Fallout 4 & Skyrim: In-depth List of Best Visual Mods to Improve Xbox One X
Enhancements.
So, with both Skyrim and Fallout 4 having their Xbox One X patches today, I saw quite a bit of people overwhelmed by the amount of available mods. Since both Skyrim and Fo4 have had mod support for a while now, it's completely understandable that a lot of people can miss on some great visual mods because they just can't find them, or don't know about them. These games can REALLY look a lot better with the right mods. However, do keep in mind that any mods disables achievements.
THIS LIST ONLY¹ INCLUDES VISUAL MODS. No incompatibilities with your existing (or new) mods load order.
I compiled the best visual mods for both games (I've been modding for quite a bit, perhaps some of you remember my Skyrim post a while back). Do note that this list only includes visual mods, such as lighting, weather, textures all across the board, animations, and additions (such as foliage).
You can search these mods in the mod section in the main menu of both Fallout 4 and Skyrim, respectively.
¹I also included bug fixes because they're pretty much necessary at this point.
And yes, this is in load order, so no worries about that. Usually visual mods go towards the bottom of your load order list, so any other mods you decide to install should go below all bug fixes (which are highltighted in the list), and above all visual mods (everything else in the list).
Fallout 4:
Mod Description.
Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch
Fixes multiple visual, quest, and design bugs. Must have.
Bus Stop - Lighting
Lighting to some billboards in the game.
Classic Styled Hunting Rifle
Hunting Rifle looks rusty like Fo3/NV.
CROSS Crit Gore-verhaul
Criticals with laser/plasma leave a scorched corpse rather than a plasma puddle.
Enhanced Blood Textures Basic
Realistic (and intense) 2K blood.
[XB1] Realistic Ragdoll Force
Ragdoll reacts more realistically, not cartoony like in vanilla.
Dynamic Interior Fog Removal
Removes annoying interior fog and improves interior FPS.
[XB1] [English] Full Dialogue Interface
Full dialogue interface like older Fallout games.
Laser Bolt FX: Fallout 4 Edition
All laser/plasma/shock weapons have nicer looking beams.
Glowing Animals Emit Light
Well, pretty much what its title says.
Laser Weapons 1st Person Reposition
Laser Weapons now don't take 50% of the screen.
[XB1] Wasteland Imports
Retextures & Additions from all older Fallouts to chems, food and some weapons.
[XB1] Unique Uniques
Unique Weapons now actually look unique.
ReGrowth Overhaul
Makes the game look a lot like The Last of Us, adds realistic vegetation everywhere. Good on the One X.
Interior Visual Overhaul
Vastly improves interior lighting, more realistic light sources and reflections.
Vivid Fallout - All in One
Improves textures all across the game, well optimized.
Visible Galaxy 4K
You can see the Milky Way galaxy on clear nights, looks stunning.
True Storms: Wasteland Edition (XBOX)
More realistic rain/radiation effects, new sounds, etc.
Skyrim Special Edition:
ModDescription
Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch
Fixes the more than five thousand bugs. Yeah, install it.
Color patches remover
Fixes a bug introduced by the Unofficial Patch (lol). It happens, wonky engine.
Modern Brawl Fix
Fixes a bug that a lot of mods may cause. Just install it. It's necessary.
Spell Light Dynamic Shadows
Better shadow display when casting light spells.
No Spinning Death Animation
Enemies don't tap dance when you kill them anymore.
Lanterns of Skyrim - Special Edition
Adds lanterns across all Skyrim roads. Doesn't go overboard.
Immersive Sounds - Compendium
More realistic, high quality sounds across all Skyrim.
BOS/SG Female Eyebrows
Better eyebrows for females (and some for males).
Natural Eyes
Better looking eyes for all NPCs and the player.
Enhanced Blood Textures
Same as Fallout 4. More realistic high-res blood.
(XB1) Conjuration Hand FX Special Edition
Different conjuration spells have different visual effects.
Evil Incarnate Daedric Gear
A great, somber-looking Daedric Armor and shield.
Unique Uniques by InsanitySorrow
Some unique weapons look vastly different, and well, unique.
The Notice Board
Not a graphical mod, but adds radiant quests in boards, a la Witcher 3.
Board
Improves the texture of the notice board.
Fallen Trees (XBOX)
Adds fallen trees across all Skyrim, some work as bridges or convenient escape routes.
Insignificant Inconsistencies
Fixes some small graphical inconsistencies in foliage and scenery.
RS Children Overhaul
All children look great now, no more potato heads.
Glowing Ore Veins 300
Ore veins look better and emit light, easier to find now, and look great inside caves.
Dog Followers are Huskies
All dog followers are now huskies instead of whatever they were in vanilla.
1K HD Lava Texture (XboxOne)
Improves lava visuals in the brief instances it's present on Skyrim.
LeanWolf's Better-Shaped Weapons
Weapons look more sharp and have realistic, elongated shapes.
Better Shrouded Armor - Replacer
Retextures the armor of the Dark Brotherhood.
SeeEnchantments
Enchantments now have better looking visual effects (like fire and frost)
No More Blocky Faces
NPCs faces now look more defined, less blocky around the edges.
Magical College of Winterhold
Improves the College of Winterhold all across the board.
Trees for Skyrim
Trees look A LOT better now, cast better shadow in leafs.
Unique Grasses
Adds new grass and vegetation in more barren areas, The Rift looks awesome.
Populated Cities Town Villages
Generic citizens in all cities and settlements, they look more lively.
Vivid Weathers Special Edition
Changes all weathers and lighting in the game, adds new cloud and night textures.
True Storms Special Edition (XBOX)
Specifically changes rains and fog. New sounds, new effects, interior sounds.
Unofficial Vivid Weathers & True Storms Patch
Patch to run Vivid Weathers and True Storms at the same time.
Splendor: Dragon Variants
Adds hundreds of dragon color and textures variations in a pretty small mod size.
Unique Frost, Shadowmore
The "unique" horses in the game now actually look unique.
More Tavern Idles - Immersive
NPCs in taverns now do stuff instead of standing around awkwardly.
Unique Booze Bottles
All alcoholic beverages look distinct from each other.
Ragdoll Physics Paralysis
A paralyzed enemy no longer becomes a brick.
Better Dynamic Snow by Sparrow
Better and more realistic snow textures and scattering.
Ultimate HD Fire Effects
Fire no longer looks like a 2003-mess.
HD Chopping Blocks and Firewood
Retextures for chopping blocks and firewood.
Divine Texture Pack - Flowers
Flowers and small vegetation look better. Not for everyone.
Just Ice - Rougher by Sparrow
Better ice textures.
Better Blood Splatters
Fixes those awfully low-res scenery blood splatters. They look great now.
Skyhaven Temple Stonework
Retextures the Skyhaven Temple and murals.
Dwemer Stonework
Retetures all Dwemer brick walls, and basically all of Markarth.
Glorious Dwarven Metal by Wolf
High definition, and more reflective, dwarven metal (includes weapons/armor).
Real Wood Textures - Farmhouse
All farmhouses look a lot more real, includes brick farmhouses.
Divine HD Embers HD by mindflux
Embers in fire places and torches look better.
Haladoon Retexture Pack
Retextures goo piles, mammoth cheese, some small stuff. Looks great.
Divine Arquitecture - Whiterun
Retextures stores and walls around Whiterun.
Detailing the Eldritch - Complete
Retextures all sorts of things in the Dragonborn DLC.
SMIM Lite
Retextures more than a thousand things. SMIM Lite or the full version look pretty much identical.
Vivid Landscapes Tombs & Ruins
Retextures all ruins and dungeons in the game.
Skyland 1k - A Landscape Texture Mod
Retextures scenary, a must have.
Osmodius - Stoneworks + Extras
New textures for castles and all cities.
Realistic Water Two (XB1)
Water looks stunning, better reflections as well.
Realistic Water Two LOD Fix
Fixes a bug in Realistic Water Two displaying low-res visuals in far-away water sources.
Enhanced Lights and FX
Interiors look impressive, and houses look confy. Realistic light sources.
ELF - Enhancer
Improves light sources even further.
ELF - SMIMPatch
Patch to use both ELF and SMIM.