Skyrim

About this mod

ACE balances and gives depth to many Skill trees. For compatibility it is completely Modular, each skill tree can be downloaded separately. The best part of this mod has been the discussions regarding how it will progress! Thank you nexus community. \"ACE - Skyrim Fulfilled\"

Requirements
Permissions and credits
Translations
  • Polish
  • French
Mirrors
Changelogs
"This mod is amazing. Most balanced and fun at same time.
To make it even better there is optional downloads of each part.
The compatibility with other mods is also remarkable.
Details and installation guide covers everything a player needs to know.
This mod is just pure win. :)"

- DigitalPrinceX (A happy ACE user)




ACE - Athyra's Comprehensive Enhancements

ACE is a collection of mods which can be run independently of each other.
ACE aspires to brings more depth and balance Skyrim while maintaining its original feel.
It does so by adding depth to the skill trees and adding new functionality.
Below is a list of each module with an explanation of how it alters Skyrim.

I hope you enjoy ACE! ( In its entirety or in parts :] )

-Athyra


All DLC and mod patches are located in the ACE Patches and Walkthrough folder in the Optional Files section :)

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ACE Index

1. ACE - Archery
What!? Only ONE type of ranged weapon in Skyrim?! Not anymore! Now two different types of bows!
2. ACE - Armor
Heavy and Light are too similar in vanilla. Now there is a much bigger difference between their playing styles.
3. ACE - Enchanting
No more need to self-nerf! The seriously overpowered Enchanting skill tree is reworked. Loopholes plugged!
4. ACE - Magic
Spice up that boring repetitive spellcasting with some Casting Forms!
5. ACE - Melee
Sword&Dagger, Axe, and Mace perks are split up and each given a distinct playing style.
6. ACE - Smithing
Legendary really is legendary! No more super-items or armor-cap-reaching light armor!
7. ACE - Speech
Gold is important again and shopkeepers know it too!
8. ACE - Realistic Fighting
Attack from the back, the side, while running, go for Sure Footing. These factors and more all matter now!
9. ACE - Synergy Bonuses
Synergy Bonuses automatically adds a multitude of bonus effects based on current perks, skills, items, race, etc.
10. BYOG (Balance Your Own Game)
A large set of options that tweak various parts of game balance.
11. Patches for other Weapon Mods
Patches for many popular mods are added which make them play nicely with ACE
12. Install & Uninstall
Definitely read this before uninstalling!
13. Mods Worth Checking Out
A small list of mods I use and feel are good.

(Please see the Readme for more info)


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1. ACE - Archery


In Skyrim, there is only one type of ranged weapon, not really acceptable for an RPG.
But with ACE Archery:
* Bows, Arrows, and Archery Perks are split into 2 types, Long and Light.
* Long Bows: heavy, high damage, pierce through armor - Good for Sniping!
* Light Bows: light, more criticals, fire very quickly - Good for Sneaking!
* The two types result in two very different playing styles, adding a lot of depth and fun to Archery!

Please see the Readme file for a full list of all changes in this module!


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2. ACE - Armor


In Skyrim, there really isn't much difference between heavy and light armor, they nearly mirror each other.
But with ACE Armor:
* The armor types are very different! And training light armor helps while unarmored
* Heavy armor feels heavy and loud, but most importantly feels so protective
* Light armor feels agile, a little risky, and much more versatile
* The stronger distinction results in two very different playing styles, adding a lot of depth and fun to how you defend yourself!

Please see the Readme file for a full list of all changes in this module!


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3. ACE - Enchanting


In Skyrim, Enchanting is both bugged and dangerously unbalancing, ruining the fun.
But with ACE Enchanting:
* The bugs are gone and balance is restored!
* You can start dual enchanting much earlier but not at full power.
* Unarmored clothes and 2-handed weapons get stronger enchantments.
* These options add more strategy to enchanting at lower levels and make robes/clothes attractive to mages and assassins!

Please see the Readme file for a full list of all changes in this module!


- - -




4. ACE - Magic


In Skyrim, casting a spell is casting a spell, not much more to it, no other choices to be made.
But with ACE Magic:
* Spellcasting forms are introduced! These forms affect the spells you cast in different ways:
* From the fun unpredictability of the Chaos Form to the dependable damage of the Battlemage Form!
* Mages who focus on 1 school of magic will love the Specialization Forms, each school has one.
* These forms are unlocked as you progress through the skill trees.

Please see the Readme file for a full list of all changes in this module!


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5. ACE - Melee


In Skyrim, 1-handed and 2-handed perk trees nearly mirror each other, not many real choices involved.
But with ACE Melee:
* 1H and 2H weapons are nothing alike, 1H is full of strategy, while 2H and dual-wielding are viciously fun!
* Stances have been introduced based on what you have equipped (for instance the Duelist stance is 1H + empty off-hand)
* 2H weapons cater to power attacks and raw damage, 1H weapons cater to strategy, speed, and criticals
* These new stances, stronger roles, and variety of weapons create a multitude of combinations of playing styles!

Please see the Readme file for a full list of all changes in this module!


- - -




6. ACE - Smithing


In Skyrim, legendary is hardly legendary if an average smith can do it, and the Smithing tree is so boring.
But with ACE Smithing:
* Legendary is a real goal, without the help of magic items or synergy bonuses (see below) you wont see it until Smithing 100.
* The perks have practical combat applications, making them attractive to almost all player types.
* Combat applications include doing more damage to armors you know how to craft and taking less damage from weapons you know how to craft.
* The Smithing tree uses less perks than vanilla Skyrim using a new auto-perk system!

Please see the Readme file for a full list of all changes in this module!


- - -




7. ACE - Speech


In Skyrim, money is a joke, it loses all meaning after about 3 hours of playing, and the Speech tree is so unattractive.
But with ACE Speech:
* The Speech tree can also be used to give combat buffs to followers.
* Fewer perks are required to achieve a similar bartering potential.
* Even with the Follower Buff perks, the tree has fewer perks than vanilla Skyrim, making it attractive!

Please see the Readme file for a full list of all changes in this module!


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8. ACE - Realistic Fighting


In Skyrim, there are surprisingly few factors that affect combat, obliterating any real combat strategy.
But with ACE Realistic Fighting:
* A multitude of factors contribute to how much damage, stagger, and critical chance are dealt
* Factors such as: Sleeping, Prone (Crouched/Sneaking), Flat-Footed (Weapon Sheathed / Staggered), Casting, Power Attacking,
In-Combat (Weapon Drawn), Standing Still, Sure-Footed, Walking, Running, Sprinting, Damage from: side/back/front, and more
* The idea is that when it's intuitively more deadly to strike an enemy, it will actually be more deadly!

Please see the Readme file for a full list of all changes in this module!


- - -




9. ACE - Synergy Bonuses


In Skyrim, there is next to no reward for diversifying your skills and perks, or for knowing complementary skills.
But with ACE Synergy Bonuses:
* A multitude of skills and perks give small bonuses to other related skills and perks.
* There are many small benefits which represent a player's cross-skill and other knowledge.
* An example is having 80+ in a weapon skill and 80+ in the smithing skill gives a tempering bonus when upgrading that weapon type.
* These are changes which cater to intuition, an Archery Smith would be able to make bows better than a Two-Handed Warrior Smith.

Please see the Readme file for a full list of all changes in this module!


- - -




10. ACE - BYOG


In Skyrim Modding, there is a high possibility of unbalancing your game when combining several mods.
But with ACE BYOG:
* Dozens of factors such as specific weapon or armor type's damage or armor can be tweaked and fine tuned.
* Skills, attributes, equipment, leveling speed, and a lot more can all be adjusted through an in-game Control Panel.
* One example would be if two mods you install reduce your movement speed, or tempering ability, with BYOG you can set them as you like.
* Another example would be if you find a mod you love but the numbers it uses don't feel right, with BYOG you can make them feel right!

Please see the Official Nexus BYOG page for a full list of all changes in this module!
And for more download options including: NPC Accuracy, Max Armor Cap, and more!



- - -


11. ACE Patches for other Weapon Mods


Patches for popular mods are added which make them play nicely with ACE

Look for these files in the "Optional Files" section.
Please see the Readme file for details of what each patch does, and for installation instructions!
(These are just ordered chronologically by when I received permission from them, no other special meaning.)

* Aertyr's Artifact Balance Overhaul mod. *
* AeonVita's Dragonbone Weapons mod. *
* Waalx and ShinGouki's The Chronicles of Steel -Skyrim- Realswords mod. *
* Several bow mods by Artisanix *
* theycallmecheese's Dragon Bone Weapons mod. *
* howiego08's Better Bows mod. *
* DoODABoOM's Scout Armor mod. *
* jojjo's Dread Knight Weapon Set mod. *
* newermind43's Newermind Bow Collection mod. *
* Nicoroshi's Nicoroshi Creations & individual mods. *
* Darkangel13 and Jaredschons' Adv Dwarven all Bows Standalone Craftable mod. *
* DVAted and the Sabre Gear team's Sabre Cat Gear Mod Pack mod. *
* 3jiou's Deadly Dragons Armory and Dark Elves Armory mods. *
* leasm's Empowered Magic mod. *
* Sader325's Mystic Elven Armor - HD mod. *
* masterofshadows's Weapons of the Third Era MoS edition mod. *
* cageu's Elven Weaponry mod. *
* Isilmeriel's Isilmeriel LOTR Weapons mod. *
* Wicked_Jester's Scoiatael Weapons mod. *
* ByblosHex's Crafting 300 - Armoury of Tamriel mod. *
* Lrsamways' Extended Vanilla Weapons mod. *
* LittleBaron's Much Ado about Snow Elves -Quest- mod. *

Thank you each one of you wonderful mod authors for your great mods and for giving permission to upload patches!


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12. Install & Uninstall Notes

Install

Use the NMM, BAIN or manually unzip the contents to the /Data folder.
If you see a message like this the next time you load your game,
then it installed successfully!

When upgrading or uninstalling a module, uninstall commands have been provided to prevent dirty saves.
Please see the Readme file for detailed instructions.

Each ACE module benefits greatly from having the ASIS mod installed.
With ASIS, all NPCs get to fully benefit from all the ACE perks and effects. Without ASIS, NPCs have few perks =/.
( If ASIS is installed, _PC should be added to the [PerkExclusionsContains] section of the ASIS AutomaticPerks.ini )


- - -


Other Suggestions:
Suggestions and criticisms are welcome. I will try to include the best ideas and consider the best revisions!
If anyone runs across anything they'd like to see tweaked or changed about the mod,
I'd be more than glad to consider it for future versions!

> > > Please click here to see and discuss future plans for ACE
I'd love to get your opinions and feedback on upcoming changes!


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13. Mods Worth Checking Out
(ordered by release date, no favoritism)

Realistic Ragdolls - Bodies get flung more realistically, arrows don't send enemies flying.
Skyrim HD - Almost everything looks better!
Community Uncapper - In combination with BYOG, there is little you can't adjust about your game.
PISE - PISE does wonders for making gameplay more challenging and rewarding.
Duel - Combat Realism - Raise the IQ of your opponents a little!
Immersive HUD - iHUD - Sometimes the most immersion breaking thing is that HUD!
SkyUI - The way a PC game should look, unless you like the console feel.
Categorized Favorites Menu - Because after about 1hr of play you know that tiny menu just wont do.
Open Cities - Loading screens can kill the atmosphere, and immersion, and remind you of the time!
SMIM - This mod is the result of OCD and Skyrim graphical tweaks.
SkyRe - It does a lot more than ACE does, but is less compatible, if you like ACE you might love SkyRe.
Warzones - Probably the most realistic element of the civil war, amazing it was not there in vanilla.
Path of Shadows - Much better than vanilla sneaking ...
Racial Traits Improved - Lets you actually be better at your racial skills even when they are lvl100.
Empowered Magic - Much better than vanilla magic ...
Frostfall - Because Skyrim didn't really feel cold in the first place.
Economics of Skyrim - Combined with ACE Speech, you'll think twice about how you make use of that carry weight when looting.
Dynavision - If you like depth of field, but don't like ENB lag, this is for you.
Imaginator - Great control over how your game looks, a tweaker's heaven.
Ultra Realistic World Lighting - I wouldn't call it realistic so much as colorful, or vivid, either way it's beautiful.
Proper Aiming - This fixes 3rd person shooting so the arrow flies through the cross-hairs.
Skill Grinding Cap - Because training for 20 days in a row without sleeping is just silly!
More Dynamic Injuries - Very good for immersion, you'll think twice before running into an axe.
ASIS - A brilliantly designed mod which gives makes combat feel a lot better, smarter, and fair.


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Some of the best parts of this mod (and my other mods) came from great feedback and suggestions!
Here are some of the people that have had great ideas and whose contributions make all these mods better!
(in no particular order)
nathanj, QTQuazar, zeromus88, Masthor, stuff444, Mithoron. theoriosan, CalenEllefson, agunstheagi, topeira, indomidable, HappyFool, argan, U1849KA, AndyPandyW, heavengracez, cheechaedo1, Vinifera7, zenogais, Meo244, bivar, skuld01, and others I'm sure I missed
Thank you! :) Your help, suggestions, feedback, support to myself and other people, all of it, it's all very appreciated!






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Quotes from Users in the Comments Section


Thanks for a great mod collection. Of all of the Skyrim mods I have used, your set is by far my favorite. I will put some thought into some suggestions for future updates. Making the single download package was a convenient idea.
- MrYcsy


hello,
i have been enjoying all of your overhaul series of mods for about a week now. ty.
especially love the archery overhaul, as im playing a stealthy assassin type character.
- PapaStalin


I love this. I love this.
- haerual


I finally got today playing a bit more, and Ive gotta say, it was worth installing all your mods. The immersion they give is amazing. I love how realistic wearing heavy armor is now. You cant run around like crazy with all that metal on you, and it makes sense.
Also the smithing mod fixed the Newby Crafting Quest, as with the Smithing Perks Overhaul I was using previously I couldnt craft the Iron Dagger as it renamed it to dunno what.
This mod has too few endoresments
[...]
awesome.
as always
- alexi030289


One of the best perks overhaul mod, added much diversity, fun, and balanced.
- some1


First I've got to say that it's great that you keep the mod modular Athyra. Being able to pick and choose goes a long way to make Skyrim fun.
[...]
The Melee module is really good. I literally have nothing more to add than that. It is well balanced and a lot of fun. I have no idea how to improve upon it. [...] It's obvious that you got a good feel for how to make combat fun. [...] Right now the Twohanded weapons rock, and one weapon in each hand is deadly.
- Wauthan


I must say you must be tired, cuz i think this mod impact was great for everybody who uses it and everybody come to you seeking for you to improve some of the aspects of it. :)
- Onigamibr


This just gets better and better.

- Rheikon


Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!! xD

Best mod *-*

[...]
Marry me?

hahaha thanksss :D
Would endorse if I didn't endorse all your mods already >.>
- Meo244


Just wanted to say thank you for all of the hard work done on this great mod. I originally was only using the Archery portion, but after reading thru the comments I decided to try the whole pack. It is very well done!!
- alricw


This mod package, in combination with mods that increase enemy variety and difficulty comes a long way towards 'fixing' the vanilla game imo.
- Masthor


Got the same problem [...] but this mod is sooooo much awesome (Skyrim without ACE ? No way ! :p). So unless find which of my mods conflict ACE, i don't take Eagle Eye 2/2 (1/2 works fine).
Author's note: - This problem was resolved using a clean save -
- Maise


wanted to let you know that this mod is VERY VERY enjoyable and makes archery more logical and therefor more rewarding.
[...]
started new journey, this time with focus on 1hand+ a bit archery.
i must say the changed skilltree feels VERY GOOD. you get lots of choices for weapons, and you wont be able to just cherry-pick the best ones, because all of them are useful.
so you wont be a one-man-army, but rather a specilized personality.
i like that :)
thanks again for further developing this mod, so far everything is GREAT
[...]
now I'd like to thank you again for keeping up with this great mod and expanding it further and further!
- yaq


Love how you have evolved this project of yours Athyra. It just gets better and better every day, the decision to make other popular mods ACE-friendly is brilliant. :) Kudos!
- ztrathego


Athyra a thousand thanks for listening to our suggestions
- Zalthre


Been playing around with this mod for awhile and I have to say that I'm impressed. The changes really balance what seem like rather broken mechanics in the vanilla game.
- JethroKirby


This is quickly becoming a one stop place for good bow mods with Athyra's (frankly) awesome changes to bows.
[...]
A good sign your doing a good job with a mod is when people can't wait for proposed changes. I found myself in such a position knowing that you were going to put this [update] out at some point today. Incredible work and I'm glad your taking other's suggestions to heart as far as shaping this mod to completion.
[...]
Looks great, Athyra. Every point on the changelog I just kept saying "Yes!" over and over.
- zeromus88


Awesome. This is fast becming one of the best overhaul mods on the nexus. And thanks for speedy updates.
Good to see a modder who understands that its important that their mod can be designed to work with other mods.
- Atardecer


Just wanted to drop by and say that I really love this project. I've been using it for a while, and now that I'm coming back to Skyrim, I'm going to try the latest version with one the ACE-compatible version of theycallmecheese's dragonbone weapons (which I also love). Good work, Athyra!
- jabarto


Thank you. Best perk mod, differences between heavy and light arm, one- and twohanded weapns, perfect craft balance.
If you change magic schools - it will be single perk mod on my PC.
Good luck in modding!
- letir


Love your work! Keep it up! I'm looking forward to the rest of your perk trees overhauls and Sneak in particular. =D
- FinalFrog


I must say, ever since I started using your perk mods, I've never played without them, ever again. It's a refreshing and balanced change to the Perk trees, and I definitely recommend everyone to at least give it a try. Keep them coming ;D
- Yoshh


Bethesda should learn from this MOD, it'll clearly become a complete and essential overhaul for those who want an improved and balanced game (not to mention realistic). I'm looking forward to see any changes in the Block tree and it's Synergy bonuses. Thank you for creating this MOD and sharing it with us.
- Velkran


I totally love this mod it makes playing an archer fun and interesting again :)
Great job your doing.
Btw I endorsed :)
- Quad2Core


i just wanted to thank you for making such a great mod Athyra! playing an archer was never as fun and rewarding as it is with your mod.
same goes for your other overhauls as well, keep up the great work :)
- MissAnthropist


Pretty essential mod for me, great work! I have noticed what other people have said about Deadly Combat making some bows very powerful, but it doesn't bother me, mostly because I think longbows SHOULD be very powerful (historically speaking, they were a game-changer), but also because the nature of Deadly Combat means that you are pretty vulnerable to damage yourself, so the extra damage is offset.

Amazing work, endorsed.
- maym_001


This mod makes archery much more interesting and balanced. I find having both long bows and short bows with different characteristics and uses to be very interesting.

Thank you Athyra for this great mod!
- Liddan