The humble NPC (non-playable character) in Skyrim Special Edition gets a makeover with the free High Poly NPC Overhaul mod. This mod does an overhaul of all NPCs in the game, except for children.

There are quite a few NPC overhauls similar to High Poly NPC Overhaul, but Total Character Makeover, Campfire - Complete Camping System,  and AI Overhaul SSE are worth mentioning. Both of these mods add realism to the NPCs to create a more immersive experience. Authentic Eyes and Beards are mods to look at if you want more realistic facial features in NPCs.

Features

Calling High Poly NPC Overhaul a complete overhaul of NPCs would be a misnomer. This mod only includes FaceGen data and doesn’t completely change the overall appearance of Skyrim’s non-playable characters.

The mod author created most of the revamped NPCs with scripts, so the creation kit and others were crafted from scratch, but are ever-evolving and improving.

User requirements and compatibility

High Poly NPC Overhaul is compatible with other popular NPC makeover mods, as this one only changes FaceGen data and doesn’t contain meshes or textures.

For this mod to work correctly, you must install the following mods:

• Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch
• High Poly NPC Overhaul - Resources (all files and the latest version)

Ensure that this mod is loaded before loading other NPC overhaul mods. Otherwise, it won’t function correctly. 

If an NPC is edited directly, you must download a High Poly NPC Overhaul patch to work correctly. The following patches resolve vanilla NPC conflicts and may need to be downloaded:

• Cutting Room Floor - SSE
• AI Overhaul SSE
• Skyrim Revamped - Complete Enemy Overhaul
• OBIS SE - Organized Bandits In Skyrim Special Edition
• Legacy of the Dragonborn SSE

Why choose High Poly NPC Overhaul?

NPCs don’t get much attention in their design and lack the sharpness and quality that their main storyline counterparts receive. While the game had excellent detail when it launched, it has since become outdated.

High Poly NPC Overhaul gives vanilla NPCs the remodeling they deserve. Tinting and shading are enhanced even further on unique NPCs you find during your quests.