With the release of the Anniversary Upgrade to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the new version of the game contains all the previously released content on the Creation Club, including survival mode. Survival mode is especially great for those who have put hundreds or even thousands of hours into Skyrim over the ten years that the game has been available and are looking for a new challenge. It’s also great for those who enjoy other survival games, such as Conan Exiles, Rust, Don’t Starve, or others.
Survival mode adds several new systems to Skyrim that players will need to carefully monitor. Not only that, but it also makes previous systems in the game a lot more important than before, such as cooking, potion-making, and choosing the right kind of clothing for the weather. Players will likely visit inns more often than they typically do, and they may want to think twice about swimming in freezing cold water.
For some players, having a survival mode is a welcome improvement to Skyrim. It has always been exciting to explore all of Skyrim’s intricacies. For all its complexity, it is rare that the game becomes truly challenging. Even harder difficulties only make combat tougher. Survival mode aims to change that, making all aspects of Skyrim harder. Now, the world itself is a foe to be conquered. It’s also wonderful that this is an optional setting, meaning that those who aren’t interested in the survival elements don’t need to enable it.
The first thing players should know is that health regeneration is no longer available in Skyrim's Survival mode. To regain health, players will need to use potions, cast spells, or eat food. They can’t simply wait out of combat for health to replenish. If players get caught in a bear trap, the damage that they suffer stays until they heal, so they should be careful and make sure they are at full health before they get into any fights.
Players will need to sleep before they can level up in Skyrim's Survival mode. Fast travel is also limited. To get most places, players need to either walk there or ride on horseback. There are a few places that players can fast travel, including sailing in boats or taking a carriage to major holds. Incidentally, these two changes to the game make it function similarly to how The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind worked.
Players are also limited in how much they can carry and will need to craft, buy, or find backpacks that can increase carry weight. This means they won’t be able to carry everything that isn’t nailed down, and they will have to make strategic decisions about what loot they choose to take with them. It also means earning money will be an issue for much longer in the game because players won’t have as much to sell. In addition, players will need to make offerings at shrines to receive blessings. This usually costs some money, though it is free for shrines built in one of the Hearthfire houses.
Diseases are much more deadly in Skyrim's Survival mode than typical gameplay. It is more likely that players will contract diseases from the various creatures across the world, and, if left untreated, diseases can progress to a more debilitating version, so carrying around extra Cure Disease potions is a good idea.
There are three main things that players need to be aware of constantly as they traverse the deadly landscape of Skyrim in Survival mode: hunger, cold, and fatigue. Each of these mechanics affects many things, including the health, stamina, and magicka bars, and even how effective certain skills are.
Hunger affects players’ stamina and their ability to wield most weapons. As characters get hungrier, their stamina bar gets smaller, which is indicated by a black section on the stamina bar. Eating food restores this section, so eating is more important than ever before. If characters eat enough, they will even receive a well-fed bonus. Players will need to be careful about eating raw meat though, as food poisoning is a possibility.
Next, players need to worry about the cold. Skyrim is a harsh, unforgiving climate, and many of its regions are freezing. The colder the player is, the less health they will have. Frost magic is especially deadly in Survival mode, as cold decreases players’ maximum health. Cold can also affect movement speed and even the ability to pick locks and pockets effectively. Those planning to play as thieves will want to stay as warm as possible.
Luckily, there are many ways to stay warm, like standing next to fires, using torches, or selecting armor and clothing that has higher warmth ratings. Players can also make hot soups using fire salts, which makes the character warmer in addition to restoring health and stamina.
Weather, time of day, and location all affect how warm or cold an area is too. Whiterun is a warmer climate, which means players won’t have to worry as much about staying warm there compared to regions such as Winterhold. It is a little discordant that NPCs are unbothered by the cold at all, but that would change AI behaviors which can have all sorts of unintended consequences.
The third major thing that players need to worry about is fatigue. Fatigue not only decreases the maximum available magicka to characters but also makes potions less effective. Players will need to sleep periodically, and beds indoors give players the best resting bonuses. In a pinch, players can construct camps in the wilderness to protect them from the cold and allow them much-needed rest. It’s not the best option, but better than nothing.
The various races of Skyrim also have new effects relating to the survival aspects. For example, Khajiit and Argonians can eat raw food without getting food poisoning. Orcs are naturally resistant to hunger, fatigue, and cold. Finally, Nords have a higher resistance to cold environments.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
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