Skyrim Special Edition

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Mythicalbeats

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Mythicalbeats

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About this mod

Vanilla Skyrim's tree diversity sucks, and over the years many mods have come out that significantly improve this issue. However, it's possible to take that idea a step further still. This mod is part of an upcoming series where I will add more interesting landscape characteristics across different regions of Skyrim.

Requirements
Permissions and credits
LATEST UPDATE:
Added .esl flagged version
Fixed collision issues with trees at the guardian stones  
Extended area affected past Riverwood for a smoother transition to the whiterun tundra biome
Extended area affected south along the edge of the lake (to just past lakeview manor)
Extended area affected to include the road between Lakeview Manor and the snowy region near Helgen

Check mod pictures for map of affected areas

Check out Riverwood Waterfall Fix for more Riverwood Content

If you're a tree diversity degenerate (or you just like leafy woods) this mod may be for you. I've always felt like the Riverwood area and the surrounding forests were missing something, and since I couldn't find anything to scratch that itch on the Nexus I decided to make a mod for it myself. This mod takes most of the vanilla trees in the Riverwood area and replaces them with oaks from Realistic Oaks with Seasons. This is a work in progress, and I plan on expanding this as well as adding unique regional features to other areas of Skyrim in upcoming mods.

While many mods have improved on the floral diversity of Skyrim (such as 3D Trees and Plants, which I highly recommend), they typically do so by either creating a replacer for the vanilla trees or by adding new trees in, which may create compatibility issues or limit the diversity you can achieve. For example, replacing the form of a particular vanilla pine tree means that every instance of that tree throughout Skyrim will look the same. This can, of course, be worked around by hand replacing individual trees with custom forms -- and that's exactly what I've done here. This mod is fully compatible with any tree replacer you use as it does not edit vanilla tree meshes in any way. 

AREAS CHANGED:

You'll notice the transition to oaks soon after leaving Helgen. Oaks are now the primary tree for the whole forest between Helgen and the Guardian Stones, the forest between Embershard Mine and Riverwood, the small forest on the opposite side of the river (along the path to Riverwood from the Guardian stones), and the exit path from the opposite side of Riverwood. The placed oaks do not stop too suddenly, but have a transition phase for immersion. Oaks are phased out on the edges of the zones I mentioned, and altitude has also been taken into consideration. For example, you'll notice pine trees phase back in once you climb the mountain to Bleak Falls Barrow.

COMPATIBILITY:

Compatible with any tree replacer. Mods that add in new trees should be semi-compatible, as most of the new oaks have been put right on top of where the old vanilla tree was. Mods that significantly edit the landscape/add in player homes where trees would be are likely to have collision issues. Compatible with JK's Riverwood.

UPDATES COMING:

This is a work in progress and a small taste of this coming project. I plan to soon expand the area affected beyond Riverwood for a smoother transition into the Whiterun Tundra, and extend the oaks further into the Falkreath Area. Long-term goal is for the the southern forests of the Falkreath region to have a uniquely lush and leafy feel. Please feel free to contact me with bug issues or requests for changes. 

KNOWN ISSUES:

Lods are not currently included.

CREDITS:

The trees for this mod were made by Arthadion, the original mod is linked here: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/105310
Source modding resource:  Realistic Oaks with Seasons -- https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/68798