With dragons roaming the skies, vampires and werewolves prowling the province at night, and draugr-infested crypts to fight through, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was an unforgiving world from the start. Survival Mode is a newly added mod on Bethesda’s Creation Club that, rather than adding or enhancing the hostile creatures of Skyrim: Special Edition, amps up the environment into deadly obstacle to be overcome for the duration of the game. Playable on any difficulty setting, the mod transforms the world of Skyrim itself, turning the arctic tundra, glacial caves, and freezing waters of Tamriel’s northernmost region into hazardous terrain.
Upon escaping Helgen, Skyrim players now have four new factors to consider: Hunger, fatigue, cold, and warmth. The new warmth rating in Skyrim’s Survival Mode mod measures the Dragonborn’s protection against the elements. Considering the snowy terrain, Survival Mode could be considered one of Skyrim’s most lore-friendly mods: Eating hot food and wearing thicker clothing becomes increasingly important when roaming high altitudes or diving into icy water. When cold, movement speed is decreased and thief skills like picking pockets or lockpicking become more difficult. At the highest level of Cold, the Dragonborn will freeze to death.
Going too long between meals in Skyrim’s Survival Mode mod will now limit the amount of stamina available to the player. Carrying a supply of food items is vital, but carrying weight is also reduced in Survival Mode. The best method is to prepare hot food at cooking pots – just one more way to make Skyrim more interesting after beating it. Substituting salt piles for fire salts can add heat to the standard beef stew or cabbage potato soup recipe, creating a meal that replenishes both hunger and warmth. Beware eating raw food in Skyrim’s Survival Mode, as well; food poisoning is now possible.
Resting after Skryim’s long carriage rides is one of many new considerations
Early in the game, travel plays a big role in Skyrim since players cannot fast-travel to locations until they have been discovered. In terms of immersion, Survival Mode’s fast-travel is better than The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. The mod places an importance on being outside in the harsh wilderness and seeking shelter, and fast-travel has been thusly disabled in most instances. The closest players can come to fast-travel is riding dragons (after completing the Dragonborn DLC) or riding carriages. As always, renting carriages will cost gold, but now it comes with further added detriment: Depending on the distance, Skyrim players may arrive hungry, cold, or tired from the long journey.
While Skyrim’s Survival Mode mod makes the game more challenging, there are also ways to gain a slight advantage. The Khajiit and Nord, for example, can weather the cold better than the Breton or Imperial, Elven races can better resist fatigue. Some Skyrim races have more advantages, and the mod’s new racial passives extend to reducing the penalties to stamina or hunger. The Argonian, for example, cannot suffer from food poisoning in Skyrim’s Survival Mode mod. Furthermore, vampirism, lycanthropy, and the Ring of Namira enable the player to feed on victims.
Survival Mode adds gameplay features that transform Skyrim into a video game more akin to The Long Dark or Subnautica, and for some players this change may detract from the classic Skyrim experience. Besides the aforementioned major changes, Survival Mode also means no more passive health regeneration, more debilitating diseases, and reduced bonuses for standing stones. Leveling up can only be done by sleeping in a bed (much like in previous Elder Scrolls games), and public shrines will only bestow benefits if the player makes a gold offering.
While Skyrim’s Survival Mode mod isn’t for everybody, it’s actually been a long time coming. Skyrim has enjoyed more longevity than ESO, and its mods are just one factor. The Frostfall mod that Survival Mode was based on remains one of the most popular unofficial mods for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, with over nine hundred thousand total downloads. It’s encouraging to see Bethesda pay attention to community interests, particularly if it has any bearing on the design of Elder Scrolls 6.
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