Climates of Tamriel is an atmospheric overhaul for Skyrim that improves the game's lighting, adds new weather types, and increases the variety of audio.

Whistling winds, chattering teeth

Climates of Tamriel's largest addition to the game is its number of audio tracks. In Climates of Tamriel, inns are filled with the hubbub of conversation, drink service, and music, each varying a little from visit to visit. The mod also adjusts lighting in the realm, based on choices made during installation, to make nights darker and days brighter, and it adds new weather effects and skies, the latter of which are particularly impressive.

Compatibility varies

As with most Skyrim mods, Climates of Tamriel's compatibility is an important consideration. It has compatibility patches for many other popular mods, including those that change the grass, snow, and other elements of the land, but not all mods will play nicely with it. On the other hand, mods that don't touch Skyrim's environment tend to work very well. Mods such as Cloaks of Skyrim serve to further immerse the player in the wintry province, without changing the lighting or weather effects.

Set it and forget it

When you install Climates of Tamriel, you'll get to make multiple choices that change your experience. After that, you'll want to forget about it and start playing: it can't be finely tuned in-game. Err on the side of caution when picking light levels; some of the darker levels are extremely dark without torches.

A worthy addition

Anyone looking to make their Skyrim playthrough feel different from the last should install Climates of Tamriel if they haven't already. Its changes are small individually, but they add up to improve the game's atmosphere.