The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim is a single - player role - playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks . It is the fifth installment in action / adventure RPG fantasy , and follows by approximately 200 years , during the Fourth Era . The game was announced on November 11 , 2010 at the Spike Video Game Awards in Topeka , with a release date of November 11 , 2011 . It features Radiant A . I . , along with Radiant Storytelling or Radiant Story , to help enhance quests , and a new and improved graphics engine . On June 12th , 2016 , Bethesda announced that a of the game would be released for the PC , Xbox One , and PS4 on October 28th , 2016 . The remastered version will include improved graphics , such as snow shaders and volumetric God rays , and will also include the ability to download mods on the main menu . People who own the game on Steam and have either the Legendary Edition or all three add - ons will be able to download the remastered version for free . Versions for the PlayStation VR and Nintendo Switch released on November 17th , 2017 . Plot . Two hundred years have passed since the events of , and it is now 4E 201 . The High King of Skyrim has been killed , and the threat of Civil War looms over the land of Skyrim ; One side wishes to secede from the weakened Third Empire , while the other wishes to remain a part of it . To make matters worse , this schism is the final event in a prophecy foretold by the Elder Scrolls that will lead to the return of the dragons under Alduin , the Nord ic god of destruction . The player starts the game on a cart heading for the chopping block after being caught with the Stormcloaks in an ambush by the Imperial Legion . As the player lays their head on the chopping block , the dragon Alduin attacks . In the midst of the chaos , Hadvar , several Stormcloaks , along with their leader and fellow prisoner , Ulfric Stormcloak , assist in the player ' s escape . The player may choose between the assistance of Ralof , the Stormcloak who arrived with Ulfric , or Hadvar , the Imperial soldier tasked with reading off the names of the prisoners being sent to their execution . After assisting and gaining the favor of Jarl Balgruuf the Greater , The player later learns that they are Dovahkiin , or Dragonborn , a person charged with the duty of defeating Alduin and the dragons . Eventually , the player meets Delphine , and Esbern , two of the last remaining Blades , and becomes the pupil of the esteemed Greybeards of High Hrothgar . Narration . " You should have acted . They ' re already here . The Elder scrolls told of their return . Their defeat was merely a delay . From the time after Oblivion opened . When the sons of Skyrim would spill their own blood . But no one wanted to believe . Believe they even existed . And when the truth finally dawns , it dawns in fire . But there is one they fear . In their tongue , he is Dovahkiin - Dragonborn ! " Setting . The fifth installment of " The Elder Scrolls " takes place in Skyrim , where peace and stability is threatened by the ongoing civil war between a Nordic separatist faction called the Stormcloaks and the Empire ' s Imperial Legion , as well as the return of the dragons under the game ' s main antagonist , the great dragon Alduin . Skyrim is the northernmost region of Tamriel and its geography consists of mountains , snowy tundras , pine forests , rural countrysides , and arctic plains . Its architecture and atmosphere is very similar to the town of Bruma in . Although it is roughly the same size as " Oblivion " ' s Cyrodiil ( approximately 41 square kilometers in area or 15 . 8 square miles ) , it is the least populated of all regions in Tamriel . Although there are only five cities within the province , they are complemented with smaller townships dotted through the land with huge swathes of wilderness separating them all . There are over 150 dungeons scattered across Skyrim . Fast - traveling is a returning feature , allowing the player to instantly travel to any marked location that has been previously visited . New creatures to the series include Giants , Frost Trolls , mammoths , Frostbite Spiders , Ice Wraiths , Hagravens , and Dragons . There are also children present in the game for the first time since , where they made several appearances . Gameplay . Travel . " Skyrim " retains the traditional found in the " Elder Scrolls " series . The landscape can be freely roamed either in first person or third person point of view . " Skyrim " gives the choice of traveling on horseback , running , or walking . When a new location is discovered , it is added to the map . Thenceforward , the location can be fast - traveled to . Skills . Eighteen different skills are employed to interact with the world . Some skills are used specifically for combat , such as the weapon - based skill One - Handed and the magic - based skill , Destruction . Other , more passive , skills , allow for the crafting of items such as through Smithing or enchanting . Leveling up happens when any of these eighteen skills are used to a certain point . Skills level up as well , and the player ' s overall level is contingent upon the levels achieved with each skill . The traditional Role - Playing Game concept of a class system has been abolished in " Skyrim " ; it has been supplanted with a very free - form system that allows the use of perks . Perks unlock special abilities on each of the eighteen skill trees . One perk is awarded for each character level increase . Perks are skill - specific abilities , organized in a system of branching groups called " skill trees . " One of many perks can be chosen from each time a level is gained . Player leveling extends somewhat further than in previous " Elder Scrolls " games , reaching a maximum level of 81 when all skills have been increased to 100 ; this limit is due in part to a significant sharpening of the experience curve for leveling after 50 . Combat equipment . Weapons and armor may be crafted by players at forge s , and all gear may be improved upon using other crafting facilities provided that the player possesses the requisite skill levels and perks ; this allows for a wide range of equipment variation and lets those characters with the highest skills outfit themselves with appropriately powerful equipment . The player can also enchant their weapons for extra damage and gain special abilities from them . Compared with previous titles . Combat . Melee combat has been overhauled from , with weapon attacks taking a less fluid - and much more realistic - pace . Weapon types such as the previous Blade and Blunt have been condensed into One - Handed and Two - Handed weapon skills , with the war axes , maces , and swords each benefiting differently from perks inside these skill trees ; for example , axes can add extra bleeding damage , swords strike quickly and can gain a higher chance of a critical hit , and maces gain armor penetration while striking at a slower rate . Special " finishing moves " have also been added , which show a slow - motion killing blow such as impalement or decapitation being delivered by the player character . Lockpicking . Lockpicking has been changed since . It is no longer in a pin and tumbler style , instead it is similar to " Fallout 3 " / " New Vegas " , another game from Bethesda . On console versions of the game , both are used to manipulate the tools and open the lock . The pick is controlled with the left stick and a tension wrench with the right . PC versions of the game employ the mouse and the WSAD keys instead . The pick can be rotated around the top of the lock within 180 degrees . A spot within the rotation allows the lock to open , the spot being larger with easier locks and becoming much smaller with harder difficulty locks . Spells . Spell mechanics have changed significantly in " Skyrim " as compared to " Oblivion " . Fire , frost , and shock spells now have additional effects ; fire deals adds burn damage per second when the target catches on fire , shock does an additional 50 % of damage to the victim ' s Magicka , and frost spells deal 100 % of their damage to the victim ' s Stamina . Custom spells can no longer be created , and because the class system has been eradicated , no bonuses spells are given for selecting a particular School of Magicka during character creation . Instead , all spells are learned through the reading of Spell Tomes , the way the " Oblivion " DLC functioned . Quests have been implemented to gain Master - level spells in each school . Each spell has a special casting animation and is often more potent than their lesser counterparts . The school of Mysticism has been removed entirely from the magic system , with its spells being redistributed to other magic schools . For example , Soul Trap has been distributed to Conjuration , while detection spells now belong to Alteration . From the school of Alteration , the open lock , burden , and feather have been removed entirely . Artificial intelligence . " Skyrim " makes use of the radiant artificial intelligence system created for " Oblivion " , which has been updated to allow characters to " do what they want under extra parameters . " The updated system allows for greater interaction between characters and their environments ; characters now perform tasks such as mining , milling , smithing , potion - making , cooking , and other menial labors , and will continue to go about such business if the player speaks to them while they are working . Followers and spouses . Player marriage has been implemented ; through a brief courtship process the player may marry select characters of either gender , offering a housemate as well as a range of spouse - exclusive benefits . Players can recruit followers in the game , they can be found in taverns or some stores or by gaining a title in a certain hold . When the player becomes the Thane of a certain hold they automatically get a companion to assist them . Skills . There are eighteen skills in all , six for each style of play ( Magic , Combat , and Stealth ) . They are as follows : The Thief . Acrobatics and Athletics have been entirely removed from the game . Fall damage scales with distances , and players may run more quickly by using the newly implemented sprinting function both in and out of combat . Leveling up , classes , and customization . The leveling mechanic in " The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim " is similar to previous titles , with the player leveling up after enough skills have , themselves , been leveled up through use . Game director Todd Howard stated that the game ' s " mathematical " level cap is 70 ; however , the Prima Official Game Guide states the level cap is " around 80 . " One of the largest differences from previous " Elder Scrolls " games is that you no longer specify a group of major and minor skills ; instead , all skills are treated the same , and all skills contribute towards leveling up . As a result of this change , there is no longer any class selection component to character creation . A significant new feature to " The Elder Scrolls " series is the addition of a total of 251 perks , one granted each level , which allow for further specialization . Each skill is presented as a constellation , built up of node stars representing the perk tree , within a firmament . For example , a player using one - handed weapons could specialize in maces with a perk that ignores opponents ' armor , select a perk granting swords an increased chance of landing a critical hit , or prioritize axes by choosing a perk that makes enemies bleed , causing damage over time . Character visual customization has been further refined from previous " Elder Scrolls " games , introducing new customization options such as pre - built beards and faces , war paint and scars , and otherwise enhanced facial construction . Body size is also now an editable feature , along with different presets for nearly all facial features . Also new to " the Elder Scrolls " series are the Guardian Stones , large carved obelisks scattered throughout the game world , found singly or in a single group of 3 ( near the game start area ) . By activating the stone of your choice , your character is granted one or more bonuses or powers ; a new stone may be selected later , but only one stone can be active at a time . There are thirteen Guardian Stones , corresponding to — and replacing — the thirteen birthsigns of previous games . Unlike the prior " Elder Scrolls " games , which featured eight attributes that could be increased through leveling , " Skyrim " has only three values to increase , one of which can be selected each level : Health , Magicka , or Stamina . This was done for the dual purposes of simplifying the leveling process and reducing unnecessary statistics , as the 8 attributes were considered to be simply a means of increasing the three above values . Races . Players can craft their character using one of the ten races of Tamriel — Imperials , Nords , Redguards , Bretons , Dunmer , Altmer , Bosmer , Orsimer , Khajiit , and Argonians . Each race is characterized by a specific power and passive bonus , as well as starting with a few skills at slightly higher levels . For example , High Elves begin the game with 50 extra magicka , the ability to drastically increase their magicka regeneration rate for 60 seconds once per day , and five extra points in several of the magic skills . Playable races include : There are also two unplayable races which are mentioned throughout the game : Combat . Combat has undergone a significant overhaul from previous installments of the series ; damage is proportionally higher than in the past and the pace of melee combat has been significantly slowed from " Oblivion " . Special spell effects and an increase in the utility of bows through the revised skill of Archery make for often more dangerous — and consequently more tactical — combat . A major new aspect of combat , as well as significant plot device in the game , is the presence of Dragon Shouts or Thu ' um as referred to in game , which use the language of dragons to manifest the Shout - users ' vital power as " Thu ' um , " which can have various powerful effects — these include fire breath , a sort of " force " push , and a demoralizing roar , among other effects . The shouts can be used intermittently and may be longer or shorter if more than one word of each Shout ' s three constituent words is known . Stealth - based combat has also been improved with the presence of a cinematic " assassination " kill move that involves the player silently reaching up and slitting a character ' s throat if the damage of the sneak attack is sufficiently high . Additionally , stealth detection and sneak attack damage bonuses are governed by perks that can turn a skillful sneak into a fearsome opponent , even giving the ability to turn briefly invisible in the midst of combat by sneaking . One - handed weapons include swords , war axes , maces , and daggers ; while two - handed weapons include greatswords , battle - axes , and warhammers . Bows and Staves feature as the game ' s only distanced weaponry . Weapons follow a material progression similar to that of " Oblivion " , starting at iron weapons and ending with Daedric weapons . Enemy leveling system . Due to the highly criticized leveling system of " Oblivion " , enemy leveling is handled in " Skyrim " using a method similar to " Fallout 3 " ; some locations are set independently of the player ' s level and will not be reasonable for the player to attempt to take on at a lower level , whereas other areas will have enemies and loot set according to player level at the time of the player ' s first entry into the location . In the second case , the enemies will stay at that level determined by the player ' s first entry , meaning that a player returning to a location visited early in the game will be able to clear the location of foes with greater ease . Armor . Armor has been condensed somewhat further from " Oblivion " ; rather than independently present cuirasses and greaves , the game features " armor , " which unifies the two into a single piece of equipment . Helmets , gauntlets , and boots remain unchanged from " Oblivion " . Equipment weight has generally been re - scaled , making even the heaviest of heavy armors more realistic in weight ; this is due in part to the significantly greater limits on the maximum inventory carry weight the player can achieve in " Skyrim " . Heavy and light armors remain as the two available categories , and each follows a somewhat different material progression , with light armor favoring hides , furs , and leathers until high levels , while heavy armor favors metal throughout its course . Additionally , armor and weaponry no longer degrade with use and thus do not require any manner of upkeep . Instead , weapons and armor can be improved at a grindstone or workbench , respectively . Graphics and interface . " Skyrim " uses a new engine developed in - house by Bethesda , called the Creation Engine . The CE was designed with advanced graphics , long draw distances , and variable environments in mind , and is capable of implementing features such as uneven weather effects , more realistic weather simulation based upon altitude and geographic region , more realistically flowing water , and environment effects like rain and snow having realistic interaction with obstacles . The game does not currently support a 4 : 3 aspect ratio screen . Many menus and text are cut off the screen when this feature is attempted . Radiant AI . The CE allows the use of a new and improved version of " Oblivion " ' s Radiant A . I . system to govern character throughout the game world . With the new system , developers may assign characters a wide variety of tasks and characteristics , giving each of them actions that complement his or her unique personality and thus deepening player interaction with the characters of " Skyrim " . Characters now come in much more interesting varieties , from heavy drinkers to hard workers , layabouts to vigilant adventurers , and serve as a much greater part of the game than in " Oblivion " . Radiant Story . " Skyrim " introduces the Radiant Story system , which governs quests and how they function . Radiant Story dynamically alters side quests based on the player ' s actions , and tailors them to the player ' s abilities and progress within the game . As an example , the player might be sent off to a dungeon that has not been previously explored , and face enemies that are defeated most effectively with the player ' s preferred combat style . It also randomly generates unique events and encounters , taking influence from Bethesda ' s previous game " Fallout 3 " ; this includes character interaction such as a courier delivering quest missives or letters from significant figures , or hired thug s seeking out and attacking the player . User Interface ( HUD ) . The new in - game HUD has been redesigned from previous TES titles to be more streamlined and efficient , which is accomplished while also affording greater immersion for player . Gauges indicating magicka , stamina , and health fade invisible when full , and only come into view when in use ; certain elements such as " Oblivion " ' s spell timers and breath meter have been completely removed . The compass from " Oblivion " , featuring quest markers and a cooldown indication feature for Dragon Shouts , has been cleaned up and relocated to the top of the screen . The menu system has also been altered significantly in " Skyrim " . Now , activating the character menu in - game takes players to a sort of compass , featuring Inventory , Skills / Level - Up , Magic , and Map . Each of these concisely displays the obvious features , with some significant changes from " Oblivion " . All items in - game are rendered in full 3D within the inventory screen , allowing the player to more thoroughly examine them without needing to equip them or drop them into the game world . For spells , this is achieved through displays of magical effects when a spell is highlighted . Also , the in - game map is a 3D , topographical representation of Skyrim , with location markers , quest guide arrows , and the ability for players to fast travel and place their own guide arrows that will appear upon the player compass in a fashion similar to the quest guides . Official add - ons . Three add - ons have been released for " Skyrim " , all of which were " timed exclusive " for the Xbox 360 . They were later released on other platforms , and are included in the 2016 release of the " " . Development . Concept art . Adam Adamowicz created much of the concept art for " Skyrim " .