Top Kenshi Animation Mods That Breathe Life Into The Wastes

Anyone who’s spent serious time in Kenshi knows the combat animations can feel… clunky. 😅 Don’t get me wrong, I love this game to death, but watching my character swing a sword like they’re chopping wood instead of fighting for their life? Yeah, that gets old fast. That’s where animation mods for Kenshi come in to save the day, transforming combat from awkward flailing into something that actually looks badass.

I’ve tested dozens of animation mods over hundreds of hours (yes, my social life suffered), and these are the ones that genuinely make Kenshi feel like a different game. Whether you’re tired of robotic sword swings or want your martial arts to look less like interpretive dance, these mods will fix what vanilla Kenshi couldn’t.

Combat Animation Overhauls

These mods completely transform how fighting looks and feels in Kenshi. If you’re only going to install one type of animation mod, start here.

More Combat Animation (MCA)

This is the big daddy of Kenshi animation mods. More Combat Animation doesn’t just add a few new swings – it completely overhauls how every weapon type moves and feels in combat.

⭐ Key Features:

• 15 new katana animations including slashes, combos, parries, thrusts, and special moves
• 14 additional high-skill katana animations that unlock at skill level 75
• 8 new heavy weapon animations with slashes, combos, parries, charges, and kicks
• 7 new polearm animations covering slashes, combos, parries, and thrusts
• 9 new saber animations with various slashes, combos, parries, and special moves
• 9 new blunt weapon animations featuring strikes and combo attacks
• 8 new hatchet weapon animations including slashes, combos, parries, and spinning attacks
• 12 new unarmed combat animations with a variety of martial arts techniques

✅ Gameplay changes: Combat becomes way more visually engaging without changing damage values or balance. No import required, so you can drop it into an existing save and immediately see the difference.

Great Animations Mod

This mod takes a different approach by sourcing 56 new combat animations from Mixamo. Each weapon type gets its own unique animations, plus some rare taunt and strike animations that add personality to fights.

Great Animations Mod | Kenshi | Martial arts & Katanas

⭐ Key Features:

• 56+ unique combat animations sourced from Mixamo
• Weapon-specific strikes that actually look appropriate for each weapon type
• Rare taunt and death blow animations
• Compatible with other animation mods like MCA and Military Craft

✅ Gameplay changes: Fights get real weight and flair without messing with game mechanics. The animations feel more professional and less janky than vanilla.

GROUNDED 2 Combat Animations

This is one of the newer heavy hitters in the animation scene. GROUNDED 2 focuses on realistic, grounded combat movements that fit Kenshi’s harsh world aesthetic.

Kenshi | GROUNDED 2: Combat Animations (v1.0) Showcase

⭐ Key Features:

• 75+ attack animations that feel grounded and realistic
• 6 stumble animations for battle variety
• New block animations for weapons that previously lacked them
• Side dodge animations specifically for martial artists
• Animations progressively unlock from skill levels 0-45

✅ Gameplay changes: Combat feels more tactical and weighty. The progressive unlock system means your character’s fighting style actually evolves as they get better.

Specialized Combat Mods

These focus on specific aspects of combat or weapon types.

Military Craft

Military Craft introduces new attacking moves that work perfectly alongside other animation mods. It’s often used as part of a combo setup with MCA and other overhauls.

Military craft (New attacking moves)

⭐ Key Features:

• New attacking moves that complement existing animations
• Designed to work with other popular animation mods
• Focuses on military-style combat techniques
• Easy installation process

✅ Gameplay changes: Adds more variety to combat without overwhelming the system. Works best when combined with other animation mods for maximum effect.

Flashier Fight

This mod doesn’t just add new animations – it makes the AI actually use more of the available moves, making combat way more dynamic.

⭐ Key Features:

• Enables all weapon moves for all weapon types, including martial arts moves for armed combat
• Adjusts attack animation trigger ranges based on distance to enemies
• Changes action priorities based on character skills, weapon type, and combat situation
• Accelerates attack animations by 10%, defense by 20%, and stance animations by 30%
• Allows heavy weapons to use lighter strikes and light weapons to use heavy attacks
• Increases martial arts attack speed with area damage potential

✅ Gameplay changes: Combat becomes faster and more varied. The AI uses the full range of available animations instead of just spamming the same three moves.

More Combat Stance MIABC+

This one focuses on improving how characters look when they’re preparing for and recovering from combat, rather than the attacks themselves.

⭐ Key Features:

• Enhanced combat stances that look more natural
• Better ready positions for different weapon types
• Improved recovery animations after attacks
• Works alongside other animation mods

✅ Gameplay changes: Characters look more professional during combat pauses. Less awkward standing around between attacks.

Martial Arts Animation Mods

Because punching people shouldn’t look like you’re swatting flies.

Martial Arts Animations

This mod serves as a patch for martial arts animations from Military Craft and More Combat Animations, fixing some of the weird interactions between different animation sets.

⭐ Key Features:

• Adjusts skill levels for different martial arts abilities
• Reduces “air hitting” issues where characters miss their targets
• Makes martial artists look more impressive during combat
• Better progression system for unarmed fighters

✅ Gameplay changes: Martial arts finally feel viable and look professional. No more whiffing punches at thin air.

Sensible Martial Arts

Unlike pure animation mods, this one focuses on balancing martial arts skill progression while improving how it looks.

⭐ Key Features:

• Increases martial arts strength and usability at early levels
• Decreases excessive performance at higher levels
• More balanced progression curve throughout the game
• Enhanced visual feedback for martial arts techniques

✅ Gameplay changes: Martial arts become more viable early game while staying balanced late game. The progression feels more natural.

Non-Combat Animation Mods

Because life isn’t all about fighting (even in Kenshi).

Animation Overhaul Mod – Crafting

Vanilla crafting animations are basically non-existent. Your character just stands there like a statue while magic happens. This mod fixes that problem completely.

⭐ Key Features:

• 11 new crafting animations for different stations
• Supports all races including modded races like Cannibals and Fishmen
• Works with Heavy Armour Smithy, Arrow Making Bench, Engineering Bench, Clothing Bench, Cooking Stove, and more
• Doesn’t override existing animations or require an import

✅ Gameplay changes: Crafting becomes visually engaging instead of boring. Your workshops actually look like people are working in them.

Immersive Non-Combat Animations (INCA)

Vanilla Kenshi has characters standing around like statues when they’re not fighting. INCA fixes this by adding natural idle behaviors.

⭐ Key Features:

• Natural idle behaviors like scratching, shifting weight, and simple movements
• Fixes vanilla animations that were basically just 1 frame of nothing
• Regular updates and compatibility patches for major overhaul mods
• Makes NPCs look actually alive during downtime

✅ Gameplay changes: The world feels more alive. Characters don’t just stand frozen for hours – they actually move like living beings.

Wakigawa’s Animation Overhaul

This mod focuses on improving character animations during vulnerable moments – when they’re hurt, sleeping, or recovering.

Kenshi Campfire Animation New

⭐ Key Features:

• Improved “hurt” animations that don’t clip weirdly
• Reintroduced refined sleeping animation
• New campfire and sitting animations
• Better visual feedback during combat recovery

✅ Gameplay changes: Characters look more realistic during downtime and recovery. The little details make a big difference in immersion.

More Idle Animation

Addresses the static nature of idle characters by adding 13 new idle animations that make everyone move more naturally.

⭐ Key Features:

• 13 new idle animations replacing static ones
• More dynamic environment where NPCs don’t stand motionless
• Particularly noticeable during long crafting sessions
• Enhanced guard and stationary character behavior

✅ Gameplay changes: Towns and settlements feel more alive. No more eerily still NPCs standing around like mannequins.

More Animation Mods For Kenshi!

For players who want to go deeper into animation customization.

Another Stealth Run

For stealth players who want their sneaking to look more natural and subtle.

⭐ Key Features:

• Modified hand animations during stealth runs
• Keeps legs, body, and head animations in vanilla style
• More subtle and realistic approach to stealth movement
• Doesn’t dramatically alter character appearance while sneaking

✅ Gameplay changes: Stealth gameplay feels more immersive without being over the top. Perfect for ninja builds.

Talkative Kenshi – An Ambient Dialogue Overhaul

While primarily a dialogue mod, this uses animation components to make conversations more dynamic.

16 Minuets of unedited Talkative Kenshi footage

⭐ Key Features:

• Most NPCs become interactable with dynamic dialogue
• Squad members speak with appropriate animations
• Uses INTERACTIONS PLUS framework for enhanced NPC behavior
• Proof of concept that evolved over a year of development

✅ Gameplay changes: NPCs feel more like actual people instead of cardboard cutouts. Conversations have visual life to them.

Animation Compatibility Collection

This is the glue that holds everything together. It’s a compatibility patch that lets multiple animation mods work together without conflicts.

⭐ Key Features:

• Supports at least six different animation mods simultaneously
• Prevents conflicts between different animation overhauls
• Makes it possible to combine multiple animation mods safely

✅ Gameplay changes: You can actually use multiple animation mods together without your game breaking. This is what makes complex animation setups possible.

Kenshi Animation Mods: Setup Recommendations 

These animation mods transform Kenshi from a game with great ideas but clunky execution into something that feels genuinely polished. The difference is night and day, especially when you combine multiple mods that work together. 😊

My personal recommendation for the best animation setup:

1. More Combat Animation or Great Animations Mod for combat overhauls
2. Animation Overhaul Mod – Crafting to bring workshops to life
3. INCA and Wakigawa’s Animation Overhaul for ambient character behavior
4. Animation Compatibility Collection if you’re using multiple mods together

If you’re looking for more ways to improve your Kenshi experience, browse my Kenshi performance mods guide to keep everything running smooth. For mature content enthusiasts, my Kenshi NSFW mods collection covers adult-oriented additions.

Found an animation mod that deserves to be on this list or want your mode to be included? Hit me up – I’m always testing new mods and updating these guides based on what actually works in practice.