Be honest: playing vanilla Skyrim in the year of our Lord 2021 is not the play. Sure, recent editions of Skyrim come with some Creation Club mods (which are better than nothing), but the internet is filled with a consistent stream of game-altering goodness that we now can’t live without. Prior to the recent release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition, news broke that the game would break a number of popular mods in what would become dubbed as the ‘modpocalypse.’ Fans took shelter and started uninstalling. However, thanks to Bethesda’s foresight and game developer extrwi, disaster has been averted. An SKSE update was prepared ahead of release, allowing players to keep SkyUI and all mods that depend on it.
When the game’s Special Edition launched in 2016, it broke SKSE and SkyUI, two must-have installations to run many fan-made mods. For a very long time, fans speculated that SKSE would never come to Special Edition, leaving creators in a tough position. Many found complex workarounds, but it looks like the Anniversary Edition has avoided this awful scenario entirely.
One curious issue Skyrim Anniversary Edition is having almost sounds too ridiculous to be true: it’s running too well. Even those with the Special Edition may notice strange issues when booting up the game, including blank screens with the music still playing. This is due to the title’s automatic update from Visual Studio 2015 to Visual Studio 2019, which is causing the game to run scripts faster than before. It seems that uninstalling any heavily scripted mods–such as those which add followers–is fixing the problem. Something to keep in mind until the issue is addressed.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is now available on all platforms except, strangely, the Nintendo Switch. This title follows the game’s original release in 2011, Legendary Edition in 2013, Special Edition in 2016, and Skyrim VR in 2018, and includes the Dragonborn, Hearthfire, and Dawnguard DLCs. It also includes all previously-released Creation Club mods along with some new selections and a new fishing system. For those buying the Anniversary Edition flat-out, it will cost $49.99. For those who already own the Special Edition, an upgrade will set you back $19.99.
