Fans of high fantasy epics like The Lord of the Rings naturally gravitate to immersive fantasy open-world games like Skyrim.
Still, Skyrim offers something most other games don’t:
Thousands of mods allowing you to reshape the world and create any adventure you can imagine – even visiting Tolkien’s Middle-Earth.
Thanks to the efforts of LotR fans with modding skills, it’s possible to walk through Rohan or The Shire with your multi-racial band of warriors on a quest to rid the world of Sauron’s influence – all from inside Skyrim’s engine.
Let’s take a look at the mods that make it possible.
First up, we’re looking at a charming follower based on the elves from Tolkien’s Middle-Earth.
This blonde beauty is descended from Noldor’s first king, Finwe, giving her a privileged position in elven society.
She spent her summers in Valinor and grew up with a profound desire for magic and adventure.
She’d get more adventure than she could handle when Saruman sent her to another dimension – Nirn – to keep his dark allegiances secret.
Luthwen is a master of Destruction and Restoration, though creator Schwiftberg included an archer version for those who can’t help but think of Legolas whenever elves are mentioned.
Besides bringing LotR characters into Elder Scrolls V, we can also make Skyrim look a lot more like Middle-Earth – starting with The Shire.
More than just a new world area, TheBawb’s The Shire is a colossal fan-made expansion featuring locations, NPCs, and quests inspired by the hobbit enclave from the books.
Here, people like to tend to their plants and gossip about their neighbors while smoking that good pipe-weed – but trouble brews on the horizon and only the Dragonborn can help protect the peace.
Your choices will shape the future of The Shire over a 30h+ adventure with professional voice acting delivering both top-quality humor and heart-rending drama.
The new world space is bigger than Solstheim, and there’s a lot to do.
If you like your first play-through, consider an alternate start to experience The Shire from a new perspective.
For a slightly smaller-scale intervention to your game that’ll still give you that relaxing Shire atmosphere, you should download Ozymandy’s Hobbiton.
This cozy home is built in the impossible-to-miss style of the hobbits.
The big round door is the only way to spot one of these nature-covered burrows, and Hobbiton is no exception.
The secluded and somewhat small entrance doesn’t do the home justice. In proper Doctor Who fashion, it’s bigger on the inside, with warm spaces ready for a herbalist to settle in.
There’s more to Middle-Earth than just the Shire – and thanks to modder Maldaran, you can take the tour from the comfort of TESV.
Some of the most iconic Middle-Earth locations you can visit are Anduin Valley, the Paths of the Dead, the Misty Mountains, Rohan, and Lothlorien, among others.
It’s an extensive adventure that’ll show you many sides of Tokien’s fantasy, and introduce several new items (like weapons and armor) straight from Middle-Earth.
Middle-Earth Redone is a fantastic exploration mod, but it’s missing some quests to truly immerse you in the drama of the Lord of the Rings.
Custom Fellowship by TheBawb breathes life into Middle-Earth with a custom LotR-inspired questline where you’ll form your own Fellowship of the Ring to take the accursed item to Mount Doom, and cast it into the fires.
There’s also a fleshed-out progression system for your companions, which you’ll choose from any friendly NPCs featured in Middle-Earth Redone to create a powerful task force able to take on Sauron’s armies.
You’ll also enjoy plenty of side-quests and custom LotR loot.
You can’t take the Ring to Mordor without first obtaining the Ring.
Your best option for a fully-functional Ring is Kyloz’s The One Ring Redux, introducing its corruption to Skyrim.
The Ring itself is detailed and accurate to the films.
You can even make out the elvish writing shining bright with magic on both sides of the golden band.
It also works almost exactly as you’d see on the big screen. It distorts the world around you, turns you invisible, and exposes you to dark influences that slowly creep into your mind.
You can’t talk about the One Ring without invoking the Lord of the Rings himself – Sauron.
Creator Elothrien honors this most villainous Dark Lord with a bad-ass Sauron Armor, complete with the pointy helmet and an unashamedly spiky style fit for a primordial force of evil.
It comes in both light and heavy armor versions to accommodate different playstyles. Use with the Half-giant Race to tower over your enemies like the real Sauron.
You can’t have Uruk-Hai running around without the armies of Men to stand against them – and this Gondorian Armament set by BGSMERP brings them to Tamriel.
This set is based directly on the Gondorian armor seen in the LotR films.
Specifically, you’ll get to dress up as a Gondorian foot soldier, Citadel Guard, and Tower Guard.
It even includes weapons and a shield with Gondor’s White Tree sigil.
According to the books, some of these armor pieces are made of Mithril – a legendary metal of incredible strength and feather-light weight.
Not all fighting-age Gondorians are fit to don a suit of plate armor and carry a sword.
Some prefer sneaking around, tracking the kingdom’s enemies, and striking from afar with a bow.
Such characters would be better served by the Gondorian Ranger Armor, created by Haldir307.
This sleek-looking outfit provides protection and functionality while allowing for freedom of movement.
Its dark green and brown colors also allow the ranger to blend into Middle-Earth greenery. The chest piece and gauntlets are decorated with the White Tree of Gondor, so your enemy realizes their folly in messing with the Kingdom.
Far before the time of Gondor, the Elves of Noldor were already building kingdoms and arming soldiers.
The Noldor Content Pack by Maty743 introduces four armor sets and three new weapons, all of which come in a regular and a “royal” form with more ornamentation and stats.
The differences between each model are minor, but it adds some much-appreciated variety nonetheless.
Elves aren’t inherently a warring race, so their armor is meticulously crafted without the pressure of imminent conflict always on the horizon. It’s attractive and ornamented – but also very durable.
Now that you have the place, the people, and the wardrobe…
All you need are the weapons to write your very own Middle-Earth legend.
Your best bet is to check out Isilmeriel’s LotR Weapons Collection.
This brings 9 iconic weapons from the series over to Skyrim, all in remarkably high quality.
These expertly-sculpted weapons include:
Wraith Greatsword
Bilbo Baggins’ Sting
Legolas’ daggers and bow
The sword of the Witch-King of Angmar
Sauron’s Mace
And more!
Some even have different versions, which show them as polished newly-created weapons, or ancient blades bearing a patina formed after hundreds of years of sitting around in tombs and troll hoards.
If you’re looking for modded weapons, keep this pack in mind.
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.
