Cornbread78
Member
Original Skyrim release accalades:
Metacritic:
360: 96
PC: 94
PS3: 92
Over 20 million copies sold:
NeoGAF loves Skyrim and it gets the praise it deserves here
Game of the Year Awards:
It won Game of the Year awards from the following publications:
Spike, X-Play, Machinima's inside Gaming, Gamespot, TGN, Gamespy, 1UP, Game Informer, Joystiq, GameFAQs, Giant Bomb, Gamefront, UGO, OXM, Kotaku, Team Xbox, GameTrailers, USA Today Game Hunters, Yahoo, Electric Playground, Split Screen, New York Daily News, Gamingbolt, RipTen, PlanetXbox, Game Revolution, and Destructoid. Plus many other online publications.
Blue Ninja's Previous OT's of Greatness:
Skyrim OT1
Skyrim OT2
Dragonborn OT
Modding discussion thread
Elder Scrolls Community Thread
New Related Threads for the Special Edition:
Special Edition PC Performance Thread
Special Edition Mod Discussion Thread
Special Edition Screenshot Thread
Release Date: October 28th, 2016
Initial release date: November 11, 2011 (PS3/360/PC)
Series: The Elder Scrolls
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Website:http://www.elderscrolls.com/
Bethesda Blog: https://bethesda.net/
Genre: Open world, ARPG
Modes: Single Player Only
Price: $59.99
*Free for PC owners that already bought the game and all three DLC packs or the "Legendary" edition. The free upgrade promotion on the PC is a limited-time offer -- the 28th is the final day. Anybody who completes their Skyrim collection after the 28th will not receive the Special Edition.*
Quick product Links:
Wal-Mart
Best Buy
Target
Amazon
Game Stop
Steam Link
Box Art:
Included DLC:
◾Dawnguard: The debut expansion focused on vampires, giving players the choice to join them or hunt them down alongside the titular Dawnguard organisation. It added new questlines, weapons - such as the crossbow - armours and perks, including skill trees for vampires and warewolves. Dan Whitehead was mostly positive impression in his 7/10 Dawnguard review, saying: "If all you want is a solid side quest and some good loot, this will scratch that itch."
◾Hearthfire: The odd-one-out of the trio, this allowed players to build their own home in one of several pre-set locations, as well as the ability to adopt a child. Closer in line with Fallout 4's base building than a true expansion, it got mixed impressions in our Hearthfire review at the time.
◾Dragonborn: The third and final Skyrim expansion adds the island of Solstheim, and the chance to tame and ride Dragons. New weapons, quests, enemies, armour pieces and Dragon Shouts were also added. It was a sizable add-on and the best of the bunch, earning a 9/10 in Dan Whitehead's Dragonborn review: "This isn't DLC. This is an expansion, like in the good old days."
Dawnguard:
Dawnguard was the first piece of DLC released. Players were introduced to Harkon, an ancient vampire living off the coast of Skyrim. Harkon is opposed by the Dawnguard, an age-old group of warriors who seek to thwart the vampires and avert their ultimate goal: the destruction of the sun. The player can side with either of these factions.
Hearthfire:
Hearthfire was the second piece of DLC released. You can purchase land and build your own home from the ground up - from a simple one-room cottage to a sprawling compound complete with an armory, alchemy laboratory, stable, garden, and more. Use all-new tools like the drafting table and carpenter’s workbench to transform quarried stone, clay, and sawn logs into structures and furnishings. Even transform your house into a home by adopting children
and protect their homestead from vicious giants and marauding bandits.
Dragonborn:
Drgonborn was the third piece of DLC released. Journey off the coast of Morrowind, to the island of Solstheim. Encounter new towns, dungeons, and quests, as you traverse the ash wastes and glacial valleys of this new land. Become more powerful with shouts that bend the will of your enemies and even tame dragons. Your fate, and the fate of Solstheim, hangs in the balance as you face off against your deadliest adversary – the first Dragonborn.
PC System Specs:
Minimum:
Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit Version)
Intel i5-750/AMD Phenom II X4-945.
8GB of ram.
12 GB free HDD space
NVIDIA GTX 470 1GB /AMD HD 7870 2GB
Recommended:
Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit Version)
Intel i5-2400/AMD FX-8320.
8GB of ram.
12 GB free HDD space
NVIDIA GTX 780 3GB /AMD R9 290 4GB
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Special Edition NeoGAF PC Performance Thread
Console Storage Needs:
PS4
20 GB (North America)
33 GB (Europe)
Xbox One
17 GB (North America)
25 GB (Europe)
The game is set two hundred years after the events of Oblivion and takes place in the fictional province of Skyrim
It has been 200 years since Martin Septim sacrificed himself to permanently seal the barriers between Nirn and Oblivion.
With the death of the last Septim, the Empire lost its last legitimate leader. As each province tried to reassert its independence,
it pulled itself apart. It was the dawn of the Fourth Era, but there was no Empire left to greet it.
Much has happened since then. The Mane was assasinated in Elsweyr. The Argonians, tired of chafing under Dunmer slavemasters,
revolted and conquered the south of Morrowind as Red Mountain erupted in the north. The Dunmer scattered to the winds. Titus Mede
seized the Imperial City and became Emperor. The Thalmor seized control in the Summerset Isle and Valenwood, reestablishing
the Aldmeri Dominion. Umbriel, a floating city fueled by the souls of its victims, drew a swath of destruction across all of Tamriel.
The moons mysteriously vanished, only to reappear two years later. The Aldmeri Dominion and the Empire went to war. The Imperial City
changed hands two times in just as many years. The White-Gold Concordat was signed. Hammerfell seceded from the Empire and pushed
back its Elven invaders. The High King of Skyrim was murdered by one of his Jarls, plunging the land into a bloody civil war.
As the sons of Skyrim spilled their own blood, the Elder Scrolls' final prophecy was fulfilled. The chain of events set in motion by
the Eternal Champion came to a grinding halt. The Staff of Chaos, the Warp in the West, the rise of the Nerevarine, the opening of
the Oblivion gates; all these events were omens that our time on this world is limited. And now our time has run out.
Amidst the chaos of war, dragons have returned to Tamriel. These ancient creatures are the heralds of our end, their message
one of fire and death. Now, they sweep across Tamriel, paving the way for their master: Alduin the World Eater, who will
bathe the world in flame until nothing but ashes remain.
But, there is still hope. There is one the dragons fear. In their tongue he is "Dovahkiin"... Dragonborn.
*If this is your first foray into Skyrim, I would recommend taking a look through Blue Ninja's OT1, which includes tons of information on races, class, story lore as well as the world of Skyrim; OT2 includes more information on the DLC as well. Both OTs are linked above.
Updates from last gen:
Skyrim remastered will have resolution, framerate and visual upgrades
While Bethesda has yet to confirm specifics themselves, it is believed that the PS4 and Xbox One Skyrim Special Edition versions will be 1080p at 30 frames per second; in-line with what we've seen from Fallout 4 on console. As always on PC should expect more customization in this area.
Meanwhile, the visual upgrades on all systems in the Special Edition include:
◾Remastered art and effects
◾Volumetric lighting "God rays"
◾Dynamic Depth of Field
◾Screen-space reflections
◾New snow shaders
◾New water shaders
◾Mod Support on Consoles
◾Native 4K support for the PS4 Pro
PC Upgrades:
PC users will benefit too, with "a visible difference" between the remaster and the 2011 release, with the landscape improved by new assets; plants, mushrooms, stones and extra trees are more liberally dotted around the world. Additions to the lighting also make a significant difference in the visual experience for PC gamers.
◾64-bit support, allowing the game to access more RAM than the original 32-bit edition
◾Support for existing mods as well as those uploaded through Bethesda.net's own Creation Kit
◾Support for saves from the original Skyrim in the Special Edition
◾Available free for existing Steam users who own the original game and all expansions (Dragonborn, Hearthfire and Dawnguard) or the Legendary Edition
Skyrim PS4, Xbox One vs Skyrim Xbox 360, PS3
◾Improved visuals, including remastered, higher resolution art and effects, volumetric god rays, dynamic depth of field and more
◾In-game mod support
◾All post-release DLC - Dragonborn, Hearthfire and Dawnguard - included
Skyrim remastered PC - how does the Special Edition compare to the original?
- Full 1080p, LOD same as PC on Ultra, new assets in game, mod support etc.
- Landscape improved by new assets; plants, mushrooms, stones and extra trees are more liberally dotted around the initial Riverwood village
- New depth of field effect
Comparison image:
(gif c/o Eurogamer)
Skyrim remastered mods on PS4, Xbox One, PC
For the first time on consoles, PS4 and Xbox One players will be able to download free mods to Skyrim. The recent launch of mods in Fallout 4 allowed players to customize their adventure with graphical tweaks, new sound effects and even entire new missions, and with 800 mods available from day one on Xbox One, expect similar healthy support for Skyrim upon release.
Mods in Skyrim Special Edition on consoles will be accessed in the same way as Fallout 4 on Xbox One via an in-game menu option. From there, you log into a Bethesda.net account, displaying all supported mods that have been uploaded through the publisher's Creation Kit. On Fallout 4, the storage limit for mods is at 2GB on Xbox One - and pre-release, 900MB on PS4 - though it's unknown what the limit will be with Skyrim: Special Edition.
What mods can we expect to play on console? Though nothing has been confirmed yet, the game's initial trailer gave us some mock up examples as a possible taste, from More Adoptable Children to Faster Wood Chopping, Cats! and Cow Armour - likely a tongue-in-cheek to that infamous Horse Armour Oblivion DLC.
On PC, while you are able to use existing mods in the new release, it will also support those uploaded through Bethesda.net's own Creation Kit library.
*Mods on the PS4 cannot contain user-created assets while XB1 mods can. In addition, players will be allowed to have approximately 1 GB devoted to mods on the PS4. The XB1 allows players 5 GBs of mods.
Bethesda Mod Site:
https://mods.bethesda.net/#de/workshop/skyrim
XB1 Mod Site link
PS4 Mod Site link
Windows Mod Site link
PS4 Pro Screens:
Digital Foundry Pro Patch Thread:
Digital Foundry Reviews the Skyrim SE with the PS4 Pro
Videos:
Skyrim Special Edition - Worth it? - Exclusive XB1 Footage
Skyrim Special Edition Announcement trailer
Digital Foundry Special Edition vs Original Video
PS4 vs. PS3 Comparison Video
XB1 Mods in action
More Mods in Action
PS4 footage
From one side of the map to the other
Game Reviews:
Bethesda's Statement on Early review copies of their games
Metacritic:
PC
PS4
XB1
Trophies:
PS4 Trophies
XB1 Achievements
*It’s worth noting that those who plan to play the massive open-world game with mods enabled won’t be getting trophies, as mods will disable them. So, Trophy hunters will have to play the game regularly."
Playstation Lifestyle Article
* Special Thank you to BGBW for the awesome banner as usual! Also, Thank you to Blue Ninja for his review, assets and title (lots of additional info in the OT links above!)
