Arrow Trails
🟡 Updated this year⚠️ Install Order · 5 steps
Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.
Preview
🔍 Analysis
- 👍 3.8% endorsement rate — high engagement, a strong quality signal
- 🏆 #31 of 41 Visuals and Graphics mods in this game by downloads
📋 About This Mod
The main goals of this mod are to know where arrows are going to land and make looting easier. It is also useful if you want to practice your aim. I made three different variants. They affect all the vanilla arrows, bolts and the riekling spear. The arrows shot by NPCs are also affected by this mod. If you use modded arrows, you can check the procedure at the bottom of this article in case you want to make your own patches. I won't make them for you.
Variants
Triple : 3x as bright
Glowstick : 5x as bright, arrows glow too
Laser : 99x as bright, 50% bigger trail, 50% bigger arrows
Optional file:
Invisible Bound Arrow (Laser only) : Laser trail, but the arrow itself is invisible. I recommend this file since you don't need to see an arrow you can't loot.
Updates
v2: I now use the arrows from USSEP as a base to fix the retrieval issue as well as the tracer for the ancient nord arrows (draugr).
Installation
Drop the meshes folder from the archive into your Data folder. This is a loose mesh mod so you can install or uninstall it at any time.
Procedure
I edited the 24 meshes whose name ended with flight or projectile after checking that they are the right ones. I changed some settings in NifSkope:
BSEffectShaderProperty -> Emissive Multiple: 1 or 0 (vanilla), 3 (triple), 5 or 7 (Glowstick), 99 (Laser)
I also edited the BSTriShape of the trail and of the arrows. I set the Scale to 1. 5 (Laser) and offset the trail Z axis by +50. I added a value to Emissive Color (#ffffff) for the arrows (laser).
Arrow Trails is a visual mod for Skyrim that makes arrows, bolts, and riekling spears more visible with three brightness variants, including a laser option that enlarges trails and arrows. It affects all vanilla projectiles and NPC shots, and includes an optional invisible bound arrow file. The mod uses loose meshes, is easy to install, and has 318 endorsements.
✨ Key Features
📊 Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Community-approved with 318 endorsements and over 8,000 downloads – clearly a popular pick.
- Three brightness options let you dial in visibility without going overboard – laser is insane but fun.
- Works on NPC arrows too, so you can actually see where you're getting shot from.
⚠️ Cons
- Only covers vanilla projectiles – modded arrows need manual patching, and the author won't do it for you.
- Laser variant might be too bright for some, potentially washing out the screen in dark areas.
- Loose meshes can conflict with other mods that alter arrow meshes – watch for overwrites.
For archery-focused players who want to track arrow trajectories and improve looting efficiency. Also great for practicing aim. Skip if you prefer realistic visuals or use many modded arrows without wanting to patch them.
💡 Beginner Tips
- If you use the Laser variant, try the Invisible Bound Arrow file – it keeps the trail but removes the arrow model, making loot easier to spot.
- Since it's a loose mesh mod, install it after other mesh mods to ensure it takes priority, or use a mod manager to control load order.
- For modded arrows, follow the author's NifSkope procedure to create your own patches – it's detailed but doable.
📊 Mod Details
- Game
- Skyrim Mods
- Author
- Corsafire
- Version
- 1
- Downloads
- 8,326
- Endorsements
- 318
- Category
- Visuals and Graphics
- Created
- 10/16/2020
- Updated
- 10/6/2025
🧩 Commonly Used Together
Users add these mods to the same collections — a real compatibility signal, not an AI guess.
🔧 How to Install Skyrim Mods
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