The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

An epic fantasy action role-playing game

One of the greatest video games
ever made.

Developed by Bethesda Game Studios, this immersive open-world fantasy
adventure has captivated millions of players worldwide.

Overview

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a 2011 action role-playing 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 (2006).

The game was released worldwide for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 11, 2011. Skyrim was developed using the Creation Engine, an engine specifically created for this title. Director Todd Howard and the team opted for a unique and more diverse open world than Oblivion's Imperial Province of Cyrodiil.

Gameplay

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a fantasy action role-playing game, playable from either a first or third-person perspective. Players may freely roam the land of Skyrim, an open world environment based on Scandinavia consisting of wilderness expanses, dungeons, caves, cities, towns, fortresses, and villages.

Core Mechanics

• Character Creation: Players select their character's gender and race (10 choices including humans, elves, and orcs)
• Three Primary Attributes: Health (damage tolerance), Magicka (spell casting), and Stamina (power attacks/sprinting)
• 18 Skills System: Divided among combat, magic, and stealth schools; skills improve through use
• Perk System: Unlock skill-specific perks to enhance character abilities

Combat and Interaction

Players may engage in combat using weapons, shields, and magic, with the ability to dual-wield weapons and spells. The game features a sophisticated NPC system allowing players to engage in dialogue, marry NPCs, join factions, and recruit companions. Special features include:

• Dragon Shouts (Thu'um): Powerful spells learned by absorbing dragon souls
• Fast Travel System: Quickly travel to previously discovered locations
• Stealth and Pickpocketing: Silent approach to gameplay
• Crafting and Enchanting: Create and enhance equipment

Open World Freedom

The game continues the open world tradition by allowing players to travel to discovered locations at any time and ignore or postpone the main storyline indefinitely. Players may encounter wildlife, including dragons—a first for The Elder Scrolls series in the wilderness.

Synopsis

Setting

Skyrim is set 200 years after the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and is not a direct sequel. The game takes place in Skyrim, the northernmost province of Tamriel on the planet Nirn. A cold and mountainous region, Skyrim is divided into nine administrative sections called "holds," each governed by a jarl.

The land is embroiled in civil conflict between the Empire and the Stormcloaks, a rebellion led by Ulfric Stormcloak. Additionally, the Aldmeri Dominion, led by the intolerant Thalmor sect, has enforced restrictions on religious practices throughout the Empire.

Main Story

The player character is the Dragonborn, a being capable of absorbing dragon souls and learning their powerful spells. The main storyline focuses on the player's quest to defeat Alduin the World-Eater, a dragon prophesied to destroy the world.

Key plot points include:

• Discovering the player's Dragonborn nature after absorbing a dragon's soul
• Training with the Greybeards, an order of monks dedicated to the Way of the Voice
• Learning the powerful "Dragonrend" shout to make dragons vulnerable
• Recruiting allies and battling Alduin in the Nordic afterlife, Sovngarde

Notable Characters

• Alduin: The primary antagonist and World-Eater dragon
• Paarthurnax: The last surviving dragon and grandmaster of the Greybeards
• Delphine and Esbern: Members of the Blades, dragon hunters
• Arngeir: Leader of the Greybeards
• Ulfric Stormcloak: Leader of the Stormcloak rebellion

Development

Having completed work on Oblivion in 2006, Bethesda Game Studios began planning the next entry in The Elder Scrolls series. From the outset, the team decided to set the new game in the land of Skyrim, incorporating dragons into the main theme. Full development began following the release of Fallout 3 in 2008.

Design Philosophy

The team set the game in Skyrim, designing it by hand. While similar in size to Oblivion's game world, the mountainous topography inflates the game space and makes it more difficult to traverse. The team aimed to recapture the "wonder of discovery" found in earlier Elder Scrolls games while creating a more unique and culturally distinctive world than Oblivion's generic fantasy setting.

Key design features included:

• Nine Unique Holds: Each topographically distinct with varied socioeconomic backgrounds
• Hand-Crafted World: Abandoned generated landscapes; 150 dungeons designed by a team of eight
• 244 Quests: Over 300 points of interest with map markers and numerous unmarked locations
• 10 Unique Races: Enhanced cultural distinctions and racial interactions

Creation Engine

Skyrim is powered by Bethesda's Creation Engine, forked from the Fallout 3 codebase. Major improvements include:

• Extended draw distance allowing detailed far-off viewing
• Dynamic lighting creating realistic shadows from any structure
• Enhanced weather effects, including dynamic snowfall
• Improved animation systems using Havok's behavior toolset
• Updated Radiant AI artificial intelligence system

Audio and Voice Acting

The game employed Jeremy Soule to compose the music, who previously worked on Morrowind and Oblivion. The main theme "Dragonborn" was recorded with a 30-person choir singing in the fictional dragon language. The voice acting includes over 70 actors delivering more than 60,000 lines of dialogue, featuring Academy Award nominees including Max von Sydow, Christopher Plummer, and Joan Allen.

Marketing and Release

Skyrim was announced at the Spike Video Game Awards on December 11, 2010, with Todd Howard presenting the announcement trailer. The game was featured as the cover story for Game Informer magazine's February 2011 issue, with a fifteen-page article revealing story and gameplay details.

Release Platforms

Marketing Strategy

The team announced plans for downloadable content (DLC) packages before release. Howard expressed the team's intention to release fewer DLC packages with larger content than Fallout 3, avoiding the "chaotic" approach of numerous low-content packages.

Special retail editions included the Collector's Edition (featuring a 12-inch Alduin figurine and concept art book) and Premium Edition packages with physical extras.

Additional Content

Official Expansions

Three major downloadable content expansions were released:

Creation Club and Community Content

Through Creation Club, 74 small downloadable content packs ("Creations") were released for the Special Edition between 2017 and 2021. A wide variety of official and fan-created modifications are available through Nexus Mods and the Steam Workshop, including graphical enhancements, gameplay tweaks, new locations, and total conversion mods.

Notable community mods include Enderal: The Shards of Order, a total conversion sequel to Nehrim: At Fate's Edge, and The Forgotten City, which was later adapted into a standalone game.

Reception

Skyrim received critical acclaim upon release, earning near-universal praise from major gaming publications.

Critical Scores

Critical Praise

Critics particularly praised:

• Removal of Character Class System: Allowed players to experiment with different skills without early commitments
• Perk System: Enabled unique character customization and playstyle flexibility
• World Design: Praised the shift from Oblivion's generic fantasy to Skyrim's Nordic aesthetic and hand-crafted feel
• Dungeon Design: Elimination of repetitive copy-paste dungeons in favor of unique, individualized designs
• Visual Fidelity: Improvements in graphics, draw distance, and environmental detail
• Quest Variety: Extensive content outside the main storyline

Critical Reception

Reviewers noted that Skyrim is considered one of the greatest video games ever made and is credited with influencing later fantasy and open world games. The game's massive commercial and critical success established it as a landmark title in video game history.