In this multi-part series, I'll be taking a look at some of the various mods used in creating the webcomic "A Journey Through Skyrim"

I've been asked a few times about the mods used in creation of the webcomic "A Journey Through Skryim". Frankly, I use a lot of mods throughout the series, so I thought it would be a good idea to start a small column discussing some of the mods featured throughout the story. The first couple pieces of this series will focus on the equipment of the first story arc, the next couple on some of the other mods that effect immersion and appearance and the later parts will again focus on new equipment appearing in future story arcs.

There will be plenty of info dumped here, so I'll quit yapping and get this thing going:

The Loner's Sword

Bar none, one of the best sword mods out there. It's a new sword model, not imported from another game or based on weapons from somewhere else - don't get me wrong, I love my Lord of the Rings weapons pack and Witcher swords - but there is something to be said for a weapon built from scratch just for Skyrim and built this well.

In my opinion there are a lot of weapon mods that don't look like they fit into the game, either from the crazy design or mostly due to the texturing. This sword doesn't have that problem, it fits right in. It has a great design, a nice thick blade, beautiful scabbbard (as nearly all swords should have - I'm looking at you Jaysus Swords) and comes in both one and two handed versions.

Iorveth's Light Armor

Though this armor hasn't appeared in the comic per se, it is what the armor Kol wears is based on, so I thought it was worth mentioning. A player that wants something a bit more ranger-like, or wants to avoid running around in all black may prefer this mod over the other. I posted my character in the armor, but because he also has several other accessories as well, I also posted an image from the modder's page showing the stock armor.

This is a Witcher import, as the title says: Iorveth's Armor, and still very much fits into the feel of Skyrim without breaking immersion for me. I love the pieced together, travel worn look of the armor and although you'll see a variety of armors in the future this is one of my favorites until I found the next armor piece.

The Wanderer's Surcoat

This is the armor Kol is seen in from the first issue on so far and it is a dark version of the Iorveth Armor. Not only that, but you'll notice that the patches on the coat are now based on the sigils of Skyrim's holds - nice touch in my opinion.

The only drawback here is that there is no set of matching boots and gloves like you have for the standard Iorveth set because those brown boots and gloves don't quite work with the look. But being black, it's fairly easy to mix and match.

Scoiatael Weapons

The Bow you see Kol using a couple issues in comes from this mod. It's another Witcher model import and brings Iorveth's Bow into the game. It comes in both the standard version you see in the comic and black, which you'll see later. It also comes with a new quiver and set of arrows.

Bandolier

Probably one of the top mods I would recommend anyone and everyone should get. As simple as it is, it's adds a lot to the game in terms of appearance options. Essentially it allows you to add a bandolier, like the one you see on thieves guild armors, to your character over any outfit you might have on. It gives you the ability to customize your look a great deal even with vanilla armors.

The mod is more than just a bandolier though. Aside from the options of being able to add a black, brown or gray bandolier of pouches, you can also add one with a row of vials and with or without the shoulder pad. Plus there are several varieties of pouches, satchels, vial holders and more in various colors you can add as well. (Screenshots are posted overtop of generic clothing so you can see the new items easily.)

There is also a seperate Dawnguard version of the mod that adds a couple additional pieces to the ton of options like the canteen and front hanging notebook. The various pieces usually add carrying capacity to your character as well.

Fur Hoods HD

Fur Hoods are similar to Monk Hoods in design, but are covered in a well done texture of fur. This works quite well appearance-wise for the cold environment of Skryim. You'll have choices of non-armored for mages that take that route, and both light and heavy armor versions. They also come in white, brown and black fur options and two different styles - a short and a long. I've included screen shots of some of the different types and styles:

The shorter version ends right past the collar while the longer wraps around the shoulders a bit and has a small tail like cape piece hanging off of it. You'll notice a hint of armor peaking out from one of the hoods, that is the armored fur hood version for heavy armor users.

Monk Hoods

Though you won't see Kol pictured in a monk hood in the comic at this point, I did post an image higher up of him wearing one, so I thought I would cover this with todays article instead of next weeks. Monk Hoods is a simple mod that adds several monk hoods to the game that are essentially already built in - you'll see mages and priests often wearing them.

They have a similar look to the long fur hood pictured above, where you'll see the cloth draped around the shoulder and a piece hanging down one side of the back. They come in armored and non armored versions as well and a large vareities of colors: black, gray, red, brown, to name a few, as you can see above - the green matched the Iorveth armor nearly perfectly. If you'll take note though, you will notice there are no stitches in the hood, that is from a seperate mod which I'll cover later (Remove stitches from hoods if you want to search for it now).

Sabre Gear Backpack

This backpack you'll see here and there throughout the comic, though it's rarely focused on. For any player that wants to actually feel as if you are traveling across the land, this mod is a great add-on and would fit just as well with the immersion mods for that reason.

The mod adds two backpack types in three styles each to the game. The traveler's and survivor's fur backpacks, in black, white or brown fur. Both add carrying capacity to your player. The survivor's pack pictured above has the most gear hanging off of it, but if you prefer a less cluttered look, the travelers pack has only the canteen and bedrool on the backpack.

To view larger images of the ones featured in this article including some additional views not shown here, CLICK HERE to visit the imgur album SkyrimJourneyMods.

Most of the links in the article will take you to the Skyrim Nexus. Initially I used the Steam workshop when I first started playing on PC, but found the Nexus to be a bit better. The mods will only update when you choose, so you don't have to sit there waiting for the mod list to update for the game to load if you want to get the game going. More importantly though, choosing whether to update mods individually lets you examine the mod changes and make avoid possible bugs or changes you won't like. You'll also find a wider variety of mods available on Nexus due to limitations places by Steam on mods. Using the Nexus Mod Manager it's as easy as installing mods with Steam, so give it a try if you haven't yet.

Next week we will continue the look at equipment mods, covering a few more pieces seen in some of the images here as well as a few other seen in the comic, whether on the main character or on NPC's.