Even gaming juggernauts like Skyrim can still be improved upon. From floating trees to the ability to phase through castle walls and steal entire shop inventories, the game is notorious for having a myriad of glitches.
There are also entire fan communities dedicated to making expansive mods to add in features that really should have been there from the beginning and help to improve the game in every way, from its interface to its story progression. Some of these fixes should be incorporated into the game from the start.
10 Update The User Interface
The original user interface within Skyrim is clunky at best and difficult to navigate. The icons aren't very intuitive and thus the player spends a lot of time sorting through a long list that could easily be sorted into different tabs.
Thankfully, there's the SkyUI mod on Nexus Mods by the SkyUI team that optimizes the menu system for PC gameplay. It adds more organization and icons neatly in a way that flows well and makes sense. Most fans of the game, heavy modders or not, consider SkyUI to be so essential to the game that it's a wonder Bethesda hasn't updated the interface officially yet to mimic some of the effort put into it.
9 Children Need An Overhaul
What players want from their children in Skyrim varies as much as the individual players themselves. There are a large number of children-focused mods out there that give more options to the young NPCs within the game, proving that just about everything about them needs a good overhaul.
One issue almost always addressed by mods is the fact that the original character models look like they have potatoes for heads. Additionally, all children within the vanilla game are Nords, and very few of them are actually seen living with their parents. There are a lot of mods out there that fix the character models, add more children of various races in different locations, and even allow these new children to be adopted if the player has Hearthfire installed.
8 There Should Be More Underwater Areas To Explore
One of the biggest perks of the Argonian race is that they're capable of breathing underwater. However, there's so little that makes going into a lake worth doing in the first place, rendering this ability moot. It also leaves for some extremely wide open spaces where there's nothing at all to explore, which is a real shame considering the level of detail put into the overworld.
The Dragonborn DLC added a little bit more near its unique areas, but that is the most improvement that's happened in an official capacity. The modding community has taken it upon themselves to lavish a wide range of underwater-focused mods onto vanilla Skyrim that give players all the underwater exploring they could dream of, and then some.
7 Make The Cold A Hazard Instead Of Set Dressing
Skyrim really lacks immersion for a game with such a wide-open world. One of the biggest flaws is that the game is set in a country far to the north, with many areas covered in permafrost. Occasionally it's mentioned that the cold is difficult to withstand in certain areas, meaning that the player can find loot in strange areas due to someone's unfortunate demise.
However, this environmental hazard isn't made relevant to the player outside of a few cutscenes in some questlines. Frostfall is the prime example of a mod that addresses the issue and has been further tweaked by a number of other modders on Nexus Mods to make some really immersive situations utilizing the cold climate of Skyrim to its fullest.
6 Actions Should Have Consequences Outside Of Their Quest Chain
There are points within certain factions and questlines to make choices that should have a much larger effect than they do. A prime example is the option to not kill Paarthurnax, which only makes it so the player cannot join the Blades. It doesn't affect the weather on the Throat of the World, which was supposed to be partially his doing, at least according to the Graybeards.
Then, during the Dark Brotherhood quests, the player ends up killing the emperor of all of Tamriel, but it's essentially irrelevant outside of the faction. Those are only two of many of the choice-based issues within the game that should really be addressed.
5 The World Needs More Life
Cities in Skyrim feel sparsely populated, even the larger ones like Solitude. The wilderness also seems mostly devoid of life, and what little animal interaction there is mostly involves predators trying to kill the Dragonborn.
There should be more NPCs around towns doing menial tasks, inconsequential characters who are just there to prove there are people living in that area, families should exist with more children than those who can be found sparsely scattered or packed in the orphanage, and the wildlife should have prey that the player can hunt and get use out of.
4 Trading Should Be More Interesting, And Shop Inventories Should Have More Variety
Skyrim itself is a massive country within Tamriel. There are huge cities that are extremely far apart, with tiny little trading posts and villages dotted around the landscape. What there isn't is a viable trading system.
Objects that are cheap in one area should be able to be sold across the map for a hike in price, or the player should find better or worse prices on monster loot depending on how important that loot is in a particular area. It would even make some otherwise useless objects have a purpose if they could help build the Dragonborn's wealth.
3 There Should Be Cultural Change If The Dragonborn Is Not A Nord
The Nords of Skyrim are all too happy to inform the newly arrived Dragonborn that this is their home; there are even entire areas meant to be off-limits to the beast races. However, this is quickly forgotten as the storyline progresses and the player is suddenly treated just like any Nord, regardless of if they are one or not.
Having a high-profile minority would definitely help shape social change to reflect more of their actions. If the Dragonborn is a completely just hero, it would paint a better picture of their race as a whole — whether it was justified or not. Conversely, a dangerous Dragonborn from a less powerful race could make it even worse for the others. The game could really be improved by adding a little late-game change based on the player's reputation and the way minorities are treated within Skyrim.
2 Players Should Have The Option To Become The High King
Some players out there don't like either option of the pointless war to side against, much to the disgust of their leaders. Ulfric Stormcloak, for instance, believes it's his god-given right to become the High King of all of Skyrim, being at the head of all of the Jarls of the country.
This is ridiculous, considering it feels more like the High Elves are the true enemies here rather than the Stormcloaks or the Legion. If the player wants to take a neutral stance or thinks that they, as the hero of Skyrim, should be the next High King, then they should be able to take that position in the end.
1 Alduin Should Be Able To Win
There's no way that this tyrannical dragon is just sitting around waiting for the legendary hero to come and slay him after his jaunt through space and time. If the player spends too long doing all of the sidequests, Alduin should get stronger.
Additionally, if the player avoids the main plotline for too long, Alduin should be able to get strong enough and complete his quest since there's nobody around to stop him. Then maybe the rest of the country would realize their war is pointless and they should have been focusing their attention where it really mattered.
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