There’s Always A New Way To Play Skyrim

Fresh ways to experience Bethesda’s best RPG.

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I’ve played Skyrim for hundreds of hours across multiple platforms, and yet I’m still finding new ways to enjoy it. This speaks to the depth of the game’s systems and the peerless freedom of its sandbox. It’s not so much an RPG as a fantasy simulator, letting you have just about any kind of experience you want—whether through mods or just the wealth of content in the vanilla game.

The enduring power of Skyrim is impressive. Bethesda repeatedly launching it on every platform under the sun is a factor, sure. But it’s also the customisable, freeform, systems-driven nature of the game itself that keeps people coming back. Not to mention a thriving, creative mod scene that was so important to the experience, Bethesda somehow made them work on consoles.

There are countless ways to play Skyrim, and below I’ll share some of my favourites. Even if you think you’ve seen everything the game has to offer, these play styles can breathe new life into it. From focusing entirely on melee combat to role-playing as a mudcrab (yes, really), these are some of the most fun, challenging, offbeat ways to spend your time in Skyrim.

NPC

Forget being the Dragonborn. Be a nobody. No quests, no monster slaying: just making an honest living. You work through the day—hunting, chopping wood, picking crops—to earn enough money for three square meals and a bed at an inn. To make it a bit more focused, set yourself a monetary goal, like earning enough gold to afford your own house. It’s a lot more fun than it sounds.

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Pure mage

If you’ve ever played Skyrim as a mage, you’ve probably dual-wielded a spell with a sword for those moments when you ran out of magicka. But try playing as a pure mage who shuns weapons, relying entirely on spells in combat. Make use of Destruction perks and magicka-boosting robes and you can freeze, burn, and shock your way through Skyrim without swinging an axe once.

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Survivalist

By using the popular Frostfall mod, or the official survival mode that was made free in the Anniversary Edition, you can make the land of Skyrim itself as formidable a foe as any enemy. Try travelling through the coldest, roughest parts of the country and seeing how long you can survive, foraging for food, finding shelter to rest in, and dealing with nasty diseases and injuries.

Illusionist

This school of magic is largely focused on defence buffs and distraction, but it is possible to play through the game using only Illusion spells. I mean, it isn’t much fun, but it presents a stiff, and unusual, challenge. Spells like Fury, which makes enemies turn on their allies, are your friends. It feels pretty great standing back, safely hidden in a bush, watching a group of bandits kill themselves.

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Pacifist

Assuming ‘pacifist’ means not killing anyone directly, it’s fun going through Skyrim without lifting a finger in anger. Using Conjuration spells you can reanimate corpses to fight for you, or hire mercenaries to do your dirty work. You can also lure enemies into rock falls, swinging blades, and other traps. Or just knock ’em off a cliff with a dragon shout. Get creative with it.

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Thief

If you’re feeling light-fingered, try becoming the most legendary thief in all of Skyrim. Pick a fancy building—or even an entire town—and make it your goal to pilfer absolutely everything that isn’t nailed down without the inhabitants suspecting a thing. If you’re a member of the Thieves Guild you can sell your ill-gotten treasures to Tonilia the Fence for a tidy, illicit profit.

Unarmed

For reasons unknown, Skyrim removed the unarmed skill tree that featured in Oblivion, making it a much less viable play style. But you can make a punching-focused character with a bit of experimentation, such as using enchanted rings, playing as a Khajit (claws cause extra melee damage), and using gear like the Gloves of the Pugilist to batter enemies senseless.

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Shield Basher

With a few choice perks, you can rampage through Skyrim using a shield as your primary weapon. Fortify your Block ability and you can stagger enemies, disarm them, and deflect just about anything—including magic. Combine this with a high-level shield and you’ll turn into an unstoppable tank. The only downside is that it’s a major stamina drain. Make sure you have lots of potions.

Mudcrab

This is not a viable play style, but it’s a lot of very silly fun, so definitely worth trying at least once. With a mod called Playable Monster Mod, you can transform into any creature or monster in Skyrim—including essentially useless ones like cows, chickens, and mudcrabs. You won’t last long in a fight, so enable god mode and just enjoy pincering people to death with your tiny claws.

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Stealth archer

No matter what character you set out to play as in Skyrim, you always end up a stealth archer. It’s become a joke among fans of the game, but it’s true, because it’s one of the most fun and effective ways to play the game. Get the right gear, weapons, and perks and you can become a formidable ranged fighter, able to wipe out entire camps and dungeons completely silently.

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Wabbajack

If you want to bring some chaos to Skyrim, consider a playthrough where the only weapon you use is the Wabbajack. This staff causes random magical effects when fired. It might make enemies flee in terror, launch a powerful fireball at them, transform them into a wheel of cheese, or if you’re really lucky, make them simply explode. It’s a wildly unpredictable way to play the game.

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Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/new-ways-to-play-skyrim/