Skyrim, Skyrim, Skyrim. What are we going to do with you? At this point, the Elder Scrolls are literally elderly, and the engine is still trash. That being said, Skyrim is beloved in many people’s hearts and has provided people with wonderful memories. Whether it’s’ becoming a Dragonborn, exploring the world or taking on every creature you come across, people are into this game. When Skyrim Elder Scrolls came out, people were blown away by the graphics and visuals, by this massive world full of endless things to do. Thanks to the large and endlessly creative modding community, Skyrim’s lifespan has expanded. Mods fixed problems that were neglected by the Skyrim team and added layers of fun and lore that otherwise would be sorely missed. However, while some people look to add to the game, others only want to try to break it.
Finding glitches and trying to force a game to shut down through trickery can be fun in its own way. You’re looking for holes that the dev team missed, trying to piece together a map of all the mistakes, loopholes or silly hacks that can be exploited for fun. Some breaks are accidental and occur while you are minding your own business and playing the game while others are intentionally sought out by players. Over the long lifespan of the game, people have found many weird glitches and loopholes to exploit, but which ones are the most powerful? What will actually break the world of Skyrim?
25 High-Level Stealth Trees Stink
That’s right, actually playing the game the way you’re supposed to can break the rules of the game. If you get yourself maxed out in the stealth skill, you can literally just sneak right up in a guard’s face and they won’t see you. You are literally crouched down at their feet and they just shrug off any sounds as them hearing things. While this is useful, most people need to hide behind something to avoid detection, but you can just sit in the open.
24 Item Crafting Is Broken
This mechanic really is wild in this game. While it seems innocent enough, you can give certain things power that really should not have it. I once heard of a guy who gave his vegetable soup the ability to give him unlimited power attacks; talk about a healthy meal! Then there are other weapons granting unusual buffs or just plain giving a fork extra powers. It is crazy the things you can do in Skyrim and it makes no freaking sense.
23 Alchemy/Enchanting Loop Is Too OP
Everybody in the Skyrim community knows this hack so I just had to put it in here and give it a shout out. In case you have not heard of this cheeky technique, you basically use alchemy and enchantment potions to max yourself and your weapons out so they become overpowered as heck. It’s essentially the fast-track to becoming a powerful unstoppable being. Have fun being the most powerful thing for miles around – just try not to let it get to your head.
22 Restoration Potion Glitch For Life
This glitch was patched, but some players chose not to update the game just so they could do this. For owners of the Xbox 360, you can jump through a series of game loops to create a 400% fortify restoration potion. It requires specific items like the alchemy gear and using the loop I mentioned in the above entry, but it is also possible even if you aren’t so proficient in alchemy. This is probably one of the most OP items you can make in the game
21 Mods Rule (But Be Careful)
Modding, while a cool and creative endeavor, does require a little know-how and is pretty easy to mess up. You would think installing mods would generally improve your game, but the wrong combo or a badly programmed mod can wreck your entire game, not always in a fun way. Just be careful which mods and combinations you go for and you should be fine. Unless you want to break your game, in which case go nuts. I personally am a fan of the Fresh Start mod and any graphics improver.
20 Why Can’t Giants Cross Rivers?
You know how giants are a real pain in the behind? They are huge, powerful, and just show up ready to fight you. Not only that but their blows deal a huge amount of damage and can just throw you miles into the air so even if you don’t perish from the hit, you can perish from fall damage. What if I told you that there was a solution? Just go stand in the middle of a river. Seriously, go get some water walking boots and fight them from there. You’ll be fine.
19 Skyrim Horse, Skyrim Horse, Does Whatever A Skyrim Horse Does
For reasons unknown, your horse is better at climbing mountains than you. It has better grip, stability, and can hold more than you, so you may as well. Not only that, but you can glitch your way up seemingly impassable areas if you manage to hit the right spot. I’ve made my way through boulders, up short cliffs, and through the odd tree on my travels. Other games, like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, seem to have learned from the Skyrim Horse memes. But it is still fun.
18 The Mannequin Tactic
That title is a bit dramatic, but hey. Unlike many young people out there right now, you can buy a house in Skyrim. If you want to mess with the game, buy one with a mannequin. I know they’re creepy but do it. Then open up the console, click on the mannequin and type ‘tai’. Wait for a bit, then go outside. Your NPCs will be broken and not work. It’s a bit of effort to pull this off but it is hilarious to try to talk to them and for nothing to happen.
17 Wipe The Slate And Get Infinite Dragon Souls
This one involves the Dragonborn DLC so if you have that then this is for you. Defeating Miraak allows you to reset your perk tree in exchange for a dragon soul. Doing this comes with an interesting new perk; you can upgrade all your dragon shouts without ending any dragons. Talk about a time-saver and great for dragon kind as a whole. For those who are really into being a Dragonborn, this is a necessary piece of info.
16 Speed Up Your Speech Levelling
I personally am a big fan of the ‘Speech 100’ memes you see floating around the internet and wish it was this easy in real life. If you want to gain a gift of the gab, you can head on over to Riften. In the black-briar meadery, you will find a dark elf. Strike up a conversation with him and ask about his boss. Once he has said his piece, you will get the option to persuade. Keep doing this and you will find yourself with level 100 speech in no time.
15 No Lockpick Prison Break
Lockpicking can be a pain in the game, especially when you only have a couple of lockpicks. What do you do if you get put in jail and have no lockpicks? This is what you do; shout. Shouting in your hold will trigger the guard to open the door to tell you off. When he opens the door, sneak by him, grab your stuff, and get out of there. Who knew shouting could help you get away from the long arm of the law?
14 Ragdoll Dragon Skeleton For The Win
Ragdoll animations are always very funny to watch. The movement is so unnatural that it is hard not to laugh when you see it. If you want to see a dragon skeleton glitch out, you can do one of two things; head somewhere nearby where you can’t see the skeleton, hang there a few seconds then go look at the skeleton again. It will be rag-dolling all over the joint. Or you can just hit the skeleton with a fireball.
13 Swimming With The Fishes
Breathing underwater is the dream for many swimmers and divers out there. It would be so much easier to explore the depths of rivers, lakes, and oceans if we had this ability. Luckily, you can do this in Skyrim. Enter the water and go under in the first person, then go to the third person, and then the first person again. Once you enter the first person the second time, you should hear your character take a deep breath. There is an enchantment and a potion that allow you to breathe underwater, but breaking the game is more fun.
12 When Horses Swim Underwater
Continuing on with the underwater exploration theme, horses can not only scale crazy mountains but also swim underwater. Head on over to Solitude docks while riding on your horse. Once there, ride on over to the nearby bridge over the river and, like any sane person would do, ride on off the side of the bridge. You should drop under water and your horse should not go back up. Now just do a Dory and keep swimming, my friend. Enjoy the moment while it lasts.
11 It's Not Just A Flesh Wound
It all started with a single skeleton in Helgen that could fly at you and do a small amount of damage to you. Now, any skeleton that loads in with the map will damage you if it comes at you. This does not just apply to you, either. If the skeleton misses you and hits a follower (looking at you, Lydia), then the follower will draw their sword and act like they were attacked by an enemy. This one really does tickle the old funny bone when used correctly.
10 Zombies? At Your Wedding? It’s More Likely Than You Think
Getting married is considered by some to be one of the many joys of life. Just remember that marrying your beloved means committing to their loved ones too; even if you don’t like them. In Skyrim, ending the lives of your betrothed’s friends may seem like a good way to solve this, but this will come to bite you in the behind. They will still come to the wedding ceremony, but they will be…different than usual. Your spouse will not be happy with you and certain unwanted guests won’t be either.
9 What’s Behind The Load Door?
Doors in Skyrim become semi-solid when in their open or close animation, including ones that trigger cutscenes or loading screens. When you next open one of the latter, run at it. If you have the timing just right you can enter the room behind the door and explore for a bit. The cutscene or load screen will pop up when you leave, so you have time. There usually is not a lot going on behind there, but it will ease the burning question and stop you from wondering what is behind those things.
8 Infinite Arrows? Don’t Mind If I Do
The Thieves’ Guild in Riften allows you to do all kinds of neat things, but this one is one of my favorites. In the Guild, there will be someone using the dummy for archery practice. Stand near the dummy, but not in the archer's path, and you will be able to just grab the arrows from inside the dummy. The archer never takes the arrows or stops firing, so you have an infinite supply. Steal his arrows and replace them with a higher quality version to get infinite versions of that instead.
7 Becoming Headless
This one requires a bit of preparation. Steal the Archmage’s robe from the College of Winterhold Guild and get a Dragon Priest mask. Wear both of them at the same time and see if you notice anything different about yourself. Admittedly, this does not work every time, but more often than not your head will become completely invisible. This glitch will also happen with the Morkai mask and on your mannequin at home.
6 Sneaking At The Speed Of Sound
If you gotta go fast when sneaking, go into third-person mode. From there, start sneaking and unsheathe your weapons. It mostly works for one-handed weapons, but you will start sneaking a lot faster than normal. Now you can get up to crimes and tomfoolery at an even faster rate than usual. Think of all the things you could avoid or do with this newfound hack. Just be careful not to blow your cover with your unsheathed weapons.