12 Best Skyrim Mods for a Monk Build

When most people hear the word “monk,” they think of a priest who lives in a convent. However, RPG fans have a very different idea of what it means.

Monks are masters of both the mind and the hand in role-playing games.

They combine the idea of spiritual practitioners with that of Eastern martial artists to make one of the most mysterious and exciting fantasy images of the modern imagination.

Skyrim wasn’t made with monks in mind, which is too bad.

So, if you want to play a monk well, you need to look at these changes.

12. Iron Khajiit Monk

The “Khajiit Unarmed Monk Armor” mod is an add-on created for the video game Skyrim. This mod introduces a new set of heavy armor that visually resembles robes, specifically designed for unarmed monk gameplay.

While primarily intended for Khajiit characters, the armor is also available for other playable races in the game.

The mod allows players to fully embrace the role of an unarmed monk, providing them with a suitable armor option that aligns with the monk playstyle.

The armor set retains the visual aesthetics of traditional robes while offering the protection and stats of heavy armor.

This mod enhances the immersion and customization options for players interested in unarmed combat and monk-like characters in Skyrim.

11. Moon Monk’s Robes

The “Khajiiti Style Light Armor” mod is an add-on created for the video game Skyrim. This mod introduces a brand new set of light armor inspired by the Khajiit race, known for their feline features and culture within the game.

The armor set is designed in a Khajiiti style, incorporating elements and aesthetics that reflect their culture and preferences.

Additionally, the mod provides players with a selection of alternate colors for the armor, allowing for customization and personalization.

This mod focuses solely on the appearance of the armor and does not affect its stats or any other gameplay mechanics.

It offers players the opportunity to acquire and wear a unique and visually appealing light armor set inspired by the Khajiit race in Skyrim.

10. Ordinator – Perks of Skyrim

Ordinator is the go-to mod for all things perk-related. That includes introducing a new class/job archetype into Skyrim, such as the monk.

This mod overhauls each perk tree to make character building a more in-depth and rewarding experience.

It adds 469 new perks designed to make as many alternate builds as possible 100% viable.

Ordinator packs a ton of unarmed combat bonuses into the Light Armor perk tree, which will become the basis of your monk build.

9. Fists Don’t Alarm People

One of the benefits of playing a monk is that you carry your weapons everywhere.

Nobody can take away your fists. Whether in a meeting at the Thalmor Embassy or trying to escape the Windhelm jailhouse, violence is always an option – sword or no sword.

In real life, you’d also have the benefit of surprise. Swords make loud clanging noises when they smash into one another, but hitting someone’s pressure points as a monk should be dead silent.

Regrettably, this isn’t the case in vanilla Skyrim. To fix it, you’ll need this mod.

Fists Don’t Alarm People sets the “Detection Sound Level” of hand-to-hand combat to Silent, allowing the Dragonborn to go full Solid Snake on their foes.

8. Monk Prayer Beads

No fantasy clothing is more characteristic of the monk than some comically large prayer beads.

These items of spiritual significance are essential for the monk, who rejects the safety of Heavy Armor in favor of agility and spiritual protection.

The Monk Prayer Beads mod introduces this iconic monk staple into Skyrim. They’re a deep brown color with a beautiful polished sheen.

You’re free to keep the custom enchantment – which makes all spell types cheaper to cast – but there’s also a plain version to which you can add your own enchantments.

7. Elemental Fist

Monks are all about unarmed combat – but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a couple of tricks up their enlightened sleeves.

These mystics are known to use magic to bolster their own strength or cast protective auras.

Elemental Fist will help make your brawls more fun and visually striking by adding elemental magic to your strikes.

The mod introduces 14 new “weapons” you can equip to grant your fists greater damage and special effects, including Fire, Poison, and Absorb Health.

They’re all 100% silent, and you can’t be disarmed because your weapons are literally your hands, which would be way too gruesome.

6. Phenderix Arcane Brawler

Phenderix Arcane Brawler is another choice for magic-powered fists. It was made by the same people who made the hugely popular Phenderix Magic World.

Like the last mod, it focuses on bringing the power of the elements to the palms of your hands, which you can then curl into a fist to do a lot of damage.

The scaling is the main change.

As you level up your one-handed skills, these arcane fists will not only do more damage, but their magical effects will also change.

It also has some interesting new elements like Wind, Earth, and Water that weren’t in Elemental Fist.

5. Alpha Jab – Unarmed Combat Sounds Rework

To make hand-to-hand combat satisfying, you must help the player feel every blow they land on their enemy.

Besides visual cues and force feedback through controller vibration, the #1 most important way to achieve this is through masterful sound design.

Vanilla Skyrim isn’t terrible in this regard, but if you’re putting this much effort into a melee-only character, you want it to be as good as possible.

Alpha Jab offers three different audio reworks for melee hits, including a “Vanilla Rework,” a satisfying “Alpha Jab” version, and the realistic “True Jab.”

4. Unarmed Warfare – New Animations for Hand-to-Hand Combat

The animation range for melee fighting is another thing that needs to be changed right away.

As a monk, you want to use more flashy moves than a regular Skyrim fighter would.

In Unarmed Warfare, you can now control new moves like a roundhouse kick, a spinning back heel kick, and a flying butterfly kick.

You can find more cool unarmed movements at Unarmed Fighter movements and Cross & Jab.

3. Clanggedin’s Skyrim Auras

Games like Dungeon Defenders show that a monk’s deep knowledge of who they are and how the world works can give them a strong aura.

Clanggedin’s Skyrim Auras adds 80 custom auras to Skyrim that your Dragonborn monk can use to show off how powerful they are.

You can get these auras from magical rings, but you can also take them off, so you learn how to put them on other pieces of armor.

These auras are just for looks, but if you add a mod like Enchanting Freedom, you could combine the auras with any charm you want.

2. Custom Skills – Hand to Hand

The core aspect of any build has to be the perks you choose to spend your points on.

Vanilla Skyrim and Ordinator put some hand-to-hand damage-boosting perks at your disposal, but more is needed to keep things interesting for someone focusing on fistfights.

Custom Skills – Hand to Hand adds a new perk tree dedicated to unarmed combat. It’s over 20 all-new perks that’ll slowly turn your Dragonborn into Mohammad Ali.

Couple this with Illusion or Restoration spells, and your monk build will start taking shape.

1. Way of the Monk – Unarmed Combat Extended

Way of the Monk has to be the most complete Skyrim mod for monks ever made.

The author SirTurdle made new weapons, perks, and enchantments to help new monks find their power and make the monk playstyle work in Skyrim.

This mod doesn’t change the existing perk trees. Instead, it adds a new progression system that focuses on fighting without weapons or armor.

It also gives you new tasks and places to go where your new skills will be useful. You’ll also get more prizes with a monk theme.