#SKYRIM SPECIAL EDITION VS REGULAR MODS INSTALL#
#SKYRIM SPECIAL EDITION VS REGULAR MODS MOD#
#SKYRIM SPECIAL EDITION VS REGULAR MODS UPGRADE#
#SKYRIM SPECIAL EDITION VS REGULAR MODS FULL#

We're missing the sparkle effect of the official release, though it does a great job of improving water shaders. Alas, the 2K texture pack doesn't match the improved shaders of the upcoming remaster.

#SKYRIM SPECIAL EDITION VS REGULAR MODS MOD#

The results are very different to the official remaster - though the boost in texture quality via mod is a clear advantage. With a combination of RealVision ENB, the 2K texture pack, and the Enhanced Towns and Villages mod, it's possible to achieve some big changes through mods on PC. Of all the mods we've tried, it proved difficult to match this with compelling results - a sign that there are advantages going the official route.

#SKYRIM SPECIAL EDITION VS REGULAR MODS UPGRADE#

The 2K texture pack only increases the raw resolution of each asset, but the official upgrade brings these icy surfaces to life with a more animated, sparkling shader effect. One area in which our modified PC version falls short is with regards to snow shaders, where the Special Edition has a few advantages. In its defense, footage of Skyrim's Special Edition suffers from a degree of compression, but direct comparisons show this user-made approach is equally as ambitious as the official thing, if not more so. Water shaders are also switched out on a nearby river, giving us faster-flowing movement with higher resolution reflection maps. Combined with the RealVision mod, the 2K texture pack boosts detail across all surfaces in the world, giving a far crisper look to cobblestone roads and mountainsides. The other primary overhaul is in texture quality. It lacks the subtlety of Bethesda's approach, but also highlights how much further the developer could have pushed the boat out in this respect, had they wanted a bigger departure from the game's original look. Rather, it entirely fills out places like Riverwood with trees, NPCs, wildlife, and much more.

Easily the biggest shakeup comes via the town enhancement mods (applied to each location), which don't stop simply at the small scattering of extra plants we see in the remaster. Likewise, the HD Plants and Herbs mod found on the Steam Workshop is a must, while the Enhanced Towns and Villages series also helps fill places like Riverwood and Whiterun with more foliage.Д«etween these visual tweaks the change is staggering - at times far exceeding the official remaster.

#SKYRIM SPECIAL EDITION VS REGULAR MODS INSTALL#

This is an absolute must if you plan on playing the game today (where the vanilla game's best textures haven't aged too well) and simply involves dropping a 'textures' folder into the game's install directory. The first is the Skyrim HD: 2K texture pack a hefty 3GB download that completely overhauls every texture map in the game with higher resolution assets. In our case, we went with three specific extras on top.

#SKYRIM SPECIAL EDITION VS REGULAR MODS FULL#

There are full instructions on Nexusmods website to help you along, plus a lengthy list of optional mods you can install too. This injector mod compiles several post-processing effects into one handy package, though the setup is somewhat involved. However, if you're after something close to the results of Bethesda's remaster, a great starting point is the RealVision ENB mod. The sheer volume of mods out there can be quite overwhelming - and many of are of variable quality and have issues with cross-compatibility. After our last comparison, the question we asked ourselves is: could we match this new Skyrim release using a range of the most popular mods? But of course, we can already get many of these graphical upgrades right now, simply by enabling user-made mods on the PC version. The upcoming Skyrim Special Edition adds a host of visual tweaks - as we've covered - ranging from extra foliage, upgraded shaders, dynamic depth of field, and volumetric lighting.

Skyrim special edition vs regular mods