The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has been around for over a decade, and has been re-released multiple times for different consoles. Even so, fans of the community continue to support Bethesda by purchasing the game’s next-gen releases and creating content around it - be it mods or videos.
Recently, there’s been an influx of interesting Skyrim challenge videos, and they’re growing more ridiculous as time goes by and fans look for novel ideas. While these challenges certainly are absurd, they’re an integral aspect of keeping the Skyrim community alive.
The Rise of Absurd Skyrim Challenges
When it comes to gaming challenges, some of the most common include speedruns or no-hit runs. However, Skyrim content creators on YouTube like DougDoug and Joov are taking things a step further by creating new challenges like “Can you play Skyrim without leaving Whiterun?” or “Can you beat Skyrim as a chicken?” Even more possibilities arise with the help of the game’s modding community. This has allowed for ridiculous premises, like “Skyrim but 10 cheese wheels spawn every second,” or “Skyrim but the player falls over every 30 seconds.” While these challenges aren’t doable for full-length playthroughs, they make for entertaining content.
Some challenges even utilize voice commands, like “Skyrim but if the player says 'dragon' then 10 dragons spawn,” or “Skyrim but if the player says 'train' then Thomas the Tank Engine appears.” These challenges breathe a new life into the now 11-year-old game, giving the community plenty of new ways to enjoy it. Most of all, such challenges showcase just how talented Bethesda’s modding community is, as they're the reason why such absurd challenges exist in the first place.
The Freedom That Comes with Bethesda Games
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim makes use of Bethesda’s Creation Kit, a modding tool that anyone in the community can use to tinker with many files and settings. Bethesda encourages its players to use the kit to create their own content, and thus the modding community flourished, with Skyrim fans taking on many modding projects from graphical overhauls to the addition of new areas.
With so many mods, there are plenty of options for content creators looking to bring something fresh to the table. These days, absurd mods are the perfect option for equally absurd Skyrim challenges, from randomizer mods to the infamous Thomas the Tank Engine mod. With the Skyrim community still going strong a decade later, players can expect even more mods to come.
That said, Skyrim isn’t the only game that’s been benefiting from the absurd challenges. Other Bethesda games such as The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, Fallout: New Vegas, and Fallout 4 have been getting their fair share of challenges as well. This is thanks to the games’ bustling modding communities, allowing for chaotic challenge runs involving voice commands, teleporting doors, and more. It also applies to a number of games from other developers, like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, GTA 5, and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Overall, Skyrim’s modding community and the many challenge-based content creators are showcasing new ways to play the beloved Elder Scrolls game. In doing so, they keep interest in the game alive. These challenges also showcase just how skilled and creative the community modders are, who continue to push the boundaries of what can be contained within the world of Skyrim. It makes players wonder what more the modding community will have in store once new titles like Starfieldand The Elders Scrolls 6 are released.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
