Two new Skyrim mods launched at the start of September are looking like they could be a revolution for those hoping to mod the UI of the ageing RPG game. While The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has long been one of the best open-world games thanks, in part, to its rather extensive mod support, these new offerings promise to further improve functionality for players hoping to implement multiple mods and upgrade the game’s navigation tools.
The Skyrim Compass Navigation Overhaul mod, created by alexsylex, takes inspiration from the likes of The Witcher 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, and God of War to revamp the Skyrim compass displayed at the top of the screen. It adds the name of the landmark you’re currently looking at, the distance it is from your current location, and arrows indicating height difference in cases where the target is above or below you. Distances can even be changed to be displayed in either feet or metres depending upon your regional preference.
In addition, when you face an active quest marker, the current objectives for that quest will pop up on the side of your screen in a handy quest list widget, so you don’t have to dive back into menus. Furthermore, there are toggles that allow you to choose if you want to display undiscovered locations, nearby enemy locations, and markers located behind doors while you are outside. It’s a very helpful overhaul to one of the most useful elements of the Skyrim UI, and we’ll definitely be using it in our future playthroughs.
In order to use the Compass Navigation Overhaul, you’ll also need another mod from alexsylex – Infinity UI. To a casual observer, this might not sound like the most exciting tool, but it promises to completely revolutionise mods for UI customisation in Skyrim by providing a framework that allows users to customise individual UI elements and bring an end to incompatibilities between various UI mods. It allows players to re-skin individual UI elements without touching the others, allowing truly full customisation of your HUD and menus.
Suffice to say, users on the SkyrimMods subreddit are happy about this new setup, with some going so far as to call them “life-changing” – one even points out that because these simply use dll files for SKSE (the Skyrim Script Extender used by the vast majority of modern Skyrim mods), you won’t even have to abandon your current playthrough to add them to your game.
If you’re looking to bring the action up to modern standards as well, a Skyrim combat mod aims to do exactly that. Meanwhile, there’s plenty more options to spice up your time in Tamriel, whether it’s writing an Elder Scrolls thesis or replacing Dragons with Ohio. If you’ve had your fill of Bethesda’s game for the time being, check out the best games like Skyrim for more wonderful worlds to explore – such as the recently announced World of Anterra, an indie game with stunning pixel art.