Elden Ring: The 10 Best Visual Mods (2024)

The internet is filled to the brim with graphics and visual mods for Elden Ring, FromSoftware’s open-world creation that won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2022. This Soulslike title is up there with the best of them where game design and esthetics are concerned. The first open-world offering from the developer, it has a host of locations that players can visit and fight in. With places like Nokron, Eternal City, Moonlight Altar, Roundtable Hold, and more, this title is a marvel in terms of stunning visuals.

Owing to its stellar design, mechanics, and lore, players have completed multiple vanilla and modded playthroughs since its release in February 2022. However, there are some mods that many may have missed, and thus this article will go over some of the best visual mods for Elden Ring that players can try out right now.

Updated on June 23rd, 2024, by Amjad A. Asma: The list of the best visual mods for Elden Ring necessitates steady updates, especially with all the strong community creations being constantly developed for the game. Now that Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is out, getting back into the game is a no-brainer. The DLC brings a great number of new bosses, mechanics, environments, and more. Given that many players may be returning to the game, they may wish to try out some of the top Elden Ring visual mods as well.

The mods present in this list cover everything from simple reshades to match a particular aesthetic tone, to mods that enhance the game's realism and dark, gritty nature, to those that simply add cosmetic effects to whatever weapons players may wish to wield. Overall, these Elden Ring visual graphics mods can help players fine-tune their gameplay experience exactly to their liking. In honor of the launch of Shadow of the Erdtree, a fewmore excellent visual mods for Elden Ring have been added to this list in its latest update.

10 Texture Improvement

No. of Downloads: 187, 403

• Texture Improvement mod

The Texture Improvement mod is unlike many others on the market since it doesn’t reshade, but improves upon the vanilla textures already present in the game. As such, it is a great visual mod for those who have tried multiple reshade or cinematic variants and want to get back to the game’s vanilla design. It should be noted that it only makes cosmetic tweaks, and is not among the functional mods that make base Elden Ring or Shadow of the Erdtree DLC any easier.

These are among the various changes that come included:

• All textures modded to have the highest resolution possible.
• Albedo maps upscaled to reduce blurriness.
• Normal maps upscaled for more details.
• Some armor and weapons have been remade.

Overall, Texture Improvement is among the best visual mods for Elden Ring. It is important to note that, since the textures are at the best possible resolution, a sufficiently powerful system will be needed. The creator has even advised a minimum of 7 GB VRAM for a smooth 1080p. The recent release, Shadow of the Erdtree, doesn't significantly enhance game textures and graphics, but it does bring freshly worked upon massive environment, and new mechanics, creatures, and boss fights. As such, players may need to fine-tune their graphics settings a bit more than earlier.

9 eden VOLITION - Graphics Mod (RTGI Support)

No. of Downloads: 36,610

• eden VOLITION mod

eden VOLITION is one of the most highly endorsed offerings on Nexus Mods. It does more than apply reshaded presets to the game, and improves textures, shadows, and a whole lot more. Elden Ring, now with already highly acclaimed Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, is among the top fan-favorite open-world fantasy games on the market, and this mod still improves the experience by a large margin.

Here is a short overview of the changes this visual mod brings to Elden Ring:

• Standard green tint and volumetric filters changed. The visuals are thus less cloudy and provide a sharper, more vibrant image.
• Lighting and shadows use ray tracing technology to provide more details.
• Texture resolutions are enhanced and provide a crisper image.

eden VOLITION was released the same month that the game launched, and its quality found a great audience. Like other visual mods for Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree that work on graphics, especially those that work on texture resolution and not just color palette, it can have an observable impact on the FPS.

8 Revenant Reshade

No. of Downloads: 32,529

• Revenant Reshade mod

Revenant Reshade, as its name implies, helps massively with the game’s visuals. Vanilla Elden Ring has great design, yes, but the bloom, tint, and color palette can look unfamiliar to those who are more into grittier visuals like in the Dark Souls franchise. By applying various presets, the game’s overall aesthetic is changed significantly.

Here are a few changes that users can look forward to with this Elden Ring mod:

• The atmospheric overlay and the yellow-green haze are removed.
• Exposure and shadows have been tweaked for a sharper, more realistic appearance.
• A Grim preset has been added that reflects color grading from movies like The Last Duel.

Given the changes made to the game, Revenant Reshade can easily be classified among the best visual mods for Elden Ring. There are also a couple of presets aside from Grim available, which allows for more customization options depending on what mood players are in.

7 UHG Reshade

No. of Downloads: 4,834

• UHG Reshade mod

The UHG Reshade visuals mod for Elden Ring offers a greatly tweaked environment, and its presets have garnered a good number of endorsem*nts. Termed JTR, Pure Hell, and Vivid Hell, they each add an almost dreamlike visual quality to the game that helps make the experience much more immersive.

Here are some of the changes this graphics mod brings to Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree:

• The presets get increasingly more complex where visual changes are concerned, with Vivid Hell offering the most noticeable difference.
• Depth of Field and Haze effects are also added that influence exposure and shadows.
• The texture resolutions are improved, and the visuals look close to realism with the amount of crisp details on offer.

It should be noted that the changes may be a bit too much for those looking for something closer to the vanilla experience. Further, it is advised that players try out this Elden Ring graphics mod only if they have a powerful system, otherwise the drop in framerate can hamper playability. Considering that Shadow of the Erdtree DLC has tweaked the overall graphics and environment design to a certain extent internally, players may need to fine-tune their settings once again.

6 Permanent Cosmetic Buffs

No. of Downloads: 3,178

• Permanent Cosmetics Buffs

Permanent Cosmetic Buffs is one of the best visual mods on the market, especially with Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC now available. Now, the buffs may be purely cosmetic, but that doesn't stop them from enriching the gameplay experience for new or returning players. This mod applies different effects to swords and other weapons to make fans feel more immersed in the game's fantastical setting. Given that the new DLC takes players to a new part of the game world, and brings in more boss fights and new mechanics, equipping some cosmetic effects to better undertake the journey won't go amiss.

Here are some features that this Elden Ring mod brings to the table:

• Adds cosmetic effects to swords and other weapons.
• Adds specialized Incantation buffs.
• Allows players to add separate buffs to dual-wield weapons.

A good feature of this visual mod for Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is that it is well-optimized, and to unequip buffs, players just need to delete the corresponding item. Its ease of use and the plethora of visual effects it brings to the table make it a mod worth checking out. And if players pair it with another mod mentioned on this list, Weapon Trails And Effects Archive, the overall experience may get even better.

5 Excalibur Reshade

No. of Downloads: 2,229

• Excalibur Reshade

Excalibur Reshade is a fairly new mod for Elden Ring, which does bode well for those who wish to try it out for Shadow of the Erdtree. The DLC significantly builds on the game's fantasy and gore elements, not to mention the story, and this is where this entry comes in handy. This particular Elden Ring mod is based on the visuals of the 1981 movie, Excalibur, and brings that film's distinct fantasy tone to the game.

Here's a look at the features of this Elden Ring visual mod:

• Adds more bloom and fixes lighting to give the game a warmer tone to match Excalibur's magical fantasy esthetic.
• Makes armor and similar materials shinier and removes purple and green tint.
• Adds changes that are strikingly different yet not too deviated from From Software's signature vanilla experience.

Overall, this graphics mod for Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree doesn't change the textures from top to bottom, but it brings in a wonderful fantasy aesthetic that older players may remember from their childhood. This particular mod pairs perfectly well with builds that depend more on magic than on phsyical, gory, sword-driven fights to the death. There's nothing better than the charm of becoming the deadliest mage in existence to beat a boss like Mohg, Lord Of Blood to start Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree in style.

4 Glumby Reshade

No. of Downloads: 727

• Glumby Reshade mod

The Glumby Reshade mod may look simple, but the visual effects it adds can be a real game-changer. There are a plethora of such visual mods for Elden Ring available online, but this one treads the fine line between making the Lands Between feel new and familiar at the same time.

Here are a few changes that it brings to the game:

• The yellow-green haze is removed, making for a sharper image.
• The overall texture resolution is improved and details are crisper.
• Exposure and shadows have been worked up, and light sources have a nice glow effect.
• The overall picture has more color vibrancy in the open and deeper shadows in dark areas.

Essentially, Glumby Reshade makes for a good replay excuse, since the visuals are tweaked enough to make the experience feel different and engaging. A good point to note here is that the tweaks aren’t overdone, and the image still looks realistic. This is a benefit with this Elden Ring visual graphics mod, since the dark areas aren’t too dark to see in and the vibrancy in colorful areas doesn’t look overdone.

3 Weapon Trails And Effects Archive (WIP)

No. of Downloads: 679

• Weapon Trails and Effects Archive

This particular visual mod for Elden Ring may not change the color palette or a lot of texture resolution, but it does bring in a great fantastical element. Essentially, Weapon Trails and Effects Archive does what the name says and brings in weapon effect customizations. The game design already has some cool-looking items, likeColossal Weapons, and adding more special effects makes the combat look even better.

Here are a couple of features this mod brings to the table:

• 200+ trails and effects that can be added to weapons.
• Multiple combinations can be created for increased customization.
• The visuals are purely cosmetic, so no stats are hampered.

A great benefit of this mod is that it is very lightweight, and players can stack it with other mods that they have running in the game. Although adding multiple complex trails and effects at the same time can be visually obstructive at times, the gameplay experience does become enhanced when paired with the vanilla environment, enemy, and combat design.

2 Caelum - Ultimate Visual Combo

No. of Downloads: 563

• Caelum - Ultimate Visual Combo

Caelum - Ultimate Visual Combo is a mod that hardcore Soulslike fans should definitely opt for when taking on Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. The DLC takes the game's fights, environment, visuals, and overall difficulty to an entirely different level. To this end, Caelum may just be one of the best visual mods for Elden Ring currently available.

Here's a look at the features that Caelum - Ultimate Visual Combo brings to Elden Ring:

• Allows players to choose from three reshades offering different levels of enhanced graphical fidelity.
• Uses Nvidia Game Filters and a personal aesthetic blend to reflect the dark, gritty, realistic tones of Soulslike titles like Demon's Souls.
• Enhances object clarity, ambient occlusion, makes the tone darker, and adds a bunch of other effects. Can be run without an Nvidia GPU as well.

Overall, Caelum - Ultimate Visual Combo is one of the best visual graphics mods for Elden Ring out there, one that players should definitely check out for Shadow of the Erdtree. The low number of downloads is due more to its recent release than its technical prowess. Considering the changes it can bring to From Software's signature Soulslike experience, this mod is a must-try for all fans.

1 Zatoichi's Grace ReShade

No. of Downloads: 253

• Zatoichi's Grace ReShade mod

Zatoichi's Grace ReShade is among the best visual mods, not because of the volume of changes, but because of the quality added. Unlike the functional Magic mods for Elden Ring, it only makes cosmetic changes by tweaking the colors. This builds onto the game’s design and lore, adding a somber but royal vibe.

Here are a couple of features to keep in mind:

• The game is clothed entirely in a black-and-gold aesthetic.
• The lack of color may be a bit difficult to get used to, but it provides a very different cinematic and dramatic effect.

One important thing to note is that this mod came out the same month the game did and hasn’t been updated since then. As such, players should only go for it if they really want to try out the aesthetic and are comfortable playing the title’s release version that doesn’t feature subsequent updates.

Elden Ring

Platform(s)

PS5 , Xbox One , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC

Released

February 25, 2022

Developer(s)

From Software

Genre(s)

RPG , Action

See at Bandai Namco Store