#skyrim critical

[handsomeamoeba]

WRONG.

Try again.

Actually let's get into this. As someone who loves a great many fantasy RPGs including BG3, Skyrim, and Dragon Age, let me explain what BG3 gets that Skyrim misses, in my opinion.

And this is the big one: the characters in BG3 feel like real fucking people. They have backstories, demonstrable feelings about the events and the other characters, they react to the things you do and they develop as people as you further your relationships. Even minor NPCs often feel fleshed out with distinct personalities and opinions. Hell, going out of my way to cast Speak to Animals is usually rewarded with at least one charming remark. I have never given even a little bit of a shit about 99% of Bethesda NPCs. I usually choose to travel without a companion rather than with unless I need a pack mule to carry my stuff, because their primary function seems to be to get in my way, set off traps, or attract aggro. I can't remember most characters' names unless I'm actively playing. I'm more likely to casually murder people in Skyrim than I am in BG3 or DA because Bethesda hasn't really made any of their NPCs feel like real people, and consequentially I feel no guilt. By comparison I tried to do an evil run of DA:O and gave up the instant I had to kill Wynne (the grandmotherly spirit healer) when she refused to let me go through with my plans, because I hated doing it. Lydia will watch me gut an innocent man and do NOTHING because she has no life, existence, or personality outside of me, the player. This extends to romances, obviously. While optional in all the games, most people will pursue a romance path in BG3 or DA for the additional character arcs it brings to the characters, the emotional nuances they unlock. In Skyrim romance is a box you tick of tasks to complete. In fact, once you marry them, most marriage candidates personalities change *completely* because all spouses have the same few stock dialog lines. That is, if they had a personality to begin with (again, see Lydia). You know how everyone wants to romance unromanceable characters in Bethesda games? Like Brynjolf in Skyrim, or Nick Valentine in FO4? It's because Bethesda actually bothered to give them stories and opinions.

Honestly, this extends to the player character themselves. To a certain extent every player character is a blank slate, but in BG3 and DA it at least feels possible to develop a feeling about who that character is and what they would or would not say or do. I've tried to do that with the Dragonborn and rarely feel strong feelings about them or have strong opinions about what kind of person they are. The only one I've made who I have much of an idea about is my wood elf Parafina, who is Chaotic Evil. Which again is an option I only pick because no one in Skyrim feels real.

The stakes also feel more real in BG3, more personal. Obviously there's the central quest involving the tadpoles, but more than that, it is about a credible threat to your world and the people and communities in it and the people you love. There are tons of reasons to invest yourself emotionally in the narrative. I have never, ever completed the main storyline in Skyrim nor picked a side in Skyrim's civil war. Why would it? Basically nothing happens if I choose not to. Furthermore, if you're not playing as a Nord (which I usually don't), why would you care about Skyrim as a place? You are a faceless, voiceless (pun intended) outsider who gets microaggressed at every turn being asked to choose between two different flavors of fascist. Also dragons are back but like... listen, I don't care? They get pretty easy to pick off at a certain point, it's like swatting flies, they're just a nuisance on the way to my daily errands. And isn't that such a common story? Don't you know so many people who don't really bother with the main storylines of Skyrim? Yeah it's one of the bestselling games of all time but I feel like the fact that most people don't really care about its narrative should be a sign of failure. We all know it's mostly maintained its popularity due to the modding community.

Ultimately both games have rich worlds which reward exploration with little secrets and environmental storytelling. But BG3 feels more "meaningful" because they give me reasons to care about what happens. The writers worked hard to give the game emotional resonance. So I come to the two games for different experiences. I go to BG3 to engage with an interesting story. I go to Skyrim for the quick serotonin hit of completing tasks and hoarding items.

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #skyrim #skyrim critical #with all the love in my heart mind you #i was considering not tagging this tbh

[elderscrollsconfessions]

Confession: i wish that person who confessed about only knowing skyrim knows that theres still time to get out. dont keep looking into the lore it sucks here you dont wanna be the guy at the party like "oh this reminds me of tes" it CAN happen to you GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN RUN

#the lore gets very fun imo especially thanks to ESO #Skyrim #The Elder Scrolls #TES #ESC #skyrim critical #though I'm not sure that it's entirely sincere

[molagbalapologist]

Kinda hate that sheogorath has become a meme version of himself. I don't hate the oblivion version of him, but they attempted to make a copy of that in skyrim and well, they didn't succeed. They stripped him of everything that made the oblivion incarnation fun. He lacks all the pizzazz of that version. No cane, no flair; the outfit is OK in a vacuum, but in comparison it is a boring skyrim equivalent. They didn't even try anything new, and Sheo is the perfect god to try new things with. He had an air of dignity in morrowind, he was "lol random"/alice in wonderland-esque in oblivion, you can't tell me they ran out of ideas after that.

Skyrim sheo is just. Sad. Washed out, washed up. He doesn't even have the cat eyes anymore :(

#rant time woohoo #sheogorath #skyrim critical #<blacklist that tag if u dont wanna see it :) #skip talks

[soupwife]

now its time to bring the haterism

if you think multiple are bad vote for the one you hate the most <3

#not including dragon age 2 because its not actually critically acclaimed #kinda flopped in that arena sadly because it is actually a great game #despite its MAJORRRRR flaws lets be honest with ourselves today my dears #mass effect #skyrim #dragon age #fnv #polls

[the-twisted-tales-tavern]

New header and pfp by JakeArmorsmith over on Twitter! Absolutely love how he drew all these ladies for the Tavern~

#twisted art (not sft art) #vex'ahlia (critical role) #keyleth (critical role) #serana volkihar (skyrim) #yang xiao long (RWBY AU) #the naughty changeling (jaerik aldraeyds)

[i-am-but-a-beta-fish]

does anyone know where the nerevarine teldryn sero hc came from? was it the mohawk

#not a criticism btw i love that shit #genuinely curious #teldryn sero #skyrim #i seek a place to ramble merely

[teddybasmanov]

Since Hbomberguy's recent popularity surge I decided to watch some of his videos that I haven't yet (I mostly watched his political stuff, for some reason) and I while I did have a lot of fun with Pathologic (though while knowing about its origins and setting I was still jump-scared by him calling the in-game currency rubles), I still cannot bring myself to watch his Fallout 3 and Skyrim videos, because I feel like he'll come to my apartment and personally take away the CDs that have been there for fifteen and twelve years respectively...

#hbomberguy #video games #? #fallout 3 #skyrim #I'm sorry I have a fragile gamer ego and you cannot criticize the games that I made a part of my personality #or I will literally physically crumble into pieces like a cartoon character

[cuyima]

So a few years ago I stumbled across a really sexy Mollymauk cloak embroidery design and decided I had to make it.

More info and download link under the cut.

Contains the following (male only)

Cloak (physics)

Outfit

Boots

Horns (physics)

Requirements HDT-SMP or Faster HDT-SMP Recommendations HMBO Use AddItemMenu or similar to add to inventory. This is a light armor with I believe elven stats.

Download Link

Remark I messaged redelice about this and they allowed me to use the design, neat. Sadly this was way over my paygrade at the time and I never got it into a properly releasable state while also making some questionable choices in the cloak design itself... This was the very first time I did anything with SMP, and it shows. I may remake it some day but I don't know when my Skyrim fixation will kick back in so I am leaving this here for now.

Credits @redelicebeta for allowing me to use their supreme Mollymauk design when I asked them like 2 or 3 years ago

Feel free to edit for private use, but otherwise please contact me first. Screenshots are of course fine.

#critical role #skyrim #skyrim mods #skyrim special edition #skyrim se #tesv #my mods

[the-ace-of-fools]

“Thank you, I suppose you of all people would know about the dangers of daedric influence,” was what he wanted to say. But what actually came out was—

“Are you worried about me?”

Solinar thought he imagined Miraak’s eyes widening slightly.

“What if I am?”

“I—”

He did not know how to end that sentence.

#the elder scrolls #tes skyrim #skyrim #tesblr #miraak #tes oc #dovahkiin #they're in a shoujo manga your honor #cosmic horror-themed shoujo manga that is #i can not be trusted with sparkles and 'add glow' layers lmao #do they both look like toddlers here? yes. will i be accepting any criticism of that? no. #really wanna draw miraak as an Imposing Scary Atmoran Guy Guy tm but each time i try he comes out looking like an elven maiden lmao #fuckin get uhhh anime waifu-d i guess

[bhaalswn-arch]

He will wait. ( Until you give yourself to Him. ) The KILLING MOON ( will come too soon. )

BHAALSWN ;; ORIGINAL "DARK URGE" CHARACTER. ALKAS. HIGH HALF-ELF. ( A LAWFUL EVIL CHARACTER TURNED CHAOTIC NEUTRAL. ) ROLLED BY EMMA. 26. GMT. ( THEY/THEM ) ( ALL SPOILERS TAGGED. ) [ study in: resentment & repression. soak in blood. suppressing dark urges. undoing what his father had designed him to be. a saviour's heart trying to overshadow the darkness. ]

#[ OOC ] ── * SELF PROMOTION ( 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥? ) #bg3 rp #bg3 roleplay #baldur's gate 3 rp #fantasy rp #skyrim rp #wow rp #world of warcraft rp #dnd rp #dungeon and dragons rp #critical role rp #( gotta include the killing moon song now )

[elderscrollsconfessions]

Confession: Fuck Harkon. Fuck Serana. Fuck this Moth Priest guy. Fuck Blackreach. Fuck these goddamn Dwarven ruins. Fuck the Falmer. I'm over this shit ass quest and everyone and everything involved with it.

#Skyrim #House Volkihar #Lord Harkon #Dawnguard DLC critical #The Elder Scrolls #TES #ESC

[molagbalapologist]

So a few days ago I installed a couple of mods for skyrim that restore dialogue; and it's so bizarre going into towns I've been to a million times and hearing NEW original lines between NPCs. Like....bethesda wrote and paid for these lines to be read and then just....never implemented them? I know skyrim being rereleased over and over is a joke but my god. Skyrim has been missing base game content since day one. Things like voice lines that flesh out the experience are missing from every version of the game, not to mention the very same bugs that have plagued the game since launch are still present, and yet they've installed a fucking SHOP IN THE GAME MENU. And you can buy HORSE ARMOUR. Like, i realise they're beinf "self aware" or whatever, but this isn't cute :/

Bethesda is beyond parody, you can't make this shit up. Anyway. I do love skyrim, I'm just pissed that bethesda has wasted the effort of their devs by not even attempting to implement meaningful improvements. Instead of like, slightly improved visuals. But they're also never really punished for it by fans because people have gotten used to ignoring the bugs.

I think the last time people were actively upset about the bugs and glitches was when the switch port was released. I'm just saying....bethesda have had more than enough time. But i guess it's the cash cow that keeps on giving so why do they need to try.

Also, fishing? Fucking fishing? Why do that when you can catch them with your bare hands. Also the fishing outfit is igly as hell. Ok now I'm just complaining, goodbye

#hello it's rant time #skyrim critical #bethesda critical #<in case anyone wants to blacklist either

[rei-ismyname]

I hate Sheogorath

TLDR he's an absurd caricature of mental health and he's unforgivably *zany*

In case it wasn't obvious, I've been hyperfixating on The Elder Scrolls lately. Block #tesblr if you're not interested in that. One of the great things about Tumblr is that it's a space to express things you don't have anywhere else to - I've wanted to express this for years and I don't really mind if nobody reads it.

When I refer to Sheogorath, I'm drawing on my observations from Skyrim, Oblivion, and TESLegends. I don't recall his appearances in Daggerfall or Morrowind and I haven't played ESO (yet.)

Sheogorath is the Daedric Prince (DP henceforth) of Madness. Fandom discussion has touched upon the issue of representation a lot, and folks are right when they say Sheo is an inaccurate and borderline offensive example. I won't touch on that bc I don't have anything to say that hasn't already been said.

My view is that he doesn't deserve to be The DPOM, because an all-powerful, mean-spirited, fickle, zany figure for neurotypicals to giggle at (when he talks endlessly about cheese or narwhals or whatever) is weak characterisation. Especially compared to the deep lore and character of every other TES deity, he just doesn't cut it. It might not make sense if you haven't played TESLegends, but he gets OLD when he's overused.

He's also associated with drug addiction and needless cruelty. He's having a great time, though. Obviously they can't walk it back now, but I think he'd work better as A Trickster God figure. (Well they could, but they won't. Bethesda is too high on their own farts.) Lorkhan already occupies/ed that spot, but it's explicitly stated that Sheogorath was 'born' when Lorkhan 'died.' It doesn't mean they're one and the same (TES doesn't work that way) but the two are definitely linked. So what gives? The trickster deity who 'created' the world vs a zany dipshit who'd be executed after a week as a medieval jester.

He's in opposition to Jyggalygg, the DP of Order. Madness isn't the opposite of order, though. It's disorder, chaos. If I were writing him, I'd change him to a Loki-type figure - and make him a patron of 'madness' or mental health - just one aspect of his realm. So instead of being a fickle dickhead who exists to torment mortals, he'd have the ND under his protection. This gives him some pathos, and as a well-rounded trickster he could actually pose a credible threat to everyone while opening up a lot more narrative space for him.

That's the end of this ramble, I might edit it later. LMK if you agree or disagree, if I got anything wrong, or what have you.

#sheogorath #the elder scrolls #tes meta #tesblr #oblivion #TESLegends #Skyrim #daedric prince #daedra #Bethesda critical #mental health #lorkhan

[mydumbtesblog]

Arena is cisgender

Daggerfall is transmasc

Morrowind is nonbinary

Oblivion is transfem

Skyrim is an egg in any direction

#no i will not take criticism #morrowind #skyrim #arena #daggerfall #oblivion

[custom-whats]

#IM FUCKING BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 #LIKE THREE MONTHS LATER #YOU GUYS THOUGHT I WAS DEAD? (chuckles) #in more serious news THANK YOU GUYS FOR BEING SO SWEET ABOUT IT fromthedragonswake would inform me whenever you guys would post about me and #it was very sweet to be missed #BUT I HAVE RETURNED!.... #and youll be shocked to hear ive played like zero skyrim while ive been awak #*away #fucking oops #anyway have u guys ever played the critically acclaimed mmorpg final fantasy 14--

[melpcmene]

#MELPCMENE ( A MUSE OF TRAGEDY, AND ALL HAVE TRAGEDIES IN THE END. ) And you have a tragedy long forgotten. Your past obscured. The bloodlust present. What will you do? Will you become your foretold monster or rewrite your wrongs? Fate is in your hands. ( Rolled by Emma. )

#[ ooc. self promotion — support my brand? ] #bg3 rp #baldur's gate 3 rp #fantasy rp #dnd rp #d&d rp #skyrim rp #the witcher rp #critical role rp #oc rp #multi muse rp #( i'm just gonna do this for the moment as i have a lot of thoughts on alkas )