If you’ve played any Bethesda game on PC, chances are you’re aware that they all tend to have extensive modding communities. Starfield is the latest to receive this treatment, and with the release of the Creation Kit, talented modders are just getting started.
Mods can extend a game’s lifespan by many years, but it’s the graphics mods that can really keep a game feeling modern long past its initial release. If you’re choosing 10 graphics mods to download for Starfield, these are the ones you should go for.
Enhanced Lights and FX
Enhanced Lights and FX is back! This mod was a staple in any extensive Skyrim or Fallout 4 load order, and it has finally returned for Starfield. Its goal is simple: to overhaul interior lighting effects, creating a new mood in every world space. Seeing the difference between Enhanced Lights and FX and the vanilla game is staggering, making this a must-have for anyone wanting to upgrade their Starfield graphics.
EXE – Effect Textures Enhanced
If you thought many of the visual effects in Starfield were underwhelming, then EXE – Effect Textures Enhanced has you covered. This takes a stab at remaking and upscaling the game’s visual effect textures, including explosions, gore, fires, and weapon FX such as muzzle flashes and impacts. It’s not just limited to those, though. According to mod author weijiesen, EXE – Effect Textures Enhanced enhances “every visual effect in Starfield,” so you should notice a stark contrast from the base game with this mod.
Starfield HD Overhaul
If you’re putting together a Starfield graphics load order, then it’s essential you have a broad HD texture pack as a base to work from. That’s where Starfield HD Overhaul comes in. Replacing thousands of textures and ranging from 2K to 8K resolution, Starfield HD Overhaul is an extensive facelift for the entire game. If you place this at the bottom of your load order, you can use it as a base to replace some of these with more specific mods, too.
NaturaLUTs – Color Graded Filter Removal and Black Level Restoration LUTs
Vanilla Starfield‘s color grading is interesting, to say the least. A big focus of the modding community has been to adjust the game’s color filters, and we think TheDragonWithinMe’s NaturaLUTs – Color Graded Filter Removal and Black Level Restoration LUTs is the best of them all. According to the author, it aims to “remove the game’s washed out hazy green filtered look while maintaining the color grading and artistic direction of the original game.” This mod has several different options, each with a unique color grading for you to decide your favorite. Best of all – it doesn’t touch the in-game lighting, so it’s fully compatible with Enhanced Lights and FX!
SavrenX Crisp Flora
When modding any Bethesda title, it’s all too easy to get lost in the small details you might never notice while playing the game. That’s precisely what SavrenX Crisp Flora is all about, replacing most of the game’s flora with redesigned textures to increase the level of detail. You’ve got to look hard to notice how significant the changes are from the base game, but when used with other mods, SavrenX Crisp Flora helps craft the big picture of much-improved visuals in Starfield.
New Atlantis Lights On Redux
Sometimes, the simplest changes are the most effective. New Atlantis Lights On Redux adds lights to New Atlantis that switch on at night, making the city feel alive even as darkness falls. It’s perfect for those Starfield night owls!
Rudy HQ – More Epic Milky Way Texture
If there’s one mod that will make the most significant difference to your overall Starfield experience, it’s Rudy HQ – More Epic Milky Way Texture. “More Epic” kind of undersells how incredible this mod looks. Sure, it’s not quite scientifically accurate, but it’s a visual feast, transforming how space travel feels in the game.
Real Water HD 2
You can’t mod Starfield‘s graphics and not touch the water. Of the mods available so far, Real Water HD 2 is the standout, coming from popular creator luxor8071. No prizes for guessing what this mod does, but it is undoubtedly stunning.
Luxor’s Green Grass
Starfield‘s grass wasn’t green enough for you? Luxor’s Green Grass is what you’re looking for. There are a few different grass types in the game, and modder luxor8071 has recolored all of them to a lush green to make for some beautiful environments. Most of these grass types can be found in Jemison’s forests, where you’ll notice the biggest difference from vanilla Starfield.
High-Res Ship Interiors
In Starfield, chances are you’ll probably spend a lot of time on your ship. High-Res Ship Interiors makes this as pleasant an experience as possible, by making everything very pretty to look at. According to mod author CnRJay, Starfield uses 1K textures for most of its ship interiors. This mod upscales them to 4K, making a massive difference to ship visuals. Cool, right?
Published: Sep 10, 2024 03:20 pm