
Each of the factions has an associated quest path to progress through. The player may choose to join factions, organized groups of NPCs-for example, the Dark Brotherhood, a band of assassins. Some NPCs who are befriended or hired by the player may act as companions who will accompany the player and aid them in combat. NPCs frequently offer the player additional side-quests some have parameters adjusted based on nearby unexplored areas. It is also possible to bribe or persuade guards if the crime is a minor offense. If the player is detained by a guard, they may eliminate their bounty with gold, serve jail time or resist arrest, triggering combat.

If witnessed, crimes like murder and theft accrue the player a bounty which is tracked independently in each of Skyrim's nine holds. Some NPCs cannot be killed because of their significance to the narrative. As in previous games in the series, killing certain NPCs can make some quests or items unobtainable. Non-player characters (NPCs) populate the world the player may engage them in conversation, marry predetermined ones, or engage them in lethal or nonlethal combat. Players may navigate the game world more quickly by riding horses, paying for a ride from a city's stable or by utilizing a fast-travel system which allows them to warp to previously discovered locations. The player may freely roam over the land of Skyrim-an open world environment consisting of wilderness expanses, dungeons, caves, cities, towns, fortresses, and villages. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an action role-playing game, playable from either a first or third-person perspective.
Skyrim vs skyrim special edition series#
See also: Gameplay of The Elder Scrolls series

In addition, the Special Edition was released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S as part of a compilation titled The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Anniversary Edition in November 2021. A separate VR-only version, titled The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR, was released in November 2017 for PlayStation 4 using PlayStation VR, and for Windows-based VR headsets in April 2018. A port for the Nintendo Switch was released on November 2017. It includes all three DLC expansions and a graphical upgrade. A remastered version, titled The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in October 2016. Three downloadable content (DLC) add-ons were released separately - Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn, which were bundled along with the base game into The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Legendary Edition and released in June 2013. The game shipped over seven million copies to retailers within the first week of its release, and over 30 million copies on all platforms as of November 2016, making it one of the best selling video games in history. Critics consider Skyrim one of the greatest video games of all time. Minor criticism targeted the melee combat, dragon battles, and the numerous technical issues present at launch.

Upon release, the game received critical acclaim, with praise for its character advancement, world design, visuals, and dual-wielding combat. The team opted for a unique and more diverse open world than Oblivion 's Imperial Province of Cyrodiil, which game director and executive producer Todd Howard considered less interesting by comparison. Skyrim was developed using the Creation Engine, rebuilt specifically for the game. The game continues the open-world tradition of its predecessors by allowing the player to travel anywhere in the game world at any time, and to ignore or postpone the main storyline indefinitely. Over the course of the game, the player completes quests and develops the character by improving skills. The game is set 200 years after the events of Oblivion and takes place in Skyrim, the northernmost province of Tamriel. The game's main story revolves around the player's character, the Dragonborn, on their quest to defeat Alduin the World-Eater, a dragon who is prophesied to destroy the world. It is the fifth main installment in the Elder Scrolls series, following 2006's The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on November 11, 2011. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an open-world action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks.
