WEB EXCLUSIVE

I know I know it’s been a week since the game came out, but better late than never, right? The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition was released on Oct. 28. I have been playing this game every day since it came out to be able to write this review.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition (Skyrim for short) is an open-world role-playing game. The new upgraded version of the game has better graphics and includes all the downloadable content (DLC). The new version is available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. To read more about theses DLCs I have included a link that will send you to my blog where I talked more about the DLCs. Click here to read more about the DLC.

So, here is the moment we all have been waiting (and counting down) for. Enter the world of dragons as you explore the world province of Skyrim, a land filled with magic and war. The setting of the game is during a civil war between the Stormcloaks (the rebels) and the Imperials (the rulers of Skyrim). Discover the cause of the war and fight with the Stormcloaks or Imperials. Fight dragons and devour their souls to gain more power.

As you first start the game you are a captured prisoner and are being led to your execution, but a dragon attacks and you escape with the other prisoners. After you escape, you are free to roam the land of Skyrim and discover new locations to add to your map, which allows you to fast travel. In the old version of the game, which was on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC, the loading took forever. It didn’t matter where you were loading to: your house, outside, halfway across the world. All you saw was the loading screen for about five minutes. But, now this problem is fixed and there is no more wait.

Graphics

The graphics are the most notable updated features that you can see. There’re many new texture skins that they added, making the environment better to see, but the rocks look like the same old thing and the battle styles do not look like they have been touched. The lighting is a new feature: with the god rays, the light will shine down between trees and buildings, making you stare at the view but only until you find out that you’re about to get killed by a dragon.

Dragons

Now, I don’t know if this is just in my file, but the random encounters with dragons are less prevalent in the new version than the old one. I have a copy of Skyrim for the PlayStation 3, and in that file I keep finding and killing dragons. But, this Special Edition, there were only a few encounters with dragons. Maybe Bethesda decreased the encounters, or I might still be in the start of the game period, or it’s just me. Fighting them proves to be more difficult because of the new boundary around the dragons. This boundary prevents you from getting close to the dragon or walking inside of it, making it a realistic effect. But, because you can’t get too close, hitting the dragon is hard. You have to aim your sword to the area that lets you hurt the dragon, which are the legs, tail, wings and head.

Leveling Up

Again, this might just be me, but leveling up is a lot faster in Special Edition. In the old version I was at level 58. It took forever to get that far and I got a lot of hours in that game. But in Special Edition I reached level 30 in a week, with few hours in it. For those of you who are new to the game, to level up you need to increase your skills. This can be done by doing things that have requirements, for instance, when you are making new armor, you increases your smithing skill. Each skill can be increased to 100. After a certain amount of skill has been increased, you will be able to level up. When you level up you are given the option to chose to upgrade your health, stamina, or magicka. This up upgrade will increase those options by 10 points. In addition to the 10 points, you get one perk per level up. Perks can be used to increases your skills, such as making different types of armor, when you have enough skill points to unlock it. Remember, to level up faster you need to work on all the skills at the same time.

Quest

Quests are the main thing in Skyrim. There are many types of quests and some require a certain level before you begin them. That’s why it’s very important to level up. There are multiple events going on in Skyrim as you play. Playing quest will give you unique awards that you won’t just find in nature. There are many types of quests that the player can play through.

The Main Quest: This is the actual story of what the game is about. Dragons have reappeared and you need to discover who you are before you can stop the leader of the Dragons, Alduin, from destroying the world.

The Daedric Quest: These quests have one or two endings, all ending in different awards that are super powerful. The Daedric are “gods” from Oblivion that are watching the mortals and picking them to do their dirty work. For each of the Daedric quests you complete, you earn a Deadric artifact. These artifacts are very powerful and you should use them when you can. But, not every person will get the same artifact, since the quests have different endings leading to different artifacts with different powers. Some times the power of the artifact depends on your level. So the higher level you are, the more powerful the artifact is. Artifacts can be anything: a weapon, armor, or an item:Any way, they are very powerful.

The Dark Brotherhood: This quest line focuses on the Dark Brotherhood, a group of assassins. And yes, you are able to join them and become an assassin. If you need a quick coin, someone only wants some else killed and this is where the assassins tie in.

The Companions: Want to howl to the moon at night? Well this is your chance. The Companions quest line will turn you into a werewolf, giving you more power while you’re a beast.

The Civil War: As mentioned in the beginning of the game, Skyrim is currently in a civil war between the Empire and the Stormcloaks. You are able to pick a side you choose to fight for and put an end to the war. Only one will remain on top, and that’s up to you to decide.

Overall, the game still blows my mind. With the open world, there are many adventures waiting.