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‘Skyrim: Special Edition’ Improvements And Downgrades You Shouldn’t Miss

By Jovi Figueroa
Published on: 05:46 PST, Oct 30, 2016

Yet to (or did you) get The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition? If you’ve hardly noticed or weren’t made aware of, here are some easy improvements and downgrades you’ll experience in-game.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition has just released, five years after the original Skyrim game released for the older-generation consoles Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and PC. In fact, five years after the original came out, fans of the franchise continue to reminisce the whimsy and the beauty of the game, encouraging its developer Bethesda to release the remastered Special Edition.

The new Special Edition Skyrim promises to deliver better graphics and better overall performance, plus the bonus of console-compatible mods, which was first introduced by Bethesda in Fallout 4. In addition to a copy of the full Skyrim game, purchasing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition also gives you access to all three DLC packs released for the game: Dragonborn, Dawnguard, and Hearthfire.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition did get mixed reviews from various media outlets, but however subtle the improvements are, Gaming Bolt notes that the Special Edition gives an overall more beautiful and efficient gameplay, amplifying the charm of the original Skyrim game. In fact, the beauty of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is in the details. Kotaku found YouTuber Brodual, who expertly and comprehensively tackles the improvements of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition. These improvements are not in the very least grand but at the end, it makes a more powerful visual and enhanced gameplay for a returning fan or a newcomer to the franchise.

Two of the first improvements that Brodual discusses is rain occlusion and water flow, which were neglected in the 2011 version of Skyrim. In the original version, rain and snow would sometimes clip through roofs and structures that in 2014, modders were forced to introduce a rain occlusion mod to the Skyrim-playing public to achieve the desired effect. The original Skyrim game, too, did not give much attention to water movement, especially in rivers where sometimes water would not follow the river’s actual current. Both of these transgressions were fixed in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, creating a more realistic art and environment that will be enjoyed by players.

Another interesting improvement that is sure to greatly affect gameplay is the improved overall stability, which was tested and enjoyed firsthand by Brodual. Summoning hundreds of Imperial guards in the original Skyrim would undoubtedly create a major hang and lag fest, coupled with unresponsive guards and game crashes. In TheElder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, Brodual tries the same trick and finds that frame rate is steady at 60 FPS.

This, however, is still a subject of debate since WCC Tech reports that a number of PC users are not enjoying this performance boost in the PC port. Apparently, the game still struggles even when being powered by a GTX 1070 or GTX 1080, two of some of the most powerful graphics cards available at the moment. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 ports of TheElder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, however, are safe from this issue.

Another issue plaguing TheElder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is that players are noticing of the downgraded audio quality, Polygonreports. First unearthed by a Reddit user, apparently, the audio of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition comes in super compressed xwm format, making it audibly less pleasing compared to the uncompressed wav format of the original Skyrim game. And what’s interesting is that this audio irregularity has been noticed only in PC and Xbox One ports of the Special Edition. The PS4 port of the Special Edition seemed fine, according to Reddit reports.

With the performance boost-slash-fail and the audio compression inconsistent in the different ports of TheElder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, players are left wondering, is it all a terribly huge oversight by Bethesda?

Rest assured, audio wise, Bethesda has already responded via Reddit.

“We’re currently testing a fix and hope to have an update out next week.”

And if you’re just starting on the game (again or as a Skyrim virgin), then you’ll be pleased that Bethesda has also fixed a bug where the Torturer’s Hood, once an unobtainable item in the original Skyrim game, could now be looted from the torturer in Helgen.

Happy with these improvements or disappointed about these minor roadblocks in TheElder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition? Regardless, happy playing!

[Featured Image by Bethesda]

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