Dec 12, 2010 Special Edition is the game's updated re-release. It comes with all DLC, has higher-resolution textures and better graphics, and is built on a 64-bit game engine, making it work more efficiently with newer computer systems. Oct 28, 2016 The image from classic Skyrim is on the left, and Special Edition is on the right. A handy slider lets you compare them. This was taken near Riften, and you can see the colors in Special Edition.
- What Is Different About The Skyrim Special Edition Bodyslide
- What Is Different About The Skyrim Special Edition Ps4
- What Is Different About The Skyrim Special Edition Dlc
- What Is Different About The Skyrim Special Edition Mods
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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:
- 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.
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.
Processtimer 1 7 4 – display cpu utilization and more. 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!
What Is Different About The Skyrim Special Edition Bodyslide
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.
Don’t forget to subscribe and turn on the bell icon for more.
There are so many versions of TESV: Skyrim available right now. It’s on the Switch, it’s on PS4 and XBox, it’s everywhere. Not bad for a nearly 6 year old game. On PC however, there are two versions of Skyrim to choose from. Itrash 3 5 download free. Skyrim Legendary Edition and Skyrim Special Edition.
Well, technically there’s three. The base version of Skyrim alone, Skyrim Legendary Edition and Special Edition. There’s Skyrim plus the three DLCs, Dragonborn, Dawnguard and the shitty house-building DLC no one cares about. Legendary Edition is Skyrim and the three DLCs bundled together into one package, and is also what you have if you bought Skyrim and the DLCs separately. Special Edition is basically the 64bit version of Skyrim, boasting slightly improved visuals and more special effects and a better usage of your RAM.
Gameplay-wise, the two versions are identical. Almost all the game play bugs are still there. You’ll find all the same bugs and glitches, as well as all your favourite exploits. For both games, you will almost certainly need what’s called USLEEP (Legendary Edition, Special Edition), the unofficial, community-made mod full of patches and fixes.
But which version of Skyrim should you play? Well, it depends on how you want to play your game.
If you just want the basic vanilla Skyrim experience, then you want Special Edition. Right off the bat, it will more likely run better on your computer, since it’s 64bit and will make use of your resources better. Really, any version of Skyrim will do, but Special Edition for PC will run just that bit better, and hopefully you won’t end up with too much slowness should your save files start to get large.
If you are looking to do some modding, just to make Skyrim look nicer, then both versions work. There’s a ton of mods available for both versions. Special Edition is more stable, but the various tools for Legendary Edition (such as Mod Organizer and Skyrim Script Extender SKSE) are more rounded and complete.
For those who want to make Skyrim look amazing, it’s a hard choice. Special Edition does give you a lot more to work with, what with it having inbuilt special effects like god rays, but Legendary Edition has ENBs, which basically give your game a whole new look. While textures should work fine in both Special Edition and Legendary Edition, Legendary Edition generally has more options available, but Special Edition tends to have a much more refined selection to choose from, with the most popular mods being converted for the newer game.
Really, most of the time, if you’re starting from the beginning, you’ll want to use Special Edition. But if you’re the sort of person who has and wants tons of crazy mods, then really, Legendary Edition is superior, simply because you have so much choice. The biggest issue with Special Edition is either having to convert mods to work with the game, or waiting for mod authors to convert them for you. While converting basic mods isn’t too difficult (mostly downloading, installing and using the Special Edition Creation Kit, opening the mod there and re-saving it), there’s no one to fall back on if you have any problems. On the flip side, Special Edition’s selection of mods is generally better looked after, being uploaded and maintained by more dedicated modders. Plus, most popular mods get converted for Special Edition anyway. But flipping back to Legendary Edition, there is just so much more to choose from.
Especially if you want more… nuanced mods. Special Edition is great if you just want the most popular mods, but if you want anything rather specific, then Legendary Edition is much more likely to have mods you want, specially if you’re looking to use mods that require SKSE.
That being said, a fuckton of mods have been updated to Special Edition, so over time this becomes less true.
Another time you won’t want to use Special Edition is if you’ve already got a perfected Legendary Edition of Skyrim set up, modded and ready to go. If you’ve spent many an hour making Legendary Edition perfect, then you’ll have to do that all over again with Special Edition. Right down to the mod organizing tools you use. Sometimes it’s simply not worth the effort starting from scratch again.
It’s also worth pointing out that you can’t transfer saves between games. Not unless you’re playing vanilla, unmodded versions of both games. The problems you’ll encounter trying to transfer characters is not worth it.
What Is Different About The Skyrim Special Edition Ps4
So basically, if you’re new to Skyrim or modding or just want a somewhat simple modding experience, then Special Edition is your best bet. If you’ve already worked hard on Legendary Edition, then stick to that.
What Is Different About The Skyrim Special Edition Dlc
Oh, and try to use a mod organizer of some sort. Preferably Mod Organizer (for Legendary Edition) or Mod Organizer 2 (for Special Edition). They’re tricky to use at first, but they’re far superior to managing mods inside of Skyrim and the Skyrim launcher…