Highlights
- A Skyrim fan has recreated the game as a custom scenario in Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition, featuring 100 NPCs and 50 quests.
- The fan-made scenario impressively recreates Skyrim's cities, landmarks, and architectural styles within the Age of Empires 2 game engine.
- The creator plans to upload the Skyrim scenario as a mod for Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition on Steam after additional playtesting.
A Skyrim fan recreated the game as a custom scenario in Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition. This pseudo-RPG scenario for Age of Empires 2’s features 100 NPCs and more than 50 quests.
Microsoft and Ensemble Studios initially released Age of Empires 2 for Windows in 1999. Many strategy game fans consider it one of the greatest real-time strategy games of all time, and it maintains a strong player base to this day. This is partly thanks to its two re-releases in 2013 and 2019, both of which also received DLC. However, most of the credit should probably go to Age of Empires 2’s active multiplayer and custom-scenario communities. These fan-made scenarios include traditional RTS battles, isometric RPGs, and combinations of the two.
Reddit user Grouchy_Bluejay4511 made the Skyrim scenario in Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition. Players rule one of Skyrim’s nine Holds and battle for the throne while completing quests and meeting NPCs. The scenario features a full map covering all of Skyrim and part of Solstheim, complete with a recreation of each city and other major landmarks.
Grouchy_Bluejay4511 shared pictures of his scenario in a series of Reddit posts, and it’s impressive how well they managed to recreate Skyrim in Age of Empires 2’s scenario creator. For example, the mod’s version of Whiterun is a reasonably accurate model of the city’s layout. Grouchy_Bluejay4511 used Age of Empires 2’s Viking Wonder for Dragonsreach, and the Stable, Market, Barracks, and Blacksmith are where they should be. A Castle represents the fortifications around Whiterun’s main gate, with a Chapel in place of the two temples. Skyrim fans will also notice details like the Gildergreen, Shrine of Talos, Skyforge, and units standing in for important NPCs.
Other locations are similarly detailed and show creative use of Age of Empires 2 building assets to emulate Skyrim’s different architectural styles. The first post’s second screenshot features the Throat of the World and the villages of Helgen, Riverun, and Ivarstead, giving some idea of the map’s scale. Other images include AoE 2 versions of Markarth, Rifton, Solitude, and Windhelm. Pictures from Grouchy_Bluejay4511’s second post include Castle Volkihar, either Fort Dawnguard or somewhere else in the Rift, Eastmarch, Winterhold, Lake Ilinalta in Falkreath Hold, Raven Rock, and an Orc Stronghold.
The second post is only a few hours old as of this writing and hasn’t gotten much traction yet. However, the first proved very popular in the Skyrim subreddit. Grouchy_Bluejay4511 plans to upload the Skyrim scenario to Steam as a mod for Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition. However, they say it needs a bit more playtesting first.
Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.