Horses are mammals that ease the burden of travel in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
HorseBasic InfoLevelStaminaSoul SizeBase IDSound
Biology
All horses are a type of draft horse which are native to Skyrim. Though horses can be obtained in five colors. Horses can be rented from stables outside of each major city. 'Rented' means only that the horses live in the stable from which they were purchased. The horse belongs to the Dragonborn after its purchase. Special horses are available by completing quests.
Endurance
All horses have the ability to rear and jump. Of the quest-obtained horses, Shadowmere possesses higher health than a non-unique horse, Arvak (Dawnguard) possesses several unique traits as a summoned creature, and Frost possesses higher stamina than a non-unique horse. Patch 1.6 introduced mounted combat.
Purchasing
With the exception of the three unique horses Shadowmere, Arvak (Dawnguard), and Frost, horses are available for purchase at any of the stables listed below for 1000 regardless of one's Speech skill. All non-unique horses differ in appearance only, and are otherwise identical in performance. Only one of the non-unique horses has a name prior to purchase, which is Queen Alfsigr or Allie for short (spelling is speculative) in Whiterun.
Once purchased, a horse is considered owned and can be identified by the 'Player's horse' label on the HUD. One can own multiple types of horses and multiple horses of the same type. The horse last ridden or fast traveled with is the one that accompanies the Dragonborn. Any other owned horses return to the stable where they were purchased.
Stables can be built for manors in the Hearthfire DLC. A horse can then be purchased from the chosen Steward.
Types of horses
Shadowmere
Shadowmere, who makes a reappearance in the game during the Dark Brotherhood questline, is a unique horse. Shadowmere has a breastcollar and fancier saddle than the other horses, as well as a different bridle. It appears to be the same speed and build as the other horses, but is extremely tough and can hold its own against Skyrim's hardiest foes, though it is worth noting that Shadowmere can be killed in extreme cases of combat or during falls. Even with Shadowmere being able to die like any other horse in Skyrim, Shadowmere will respawn after 10 days in game at the location of death or at the pool where he was first acquired.
Frost
Another unique horse is a palomino stallion called Frost, obtained during the Riften quest Promises to Keep, if the Dragonborn is able to pass the Speech check. Frost can gallop for the same length of time as Shadowmere, but lacks Shadowmere's strength, having the same stats as other palominos.
Arvak
Arvak is added with The Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard. Arvak can be summoned with the Summon Arvak spell unlocked after completing the quest Find Arvak's Skull. Arvak is an undead horse, with purple flames as the tail and mane. If killed, Arvak will simply return to the Soul Cairn, and can be resummoned.
Borrowing and stealing
Stealing horses is considered theft and is a crime against the owner. Mounting a horse that is labeled 'Steal horse' is a crime and generates a bounty. Common places to find horses to steal include military camps (both Stormcloak and Imperial), or forts, as well as being located within war encounters. Each time a stolen horse is mounted, 50 gold is added to the Dragonborn's bounty, making horse theft an expensive crime. However, it is possible to mount a stolen horse and not incur a bounty if not witnessed by anyone, including the horse, as in previous games. Even if ridden away right in front of the stable/camp guards, there will be no bounty.
The will replace the New Vegas menu music with the new music from the Fallout 4 footage we've seen. The key to the front gate is under the wheel well of the ruined car parked next to the building.There's another little treat for you: a dog named Pal will welcome your arrival, and you can make him a companion if you wish. You can choose between the theme from the 'Let's go, pal' trailer, or the 'Welcome to Boston' theme.Since you're mucking with the menu anyway, will let you replace the New Vegas menu wallpaper slides with scenes from Fallout 4, like the door to Vault 111 and concept art from the trailers.And of course, there's the, the mod that most likely (well, most definitely) inspired Fallout 4's base-building feature. Another mod will replace your, its screen coated with dust, and featuring a wrist-mounted light bulb.You can even get a Fallout 4 feel before you've started playing. Fallout jumpsuit. You also may want to dress in, just to keep the mood going.No need to stop there.
Occasionally, the opportunity to borrow a horse is given. A horse that is available to borrow is indicated in the HUD by the simultaneous lack of the 'Steal horse' label and the 'Player's horse' label. Arguably, the easiest horse to borrow is from the Katla's Farm. After selling a single piece of produce to Katla, you will be allowed borrow either horse from the stables. However, this horse will walk away after dismounting, as stolen horses do.
Bandits dressed as a faction may be encountered. They say that this is none of the Dragonborn's business and will attack. Once they are dead one will find a horse that can be ridden. This does not count as stolen but it will leave when dismounted as stolen horses do.
During the Civil war quests the Dragonborn has the opportunity to attack a broken down cart with weapons and gold. After the guards are dispatched, the horse that would have been attached to the cart can be ridden. It has no saddle so it will be ridden bareback, and once dismounted it will wander off. Fast traveling puts the horse back at the Dragonborn's position and then it can be remounted.
Riding and mounting
While riding, a horse can walk (by toggling run off), canter, run, and gallop (sprint), at the Dragonborn's unmounted walk, run and sprint speeds. While mounted, the Dragonborn will possess greater stamina and strength, which allows for greater load capacity and sprint time. This increased load capacity while mounted allows for fast traveling while overburdened. In addition to their increased strength and stamina, horses can also charge through and leap over obstacles with similar restrictions as the unmounted Dragonborn.
As with unmounted navigation, larger obstacles will pose similar problems. If the jump button is pressed while the horse is walking or standing still, the horse will rear and neigh. This has no effect except to slide the horse backward a little. Horses can also swim, although they are slightly slower than the Dragonborn. Horses can easily die from fall damage, so care should be exercised when riding in mountainous terrain.
Horses cannot be ridden inside houses, tombs, or other marked locations that require going through a door. They can be ridden into Orc Strongholds. When approaching the gate, simply pressing the button will open the door, though no prompt will appear, and the gate will open for the horse. When fast traveling into a city, the horse will be found at the stable outside the city. For cities without stables, the Dragonborn will remain on the horse and will be able to ride it around the area.
Horses are usually non-aggressive and will often flee when dismounted in combat situations. However, horses sometimes attack aggressors or even defend the Dragonborn which can lead to their death. Horses often pursue targets and are sometimes hard to find after doing so. It is not advised to let a horse go anywhere near a Dragon as even the weakest Dragon will be able to kill the strongest horse in one breath.
Followers cannot ride horseback and will quickly fall behind the mounted Dragonborn. To compensate for this discrepancy in traveling speed, the Dragonborn should 'wait' for the follower(s) to catch up.
Mounted combat
As of patch 1.6, mounted combat is available. When wielding a melee weapon the Dragonborn can swing on either side of the horse using either the primary or secondary attack buttons. Note that since the attack buttons are used to decide the direction the swing is unleashed, it is impossible to block or attack with a secondary weapon, although power attacks are still possible. Some two-handed weapons (e.g. Warhammer) can be wielded with one hand.
The Dragonborn may also use a ranged weapon when mounted, however, as the camera is locked to 3rd person perspective whilst riding, it may be difficult to hit a target accurately. It helps if the Dragonborn has the Archery perks Eagle Eye and Steady Hand.
Spells and shouts (e.g. Aura Whisper) cannot be initiated from horseback, but it is possible to dismount, cast the spell, then remount, and the effect will be sustained for its normal duration. Similarly, spells that normally can be toggled on or off (e.g. Night-Eye) cannot be used while mounted.
Purchasing a new horse after it dies
Some horses in Skyrim will spawn at a Hold's stable after waiting some time at a different location. It will usually take 1–2 days for a horse to spawn and be available for purchase after the one of the horses at the stable dies. The time for a new horse to spawn for purchase depends on the actions at the stable, for example, if the player returns to the stable at which the old horse was bought, and steals an unsaddled horse before waiting a day and killing it, it will take at least one extra day waiting in game for a new horse to spawn for purchase. The original horse will re-spawn in about 10 days waiting in-game, making 1 or more horses available for purchase at a Hold's stable. It is also possible, after the previous horse dies, for a new saddled horse to spawn at a stable. Allowing it to be purchased for 1,000 , and still making it so the old horse will re-spawn without having to repurchase it. This will make it so that 1 or more horses can be owned at a stable at once.
Horses that re-spawn after they die
Itunes for windows 10 download. Horses that will be able for purchase after the previous one dies are at
Other smaller holds
These are all the smaller Holds, which do not have their own horse stables. A carriage can be ridden to their capitals, but because one is not stationed there, the Dragonborn can not travel back out via a carriage.
Unsaddled horses
Besides the saddled horses there are also unsaddled horses not for sale in most of the stables. As most things in Skyrim, they will also take 10 days to re-spawn. Here are the locations they re-spawn
Trivia
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Discussions about Horse (Skyrim)
FrostBasic InfoLevelStaminaBase IDRef IDSound
Frost is a horse in Skyrim that appears outside Black-Briar Lodge during the quest 'Promises to Keep.' When completing the quest, the Dragonborn can persuade Louis Letrush to give up the horse, along with the second half of the payment. Alternatively, one has the option to kill Louis, granting ownership of Frost automatically.
Frost seems to be more aggressive in combat than other horses. He has more health and stamina than regular horses, but less than the Dark Brotherhood'sShadowmere.
Even when not actually riding Frost, he will, like any other horse, appear after fast traveling to any location that is not within a walled city. If that location is populated by bandits or mages or any other enemies, this greatly inhibits the ability to perform sneak attacks since Frost will attack immediately, resulting in his death if there are many enemies. At higher levels, if fast traveling triggers the appearance of an Elder Dragon or Ancient Dragon, Frost has little chance of surviving such an attack. If the Dragonborn wishes to keep Frost, care must be taken in choosing fast travel destinations to avoid such encounters.
If Frost happens to get lost before speaking with Maven Black-Briar, he might be outside of Merryfair Farm. Stealing him from this location will not affect the guards around it. Additionally, if one dismounts Frost prior to returning to Louis Letrush during 'Promises To Keep,' he may return to the Black-Briar Lodge.
TriviaEdit
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AppearancesEditDiscussions about Frost (Horse)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fifth main installment in The Elder Scrolls series, following The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 11, 2011.
The game's main story revolves around the player character's quest to defeat Alduin the World-Eater, a dragon who is prophesied to destroy the world. The game is set 200 years after the events of Oblivion and takes place in Skyrim, the northernmost province of Tamriel. Over the course of the game, the player completes quests and develops the character by improving skills. The game continues the open-world tradition of its predecessors by allowing the player to travel anywhere in the game world at any time, and to ignore or postpone the main storyline indefinitely.
Skyrim was developed using the Creation Engine, rebuilt specifically for the game. The team opted for a unique and more diverse open world than Oblivion's Imperial Province of Cyrodiil, which game director and executive producer Todd Howard considered less interesting by comparison. The game was released to critical acclaim, with reviewers particularly mentioning the character advancement and setting, and is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time. Nonetheless it received some criticism, predominantly for its melee combat and numerous technical issues present at launch. The game shipped over seven million copies to retailers within the first week of its release, and over 30 million copies on all platforms as of November 2016, making it one of the highest selling video games in history.
Three downloadable content (DLC) add-ons were released--Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn—which were repackaged into The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Legendary Edition and released in June 2013. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition is a remastered version of the game released for Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 in October 2016. It includes all three DLC expansions and a graphical upgrade, along with additional features such as modding capabilities on consoles. Versions were released in November 2017 for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation VR, and a stand-alone virtual reality (VR) version for Windows was released in April 2018.
Gameplay
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an action role-playing game, playable from either a first or third-person perspective. The player may freely roam over the land of Skyrim which is an open world environment consisting of wilderness expanses, dungeons, cities, towns, fortresses, and villages.[1] Players may navigate the game world more quickly by riding horses or by utilizing a fast-travel system which allows them to warp to previously discovered locations.[2] The game's main quest can be completed or ignored at the player's preference after the first stage of the quest is finished. However, some quests rely on the main storyline being at least partially completed. Non-player characters (NPCs) populate the world and can be interacted with in a number of ways: the player may engage them in conversation, marry an eligible NPC, kill them or engage in a nonlethal 'brawl'. As in previous The Elder Scrolls games, killing certain NPCs can make some quests or items unobtainable. Some NPCs cannot be killed due to their importance in later storylines. If witnessed, crimes like murder and theft accrue the player a bounty which is tracked independently in each of Skyrim's nine holds. Should the player be stopped by a guard, they may wipe their bounty with gold or jail time or may resist arrest which will trigger an aggressive pursuit. NPCs may offer the player additional side-quests and some side-quests have parameters adjusted based on nearby dungeons which the player has yet to explore.[3][4] Some NPCs who are befriended or hired by the player may act as companions who will accompany the player and aid them in combat.[5] The player may choose to join factions which are organized groups of NPCs — for example, the Dark Brotherhood, a band of assassins.[6] Each of the factions has an associated quest path to progress through. Each city and town in the game world has jobs that the player can engage in, such as farming.[7]
The player's character engages in combat with monsters while exploring a dungeon. The player may dual-wield weapons and magic at once in order to be more effective against enemies.
Players have the option to develop their character. At the beginning of the game, players create their character by selecting their sex and choosing between one of several races including humans, orcs, elves, and anthropomorphic cat or lizard-like creatures and then customizing their character's appearance.[8] Over the course of the game, players improve their character's skills which are numerical representations of their ability in certain areas. There are eighteen skills divided evenly among the three schools of combat, magic, and stealth. When players have trained skills enough to meet the required experience, their character levels up. Each time their character levels, the players may choose to select a skill-specific ability called a perk or store perk points for later use. Earlier entries in The Elder Scrolls series used a character class system to determine which skills would contribute to the character's leveling but Skyrim allows players to discover preferred skills as they play the game and it rewards them with more experience when a frequently used skill is leveled.[3][9] A head-up display (HUD) appears when any of the player's three main attributes (health, magicka, and stamina) are being depleted. Attributes regenerate over time, although this process can be accelerated by using potions or regenerative spells. Health is depleted primarily when the player takes damage and the loss of all health results in death. Magicka is depleted by the use of spells, certain poisons and by being struck by lightning-based attacks. Stamina determines the player's effectiveness in combat and is depleted by sprinting, performing heavy 'power attacks' and being struck by frost-based attacks. The player's inventory can be accessed from the menu and items can be viewed in 3D which may prove essential in solving puzzles found in dungeons.[10]
The player's effectiveness in combat relies on the use of weapons and armor (which may be bought, found or forged) and on the use of magic spells which may be bought or unlocked by finding spell tomes. Weapons and magic are assigned to each hand allowing for dual-wielding and can be swapped out through a quick-access menu of favorite items.[11] Some weapons and master spells require both hands. Shields can be used to fend off enemy attacks and reduce incurred damage or offensively through bashing attacks. Blunt, bladed, and hacking weapons can be used in close combat and each have specific advantages and roles. For example, the player can perform power attacks with each weapon. Spells have several functions such as regenerating the player's health, attacking enemies, confusing people or creatures, temporarily raising the dead, casting light or turning iron into silver.[12] A bow and arrow may be utilized in long-range combat, but the bow can also be used as a defensive melee weapon in close combat by 'bashing'. The player can enter sneak mode and pickpocket or deliver powerful sneak attacks to unsuspecting enemies.
When exploring the game world the player may encounter wildlife. Many creatures in the wilderness are immediately hostile towards the player. However, game animals such as elk and deer will simply run away.[1]Skyrim is the first entry in The Elder Scrolls to include dragons in the game's wilderness. Like other creatures, dragons are generated randomly in the world and will engage in combat with NPCs, creatures and the player. Some dragons may attack cities and towns when in their proximity.[13] The player character can absorb the souls of dragons in order to use powerful spells called 'dragon shouts' or 'Thu'um'. Each shout contains three words in the language spoken by dragons, and the strength of the shout will vary depending on how many words have been spoken. The words to shouts can be learned by visiting 'word walls' in dungeons or around the wilderness. The words to each shout are unlocked for use by spending the absorbed souls of slain dragons.[14][15] A regeneration period limits the player's use of shouts in gameplay.[16]
SynopsisSetting and characters
Skyrim is set around 200 years after the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion,[14] although it is not a direct sequel. The game takes place in Skyrim, a province of the Empire on the continent of Tamriel, amid a civil war between two factions: the Stormcloaks, led by Ulfric Stormcloak, and the Imperial Legion, led by General Tullius. The player character is a Dragonborn, a mortal born with the soul and power of a dragon. Alduin, a large black dragon who returns to the land after being lost in time, serves as the game's primary antagonist. Alduin is the first dragon created by Akatosh, one of the series' gods, and is prophesied to destroy and consume the world.
Plot
The player character is a prisoner being led to an Imperial execution in Helgen overseen by General Tullius, which includes Ulfric Stormcloak among the prisoners to be executed there. Alduin unexpectedly interrupts the procession, destroying the town before the player can be executed. The player escapes in the chaos and journeys to the city of Whiterun to request aid against the dragon threat. After slaying a dragon that attacks nearby, the player absorbs its soul, which grants them the ability to perform a shout. The city's amazed guards inform the player that they must be Dragonborn. The player is summoned to meet with the Greybeards, an order of monks who live in seclusion on Skyrim's tallest mountain, the Throat of the World. The Greybeards train the player in using shouts and inform the player of their role in stopping Alduin. The player learns that Skyrim's civil war is the last in a sequence of prophetic events foretold by the Elder Scrolls, which also predicted the return of Alduin.
The player later meets with members of the Blades, an order of dragon hunters. The player and the Blades travel to Sky Haven Temple to find a prophetic engravement on Alduin's Wall and learn that ancient Nords used a special shout against Alduin so they could engage him. To gain more information, the player meets the ancient dragon Paarthurnax, the leader of the Greybeards. Paarthurnax reveals that Alduin was cast into the currents of time by the use of an Elder Scroll in the hope that he would never reemerge. The player locates the Elder Scroll and uses it to peer through a window in time and learn the shout to combat Alduin. The player battles with Alduin, who then flees to Sovngarde, the Nordic afterlife, to gain strength by devouring the souls of deceased Nords.
The player summons and traps a dragon named Odahviing, and learns from him that Alduin has fled to Sovngarde through a portal located at an ancient fort called Skuldafn. Odahviing agrees to fly the player to Skuldafn, claiming Alduin has shown himself as weak and undeserving of leadership over the dragon race by fleeing from the Dragonborn. The player enters Sovngarde and travels to the Hall of Valor. There, they meet up with the three heroes of Nordic legend who defeated Alduin originally. With their help, the player defeats Alduin once and for all.
Development
Having completed work on Oblivion in 2006, Bethesda Game Studios began work on Fallout 3. It was during this time that the team began planning their next The Elder Scrolls game. From the outset, they had decided to set the new entry in the land of Skyrim, incorporating dragons into the main theme of the game.[17] Full development began following the release of Fallout 3 in 2008; the developers considered Skyrim a spiritual successor to both Fallout 3 and previous The Elder Scrolls games.[18] The game was developed by a team of roughly 100 people composed of new talent as well as of the series' veterans.[17] The production was supervised by Todd Howard, who has been the director of several titles released by Bethesda Softworks.[17]
Design
The team set the game in the province of Skyrim, designing it by hand. While similar in size to Oblivion's game world of Cyrodiil, the mountainous topography of the world inflates the game space and makes it more difficult to traverse than Cyrodiil, which was relatively flat.[16] In designing Skyrim's world, the team opted for a different approach to what was taken with Oblivion; art director Matt Carofano considered the 'epic-realism' of Skyrim's world design as a departure from Oblivion's generic representation of classic European fantasy lore.[8] Howard expressed the team's desire to re-encapsulate the 'wonder of discovery' of Morrowind's game world in Skyrim, as the return to the classic fantasy of Arena and The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall in Oblivion meant sacrificing a world with a unique culture.[19] As a way of creating diversity in the world, the team divided the world into nine sectors, known as holds, and attempted to make each hold feel topographically unique from another; in addition, the team wanted to reflect the socioeconomic background of the NPCs by making some locations elaborate and wealthy while others are poorer and lower-tech.[3]
Within Skyrim's universe is the use of 'dragon language'. The alphabet was constructed to look aesthetically dragon-like, hence the use of claw-like markings.[15]
The team sought to make each of the game's ten races feel unique; Howard considered the player's choice of race at the beginning of the game a more important decision than it had been in previous The Elder Scrolls games because the culture of Skyrim's world contains more racism. However, he reiterated that the player's choice of race does not have major game-affecting consequences as it simply adds 'flavor' in different NPCs' dispositions towards the player, and is not meant as a way of locking players out of particular quests.[20] Efforts to make Skyrim's world feel hand-crafted extended to the team abandoning the use of generated landscapes as they had done in Oblivion. While just one team member was charged with designing dungeons in Oblivion, Skyrim's 150 dungeons were designed by a group of eight people.[21]Skyrim features 244 quests, over 300 points of interest with a map marker and numerous unmarked locations.[22]
Engine
Skyrim is powered by Bethesda's Creation Engine, created specifically for Skyrim.[23][24] After Fallout 3's release, the team devised numerous design objectives to meet for Skyrim, and according to Howard, the team 'got all those done and kept going'.[20] Had the team not been able to meet their design goals with current hardware, they would have waited for the next generation and released Skyrim then,[25] but Howard felt that the technology of the time did not hold the team back at all.[20] The Creation Engine allows for numerous improvements in graphical fidelity over Bethesda's previous efforts. For example, the draw distance renders farther than in previous Elder Scrolls games; Howard provided an example where the player can stare at a small object such as a fork in detail, and then look up at a mountain and run to the top of it.[19] Dynamic lighting allows shadows to be created by any structure or item in the game world, and the Creation Engine allowed for greater detail in flora production than SpeedTree had in previous Bethesda games.[14] For example, with Bethesda's own technology, developers were able to give weight to the branches of trees, which affects how trees blow in the wind. In addition, the technology allows wind to affect the flow of water in channels such as rivers and streams.[4] Because of the large presence of snow in Skyrim's game world, the technological upgrades were applied to weather effects and allow for dynamic snow fall upon the terrain, instead of snow that was rendered as a textural effect in previous games.[4]
The team used Havok's Behavior toolset for character animation, which allows for a greater fluidity between the character's movements of walking, running and sprinting, and also increases the efficiency of the third-person camera option, which had been criticized in Oblivion.[4][26] The toolset allows interactions between the player and NPCs to take place in real time; in Oblivion, when the player went to interact with an NPC, time would freeze and the camera would zoom in on the NPC's face. In Skyrim, NPCs can move around and make body gestures while conversing with the player. Children are present in the game, and their presence is handled similarly to Fallout 3 in that they cannot be harmed by the player in any way,[14] since depictions of violence involving children in video games are controversial.[27]Skyrim uses the Radiant AIartificial intelligence system that was created for Oblivion, and it has been updated to allow NPCs to 'do what they want under extra parameters'.[13] The updated system allows for greater interaction between NPCs and their environments; NPCs can perform tasks such as farming, milling, and mining in the game world, and will react to each other.[28]
Audio
The team employed Jeremy Soule to compose the music for Skyrim, who previously worked on Morrowind and Oblivion. The game's main theme 'Dragonborn was recorded with a choir of over 30 people singing in the fictional dragon language.[29] Creative director Todd Howard envisioned the theme for Skyrim as The Elder Scrolls theme sung by a choir of barbarians. This became a reality when the idea was passed by Soule, who recorded the 30-man choir and layered three separate recordings to create the effect of 90 voices.[30] Bethesda's concept artist Adam Adamowicz created the Draconic language, and also developed a 34-character runic alphabet for the game.[15] He expanded the lexicon of Draconic as needed; Bruce Nesmith explained that words were introduced to the lexicon every time that the studio 'wanted to say something'.[13]
Bethesda released four audio CDs along with the game on November 11, 2011. The soundtrack to Skyrim is sold via Jeremy Soule's distributor DirectSong, and Soule autographed all physical copies ordered via DirectSong.[31] 'Day One' pre-orders from Amazon.de also included a five-track promotional Skyrim soundtrack sampler.[32] A digital version of the soundtrack was released via iTunes on January 31, 2013.[33]
The voice-over in the game included more than 70 actors and over 60,000 lines of dialogue.[34] Casting director and production supervisor Timothy Cubbison worked with the creative team at Bethesda Softworks to evaluate auditions and oversee the recordings.[35] The full cast consisted of three Academy Award nominees and several other high-profile actors including Max von Sydow, Christopher Plummer, Joan Allen, Michael Hogan, and Vladimir Kulich.[34]
Marketing and release
Skyrim was announced at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California, on December 11, 2010, on Spike's annual Video Game Awards; Howard appeared onstage during the awards and presented the announcement trailer, which introduced the game's story and revealed its '11–11–11' release date.[36] It was the cover story for the February 2011 issue of the Game Informer magazine, wherein journalist Matt Miller wrote a fifteen-page article that revealed the first details about the game's story and gameplay.[14] Asked about downloadable content (DLC) packages in a June 2011 interview, Howard expressed the team's intention to release DLC packages, having done so for previous releases; he revealed that it was the team's goal to release a lower number of DLC packages that were larger in content than those released for Fallout 3, as he felt that releasing a larger number of low-content packages was 'chaotic'.[37] Via a press release, the team announced that the first two planned DLC packages would release on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live a month ahead of PCs and the PlayStation 3.[38] At the 2011 QuakeCon conference, the team unveiled Skyrim's collector's edition package. Bundled with a copy of the game is a map of the game world, a 12-inch figurine of Alduin, as well as a 200-page concept art book and a DVD feature about the making of Skyrim.[39]
In October 2011, pictures of many pages of the manual of the game were leaked,[40][41] later followed by footage from the introduction, revealing some more details.[42] By November 1, 2011, a copy of the Xbox 360 version had been leaked and made available through the Internet, allowing those with a hacked Xbox 360 to play Skyrim 10 days before its release.[43][44] In the Netherlands, the game has been available for purchase since November 7.[45] On November 10, stores in Australia began selling the game ahead of its November 11 release date.[46]
Re-releases and ports
A compilation package called The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Legendary Edition was released on June 4, 2013. It contains the version 1.9 patch and the three expansions, along with the main game.[47] On June 4, 2016, Bethesda announced The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition, a remaster for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows.[48] It was released on October 28, 2016.[48] Windows players who owned the original game and all of its downloadable content on Steam were offered the Special Edition for free.[48]
In October 2016, the reveal trailer for Nintendo Switch featured gameplay of Skyrim on the console. At the time, it was reported that Bethesda only used the game for the reveal trailer and that it was not officially releasing on the Nintendo Switch. On January 13, 2017, Todd Howard confirmed that the game will come out on the Nintendo Switch, making it the first The Elder Scrolls title to be released on a Nintendo platform (not counting the Skyrim pinball adaptation that was part of the Bethesda Pinball collection, released in late 2016 for Zen Pinball 2, which was available for the Wii U), as well as the first game Bethesda has confirmed to be released for a Nintendo home console since Home Alone for the NES in 1991.[49] During Bethesda's E3 2017 showcase, it was revealed that the Nintendo Switch version will support Amiibo and the Joy-Conmotion controls.[50]
At E3 2017, Bethesda announced a PlayStation VR version of Skyrim for release in November 2017.[51] A standalone VR port of the game was released for PC on April 2, 2018, supporting the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Windows Mixed Reality headsets.[52]
A parody of Skyrim's numerous ports and re-releases, titled Skyrim: Very Special Edition was released by Bethesda at their E3 2018 press conference for Amazon Alexa, with them also saying it would be also released for the Etch A Sketch, Motorolapagers and Samsung smart refrigerators.[53] The Alexa version was found to be a legitimate version of the game developed by Bethesda, playing off the joke that the studios had seemingly ported Skyrim to all possible platforms following its E3 2017 announcements.[54]
Spin-offs
While Skyrim was being ported to next-generation systems, Zen Studios also developed a virtualpinball adaptation of the game as part of the Bethesda Pinball collection, which became available as part of Zen Pinball 2, Pinball FX 2[55] and Pinball FX 3,[56] as well as a separate free-to-play app for iOS and Android mobile devices.[57] A Skyrim themed expansion for the virtualcard battle gameThe Elder Scrolls: Legends, titled Heroes of Skyrim, was released on June 29, 2017.[58]
Additional contentDownloadable content
Dawnguard was the first downloadable add-on for Skyrim, revolving around a battle between the Dawnguard and Clan Volkihar. The Dawnguard are a band of vampire hunters who rely on the use of their trademark crossbow weapons in their pursuit against Clan Volkihar, a family of vampires. Early in Dawnguard's quest line, players must choose which of the two factions to join forces with. Dawnguard adds new content to the game, including weapons, spells, and armor, and expands the abilities afforded to players who choose to become either a vampire or a werewolf. It also adds two new areas to explore outside of the mainland of Skyrim: the Soul Cairn (a plane of the realm of Oblivion) and the Forgotten Vale (a secluded glacial valley). Dawnguard released on the Xbox 360 in English-speaking territories on June 26, 2012, and in European countries in mid-July 2012.[59] It was released for Windows on August 2, 2012, via the digital distribution platform Steam.[60] Performance issues on the PlayStation 3 hampered Dawnguard's release on that platform. It was released on the PlayStation 3 on February 26, 2013, in North America, and on February 27, 2013, in Europe.[61]
Hearthfire was Skyrim's second add-on, which allows players to build houses and adopt children. Three plots of land are added to the game world which players can purchase. Once land is purchased, players build a small basic house, then select rooms to add on. The house and its additions are built from raw materials such as lumber and clay, which can be gathered or purchased. Players may also adopt up to two children and have them live in the home, along with the player's spouse.[62]Hearthfire was released for the Xbox 360 on September 4, 2012, and for Windows on October 4, 2012.[63] It was later released for PlayStation 3 on February 19, 2013, in North America, and February 20, 2013, in Europe.[64][65]
Dragonborn is the third and final add-on for Skyrim. It revolves around the player character's efforts to defeat Miraak, the first Dragonborn who has become corrupted and seeks to control the world. The add-on takes place on Solstheim, an island northeast of Skyrim which is presented as an open world. It adds new content to the game and allows players to ride on the backs of dragons, along with other shouts that can be learned exclusively from Solstheim. Dragonborn was released for the Xbox 360 on December 4, 2012,[66] for Windows on February 5, 2013, and for PlayStation 3 on February 12, 2013.[67][68]
In April 2013, Bethesda announced via their blog that they were 'moving on' from Skyrim and preparing to work on other projects. They added that they would only be releasing 'minor updates' for the game.[69]
Mods
A wide variety of official and fan-created 'mods', short for modifications, are available for Skyrim, which are generally made using the packaged Creation Kit. These mods are distributed freely on file-sharing sites such as Nexus Mods, and are also officially aggregated via the Steam Workshop's controlled content distribution mechanism. The mods may include features such as significantly enhanced visuals, lighting, and textures, overhauled weather systems, gameplay tweaks, new characters and locations, user interface updates, and more.[70][71]
The first official Skyrim modification was The Fall of the Space Core, Vol. 1, created by Bethesda in collaboration with Valve Corporation. It causes a fictional device known as the Space Core from Valve's video game Portal 2 to fall from the sky and land where the player can recover it. The Space Core acts as a non-player character voiced by Nolan North which follows the player around the world of Skyrim and dispenses space-related comments.[72][73]
Enderal: The Shards of Order is a total conversion mod of Skyrim developed by SureAI as a sequel to Nehrim: At Fate's Edge.[74] It was released in July 2016,[75] initially in German only. An English version was released August 16, 2016.[76]
ReceptionCritical reception
Skyrim received critical acclaim upon release. The removal of the character class system, present in previous The Elder Scrolls entries, was well received. Billy Shibley of Machinima's Inside Gaming and Charles Onyett of IGN praised its removal because it allowed players to experiment with different skills without having to make decisions about a class early in the game.[90][95] John Bedford of Eurogamer stated that by removing the character class system, the game tailored itself to players who wanted to build an all-around character, while still letting other players specialize in a preferred play-style.[96] Steve Butts of The Escapist considered the addition of perks to the character advancement system 'a great method to make your character feel even more unique and personal'.[97] Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot praised the way perks allowed for the player's preferred skills to become more powerful over time, stating that the perk system 'forms around the way you play, but allows for tweaking so that you retain a sense of control'.[88] The user interface was also praised by reviewers for its accessibility;[88][90][98] Bedford complimented its 'elegant design' which succeeded Oblivion's comparatively complex interface.[96]
Skyrim First Person Camera
The art style of the game world drew acclaim from many reviewers, who welcomed the departure from Oblivion's Cyrodiil. Jason Schreier of Wired described the land of Skyrim as a 'Viking-inspired treasure trove of flavor and charm', noting its contrast to Cyrodiil, which he considered generic by comparison.[94] The Staff at Edge magazine described Cyrodiil as a 'patchwork of varying terrains', praising the more consistent design of Skyrim.[99] Shibley praised 'the lack of copy-and-paste level design that's plagued Bethesda's previous games, .. giving a lived-in and handcrafted look to the world'.[95] Bedford noted that the improved graphical fidelity over Oblivion allowed the game world to feel more lifelike, praising the 'misty mountain setting, complete with swirling fog and high-altitude snowstorms'.[96] An editor for PC PowerPlay praised the diversity of the dungeon design.[100] Andrew Reiner of Game Informer cited criticisms that Oblivion faced for repetitive dungeons, noting that 'the composition of each dungeon is largely unique and individualized' in Skyrim. He also favored the design choice to have a quick route out of a dungeon leading from its last room, eliminating a problem he identified Oblivion as having, where the player would clear a dungeon and then have to go all the way back to the beginning to exit it.[98] Many reviewers praised the large number of things to do in the world outside of the main story.[88][96][98] Tom Francis of PC Gamer noted that it was difficult to explore the world without becoming distracted by things to do, stating that, 'it's hard to walk for a minute in any direction without encountering an intriguing cave, a lonely shack, some strange stones, a wandering traveller, [or] a haunted fort'.[92]
Reviewers welcomed the ability to dual-wield weapons and magic.[90] An editor for PC PowerPlay felt that the dual-wielding ability 'transforms the tactical scope of each combat encounter'.[100] Shibley noted that the dual-wielding option gave the player more freedom to experiment with combat, writing that, 'the ability to apply a spell to each hand .. generates huge potential for getting creative with your spell combinations'.[95] However, reviewers were critical of the melee combat, feeling that it had not been improved upon as much as other areas in the game.[88][95][96][99]Justin McElroy of Joystiq felt that 'what should be thrilling fights in Skyrim are often weighed down by the same clunky melee system Oblivion suffered from'.[101] Onyett described the melee combat as 'flat' and 'floaty', and that 'many times it feels like you're slicing air instead of a mythical creature's flesh'.[90] Francis agreed with this sentiment, stating that, 'too much of the time, you wave your weapon around and enemies barely react to the hits'.[92]
Many reviewers noted glitches while playing Skyrim,[88][90][94][99][102] some game-breaking.[92][95][98][101][103] Nick Cowen of The Guardian pointed out that the game's glitches were a trade-off for its ambitious scope, and that he had experienced glitches that forced him to reload earlier saves.[103]Edge began their review by criticizing the lack of polish, while still acknowledging many areas in the game which made up for it.[99] In addition, the quality of the main quest divided some reviewers. While Reiner praised the main quest as 'superbly penned' and 'Bethesda's best effort to date',[98] Butts and Francis criticized the fact that the story was delivered primarily through conversations and quest journals, rather than through the player's own interactions.[92][97] While the dragon battles were well-received, some reviewers observed flaws in the AI for dragons. Onyett pointed out their 'predictable attack patterns',[90] which Francis agreed with, claiming that 'fighting them never changes much: you can just ignore them until they land, then shoot them from a distance when they do'.[92] Reiner felt that, due to the repetitiveness of their attack patterns, the dragons were not challenging enough for low-level players.[98]Edge pointed out a curve in difficulty for players who favored archery and magic, as dragons were difficult to attack while airborne.[99]
Technical issues
At the launch of Skyrim, many technical issues of varying severity were reported. Some examples include a texture down-scaling issue on the Xbox 360 version when the game was run from the hard drive;[104] crashes, slowdown and frame rate issues on the PlayStation 3 version when save files exceeded 6 MB,[105] commonly occurring due to extended gameplay times;[106] and various crashes and slowdowns on the Windows version. According to Skyrim's director Todd Howard, the notion that bugs were caused by 'restrictive RAM'[107] is incorrect. Howard said, 'It's literally the things you've done in what order and what's running.'[108]
Since release, several patches were published to address technical issues and improve overall gameplay. Patch 1.2 was released on November 29, 2011, to fix some of the game's issues;[109] however, some players reported new bugs in the game following the patch, including more frequent game crashes.[110] Patch 1.3 was released on December 7, 2011, to improve stability, further address known issues, and fix some problems that were introduced in version 1.2.[111] Patch 1.4 was released on February 1, 2012, for the PC. Another list of issues and bugs were addressed in this patch, and Skyrim launcher support for Skyrim Workshop (PC) was provided.[112] Patch 1.5 was released on March 20, 2012, for the PC. Numerous bugs were fixed, and new archery/spellcasting kill cams were included.[113] On April 12, 2012, Bethesda announced that Kinect support would be coming for the Xbox 360 version of Skyrim, with over 200 voice commands.[114] Patch 1.6 was released on May 24, 2012, for the PC. This includes a new feature: mounted combat.[115] Patch 1.7 was released on July 30, 2012, for the PC,[116] and 1.8 was released on November 1, 2012, for the PC.[117] These two introduced only minor bugfixes. Patch 1.9 was released on March 18, 2013. In addition to providing various bug fixes, this patch also added new features, most prominently the new 'Legendary' difficulty, and 'Legendary' skills, which effectively remove the level cap.[118]
An unofficial community patch attempts to fix remaining issues unattended by the official patches.[119][120] It lists hundreds[121] of gameplay, quest, and other bugs that it fixes in the game and its add-ons.[122][123]
Sales
During the first day of release, Steam showed over 230,000 people playing Skyrim concurrently.[124] Within two days of the game's launch, 3.4 million physical copies were sold. Of those sales, 59% were for the Xbox 360, 27% for the PS3, and 14% for the PC.[125] In the first week of release, Bethesda stated that 7 million copies of the game had been shipped to retailers worldwide, and that total sales through the following Wednesday were expected to generate an estimated US$450 million.[126][127] By December 16, 2011, this had risen to 10 million copies shipped to retail and around US$620 million.[128] Additionally, Valve stated that it was the fastest selling game to date on their Steam platform.[128] Steam's statistics page showed the client breaking a five million user record by having 5,012,468 users logged in on January 2, 2012. The total number of sold copies on the PC platform is difficult to confirm because Valve does not publicly publish digital sales.[129] Shortly after its release, Skyrim was the most-played game on Steam by a huge margin, with double the number of players as Team Fortress 2, the second-placed game.[130] In the United Kingdom, Skyrim was the 9th best selling title of 2012.[131] In June 2013, Bethesda announced that over 20 million copies of the game had been sold.[132] Regarding sales on the PC, Todd Howard stated in an interview with Rock, Paper, Shotgun that, 'Skyrim did better than we've ever done on PC by a large, large number. And that's where the mods are. That feeds the game for a long time.'[133] Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, a market research firm, estimates that the game has sold 22.7 million copies worldwide.[134] In November 2016, Howard confirmed that Skyrim had sold 30 million copies since its release in 2011.[135]
Awards and legacy
Skyrim received awards from numerous gaming sites and publications. IGN and GameSpot named Skyrim 'PC Game of the Year'.[136][137] It also received GameSpot's 'Readers' Choice' award.[137] The game received the 'RPG of the Year' award from Spike TV,[138] IGN,[139]X-Play,[140] GameSpot[141] and GameSpy.[142] It received 'Overall Game of the Year' wins from Spike TV,[138] Giant Bomb,[150]X-Play,[140]Machinima.com,[143] GameSpot,[144]1UP.com,[145]Game Revolution,[146] GameSpy[147]Joystiq[148] and the Interactive Achievement Awards.[149] It was voted No. 1 in Good Game's top 100 video games of all time[151] and No. 1 in PC Gamer's 'The 100 Greatest PC Games of All Time'.[152] In Giant Bomb's 2017 Game of the Year Awards, the game was a runner-up for '2017's Old Game of the Year'.[153] The VR version was nominated for 'Best Virtual Reality Game' at the Gamescom 2017 Awards;[154] for the Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best Virtual Reality Game and the Tappan Zee Bridge Award for Best Remake (along with the Switch version) at the New York Game Awards 2018;[155] for 'Excellence in Technical Achievement' and 'VR Game of the Year' at the 2018 SXSW Gaming Awards;[156][157] and for 'Best VR/AR Game' at the 2018 Game Developers Choice Awards.[158][159] At the 17th Annual National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards, the VR version was nominated for 'Control Design, VR', 'Direction in Virtual Reality', and 'Sound Mixing in Virtual Reality', while the Switch version was nominated for 'Costume Design'.[160][161] The VR version won the award for 'Best VR Game' at the 2018 Golden Joystick Awards.[162][163]
References
External links
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Elder_Scrolls_V:_Skyrim&oldid=898747354'
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