Does anyone really know what the hell ENB stands for? All I know is that these mods can massively improve the way Skyrim looks by enhancing post-processing effects.
ENBs for Skyrim have been around for quite some time already. And with each year that passes, new ENBs are released for both Skyrim and Skyrim SE.
If you want your game to take on its own unique look, or for it to look like a remake of Skyrim, then you’ve come to the right place.
If you’ve never plated with ENBs before, well you are in for a treat. They’re far more performance-friendly than shaders, so your game will look better than you can imagine without compromising your FPS!
Note: Be sure to install any “recommended mods” on the description page for each mod below if you wish to have your game look just like the screenshots.
I’m starting this list with a rather unique mod, as this one has a specific aim that not many other mods share: fixing the way the Khajit’s Night Eye looks when an ENB preset is applied.
It does this by adding a special command console, which you’ll be able to use to manually correct the way the preset looks whenever you want.
You’ll be able to make things look smooth or bright as day if you wish.
This is one of the few presets that truly puts control into the hands of the player, which is why it deserves a spot here.
Alright, you’re going to need quite a powerful computer if you wish to run this mod.
It aims to turn the game into a “movie-like” setting, where lighting and shadows feel so real that you’ll doubt the very purpose of your existence.
The characters in the images of this ENB preset at the Nexus are customized (modded), but the creator of the mod does recommend you download characters like this to give Skyrim an even bigger sense of realism in combination with the Popouri ENB.
No, you won’t be renting vocational apartments with the AIR ENB mod.
Instead you’ll be getting the chance to see how Skyrim looks like under a colorful ENB preset that leaves realism behind to create a completely new visual experience.
That’s my take on it, at least.
The creator claims it to be photorealistic, but it does feel a bit too bright for it to resemble reality. In any case, it’s a fantastic mod that is sure to provide you with a visual overhaul like no other.
If you wish to take the mod even more seriously, though, you might want to ignore the Skyrim Anime characters that the creator decided to use as models for his screenshots. They’re fun, but not so serious.
This was one of the first ENB presets that has truly dropped open my mouth in awe.
“Filaments” are what makes this mod stand out, in my opinion.
Grass, hair, and all thin textures look astonishingly beautiful with this installed.
The way lighting interacts with these sorts of items makes the Kountervibe ENB one of the best mods out there if you’re looking to give your game a photorealistic look.
Man, the Stakado Realistic ENB would be absolutely perfect if it wasn’t for certain issues with bright lighting on surfaces such as rocks.
I was stunned at first when I tried out this mod, and if it wasn’t for this simple issue, you can rest assured that I would’ve ranked this mod far higher up on my list.
In any case, areas where lighting isn’t too prominent will look absolutely gorgeous.
The water looks stunning, too, so be sure to check out the new rivers if you opt to give this one a shot.
This ENB gives you a completely different look (big surprise) as it doesn’t really aim to provide you with a photorealistic setting.
Instead, you will have a much brighter game with decent shading improvements.
I’m ranking this mod here even though I wouldn’t use it myself, because I feel that mods that beg to differ from the norm are fantastic and deserve recognition.
If you’re tired of your game looking “realistic” or “accurate”, give this one a try. It’ll look much more like World of Warcraft than anything else!
The screenshots taken by the creator of this mod will make you think that you’re browsing the webpage of a generic MMORPG.
But don’t be fooled by the creator’s love for anime characters: this ENB’s brightness and colorful additions make quite a fantastic combination of features to be added to the game.
Be warned, though – this mod will drop your framerate until it reaches the Earth’s core.
It requires basically all of your computer’s resources to work as intended. You might want to avoid this mod unless you’re running an i7 with a GTX 1080 at least.
Now this mod achieves a balance that is as close to perfect as possible when it comes to performance and visuals.
If you want your game to look pretty but you really can’t install one of the bigger ENB mods because your computer simply won’t be able to support it, you’ll want to take a look at this one.
Brightness and shadows seem to be completely accurate. But the fact that this mod doesn’t look as realistic as others also means you can run it even on a cheap-o graphics card.
It’s like playing Skyrim with the settings in “Very Ultra”, if I may use such a poor choice of words as a reference.
Water looks fantastically real, lighting is as close to current-gen games as possible, and the way shadows and grass look make me wonder where this mod has been all my life.
If you have a computer capable of running newer games, then you might be able to make PureVision work well on your PC.
It does take a ton of GPU to make this ENB run smoothly. But trust me – it’s as worth it as it can be.
I encourage you to head to a forest after installing this mod and walk through the shadows of the leaves.
Tell me if that isn’t the most beautiful visual experience that you’ll ever see in Skyrim – I dare you!
Instead of focusing on adding colorful features to this ENB, the creator decided to take a different approach and focus on creating a mod that makes the game look very realistic with the use of depth of field and opaque colors.
As such, you can’t expect things to look too vivid with this mod installed.
Instead, the mod aims to resemble a northern environment in real life.
I think it serves its purpose as well as it can, and it’s a fantastic addition to your game if you’re keen to add realism without compromising your FPS.
Sky and water will look like never before if you install this amazing mod.
The attention to detail is just astonishing. You can see different types of clouds blending into each other depending on the weather, which is crazy enough.
But that’s not all! The water effects are also better than anything up until this point on my list.
Notice how reflections will look better than ever, and how the waves crash into the shore like never before. Lighting, in general, is also fantastic under this preset.
A must-have mod if you’re one to explore the natural regions of Skyrim.
I’ve never been too much of a fan of super vivid ENBs.
But this one really deserves a shout. In fact, if you like bright colors and the way Skyrim seen through a bright lens, the Superb ENB mod is one you’ll want to try out.
Some of the “grimmer” cities don’t look as good with this preset, I have to admit.
It just doesn’t feel right for Whiterun to be as colorful as it is with Superb ENB.
But hey, if that’s your thing, you know which ENB to grab.
Skyrim wasn’t designed to be a place filled with colorful environments. Or with deer happily running around and fisherman enjoying a good time by the lakes.
Skyrim was me15-superb-enb-mod.jpgant to be a somber place. Where the winds of the north clash with the tides of the east in one of the coldest places in Tamriel.
This ENB takes that to the next level by making the game’s atmosphere super grim.
You won’t ever see any colorful things again, as even bright colors are turned into opaquer versions of themselves with this mod installed.
Grab the Phinix Natural install, open up your game, and take a step back in awe at the new beauty of nature.
This mod aims to combine the traditional look of Skyrim with enhanced graphical improvements to create a unique setting.
With this mod installed, you’ll be able to appreciate nighttime like never before. The darker colors are somehow made to look more vivid, while the brighter colors feel a bit opaquer.
It’s like the creator managed to balance the game’s color tones much better. And I, for one, absolutely love the way it turned out.
This was exclusively made to work with Vanilla Skyrim, which means you don’t even need expansions or the Special Edition if you want it to work.
The Rudy ENB is one of those mods that adds realism to the game without causing too much of a strain in your graphics card or your hard drive, so it’s definitely a mod to try out if you don’t own the most powerful computer.
It shares a similar look with the Grim and Somber ENB, as its main goal is to make Skyrim’s graphics better while keeping the natural feel of the game.
The Vividian ENB is actually made using three different visual enhancers, which include a mod that enhances the weather in the game.
I’ve actually reviewed weather mods in one of my lists, so you might want to check out that article for more ideas.
As an ENB that is fully compatible with weather mods, this fantastic creation is sure to enhance your Skyrim experience on all fronts.
Storms will feel more real, the sunshine will be brighter than ever, and dusk weather is sure to create an even better sensation than in base game or SE.
Get weather and ENB improvements that will take your Skyrim experience to the next level.
How?
By combining both things into one of the best graphic mods in the Skyrim modding community. TAZ is totally worth checking out, although it can feel a bit big, so it’s not great for lighter modding.
True Vision has one goal, and one goal only: Make the region feel as if it exists in reality.
As such, all colors are fine-tuned to look as realistic as possible, ignoring the “shades” that make objects and creatures look a bit gray in the base game.
If realism is what you’re after, this one and the #1 mod lower on my list are must-haves.
True Vision is made by Bronze316, who also made the next few mods on my list as well.
Seasons of Skyrim just falls short of the first spot on my list, but that doesn’t mean it’s not one of the best ENBs out there.
This one focuses on providing a feel of Tamriel with different seasons, even though that isn’t a feature in the base game. Anyone who loves the changes from Spring to Fall will adore this mod.
It provides users with the chance to enjoy an entire system of natural lighting, shaders, water, clouds, and many more features that make the game feel as realistic as possible. If you’re looking for strong immersion then you can’t pass this one up.
Project ENB provides motion blur and depth of field like no other mod. Combine that with the high-quality lighting that it comes with and you’ll have a game that even modern computers will be proud to run.
Born in the first half of the 90s, video games have been a part of my life ever since I was introduced to Age of Empires I by my dad. I'm a Mass Communications graduate with a specialization in Marketing, as well as a hardcore gamer. My aim is to bring you quality content so you can get the best out of your games and take your experience to the next level!
