Top 5 Gildergreen Mods for Skyrim (All Free)

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At the center of the capital city of Whiterun grows the ancient Gildergreen, grafted from the revered Eldergleam, said to be the oldest living thing in Tamriel.

Being that old, it’s not surprising that it features choppy textures and fewer polygons than ideal.

If you’re trying to beautify your Skyrim, details like the Gildergreen make or break your immersion.

To help coherently beautify your favorite decade-old game, I’ve put together five essential mods to take your Gildergreen to the next level.

 

5. Vivid Landscapes – Whiterun’s Gildergreen Tree

Vivid Landscapes – Whiterun’s Gildergreen Tree / Skyrim mod

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Like everything else in your Skyrim, the Gildergreen tree deserves beautiful high-definition textures that capture the beauty of nature.

This mod from the Vivid Landscapes series offers just that.

You can choose between 1K, 2K, 4K, and 8K textures depending on your gaming rig. One of the available packs even features parallax mapping, adding depth to every surface.

It affects the tree bark, leaves, and even the mushrooms.

If you like this mod, check out the entire Vivid Landscapes series at Hein84’s Nexus page.

 

4. 3D Trellis Improved – Gildergreen Plaza

3D Trellis Improved – Gildergreen Plaza / Skyrim mod

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Enhancing the looks of the Gildergreen Tree itself is only half of the story.

If you want this area to pop out, the entire man-made structure around it also needs some improvements.

This mod offers detailed, high-poly meshes that’ll transform the Gildergreen Plaza into the best version of itself.

It makes all hexagonal columns rounder, replaces missing textures, and makes everything look less “video-gamey” overall.

 

3. Falling Gildergreen Petals

Falling Gildergreen Petals / Skyrim mod

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The Gildergreen tree is supposed to be majestic, like it’s bursting with the magic of Kynareth’s blessing.

A fantastic way to represent that is the Falling Gildergreen Petals mod, which adds a subtle falling petal effect under the regrown Gildergreen after completing the Gifts of Nature quest.

Of course, you’ll notice the same mesmerizing effect on the Eldergleam tree and the sapling collected by Maurice.

 

2. Ulvenwald Series – Erdtrees and Gildergreen

Ulvenwald Series – Erdtrees and Gildergreen / Skyrim mod

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The Gildergreen is majestic, but it pales compared to Elden Ring’s Erdtree.

This massive, luminous tree seems to be the source (and master) of all life in the Lands Between. It towers over the landscape and bathes its subjects in rays of gold.

Much like the Eldergleam has the Gildergreen, the Erdtree has Minor Erdtrees all over the Lands Between. Thanks to this mod, we’ll see some in Skyrim as well.

Not only does this mod add a bunch of Minor Erdtrees to forests around Skyrim, but it features an optional replacer for the Gildergreen in Whiterun.

O, Erdtree…

 

1. Carved Gildergreen HD

Carved Gildergreen HD / Skyrim mod

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The Gildergreen has stood in the center of Whiterun and watched over its citizens since ancient times.

Since the beginning, it was considered sacred by the acolytes of Kynareth, who built their temple right in front of it.

Ancient Nord artisans would undoubtedly want to express their love for Whiterun’s patron goddess through their art, so they carved intricate patterns over the entire tree.

The Carved Gildergreen really looks like the center of ancient religious traditions. Thanks to the HD textures, it’s as if you could see the tree’s history playing out with every stroke of the carver’s knife.

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Nelson Chitty

Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.