12 Best Economy Mods for Overhauling Skyrim

The business is something that fantasy books, movies, and video games often don’t pay enough attention to. Skyrim is no different.

No one stops to think about what Ulfric’s tax policy would be if he were High King or how much it costs to ship Black-Briar Mead from Riften to Solitude.

In this way, Skyrim’s economy is simple and stable.

Merchants always have about the same amount of gold and sell the same things, and their prices never change.

Well, we put together this list to help get rid of the Empire’s set prices and give Skyrim’s economy a boost.

12. Some Crime and Economy Tweaks

This mod increases the consequences for committing murder in the game and reduces the rewards for completing minor quests.

The intention is to create a more challenging and realistic gameplay experience, where the player is discouraged from engaging in violent acts and encouraged to focus on more significant tasks.

11. True Renaissance Economy (LE and SE)

This mod uses the zEdit patcher to rebalance item prices and weights in a game.

The prices are adjusted to reflect the economic conditions of 16th century Europe, while item weights are modified to be more realistic.

The mod aims to provide a different gameplay experience with historical accuracy and immersion.

10. Master Trader

You just got out of a dungeon with a lot of valuable loot and are now too heavy to move.

You think with your coin pouch and walk slowly back to the nearest store, wasting 20 minutes.

When you get there, they don’t have enough money to buy even a fifth of what you have. You still have too much stuff, and the closest shop is in the next town over.

Before I got Master Trader, which gives shopkeepers a lot more money to buy trinkets, this was my everyday life. If they run out of gold, you can leave the menu and ask them again to find more gold.

9. Gold to Septims (with Weight)

Some people love to make the game more difficult in the name of immersion and realism.

The Gold to Septims mod does just that by adding a very modest weight to each gold piece.

This forces the player to mind how much money they’re carrying. You can no longer keep 20k gold pieces on you at all times because that would weigh a ton.

It’ll provide an incentive to invest in real estate (so you can store all your cash and valuables). Alternatively, you can try the following mod.

8. Google’s Imperial Bank

Banks have been a staple of the European economy for over 600 years, and banking-like services existed way before that.

So, why wouldn’t there be a bank in Tamriel?

Google’s Imperial Bank brings a modern banking experience to Skyrim with savings accounts, interest rates, and loans! Just talk to a court steward, and they’ll hook you up.

If you want, there’s an optional paper currency module. With it, you can carry way more cash without employing slaves to carry your bags of gold.

7. Evolving Value Economy

One thing that makes the economy difficult to predict is that every action you take will have ripple effects on everything else.

Skyrim keeps things simple by focusing on giving each individual merchant the gold and items that make sense for their storyline and location – but what if we go a step further?

Evolving Value Economy simulates a real, living economy by considering factors like location, season, and even the stage of the Civil War to figure out what to give each merchant.

Not only does it feel more immersive, but it opens the possibility of effectively roleplaying a traveling merchant now that item prices vary from hold to hold.

6. Real Economy of Skyrim (Trade Caravans)

Here’s another option for a complex economic simulation in Skyrim.

This mod attempts to breathe life into Skyrim’s economy by having merchants in every hold travel around the country, affecting supply and demand and altering prices.

Something I love about this mod is that the merchants physically move between holds in real-time. They even have an entourage of guards to protect them and their wares.

Whether you’re looking for realism or want to roleplay a bandit, this mod is a must-try.

5. Precious Metals Refined

As global markets spiral into chaos and currencies waver, investors worldwide are increasingly turning to the classics: silver and gold.

This mod lets you do the same in Skyrim by making gold and silver ingots much more valuable.

It also allows players to smelt smaller, lighter ingots called “halfweights.” You’ll need several of those halfweights to smelt normal-sized bars, now worth a lot more cash.

You’ll also be able to mint your own septims by combining gold halfweights and corundum at a smithy.

4. COIN – Coins of Interesting Natures

Speaking of minting coins…

I always found it bizarre that you can find the exact same gold pieces down in Dwemer mines as you can in Draugr-infested catacombs – and they’re the same design that circulates in modern Skyrim.

Realistically, each of these cultures would have its own coinage. That’s where COIN comes in.

This mod introduces six new currencies into the game, including the Ancient Falmer Malari, the Dwarven Nchuark, and the Thalmor Sancar.

Each has its own exchange rate with gold pieces, but don’t worry about the details. Just pick them up, and they’ll translate to gold in your inventory!

3. Bandit Economy

Have you ever wondered who will buy all those cursed artifacts and magical weapons you’re selling to a shady merchant in Riften?

Bandits, that’s who.

Bandit Economy faces the Dragonborn with the consequences of their actions by distributing some of the weapons and armor you sell to merchants among the local bandit population.

For the most part, it’s just fun and immersive – but sometimes, you’ll run into a bandit with an epic health-draining katana.

Get this to learn about the ethical implications of arms dealing in unstable countries.

2. True Medieval Economy

True Medieval Economy is one of the most creative economy changes on the internet.

This mod does everything it can to make Skyrim feel like a normal place to live in the Middle Ages. For example, it matches the prices of food, guns, armor, and other things to what they were in real life.

You’ll also notice that salaries and, most importantly, bounty prices have changed. In vanilla Skyrim, bounty prices are much lower.

Check out True Renaissance Economy if the Middle Ages aren’t your favorite time in Europe’s economic history.

1. Trade Routes: Regional Economy

Trade Routes: Regional Economy is my best simulator for Skyrim that shows how supply and demand work.

Like some of the other mods we’ve talked about so far, it makes the prices of things change based on where they are and how many of them are in the area.

But that’s not the end of it.

The quantity of items also depends on where you are. Some herbs and materials will cost more or less in different places, and you won’t find many of them outside of certain areas.

The author made these changes so that the player could play a mini-game about a traveling trader.

It’s a great way to make money and find out more about all of Skyrim’s holds.