Switch player here—mods ruined Skyrim for me, now vanilla feels empty

[RiftenWanderer]

I played through Skyrim on PC years ago with a bunch of mods (nothing crazy, mostly QoL stuff and some perk overhauls), and I loved it. Picked it back up on Switch last month thinking vanilla would be fine, but I'm hitting level 12 and everything feels... flat? Perks don't do anything interesting, spells feel like wet noodles, and I'm already bored with my build.

I know Switch can't mod, but are there any playstyle tricks or challenge runs that actually make vanilla feel less hollow? Or am I just stuck either going back to PC or accepting that this playthrough is gonna suck?

 

[DragonbornVet]

Okay, real talk: level 12 is way too early to judge vanilla. You're still in the tutorial phase where everything one-shots you and perks haven't actually come online yet. The mods you ran on PC probably had perk overhauls that front-loaded the fun, which is why vanilla feels dead by comparison.

That said, your build choices matter way more in vanilla than modded. A generic sword-and-board character at level 12 is going to feel like garbage. But if you commit to something specific - like pure illusion, or a conjurer, or even a heavy armor tank with the right perks - the game actually opens up around level 20-25 when you can grab the perks that make your archetype work.

Specific stuff that helps: grab the Atronach standing stone early if you're doing magic, because vanilla spell damage is genuinely weak until you stack Augmented perks and get better gear. If you're doing melee, don't spread yourself thin - pick one weapon type and commit to the tree. Smithing + Enchanting becomes your real power in vanilla, way more than in modded playthroughs where those are often nerfed.

For actual challenge, try a Legendary difficulty run with self-imposed rules (no fast travel, no crafting, limited potions, whatever). That tends to make people actually engage with the game systems instead of just steamrolling.

But honest answer? If you hate vanilla this much already, you're probably better off just going back to PC. There's nothing wrong with that. Skyrim with mods is legitimately a different game.