On October 28, 2016, in honor of the fifth anniversary of the legendary game, Bethesda released a re-release of TES V: Skyrim Special Edition.

It’s worth saying right away that the re-release is primarily aimed at console players the difference in graphics between Skyrim on PS3 and the Special Edition on PS4 is huge.

Owners of powerful computers, with direct hands and several mods, could make themselves the Special Edition graphics level before. But everything was sad for console players... until today. The fact that PC owners receive the re-release for free (if they have the game and all DLC), and console players only for a fee, also hints that the main value of the re-release is only for consoles.

There are no gameplay changes (new tasks, items, monsters). At the same time, due to the large graphical bells and whistles, the game is much more demanding on hardware, which has become approximately twice as high.

If we talk about the graphics themselves on PC, then the opinions of players are divided into two opposing camps - those who believe that the graphics have become better, and those who believe that the graphics have become worse, and the original is better. As they say, there is no dispute about taste, watch this graphics comparison video and rate how much you like the changes:

Colors have become brighter and warmer. Personally, I like it better, but the girl, on the contrary, thinks that Skyrim is a cold country, and the color scheme should also be “cold”.

Negative points

Despite the controversial improvement in graphics and increased requirements, there are still several negative points:

• Sound files are now stored in a lower quality format, and audio connoisseurs are throwing lightning bolts and wondering how the sound could be so degraded. Bethesda has stated that it is already working on a fix;
• Most mods made for regular Skyrim will not run on the re-release. Popular mods will soon be adapted for the Special Edition, but a lot of small ones that have already been forgotten by their creators will have to say goodbye forever;
• In the Russian version, Russian names on signs in cities near shops and taverns disappeared;
• Old saves may not start;
• On Steam, the game is available separately (you will have to earn achievements separately);
• Other performance issues and crashes for some players.

If any of the above is critical for you, do not install Special Edition. Please wait a couple of months for Arbor to finalize the re-release and correct current errors.

List of changes for TES V: Skyrim - Special Edition:

• Full adaptation for 64-bit OS;
• Support for 8-core processors;
• DirectX 11 support;
• Windowed mode is now borderless;
• Minimizing the game works correctly (Alt+Tab), no more double cursors;
• The amount of vegetation has been significantly increased;
• Visual effect SSAO (darkening);
• Visual effect of Godrays (sun rays);
• Visual effect TAA (anti-aliasing);
• Visual effect DOF (blur of distant objects);
• Other improvements to shadows, lighting and highlights;
• Improved view of trees;
• Rain no longer penetrates through roofs;
• Fast run now does not need to be constantly pressed, one press the fast run mode is turned on, a second press is turned off;
• Fixed shadows on the landscape (goodbye striped shadows on rocks);
• Improved stability (less overshoot at high loads);
• Lots of other small changes.

To take or not to take?

For owners of new consoles: definitely yes. It is difficult to give clear advice to PC owners. If you purchased the game with all the DLC, then you can download and try the Special Edition completely free of charge, but we’ll immediately warn you that you shouldn’t expect anything special.

It’s worth buying the Special Edition if, for some reason, you haven’t gotten around to this great game before. Includes all DLC and improved graphics.

From the editors website

Skyrim is a magnificent, legendary, incomparable game in which I and many other players have spent hundreds of hours. A huge number of interesting modifications, including global ones, make this game generally endless.

Despite its enormous popularity in 2011-2013, now Skyrim is no longer so popular, although its competitors can be counted on the fingers of one hand. And in this regard, Bethesda’s idea to re-release the game looks like it couldn’t come at a better time; interest in the game has grown again. For some, the re-release became a reason to replay the franchise, for others - to try it for the first time.

I think that the developers should definitely be praised for their caring attitude towards old games. To praise and remind that the same re-release is very much awaited by Morrowind and Oblivion.

Good old games need to be reminded.
Good old games need to be played.

Screenshots

System requirements

As we wrote earlier, the system requirements have approximately doubled (!). And if we compare the minimum RAM requirements, it is generally 4 times (from 2 GB to 8 GB).

Name: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Legendary Edition
Year of release: November 11, 2011 (Legendary Edition - 2013)
Genre: RPG, Open-World, 3D, 1st Person, 3rd Person
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Platform: PC
Edition type: RePack
Interface language: Russian English
Voice language: Russian, English
Tablet: Sewn in (DeZoMoR4iN)

Description: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will take place exactly 200 years after the end of the story told in the game Oblivion. The main character by this point has found himself in serious trouble and is about to be executed. There has been a civil war in Skyrim for a long time. Its cause was the death of the king. Residents were divided into two sides. Some want to become part of the Empire, while others resist this in every possible way. All events related to military conflicts happen for a reason. They were mentioned in a prophecy about dragons that would one day return to their lands. After the dragon god named Alduin appears, the entire world will burn in flames. And no one will be able to save him.
The protagonist, who became the main character of the game, has a different opinion. He has the power to prevent the invasion and future destruction of the world. But for this the character must do a lot of work. He should climb to the very top of Hrothgar's Peak to talk with the ancient cult who knows the solution to all problems. Here the protagonist will learn the skill of fighting dragons. The main character will face a series of difficult trials that he will not always be able to cope with on his own.

System requirements:
✔ Operating system: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 10
✔ Processor: 2.0 GHz dual-core processor or AMD equivalent
✔ RAM: 2 GB
✔ Video card: 512 MB memory, supports DirectX 9.0
✔ Sound card: DirectX® 9.0c compatible sound device
✔ Free hard disk space: 14 GB

Game Features:
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Create a unique character and do whatever you want in the magical world. Skyrim has absorbed all the best features of The Elder Scrolls series: freedom of choice, the opportunity to write the history of Tamriel yourself and experience an unforgettable adventure.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard. You, the Dragonborn, will have to meet the vampire lord Harkon, who is planning to destroy the sun using the power of the Elder Scrolls. Will you join the ancient order of the Dawnguard or decide to become a vampire lord yourself? Whichever side you choose, many adventures await you.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Hearthfire. Become a landowner and build the house of your dreams - a one-room hut or a huge estate with your own weapons, alchemical laboratory and other necessary buildings. Use new tools to create furniture and decorations from stones, clay and logs. And with the possibility of adoption, you can turn your home into a real home.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dragonborn. Leave the harsh Skyrim behind. In the vast expanses of Solstheim, you will meet the dark elves and get acquainted with the Skaal tribe. But most importantly, you will come face to face with an unprecedented enemy - the first Dragonborn...

Features of RePacka:
Game version - 1.9.32.0.8
Nothing cut/recoded
Russian localization update dated July 12, 2013 has been added
Ability to select a combination of text and voiceover
Additions:
Dawnguard
Hearthfire
Dragonborn
High Resolution Texture Pack (Optional)
RePack by R.G. Mechanics

Like her predecessors, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim It has simply incredible dimensions and gives the player an incredible amount of possibilities. The beginning of the game is the same for each player. You are a wanderer who has fallen into the hands of the Empire and is being taken to execution. It is at the moment when the main character is about to be executed that a huge dragon intervenes in the situation, interrupting the execution and giving the main character a chance to escape. After a short introduction and escape of the main character, the player is given the opportunity to choose the hero’s race and his name. I would like to add that further customization of the characteristics in the game is very subtle and varied, so each player will be able to create his own unique player, unlike anyone else. After all, it all depends on what you use most. If you like to fight with a sword, you will become a swordsman, if you like to shoot a bow, you will become a marksman, and if you like to steal, you will become a thief. And so on. However, universal “monsters” of all trades are also not excluded. But this is for those who do not have a personal or any other life.

After joining, the player is thrown into the dangerous, but amazingly beautiful snowy world of Skyrim, in which, as in life, the player is free to become anyone. Yes, two years have passed since the game was released. She doesn't look so stunning anymore. But on a PC with good hardware it can show the “wintering place of crayfish” to many modern FPS. With consoles, alas, it’s worse - textures are blurry, detail is sometimes clearly not enough, and the drawing distance leaves much to be desired... But the most important thing remains the same, whether you play on PS3, Xbox 360 or PC - you can achieve your goal in different ways, depending on , what type of passage do you prefer and what kind of character did you get? Yes - your own play style matters a lot. The variability of the passage is simply off the charts. The game can be played endlessly, even after completing the main storyline there is something to do in the game world. Even more than that. After all, Skyrim, like Oblivion and Morrowind once upon a time, is probably the most MMO of single-player role-playing games. Sounds weird? But there are few games like this.

In addition to the main quest, which will take the player dozens of hours wandering around the game world, the player will constantly encounter various side quests, which are sometimes almost more interesting and more complex than the main one. Some take no less time. Depending on what quests the player completes and what character he helps with, the further development of the story will depend. In the icy kingdom, everyone creates their own unique journey, unlike any other.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Legendary Edition differs from the original version in that it provides players with the opportunity to play all the game’s additions at once, which include: Dawnguard, Hearthfire And Dragonborn. Now all add-ons are woven into the main game and do not need to be installed separately. Among other things, in this version of the game a legendary difficulty level is available for experienced players, by choosing which they will be able to perfect their already pumped-up skills and upgrade unlimitedly, because now you can increase your character’s level endlessly.

If for some reason you haven't played yet The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, then together with the output Legendary Edition, you can catch up and fully enjoy all the latest additions to the game. Well, or get an old disk and just download the add-ons. Fortunately, they are present in PSN and XBLA.

Description:
This pack is a kind of update for the game Skyrim that was not included in patch 1.9.32.0.8, but was included in the “Legendary Edition” as an exclusive and localization fix and other goodies. This pack is addressed to the most devoted fans of the game and includes various improvements.

Update: 03/10/2018(thanks for the tip)
- Updated Russian text localization files for the Hearthfires DLC (strings Hearthfires_Russian.ILSTRINGS, Hearthfires_ Russian.STRINGS), in the previous update package dated July 12, 2013, these two files were mixed up and the old ones were packed into the archive, instead of the new ones at that time. See the screenshot for an example of the old and new localization.

Added a package of updated sound files Sound/Voice/hearthfires.esm/ for Hearthfires, which they also forgot to add in the previous update package dated 07/12/2013.
* Keep in mind, that these updates were not added as new from 03/10/2018, they are still from 2013, they just mixed up the Hearthfires DLC localization files in 2013 and forgot to add the Hearthfires DLC sound files when packing into the archive. If anyone has previously updated their game to the Legendary Edition from here, then please download the archive and install it into the game again, replacing all files.

Update: 07/12/2013
- Updated text localization files for DLC Hearthfires (strings files Hearthfires Russian.DLSTRINGS, Hearthfires Russian.ILSTRINGS, Hearthfires Russian.STRINGS)
- Updated text localization files for the Dragonborn DLC (strings files Dragonborn_Russian.DLSTRINGS, Dragonborn_Russian.STRINGS)
- Updated the SkyrimLauncher.exe file, now the launcher interface is in Russian
- Added “clutter” to clutter texture files (various utensils in locations)

What's included in the Legendary Edition update:
- Mounted combat improvements
- New finishing options
- New Strings text localization files that correct many errors and inaccuracies in translations for Skyrim, DLC Dawnguard, DLC Dragonborn and DLC Hearthfires
- Added a new file hudmenu.swf in the Interface folder
- New Scripts files (HeadChopBlock2ManHookupScript.pex, HeadChopBlockHookupSCRIPT.pex, SF_MS08AmbushScene_00057FAC.pex)
- New sound files added to Dawnguard, Skyrim, Hearthfires.
- New SkyrimLauncher.exe (launcher in Russian).

Attention:
Save your SkyrimLauncher.exe and TESV.exe files that you have in the game folder before updating to new ones, you never know, because everyone has different patches 1.9.32.0.8 installed
If you downloaded and installed patch 1.9.32.0.8 from our website, then you can safely replace it, it’s been tested, everything works.

Note and Important:
Install this update pack on top of all DLC, since this update pack contains new strings files with a new localization of text translation, if you first install this pack, and then all Russian DLC, then the localization with updates from this pack will not take effect.
And if you then decide to reinstall any DLC downloaded from our website, then this pack will still need to be reinstalled on top of the already installed DLC.

Requirements:
Skyrim 1.9.32.0.8 and

How to update:
Just place the contents of the archive in the game folder and replace all files

Installation:
Place everything in the archive into the root of the game and confirm the replacement of all files

On a note!!!
If the *FILES* section is not active in your launcher, then do the following:
You need to open the file...\Documents\My Games\Skyrim\SkyrimPrefs.ini and add the line to the section:
bEnableFileSelection=1
Save the document and go to the launcher, the Files section will be active.