How console mods made my 1000th playthrough of Skyrim entirely new
I love mods. Mods are great. But I also like console games, because they are great too – even in all their unmodable rigidness.
Despite the somewhat haphazardness of the games, then, the fact that you can install mods on both Fallout 4 and Skyrim on console is no small feat, and greatly helps the replayability of the games for dirty console gamers like myself.
As such, I recently re-purchased Skyrim for the 756th time. But this time it was just a little bit different, as I decided to get Skyrim: Special Edition.
I was determined to enhance my Skyrim experience and finally indulge myself in the sweet nectar of mods, and try things I’ve never done before.
The focus-point for this was in downloading the Live Another Life mod, created by Arthmoor.
Instead of having to trog through the 10+ minutes of the intro, and watch Lokir of Rorikstead get shot by an arrow another time, the mod allows you to pick and choose an origin for your character.
Whether it’s a Vigilant of Stendarr, vampire, or simply the town drunk, this makes starting the game a lot easier, and allows you to get in the thick of it much quicker.
For me, starting as a tavern rat allows you to feel like a down on their luck bard, looking to play for coin in order to get that next fix of Black-Briar Mead.
And to fully immerse yourself in the bard-ness of it all, I stumbled across the Become a Bard mod from Pevey.
This mod has so many features to make roleplaying as a bard fun. Whether it’s crafting a lute to hold your back, or performing at your local tavern, it adds a little bit fun to the whole bardic adventurer aesthetic.
Rolling these two mods alongside the other DLC packs in the Skyrim Special Edition, I ended up becoming a travelling bard who climbed the social ladder as personal musical Thane for the Jarl of Falkreath.
The Jarl ended up giving me land for a house, and I’ve not only been trying to pay off the money for the materials, but also keep up the high demands and expectations of my orc wife.
This is just one of many stories that could be possible, thanks to these more immersive mods.
So if you got an Xbox One and Skyrim, give mods a try and start crafting your own personal story. Being a Dragonborn is overrated anyway.