In most depictions ofSkyrim, especially promotional footage, you see warriorsclashing on a battlefield with swords, shields,warhammers, and the like. However, this game also includes expansive options for players who don’t like to be so close to the angry person with the sword they’re trying to defeat.
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If you are a dedicated Skyrim player that wants to take their ranged experience to the next level, whether you use bows and arrows, magic, or a combination of both, there are mods to help you. We’ve compiled a list of our favorites below for you.
6Elemental Archery
If you were ever disappointed that you couldn’texperience the full force of magicin Skyrim because you just preferred to shoot with a bow, we’ve got a mod in store that will turn that disappointment into glee! The elemental archer mod adds special bows to Skyrim for you to summon at will.
Each new bow has an associated elementand deals a special kind of damage. The Fire Bow, for example, causes fire damage (of course) and also staggers your foes. The Ice Bow, in contrast, deals frost damage and slows your targets' movements. It’s worth noting that the bows doscale with your level,so they’re still viable weapons in the late-game.
Download this mod on NexusMods.
5Footprints
The Footprints mod causes all humanoids and almost all creatures and enemies to create footprints when traveling through snow or ash! Needless to say, huge swaths of Skyrim are covered in Snow, so this mod comes in handy most of the time. It createsan unparalleled sense of immersionto look back at your path and literally be able to retrace your steps.
As a ranged fighter,the ability to see where your opponents have come from and/or gone to is unmatched. You’re trying to avoid melee combat, so you want toget close enough to see your enemy but not so close that you’re forced to pull out a knife instead of a bowor your spells. Plus, for the hunters out there, it means you can realistically track animals that pass through the world.
4Alternate Start - Live Another Life
The Live Another Life mod is greatfor players who enjoy the roleplaying aspect of Skyrim.It serves to cut out the repetitive intro sequence that Skyrim usually forces you into at the start of every playthrough. Instead of waking up on the carriage, bound in place by Imperials, you open your eyes in a deep and dank prison cell, where you’ve been forgotten.
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Interacting with a statue of Mara allows you to choose your new life from a list of options. Once you’ve made your selection, you can sleep and wake up in your selected life. You’ll be in an associated location and have the expected equipment for someone in your role. There are a few options that might work for someoneroleplaying a ranger, mage, or other ranged class. Fans of the bow and arrow might choose to be a hunter, for example. Enjoy your days skinning the local animals!
3Spell Crafting
If you’re performing a lot of spells as a ranged fighter,the magic system in Skyrim might seem a little underdeveloped.Despite the ability to become a renowned magician and even the head of the College of Winterhold, you only everlearn new spells through spellbooks, whether you bought them or discovered them. Are you telling us that this expert mage doesn’t ever try experimenting with their abilities?
The Spell Crafting mod is the solution to unsatisfying magic. It allows you tocreate your own custom spells at an in-game altar,combining effects from any of the schools of magic you wish! We promise that combining them this way feels a lot more rewarding than just using a Restoration spell in the left hand and a Destruction spell in the right.
2Ranger Arrows
Arrows in Skyrim are pretty boring.Unlike weapons, they can’t be enchanted. To be fair, their bows can be, butsometimes you just want the right arrow for the right occasion.In reality, the only choice you get in vanilla Skyrim is about what quality the arrows are. That allows you to save the best arrows for the hardest enemies and use up the poor quality arrows on middling enemies and animals, but some people are clamoring for more.
Enter: the Ranger Arrows mod. If you’re willing to spend some time crafting, this modallows you to create six distinct types of utility arrows!For example, if you’re struggling with the curve of an arrow when firing, you can use a Zephyr Arrow, which flies far and true. Or, if you’re interested in traps, a Wildfire Arrow is essentially a proximity bomb that pops when an enemy or animal gets too close.
1The Noiral Reborn
The Noiral Reborn is an expansive mod that adds a lot to your Skyrim experience all bundled together. To sum it up, it’s nature magic. It combines lots of little pieces into something much bigger. When you play with this mod, your character has the chance tobecome the Noiral, a powerful magicianinheriting the rituals and teachings of a small tribe of druids.
The mod includes new spells and spellbooks, three ancient weapons to uncover, glowing eye textures, a summonable cat mount, new armor, new monsters, and a hidden Spriggan Grove - among other things! You’ll be blown away by thebeautiful models and powerful abilitiesthat turn you into a force to be reckoned with.
