Arguably, Skyrim's lasting legacy can be partly attributed to its thriving mod scene. Modding a game like Skyrim has become a kind of art in its own right, from countless visual enhancements to entirely new experiences generated within the game's now-archaic Creation Engine. Skyrim's open-ended gameplay lends itself well to the creativity of modders, and playing the game in 2021 is a vibrant experience as a result.
There is a huge range of different mods available for Skyrim, and a large portion of them focus on remastering the game's visuals. Even the 2016 Special Edition is nearly 5 years old now, and the decade-old original can often seem very visually outdated. Nexus Mods has an option to filter for mods rising in popularity in the last month. One strange mod has soared in popularity recently, accruing 12.6 thousand downloads since its August 9 release.
RELATED: Skyrim Mods That Completely Change the Game
What is the Skyrim Leek Mod?
Although Skyrim sweet roll memes may dominate the cultural conception of the game's food, apparently many players are concerned with a more mundane meal: leeks. 'Scallions of Skyrim – High Polygon Leeks' is currently trending on Nexus Mods, as a premium solution to all Allium-based player concerns. At its core, the leek mod promises one core thing: making certain food products look "sLEEK." The mod is not a retexturing, but a mesh remapping. Rather than change up how detailed every leek in Skyrim is, the mod simply remaps each leek's mesh to make it look much more circular and natural.
This is obviously an essential tool for leek enthusiasts to download, but it also adds a much-needed sense of realism to the title. Players can add their own Skyrim textures to the mod, and have them mapped onto the more circular leek design if they want. Ultimately, the leek mod allows for a bizarre level of customization that other modders can use if they so desire.
Not only does the mod properly render the final product, but it also remastered planted leeks too. While some may just view this mod as a silly gimmick, it does, in fact, have a lot of impact in terms of making the game more believable. Why someone would need that believability in a world where dragons shout magic is anyone's guess, but that is the beauty of Skyrim mods. Whatever a player needs, the modding community can provide.
RELATED: Tracing the Skyblivion Mod's Development Over the Years
Why Did So Many People Download It?
The mod currently sits at 12,665 total downloads, which has it standing as one of the top 20 most popular Skyrim mods in the last month on Nexus Mods. On the forum section of the mod's webpage, user Miraculux said "after many years of searching, I finally found the mod that breathes new life into Skyrim."
While some players might be excited about the mod origins of The Forgotten City, many from Skyrim's current mod community are far too preoccupied with the magic of leeks. However, that has not stopped heated debate from breaking out all over the mod's forum pages. The title 'Scallions of Skyrim' led to much debate as to the nature of these tasty aromatics, and if "scallion" is an appropriate term. One commenter observed that "Leaks are not the same thing as scallions." Not willing to leave this unchallenged, the original mod creator, wSkeever, retorted: "You're right. 'Leaks' are not the same as scallions, they are what happens when you don't seal your plumbing properly." They continued: "Leeks, on the other hand, are onions, just like scallions, and would be an appropriate pun for a name."
Whatever someone's take on the controversial status of leeks may be, if they wish to explore the many amazing mods of Skyrim, then Scallions of Skyrim may be a great place to start.
Skyrim is available on PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox Series X.
MORE: There's a Problem With Todd Howard's Skyrim Release Logic
