Combat Animation Overhaul - Draugr
🟠 Updated over a year ago⚠️ Install Order · 7 steps
Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.
Preview

🔍 Analysis
- 👍 1.5% endorsement rate — high engagement, a strong quality signal
- 🏆 #66 of 92 Animation mods in this game by downloads
📋 About This Mod
Sometime ago Distar made Draugr-MCO, integrating SCAR and attack combos to Draugrs. Unfortunately while the framework was good he never really finished the mod and the mocap animations he used are not very functional from a gameplay perspective. So I made this mod, which is a new set of combat animations with gameplay in mind. The mod applies to Draugr, Skeletons, and any creature sharing the same behavior.
At the moment the mod contains 4 main movesets, I may expand on it later
- One handed (with some attack variations between sword/axe )
- Greatsword
- Battleaxe/Warhammer
- Pike (recommended to use with Karunado's mod for the movement animations)
- Knockback effect on blockhit
The design philosophy is to make fighting Draugrs more fun and engaging, by slightly enhancing the mechanical difficulty of the game to suit a modern combat setup, and to promote enemy variety. Each moveset has several combos/attack patterns, and different attacks variations making use of dodges and time blocking mechanics more engaging. That being said, I try to keep things grounded, and fair for the player, and not deviate to much from the enemy identity. This is open to feedback.
Perilous attacks
This mod introduce a well known mechanic from other games : perilous attack. Using a per animation implementation, some Draugrs can execute an attack dealing a high amount of stagger and stamina damage. Those are recognizable by a red shader FX, like in Jedi Fallen Order/Survivor. This feature can be disabled.
Known Issue
I could not for the life of me make unarmed attack work with Distar's framework. Unarmed Draugrs will just stare at you no matter what. Those are pretty rare in the base game but some mods add some more in, so the most elegant solution I could find to prevent this situation is to come up with a skypatcher patch distributing a weapon to all Draugrs that don't have one. It also edits some mod's combat styles that prevented them to use a weapon in the first place. It comes with support for The Dragon Cult , Cannibal Draugr on Solstheim and CC's Zombies. Let me know if you stumble upon an unarmed Draugr/Skeleteon so I can include other mods. If for some reason you don't want to use Skypatcher this part is entirely optional, you may just encounter a harmless Draugr every now and then.
Installation
-Install Distar's Draugr-MCO and all its requirements (don't forget to run Nemesis/Pandora)
-Install this mod and let it override Distar's.
-If you don't want Perilous Attacks, disable the "Draugr Animation.esp"
Things I may add
-New movesets per level/skill
-New movesets for Overlord/Boss
This mod adds new combat animations for Draugr enemies in Skyrim, utilizing Distar's framework and SCAR support. It is compatible with popular Draugr overhauls, making it a solid choice for players seeking fresh enemy behavior without major conflicts.
✨ Key Features
📊 Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Solid endorsement count (227) shows the community digs it
- SCAR support means Draugr will feel more dynamic in combat
- Plays nice with Draugr overhauls, so you can stack it with your favorite enemy mods
⚠️ Cons
- Requires Distar's framework and SCAR, so you'll need to grab those first
- Only touches Draugr animations—if you want broader combat overhauls, this won't cover it
- Compatibility with other animation mods isn't guaranteed, so test with your load order
For Skyrim players who want Draugr fights to feel less stiff and more unpredictable. If you're already using SCAR and Distar's framework, this is a no-brainer. Skip if you're looking for a full combat overhaul—this is purely Draugr-focused.
💡 Beginner Tips
- Make sure you have SCAR and Distar's framework installed and properly configured before adding this mod, or the animations won't work.
- Use a mod manager like MO2 to install this and keep your load order clean—it'll make troubleshooting easier if something conflicts.
- If you're using a Draugr overhaul, load this mod after it so the animations take priority.
📊 Mod Details
- Game
- Skyrim Mods
- Author
- kebab
- Version
- 1.01
- Downloads
- 14,679
- Endorsements
- 227
- Category
- Animation
- Created
- 3/9/2025
- Updated
- 3/13/2025
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