Blade and Soul

Staff Picks - 03 May 2017

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This week they are all picks from within our Bethesda games. Terrorfox couldn't decide on just one mod, so has actually chosen 4 from the same author, all of which add additional beasties or variants of into your Skyrim game. I have chosen a mod that I think really adds a bit of variety to an otherwise annoying (but necessary) part of gaming - fast travel. SirSalami has also addressed one of his gaming pet-peeves of only being able to save a game from retiring to a bed by looking at a mod that allows far more diversity in save locations. Finally, our community member iMACobra has selected a mod that will add a bit more 'realism' to necromancy according to the lore books.

We love to hear the communities picks so keep them coming by using this handy form.

Please fill out the form completely and ensure that you add some details about the mod and why you have chosen it (similar to how our community members have below).

Just remember that other mods on the site may do roughly the same thing, so keep your eyes peeled and understand that these are just personal picks. That said, hopefully, you'll find something you may not have seen before.




Submitted By: Terrorfox1234
Game: Skyrim and Skyrim Special Edition
Mod Author: opusGlass

I simply could not choose just one mod this week. Well, I mean, I could have… but these are 4 mods from the same author, released at the same time. What’s more, they have the same intent: to diversify and increase the number of things that want to chew on your carcass in Skyrim. It seemed silly to mention one and leave the others out.

Splendor - Dragon Variants:
Skyrim
Skyrim SE
This mod deserves the first mention in my opinion. opusGlass has mixed and matched vanilla dragon assets to create entirely new dragons. There are 56 visual variants with this mod, all made without creating new meshes or textures. That makes this mod highly compatible with other dragon mods, with a specific recommendation to be used alongside the next mod on my short list…

Diverse Dragons Collection:
Skyrim
Skyrim SE
Unlike Splendor, this mod does use external assets. By combining resources from 13 other mod authors, DDC adds 28 new dragons to Skyrim. The other main difference between this mod and Splendor is that, while Splendor adds a multitude of variations based on the vanilla dragon designs, the dragons from DDC look entirely unique. These beasts really stand out from the crowd.

Diverse Werewolves Collection
Skyrim
Skyrim SE
This mod adds 25 werewolf and 13 werebear variations to Skyrim, and distributes them across levelled lists (11 ranks) for a total of 418 possible werebeasts. Any time a werewolf spawns it applies one of the variant skins at random. Simple as that. The only issue is that werewolf spawns are few and far between in Skyrim. Werebears are non-existant! To solve this issue, and ensure that you get a chance to see all of these new werewolf variants, opusGlass created…

More Werewolves:
Skyrim
Skyrim SE
The title says it all. This mod adds werewolf spawns across Skyrim. It places them in cages in dungeons and adds roaming packs. Optionally, you can also increase the chances of being attacked at night and during full moons.

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There you have it; four mods that will make you wish you stayed back in Whiterun and settled down. For those of you that believe “variety is the spice of life”...Skyrim just got a whole lot spicier. I hate that I just wrote that. Enjoy!



Submitted By: BlindJudge
Game: Skyrim Special Edition
Mod Author: tonycubed2
Mod: Fast Travel Ambushes and Consequences

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for fast travel in games. With some game worlds now sprawling on for hundreds of square miles, there is no other real option, but with this, you can loose your sense of immersion, or realism and it just feels a bit like cheating.

This is where a mod such as 'Fast Travel Ambushes and Consequences' comes into play. Now you have to begin to think about where you are fast travelling to and if you have the right amount of provisions for the trip ahead. Not having enough food can give your character penalties such as carry weight reductions, reduced stamina and more. You may end up being ambushed by a range of different characters or even pick up some weird and wonderful diseases. Of course, some people might like the idea of needing to carry the appropriate amount of food but not want to pick up diseases along the way - well the good news is that each factor is customisable within the book menu, including the percentage chance of being ambushed.

At the moment there is a slight glitch to how ambushes occur, in that you arrive at your fast travel destination and then get a quick glimpse of a location before being teleport there, but this isn't too much of an issue and is a limitation of the game more than a problem with the mod. Apart from that this mod actually makes Fast travel seem part of the game, rather than circumventing it. All in all a fantastic mod that adds a bit of variety to that boring (but necessary) part of a game that is Fast Travel.



Submitted By: SirSalami
Game: Fallout 4
Mod Author: JackRob
Mod: Waiting Saves

The Commonwealth is a harsh place so sometimes it's nice to just kick your feet up for a while. This is especially true in Survival mode where increased damage, injuries, starvation, dehydration, and fatigue add to the countless existing threats of everyday life. At this difficulty, the game becomes unforgiving and requires a ton of planning, but every step you take becomes more meaningful and ultimately more satisfying when things go well.

When you do inevitably bite the bullet though, it can be a real drag as survival mode in vanilla Fallout 4 limits saving strictly to sleeping in beds. In combination with restricted fast travel, this limitation creates a lot of painful back-tracking when you die. I like the idea as it deters save-scumming, but in practice, it feels a bit too limited. Especially if you get called away from the game often.

By auto-saving when you sit and wait in fairly common furniture such as chairs and sofas, this mod effectively adds many more "save spots" in the game while still limited in a manner reasonably consistent with the survival theme. Status effects remain unaffected when waiting in furniture though, so finding a bed for a proper sleep will still be necessary at times.

Appropriate to the theme and intuitive, this mod adds just a touch of much-needed convenience to the otherwise rigorous survival experience. So give it a try. Take a load off and have a rest. You deserve it.


Submitted By: iMACobra
Game: Skyrim
Mod Author: mojo22
Mod: Corpse Preparation - True Necromancy

The mod offers a more immersive approach on the path to become a true necromancer. Players learn a spell and are able to raise dead bodies on the go? No. Necromancy is not that easy. It takes dedication and actual learning to be able to raise a fresh corpse. Based on lore books, one has to start off raising skeletons and, even then, the aspiring necromancer requires materials to strengthen the body in order to keep it from falling apart.

Further down the path, the player can resurrect zombies with diseases, wraiths that can only be killed by magic based damage and weaponry and even mummies that are embalmed and strengthened to be able to sustain more damage. Necromancers also commonly deal with the Ideal Masters, first seen in Battlespire and mentioned in the Dawnguard DLC, for powerful abilities that will aid them down the dark path. Based on the book of the same name, Corpse Preparation takes a more realistic and immersive approach on the dark path to become a real necromancer to be loathed and feared.


Every week, we feature a few mods that have caught our staff's attention, as well as some that were submitted by you, the Nexus Mods community. If there is a mod you'd like to see on this list, then please check out this quick and handy form.

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Thanks, and have fun modding!

19 comments

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  1. choosingausernameishard
    choosingausernameishard
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    Is there any way to get some kind of email notifcation each time these come out?
  2. opusGlass
    opusGlass
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    Yay my first time on the Staff Picks! ...er, I think. I don't usually check these honestly.

    Anyway, I'm honored! I put a lot of work into these, so I'm glad people are enjoying them.

    It looks like the links have weird names though, they should say "Skyrim" and then "Skyrim Special Edition," rather than "Skyrim" and then "Mod File."
    1. TerrorFox1234
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      Spectacular mods, opusGlass! (and links fixed )
  3. Stingingbandit
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    TerrorFox always has the best choices. He never ceases to pick good mods.
    1. TerrorFox1234
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      Ya hear that guys? I win!
  4. Vyxenne
    Vyxenne
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    OpusGlass said "Skyrim just got a whole lot spicier."

    Spicier Skyrim? From mods that add more, bigger and badder beasties?

    No. Spicy... hmmm.... You must be thinking of Flower Girls SE x.

    You're welcome.
    1. opusGlass
      opusGlass
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      Hey I'm not the one who said Skyrim got spicier! I didn't write the article
    2. Senco81
      Senco81
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      I like spices.

      Also, Grats opusGlass!
    3. vixsyn
      vixsyn
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      Ugh, for the first time I feel shame that we share a name.
    4. Vyxenne
      Vyxenne
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      Haha. Not my problem. Why did you feel the need to bring it up?
    5. vixsyn
      vixsyn
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      An irresistable compulsion. This is a bit of an open forum for that particular mod isn't it?
    6. hellmen163
      hellmen163
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      Hey it's age-restricted who cares hahaha
    7. Patrickq
      Patrickq
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      Awesome mod.
  5. hellmen163
    hellmen163
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    Nice Picks might look into using some of these
  6. ratundtat
    ratundtat
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    good works best mods!
  7. JackRob
    JackRob
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    It was very surprising and neat to find my mod in this week's Staff Picks, Thanks Guys!
    1. Stingingbandit
      Stingingbandit
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      Gratz mate.
  8. Coldleo
    Coldleo
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    Mental Note:

    Do not read the comments on Pick of the Week.
  9. vixsyn
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    I always found it odd that the Silver Hand was a thing, and werewolves were a thing, but both were largely limited to the Companions quest line and then seemed completely unimportant aside from that. I'm looking forward to some roaming werewolf packs!