Orion - A Crafting Overhaul
⚪ Last updated 2024⚠️ 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
- 👍 2.3% endorsement rate — high engagement, a strong quality signal
- 🏆 #4 of 23 Crafting mods in this game by downloads
📋 About This Mod
Something that has always bugged me, is no matter what smithing mod I tried, and no matter what program I tried to create recipes to break down items, there was always SOMETHING that was left out, or didn't feel right. I based Orion off of the smithing mod I had settled for up until now : Smelting Plus. Smelting Plus is awesome, it did a lot for me, but I took it a step further!
What can now be broken down?
EVERY SINGLE ARMOR AND WEAPON THAT ISN'T UNIQUE.
Unless it has a special place in the LotD Museum, it can now be broken down into materials.
But Star... even Forsworn and Falmer stuff? What about the from the DLC's? YES!
Falmer weapons and armors now break down into Shellbug Chitin, and Forsworn armor and weapons now can be broken down into pelts and ingredients such as large and small antlers!
All those misc items that just hand around for no reason? Every single one now has a breakdown recipe too.
Lute? Flute? Drum? Plates? Forks? Knives? Dwemer clutter? Yes, everything!
You know how you'd always for some reason be able to break down some fur and leather armor but not others? Not a problem any longer, I double triple checked each and every recipe of the 520 I created. Each recipe was hand made for optimal immersion.
Base Jewelry can now be broken down into gems, and the basic gold and silver rings can be smelted into gold and silver respectively. I did make sure the gems you get from jewelry is flawless. As a real life jeweler, there is a big difference between gem quality for commercial jewelry and collector gems, hence the flawless gem choice for jewelry.
Lockpicks can now be crafted, as well as wooden and hunting bows. Hearthfire building items can be broken down (nails, locks, hinges, etc).
Ok Star, we got it, you put everything in, is there anything you DIDN'T add?
A few things:
Broken Weapons. I'm working on a fun add-on for those, so keep an eye out for updates ;)
Anything you can give to a child, anything that can be gifted like children's clothes, dolls, wooden swords, the like.
I did NOT add breakdowns for clothing either.
I will be adding CC items in a future update, so keep an eye out for those too!
Orion is a comprehensive crafting overhaul for Skyrim that adds breakdown recipes for every non-unique armor and weapon, including DLC items, plus misc items, jewelry, and Hearthfire materials. It includes 520 hand-made recipes for immersion, and even lets you craft lockpicks and bows. With 171 endorsements and 7,548 downloads, it's a niche but well-received mod for players who want to recycle everything.
✨ Key Features
📊 Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Covers everything: every non-unique armor and weapon, plus misc items, so no more 'why can't I break this down?' moments.
- Hand-crafted recipes (520 total) with attention to immersion, like flawless gems from jewelry because the author is a real jeweler.
- Solid community support: 171 endorsements and 7,548 downloads show it's been tried and liked.
- Works with LotD by excluding museum items, so no conflicts there.
⚠️ Cons
- Only 171 endorsements, so it's a smaller mod compared to big overhauls—might have less testing.
- Last updated in June 2024, so it may not be compatible with the latest Skyrim updates or other mods.
- Potential compatibility risk with other crafting mods that alter the same recipes—you might need to patch.
For Skyrim players who love crafting and want to break down every piece of gear they find, especially those who use Legacy of the Dragonborn and want to avoid breaking unique items. If you're tired of having useless clutter and want a more immersive recycling system, this is for you. Skip if you prefer a simpler crafting mod or don't care about breaking down misc items.
💡 Beginner Tips
- Since this mod adds recipes for everything, you might want to use a mod manager like Vortex or MO2 to install it and keep track of load order.
- If you use other crafting overhauls, check for compatibility patches or load Orion after them to ensure its recipes take priority.
- In-game, test breaking down a few items early to see if the recipes appear correctly, especially if you have mods that change item names.
📊 Mod Details
- Game
- Skyrim Mods
- Author
- Star
- Version
- 1.5
- Downloads
- 7,548
- Endorsements
- 171
- Category
- Crafting
- Created
- 1/20/2022
- Updated
- 6/20/2024
🔧 How to Install Skyrim Mods
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