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The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

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Revision as of 07:46, 15 March 2018 by Garrett (talk | contribs) (added The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR to disambig)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
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Developers
Bethesda Game Studios
Publishers
Bethesda Softworks
Engines
Creation Engine
Release dates
Windows November 11, 2011
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim guide on StrategyWiki
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Wikipedia
The Elder Scrolls: Arena 1994
The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall 1996
An Elder Scrolls Legend: Battlespire 1997
The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard 1998
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind 2002
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 2006
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 2011
The Elder Scrolls Online 2014
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition 2016
The Elder Scrolls: Legends 2017
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR 2018
The Elder Scrolls: Blades TBA
The Elder Scrolls VI TBA

This page is for the original release. For the Special Edition, see The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition. For the VR version, see The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR.

Key points

A wide array of bugs have been fixed through the community patches. See Unofficial patches.
Active modding community, more mods can be found here
Due to the v-sync used as a frame limiter, disabling it or playing with a non ~60 Hz screen will result in the physics behaving incorrectly.[1]

General information

Official forums
Steam Community Discussions
GeForce Tweak Guide

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
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Windows
Amazon.com
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Also available in The Elder Scrolls Anthology.
Windows
GamersGate
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Windows
Gamesplanet logo.svg
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Windows
Incorrect store name. See here for available options.
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Windows
Green Man Gaming
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Windows
Humble Store
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Windows
Steam
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Windows
All versions require Steam DRM.
Owners of Skyrim and all DLC received The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition for free (limited time offer, ended on release date of Special Ed.)[2]

Version differences

The Elder Scrolls Anthology includes Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim along with all the main expansions and DLC.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Legendary Edition is a complete edition of Skyrim with all its DLC.

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
Dawnguard Available here.
Windows
Dragonborn Available here.
Windows
Hearthfire Available here.
Windows
High Resolution Texture Pack Free. Available here.
Windows

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Modify configuration file[3]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open Skyrim.ini.
  3. Go to the [General] section.
  4. Add the following line sIntroSequence=.
  5. Save your changes.
Go to <path-to-game>\Data\Video and delete BGS_Logo.bik[4]

Enabling data files

Modify configuration file[3]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open SkyrimPrefs.ini.
  3. Go to the [Launcher] section.
  4. Add the following line bEnableFileSelection=1.
  5. Save your changes.

Mods

Before installing any mods, SKSE and either Nexus Mod Manager or Mod Organizer should be installed.

Unofficial patches

Community-created patches which fix many issues which otherwise remain unresolved in the official patches, such as rendering issues and subtitle coding errors.
Unofficial Skyrim Legendary Edition Patch

Mod Organizer

Powerful and easy to use mod manager with mod virtualization, in order to keep the installation folder clean.
Features a configuration editor, the SKSE executable can also be set to be launched through the configurator.

SkyUI

SkyUI is required by certain mods in order to tweak and configure them.
Advanced user interface, optimized for keyboard and mouse usage while being highly customizable.

SKSE

Available as a Steam-based mod for ease-of-use.
Required by most mods.
Save bloating cleaner[citation needed]

This is a partial fix for loose scripts, more advanced editing is required in order to remove broken scripts which may be stuck on the game's currently used thread.

  1. Go to <path-to-game>\data\SKSE
  2. Open SKSE.ini.
  3. Add ClearInvalidRegistrations=1 under the [General] section.
Memory Management Fix[citation needed]

This fixes crashes and infinite loading screens that occur when the game engine fails to allocate more memory than the engine was originally intended to due to modding.[5]

Only works with SKSE 1.7 or newer.
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\data\SKSE
  2. Open SKSE.ini.
  3. Add the following lines under the [Memory] section.
DefaultHeapInitialAllocMB=768
ScrapHeapSizeMB=256

Notes

To figure out if you need the extra memory you can use the SKSE plugin Memory Blocks Log. This can reduce performance and should only be used while testing.

ENB

Use the installation instructions from the preset if used
Fixes issue when there is no more available video memory, a problem that occurs when using high resolution texture mods.
Allows for significant graphical improvements, such as real-time reflections, image-based lighting, and volumetric sky rendering.
Can force V-sync, frame limiter, and Borderless-Windowed mode.
Installing ENB Without graphical improvements[citation needed]
  1. Download the version of the ENB for Skyrim
  2. Unzip files and transfer all files inside "WrapperVersion" to the installation folder
  3. Open enblocal.ini with Notepad and use the enblocal.ini Setup Guide to assist with the settings. Make sure "UsePatchSpeedhackWithoutGraphics" and "SpeedHack" is set to "True"

Notes

You have to start the game with enbhost.exe if SKSE is not installed.
Only install weather helper mod if preset requires it.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

Template:Game data/row
System Location
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/72850/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game data location

Template:Game data/row
System Location
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/72850/pfx/[Note 1]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Steam Cloud
Stores up to 200 MB of game saves online (maximum 1000 files).

Video settings

Launcher video settings.
Launcher video settings.
Launcher advanced video settings.
Launcher advanced video settings.
In-game display settings.
In-game display settings.

Template:Video settings

Field of view (FOV)

Modify configuration file[3]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open Skyrim.ini.
  3. Add the following lines under the [Display] section:
fDefault1stPersonFOV=X
fDefaultFOV=X
fDefaultWorldFOV=X
Replace X with your preferred FOV.
Console command[6]
  1. Open the console ingame (~) and type in the following: fov X.
  2. Replace X with your preferred FOV.

Notes

This is not permanent, the FOV will reset after restarting the game.

Anisotropic filtering (AF)

Enable improved AF for Nvidia graphics cards[7]
  1. Open Nvidia Control Panel.
  2. Select Manage 3D settings.
  3. Select Program Settings tab.
  4. Under 1. Select a program to customize: select Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
  5. Under Anisotropic filtering select your quality of preference.
  6. Click Apply and close Nvidia Control Panel.
  7. Open Skyrim Launcher and select OPTIONS.
  8. Under Anisotropic Filtering, in Skyrim Launcher, select Off (best performance) then click OK.

Vertical sync (Vsync)

Modify configuration file[3]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open SkyrimPrefs.ini.
  3. Change iVSyncPresentInterval=1 to iVSyncPresentInterval=0 to disable Vsync.

Fast Sync tweak

Instructions[citation needed]
  1. See Vertical sync (Vsync) to disable Vsync.
  2. Enable Fast-Sync through the Nvidia CP for TES V: Skyrim (Nvidia Drivers 368.22 and later).
  3. Limit or cap the frame rate with Nvidia Profile Inspector to 60 FPS.

Notes

This reduce "input lag" as well as eliminates the screen tearing that would occur when playing with v-sync normally off.
This is only suitable for certain PC configurations: ie. 60 Hz monitor with a high-end GPU which is able to render TES V: Skyrim over 60 FPS constantly.

Frame rate (FPS)

Havok physics do not function correctly past 60 FPS,[1][8] Not only that, but for example Nvidia have added a FPS cap fail-safe to the game. Use NVIDIA Profile Inspector to disable FPS cap.
Possible fix for high FPS[9]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open Skyrim.ini.
  3. Add fMaxTime=(1 / your monitors refresh rate) under the [HAVOK] section.
  4. See Vertical sync (Vsync) to disable Vsync if you want FPS to exceed your monitor's refresh rate.

Notes

This tweak allows playing the game at high frame rates without the normal glitches that happen. It is unknown as to whether it will impact your saves, break quests, or cause lag. Use at your own risk.

Input settings

In-game gameplay settings.
In-game gameplay settings.

Template:Input settings

Audio settings

In-game audio settings.
In-game audio settings.

Template:Audio settings

Mute on focus lost

Modify configuration file[10]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open Skyrim.ini.
  3. Under [General] add the following line bAlwaysActive=1.
  4. Save your changes.

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
Czech
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Polish
Russian
Spanish
Turkish

VR support

3D modes State GG3D Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision
TriDef 3D
iZ3D

Issues fixed

Ambient Occlusion Bleeding on Nvidia graphics cards

The official Ambient Occlusion flag 0x00000029 has bleeding issues.[11]
Use Ambient Occlusion flag 0x00000032 instead[11]
  1. Download and run Nvidia Profile Inspector.
  2. Under Profiles select Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
  3. Under Ambient Occlusion compatibility insert the flag 0x00000032.
  4. Under Ambient Occlusion usage select Enabled.
  5. Under Ambient Occlusion setting select your quality of preference, but in order to use HBAO+ you must use Quality or High Quality.
  6. Click Apply changes.

Blurry text

Instructions[citation needed]
  1. Open the AMD Control Center.
  2. Add TESV.exe, and disable the Morphological Filtering.

Notes

If AMD complains about an existing profile the error can be safely ignored.

Stuttering on a laptop

This fix only applies to laptops running on Windows 7.
Changing the maximum processor state[citation needed]
  1. Open the Start menu and write Edit Plan then push Enter.
  2. Open Change advanced power settings, then go to Processor power management, Maximum processor state and set the value to 90%.

Quiet audio

Skyrim has multiple issues with Realtek HD boards.
Change the Realtek HD Audio settings[12]
  1. Open the Control Panel, Hardware and Sound then open Realtek HD Audio Manager.
  2. Under Speakers, change the speaker configuration 5.1 Speakers.
  3. Untick everything but the Front left and right checkbox.
Enable loudness equalization[13]
  1. Push Win+R and write mmsys.cpl then push Enter.
  2. Open the Default Device and navigate to the Enhancements tab, then enable the Loudness Equalization.

Notes

The sound quality will be drastically reduced (makes it harder to pinpoint the location of sounds).

Crash on startup

Instructions[citation needed]
  1. Crash on startup (before the logo is displayed) is a sign of missing master file, one of your active mods is missing a mod it depends on, Wrye Bash will display which mod is missing what mod.
  2. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  3. Delete or rename SkyrimPrefs.ini.
  4. Disable all or any recently installed mods.

Notes

If the game crashed with the following error message - Application Load Error P:0000065432 - then simply restart Steam.

Slowdown and stutter in cities

Disabling the official high resolution texture pack[citation needed]
  1. Open the Skyrim Launcher, and open Data Files.
  2. Uncheck any entries related to the high resolution pack.

Allow pressing Alt+F4 to close the game

Use Elys Alt+F4 Tweak[citation needed]

Notes

Not needed by anyone using ENB or ENBoost, as per the STEP modification guide. Installing both Elys Alt+F4 and ENB at the same time may cause issues with the hotkeys they are supposed to enable.

Double cursor after Alt+Tab

Use Double cursor fix[citation needed]
Use OneTweak[citation needed]

Mouse not responding

After playing Watch Dogs the mouse may become unresponsive.
Close the game and restart the computer[14]

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D 9
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Physics Havok Physics are tied to frame rate. Going over 60 FPS will cause physics issues.[1]
Interface Scaleform 3.3.92[15]
Cutscenes Bink Video 1.99f

Enabling shadows to be cast from trees and rocks

Instructions[16]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open SkyrimPrefs.ini.
  3. Find the following lines, and set them to these values.
[Display]
bTreesReceiveShadows=1
bDrawLandShadows=1
This SHOULD cause little to no performance loss.

Continue rendering in the background

Set always active[10]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open Skyrim.ini.
  3. Add bAlwaysActive=1 under the [General] section.
  4. Save and close the file.

Skyrim Configurator

Allows the game to be fully tweaked.
Certain tweaks are unstable and may break the game.

System requirements

Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) XP, Vista, 7
Processor (CPU) Dual Core 2.0 GHz
System memory (RAM) 2 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 6 GB
Video card (GPU) 512 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0c compatible

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/72850/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (72850) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References