The Nords are proud of how rough and tough they are. But the Dunmer, who are also called Dark Elves, have been through more than most races in Tamriel.
First, the Daedric Prince Azura put a curse on them and made their skin dark and their eyes red.
Then, their whole society fell apart and had to be rebuilt after a comet hit the Red Mountain and caused a huge explosion that forced many Dunmer to flee west, toward Skyrim.
What did Skyrim hold for them?
The people of Windhelm were turned away and treated badly, and they had to live in a prison called the Gray Quarter.
Still, they are there, doing their best to make a living and working for a better future.
They are just the kind of smart friends a hero like the Dragonborn needs. And we’re going to look at some mods that will make them even better.
- 14. Bryn – Racemenu Darkelf Preset
- 13. Dark Elf Female-Viola
- 12. Dunmer Dark Elf Racemenu Preset
- 11. Najira – Dunmer Dark Seductress
- 10. Baloth Telvem – Male Dunmer Follower
- 9. Pandorable’s Heroines
- 8. Pandorable’s Lethal Ladies – Jenassa & Karliah
- 7. Jenassa High-Poly Head & KS Hair
- 6. Virelda – The Heretical Soothsayer
- 5. Atvir Dres – The Last Prince of Tear
- 4. Nether’s Karliah
- 3. Nereron – A Dunmer Companion
- 2. Interesting NPCs
- 1. Teldryn Serious – A Teldryn Zero Backstory Quest
14. Bryn – Racemenu Darkelf Preset
This is a Racemenu preset for a female dark elf character in the video game Skyrim, with a rare and unusual case of albinism or a mix of races.
The author used several mods to enhance the graphics and appearance of the character, including makeup, skin textures, eye textures, body enhancements, and hair.
They also used mods to improve animations and physics in the game, as well as add new armor and locations.
The preset can be downloaded and added to the Racemenu presets folder to create a new character with the same appearance settings, but the other mods listed are separate downloads that can be installed to improve the overall gameplay experience.
13. Dark Elf Female-Viola
This is a preset for the video game Skyrim’s Racemenu mod. The preset is for a dark elf female character named Viola and is intended for use in a collection on the Nexus website.
The author of the preset explains that they wanted to create a dark elf that resembled the drow from the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, so they gave her a darker skin tone and white hair to match the drow’s appearance.
The preset can be downloaded and added to the Racemenu presets folder to create a new character with the same appearance settings.
12. Dunmer Dark Elf Racemenu Preset
It seems that someone is sharing a preset of their newest character for the game Skyrim’s mod called Racemenu.
This preset can be downloaded and added to the presets folder of Racemenu to create a new character with the same appearance settings.
The author of the preset also gives permission for others to use it to create a follower character in the game, as long as they credit the original source.
11. Najira – Dunmer Dark Seductress
Racemenu is a mod for the video game Skyrim that allows you to customize the appearance of your character in great detail.
A preset is a saved configuration of those appearance settings that can be shared with others to recreate the same look.
In this case, the preset is for a character named Najira, who is a Dunmer and will eventually become a dark mage, seductress, and necromancer in the game.
10. Baloth Telvem – Male Dunmer Follower
With shops like Grave Concoctions and Dead Man’s Drink next to the biggest graveyard in all of Skyrim, it’s no wonder Falkreath attracts shady characters.
Baloth Telvem is one of these shadowy figures.
After being kicked out of Winterhold for raising one too many corpses, this master necromancer moved his operation to Falkreath – where you’ll find and recruit him.
He’s a combat mage who’ll charge the enemy with a conjured sword while his two skeleton underlings block any flanking attempts.
9. Pandorable’s Heroines
Pandorable is well-known for their gorgeous character overhauls.
But their custom followers are just as good, if not better.
Pandorable’s Heroines includes eight hot and bad-ass female followers, two of which are Dark Elves.
Zusha is a grizzled half-Dunmer, half-Orc warrior who follows the Code of Malacath and never backs down from a fight.
While the Dunmer rogue Orchid prefers a more subtle approach, using deception and sneaking to get what she wants.
8. Pandorable’s Lethal Ladies – Jenassa & Karliah
If you’d rather adventure with some of the vanilla Dunmer followers, Pandorable has you covered.
This mod significantly improves the facial appearance of Jenassa and Karliah – the two best female Dunmer followers in vanilla Skyrim.
Jenassa owes her popularity to how quickly you can find and recruit her for such a mighty warrior. She’s the perfect bodyguard for any Dragonborn who prefers others to dirty their hands while they cast spells from the back.
Karliah, on the other hand, can only follow you for a little while – but since she’s part of the Nightingales questline, beautifying her can greatly improve your time in the Thieves Guild.
7. Jenassa High-Poly Head & KS Hair
Another solid option to overhaul Jenassa that leaves her looking just a little less like she just came out of the beauty salon is this mod by Wizwar.
It transforms Jenassa’s facial structure and default expression to look a bit more gentle and refined. She might be a bloodthirsty warrior now, but maybe she was just an ordinary Dunmer girl before she wound up in the Drunken Huntsman.
One of my favorite aspects of this mod is the scarification on the right side of her face. It must be the latest trend in Morrowind!
This mod is fantastic if you plan to take Jenassa as your wife.
She looks loving and down-to-earth… at least when she’s not hacking bandits to pieces.
6. Virelda – The Heretical Soothsayer
Dunmer are well-known to have particular sensitivity toward Daedric influence – especially that of Azura, who gives them visions of the future.
Few Dunmer have peered as far forward as Virelda – known as the Heretical Soothsayer.
This beautiful but mysterious lady was driven out of Cyrodiil in times long past for her terrible predictions, and like many Dunmer, she ended up in Solstheim. There, she hid in an ancient temple until the coming of the Dragonborn roused her from her meditations.
Creator Mlee3141 made Virelda a force to be reckoned with in ranged combat thanks to her mastery over Destruction magic. She might even show you a new trick or two!
5. Atvir Dres – The Last Prince of Tear
Not all Skyrim Dunmer live in Solstheim.
Many of them have the misfortune of living in Windhelm’s Gray Quarter – including Atvir Dres.
This roguish Dunmer looks like any other Windhelm street urchin but hides an exiled Morrowind prince under the veneer of misery.
With dreams of one day leading an army of mercenaries to claim his birthright, he continues to prowl the streets in search of coin.
The creator, Janus, was inspired by the classic Companion Vilja mod for Oblivion. The level of detail in Vilja’s backstory and personality was astounding, and they wanted to do the same.
With hundreds of lines of fully-voiced dialogue and countless organic interactions, Atvir Dres is the perfect immersive party member you’ll grow to love as you hunt dragons and save up for that army.
4. Nether’s Karliah
I love follower mods that give vanilla NPCs a second chance at stealing your heart.
Nether’s Karliah does just that for this member of the Thieves Guild and the Nightingales, whose incredible potential was wasted by making her just a temporary follower in vanilla Skyrim.
This add-on makes her much more attractive and enables her as a permanent follower and possible marriage partner. She’s also much better in combat.
Karliah has tons of new voice lines, including quest and location-specific comments that make her feel organic and immersive. You’ll have a blast trying to woo her or earn her respect throughout your adventures.
3. Nereron – A Dunmer Companion
AngryKarakuri’s Nereron is another Dunmer criminal mastermind who’ll make your travels much more interesting and offer a new perspective on life in Tamriel.
Living as a smuggler between Morrowind and Solstheim, Nereron’s accent and attitude might remind you of The Elder Scrolls III.
He has over 400 lines of voiced dialogue about his adventures and time in Morrowind, which he’ll gladly share over a glass of authentic Sujamma.
This fascinating Dunmer is the perfect companion for thieves, necromancers, mercenaries, and morally gray characters who need a little support from the shadows.
2. Interesting NPCs
Interesting NPCs is an incredible mod that populates Skyrim with over 250 fully voiced NPCs, including 25+ followers to diversify your army of possible sidekicks.
Of these followers, only three are Dunmer:
- Erevan
- Meresine
- Raynes
But what a trio they are.
Erevan is a former knight of the Order of the Rose who’ll be an excellent fit for a virtuous Dragonborn. On the contrary, Raynes is a bit of a psychopath interested in spilling the blood of wrongdoers to deter further crimes.
Or if you’d rather focus on your mission to save Skyrim from the Dragons, recruit Meresine. She’s been getting visions of fire and blood and is hell-bent on preventing another disaster like the Red Mountain eruption.
1. Teldryn Serious – A Teldryn Zero Backstory Quest
One of the most intriguing and mysterious Dark Elves in vanilla Skyrim is Teldryn Sero – the best swordsman in all of Morrowind, if you’ll believe his own reports.
Clad in a full suit of Chitin armor, Teldryn hides his face and past.
At most, he’ll reveal that he grew up in Blacklight, the capital of Morrowind.
Teldryn Serious by Undriel is a massive follower and quest mod that reveals more about Teldryn’s dangerous life as you fight together to protect Raven Rock.
It’s over 500 lines of fully voiced, lore-friendly dialogue and a new questline, some dungeons, and a couple of bosses. There’s a ton of loot to find, too, including new weapons and a new armor set.
