The True Scale of Winterhold: Skyrim in UNREAL ENGINE 5!

[@lion_towers3d]

Turn up to 1440p for the best quality! For those asking, the soundtrack is: ‘In Plain Sight’ - August Wilhelmsson ArtStation: www.artstation.com/artwork/lDbqkO

[@a_witcher94]

would you ever consider releasing this as a stand-alone demo? :3

[@augustsmith9553]

I guess the answer to that lovely song was in plain sight all along

[@treyballinger8792]

How about remastering the opening conversation and dragon attack in Helgen?

[@ankush_dogra_jk]

This is what actual winterhold should look like according to lore, the scale of it. Not 3-4 shanty shacks.

[@davyman2000]

yeah its probably the one hold that REALLY bothered me with it's scale. Like...I know you are going some rough times but you have 12 people in the whole city? lol

[@ankush_dogra_jk]

Thats true. I understand the engine had it own limitations in 2011, to have a larger world in creation engine they had to go through loading screens, like they did for cities (whiterun, riften etc.). But for present times, it looks weird, when we know what the lore says.@@davyman2000

[@glowaru]

​@@ankush_dogra_jk Fun fact, there's a mod called Open Cities Skyrim, which as the name suggests makes every city in Skyrim be part of the open world. It's a very liberating feeling to go through the open gates of a big city in Skyrim, and have no invisible walls separating the city from the Skyrim open world whenever you decide to parkour your way on top of a city's walls.

[@_MaZTeR_]

True, but if that was the case, that bridge shouldn't be holding up in the air.

[@jamesw8699]

@@davyman2000yeah but wasnt the event like 50 years prior? I dont like to make excuses for them besides hardware constraints of the time.

[@serbreton823]

Can you imagine what Windhelm looks like!!!?!?!? The Stormcloak capital in all its glory would be a site to see. The Palace of Kings. The docks. Hjerim Hall. The snow district. Seeing this makes me excited to see it.

[@StefanyDjuba]

It would be even more claustrophobic than it already is tbh

[@AszkalonOfVerra]

@@StefanyDjuba funfact : the People in Windhelm are more "free" than those in Whiterun. 😅

[@lennynull-funf-zehn5416]

I assume the ruins around the actual town are the remnants of old winterhold, which is nice to see

[@lion_towers3d]

Yeah that was kinda the intention, although lore-wise I think it's implied that most of the actual peninsula the city was on washed away into the ocean ... so the ruins you see are actually just the edge of the old city that didn't fall into the sea...

[@totower9597]

I always kinda questioned that... even if it fell into the ocean its almost nonexistent in the game kinda makes you sus... There should be ruins in the water you can loot or somthing more...

[@CommanderWazowski]

For anyone looking to dive into the lore of Winterhold, Camelworks has a great video that discusses the origins of The Great Collapse. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJCzdXmui859eJYsi=shrvjmEe0VRKI6fH

[@lewd2851]

@@totower9597 The collapse was 80 years prior to the game iirc, no ruins gonna survive that long getting battered

[@black_hand78]

@@lewd285180 years is not a long time at all lol. There are ruins from irl that have been submerged in the oceans, rivers, lakes, etc for hundreds sometimes even thousands of years and they are still perfectly intact.

[@elwin794]

This is incredible. Always loved dreaming about what the cities in TES would actually look like. Thank you.

[@lion_towers3d]

Cheers!

[@BatsBeyondStar]

@@lion_towers3d not to get all political but... are you a stormcloak or imperial?

[@OGtruthserum]

@@BatsBeyondStar Thalmor

[@VerdugoKaax]

Winterhold used to be the Capital of Skyrim so it’s size should be massive plus it’s close to Saarthal the ancient capital of the Nords. Every single one of these videos are masterpieces.

[@cdeye7032]

In tes5, most of the city had fallen into the ocean, and was a meager shadow of its past

[@Slvl710]

@@cdeye7032 it could barely be called a hamlet, in its current sate, the fact it even has a jarl is hilarious

[@VarietyGamerChannel]

Yes I'm pretty sure I own more land and property than the Jarl of Winterhold and I'm not rich, just a hard working blue collar wagie in a cagie. lol@@Slvl710

[@black_hand78]

Windhelm was the capital…

[@SWBGTOC]

It's the only city for which the scale kinda makes sense. It was completely razed, I guess most people either died or left after having lost everything. It could have been repopulated a bit because the College is still there so it would attract new people, but in the game the only ones left are old survivors who resent it, not newcomers... So it's safe to say it's just abandoned and dying.

[@StefanoTheBrazilian]

This has got to be one of the most beautiful things I've seen this year. Can't wait to see your rendition of Riften someday.

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@johnmccall4528]

Another jaw-dropping, beautiful glow-up of a Skyrim city. Well done!

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@TristanCleveland]

This just transported me to another planet. Thank you. I never wanted a Skyrim tv show until now.

[@lion_towers3d]

Cheers!

[@TristanCleveland]

@@lion_towers3d I was thinking about this all day. This gave me that feeling I'm always looking for in fantasy but so rarely find. There's this great contrast between the cold and hostile ocean, and the cozy homes. Really special video. Skyrim is kind of like just a good stepping off point for a worthwhile art form: a portrait of a different world.

[@neilbamford6532]

I can see a lot of thought went into this. The people would have rebuilt as best they could. The jarl's hall looks like they repurposed a ship, much as the early Nords did. How I'd love to see this in the game. Great work.

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@RhysCallinan-bv1wi]

Can't rebuild if no one wants to live there. Winterhold still has the College Stigma and it's harsh environment preventing it from getting people to move in. And I'm guessing it's harder to build in snowy environments with the few people they have.

[@boreanknight]

I love the night shot at 0:47. Looks so cozy living in one of those houses.

[@lion_towers3d]

Thanks!

[@unitc87]

The cold, isolation and myriad ways of dieing would offset any cozyness if you actually lived there

[@phlogistanjones2722]

@@unitc87 BAH! HUMBUG! Way to go Debbie Downer....

[@Ramzi123_]

Cozy? Lol looks unbearable

[@TristanCleveland]

My thought exactly.

[@Venneroth]

This is spectacularly beautiful. And exactly the kind of humble, practical town you'd expect Winterhold's survivors to begin again with!

[@marcelgrabowski5939]

I really, really like this Winterhold. Ruins easily cover twice, thrice the surface of the town, yet town itself have quite homely look to it, and then there is College of Winterhold, as big as city itself, looming over it like grand monolith, with this physics-ignoring bridge to top if off. It seriously fits, and makes atmosphere of the place so much paltable.

[@decimation9780]

I love these videos because they put the land of Skyrim into proper scale. Going from Markarth all the way to Windhelm for instance, even on horseback, would take about two weeks. Through projects like this, we get to see the true scale of Skyrim, as well as its beauty that could not be shown in the game, from the sprawling cities of Solitude, Whiterun, and Windhelm, to the ancient city of the Dwarves, Markarth, carved into the side of a mountain, to the sea side ruins of what was once a great city, Winterhold.

[@levitatingpotato109]

This is beautiful, makes me wish i could go there.

[@lion_towers3d]

Thanks!

[@ziltoidtheomniscient2398]

I feel like this could be Norway

[@panzrok8701]

@@ziltoidtheomniscient2398 Maybe a thousand years ago.

[@Arterexius]

@@panzrok8701 Or just 300 if you went to a village

[@adilkhanbusambekov6725]

This Winterhold looks more beautiful than in the original Skyrim, keep going👍

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@Doom_Head95]

Yeah no shit Sherlock

[@oliverdatus565]

This is the most breathtaking view of a city that is so underrated in Skyrim is not even funny.

[@lion_towers3d]

Cheers!

[@lifeaschronicallyingrid]

I absolutely love seeing these videos of Skyrim remade in Unreal Engine because it shows me that other people are still passionate about my favorite game. Skyrim already has stunning graphics, but this left me speechless ❤

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@am_meep]

Imagine walking though this town, a mage in search of knowledge at the college, as the conversations of the locals quiet as you pass and you're stared at with distrusting eyes... It's so easy to picture an actual divide between the mages of the college and the townsfolk and the stressed relationship between the two. Fantastic work!

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@olavops1000]

Amazing as usual! The feel of a new, wooden town built at the edge of a drestroyed great metropolis of stone. Love the one large hall in the middle of the town, very straightforward design. Looking forward to the next city! ALso, if you ever consider making a Solitude walkthrough video, that would blow up the internet.

[@robertpeers3681]

I would absolutely love to see you do something with the inside of winterhold. Seeing the upgraded lighting bouncing off all of the structures and magical items would be insane.

[@Somanous]

You paid attention to a very small detail. The fronts of houses are lit by lanterns instead of torches. You got this right! Almost all movies and games put torches on wooden walls and under thatched roofs. Kudos!

[@lion_towers3d]

Yeah that did occur to me haha - thanks!

[@alvie1974]

I really hope ES6 has at least 1/2 this graphic quality, these vids are gorgeous!

[@eleven99]

I mean it's good to be optimistic sometimes but come on, man. This is Bethesda you're asking this from. At best you'll get Skyrim graphics again.

[@alvie1974]

@@eleven99 No doubt lol. But one can hope.

[@Sandnessen]

I think I actually felt that blizzard when it rolled in, really good! This is a stunning piece of work! Imagine if there's at least one single city at this scale in TES VI 😍

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@TheMoonShepard]

These 1:1 scale cities are amazing, its kind of funny actually going into Skyrim and only seeing a few huts and a long house. What City do you want to do next?

[@lion_towers3d]

Thanks! And I dunno if it technically counts as a city - but Blackreach would be pretty interesting to do...

[@uyou2tube]

Falkreath of course. The coziest dense-forest town ever.

[@nickm1242]

I know people are tired of Skyrim getting released 5 dozen times but if I ran Bethesda, I would totally do a full on Remake with the game set to this scale.

[@richardwiese9054]

This is so breathtaking!! Super awesome!! I can almost feel the bite of the cold as I breathe in the frigid air and in my mind, I can hear the crunch of snow under my feet.

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@williamlortan4963]

I cant even imagine how Imperial City would look like

[@AuzarionSolaris]

It would be mind boggling, the early lore states it would be a massive city built on nine islands, bridges and boats would be needed to travel across each like Venice. I’ve heard that if they tried to make the city lore accurate the entirety of oblivion would have been set in a single district of the city.

[@lance89r]

This is breath-taking! I've always felt Winterhold was severely lacking, especially in ruins of the other half of the city. I would love to see what you do with Morthal, Windhelm, Riften, and Falkreath. If only the game could be expanded this way, sadly that'd require a full remake which I'm afraid we won't get.

[@DurilKartonniy]

I would definitely live in such a Winterhold

[@lion_towers3d]

I would too tbh

[@itisyerdad]

I love this. I left feedback ages ago on your Whiterun that while I loved the fidelity, it lacked the surreal, magical feeling of Skyrim. It looks like you’ve really started to bring that into your work and have found a great balance between graphical fidelity and artistic license to give the place the *feel* of Skyrim along with a more realistic representation of the town. Cheers!

[@lemon8577]

Bethesda needs to start taking notes fr

[@DmytroBogdan]

Nope, they're going backwards in their development. Anyone exited in TES6 is a fool

[@lemon8577]

@@DmytroBogdan Yeah, you're right :(

[@sivartt9097]

This is spectacular I would love to see riften next

[@frellinghazmot4443]

These are stunning. Would be amazing if you compiled all these into a fan made game...;)

[@titolignon3058]

Thank you so much for this video. I absolutely love your work, first whiterun and then this ! Winterhold as alway been my favourite city in Skyrim. Younger I really flet like a student mage going to study at the best school, the magic arcanes. I was so much into the lore, trying to pick my favourites teachers (faralda for destruction magic), plus the magic classes in the big room. I loved the ambient of this city that has so many secrets and a nostalgic vibe considering the history of The Great Collapse. I always wanted to see a true Winterhold and I am still craving to look at one version prior to The Great Collapse. However you managed to nail every details of this city at the perfection, with the ruins, Azura (my favourite daedra with Arena Lelith her priest) . Thank you so much really.

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@freelancepear87kakkoka11]

you actually made it seem like a genuine nordic setting while still retaining the fantasy feel, this is incredible and i would absolutely play a skyrim remake made by you.

[@nikthetrickster9948]

I'm glad these videos are rather new, so you can check these comments. For my part, this is just...breath taking....Truly a dream come true, to see the real lore-accurate size of Skyrim. Every single one of these videos feels so real, everything makes sense, so alive. The entire lore makes sense with these videos

[@derkaiserzen]

for the real actual scale of Winterhold before The Collapse, Sky Temple Ruins are supposedly within the city walls

[@RedactedBrainwaves]

Imagine if the game had this scale. People would never leave it.

[@thefallenknight2354]

Which is why modding kept it alive and how people come back because of it.

[@MrCatGame]

Господи, продолжай 👍

[@Pomidov4ka]

Лучший 😎👍

[@vlllll5489]

+

[@alexcheptanar6097]

Господи , продолжай Бомбить воронеж ... и гигантский лайк 👍🏿

[@TonyModeIV]

MrCat и тут оказывается

[@jipster2020]

I just happened to catch your Falkreath video in my feed, and now I'm binge watching the rest. Your work is jaw dropping. Bethesda, please hire this amazing artist and write a blank cheque if you have to !

[@mage1439]

The lighting in the walkthrough is so inviting. I'd love to just walk into one of those buildings for a mead.

[@chocoblin5887]

man rest! for a bit. these look so amazing i'm worried u dont sleep

[@lion_towers3d]

Haha cheers!

[@GeorgeThoughts]

Winterhold was always one of my favourite locations. Mostly because of the college of course, which I'd use like my own personal Hogwarts. Stepping outside in the blizzards and snow and then coming in for a warm hearth at the inn or in the college felt really nice.

[@eleos7806]

Yeees and especially in survival mode 🥰

[@OGtruthserum]

College of Winterhold is way too small compared to Hogwartz, probably 1/250 of its size. It smaller than a community college lol.

[@Fable999]

I kept expecting this to zoom in and begin a scene to an epic story. Amazing work! I wish it could have looked like this in the game

[@marshalmarshall2109]

A city that used to be the capitol of the country was reduced to 5 buildings, a burnt down shack and the college. all because Bethesda didn't feel like putting effort into a fifth city. marvelous work btw.

[@Paarthurnaxdova]

I’ve been addicted to Skyrim for years. I paint it for a living. This made my entire day. Brought up so many emotions. I believe this place once existed or it does exist in a parallel dimension. I want to live here.

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you so much!

[@OrionLaerithryn]

That was so sweet! Simply fricking awesome! Thank you for sharing this take on a realistic Winterhold.

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@fdsfsdvv]

This is so beautiful. Genuinely. wish i can just experience it in vr or something, (will go norway) hopefully bethesda sees this and motivates them to reach this level of visuals and scale

[@Relikvien]

OMG you did continue the series!! So grateful, thank you!!😍🙌🙏

[@lion_towers3d]

Cheers!

[@BjorlamCarriageDriver]

Oh, there once was a hero named Ragnar the Red, who came riding to Whiterun from ole Rorikstead...

[@S0me11]

What I wouldn't pay for you to create the entirety of Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind, and the rest of Tamriel and its denizens and have it as a game. Keep up the good work!

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@KoKoaKate]

I remembered playing a mage in Skyrim and feeling a little bit disappointed with Winterhold since I thought it should be bigger. This is what it should have been. Magnificent.

[@JamesFairhurst]

Its videos like this that make me wish i grew up in the castle era. I know it was a brutal era but these videos makes it seem like it would be bearable.

[@ep1cn3ss2]

Wow this is incredible, so cozy in the city with the torches

[@Bassitude723]

I love that you're doing these, they're incredible!

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@kraken8255]

If this becomes a massive mod for the game, I would totally download it

[@TristanCleveland]

Different engine - would need to rebuild the game. But... maybe someone should someday.

[@nordvestgaming1238]

@@TristanCleveland I mean the Skyblivion team is remaking the entirety of Oblivion using the Skyrim engine, and Skyrim is arguably an even more adored game so I'm sure at some point people will remake the entirety of Skyrim using some future game engine

[@nizzmanmikek8786]

Did just get a team of coders together and lawyers and put some good mods in and just finish the game with all buildings fully built inside. Just finish the game like this. It’s absolutely amazing. We are all drooling to play it like this. I’m sure there are plenty of fans that are skilled enough to help finish this project for free just for the chance to play it like this. Thank you from all of us in advance. Your work on this is truly breathtaking.

[@Squeez210]

Man I wish TES 6 would just have Skyrims landscape and setting as well 🥺 Those snowy mountains just look too good

[@OscarGreenworth]

During that blizzard, looked like the most miserable place to live. I think Dawnstar would still be worse tho

[@Leifreon]

If only Bethesda put the amount of love and effort into their products, as you do these videos. These are all stunning.

[@JT-ls3ly]

My favorite place in Skyrim. I just love the snow and Shalidor's majestic college.

[@abhisheksa3212]

I have subscribed just for this types of videos. I just love this 😍

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@NobleProductions-nu9bn]

Okay, now everyone is gonna be waiting for the Mage College! Beautiful work!

[@flugel5554]

i love this lore accurate winterhold, looks so good, not the 5 houses (2 destroyed) we got in the game. i know it would be a mess, but i would absolutely love to see riften in lore accurate size

[@AlanStrandbygaard]

Sweet Jesus! Another one of your Unreal 5 restaurations of Skyrim! This is absolutely wonderful! (And you also know how to pic the music).

[@lion_towers3d]

Thanks again!

[@Tranmaart]

Ultimate work again! At 0:51 i got full vibe of 🎄

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@2xghostx2]

Damn! you'll have the entirety of Skyrim done soon! 😆 Great work Leo!

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@PoorlySoup]

The sunlight through the clouds, in the mountains above the statue of Azura... just gorgeous.

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@kinda4664]

Excellent work! Also perfect choice with the music. 👍

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@Matt-bg5wg]

You can practically hear the townsfolk complaining about "those damn mages up at the college"

[@IconPierce]

I really really hope that Bethesda hires you man😊

[@MetalDrummer666]

I hope that one day when graphics are playable like this, we’ll get a complete remaster of Skyrim that’s lore accurate

[@ericknudsen98]

I absolutely adore this design. The rubble surrounding the college really paints a picture that winterhold used to be a much bigger place. In game, if it wasn't for the college, it wouldn't be a town at all, let alone a city. Riverwood is a bigger place.

[@lion_towers3d]

Thanks so much! Yeah I wanted to give a sense of it's past glory!

[@APscion]

I am once again requesting Riften next! Love your work!

[@signd6298]

You Sir deserve an award. This is simply amazing, I can barely describe the awe I'm experiencing.

[@lion_towers3d]

Thanks!

[@WakkasLove]

I have run out of words for how incredibly, amazingly wonderful your videos and talent are. This Winterhold definitely makes it seem more like the old capital of Skyrim and it's heartbreaking. I really like the way you show daytime and night time. And the College of Winterhold certainly has a villainous type of vibe, which is perfect for how it's viewed by its own townspeople. All the destroyed buildings just kind of increase the feeling of loss. It's good to see it at this size too because the way that game shows it there's no reason for having a jarl for just a couple of people. Winterhold seriously wouldn't be sustainable. There's nowhere to plant food and with such a few people few Traders would head that way. Scope of your Winterhold makes it much more viable. And I loved the way you did the worn bridge to the college. They definitely better fix that before they're completely cut off from the mainland LOL.

[@aaronrivas7977]

You’re doing the lord’s work! Over and over again! Time to sub

[@lion_towers3d]

Cheers!

[@thegateofnergal715]

oooh you brought me back a wonderful nostalgia for Skyrim with your magnificent work ❤

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@M0piece]

This is so pretty! The snow looks amazing!

[@lion_towers3d]

Thanks!

[@voiddistortion7937]

If Manor Lords' modding scene ever pops off I hope we get some Skyrim themed overhauls.

[@abbas23hussain]

The lighting at 2:11 onwards is an absolute masterpiece.

[@teamofone1219]

Skyrim would be game of the year instantly if it had these graphics.

[@evenjohansen4584]

Those footprint paths in the snow - WOW!!!

[@emeralddraegon]

I absolutely LOVE these videos. The shot of town at 2:13 is sooo welcoming. It's what I always WANT to see when I get there. ❤

[@lion_towers3d]

Thanks!

[@danielmortensen4594]

This was amazing. Great job! Just found your channel from a reddit post, looking forward to follow along. Love Skyrim, so this hit close to home (as I'm sure it did for many others too). Great stuff!

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@Astracore357]

This is pure magic, please keep doing these.

[@lion_towers3d]

Cheers!

[@angst.]

These are amazing! keep it up

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@maxwellmoon9040]

It would’ve been so cool to see some sort of magical struts keeping the bridge up, fragile but obviously magical

[@anon78747]

I need these videos to be a game... Just imagine getting this level of remaster for a game this big, it would be game of the decade

[@RavenWolffe77]

Please please PLEASE, once you've finished with Skyrim, do some of ESO's cites next! Seeing Rimmen in 1:1 scale with the funky MMO "superscaling" (making everything bigger/taller to account for a wide 3rd person camera) removed would be AMAZING! Hell, just a loop of Daahin playing her Qanun in the market would be perfect.

[@caprikoziol4150]

Breathtaking! Awesome work!

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@herrakaarme]

It looks spectacular. If it was like that in game, it would also make it feel like the jarls were true leaders. Now a big bandit camp chief has as many subjects as the jarl of Winterhold. That being said, there could be more variety in the city layout considering how the citizens create their livelihoods. Back in those times, towns were also full of domesticated animals, like goats, poultry, and such. The inner courtyards of households were for them (surrounded by outbuildings and fences). I reckon around the jarl's longhouse and between it and the college, would be the fancier houses for the wealthier people, a side office for the Companions, bigger business buildings, and towards the outer edges of the city the households would become simpler, with agriculture and animal husbandry increasing. Particularly noisy and smelly trades ought to also find themselves a distance away from the jarl's house. The college would probably support a good bunch of people so that their trade wouldn't be obvious from their house, like was the case with most of the houses in your video. But it would still be just a fraction of the city population. A couple of big market squares should also be found. I feel like the folks would have also built a new temple as well, already, even if not as grand as there probably was before the collapse.

[@marcusappelberg369]

Imagine the whole game like this! :D

[@arthurcornelus8101]

Don't get me wrong, I love everything about this. However, I think adding some waves crashing against the cliffs would have set an even more perfect tone for this beautiful location. Great work, as usual!

[@Jonayofsweden]

That's so epic dude. Looks incredible.

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@InsTAus793]

Literally stole my breath away. Absolutely superb work 👏 ❤

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you so much!

[@InsTAus793]

​@@lion_towers3dWhat song specifically did you use for this? It's gorgeous, I'd love to put it in my playlist

[@lion_towers3d]

@@InsTAus793 Soundtrack is: ‘In Plain Sight’ - August Wilhelmsson

[@InsTAus793]

​@@lion_towers3dAh, thank you so much! ❤ Keep up the amazing work, i look forward to your next TES upload :-)

[@lion_towers3d]

@@InsTAus793 Cheers!

[@Levi-tv5pd]

people seem to forget that Winterhold collapsed and a great portion of it got washed out by the sea. That's why it's so underwhelming in-game. Nice work, btw!

[@prozoomy]

Its crazy and beautiful as always

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you!

[@prozoomy]

@@lion_towers3d you're welcome 😁!

[@KingofFerelden]

Wow, that's so cool and beautiful! Keep up the good work, my friend. You've made a masterpiece. ❤❤❤

[@lion_towers3d]

Thank you! Cheers!