Back when I first played Skyrim, I remember reaching the northern coast and wishing I could just grab a boat and sail out to sea in hopes of finding new lands to conquer.
Venjhammet’s Vominheim makes that dream come true.
This mysterious volcanic archipelago lies north of Dawnstar and was first settled by a powerful necromancer during the last Dragon War.
As such, there are dark energies and remnants of macabre rituals scattered everywhere around the island.
This mod doesn’t include an overarching questline. But there are many interesting NPCs, exciting treasure hunts, an all-new player home to explore, and lots more.
Halfway between Tamriel and the mysterious lands of Akavir lies the Republic of Maslea, a unique tropical nation founded in the First Era by a splinter of the Cyrodiilic Alessian Order.
Once a fearsome oceanic superpower, Maslea is now a chaotic land whose people remain divided by race, social standing, and ideologies.
Its architecture is equal parts basic colonial structures and grand palaces with intricate decoration.
You’ll get many hours of fun out of Anthelius’ Maslea.
There’s a branching storyline, over a dozen side-quests, and detailed lore to discover.
I’m not usually a fan of the cold climate and desolate environments that are so common in Skyrim.
If I had my way, I’d rather go on a colorful adventure through lush tropical forests.
This new land by NevahNevah gives us a little pocket full of warmth and lush greens in the form of The Haven – a group of islands settled by the Bosmer and located somewhere between Summerset and Hammerfell.
There’s not much to do other than taking in the scenery – but when it’s this beautiful, that’s more than enough.
I started playing Dark Souls around the same time I got into Skyrim – and I love both profusely.
Whereas Skyrim let me escape my insipid everyday life into epic fantasy, Dark Souls reminded me that darkness and strife would only be greater in a fantasy world.
I still have nightmares about the first Capra Demon encounter…
Jkrojmal’s Darkend brings together the dark ambiance, architecture, and ravenous denizens of Lordran with Skyrim’s open-ended gameplay.
Survive, plow forward, and claim the treasures hidden deep within the Island of Pharos.
I’ve always been frustrated at how you can see well beyond the invisible limits of the game.
I want it all! Let me through!
Creator Joopvandie decided to take all of this available land and do something great with it.
Haafstad and The Border of High Rock lets players travel further west than previously possible in vanilla.
First, you’ll come across the Nordic island of Haafstad – and from there you can take a ship to the Lordship of Pinemarch and the Coast of Kirkmore, both located in High Rock.
This mod is full of content to discover, including followers who’ll show you around, NPCs to chat and trade with, and several quests to complete.
In the area west of Falkreath lies the border with Hammerfell and the Principality of Morreath.
Creator Joopvandie continues using all available world space beyond Skyrim’s borders to expand the experience and give us a taste of the rest of Tamriel.
This doesn’t only add the new Principality of Morreath and some lands in Hammerfell, but expands Skyrim’s territory past the previous limits.
There are two all-new Nordic towns complete with NPCs, quests, and a fully voiced follower.
Easily my favorite of Joopvandie’s border expansions is Nyhus and The Border of Cyrodiil, which expands The Rift to the south and lets us cross over to the central imperial region.
The main appeal of Grondal – the expanded Rift lands – is the abandoned castle you can take as your player home.
Further southeast, in Nyhus, you’ll find a community of hardy Nords dealing with Thalmor incursions and hungry Vampires.
It’s also possible to visit two small Morrowind areas – the village of Pryai, ruled by House Redoran, and the island of Tel Eyrith, where you’ll find your own coastal player home.
What we know as The Reach is, in fact, not the whole story.
Only the Eastern Reach lies in Skyrim.
The rest is in High Rock, and can’t be visited in vanilla Skyrim.
This little lore detail served as inspiration for modder Razorkid, who decided to explore what lies beyond the border.
Beyond Reach is a massive new land, equivalent to the size of three Skyrim holds, housing an action-packed adventure involving Orc raiding parties, insane cultists, enraged Forsworn, and a descent into hell.
Along with all-new colorful characters with unique voiced dialogue, there are also new weapons, armor, and enemies to try them on over 25 dungeons!
Before I played Skyrim and got to know the cutthroat world of the College of Winterhold, my only reference for a school of magic was Hogwarts.
Needless to say, the College was disappointing.
None felt the disappointment more strongly than Phenderix, who decided to build his own school from the ground up in the image of Hogwarts.
Phenderix Magic World is a ridiculously massive mod adding hours of exploration of magical lands, custom followers, over 170 new spells, countless new arcane arrows and weapons, and 16 quests – complete with boss encounters – to try out your new powers.
One of Skyrim’s most recent new land mods is Wyrmstooth, a narrative-driven expansion by creator Jonx0r.
After the East Empire Company hires you to slay a dragon who’s been targeting trade routes, you’ll find your way to the island of Wyrmstooth and command a group of mercenaries to raid one of the largest dungeons in Tamriel.
Explore the land, purchase a castle, hire your own staff, and lead them in battle against any unforeseen arrivals.
This will be the most fantastic dragon hunt of your life as the Dragonborn.
The BeyondSkyrim team has been working tirelessly on expanding Skyrim beyond its borders for years.
It’s a massive undertaking with little to show for progress – but what it does have is impressive.
Bruma is the northernmost county of Cyrodiil, a cold land where Imperial culture meets the harsh climate.
Fans of TES IV: Oblivion will love a new chance to explore Ayleid ruins and socialize with educated Imperial citizens, rather than the rough and tough Nords.
There are over 70 residents with unique dialogue and storylines to uncover, all fully voiced.
This unofficial expansion is also full of new quests to complete, and new dungeons to conquer, with an all-new set of Cyrodiilic equipment. Plus with new music and a very distinct personality, Bruma is easily the best new land to visit.
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.
