Since the release of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim in 2011, the game inspired one of the largest and most active modding communities in video game history. Countless enthusiasts have created mods ranging from quality of life changes that make the game easier to play, to detailed graphical and content additions that completely transform the fantasy world. Then, in December 2024, more than a decade after release, a modder gave us the most important update to the game we could ever get: rats.
That’s it. They’re just rats.
This mod from MihailMods on NexusMods is called “Sewer rats‘ and it adds rodents to cities in the game. So if you’re wandering around a town like Whiterun, you might see a large rat running across the path. If you’re not a fan of pests, then I have good news: you can even kill the creature and it will drop loot just like other enemies in the game. Below you can watch a video of the mod in action.
It’s honestly a very high quality mod considering it’s all about rats. You won’t find the creatures outside the city because that’s how pests work. The rats also have audio files so you can hear them squealing. It’s part of a larger series of mods called The Mihail Monsters and Animals, with Mihail aiming to create “the most complete set of creatures” for Skyrim with “respect for the pillars of tradition.”
“Instead of pathetically throwing models and textures into the game and reusing 100% vanilla mechanics, the creatures created by Mihail have a unique character and extreme zeal in their idealization and implementation, which will give you an experience that you never had in this area before,” said Mihail on the mod page on NexusMods.
So if you want to improve your level of immersion and world building Skyrim one step further, you can now download the mod for free on NexusMods. The creator only asks that if you like it, you give the mod an approval on the page so people know it’s worth grabbing.