimble characters like thieves and assassins.

6. Knight of Thorns Armor

This set, which also includes the Spear of Thorns, is the ideal armor to be worn by a Dark Knight role-player.

The armor adapts to almost any type of body in the game and works with both male and female characters.

It is an extremely powerful set which needs to be uncovered in a coffin located on Serpent Stone Island.

5. Kynreeve Armor

Kynreeve Kahl is a powerful Daedra which can be summoned by the most skilled of Conjurers, provided you have already installed the mod that includes him.

In any case, the armor worn by this Dremora is so beautiful that many players have wanted to get their hands on it for a while.

And this mod makes it possible for you to obtain the set worn by this powerful summonable follower.

You will need to visit the Skytemple Ruins and take a stand against two powerful level 30 Dremora who are waiting for you to take them down.

It’s going to be a tough fight, and it requires you to kill them both if you wish to get your hands on the amazing Kynreeve set. But in my eyes it’s well worth the trouble.

4. Shudad Armor

This amazing set of armor looks to have been brought straight out of a movie set.

It is so majestic and I think you’ll struggle to find anything like it in any mod page. Although you cannot get your hands on this mod using the Nexus browser – it is only available to download via Steam, and the developer is no longer supporting it sadly.

In any case this unique armor is modeled to be worn both by males and females, and its appearance is so mighty, you will look like a holy warrior wearing it.

Lack of updates may be a turnoff but I think it’s so fun that I just had to include this in my top 5.

3. Masters of Death – Rise of the Dark Brotherhood

This mod replaces all of the Dark Brotherhood armors with these incredible sets, which are as beautiful to look at as they are meticulously made.

It is called the Sicarius Armor and it adapts perfectly to any assassin playstyle you might want to follow. As you can imagine, it is based on the traditional Assassin’s Creed style too.

The set does not fall short on detail and it also fits perfectly into the world of Skyrim. Give it a try and see what you think.

2. Silver Dragon Armor

Now this set of dark armor is made to look as if it were a dragon standing.

The helmet is one of the most perfectly-crafted I have encountered in the Skyrim modder community, second to none on this list.

Furthermore it provides great defensive attributes and serves as a perfect type of armor to be worn by those who are a bit far away from the light, if you catch my drift.

Traversing through the plains of Skyrim with a dark horse and this set of armor is a thing to behold and you will absolutely love doing so if you download this mod to go along with your journey.

1. Immersive Armors

Created by the same developer of Immersive Weapons, this mod adds new armor types to the game and increases the variety of where they spawn.

Ultimately this makes Skyrim feel way richer than it does when you first download the base game or any of its DLC’s.

All of the armors added with this mod are extremely lore-friendly. And with over 50 sets of armor to choose from it will be hard for you to not find something you like considering everything this mod has to offer.

Playing Skyrim in any difficulty above Adept would’ve probably taught you that combat isn’t as easy as you may think; but it also isn’t as varied.

Sure, back when Skyrim came out we absolutely loved the fighting system.

And how easy it was for you to mix attacks and create unique ways of playing the game.

But things change, and so do video games. Right now with the release of many quality fighting games, the combat in Skyrim can feel a bit too bleak for my current taste.

That’s why I’ve made this list of some amazing Skyrim combat mods that will do wonders to improve your game, and to make fights feel like they never have before.

I had a ton of fun writing this list and trying out these mods, and I know you’ll love some of them too!

25. Glamorous Combat

Glamorous Combat activates slow-motion movements in certain parts of fights to make combat feel more cinematic.

Skyrim Special Edition Killmove Mod

It’s a simple mod, which is why it’s ranked so low, but it’s still pretty cool nonetheless.

24. Sands of Time Sleeping Encounters

It truly makes no sense for us to be sleeping the middle of nowhere without fear.

This mod makes it so you might sometimes wake up in the middle of your little nap surrounded by foes, or being attacked by a bear, or whatever.

In any case, it makes you think a bit before sleeping in the middle of nowhere.

23. Genesis

This mod aims to rework NPC spawns and the quality of loot compared to the strength of your foes, and it does so in a fantastic manner.

It’s not easy to go into detail in regards to how many things this mod does, so I’d encourage you to check it out if you want more accuracy with NPC spawns and the location where they appear.

22. Fight or Fly

If you don’t want to play as a cold-blooded killer, this mod is for you.

It makes humanoid NPCs flee the scene when you’re about to kill them.

If you wish to keep their loot and not slay them, you can talk to them like a civilized warrior.

21. Battle Fatigue and Injuries

Battle Fatigue and Injuries deals with the way the game treats player damage.

Whenever you’re in a battle you might get hit on any of your limbs or your head, which will cause you to receive debuffs that affect your health in a specific way.

You will experience instant health loss and other unfortunate effects if you can’t properly block or dodge attacks.

Having low health will also mean you get battle fatigue, which is very difficult to shake. Be prepared to fight like never before and get your big boy pants on.

20. Attack Commitment

This is the first Dark Souls-like mod in my list; I’ve added two more as well, which you can download to make Skyrim feel more like one of the most frustrating games in existence.

Attack Commitment makes each of your attacks a decision to make, as you won’t be able to turn easily after hitting that attack button.

It really makes each strike go the way it was first intended to go – even if you want to change directions afterward.

Choose wisely and aim well or face an imminent death for your incompetence.

19. Horsemen – Mounted Combat Enhancement

It’s hard to tell why mounted combat wasn’t a proper thing in the vanilla game.

It needed many tweaks to make it useful, but this mod does just that.

It aims to improve the way mounted combat works. And it doesn’t only do it for the player but also for the NPCs.

You may see your followers ride horses and impose themselves upon your foes with the utmost quality of skills.

Mounted combat truly becomes something to consider as part of your arsenal when this mod is in the game. Riders, download it!

18. TK Recoil

TK Recoil makes the use of arrows, crossbows, and even staffs even more realistic (or at least it makes staff feel like they were real).

It adds a small recoil to the animation after you fire an arrow or cast a spell, alongside a small pause that you’ll have to wait out before casting or shooting again.

It doesn’t make spells feel more difficult or anything. But it does add an element of immersion that was missing from the vanilla game.

Simple yet effective. A full 10/10, would recommend.

17. Mortal Enemies

Do you know how unrealistic it is for you to miss attacks while fighting thieves while others land every single hit as if they were the reincarnation of Thor?

Well this mod removes that from the game.

Gone are the days where farmers have better accuracy than a man who was born to absorb the souls of dragons.

Mortal Enemies takes away the “aimbot” that seems to be embedded into every single humanoid NPC.

It enables them to miss attacks, and it allows the player to take advantage of their misses by seeing how they become more and more fatigued as time goes by.

This might be one of the most underappreciated mods that the Skyrim community has to offer.

16. TK Combat

If you’re looking for mods that feel like they could be in vanilla Skyrim, then look no further.

Well actually you should, because there are some fantastic mods further down in the list. But you get the point.

TK Combat is a mod that allows you to use special abilities with your sword, but they can only be triggered using magicka.

This mod truly takes battlemages to a whole new level of badassery, and it feels as vanilla as possible – the creator of the mod made sure to use effects and moves that were already in the vanilla game to ensure that players have the utmost realistic and lore-friendly experience possible.

15. Lock-On

I have to admit that I chuckled a bit when I read the description of this mod. The creator is a non-native English speaker and he kept it quite simple.

Leaving my non-xenophobic remark behind, this mod is actually fantastic. It adds a lock-on system to the game which truly takes combat to the next level by allowing you to rotate between foes in a fight, without struggling or losing sight of them in the heat of the moment.

The mod has been updated and now includes a kickass system which truly lets you see where you’re going to attack with a visual indicator and improved tracking.

14. Action Combat

Don’t be deceived by the comically unoriginal name of this mod.

Action Combat adds action to your combat by adding the ability to PARRY ATTACKS into the game.

Your foes (and yourself) will react to successful hits, as damage is no longer just a bar but also reflected on how you fight.

Make your foes vulnerable and slay them while they are weakest.

Take full advantage of the heat of combat and kill your enemies when they least expect it.

This is a truly fantastic mod that adds half of the Dark Souls combat mechanics into Skyrim, albeit in a not-so-professional manner.

13. Dodge Mod

Hey we’re able to dodge now, guys!

This mod literally adds the ability to dodge to the game, which means that you’ll get to roll around like a madman whenever you feel the slightest semblance of danger.

It’s Dark Souls all over again if you have the Action Combat mod installed. But with dragons and clunky movements.

The best thing about dodging in Skyrim is that this isn’t The Witcher III, so you’ll be able to roll down a small set of stairs without dying of fall damage.

The marvels of technology will never cease to amaze me.

12. Heart Breaker – A Killmove Mod

This gore-y mod makes it possible for you to rip apart the heart of your foes when they’re down on health.

It’s a super violent mod that truly makes the Dragonborn look like a blood-thirsty murderer whenever you activate the option to take a heart by force, but hey – it’s super fun to look at.

Besides, you get to decide how the Dragonborn lives his life. So you might as well go on a murderous rampage against the innocent.

All for the sake of heart-collecting, of course.

11. Wildcat

If you wish to feel truly like yourself while fighting foes in Skyrim, then Wildcat might as well be the mod of all mods for you.

It makes combat truly feel dangerous by increasing the damage that each attack does (both to you and to your foes).

However my favorite feature of this mod is the improved staggering.

You really need to be mindful of your stamina while in combat, as it doesn’t recharge as quickly and you will be severely punished by letting it deplete.

10. ACE Combat Skills

ACE is actually a compilation of mods that aims to break down combat and make it far better and enhanced by adding individual depth to the different skill trees that make up the Dragonborn’s abilities.

This mod lets you select which parts of combat you wish to improve by simply installing certain parts of it, although I do recommend getting all of it installed.

It’s really just a fantastic mod.

9. Dual Wield Parrying

Have you ever dreamed about parrying while wielding two swords at once?

There’s really no reason for that not to be an option in Skyrim.

Well, it does seem a bit overpowered if you think about it.

But it doesn’t make sense for you to be completely unable to put your damn swords in front of you two try and deflect an attack. If you think like me, then rejoice – this mod allows you to parry attacks while dual-wielding!

8. Combat Evolved

This mod is a sort of lightweight compilation of other fighting mods on this list, as it adds many of the features that you can expect to find on them but has the main objective of turning combat in Skyrim into a lethal and much less forgiving activity.

Be prepared to get absolutely slaughtered if you happen to miss a strike, as this mod makes foes much less forgiving than they are in the base game.

7. Deadly Combat

If you’ve ever felt that the pace of combat in Skyrim just didn’t feel right then this mod is for you.

I always hated how some things weren’t really affected by timing. Which I think make the game feel much less realistic than it should have been – especially when it comes to fighting, which is such a crucial part of the game.

Deadly Combat rewrites fights in Skyrim and modifies their pace, makes them more affected by the timing of your attacks, and reworks the damage system a bit to fit the changes made to combat.

6. Locational Damage

Location Damage allows you to deal damage to your enemies depending on where you hit them.

As such, you may deal more damage to your foes if you hit them on the torso than you would if you hit them to the legs.

It basically turns every enemy into a more “living” creature (or unliving, depending on what you’re fighting against). It truly complements other combat mods quite well.

5. Warzones 2015 – Civil Unrest

This is by far the best encounter mod that you’ll find on this list.

And probably on the entire internet if you’re a person of war like me.

Now it doesn’t make much sense for Skyrim not to have epic conflicts all over the place when the region is at war, does it?

The creator of this mod thought exactly the same, so he created this mod to fix that.

With Warzones you will be able to walk into literal zones of war as you walk and roam the plains of Skyrim.

Never again will you feel safe, as ambushes and armed conflicts become a part of your daily life when this mod is installed.

4. Deadly Mutilation

If you’re into gore and violence my friend, you need to give this a try.

The Deadly Mutilation mod gives you the ability to chop your enemy’s limbs off, and you can even electrocute them with electricity or even burn them with fire.

Watch how their guts spill out after a devastating blow and rejoice in the pitiful acts of violence that probably happened in Skyrim but Bethesda wouldn’t like to show us.

3. Ultimate Combat

I love Ultimate Combat. And not exactly because it makes the game harder, as many of the mods on this list aim to do.

Ultimate Combat made me feel like Skyrim was a totally different game whenever I drew my sword on my enemies and starting swinging it towards them.

The pace of fights feels completely different, to the point where you start thinking that you’re playing a different game.

It’s super fun, and even though you could argue that it makes the game a bit easier, it makes it far more entertaining to play – especially if you’ve gone through Skyrim and its side quests for a handful of times like me!

2. Duel – Combat Realism

Fights in Skyrim can feel a bit outdated thanks to how much games have advanced since the game came out.

Let’s face it, most modern games offer in-depth combat that changes depending on the environment and other things that actually affected warriors back in the day, so why would Skyrim not have this?

Duel Combat Realism is a mod that aims to fix this issue.

It implements a whole new combat system that affects damage as well as resistance depending on the type of armor that you have, and even your own stamina too.

The physical state of those who play their roles in a right now plays a part on its own.

And it’s all thanks to this fantastic mod.

1. VioLens

We can all agree that kill moves are some of the best things in Skyrim combat.

I mean, there’s really nothing that sucks about seeing some quality slow-mo finishing move done in that annoying creature that was giving us a hard time.

VioLens allows you to make whatever you wish of finishing moves to be.

It literally lets you tweak which kill moves trigger and when they do it, and you can even choose animations for each individual weapon.

This mod makes combat so much more satisfying that I’ve decided to rank it as the number one mod on my list. Even when other mods work closer with combat itself.

What can I say? I’m a sucker for cinematic endings!