Hold Riders
🟠 Updated over a year ago⚠️ 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
- 👍 3.7% endorsement rate — high engagement, a strong quality signal
- 🏆 #67 of 150 Immersion mods in this game by downloads
📋 About This Mod
As many of you may know, Oblivion was a great Roleplaying game, and it had many great roleplaying aspects that improved from Morrowind. NPCs had schedules, ate, slept, traveled. They even had Imperial Legionnaires patrolling the roads on horseback. I thought it was great, as did many others. But, understandably, many were quite upset at Skyrims downgrade to RP. You cant hold down a conversation with any NPC you wish, NPCs do not travel, and guards do not patrol on horseback.
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What Hold Riders does is that it adds in at least one Rider for each Hold that patrols between the Settlements, occupied mines, occupied guard posts, and occupied ruins in each hold. To help make these NPCs work for all users, they are not affiliated with either faction in the Civil War, which means if Whiterun falls, the Whiterun Rider will not change. She will still be in her uniform, and still be friendly, for she does not serve either side (she still will arrest players and bring them to Dragonsreach, though). This not only keeps the mod script free (a win win for all), but also helps those who use mods that allow conquered cities to keep their original uniform instead of going under martial law and occupied by military troops.
Also, an added bonus! An unused NPC, whose existence is only confirmed through one conversation at Darkwater Crossing, named Dasturn has been re-created and re-added to Darkwater Crossing with his own life that he lives. Now, some users claims Derkeethus was originally named Dasturn, but really? Dasturn sounds more Nordic than Argonian.
CREDITS:
PelagiusWing - For cleaning and ESPFEifiing the mod, keeping it alive and modernized for today's age!
Check out Hold Foresters!
FAQ
Question: Which file do I need to download?
Answer: Do I need to bust out some finger puppets and explain this through interpretative dance?
Question: Do they respawn?
Answer: Yes. They do indeed respawn.
Question: You said one Rider, you added only one rider in this mod?
Answer: Nope, I added Riders to each hold depending on said Hold's size, number of settlements, distance between settlements, and extra merc Riders depending on what influential family exists in the Hold.
Question: The riders do not fight on horseback, what gives?
Answer: Its simple. Skyrim engine limitations. NPCs do not normally fight on horseback and I have no fucking idea why. Unfortunately, I do not know of a mod that adds mounted combat to NPCs for Newrim.
Question: My Riders don't ride their horses and instead walk around with the horses following them/doi
Hold Riders is an immersion mod for Skyrim that aims to bring back the feeling of Oblivion by adding riders to the holds. With 1,693 endorsements and 45,189 downloads, it has a solid following. Last updated in March 2025, it remains relevant for players seeking to enhance the world's liveliness.
✨ Key Features
📊 Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Community favorite with 1,693 endorsements and 45k downloads—clearly resonates with players.
- Fills a niche for those who miss Oblivion's lively roads and holds.
- Lightweight concept: just adds riders, no heavy script bloat.
⚠️ Cons
- Description is sparse—no details on how many riders or where exactly they spawn.
- Potential conflicts with other mods that alter hold NPCs or patrols.
- May not be updated frequently (last update March 2025), so compatibility with latest Skyrim patches could be an issue.
For Skyrim players who want to recapture Oblivion's bustling atmosphere without overhauling the whole game. If you're into immersion mods that add life to the world, this is a must-try. Skip if you prefer lore-friendly additions that are heavily documented.
💡 Beginner Tips
- Use a mod manager like Vortex or MO2 to install and manage load order easily.
- Place this mod early in your load order to avoid conflicts with other immersion mods.
- Check for patches if you use mods that alter hold guards or patrols.
📊 Mod Details
- Game
- Skyrim Mods
- Author
- kvatchcount
- Version
- 1.2.1
- Downloads
- 45,189
- Endorsements
- 1,693
- Category
- Immersion
- Created
- 3/19/2018
- Updated
- 3/26/2025
🧩 Commonly Used Together
Users add these mods to the same collections — a real compatibility signal, not an AI guess.
🔧 How to Install Skyrim Mods
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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