We can all agree that the best aspect of Skyrim is neither the story, nor the questing. While they’re both great, the joys of exploration take the crown. Half of the reason is because Bethesda has put so much love into creating this beautiful land and building up a believable world. The other half is that we’re all explorers at heart.

Despite its size, Skyrim is still a limited space. And that is why we love mods that add new lands for us to explore. Some of these are entire new landmasses. Some add dungeon-crawler experiences. Others allow you to explore the realms of Oblivion or even add new ways to explore. I will cover 10 of the best mods that range in these categories.

10. Midwood Isle

Starting off, I have a mod that adds a moderate-sized island to the north-west of Tamriel. You might have already guessed the name of the island. And on top of the exploration, there’s a neat questline that takes you all over the island.

This mod doesn’t do anything too crazy. Both the questing and exploration are very vanilla-style. Whether that's good or bad is up to you to decide. But given that you like Skyrim, you’ll probably like this too.

One thing to keep in mind before you head in. This mod does take some liberties with the lore. It adds a new race of Elves called the Sun Elves or Sonmer. While they’re an addition by the mod author, they fit in pretty nicely for the most part.

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9. Molag Bal’s Inferno

Molag Bal is the Daedric Prince of Domination, and not the fun kind. They’re the kind of daedra who enjoys causing mortals pain and breaking the strong ones' wills. In Inferno, you'll visit his realm and explore the horrors it contains.

This isn’t the first mod that tries to create Molag Bal’s realm. Bal is a popular mod topic among both players and modders. But this mod does something differently. If the title reminded you of Dante’s Divine Comedy, then you’re on the right track. The mod author takes a lot of inspiration from Dante’s work and builds Bal’s world on those ideas.

It might seem a little jarring, but the world is built so meticulously that it seems to fit in well in the game. There is a quest that guides you, but for the most part you’ll be solving puzzles or crawling through dungeons. If you enjoy the idea of conquering a difficult and punishing dungeon, this mod is for you.

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8. The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal

With a name like ‘The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal’ you might not expect to visit someplace exotic. You would be wrong. This mod will have you searching for the fan-favorite artifact from Oblivion. A quest to find this artifact will not only have you solving puzzles through a unique dungeon. Your journey will take you all the way to the deserts of Hammerfell. 

In contrast to Skyrim's snow and cold, Hammerfell is bright and warm. The landscapes, architecture, and culture all have Middle Eastern influences. The aesthetics can be seen both outside and in the dungeons.

The landmass is pretty small. But considering this was made by one person, it’s an amazing feat. The mod is a lot of fun to play. Hammerfell is a very nice breather from Skyrim. And in the end, you’ll end up with a powerful gear.

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7. Voyage to the Dreamborne Isles

When I’m trying to describe this mod, the first word that comes to mind is ‘trippy’. But with a name like 'Dreamborne,' that's to be expected. You fall asleep on a bed and awaken in this strange world. You can see floating islands and architecture from various locations in Skyrim blending together. Your first guess might be that you’re dreaming, and you wouldn’t be wrong.

At times, this mod almost feels like a different game. The majority of the gameplay is exploration and puzzle-style, with occasional intense fights. The areas all use vanilla assets, but the author mixes them in a way that doesn’t make it seem weird. ‘Surreal’ is a better word.

I can’t really explain why this works. But it’s a very fun experience that has you exploring a strange land and discovering its mysteries. Expect a lot of platforming. While Skyrim isn’t built for that, the level design of this mod makes it doable and a lot of fun.

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6. Beyond Reach

The province of High Rock is located west of Skyrim. It is home of the Bretons. And like all of Tamriel, this place is going through dark times. Like the Markarth region, the city-folk are engrossed in a conflict with the violent Reachmen. But there’s a lot more going on.

The first thing that becomes obvious here is the dark tone. Unlike Skyrim, this mod is not afraid to address some serious issues. The Reachmen in this mod are far more powerful and violent than the Forsworn. The story is pretty gray with lots of political conspiracies and intrigues. And there’s a lot more complications involved, and nothing is solved easily.

Another aspect is the body horror. You will have to fight grotesque monsters created by foul rituals, and you’ll have to get to the bottom of that. I’d understand if any of those elements are not to your liking. But if you enjoy them, you’ll like this mod.

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5. Carved Brink

Fans of The Elder Scrolls IV can’t get enough of the realms of Oblivion. Here I have a mod that lets you explore bits of two different planes of Oblivion. The first is The Pits of Peryite. While we saw a glimpse of this in Oblivion, this mod overhauls its visual identity and makes it stand out from Mehrunes’ Deadlands.

The second one is called The Faceted Stones. This one is an invention of the authors, but it is absolutely gorgeous to look at. This realm is dotted with small floating islands, and the only way to get around is to use a spell similar to Dishonored's Blink. But don’t worry, the spell is only usable inside these realms.

On top of the exploration, the realms are tied with several quests. There are plenty of NPCs to discover. You’ll find that ‘The Stones’ is inhabited by friendly goblin tribes, and they’re incredibly cute. My only criticism is that the story's ending was weak, but it's still a fun experience.

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4. Darkend

This one is for all of you FromSoftware fans. Darkend introduces a new land to sail to and explore. Don’t worry, this mod fits in perfectly. The only thing it borrows from Dark Souls is the aesthetics, enemy encounters and narrative style.

There is no ‘quest’, the story is told through notes and journals. The main goal of the mod is exploration and combat. And it does not disappoint!

The level design is very memorable. Every location feels handcrafted and has its own distinct appeal. The enemies are challenging. Unlike Skyrim, you’ll face a smaller number of enemies who are more challenging. If you give it a try, I guarantee you'll make some memories.

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3. Summerset Isle

As far as exotic lands are concerned, Summerset Isles probably ranks the highest. This mod will let you visit this land full of greenery, beaches and strange houses. But that isn't all you'll see. This mod allows you to explore and discover all of Alinor's major cities.

To visit the Summerset Isles, you must first become the Archmage of the College. It might seem like a demanding prerequisite, but it's integral to the story. Once that’s done, you will be recruited to investigate the disappearance of the King of Cloudrest. Along the way, you'll discover that something sinister is going on in the Summerset Isles.

As with any mods of this size, there are few crucial things to keep in mind. The mod author is one person, so there’s a limit to how much they can make. Also, the assets and the world will not look as good as the one in Elder Scrolls Online. But if you don’t mind that, you’ll find a fun adventure waiting for you.

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2. Beyond Skyrim: Bruma

A name like ‘Beyond Skyrim’ promises a lot. It’s a huge project that aims to add all of Tamriel to Skyrim. Thankfully, this teaser shows that they're on the right track. Bruma is a city in the north of Cyrodiil, which you might remember from Oblivion. This mod faithfully recreates the city in the 4th era.

It takes a lot of imagination to recreate a region from a previous game in a different time. We get to explore this land, meet the locals, and go on quests thanks to the team's efforts. Speaking of quests, expect some well written stories with ambiguous writing and different endings.

The only downside is that this mod is a teaser of Beyond Skyrim: Cyrodiil. So if you go further down the land, you’ll find unfinished and empty land. That might be an immersion killer. But considering the large scale, it’s understandable. 

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1. Wyrmstooth

The East Empire company hires the dragonborn and a team of mercenaries to deal with a dragon. This dragon has been stirring up trouble along their trade routes. What sounds like a simple dragon hunt gets more complicated. Before facing this dragon, the dragonborn must pursue it to the island of Wyrmstooth and complete numerous trials.

If you’re familiar with the scene, you might be surprised that I put Wyrmstooth all the way up here. It’s neither new, nor very innovative. In fact, everything from the new land, writing, quest-design and fights are quite vanilla. So why do I put it at the top of the list?

Simply put, Wyrmstooth does what it does really well. It adds a small landmass with a main quest, some side quests and an active settlement. It does so without feeling like its content added from outside. The new dungeons feel both familiar and foreign at the same time. It's a fun mod that's still being updated and polished years later.

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