For PlayStation 4 on the PlayStation 4, a GameFAQs message board topic titled 'Skyrim Special Edition (December 2020) - Should I buy it?' Improved lighting, textures, and shorter loading times, Peter details Skyrim Special Edition and lets us know if it's worth the price tag.Subscribe to GameSp. Skyrim is still a rock-solid RPG that's worth purchasing if you missed vanilla Skyrim. That said, if you already own and mod the original game, Skyrim Special Edition has nothing fresh to offer.
An enhanced remaster of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC this October. This new Special Edition is the first we've seen of this series on either console to date - it's a native 1920x1080 production, and based on trailer footage so far, it's also seemingly set to run at 30fps. We're promised quite a bit more though, and indeed the game borrows features from the more modern iteration of its Creation Engine, adding the rendering techniques for volumetric god rays and water shaders seen more recently in Fallout 4.
Totalfinder 1 11 5. It's great news for PC crowd as well, and those who own all DLC of the original (or bought the Legendary Edition) receive this as a free update. Based on our tests, there's a visible difference between this remaster and the vanilla 2011 release, with the landscape improved by new assets; plants, mushrooms, stones and extra trees are more liberally dotted around the initial Riverwood village. A new depth of field effect is brought in too. As plucked from Fallout 4's settings menu, this allows backgrounds to dynamically fall in and out of focus depending on a player's line of sight.
Another element we noticed in matching our PC footage with this reveal trailer is that textures are identical. Bethesda's press materials offer up seven high quality BMP shots of the game - tellingly archived in a folder labeled 'Xbox One.' We've matched each of these with the PC game at maximum settings, and there's little to no difference in the quality of the texture work (barring one mountain-side near Riverwood). Assuming these are Xbox One screengrabs, it's pleasing to at least see texture filtering matches PC's top 16x anisotropic filtering setting, but the ground detail underfoot is precisely as it was before.
The more striking change is in this Special Edition's lighting. A glowing, sun-kissed appearance is in effect across its reveal trailer, notably in an overview of Solitude castle. It replaces the distinctive, colder hue of the original, and each comparison shot differs wildly from the tone of the vanilla release on PC. Actual geometry is untouched, and draw distances for objects and grass are identical to the PC's top setting in this wide overview. However, it's an undoubtedly warmer, hazier take on the world, with a post-process bloom effect also helping to fill the space.
In terms of image quality, all these shots come in at 1920x1080, as backed by FXAA. Shader effects are reworked for water and snow-capped surfaces too, and it's here we see a more substantive change than the regular textures shown so far. Icy surfaces are inflected by a sparkle - a reflective quality missing from the original release's flatter normal maps. It's also in Skyrim's frostier areas that the addition of volumetric fog is most obvious, used to great effect here by creating a sense of rising condensation in the air.
The trailer also boasts new screen-space reflections for this special edition, but this isn't a massive visual boost per se. In fact, the current PC version already has reflections on floors and walls at the same quality, with light-emitting spells mirrored on most surfaces. The only change is a subtle lens flare effect that plays across light points, something that's missing outright from the original game. Of course, a similar effect can be achieved on PC already - alongside many of the Special Edition enhancements we've mentioned- with ENB mods widely available online.
For this very reason, the option for user-made mods in Skyrim: Special Edition is a massive win on PS4 and Xbox One. Similar to its console debut on Fallout 4, engine tweaks could bridge the gap to a more radical overhaul its fans might have wanted from a remaster. The visual flourishes put in place by Bethesda are welcome, and slot neatly into the original experience without going overboard. However, fans looking for drastic changes now have an option, and with its console release in October, the floodgates are very much open.
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Did you know you could buy Skyrim LE & SE and other games up to 85% off?
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This question has been asked so many times and yet rarely will you see a comprehensive and thorough explanation between all the different versions of Skyrim that there are today. In the video above I will talk you through the differences, but in case that you prefer to read at your own pace here is a written guide as well.
It's not that there are a dozen Skyrim editions or so, it's just that Bethesda has somehow managed to make it very hard to understand the differences between them, for those who are just now coming into contact with any of them. Players need to know what they're buying and what's the better product.
Let's start in a chronological way, it's the easiest way really.
Contents
In the Beginning
There was ‘just‘ Skyrim. The base game launched on November 11, 2011 and was a buggy mess. Although it is easily one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time, let's not forget just how crash-prone and full of bugs it was.
Shortly after, the first DLC came out – Dawnguard. Then Hearthfire and finally Dragonborn. And that was it.
Skyrim LE (Legendary Edition)
On June 4th 2013 the LE version was released and it was simply a packaged version of the game containing all 3 official DLCs as well as additions such as: https://dannewline577.weebly.com/chrome-remote-desktop-host-is-offline.html.
- Mounted combat
- Combat cameras
- Legendary difficulty mode
- Legendary skills (you can master every perk and level up all your skill trees)
So essentially it was a ‘package‘ that included everything up to that point and you could just buy it and have ‘everything‘ installed at once. That's still basically the ‘base‘ game of Skyrim + other goodies that came after it.
This version is what is playable on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Skyrim SE (Special Edition)
During 2016, Bethesda announced a remastered version of Skyrim. Hence the confusion a lot of players had between ‘Skyrim Remastered‘ and ‘Skyrim Special Edition‘ – which is basically the same game with two different names players used interchangeably.
This version of the game was met with a lot of criticism from players who already paid for the game previously and all DLCs in one way or the other. So Bethesda allowed everyone who owned LE to automatically acquire SE at no additional cost up until a certain point, via STEAM.
Skyrim SE is basically a much better version of Skyrim, no matter what someone else tells you. It features everything that LE does, as well as:
- 64bit engine
- Remastered graphics & effects
- Volumetric god rays
- Dynamic depth of field
- Screen-space reflections
- New water and snow shaders
- The ability to play PC mods on consoles (most important for many)
However, this is NOT the reason why Skyrim SE is so important today in 2020. The reason why it's so important is because all the major upcoming mods are developed for it, almost exclusively.
It used to be when it first came out (and a year or two after) that players would not want to buy it BECAUSE all of the major mods were for LE and SE was a mod desert so to speak, but now the reverse is true. Mod authors are embracing a better game engine that provides far more resources and stability for their work.
So before we go into mods (which is pretty much what keeps this game alive today), let's recap quickly.
Who Should Buy LE or SE?
Owners of the previous, or second previous if you count the latest upcoming consoles, should get LE. This means Playstation 3 & Xbox 360.
Skyrim Special Edition Pc Download
If you're on Xbox One or PS4, then SE is your game.
Everyone else on PC who never got into modding Skyrim should go with SE since the price difference is less than 10% and there is no question about the performance & stability gains SE brings to the table plus future mod support.
There are also promotions and game marketplaces where you can often get the game for around $10 – $15.
Skyrim Mods (LE & SE)
Bethesda has basically updated its game for the newest consoles at the time (Xbox One & PS4) and given players the ability to finally utilize mods on them. There were certain limitations of course, but things have changed.
On PC is where modding truly shines. However, do not ever pay for mods because all the best mods are hosted outside of Bethesda's Official Creation Kit.
I have never paid a cent for a mod that I've installed, and I've installed hundreds of them.
Owners of the previous, or second previous if you count the latest upcoming consoles, should get LE. This means Playstation 3 & Xbox 360.
Skyrim Special Edition Pc Download
If you're on Xbox One or PS4, then SE is your game.
Everyone else on PC who never got into modding Skyrim should go with SE since the price difference is less than 10% and there is no question about the performance & stability gains SE brings to the table plus future mod support.
There are also promotions and game marketplaces where you can often get the game for around $10 – $15.
Skyrim Mods (LE & SE)
Bethesda has basically updated its game for the newest consoles at the time (Xbox One & PS4) and given players the ability to finally utilize mods on them. There were certain limitations of course, but things have changed.
On PC is where modding truly shines. However, do not ever pay for mods because all the best mods are hosted outside of Bethesda's Official Creation Kit.
I have never paid a cent for a mod that I've installed, and I've installed hundreds of them.
In fact, modding Skyrim became sort of a hobby of mine.
So where do all the best mods come from?
Nexus Mods
This website is a platform for mod authors to publish their game mods covering hundreds of different games these days.
Nexus Mods is THE place to be. Skyrim LE & SE are the two most popular games on the website and most of the mods are released for those two. New games are added weekly and chances are there might be some super cool mods for some other game(s) you're playing as well.
If you want to get started with modding Skyrim yourself, I suggest you add to your Youtube library my Skyrim SE Playlist and watch all of the videos in there to help you get started.
I always keep in mind that total beginners need a lot of help and hand holding so I answer ALL questions in the comments as well as take requests to make new videos and content to help clarify whatever it is that needs clarifying. So after watching my videos, please do feel free to comment on them and ask about whatever might be unclear to you.
Modding Skyrim is so fun, I don't want anyone to miss out on it if they've got the time to acquire the basic skills to do it.
The game is quite unrecognizable after some of the most important mods are added to it. And not to mention how much new content is available, just take a look for example at Beyond Skyrim Bruma (the same authors are working on many new ones right now). And there are so many more!
Final Thoughts & Wrapping Up
Skyrim SE is a fantastic upgrade if you're like me and you never bought any of the previous versions. As I mentioned before, if you want to buy any of these games @ huge discounts (whether PC or console), use a gaming marketplace to save some cash.
You will save a lot of money in the long run.
What's Next?
Want to know more about Skyrim SE (Special Edition) & Mods? Check out my other Skyrim SE Guides & Skyrim SE Playlist on Youtube.
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