If there's one word that can be used to describe The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, it would be "longevity." It's also one of the highest grossing video games of the last decade. But the fact that it's still very much in the limelight after more than ten years is either a testament to its quality, or there's some other factor that keeps it going. It could easily be argued that it's the modding community and general fan base that is keeping the game in the cultural conscience, with so many mods available that change everything from the gameplay to how the wildlife looks.
The latter example is precisely what user XilaMonstrr has done. A reworked version of a previous mod, "Bellyaches 4K Animal and Creature Pack SE," brings visual upscaling to the animals and creatures of Skyrim, specifically for the Special Edition. The mod brings textures at 4K resolution to the many furry and feathery beings that roam the land of Tamriel. Everything from bears to werewolves have been enhanced to make the details really pop and once again prove that there is so much scope to make this already visually impressive game look even better.
The mod features new textures for the vast majority of the interesting wildlife of Skyrim, both friendly and deadly. XilaMonstrr also says that this new version of their add-on should be better suited for lower-end "potato PCs." This is actually a useful implementation. Despite the game being more than ten years old at this point, the many modifications that can be installed for Skyrim can really drag a system down, especially if there are multiple graphical enhancements being used. Having the option to use slightly downscaled versions of this mod could be beneficial for those without top-of-the-line PCs.
As many will already be aware, there are tons of graphics mods for Skyrim that turn the game from something quite beautiful into something jaw-dropping. As the industry moves forward, so too do people's expectations of gaming visuals. With 4K improvements and general tweaks to the overall look, it's not surprising that Bethesda's epic is still going strong.
That said, many have been waiting, though not necessarily patiently, for news on the next installment. With the development status of The Elder Scrolls 6 still being somewhat of a mystery, it's very hard to decipher when the world will finally see the follow-up to Skyrim. No one really knows when Bethesda will release the next game, but if it's going to be after the now-delayed Starfield, then it seems like it's going to be a while until a new TES emerges.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: DSO Gaming, Nexus Mods
