JaySerpa's Gate to Sovngarde

Skyrim modding has taken many forms over the years, introducing new lands, new quests, followers, weapons, and a plethora of other unique content. Talented modders have kept the game alive and thriving thirteen years after its initial release. Curating a well-crafted modlist is almost a rite of passage for players who’ve beaten the vanilla version a few times. Creating the list can even be as fun as playing the game itself. For some, though, modding can be overwhelming and confusing. Videos and tutorials help with learning the process, but sometimes the desire to mod doesn’t align with the time it takes. Tools like Collections and Wabbajack make things easier. These tools allow people to build or download modlists that are quick to install and often come with most of the bugs worked out, ready to be enjoyed once installed.

After exploring many options, Gate to Sovngarde caught this Fox’s eye when a recommendation trailer popped up on her YouTube feed. The trailer promised a new way to play Skyrim—one that stuck true to the vanilla adventure while enhancing graphics, adding new enemies, lands, followers, and features. JaySerpa, the mind behind the modlist, is a respected Skyrim modder and Twitch streamer, known for quality work that’s highly regarded in the community. The Gate to Sovngarde modlist included many of the features this Fox looks for: a wide range of quests, new lands, armors, spells, and new friends to journey with. Even though going back to Vortex wasn’t something she was excited about, the Fox took the plunge, set things up, and hit download.

For those unfamiliar, Vortex is a mod manager provided by Nexus Mods. It’s beginner-friendly, though not as advanced as tools like Mod Organizer 2, which some experienced modders prefer. Still, installing Gate to Sovngarde through Vortex was a straightforward process. With Nexus Premium—a service that automates mod downloads—it only took about two hours to download and install the collection’s 1,500+ mods. This alone was a big win for the Fox, who has experienced modding sessions that took days to finalize.

Visiting the collection’s page, one is greeted by the overview of what Gate to Sovngarde offers: a blend of immersion, lore-friendliness, and updated gameplay mechanics. What makes it special is the attention to detail. Quests like Bleak Falls Barrow, which usually feel like a simple intro to dungeon crawling, can roll a player at level one—or even at level ten. Followers don’t just appear out of nowhere anymore. Instead, they’re patched in to show up only after certain criteria are met. Choices carry weight, with consequences that ripple through the world. Nothing feels simple or handed to you.

JaySerpa packed the list with many of SimonRim’s mods. SimonRim mods focus on improving immersion without relying on script-heavy mechanics that can bog down performance. Some examples are Journeyman, a fast-travel overhaul that encourages exploration; Mysticism, a rework of Skyrim’s magic system; and Gourmet, which introduces needs-based mechanics. The combat experience uses Open Animation Replacer, eliminating the hassle of FNIS or Nemesis. For this Fox, though, the real magic lay in the town and landscape overhauls. Mods like Traverse the Ulvenwald and Cities of the North make Skyrim’s world feel alive in a way it hasn’t in years. One standout feature is how the world evolves. As time passes and quests are completed, seasons change, cities grow, and subtle shifts in the environment reflect the player’s journey.

Performance is another area where Gate to Sovngarde stands out. Running on a GTX 1650 with an Intel i3 processor and 32GB of RAM, this Fox has faced her share of struggles with modlists. Many have caused frame rate drops, freezes, and crashes, especially in heavy areas like Riften. But from the moment Gate to Sovngarde was installed, it held steady at 30–40 FPS—even in those dense areas. That’s a massive improvement over other lists like LoreRim, which barely managed 10 FPS without graphical enhancements.

Ease of installation and performance are key, but what about flexibility? Modlist creators often warn against making changes to their lists, and JaySerpa is no exception. While he doesn’t offer direct support for added mods, the community around Gate to Sovngarde is welcoming and helpful. This Fox personally added over 500 mods—armors, quests, and companions—and ran into only minor issues. That level of adaptability is a rare find and a testament to the solid foundation JaySerpa built.

After two months with Gate to Sovngarde, this Fox feels she’s only scratched the surface of what it has to offer. It takes old elements of Skyrim and makes them feel new again. The graphics, paired with Community Shaders, breathe fresh life into the game without the performance hit of an ENB. For those looking for a performance-friendly, vanilla-adjacent modlist that adds adventures and excitement while capturing the magic of their first playthrough, Gate to Sovngarde is the perfect choice.