Original Skyrim is Still Best for Heavily Modded Setups
As a passionate Skyrim modder and content creator myself, I get asked a lot – "which version of Skyrim is best for modding?" After testing mods across old and new editions over the past decade, I have a clear answer:
For heavily modded setups with 200+ mods, the original Legendary Edition of Skyrim is still the most stable and flexible platform.
Now let me explain why…
More Mods: 70,000+ Options for Legendary
The first thing any modder looks for is availability of mods.
After over 10 years since launch, Skyrim Legendary Edition has a staggering 70,000 mod submissions on NexusMods alone!
Compare this to just 18,000 submissions for Special Edition – legacy Skyrim simply has far more mods to play with.
What‘s more, in my testing these Legacy mods often offer more features and customization than newer ports.
Script Extender Unlocks Advanced Modding
The Skyrim Script Extender (SKSE) unlocks advanced scripting functions for mod developers like:
- New event handlers
- Additional UI elements
- Complex branching quest logic
- Custom combat styles
| Feature | SKSE (Legacy) | SKSE64 (Special/Anniversary) |
|---|---|---|
| Available features | All features | Limited features |
| Plugin-free scripts | Yes | No |
| Backwards compatibility | High | Lower |
Thousands of mods like SkyUI, RaceMenu, EnaiSiaion Gameplay Overhauls rely on these advanced capabilities for their complex logic.
So Legacy Skyrim gives you the most flexibility to create truly next-level mods.
32-bit Engine Offers Predictability
Now Special Edition runs on a 64-bit engine which should provide more stability out-of-the-box, right?
Well, when heavily modding, I‘ve found things behave a little differently…
While the 32-bit executable of Legacy Skyrim becomes unstable at high (+250) mod loads, it gets there pretty predictably. So mods can be tested and tuned appropriately during development.
On the other hand, the 64-bit engine has more variable stability across systems. Crashes and memory issues can creep up suddenly even at lower mod counts.
So again, Legacy Skyrim‘s older engine offers more predictable behavior for intensely modded games.
Maturity Brings Compatibility
One challenge every modder faces is compatibility – making sure all mods work nicely together without conflicts or unexpected behavior.
After over 10 years of public modding, most compatibility issues between major Legacy Skyrim mods have been resolved through official patches and updates.
Mod authors have had the time to smooth out these conflicts at a scale that simply hasn‘t yet been achieved with Special or Anniversary editions.
So Legacy boasts better out-of-the-box compatibility between monster mods like Legacy of the Dragonborn, Immersive Armors, Wyrmstooth and Interesting NPCs for a smoother modding experience.
Putting It All Together
While Skyrim Anniversary Edition and even Special Edition offer some engine improvements, Legacy Skyrim still has critical advantages for mod use cases:
- Vast mod variety and availability
- Mature script extender functionality
- Tested and predictable mod stability
- Smoother compatibility between major mods
That‘s why for heavily modded setups I recommend experienced modders stick with original Skyrim… for now at least!
As more mods migrate to the 64-bit editions, the differences may shrink. But the Legacy community keeps growing too. Really with any edition you can‘t go wrong!
So I hope this gives you insight into picking the best platform for your perfect modded Skyrim game. Have fun and happy modding!
