10 Best Sword Art Online Mods For Skyrim

Full-immersion technology like what is used in Sword Art Online is still a long way off.

But we’re going in the right direction when it comes to making huge, complex fantasy worlds.

Back in 2011, Skyrim seemed like a big change. Even though Oblivion was already pretty big, Skyrim felt even bigger.

It’s not just the size of the map that gives us a sense of scale. It’s also the intricate stories and the fact that a thousand different adventures could happen on it.

The same year that Sword Art Online came out, too. And watching a show about living inside a game while playing the best open-world RPG I’d ever played was an unforgettable experience.

If you’d like to see these fantasy worlds come together in some way, you’ll love these SAO-themed mods.

10. SAO Kirito

This is a save file for Skyrim that adds a character resembling Kirito from Sword Art Online.

The creator notes that it is not perfect and that several mods are required for it to work, including RaceCompatibility, Hair packs of TES IV Oblivion for Male Only, The Ashen Race – HD, Sword Art Online Weapons Pack, Duelists Longcoat, and XP32 Maximum Skeleton mod.

The save starts at the beginning of the game, outside Embershard Mine.

9. SAO Armaments (Sword Art Online)

This mod adds six swords to SAO Armaments that can be crafted using dragon materials and tempered with one dragon bone.

The swords’ stats are comparable to dragon bone swords, and they all use the vanilla brown leather half sheath, with no sheath versions available. Additionally, the mod’s ESP is flagged as light.

8. SAO Menu Replacer

Skyrim’s start-up process is a lot like SAO’s… minus the full-immersion VR tech and the chance of your brain getting fried.

This SAO Menu Replacer by Drag0nHunt3r55 is great if you want to feel even more like you’re about to jump into the floating castle of Aincrad when you start up The Elder Scrolls V.

It not only changes the background picture to one from SAO, but also the music.

It’s a small but fun mod, and the SAO Font Replacer makes it even better.

7. SAO Sun Replacer

Here’s a great but rather strange mod.

Instead of changing characters or places to make Skyrim more like the world of Sword Art Online, modder Tenma added a lot of anime to Nirn’s closest star with this Sun Replacer.

The sun isn’t just a boring old ball—it has a halo and cool beams of light that go in all four cardinal directions.

It won’t change how the world looks, but it will make for some great screenshots.

After spending the night killing Draugr in an old Nord temple, you’ll love being able to look at the beautiful sun as you pick yourself up and head off on your next adventure.

6. Kirito Preset (LE)

I usually focus on Skyrim Special Edition mods because it’s the most recent and widely-adopted version of the game – but the Legendary Edition has a larger mod catalog, and some are too good to ignore.

A great example is this accurate Kirito preset created by modder Emtana.

Any attempt at making Kirito in vanilla Skyrim will fail miserably, as you can’t really put a baby face on Skyrim’s burly, rough and tough men.

Luckily, mods don’t have to play by the rules.

5. SAO Weapons Pack (LE)

Once you have Kirito running around Skyrim, you’ll need to get him some weapons.

He won’t be getting too far with just any steel blade, even with his supernatural swordsmanship.

One of my favorite options is the SAO Weapons Pack, which introduces 6 different weapons based on Kirito’s Elucidator.

This black sword serves as his signature weapon throughout most of the series, and now it will help the Dragonborn as well.

Along with the sword, there’s also a dagger, a greatsword, a mace, a war axe, and a battle-axe, all of which share design characteristics like the jet black color and decorative white crosses.

4. Elucidator & Dark Repulser (LE)

If you don’t care so much about weapon variety and would prefer to make your character as close to Kirito as possible, then Mr. Flopsie’s Elucidator & Dark Repulser pack is for you.

These blades are a fantastic option for any dual-wielding swordsman.

Both the Elucidator and Dark Repulser are exquisitely modeled, and the author nailed the color on the Dark Repulser.

3. Holy Sword Excalibur (LE)

The Elucidator and Dark Repulser may have been Kirito’s best weapons during his time trapped in SAO – but when it came to rescuing Asuna in Alfheim Online, he needed to level up.

The solution would be found deep within the frosty realm of Jötunheimr, protected by giants and powerful beasts.

But don’t worry, you’ll just have to download it.

The Holy Sword Excalibur grants the wielder unstoppable power.

Considering the Dragonborn kills ancient primordial beasts on the regular, this mod by BasaraStyle seems like a perfect fit.

2. Asuna Follower

Whether you’re playing as Kirito or not, I’m sure you’ll love an opportunity to travel the land with the second biggest bad-ass in Sword Art Online: Asuna Yuu.

It’s easy to see why Kirito chooses to stay with Asuna despite a new girl throwing herself at him with every new arc of the anime. She’s smart, gorgeous, and generally acts like a normal adult – something most anime characters fail at.

On top of that, she’s dangerous with a rapier, which will definitely come in handy during her time in Skyrim.

1. SAO Sword Skills

Never have I been as envious of an anime character as when I saw Kirito beat the lights out of The Gleam Eyes with his newfound dual-wielding skills.

Is it even legal to look that badass?

That move is called Starburst Stream – and you can find it (and more) in Kagutou’s SAO Sword Skill Pack.

Skills in Skyrim are rarely anything flashier than an aura and some pretty lights.

But Vorpal Strike, Deadly Sins, and Starburst Stream look like they came straight from a JRPG – which feels exactly right.

They’re also pretty powerful, helping you attain a fraction of Kirito’s power level.

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