Survival Mode is the best way to experience Skyrim

[@mossy3565]

I think the reason the 'no fast travel' pill is so hard to swallow is because the game dropped a lot of convenience features to avoid it Morrowind, if you've ever played it, has its own localized public transport systems, from boats going around the island, and silt striders going across it In skyrim, the carts *sometimes* go to every major hold, but just as often dont. I distinctly remember buying transport to The Mages College, only to see no cart behind me, because the carts dont go OUT from there, only towards And if you live in Falkreath, forget it. Skyrim, kind of, has a boat system. But it's only ever used to take you from skyrim to the vampire mansion. Hell, even horses aren't that much faster than just running it normally. The reason fast travel is so tempting is a design issue, not a hardcore mindset.

[@derunglaublichealk1510]

I think You can take a boat from solitude to dawnstar

[@mossy3565]

@@derunglaublichealk1510 The fact that its so hazy in your mind is evidence enough the system just doesn't work. Like, compare it to Morrowind where NIGH EVERY TOWN on the shore gets a boat-stop

[@derunglaublichealk1510]

@@mossy3565 yeah you are right. Just wanted to add it. I Never took a ride with those boats 😅

[@mikeredacted]

@mossy3565 Thanks for the detailed comment. I appreciate that a lot of people probably wouldn't be as entertained as me by just running through the tundra over and over again. I do hope that in the next elder scrolls, whenever it comes out, they put more effort into player mobility and add features that make travelling on foot from settlement to settlement more appealing to more players.

[@mossy3565]

@@rpast5656 That's assuming you're willing to buy CC content (or got scammed into buying Anniversary edition) and are fine with putting up with the atrocious quest/look

[@TheBrazilianHue]

I'm currently playing survival mode on legendary. Things are tough as nails until they aren't. One of the first things you wanna do in survival mode is to get to Golden Hills plantation, then make a lot of money with a blisterwort plantation.

[@YELY-w3j]

Don’t do the companions early on in legendary

[@4kVisualizer]

Why​@@YELY-w3j

[@samuelsouza3054]

I can't stand legendary, the game is so broken that it basically forces you to use cheesy tactics, and i like to play the game properly. I think legendary is meant to be used when you're very high level and the fight with the enemies become to easy.

[@red_dll]

@@samuelsouza3054 It really depends on the situation though. In my experience the game just forces you to play way smarter on legendary but necessarily more cheesy. I just can't rush into dungeons/ groups of enemies and be fine until way higher levels but that's fine. The early game can be extremely tedious and at some point I got an encounter with hired thugs early in the game. Obviously I didn't stand a chance and got obliterated. So I just ran away. Annoying and frustrating but at the same time it's cool to have an experience in which the game doesn't let me do anything anytime and teaches me that I am not the almighty main character right from the start. Legendary (survival) is challenging but hella fun to me.

[@samuelsouza3054]

@@red_dll I wouldn't say you have to plays smarter, i say you would have to just be cheesy, stealth or run. And the enemies are the same level that you are, but their attributes are extremely broken.

[@jaredmarshall1548]

I’ve played through Skyrim over a dozen times and I’m still blown away with the amount of random encounters one can come across when exploring the world. Great video and commentary, definitely earned a sub!

[@mikeredacted]

Thank you, I really appreciate it.

[@Bigtubs]

Did not expect this mans voice.. need him to be a voice actor in an elder scrolls games.

[@mikeredacted]

@Bigtubs thank you, I'd love to voice a character in the next TES.

[@novuswojtek9346]

Commenting for the algorithm bc it’s nice to see new small KZbinrs in recommendations

[@mikeredacted]

Thank you, I appreciate it!

[@jake4532]

My first skyrim playthrough's back in 2011 was like no fast travel anyways.. Mainly because I didn't know that was an option haha. I recall walking from Solitude to Riften many times and discovering so much along the way! Skyrim will always hold a special place in my heart

[@theryman4124]

I had the same experience my first play through as a kid. Had no idea fast travel was an option. My first play through is still the most immersive experience I’ve ever had

[@Mr_Maiq_The_Liar]

I often find that, as soon as you turn fast travel off, you see the consequences of the lack of fast travel in the games overall design. Like, do you frequently take a carriage to winterhold to do the mages guilds quest? Well, good luck getting to anywhere else without freezing to death, because the only way out is to walk through the largest span of the coldest area in skyrim. You'll probably take the shortest route you can find to and from dawnstar to take dawnstars boat to solitude a dozen times. If you travel by coast, then upwards to the ice sheet halfway to the light house, there's no random encounters besides 3 respawning ice wolves, which you will fight every time, and no dungeon besides the lighthouse, which is fun but you'll do once. If your survival mod does cold, this might take much longer, and be much more tedious than you bargained for. And again, no random encounters. The reason fast travel exists, is that there really isn't much exploration to have when you take the same route from point A to point B multiple times. That's why the only elder scrolls game that lacked fast travel had a public transportation system that could take you from any settlement to any settlement, and the "mark and recall" and "divine/almsivi intervention" spells/potions/scrolls sold at every general store, Which serve the purpose of taking you from point b back to point a since You aren't likely to find anything new to explore On the return trip from locations. Skyrims system of only being able to fast travel to places you've been before is alright, it does limit exploration when you travel from point C to point B with unexplored land in-between, which a mark and recall system does better, but there's a reason there's a huge section of mods designed around adding psuedo, or limited fast travel to playthroughs without fasttravel. I'm partial to those that at the very least connect every city together. Even then, from time to time, I will turn every quest marker on and travel from Markarth to Riften and do every quest inbetween, And I have plenty od opportunity to explore every time i leave a major city

[@axelpercopo8627]

I have played skyrim for more than 3000 hours, both with and without mods, and I have a few thougths to share: 1) mods make the game more immersive only if they are well built and lore-friendly: I once installed a mod that reduced the height that you could jump without taking damage and because of it I never got to complete the Thieves Guild questline, because it requires the protagonist to jump in a deep pit in the Twilight Sepulcher. 2) mods often make the game more fun but also make it jankier because of how bethesda game are built: for example if one installs cloaks of Skyrim you get more immersion, because now everyone will be seemingly more protected from the environment, but you may soon realize that not one cloak moves in the wind, or that the feet of every person go through the cloaks and capes, and so, while looking for more immersion, you still get the same amount as before or even less, because now instead of having one issue (no one is protected from the cold) you have two (not one cloak moves with the wind and everyone's feet glitch through the cloaks). 3) survival mode made by bethesda is one of their best ideas, because I have tried other survival mods, but they are always too... extreme. Let me explain: the survival aspect is fun, but skyrim wasn't thought as a survival game, so it is difficult to balance things well: if you lean too much into survival aspects the game is broken, because to enjoy survival aspects more you endanger the story telling and combat of the game (i had installed Hypothermia, a mod that drastically makes the cold more punishing and that even allows your character to faint from the cold, and was unable to visit The Forgotten Vale because it was always so cold that there was no way to not faint while exploring, making me stuck in never completing the Dawnguard storyline). If you lean too little toward survival however, it is useless to install mods in the first place, because you would rather see a change in the game if you are modding it. Bethesda survival mode is in the perfect spot in my opinion: the game feels more immersive and the character can explore the world while facing diseases, cold, hunger and tiredness, but not so much as to make skyrim into a strictly survival game: the main aspects are still the adventure and the combat, but with now a little added flavour: like salt, if not added properly, mods can ruin the taste of the experience.

[@Swindle428]

I subscribed because your profile photo is a cat in a suit.

[@customch33s32]

After first playing Skyrim special edition with their own survival mode, I have never played without it

[@nigelwitgunn3406]

Personnally, I didn't find having to be sure to leave enough room in my 7000 item backpack that already had 3 complete sets of armour and an assortment of two-handed weapons in it - even though it fits on my back, for a couple of sweet roles was very immersive. But that's just me, and I don't like pets or followers either.

[@asa9528]

Your voice is so soothing! I can’t wait to see more content :)

[@mikeredacted]

@@asa9528 thank you, I really appreciate that

[@Yucci]

I used to play basically vanilla skyrim with some quality of life mods + survival, but then I tried Requiem and it gave me the same wow factor that playing with survival for the first time did. It makes Skyrim play more similarly to something like Elden Ring. The world is unleveled, meaning when you go to a dungeon it will not scale with you. If youre at a low level, well youre probably not gonna be able to do it, if youre at a much higher level you'll clear that dungeon with ease. Its very polished and still feels like skyrim, its just the gameplay thats different. Defo recommend

[@Sk0p3rIII]

well your voice really fits skyrim lmao, great video btw, tho i disagree with the title but totally agree on the fast travel part

[@kendo2377]

After using iNeed for a few years I decided to try and play without it. The game was lacking something; not managing food and water and finding a place to sleep while in the wilderness. Using the carriages to travel has its own charm as well.

[@realzachfluke1]

100% my experience as well. Matter of fact, if I could have _only one mod_ for any given Skyrim playthrough, iNeed would be a definite contender for that spot. It's just like you said, it makes the game feel complete. For me to even be considering iNeed up there for a one-mod Skyrim, with the greatest and my most beloved follower mods (Inigo, Lucien, and Kaidan [2] in my case), speaks volumes I think! Annnnnnd thank Sotha Sil _we don't have to pick_ just a single mod !!!

[@realzachfluke1]

Here and subbed before this channel blows up 🤜🤛

[@kacperstrzygocki5761]

I started my first survival run. I'm plaing this game since release and I didn't ever met situation when Delphine is unavaliable and You can't rent a room in Sleeping Giant Inn cause she is with Farengar in this moment. I always skipped Delphine in Dragonsreach by getting dragon stone before Farengar asked for it. That was fast to prove Your point on meeting new things on survival. Thanks for Your video :)

[@catfaerie]

I discovered Last Seed on my last playthrough, and the adjustment is definitely something. I'd never stolen food before, and now, well, I'm more likely to steal your sweetroll than your jewelry. I can't eat jewelry and I gotta get it to a fence before it's actually worth anything. Unless I want it for myself, that circlet is not worth the trouble.

[@morbidzombii]

I play survival sometimes because it forces you to utilize more features and mechanics, making food and other liquids more useful.

[@themagnificantpotoobird660]

I utilize "Realistic needs and Diseases, and Frostfall" for survival options. I know there are newer ones like Sunhelm, but I enjoy these two more.

[@themagnificantpotoobird660]

Without fast travel, I would also recommend immersive patrols, and immersive encounter mods. it adds NPCs and events on the road.

[@mikeredacted]

@@themagnificantpotoobird660 Nice mod Recommendations, I really liked the immersion patrols mod when I used it on a previous playthrough.

[@themagnificantpotoobird660]

@@mikeredacted There's another random encounter mod that includes things like injured travelers, bandits moving hostages, and a group of adventurers who need your help to clear out locations. You can also run "Convenient Horses" to the auto include mods. It lets you modify the horse's behavior, make it essential, and gives you a couple of horse recall options that are in game, so no need for commands.

[@remigaillard4802]

I played for the first time with a mod collection a few days ago, it's called gate to sovngarde, it has like a 1000 mods and survival mode + other mods that fits the idea, like no compass and stuff like that. It feels really fun and new, i like it a lot

[@riczz4641]

Ever since SSE came out I haven't played without survival enabled. That's 7 years now.

[@niktorrente6640]

I only ever played it on survival,it is just perfect :)

[@rinrada1]

Great video as always! Cool thumbnail 👍🏻

[@mikeredacted]

Glad you like the thumbnail, I had help making it!

[@garretthiggins2152]

I think Survival is the best lol. Forces you to slow down and appreciate a bit. I recently tried doing a survival playthrough with some mods for slightly more realistic loot distribution and stuff, but Morrowloot really conflicted with Survival and Valravn (a light combat mod). I really am looking to build Skyrim the way I think it was meant to be, that is, a bit slower progression and rarity of different materials, and light survival elements.

[@thelrproject257]

See I had a number of issues with the survival options after playing fallout 4 on survival which I think does the game mode a lot better. 1. there is no thirst requirements which is weird when trying to play in an immersive manner 2. every food item near enough requires salt in order to cook which while not being hard to find ruins immersion as most people if desperate would just chuck the food over heat and eat it. they should of made this an option but with obvious drawbacks like less hunger satiated etc. 3. The heat system is so horribly flawed and inconsistent. the warmest armor's are just the ones with the higher armor rating. Fur armor has the same warmth rating as regular clothing...Fur..... not only that there is no real robes or clothes which grant a decent level of frost resistance which bottlenecks players into playing a limited amount of builds over what they want. 4. there is no synergy with magic beyond preventing freezing cole in northern waters with flame cloak for 60 seconds. I would think that flame cloak should be able to make you immune to the elements you're travelling in in general since its a encompassing circle of hot fire around you but this hasn't really been thought about. 5. Fast travel within skyrim is damn near mandatory because the game punishes you for not doing it and having limited options. the reason morrowind is amazing without it is because there is multiple ways to travel fast, take a potion, boats, silt striders, mage teleportation, setting your own teleportation, levitation. most of skyrims minor towns and area's have no real ways of reaching beyond trecking road you may have already traveled previously. dragon fast travel exists but that requires becoming dragonborn which a good portion of people do not like doing on repeated playthroughs. 6. Sleeping in a bed doesn't help cure a disease which should be an option also. 7. There are not enough racial changes and bonuses and argonian's are made almost obsolete on the mode due to being weaker to cold than every other race I've taken skyrim for what it is, its a fantasy action game with quite limited immersion. adding immersion to it which is half assed and unfinished doesn't make the game feel more dynamic it makes the moment to moment gameplay more stale and limited. Fallout was designed a bit more with survival in mind, skyrim is just a poorer version of better mods that exist on the nexus with options like the ones i've listed as problems with the basic paid creation survival. Also I like to play with no further mods on console and installing an additional mod shouldn't be the answer to fixing a half assed creation

[@KiloTsumi]

Im loving fallout 4 survival i can do this as well no tips needed. Play hpw you want . On whatever difficulty.

[@ahmedmulalic]

Great Content!!

[@murendrahikmawati4806]

Ooh hy i suggest modd it hunter+merchant+immersive NPC+more encounter+much merchant and vendor and more something to craft

[@WickedPawn]

as a player who made their own survival mode before special edition was a thing using mods and even going the extra mile to make the game even harder i got to say that survival mode was a huge disappointment when i first heard about it (along with the creators club lol). i know with the right mods survival mode can be cool but it could never compare to my original wet and cold load order imo; im still baffled that they re-re-released special edition the first time lol. I personally like to play skyrim like its a broken version of bannerlord. i love traveling with a large group of characters and just letting them fight while i do the objective based on my backstory. so the survival aspect took up a huge portion of my modded playthroughs because after the first 100 hours i just couldnt bring myself to go through the motions of combat without having a twist, i just wanted to explore and roleplay. skyrim is a sandbox game at heart after all, i just think bethesda should have dropped whatever came after special edition with more ai features even if they werent going to be used in game so that modders would have an easier time making the world feel real. i still can't think of amemory that can beat the first time i was traveling with my own guild and stumbling into a battle with the traveling soldier mod (idk if thats the name of the mod i forgot the name). if skyrims ai was capable of acting like a useable version of what oblivion wanted to be with the free roaming npc's that would be actively doing something regardless of where you were in game skyrim would be the perfect sandbox imo. if u read all of this i appreciate u, if u have any free time and remember this id really appreciate it if u chacked out this channel and helped get the wickedpawn devlog to 100 views. it would be the first video i have to reach 100 views and it's almost there!

[@mikeredacted]

@wickedpawnstudios Hey, thanks for the comment! I really loved the ai in Oblivion too. I was young and it blew my mind that all of the NPCs had routines that they followed, it really made the world feel alive. I'll check out your devlogs for sure!

[@Trephining]

Punctuation is your friend. So is using multiple distinct paragraphs.

[@red_dll]

In my experience the game just forces you to play way smarter on legendary but necessarily more cheesy. I just can't rush into dungeons/ groups of enemies and be fine until way higher levels but that's fine. The early game can be extremely tedious and at some point I got an encounter with hired thugs early in the game. Obviously I didn't stand a chance and got obliterated. So I just ran away. Annoying and frustrating but at the same time it's cool to have an experience in which the game doesn't let me do anything anytime and teaches me that I am not the almighty main character right from the start. I also don't abuse alchemy or fast leveling smithing except the plants grow naturally or I find the materials while looting. I also avoid the creation club quests that give insanely good loot and are available very early on. At least until the rewards aren't way better than the stuff I can get naturally anymore. It would take away from the experience and fun I have with the challenge. For me, it's about the whole Journey and not a speedrun to get as op as possible and then slay enemies on legendary difficulty.

[@loading...2381]

Great video dude

[@celiopires622]

I always play survival, but honestly I turn it off when I have to go to the greybeards. They are sooooo boring. I do the first climb and when I have to go back there, I use fast travel

[@Sanguivore]

I think I’ll give a Survival Mode playthrough a go! Which mod do you recommend for the best survival experience?

[@mikeredacted]

@Sanguivore I'd recommend the iNeed mod as your start as you don't need to fork over cash to Bethesda. Immersive Patrols mod, Inigo, wet and cold. That's a good start, then you can add on a few lighting, graphics, weapon, etc mods of your choosing.

[@Sanguivore]

@@mikeredacted Thanks a bunch, my friend! :D I’ll definitely give those a go~!

[@Drayden_]

Try SimonMagus’ take on survival mode “Starfrost”. It’s based off of Survival mode improved mod and really goes well together with his other “vanilla plus” mods

[@arcanelore0]

Survival is in the base game now, no?

[@kasmstamps1897]

Im about to retire soon and one of things i want time for is to final spend lots of time to play Skyrim. Besides, i need some investments to mature (TSLA & btc).

[@camchase9059]

Nice video man

[@peterlewis2178]

I often do use the carriages when I play survival, but I just make a rule that I can only travel to places I've already been. So, if I've already walked/ridden a horse between Whiterun and Riften once, I'm okay using the carriage for future journeys. I find that that helps to break up some of the monotony while still leaving plenty of room for random encounters and exploring the game world. Especially since the carriages only work between hold capitals. So, for instance, if you want to go to Riverwood, you'll still have to travel there manually.

[@kananana9903]

Same..

[@jacobc8019]

Why

[@kananana9903]

If u like loading screens than Starfield is for you

[@peterlewis2178]

@@jacobc8019 What is your "Why" referring to? Or is this just a vague rhetorical meant only for you to express to yourself that you disagree/don't understand something about what I said?

[@jacobc8019]

@@peterlewis2178 why only travel to places you’ve already been via carriage

[@fmgg1218]

Vampire or werewolf on survival?

[@kaitlynkitty1917]

To your point about spawning horses, wouldn't it be better to memorize the specific ID of your horse so you can retrieve them with a console command, instead of getting a new horse for free?

[@mikeredacted]

@kaitlynkitty1917 That does seem like a better idea! If I did the player.placeatme command with my horses ID would that move the horse from where I lost it or just create another copy of it?

[@kaitlynkitty1917]

@@mikeredacted Pretty sure placeatme would use the already existing one

[@devilbeetrootclips]

You sound like the carriage driver from the nordic carriage company mod...

[@abnerlives]

Brasil aqui! Tentei jogar no modo survival e não consegui (tudo é muito difícil). Talvez eu dê outra chance no futuro

[@jacobc8019]

Hasn’t survival mode been free since AE released

[@mikeredacted]

@jacobc8019 Yea, I think that's when I got it for free. You should give it a try if you haven't already!

[@justarandompally]

Just play requiem bro you will never go back

[@shaqh2168]

Rockstar needs to take notes this is how you milk a game lol

[@Muckito]

I've tried the survival mode and it's shit. I feel like the drawbacks of hunger/cold/fatigue are extremly annoying, especially in the early levels and in bigger dungeons. The good thing about survival mode is not that is makes the game harder, but that it forces you to play the game like an actual human being with basic needs like food, rest etc. and explore the world. But you can achieve the same through strict roleplaying.

[@bradleycarrington9093]

Disagree. The problem with survival mode is it feels rushed and that it doesnt fit in with the rest of the world. Why am I the only character thats freezing to death when npc's are walking around with no shirts on? Faralda stands outside 24/7 in winterhold and I start dying after 5 min. Followers dont have reduced carry weight so I feel like im roleplaying someone with severe anemia cause im weak and constantly freezing. Also transformations, the werewolf has a full coat of fur. So why am I freezing as a werewolf after 2 min and barely able to move? Also hunger and cold should no longer be an issue for vampires. Youre undead. Yes I love the other mechanics like making food and sleeping and needing to use horses and carriages, it adds another layer of immersion, but there are too many things that equally take me out of it and make this mod feel not integrated with the world.

[@mikeredacted]

I understand where you're coming from. The temperature feature can be a pain if you don't want it. I would suggest maybe to go with the iNeed mod if you wanted a survival mod instead of the one which comes with Anniversary Edition. It's highly configurable and cold or hot weather does not effect the player.

[@GoldenKarelyt]

this is just wrong, how can you be so wrong?

[@KonpleteAverage]

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more boring commentary.

[@mikeredacted]

@@KonpleteAverage Subscribe so you can hear my boring commentary every two weeks

[@goombrosaustrosity4277]

​@@mikeredactedSOLD!

[@wetnapkin2731]

Oh yeah this guys blowing up