The holiday season has now arrived, and with it, the gaming industry’s expected large volume of new releases. Everything from first-personshooters likeCall of Duty: VanguardandHalo Infinitehave seen releases this holiday season, with more scheduled to arrive in 2022. However, one other release has been much more familiar to gamers, albeit, still bringing its fair share of excitement.The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimreceived an anniversary release on November 11, updating the game’s graphics and adding all-new content. While this is far from the first time gamers have seenSkyrim re-released, the sheer volume of improvements and updates make it worth looking into, especially for gamers who already ownSkyrim Special Edition.
As well as being the time of the year for new video game releases, it is also the time of the year that gamers will turn to mods to make their favorite games a bit more festive. Those looking for a white Christmas this year need look no further than the icy cliffs of Winterhold.The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis renowned for its modding community, which at this point has created pretty much any mod a gamer could ask for. Whether they want flyingThomas the Tank Enginecharacters to replace dragons, or want to expand the map ofSkyrim, gamers can find what they desire by delving into the game’s mods.
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At this time of the year,Skyrimplayers may be looking to introduce Christmas to the otherwise dark and conflicted world ofSkyrim. Fortunately, gamers are well within their liberties to do so, makingSkyrimpossibly thebest video game to play around Christmas time. While it’s simple and easy to turnSkyriminto a winter wonderland with a few mods, the volume of mods out there can be daunting to new modders. Fortunately, there are a handful of Christmas mods that stand out among the rest.
Skyrim Christmas Moon
SkyrimChristmas Moon is one of the more basicSkyrimmods out there, but sometimes value can be found in simplicity. This mod simply adds an image of Santa’s silhouette flying across the in-game moon, creating the illusion that Santa has come toSkyrim. Of course, thismod includesSkyrim’sdragonspulling Santa’s sleigh along, instead of Rudolph and the rest of the reindeer. This mod combines both aspects of Christmas andSkyrimin a successful way that subtly instillsThe Elder Scrolls 5with the Christmas spirit. This may not be the mod for gamers looking to overhaulSkyrim, but it adds a little something.
Candy Cane Villages
Players can alsotransform the villages and towns ofSkyriminto something entirely new and Christmas-y this holiday season with Candy Cane Villages. This mod makes all villages and farmhouses look like something straight out of the North Pole by recoloring them to fit a very obvious Christmas theme. In some cases, this will be more obvious than others, but all ofSkyrim’sbuildings will sport some kind of Christmas decoration with this mod. WhileSkyrimChristmas Moon was for gamers looking for something a bit more subtle, Candy Cane Villages will be very much in the player’s face throughout their playthrough. Like Candy Cane Villages, though, this mod is fairly basic, so more can be done on top of it.
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Instrumental Christmas Music
Of course, there is no better way to get into the Christmas spirit than by listening to Christmas songs on repeat, and there is a mod for that. Instrumental Christmas Music will replaceSkyrim’ssoundtrack and bard music with something wholly more festive.Skyrimis known to have some ofthe best video game music scoresout there, but after listening to it for over 10 years now, players may look to replace the admittedly iconic and nostalgicSkyrimsoundtrack with something different. If it is something different that players are looking for, then ‘tis the season for some instrumental Christmas music.
It may seem blasphemous to look to alter or replaceSkyrim’siconic soundtrack, but the audio is a large part of any video game experience. PlayingSkyrimwith the music off will completely alter the experience of the game, and for some may detract from the feeling of immersionSkyrimlooks to instill in all of its players. As a result of this, for gamers to truly get into a festive spirit while playingThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, they will need much more than a few visual overhauls to look beyond the baseSkyrimexperience. ReplacingSkyrim’ssoundtrack with Christmas music is a good start towards makingSkyrim’swinter wonderland that much more immersive.
Saturalia - Christmas in Skyrim
For players looking to stick more closely tothe lore ofSkyrim, a mod more along the lines of Saturalia may be of interest. Saturalia is the official Tamriel equivalent to Christmas, celebrated on the 25th of Evening Star and like Christmas, is used as a time for gift-giving and celebration. While Saturalia may not exactly be the same as Christmas, the parallels between the two may be enough to promote festive cheer within the player, while some of the other mods can represent a more traditional Christmas experience.
Saturalia - Christmas inSkyrimis a mod that sees a great many Saturalia-specific elements added to the base game ofSkyrimto get players in the holiday spirit. The world ofSkyrimwill be filled with festive decorations, new food and drink types, vendors, and much more to decorateSkyrimwith the Saturalia spirit. However, the more impressive aspect of this mod is the quests that have been added to the game. Two new quests will be added toSkyrimwhich are fully voiced and centered around Saturalia. As mods go, this is one of the more expansive ones available, so players may look to download this alone if they’re struggling to make a decision.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis available now on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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