With the release of the 4K patch for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim coming to the Xbox One X, I found myself getting completely hooked again.
I do miss the ability to add mods (there are some really good ones) without having achievements turned off but still this game manages to grab me and not let go. Pretty amazing considering the game is six years old now.
So just like the first time I played the game way back on the 360, I find myself playing a Nord again, only this time I’m fighting for Ulfric and not the Imperials. I’ve just hit level 34 and love being a blacksmith (I have just maxed out my blacksmith skill). Being an enchanter isn’t something I’ve really done before but I am starting to see a pretty good advantage for doing so.
Your followers are still very useful when you are in a fight, and they can carry quite a bit of loot. Note the Nordic armour I made.
There is just so much to do and it is really amazing just how much content there is when you combine all the DLC. That is one thing I am enjoying with this latest play through as I only really played through the vanilla version multiple times, apart from the Hearthfire DLC. Once again I’ve built Lakeview Manor. I intend on saving enough money in game to build the other two dwellings that come with Hearthfire.
Yes, the game is starting to show its age with the facial animations but that doesn’t stop me from exploring the vast world once again. The multitude of interesting quests, plus the huge exploration area makes this game an easy one to come back to.
The Creation Tools menu. Some very useful items here. You can also improve these items even further with your blacksmith skills.
Bethesda has introduced “Creation Tools” to both Skyrim and Fallout 4. These are sanctioned mods, in the form of equipment and other items, that you can pay for with real money and they are then added to the game. This means any Creation Tool items won’t disable achievements because these mods have been approved by Bethesda.
At times some of them are provided free too, which is how I found out about the Creation Tool section in the first place. The items I have purchased have been quite useful and unique, and even though you do pay for them it isn’t nearly as bad as the horse armour debacle in Oblivion a few years back. I like this concept because it means that great open world games are still being supported in some way as well.
So much variety in the game world – I love it.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is just so good it demands to be played and replayed. I have tried multiple times to get into The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel and unfortunately it just doesn’t do it for me. Skyrim does so much right that I just want to keep returning to the fully fleshed out world.
The Late Night Session 
I’m glad you’re enjoying Skyrim again :). I’ve been debating on whether or not to buy it on my Switch since I already own the best version on PC. I’m not against the Creation Club at all, but I haven’t bought anything from it yet because it pales in comparison to the mods already available on PC. Skyrim is my favorite game of all time so I’ll most likely end up buying it for the Switch after Christmas. ESO has gotten much better by the way. I have two maxed out characters and I play it regularly with my wife. I was a huge ESO hater when it released, but I have to give Zenimax some credit for the job they’ve done with improving the game.
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Thanks for the feedback on ESO. I might have to try it again. If I had a decent PC I would be playing Skyrim on that still too and agree with you about the mods. I like achievements though which is why I’m playing on the Xbox again.
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Steam has achievements too. And I personally don’t care for them. I have over 1000 hours of play time on Skyrim and not a single achievement because I modded my game.
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I’ll be honest, I couldn’t care less about Steam Achievements but I do feel a sense of reward with the Xbox ones. I guess we are all different 🙂
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I feel the same way about all achievements to be honest. I play my games to have a good time. I could care less about a pop up saying I’ve unlocked something. Never got the appeal to it.
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I am still an Xbox Achievement addict… I know it’s not much of a novelty anymore but I still get that little tinge of excitement when the notification pops up. 🙂
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I don’t necessarily go out of my way too much to get an achievement and tend to just enjoy the game more now. I was pretty bad originally but found achievement hunting detracted from enjoying the game, so I stopped.
Having said that I’m a bit like Night Owl – I still get a kick out of Xbox One achievements.
Starting playing some ESO tonight – I have to say it has improved quite a bit. Still can’t seem to defeat some drunk Nords though to convince them to fight 🙂
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I never stopped playing Skyrim! This is so refreshing to read though 🙂
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Good to hear of another long term Skyrim gamer. The game just continues to thrive and has been released on so many platforms now, including The Switch and Playstation VR. Shows the longevity of the title.
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