Modding is an art to some, but it is also a capability to others. Whatever the reason, mods are very useful and favorable pieces of user-made content that help expand the game you are playing in many ways; or in some cases: limiting it. Modifications are used to promote changes to the gameplay that the developers never would have done, all thanks to the toolkit that is provided.

Sometimes, people want to make more then just a simple mod for themselves. Some people wish to make a mod that will become a smash hit. Sometimes it can be hard to do this, since you need to have a understanding for why and what makes certain mods popular over others. Think of it like the music world; some musicians get really famous quickly, going from a garage band to a international superstar. Then you have the bands who try really hard to become big and famous, but they just didn't hit the crowd the right way.

The key is to find a missing piece that everyone wants and to quickly create that piece and place it in at the right time. Before you do this however, you need to prioritize based off if you are willing to make something other people want or just following your interests and hoping it picks up. Some modders are lucky and make something they wanted based off their interests; but then they got a lot of subscribers/downloads and thumbs up.

Modding a game and making a mod that is popular and well-recieved is a intelligence based criteria, meaning you need to be aware of what people favor at the right time, then beating another modder to the finish line and laughing at them as they failed.

Being able to pull off a successful mod requires your diligence in browsing the modding and gaming communities; and gathering intel on what people are looking for or trying to accomplish. If you are the kind of person that only needs your own drive; then just leave this guide right now unless you need ideas which are a section below.

If you are the kind of person that simply wishes to cater to the gaming community instead of what you like most; or if you don't even want to balance the two, then harvesting information is important. Go all over the web, look at the modding websites, the game forums, browse other people's mods and consider something that is missing and that some people request. Dig into the forums where people make requests, and sort by reply count.

Those are just a few of many ways to get going on knowing what is needed. You can even just use your brain instead and make a mod that is cool enough to be uploaded for popularity. Using your brain is a pretty feasible option; but when in doubt just follow the crowd and then exploit what people want. If you are a total nerd and know how to data mine, then using that is possibly another great technique for figuring out what people are into right now; just don't be surprised with the rather kinky results.

In this section, I have compiled a list of mod ideas that are known to create lots of movement and hype. Please pay attention to the notes appended to each idea for details on why it should be a good idea.

1. Nudes.
Info: There are literally hundreds of nude mods out there. So what is one more nude mod to the community? Everyone always wants a nude mod; and because of how human hormones work, it is very easy to exploit these hormones with the release of some hot bodies to break a sweat to! It is not like you would annoy people by adding just *one* more nude mod; because there is never enough of them.

2. Advanced technology.
Info: Ever thought of taking exoskeleton armor and throwing it into Skyrim? Well, you can do that! But the best way to do this is to slap the word "Dwemer" on the mod name and then telling people it is lore friendly. This is the best and easy way to make lore-friendly plasma weapon mods and so forth.

3. Female followers.
Info: There is such a huge lack of female follower mods. Gamers constantly complain about how they only have a few options for companions that are female and can be married. Because of this, you have a lot of potential to whip up the editor, and spend 30 minutes making an overly-glamorous female NPC that looks like she comes from a beauty pageant. If you manage to know a lady in real life who is willing to voice act, this is a plus and will certainly get many more likes.

4. ENB presets.
Info: ENB is a really nice post-processing suite that can spice up the graphics on your PC. The most popular mods for ENB are presets. These are small edits made by gamers or modders who wanted ENB to look to their taste, and thought it would be a good idea to share it with other gamers. In ENB presets, you usually find too much bloom, too much saturation or too little of everything. This means there is always room for improvement, since some people don't like ENB sliders maxed out to the point it gives them a stroke.

5. Anime content.
Info: Ever wanted to add some Otaku culture into Skyrim? Ever thought that it would be cool to make a mod that adds in your favorite Anime character? You can do it, and people will probably download it. Some gamers will complain about such mods being not lore-friendly, but remember that the Elder Scrolls Universe has oriental culture that needs to be filled. Usually it is best to use the word "Akaviri" in the anime mod, to help show people it is actually genuine lore-friendliness. Remember to remove the facemorph constraints so you can make their eyeballs the size of apples.

6. Fictional races.
Info: Ever wanted your favorite fantasy race from another game or movie placed in the Elder Scrolls? Well this is a very prospective category to mod in; because people constantly want to see new and unfamiliar races added to the ever-accepting TES universe. Don't worry about the backstory, you can be sure that it is probably better than Michael Kirkbride's latest iterations of TES lore.

7. Title remakes.
Info: Ever thought that Morrowind was a great game, but should be updated to Skyrim's Creation Engine? Well, who needs a several gigabyte graphics and gameplay enhancer mod for Morrowind that was already made? It makes more sense to re-create the entire game in Skyrim's Creation Kit. If one title is already picked, don't worry; you can always do Daggerfall or Arena instead.

8. Warhammer 40k mods.
Info: Everything needs to have Warhammer 40k in it. Everything. This includes Skyrim. To not include a mandatory 40k mod into a game is an act of heresy that will damn the modder or gamer for not adding. Be sure to include plenty of purity seals on the armor, weapons, textures, static meshes, npc's, clutter and creatures. Skulls in every building are also important, and replace wall textures with murals of the god-emperor of mankind. Sit back and watch millions of downloads ensue.

9. Immersion mods.
Info: One good way to get a popular mod going is to make something immersive. This means making the game feel more embedded into your life; feeling like you are apart of it or are absorbed into it. Gamers always want to have immersion in Skyrim. The best way to tackle this is to make an item like a spoon, and call it "Immersive Spoons" which adds silver-tarnish to the spoon and also has a smithing option, so you can make your own silverware set for your wife in that immersive home you have.

10. NPC beautification.
Info: Make no mistake, the NPC's in Skyrim are ugly abominations that are too realistic and consistent with normal human anatomy. One way to rectify this issue is to make every single NPC in the game have tons of makeup on their face with perfectly flat faces, a super-silky hairstyle and ultra-clean clothing and armor. Please note: Female NPC's need to be naked or wearing skimpy outfits, this is mandatory. This means you also need to make barn workers look like they just got out of the shower and put on expensive clothing; because barn work is really clean work.

As I have pointed out, there are at least 10 ideas that you could easily utilize to make a very successful Skyrim mod. The only thing left is your willpower and ability to utilize the Creation Kit and possibly third party tools to help turn your mod into reality. Even if a popular mod was already made, it doesn't hurt to make the same mod but put your own flare into it. I wish the best of luck to all prospective and hopeful modders out there. There is still plenty of gaps to fill in Skyrim, so get to it!

Notice: I am not held liable for any damages that are done to Skyrim, the Creation Kit, or the modding community. Please consult the rules and regulations involved with modding, content sharing and copyrighted materials. You are responsible for creating something and publishing it that is authorized under the IP holders.