Even in Early Access, there’s a lot to do in Enshrouded. Naturally, there’s room for additions, patches, and tweaks throughout its life cycle, Currrently, there’s one mod available for the game on Nexus mods, but here’s my wishlist of mods Enshrouded needs right now.
The Top 10 Mods That Enshrouded Needs Right Now
When coming up with my wishlist of Enshrouded mods, I focused on mechanics and gameplay design choices that need the most work in the game’s current Early Access period. Some relate to exploration, while others focus on base-building and crafting.
Right now, developer Keen Games says that Enshrouded isn’t moddable. It was just released on January 24, 2024, so that could change — and it likely will. In the game’s FAQ, Keen Games says, “There are no questions that mods are what makes a game truly great, but at this stage, we cannot make promises that the game will be moddable, but it is something we would love to implement in the future.” Right now, there’s one mod available on Nexus mods: Giorma’s Realistic Reshade 1.0. There are bound to be more Enshrouded mods.
Enshrouded Mod #1: Repositioned Backpacks for Corpse Runs
Dying is expected in Enshrouded. Doing corpse runs to retrieve items left in your backpack is a necessity. The problem is your glowing backpack (or tombstone) tends to spawn in unfavorable locations. If I hit a tiny ledge as I fall off a cliff, my backpack spawns on the tiny cliff edge — or worse. Returning and methodically moving toward the cliff’s edge to retrieve my resources and weapons is a slow, tedious process that a repositioning mod would fix, improving the game’s quality of life features.
Enshrouded Mod #2: Inventory Overhaul
A mod that Enshrouded needs right now is one that reworks its inventory. When attempting to cook food, you currently must grab items from your backpack and assign them to a hotkey. That’s the same for crafted objects and furniture. Additionally, objects like the Small Magic Chest meant to store items for crafting purposes, don’t work properly. We have to fiddle around with our backpacks often just to grab the items we need. It’s an unnecessary hassle, and a fix from Keen is surely coming, but a mod in the meantime would do wonders — and probably add features a full patch might not.
Enshrouded Mod #3: Gathermate or Gatherer
When I played World of Warcraft decades ago, two add-ons made farming more manageable: Gathermate2 and Gatherer. These add-ons mark resource nodes on my map and minimap, which means I can just move around to pick up specific resources. Although resources are plentiful in Enshrouded, an add-on that tracks specific items and shows them on the map would be great for crafting purposes.
Enshrouded Mod #4: Universal or Streamlined Crafting
In relation to farming materials, an Enshrouded mod that will truly feel like a game-changer is one that streamlines the crafting process. Right now, my experience has been like this:
- I need to craft a particular item, and the Carpenter has the blueprint. Ergo, I talk to the Carpenter to see his menu.
- However, one material can only be crafted via the Workbench, which means I’d have to interact with the Workbench.
- I then realize that a certain resource comes only from Manual Crafting (i.e. directly from my character’s menu).
You basically have to check different NPCs and menus to find what you need to craft or build certain structures. The process itself is needlessly confusing, so a universal crafting menu would be a huge boon to players.
Enshrouded Mod #5: Brighter Nights
We know that Enshrouded is a dark game. It’s set in a cursed land, after all. But that doesn’t mean nighttime has to be abyssal. Currently, it’s extremely hard to discern your whereabouts, even with a torch. Worse, the glare from any hand-held torch is so much that it genuinely strains my eyes. Something similar to the Skyrim Vivid Weathers — Brighter Nights mod would be a huge help.
Enshrouded Mod #6: Free Camera
Enshrouded might have some problems, but it’s still a beautiful game set in a mystifying world. The only downside is that your view is often constrained due to the camera angle, and certain camera settings don’t help out as much. A free camera toggle would be great since it’s already possible to disable the HUD via the menu.
Enshrouded Mod #7: Destructible Object Outlines
You can break down, crush, chop, and destroy various objects in the game world. Unfortunately, there are also instances when an item can’t be destroyed no matter how hard you try. Likewise, certain sections, such as stone walls, might appear as destructible, but it’s still hard to discern this difference. A clearer outline or coloration would be great. That should prevent me from wasting too many Explosive Powder Balls in my attempts to blow up cave walls.
Enshrouded Mod #8: Dynamic Combat Animations
A long-term Enshrouded mod project I’d love to see come to fruition is one that makes battles more engaging, something akin to Dynamic Combat Animations for Skyrim Special Edition. Currently, animations feel stiff and janky. Improvements will greatly make combat engaging, whether you’re attacking foes in melee or striking them from afar with arrows and spells.
Enshrouded Mod #9: Horror Mechanics – Sanity or Panic
Another mod that Enshrouded needs is something that makes the most out of the Shroud feature. At this stage of the game, the only challenge presented by the Shroud (i.e. the thick fog that blankets large swathes of land) is a timer that counts down.
Imagine adding extra features, such as a sanity or panic. The longer you stay in the Shroud, the stranger the visions you’ll see. Some might even leap out at your character, while others serve only as illusions. Turning the Shroud into its own insidious entity, as opposed to a “rush in and get out before the timer expires” concept, makes for a truly terrifying experience.
Enshrouded Mod #10: Completed Map Trackers
Lastly, those looking to strengthen the Flame Altar might encounter issues, particularly because of map markers. The Spark materials required for this upgrade only come from Flame Shrines and Flame Sanctums. The problem is that Flame Altars and Flame Sanctums have similar icons (a diamond-shaped icon with a fire illustration in the middle), and even if you’ve already obtained the Spark from a specific area, the map doesn’t indicate if you’ve been there already.
For me it was needlessly confusing, and other GS staffers I spoke to feel the same. I revisited locations several times, only to realize that I already acquired the Spark from those areas. A mod that keeps track of this particular mechanic would lessen any mishaps.
These are what I consider the best mods that Enshrouded needs right now. For more tips about Enshrouded, check out our guides hub.
Published: Jan 25, 2024 08:44 am