Better Rainbows

⭐ ⭐ (466 endorsements) 📥 78,533 downloads 📌 v1.2 📅 1/10/2011
⚪ Last updated 2012

By OC3 and Deathless Aphrodite · Visuals and Graphics

⬇ Download Mod Source: Nexus Mods ↗ 📅 Updated: 8/1/2012 📅 Created: 1/10/2011
⚠️ Install Order · 3 steps
1🛠️ OBSE — Oblivion Script Extender Download ↗
2🔧 UOP — Unofficial Oblivion Patch Download ↗
3📦 Rainbows in Tamriel Find it →

Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.

🔍 Analysis

  • 👍 0.6% endorsement rate
  • 🏆 #15 of 58 Visuals and Graphics mods in this game by downloads

📋 About This Mod

Better Rainbows in Tamriel V 1. 1 By OC3 and Deathless Aphrodite V1. 2 uses uncompressed alpha for smoother fading with no banding. V1. 1 fixes a packaging error for the mesh and texture. Should install properly now. This is OC3\'s retexture of Deathless Aphrodite\'s wonderful Rainbows in Tamriel. I have modified the color map and alpha maps to hopefully make it appear more like a real rainbow where the area outside of the rainbow is noticeably darker than the area inside. There is also a very faint second rainbow. You might not even notice it if I didn\'t tell you. Enjoy! My other Mods... Better Clocks for Cyrodiil Better Clocks for Better Cities Better Rainbows Imperial City Lighting Overhaul Immersive Prison Sewer Exit Physics Enabled Immersive Sewer Exit Glowier Nirnroots Scarier Orcs **Original Readme below:*** Rainbows in Tamriel 3. 0 By Deathless Aphrodite ----------- VERSION 3. 0: fixed the bugs with rainbows appearing at night or in Oblivion realms. Now they will only appear during the day, after the rain has fallen. I had to ditch the fade-in and fade-out to make this work right. WHAT\'S THIS MOD ABOUT? Well, it\'s all in the title this time. The mod simply adds working rainbows to the world of Tamriel. It\'s not easy as it sounds, and it was most certainly the most difficult scripting challenge I have undertaken. Learning about animations wasn\'t a walk in the park, either. Anyway I think it came out pretty well. THE MOD IS COMPATIBLE WITH VANILLA WEATHER AND ANY WEATHER MOD. WHEN CAN A RAINBOW APPEAR? Just as on our world, a tamrielic rainbow can only appear during daylight, in a direct transition from rainy weather to clear weather. After another weather change or after some time has passed, the rainbow will naturally go away. If you enter a town, you will still see it. If you wait or sleep 1 hour, you may still see it afterwards. If it\'s for 2 or more hours, it won\'t be there when you come back to your senses. If you walk far from where the rainbow first appeared it will disappear though: sadly there\'s nothing can be done about this, it\'s the way cell loading and unloading works in the game. HOW OFTEN WILL RAINBOWS SHOW UP? This is up to you. Actually I think some people will want this to happen very rarely, others will want rainbows to appear more often. It all depends on which weather mod you\'re using, if any. For instance my Tweaked AWS Weather makes rain less likely, so there will be less transitions where rainbows can come up. You can tweak it to your liking anyway, just type in the console: set rainbowchance to x where x is a number from 1 to 100 representing the chance for a rainbow to appear when the right weather transition happens. The default value is 50%, which means that on average you\'ll get a rainbow once every two rain-clear transitions. This chance may seem too high to some, although you have to cons

🤖 AI-enhanced — based on mod data

Better Rainbows is a retexture mod for Skyrim that enhances the visual realism of rainbows by darkening the area outside the rainbow, making them appear more true-to-life. It's a simple visual upgrade for players who want more authentic weather effects.

✨ Key Features

Retextures rainbows to appear more realistic
Darkens the area outside the rainbow, mimicking real-world appearance
Based on Deathless Aphrodite's Rainbows in Tamriel mod

📊 Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

  • Community-trusted with 466 endorsements and over 78k downloads
  • Simple, focused improvement that enhances immersion without overhauling weather
  • Lightweight retexture—no performance hit expected

⚠️ Cons

  • Last updated in 2012—likely outdated for current Skyrim versions, may need compatibility patches
  • Only affects rainbow visuals, so if you want broader weather changes, look elsewhere
  • Requires the original Rainbows in Tamriel mod as a base, adding an extra dependency
🎯 Is This For You?
For Skyrim players who love atmospheric details and want rainbows that look more natural. If you're a modder or enthusiast who already uses Rainbows in Tamriel, this is a must-have. Skip if you prefer vanilla weather or want gameplay changes.
📦 Install:Easy· Under 1 minute

💡 Beginner Tips

  • Make sure you have the original Rainbows in Tamriel mod installed first, as Better Rainbows is a replacer for it.
  • Since this mod is from 2012, check if your Skyrim version is compatible—if you're on Special Edition, you may need to convert the textures.
  • Use a mod manager like Vortex or Mod Organizer 2 to easily toggle this mod on and off without messing up your load order.

📊 Mod Details

Game
Oblivion Mods
Author
OC3 and Deathless Aphrodite
Version
1.2
Downloads
78,533
Endorsements
466
Category
Visuals and Graphics
Created
1/10/2011
Updated
8/1/2012

🔧 How to Install Oblivion Mods

Download from Nexus.

📖 Full step-by-step install guide for Oblivion →

Visit the official mod page for specific installation instructions for this mod.

🎮 Need cheat codes or console commands? Check ur gaming wiki for Oblivion commands, item IDs, and more.

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