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The release ofSkyrim Anniversary Editionmarks the ten-year birthday of one of the most celebrated RPGs of all time. A decade is a long time for any game to last, yet somehowSkyrimstill feels as fresh as it did on its initial release all the way back on June 02, 2025. It’s no wonder thatSkyrimis also one of the most re-released RPGs of all time, too.
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Over the last ten years,Skyrimhas seen a lot of updates and additions which make it a very replayable game. This collection ofSkyrimtips and guides covers almost everything in the game including crafting, quests, and builds ranging from beginner tutorials to tips that even the most knowledgableSkyrimexperts might not know.
Updated June 18, 2025 by Erik Petrovich: This Complete Skyrim Guide has been updated to include several new entries throughout each overarching section, including new build and gameplay tips, more specific Alchemy guides, and things all players should know about, like Legendary Skills or what a Steward does. This guide has also been updated to include a new section dedicated to all things Daedric, including Daedric Princes and their Artifacts as well as some lore information about the Elder Scrolls' most meddling gods.
Getting Started – Beginner Tips
Compared to many fantasy RPGs on the market (and certainly compared to previousElder Scrollstitles),Skyrimis a relatively easy game to get into. Players stepping into the world of Tamriel for the first time get a basic introduction to the game and its mechanics after the cart ride to Helgen, but there’s plenty of things the game doesn’t fully explain when starting out.
New Skyrim Anniversary Edition Content
SkyrimAnniversary Edition, released on the 10th birthday ofSkyrim, includes every single Creation Club element alongside 26 of its own unique addons, ranging from new questlines to new homes and much, much more. The following is a collection of guides for new content introduced withSkyrimAnniversary Edition, including new unique items, new mechanics like Fishing and Horse Taming, and a few guides for new questlines and expansion-like addons included with the upgrade such as The Cause and Ghosts of the Tribunal.
Followers & Factions
Skyrimoffers players a wide range of followers to accompany them on their travels, as well as factions to join that affect the story’s progression. Followers can be combat-oriented, made to carry gear and fight for the player, or married, where they typically maintain the homestead and allow the player to have a family. While there is no Fighter’s Guild or Mage’s Guild inSkyrim, other similar factions take their place in addition to a variety of new causes the player can join.
Weapons, Armor, and Spells Guides
Weapons and armor inSkyrimare as varied as the races that inhabit it, with hundreds of pieces of gear available for players to find in their journeys across the Nord homeland. Some are found easily through the main questlines, while others require players to complete specific tasks to be acquired. The most unique weapons in the game are even more enigmatic.
Spells and Shouts
Alchemy, Enchanting, Smithing, and Beyond
There are three main crafting skills inSkyrim:Alchemy, Enchanting, and Smithing. Each of these skills has an associated skill line to progress through, though there are other types of crafting skills in the game like Cooking, Tanning, Woodcutting, Mining, and Smelting. TheSkyrimcrafting system is robust, though very different from previous entries in the franchise.
Other Crafting Skills
Skyrim Build Tips And Curses
Skyrimprides itself on letting players do just about everything in the game on a single character, though it can be fun to go for a specific build and roleplay in the universe ofThe Elder Scrolls.Builds inSkyrimvary from cosmetic-only to being utterly game-breaking, but sometimes the only way to get the skills and gear you want is by learning how to level effectively.
Curses
Unique Items Guides
There are dozens and dozens of unique items inSkyrim, most of which are given a name to differentiate them from more common equipment. Some unique items can only be acquired by serving a Daedric Prince, but others are only found in the game’s DLC packs, hidden in side quests, or included in out-of-the-way content out in the world.
Other Unique Items
Daedric Princes And Artifacts
The Daedric Princes ofThe Elder Scrollsseries are some of the most iconic “villains” in fantasy RPG gaming, if one would go as far as to call them evil. With the exception of Molag Bal and a few others, the Daedric Princes are generally protective or at least friendly to their followers, and the Dragonborn can become the champion of just about all of them. They often bequeath special artifacts that are some of the most coveted items in the entire game, too, each of which is well worth hunting down for their unique effects, stats, or aesthetic.
Skyrim Mods and Addons
Skyrimwould not have maintained its place in the cultural zeitgeist if not for its dedicated and talented modding community. In fact, almost everything in theSpecial EditionCreation Club being added officially to theAnniversary Editionwas created by fans, not Bethesda. With tens of thousands of mods forSkyrimout there it can be hard to figure out which ones are worth downloading and which ones aren’t. Keep in mind, too, that mods not downloaded through the Creation Club or the Steam Workshop must be installed manually.
Quests, Puzzles, And Locations
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of quests available for players to take on inSkyrim. Though the main questline feels short, the sheer volume of side content and explorable locations makes it one of the most fully realized open-world RPGs ever made. This section is dedicated to helping players figure out puzzles, find unmarked map locations, and decide the best way to take on complex quests.
Skyrim Locations
Advanced Skyrim Tips And Exploits
Skyrimis by no means a new game – while theAnniversary Editionseeks to modernize it significantly, it doesn’t change the fact that many have already played hundreds of hours exploring the game. For veteran players returning toSkyrim, it can be more fun to try playing the game in a completely new way – and there are lots of ways to totally break the game (and one’s immersion), too.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimis available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 3, 4, and 5, and Xbox 360, One, and Series X|S
