Skyrim: The Best Custom Scar Mods (All Free To Download)

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Tamrielic society might look violent to an outsider – but when terrible beasts surround your cities at all times, strong warriors willing to spill their blood are what stands between you and total destruction.

For this reason, their cultural norms surrounding scars are very different.

While we tend to think of them as ugly imperfections better hidden or removed, the people of Skyrim would see them as a mark of honor and proof that you did your part in defending civilization.

Any self-respecting Dragonborn should have a scar or two to show they’re willing to take some damage to get things done.

These fantastic custom scar mods will give you the quality and variety you need to spin an epic tale of hard-fought battles and surviving unlikely odds. Let’s take a look!

 

6. More Scars – A Slider for RaceMenu

More Scars Slider for RaceMenu / Skyrim Mod

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First up, we’re looking at a straightforward mod that will overturn your scar scarcity.

More Scars by TheCyclist adds two new Scar sliders to RaceMenu, allowing you to place even more scars on your character.

You can’t be a famous warrior without a couple of gashes on your cheek and a scratch over your eye. Each scar was a hard-earned lesson, and if you have none, you’ve probably learned very little about combat.

This mod supports other scar packs like Northborn Scars, so check it out and pair it with some of our following entries.

 

5. Better Beast Race Scars

Better Beast Race Scars / Skyrim Mod

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You don’t need to look too closely to realize Skyrim’s beast races got the short end of the stick in many aspects.

The development team got to the Argonians and the Khajiit last, with no energy left to care about the details.

They look ridiculous with certain helmets on, and positively hilarious when affected by Sanguinare Vampiris.

Their scars also look like open wounds they got just yesterday, if not 15 minutes ago.

This mod by TrollBerserker tones down the brightness and sheen of scars, blending them into the character’s skin for added realism.

 

4. Wound Overlays for RaceMenu

Wound Overlays for RaceMenu / Skyrim Mod

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What if you actually like scars that look like fresh, open wounds?

Because honestly, you’ll get hit a lot during your adventure as the Dragonborn. Whether it’s a Dwemer blade at the end of an automaton’s arm or the fang of a fearsome dragon, your skin will be pierced and slashed by all sorts of sharp objects.

It’s only fair you’d have some open wounds every time you get back to town.

Wound Overlays by JarSerpa lets you pop into RaceMenu whenever you want to add wounds on your chest, back, arms, and legs.

There are scratches, bruises, and cuts so dramatic you’ll be reminded why you always put some perk points into Restoration.

 

3. Northborn Scars

Northborn Scars / Skyrim Mod

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If you’ve ever felt like the scars in vanilla Skyrim were too low-res for comfort, you’re not alone.

One of the most popular ways to fix this is Northborn Scars, a texture replacer that improves vanilla scarring with high-res textures and more sophisticated styles.

Creator Northborn tried to give these scars more variety by following a simple principle: no two wounds scar the same.

Stand ten people in a line and tell them to show you their scars, and you’ll notice significant differences in volume, texture, and color.

While the shape and placing of each scar follows the vanilla blueprint, they all have different topography and coloring, making for a very varied array of warrior’s marks.

 

2. Dunmer Scarification – New Scar Complexions

Dunmer Scarification – New Scar Complexions / Skyrim Mod

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Scars don’t always result from grievous wounds sustained during ferocious fighting.

Some cultures worldwide use scarring as a form of body modification similar to piercings and tattoos. For example, you might remember Killmonger in Marvel’s Black Panther getting a small scar for every kill he made.

In TES III: Morrowind, we learn some Dunmer practice a similar art, marking themselves to show their allegiances and belonging to this or that tribe.

Dunmer Scarification created by Ak0d and Plangkye offers several new complexions with scar tattoos.

There are only three patterns, but the options multiply with different scarring textures and ages.

 

1. Skin Feature Overlays

Skin Feature Overlays / Skyrim Mod

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If you want a comprehensive mod that’ll give you complete control over your character’s largest organ, DomainWolf’s Skin Feature Overlays is the way to go.

This mod adds a ton of new stuff, including:

  • Scars
  • Moles
  • Freckles
  • Birthmarks
  • And more!

It also expands the list of places you can have scars in Skyrim – and makes them pretty damn realistic.

Also, this pack includes a unique type of scarring that’s often overlooked despite being commonplace in humans: stretch marks.

Not many people talk about it, but you can’t get as ripped as the dudes in Skyrim without a couple of those popping up here and there.

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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.