It turns out essential NPCs in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are not completely safe from the wrath of the Dragonborn, with one fan recently discovering a way to vaporize them entirely. Ten years on from its initial release in 2011, Bethesda’s much beloved title Skyrim continues to remain popular thanks to its dedicated fan base and large modding community keeping the game interesting with mods like playable musical instruments.
Despite being teased during E3 in 2018, the next installment in The Elder Scrolls franchise is a long way from release, with Bethesda previously stating that the studio’s main focus is currently on its new IP, Starfield. In a recent interview, Todd Howard, the studio’s Director and Executive Producer, has stated that Elder Scrolls 6 is still in its design phase, with devs on the project currently concentrating on the technological requirements that may need to be added to its Creation Engine 2 to accommodate the game's development.
Reddit user Menschletzt has discovered a way to kill essential NPCs in Skyrim, something that usually cannot be done without the assistance of mods. NPCs marked as essential by the game merely fall into a recovery position when their health is depleted, getting back up after a while with full health, seemingly unharmed. However, Menschletzt reveals that casting the Reanimate Corpse spell repeatedly on NPCs will cause them to eventually disintegrate, leaving behind a pile of ash in their place. Menschletzt's video demonstrated the trick being used to vaporize various NPCs that are considered essential, with Jarl Balgruuf being the first victim, turning into a pile of ash as he says to the player, “May the gods watch over your battles, friend.” With their newly found power, Menschletzt then proceeded to choose their next victim: Maven Black-Briar. As the player disintegrated her body, her head remained, bobbing along for a few seconds before vanishing.
It should be noted that using this bug to kill off essential characters in Skyrim will break certain quests, as they are marked thus by Bethesda so that the player does not accidentally lock themselves out of story progression. Many Redditors in the thread took the opportunity to voice their displeasure at the addition of unkillable characters in Skyrim, a feature that is not present in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Players in Morrowind are free to dispatch any character that may meet their ire, and should they kill off an NPC that is considered essential, they are met with an ominous message warning them of the consequence, allowing them to choose whether they wish to reload a previous save, or continue to live with their choice.
Although it is understandable that Bethesda would want to ensure that players do not accidentally lock themselves out of the game’s story, the choice certainly breaks the immersion considering the game’s focus on player freedom. For Dragonborn who may have a grudge to settle with an essential NPC, this bug seems like a perfect way to get rid of a pesky character or two without the hassle of installing a mod.
Skyrim is available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Source: Menschletzt/Reddit