Summary
If you’ve finished Bethesda’s surprise release,Oblivion Remastered, and are still craving moreElder Scrolls, your best bet might be to revisit older titles. And if you’re bored with the usualSkyrimexperience like me, maybe it’s time to try a total conversion mod.
What Is a Total Conversion Mod?
Before diving into theSkyrimconversion mod, I want to talk about, let’s first understand what a total conversion mod actually is. It’s a mod that completely overhauls significant aspects of the game, including the story, characters, major assets, voice acting, world, and so on.
The extent to which the conversion mod changes the base game varies, as some conversion mods do more than others. Some might reuse certain textures, music, and weapon or character models (usually with new names and stats), while others will only keep the game’s engine under the hood and not much else.
The important factor is that the gameplay, story, and (usually) world are completely new, to the extent that the conversion mod can almost be considered a standalone title.
Conversion mods offer the perfect way to re-experience a beloved classic in a new light—and let’s be honest, many of us are tired ofSkyrimafter all the re-releases and countless playthroughs.
Conversion mods are made by the community, so they’re technically not canon, though some attempt to build on top of a game’s existing lore. It’s best to think of a conversion mod as a completely new game that just happens to look and feela lotlike the game it’s based on.
One of the most recent high-profile conversion mods that you’ve likely heard of isFallout: London, which takes the engine, general concept, and universe ofFallout 4but sets it in a completely new location that Bethesda hasn’t explored, at least not yet. The mod has been so successful that some people claim it’s even better than the base game, which says a lot about why total conversion mods are worth your time.
Enderal: Forgotten StoriesIs MoreSkyrimand a Completely New Game
SureAI’sEnderal: Forgotten Storiesis a total conversion mod forThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, complete with its own Steam entry (and aSpecial Editionone if you ownSkyrim SE). If you ownSkyrim,Enderalis completely free to play. In fact, most total conversion mods are, since selling them would conflict with copyright laws.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
WHERE TO PLAY
Skyrim is the fifth major game in the Elder Scrolls series. Considered one of the greatest games ever made, it has been released on several generations of consoles. Since its initial release over a decade ago, Skyrim has become one of the bestselling video games of all time.
Installing it is extremely simple, as you don’t need to knowhow to mod, but it’s also worth pointing out that manySkyrimmods are compatible withEnderal(check the list of compatible modsin this Google Spreadsheet), and it even has its own mods onNexus Mods.
When you install and boot upEnderalfor the first time, you’ll be instantly hit with the same amazing feeling that you likely had when you played your first RPG orThe Elder Scrollsgame.
Despite being a total conversion mod, it still looks, behaves, and feels a lot likeSkyrim, so you’ll have that feeling of playing the famous game, but everything else about it is a completely new experience.
In fact, its story, world, lore, characters, and even music are completely unique to the mod. I won’t spoil much of the story, as it’s worth experiencing yourself, but I’ll say that the writing of the main storyline is top-notch and significantly more mature thanSkyrim’s relatively basic Dragonborn storyline.
I especially love this mod’s world. The country ofEnderalis gorgeous and multi-faceted—it’s arguably better and more varied than the barren frozen tundra ofSkyrim. You’ll wander around a crystal forest, coastal desert, frozen mountains, wastelands, and more.
Gameplay is yet another aspect where the conversion mod deviates fromThe Elder Scrollsfranchise significantly. While your character moves much like inSkyrim, that’s where the similarities end.Enderalhas completely unique crafting and leveling systems, classes, alchemy, enchanting, and so on.
It’s also worth pointing out that enemies don’t scale with your level, a common annoyance amongThe Elder Scrollsfans. This doesn’t mean thatEnderalis easy—it’s actually harder thanSkyrim, especially at higher difficulty levels.
Now Is a Great Time to TryEnderal: Forgotten Stories
For many fans, including myself,Oblivion Remasteredproved just how much the community longs for a sequel toSkyrim. Unfortunately,The Elder Scrolls VIis still quite a way off, soEnderaland otherSkyrimtotal conversion modslikeBeyond Skyrim: Brumaare the next best thing.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion™ Remastered modernizes the 2006 Game of the Year with all new stunning visuals and refined gameplay. Explore the vast landscape of Cyrodiil like never before and stop the forces of Oblivion from overtaking the land in one of the greatest RPGs ever from the award-winning Bethesda Game Studios.
If you’ve already heard ofEnderal, there’s a good chance you’re also aware of SureAI’s other total conversion mod built for the originalOblivion, titledNehrim: At Fate’s Edge.
While you can totally playNehrim, fair warning: it’s old, so it’s not for the general audience. I wouldn’t play it personally, as there’s no nostalgia goggles since my firstElder ScrollswasSkyrim. The mod itself was released in 2010, and it’s for a game that was already four years old back then.
Meanwhile,Skyrim’s engine still feels relatively modern and isn’t too far off technically fromOblivion Remastered, especially after you mod the base game.
Enderal: Forgotten Storiesis one of the best ways to experience more content in the spirit ofTheElder Scrollsfranchise. It’s built on theSkyrimengine, so it shares many similarities.
At the same time, it’s a fully realized game with its own story, unique characters, deep lore, breathtaking world, and original gameplay mechanics. If you haven’t played it yet, now’s the perfect time—it’s free and definitely worth downloading!
