Lord Harkon is one of the best characters introduced by the Dawnguard expansion – and we’re about to make him cooler with a collection of awesome mods.
This Nord vampire has shown that he’s willing to do anything to achieve his goal of blocking out the sun – even sacrificing his own family!
As such, he should be okay with changing his abilities, equipment, or voice with mods as long as it makes him more powerful.
I mean, his enemy is the sun! He needs any help he can get.
Let’s see what we can do to help Lord Harkon bring about the long night.
One of the best rewards for besting Lord Harkon in battle is Harkon’s Sword – a unique Katana with powerful Health-draining enchantments.
Given Tamriel’s unique history, an Akaviri design like a Katana makes sense for the leader of the Volkihar clan.
That said, the vampires most of us are used to are from European myth, making a Katana quite the unlikely weapon.
CL’s Lord Harkon’s Vampire Blade replaces the Katana with a unique saber you’d have trouble tracing back to any specific culture. It’s just very sharp and very badass.
Valerica and Harkon are not only royals, but immortal, magical royals.
If a noble’s life doesn’t make you look good, then hundreds of years of perfecting glamour magic will.
Regrettably, it’s impossible to be attractive as a regular vanilla Skyrim NPC.
This mod gives Harkon and Valerica the smooth skin and perfect hair you’d expect from super-powerful vampires. There’s also a vanilla-haired version to give you more options.
Another remarkable attempt to beautify Skyrim’s most powerful vampires comes from Refined Volkihars.
This mod also transforms the facial features and hairstyle of Valerica and Harkon – but also changes their daughter, Serana. It’s the whole package!
What I like the most about this mod is how different Serana and her parents look from an age perspective.
Serana looks like the young girl she was when she became a vampire, while subtle wrinkles like crow’s feet and laugh lines reveal her parent’s more mature turning age.
Monsters like vampires are scarier the more mysterious they are.
Wielding an Akaviri sword gives the player some idea of where Harkon comes from and where the realm he used to rule over probably was.
This replacer gives Harkon’s Sword a unique design commonly seen in Late Antiquity (Early Middle Ages). Its rotund hilt makes the sword maneuverable but still heavy enough to cause significant damage.
There’s nothing else quite like it in Skyrim. Only Harkon knows where he got it!
Lord Harkon is supposed to be one of the most powerful entities in Skyrim.
No Draugr Death Overlord or Forsworn Briarheart should have a chance in battle against the patriarch of Skyrim’s most influential vampire family.
Indeed, the battle against Lord Harkon is hard – but I always thought it could have been more challenging. After all, most people have full-fledged builds by the time they reach Harkon.
Truly Lord Harkon makes the Volkihar leader a better fighter by teaching him new moves (with cool names like Blood Lighting Storm) and dramatically boosting his stats.
You better have a sharp stake and a crucifix in your inventory.
My favorite weapon replacement for Lord Harkon’s sword is Blood Matron.
With a name worthy of a Valyrian Steel blade in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, this unique weapon looks way more memorable (and vampiric) than the original Katana.
Its dark and brutal design fits the Goth vampire aesthetic like a glove.
Blood Matron is also the most potent option. It exhibits increased melee damage, faster speed, and several unique vampiric effects.
Watch out if you’re a human, though. It’ll sink its fangs into you to fuel its vampiric powers, forcing you to drink health potions like crazy to keep up the blood production.
8. Lord of Coldharbour Armor & Harkon Outfit Replacer
The Volkihar patriarch is undeniably badass, and he looks the part.
But you can always look more badass with the right suit of armor.
The Lord of Coldharbour Armor is a menacing set with many sharp edges, spikes, and a distinctly demonic vibe.
It’s what you’d expect an intelligent man like Harkon to wear when fighting the Dragonborn. It feels like he’s finally taking the battle seriously – and you’ll get a sweet armor set when you defeat him.
The mod also features various custom vampiric weapons, which might be the best part.
For something more compatible with Nord forging styles, check out Harkon’s Battle Armor.
This heavy armor set was created by tweaking and mashing together parts of several different vanilla armors, seemingly taking the Ebony armor as a base and working from there.
The result is a badass knight’s set that looks like it’ll actually protect you instead of being purely ornamental.
It makes a nice combo with Blood Matron – if you’re brave enough to face such an empowered Harkon.
If you enjoy the character of Lord Harkon, you’ll love this voice rework for the Volkihar leader.
The Prophecy takes all of Harkon’s dialogues and makes his voice sound deep, dark, and hoarse. It’s a slightly unnatural sound you’d never hear from a regular mortal’s throat, and it fits Harkon perfectly.
While I’d recommend the regular version that replaces all of Harkon’s lines, you can also opt for a Vampire Lord-exclusive version.
Check out author Satafinix’s Nexus page for more awesome voice reworks and other sound tweaks.
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.
