Serana quickly became a fan favorite after she was added in Skyrim’s first DLC, Dawnguard.
This was partly because she was voiced by the talented and award-winning Laura Bailey, and partly because she is one of the most involved followers the Dragonborn can have in the game.
Serana’s lore runs deep. And her story is one that every player should explore.
She’s tough yet vulnerable. And she’s also just a very practical follower with her one-handed weapon, destruction, blood, and conjuring magic skills that are sure to get the Dragonborn out of any sticky situation.
But let’s say you’re looking to take Serana beyond vanilla gameplay.
Well, here are the best mods we could find to make your time with this amazing character even better.
Note: All of the mods on this page work with Skyrim Special Edition.
10. Pandorable’s Serana
So this is a really cool change to Serana’s look that makes her stand out from the rest.
Just by looking at the screenshots of the mod, you can see that this is a very unique look.
But if you don’t like this, you can choose to have Serana as a stand-alone follower instead. This gives you the chance to change her appearance as well.
9. Serana’s Hood Fix
Serana’s infamous hood always shows itself when she’s outside during the day.
The lore makes sense, because vampires don’t much care for sunlight.
But the actual look of this in-game tends to have its quirks.
Some players find it distracting when she already has headgear equipped, which gets removed in favor of her hood. But here’s a mod to help with that.
You’ll be given two simple solutions: remove the hood altogether, or just don’t have her wear it whenever she already has headgear on.
Isn’t it great when mods give us options?
8. Empowering Serana
Although I’ve mentioned that Serana is great in combat, her AI is still lacking in some parts – and can be frustrating for some players.
But Empowering Serana clears all that up.
Specifically, this mod prevents her from doing a “Lydia” by setting off traps even when sneaking or attracting enemies.
It also tweaks with her magic resistance and magic power levels, giving her a better edge in combat.
These extra perks really play to her strengths, and make her more effective in a fight – while eliminating all the frustrating parts.
Probably a must-have mod if you’re using Serana in your playthrough.
7. Vampire Lord Serana
Looking to add some more vampires into your gameplay?
With this custom mod, Serana will be given the ability to transform into a Vampire Lord at her own discretion in battle.
This keeps things completely lore friendly, while giving her a true edge in combat.
Surprisingly, this feature isn’t in the vanilla game (for some reason) since you as a player can become one, and her father can change into this form also.
6. Serana Shut Up
While standing next to Serana in-game, eventually you’ll hear her say “Yes? What did you need?”
And she’ll say this over and over again.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get her to stop doing that?
I’m here with some good news: your request has been granted.
People still sing praises even nowadays to the person that made this mod, just because of how better this feels.
But that’s not all!
You’re also given the option to remove some of her other repetitive dialogues too, which some players have found annoying from time to time.
5. Queen Of The Damned – Deadlier Serana
If you’re not satisfied with Serana’s combat abilities, Queen of the Damned will completely overhaul them for you.
Serana’s default magic abilities are completely removed with this mod. But in their place you get more powerful & lore friendly attacks added in.
These attacks include a vampire missile attack, paralyze spell, bat cloak spell, conjure a Gargoyle, and the mod even replaces her default Elven Dagger with a completely unique sword named Coldharbour’s Daughter.
If you’re looking to make Serana hit hard in combat and stay true to her character, then look no further.
4. Serana Dialog Edit
As mentioned earlier, Serana is one of the most involved followers in the game.
It’s because she has a variety of unique interactions that are unlocked as you progress together. This makes her feel a lot more real than most of the other NPCs that drone on about “guard duty” or “the Cloud District”.
And with this mod, Serana will now be given even more radiant dialogue, plus relationship points.
And it even expands her interactions into the Dragonborn and Hearthfire DLCs.
All of this is still voiced by Laura Bailey, just stuff taken from the unused dialogue pool.
There’s also some bug fixes here too. And if you haven’t heard by now, bugs are rather common in Bethesda games.
But this is absolutely a mod to install if you’re looking for more Serana goodness.
3. Marry Me Serana
To everyone’s dismay, Serana will refuse a marriage proposal in vanilla – even if you cure her of her Vampirism.
The vanilla game simply will not allow you to marry her.
But there’s no need to hang your head in shamed rejection anymore, because (once again) modders are here to save the day.
With this installed, you and Serana can be bound together, in love, now and forever.
There’s nothing too complex about it, either.
Just install the mod and you’re simply allowed to marry her, like you can any other marriageable NPC.
So go out and get her, you hopeless romantic.
2. Serana Dialog Add-On
Serana is already one of the more life-like NPCs in Skyrim.
But you can take it to the next level with this dialogue add-on.
With this installed, you’ll be exposed to her entire dialogue pool (again, all lines voiced by Laura Bailey).
Plus you’ll get new and completely original lines performed by Kerstyn Unger.
Serana will get more radiant dialogue for combat, quests, and just around the general environment. Not to mention she’ll have more character interaction dialogue, romance dialogue, and get this:
She’ll even sing!
There has also been extensive (and ongoing) work to make this mod compatible with Serana Dialogue Edit. As of this writing it’s not quite there yet, but honestly it’s still worth checking out this mod. It adds a lot more than you’d think.
1. Seranaholic
I can say that this is, without a doubt, the best Skyrim appearance mod for Serana.
It’s a complete visual overhaul of the character that truly makes her look as beautiful as she deserves to be.
Not to mention that this mod is completely standalone, nothing else needed.
Also, all previous versions from this mod’s history are available too.
So you have the ability to choose whichever appearance you like best (just cycle through and see what stands out)
I suggest taking the time to read through the description (it’s really long) because it offers a ton of details and tips on how to adjust Serana to your liking.
And try to make time for exploring the supporting mods listed in the description, too.
These other add-ons explore custom hair, body, and armor styles that can improve your experience with Serana even more.
