ETHEREAL CLOUDS - Special Edition
⚪ Last updated 2020⚠️ Install Order · 5 steps
Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.
🖼️ Gallery (12 images)
🔍 Analysis
- 👍 1.0% endorsement rate
- 🏆 #74 of 565 Models and Textures mods in this game by downloads
📋 About This Mod
Ethereal Clouds is a lore-friendly retexture of the clouds of Skyrim. My goal was to make cloud textures that are neutral in appearance, so they will blend with any lighting mods, while adding more visual interest than the default Bethesda clouds. The default clouds can appear to be too much of a flat plane, so I tried to get a greater feeling of depth to the cloud masses. I also tried to get a real separation between the lower clouds and the upper clouds. The upper clouds should now appear to be further up in atmosphere. I also added a little more drama to the storm cloud texture to make your rain and snow storms a touch more ominous.
Clouds are probably the most variable texture in the game, since people are using many different lighting mods for the vanilla game, as well as ENBs (which can change the cloud appearance pretty drastically). I tried to create something that would look good under many different lighting conditions.
UPDATE 3. 0: This revision fixes the issue with seams being visible on the textures. This was especially noticeable with the cloudsheet01 texture. Everything should appear now as intended.
UPDATE 2. 0: Ethereal Clouds is now available in BC7 compression to give the cleanest appearance possible. There is a 4K option for people with a lot of VRAM to burn. I made some small tweaks to the clouds and hopefully eliminated any seaming issues some people were experiencing. 2K is the default size that will work well for most people. 1K is still an option for people with low-end PCs. It's the same size as the original textures, but will still have more details.
Thanks to mikie1001421 for the great animated Gif
Installation is simple, just activate with your favorite mod manager, or to install manually, just drop the textures in your Data folder.
File path is Data > Textures > Sky.
Ethereal Clouds is a lore-friendly retexture of Skyrim's clouds, designed to be neutral in appearance so they blend with any lighting mod. With over 31,000 endorsements and 3.2 million downloads, it's a highly popular visual enhancement that adds subtle visual interest without overhauling the game's aesthetic.
✨ Key Features
📊 Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Massive community trust with 31,058 endorsements and 3.2 million downloads
- Works with any lighting setup thanks to neutral design
- Subtle improvement that keeps the game's original feel
⚠️ Cons
- Last updated in 2020 — may not be tested with the latest Skyrim Special Edition patches
- Only affects clouds; no other weather or sky elements
- No screenshots or detailed previews in the description, so you'll have to see it in-game
For Skyrim players who want a subtle, lore-friendly cloud upgrade without changing the game's atmosphere. Perfect for modders who use lighting overhauls and want textures that won't clash. Skip if you're looking for dramatic weather changes or a complete sky overhaul.
💡 Beginner Tips
- Install with a mod manager like Vortex or Mod Organizer 2 to keep your load order clean.
- Place this mod early in your load order, before lighting mods, to ensure the cloud textures are overwritten correctly.
- If you use an ENB, test different cloud settings in the ENB to see how they interact with the new textures.
📊 Mod Details
- Game
- Skyrim Mods
- Author
- Gamwich
- Version
- 3.0
- Downloads
- 3,210,550
- Endorsements
- 31,058
- Category
- Models and Textures
- Created
- 11/2/2016
- Updated
- 10/21/2020
🔧 How to Install Skyrim Mods
Download from Nexus.
📖 Full step-by-step install guide for Skyrim →
Visit the official mod page for specific installation instructions for this mod.
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