The Steam Deck has been something of a revelation for PC gaming. This powerful device allows you to play your PC games on a portable screen, a??llowing for an experience more akin to something?? like the Nintendo Switch.

This is all well and good, but some PC games require the ?pinpoint precision of mouse-and-keyboard input. That's why we're taking a look at the 15 best Steam Deck games, so you know which titles are worth play??ing on your portable PC device. All of the following games are marked "Steam Deck Verified," meaning you can guarantee a solid experience with these selections.

15. Phasmophobia

Hunting ghosts with friends, what could be more fun? Despite still technically being in Early Access, Phasmophobia is arguably the best game in its genre. You're placed on a map, which can be as small as a suburban house or as large as an en??tire prison, haunted by a ghost.

There are 24 different ghost types, each offering up three types of evidence to help you and your friends decipher what they are. You find this evidence using various types of ghost-hunting equipment, from spirit boxes to EMF readers. It's not entirely that simple, as these ghosts will drain your sanity before hunting and killing you. Phasmophobia ??is a blast, and we recommend playing with friends.

14. Diablo 4

Blizzard's long-awaited follow-up in its iconic ARPG series was worth the wait. Diablo 4 follows the same general gameplay loop as pre??vious iterations, defeating powerful enemies throughout dungeons while collecting hordes ?of loot to upgrade your build.

While technically an RPG, Diablo 4's quests and storyline play second fiddle to the game's unique brand of chaotic action. There's nothing quite like melting swarms of demons while finding a rare item that takes the havoc up a notch. Some might recommend a mouse and keyboard for Diablo 4, but you can definitely do jus??t fine on a Steam Deck.

13. Balatro

Balatro isn't your standard card game. There's almost too? much complexity to sum up in a few sentences, but the gist of it is this: it's a roguelike deck-builder where you must score points by playing poker hands against blinds. With these points, you can upgrade your deck and buy joker cards, which affect the game in various ways. It's absurdly addictive and puts an impressive spin on a classic car?d game.

Given the nature of Balatro's controls, it really doesn't matter whether you play on a regular PC or on a Steam Deck. It plays very well on Valve's portable devices, so if you're looking for a more laid-back Balatro, Steam Deck is the way to go.

12. Portal 2

Portal 2 might be well over a decade old at this point, but it can still kick it with any modern release on the market. With sharp humor, challenging puzzles, and an endlessly replayable co-op mode, Portal 2 remains one of the best video games ever made.

Valve gets so much mileage out of one sim??ple concept: you have a portal gun that you can use to open portals around the game world. You must use these portals to solve puzzles throughout each level, most of which are physics-based. Luckily, these puzzles don't require pinpoint mouse precision, which is why this is perfect for chilled-out Steam Deck play.

11. Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 had its troubles upon its 2020 release, disappointing almost everyone. In the years since, CD Projekt Red has remained committed to making it the best game it can be via countless patches and the sublime 2023 expansion, Phantom Liberty.

At long last, Cyberpunk 2077 is (almost) everything it was hyped up to be, and it runs great on the Steam Deck. With engaging characters, powerful RPG choices, and the staggeringly beautiful open world of Night City, Cyberpunk 2077 i?s a game you c?an really sink your teeth into nowadays.

10. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

If The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth isn't the best roguelike ever, then I don't know what is. Straight from the brain of Super Meat Boy developer Edmund McMillen, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth sees you fight?? through procedurally-generated dungeons against some of the most terrifyingly-designed monsters you'll ever ??see in a video game.

As you progress, you collect items on each floor. This contributes to your build, but not every item complements one another. This means you're constantly making important choices about what to pick up and what to leave behind. Each run is permadeath, resetting you ??right to the start if you die while prog??ressing through the floors. Because of the randomized floors and items, it might be one of the most replayable games ever made.

9. Dave the Diver

How many games do you know that can blend the action-adventure and restaurant simulator genres seamlessly? There's not many, let me tell you that much. Dave the Diver is one such title, and it's un??doubtedly one of the best games o?n the Steam Deck.

Dave the Diver is split into two gameplay sections. During the day, you dive into the sea, collecting ingredients from the ocean floor while fighting sealife with ??your harpoon gun. Later in the evening, you use these ingredients to run a sushi restaurant, improving its reputation through good food and service. All of this is complemented by a gorgeous pixel art style, resulting in a game unlike anything you'll have played before.

8. Resident Evil 4

2023's Resident Evil 4 might be the best remake in the series to date, and that's a high bar to clear. The game sees the return of Leon Kennedy, who is tasked with rescuing the presid?ent's daughter, Ashley. You're faced with hordes of the undead throughout your adventure, which tops the 2005 original in just about every way.

Its graphics? Stunning. Its controls? Modern. The story? It has a tighter pacing this time around. And that's before we even get to the atmosphere, which is the real star of the show in the Resident Evil 4 remake. It's absolutely dripping with ??tension, which ?carries over even on the small screen of the Steam Deck.

7. Skyrim

13 years after its launch, and there's still nothing that quite evokes the same feelings as Skyrim. It's a classic RPG in every sense of the word, with one of the most detailed open worlds you'll ever explore,?? even after all this time. Interesting questlines and memorable characters are the tip of the ice?berg in Bethesda's magnum opus.

On PC, Skyrim modding takes things to another level. Nexus Mods has almost 100,000 mods to download for the game, so the question is: can you mod Skyrim on Steam Deck? Yes! It's a bit more hassle, but it's certainly possible, meaning you can bring Skyrim up to modern standards on your handheld device.

6. RimWorld

Ludeon Studios' RimWorld is a far deeper game than it seems on the surface. At first glance, it appears to be just another construction and management simulator. Simply put, it isn't. RimWorld gives you numero??us starting scenarios, wher?e you must attempt to survive and escape from a procedurally generated planet.

To make every playthrough unique, it employs the use of an AI storyteller, which can make decisions on the fly to affect proceedings. You can choose from various storytellers, each of which will change its behavior based on various parameters. Want something intense? Go with Randy Random. Want a more traditional narrative? Cassandra Classic will make that happen. The third is Phoebe Chillax, which offers a more laid-back experience. It's this storyteller feature alone that elevates RimWorld above every other game in the genre.

5. God of War

2018's God of War finally arrived on PC in 2022, breaking Santa Monica Studio's masterpiece free from its PS4 restraints. The game tells a powerful story between Kratos and his young son, Atreus, and their journey to s??pread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye, at the highest peak in Jötunheim.

Its hack-and-slash gameplay is similar to previous God of War games, yet the combat still manages to feel distinctly modern. That's an achievement in itself. Just everything, from the impeccable score from Bear McCreary to the awesome world design, comes together as a full package to make God of War one of the best Steam Deck games.

4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

How will CD Projekt Red ever top The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt? The culmination of an epic trilogy, this title is an extraordinary RPG, with impactful choices to be made even in the smallest of moments. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features some of the most well-written side-quests you'll ever see, as well as two fantastic expansions in Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine.

For a 2015 release, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt holds up extremely well from both a visual? and gameplay perspe?ctive. The combat still feels very fluid, which is why it remains one of the best Steam Deck games you can play after almost a decade.

3. Stardew Valley

There's a reason life-simulation fans are still returning to Stardew Valley almo??st nine years after its release. ConcernedApe's game strips the formula back to basics but do?es everything it attempts just about perfectly.

There's farming, fishing, building, mining, socializing, romancing, and even combat - it's a pretty simple life in Stardew Valley. If you enjoy life-simulators, there's a good chance you've already played this game. If you haven't, there's a good chance Stardew Valley will convert you to the genre.

2. Elden Ring

Elden Ring is not for the impatient gamers out there. This open-world RPG by FromSoftware will test the limits of your patience, punishing you with sweet, sweet death over and over again. It's a classic Souls-like, defined by nigh-impossible bosses and frustratingly infrequent checkpoints, but with a bigger scale than anything the studio has ever attempted before. The satisfaction from victory in Elden Ring will have you jumping for joy.

Given that many would recommend Elden Ring with a controller anyway, I feel safe say??ing the game works great with the Steam Deck joysticks. Go forth and explore the Lands Between from the comfort of your own couch.

1. Baldur's Gate 3

Top spot was only ever going to Baldur's Gate 3. Larian's 2023 CRPG is an instant classic. With deep customization, fun combat, brilliant companions, and a gripping narrative, Baldur's Gate 3 is a game we'll all be playing for many years to come. I could wax further lyrical about its epic world?, engaging quests, and a staggering level of freedom, but I reckon you get the picture.

Baldur's Gate 3 feels made for the Steam Deck ?in many ways. The turn-based combat lends itself well to the joystick controls, and the slow-paced gameplay in general makes it perfect for kicking back on the couch and playing at your own pace.

The post 15 Best Steam Deck Games appeared first on Destructoid.

To quote the modern day poet that is one Marshall "Eminem" Mathers: Hi kids! Do you like violence? To add onto that, do you especially like Skyrim violence? While TES5 ha?s its brutal moments, it evidently wasn't enough for one person who felt the aging RPG needed just a soupçon of additional gore.

Hacking and slashing is the name of the game with "Dismembering Framwork," created by Nexus Mods user Seb263. If? y?ou're tired of striking at foes with all your might only for them to just get knocked back and maybe bleed a little, this one's for you.

You see, this mod adds in "r??eal time dismemberment," as well as "realistic blood splatters." It's even said to have "adaptive sound effects based on armor and weapon types" for when you really?? want to hear your sword connect with your opponent.

Become Skyrim's own freelance butcher

The above video is but a dangling hunk of tasty meat to really entice you in. Now, we all know the vanilla version of Skyrim already ??has a decapitation feature. However, it's re??served for a kind of finishing move, whereas with "Dismembering Framework," it all happens in real-time.

Note the ability to remove limbs with a swing of a sharp weapon. Any Khajiits giving you trouble? Simply lop off their tail and watch them dance around in agony, blood spewing from the woun?d. Dance. Dan??ce in an aquifer of your enemy's ichor!

Got a bit carried away there. Anyway, yes. As I was saying: Skyrim needs more violence. I honestly never realized how much I? wanted the ability to sever off limbs when out and about in Tamriel. You really get to find?? out about yourself when you play games, yeah?

The post Fulfil your Skyrim bloodlust with th??is dismem?berment mod appeared first on Destructoid.

Play together online with your pals and try not to drive each other crazy

I'm a firm believer that co-op makes just about any game better (or at least more... "memorable"), and for Skyrim fans looking to squeeze every last drop out of the hard-to-put-down game, there's a new co-op mod in town. Skyrim Together Reborn lets you play Skyrim Special Edition (1.6) online with friends on Steam. Think of the RP po??ten??tial!

Following its Friday debut on NexusMods and a weekend's worth of word-of-mouth, Skyrim Together Reborn is nearing 100,000 downloads. The mod community has been down this co-op road before, but Reborn represents a? ??fresh start, and people are into it.

"The code has been rewritten ??from the ground up, since the old codebase was too messy ?to work with," according to the mod's creators. "This decision has paid off big time, since Skyrim Together Reborn is significantly better than old Skyrim Together."

Skyrim Together Reborn recommends two to eight players for the "best experience," but there isn't a hard limit "in theory." It's also worth stressing again that you'll need Skyrim Special Edition version 1.6 on Steam to use this mod �"VR, console, Legendary Edition (a??ka Oldrim), and the Game Pass version are not a??nd will never be supported."

[caption id="attachment_334433" align="alignnone" width="1920"] _{Act natural �together!}
[/caption]

The setup and house rules

At the moment, you'll need patience to get everything up and running �not just in terms of setup, but also in?? figuring out what is and isn't allowed. E?xpect some troubleshooting.

The mod team shared general guidelines for "optimal questing" in Skyrim Together Reborn, which includes quite a few caveats. Big picture, the party leader is thought of as the "host" for the whole Skyrim co-op playthrough, while everyone else who's taggin?g along is merely considered a "guest." So in practice, this primary player will be the one to chat with important NPCs �and loot quest-related items �on behalf of the group.

That said, the other co-op players can:

• Kill quest monsters and bosses.
• Clear quest dungeons.
• Do quest puzzles.

For more information about optionally hosting your own server, head over here.

As for mixing in other mods, it'll generally be hit-or-miss, and it's up to your "discretion." The Skyrim Together Reborn team "cannot make any guarantees that these mods won't cause stability issues, play nice with ??our systems, or that their features will sync."

As it stands, "for the best, most stable experience??, you should not install other mods."

//youtu.be/7ogIhWUxPyE

Skyrim Together Reborn 1.0 is a "solid base for a lot of future expansion," and on that note, the ball is now in the community's court �we'll see where it goes n?ext.

Now that the mod is out, the creators are stepping back to focus on other other projects

"We are excited about the future of Reborn," developer Robbe wrote on Reddit.

"With thousands of man hours of work put into the project already, we have done most of the heavy lifting for you. With the mod going open source, it is now up to you, the community, to step up, and further develop Reborn. The current dev team is very tired, and frankly, is simply interested in bran?ching out and doing other projects."

"We will still be here to guide new d??evelopers, review code, and perhaps occasionally ?implement features and fixes. As for right now though, we need a break. After working on this project for one and a half years nonstop, I will take a hiatus from the project for a few weeks. The community has all the tools available to them to install and run Reborn. We are excited to see new people step up, and seeing what the community will do with it!"

I love to see a single-player game like Skyrim become multiplayer compatible thanks to modders' efforts, ?even if the experience is finicky and caveat-filled. It's a great way to make a familiar experience feel fresh again, and when it all clicks, it has that "Wow, they actually pulled it off" appeal. So many mods fail to come together. This one made it.

The post Skyrim Together Reborn, a co-op mod for Skyrim ??Special Edition, is already a hit appeared first on Destructoid.

Gotta go fast!

Speedrunning's gotta be a tough gig. You're playing a game for hours on end with no breaks, working tirelessly to hit every frame perfectly, and if you mess it up, well you're out of luck, and you have to start all the way back at the beginning. It's a corner of games that's always fascinated me, so I'm always interested when I catch whispers of what's going on in the speedrunning community. That's exactly what happened today when I heard the news that the "glitchless" speedrun world record for Skyrim had been broken.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=33Xlym_uZ4Q

As originally reported by TheGamer, this feat was accomplished by the YouTuber Nucular, whose real name is Jackson Reynolds. He uploaded a video of his new speedrun yesterday, and this time he managed to get through the game's story at seventy-two minutes. He ac?tually took the record from himself, as the record is now two ??minutes faster than the time Reynolds previously held.

Reynolds also took the comment section on his own video to describe some of his strategies for the run, like playing as one of the High Elf race because of their quicker movement speed, which correlates to their being the tallest race in the game. He also humbly admits to the mistakes he made during the run, such as forgetting to?? grab a crucial fast travel point that lost him a precious thirty seconds.

Apparently the grind never stops, because Reynolds is also working to beat his record for the no glitch playthrough of Skyrim on the legendary difficulty.

Like I said, mad respect to Reynolds and his fellow speedrunners, because I can only imagine how much time and dedication this kind of thing takes. It always makes me think of a video I saw once of a streamer beating the Super Mario 64 world record for the 120-star run �he tells his parents, who are nearby in the other room, and who celebrate with him in the most genuine and wholesome way. It still makes me tear up when I watch it, and it serves as a reminder of how awesome the speed??running community can be.

//www.reddit.com/r/MadeMeSmile/c??omments/j09r4v/streamer_gets_the_world_record_time_for_super/

The post New Skyrim ‘glitchless’ speedrun record clocks in at just over an hour appeared first on Destructoid.

We need an update for the special edition!

I know The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim isn't exactly a "hot" "new" "game," but much to the chagrin of a commenter back in 2011 (and likely compounded in the years since), I haven't played Skyrim yet. Thus is exists to me as "new" in perpetuity. I can keep finding cool new things to post about Skyrim for years as long as I continue to never play it, even as they pump out "HD" versions five years later.

This old mod hasn't been updated since 2013, so I doubt it will work with your fancy new version of Skyrim (which is even newer to me!), but the rest of you can enjoy this fun little mod that replaces statues of Skyrim's fictional hero/god "Talos" with this absolute boy, a man called "Le??nin" who is dual-wielding some badass tools in either hand. If he had a third arm I'd suggest ?a paintbrush, but it's a pretty cool looking statue as is.

The post Check out this cool Skyrim mod appeared first on Destructoid.

She reminds me of my grandma so much!

Grandma Shirley, aka Shirley Curry, is a 79-year-old grandmother who "just had a beast of a gaming computer built," allowing her to "play like a Boss! LOL" according to her description on her YouTube channel. Shirley's first let's play of The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim went live yesterday and has taken th??e Internet by storm, already racking up nearly 150,000 views. 

What is Shirley's reasoning behind starting to make let's plays? "I wa?nt to start a blog for older gamers, like myself," Shirley says, "because I feel we are not? represented enough on YouTube."

If this first video is anything to go by, Shirley will surely be a star in no time with such a calming voice and dialect. "The Bob Ross of video ga?mes," as one co??mmenter put it. Pretty spot on.

Calmly explaining how she uses pois??on on her arrow tips to fight dragons, to being disgu??sted by a giant spider, grandma Shirley has all the charm of your grandmother if she were a hardcore gamer, and I love her. Keep up the good work, Shirley!

The post Watch a 79-year-old grandmother play Skyrim, and have?? your heart warmed appeared first on Destructoid.

Brace yourselves, the downvotes are coming

The PC gaming community has been up in arms ever since Valve announced a few days ago that the Skyrim Steam Workshop would start allowing modders to charge money for previously f?ree user-created mods. To the surprise of abso?lutely no one, the Internet was less than excited about the news.

Following w??hat has no doubt been a torrential amount of hate mail, Valve CEO Gabe Newell has chosen to d??eal with the issue in the bravest way possible: by starting an AMA on reddit.

Users were quick to fling accusations at Newell, but some genuinely good dialogue has emerged from the thread. According to Newell, Valve firmly believes that paid mods will have a positive effect on the community and "increase the inv?estment ??in quality modding, not hurt it."

"Our goal is to make modding better for the authors and gamers," said Newell. "If something doesn't help with that, it will get dumped. Right now I'm more optimistic that this will? be a win for authors and gamers, but we are always going to be data driven."

Newell confirmed that modders will not only have the option to keep their mods free, but will also be able to use a 'pay what you want' styled system instead of a set price. While it's not quite the donate option Steam users have been petitioni??ng for, Newell seems confident its a step in the right direction.

I'm not sure if Newell's comments will help put Steam users at ease or just poke the fire but people are still furious judging by the reddit thread. With some paid mods already being pulled from the Steam Workshop, I don'?t expect this conversation to quiet down any time soon.

The post Gabe Newell defends paid mods against the fury of?? an angry Inter??net appeared first on Destructoid.

2GB textures and HDR for everybody!

Bethesda will be removing the 100MB file size limitation from Steam Workshop mods in an upcoming patch for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.  Finally, all those gorgeous gigantic textures can be installed from Steam itself, instead of from a third-party application. Fans of Nexus Mod Manager ne?ed not fear though. In the comments of the blog Bethesda stated that the new patch shouldn't interfere with the popular solution for installing and updating mods?.

The Creation Kit will also be receiving a?n update to support unlimited sized mods. The way the new system will work is that the Skyrim launcher will not longer download mods from the Steam Workshop. Steam itself will download and place the mods in the correct location and the Skyrim launcher will? update the .esm load order after the download is complete.

Bethesda has not yet released a solid rel??ease date fo?r general release of the patch. However, it's currently in beta testing and if you follow the instructions on the source post, you can check it out yourself now.

Skyrim Workshop file lim?it is now… limitless [Bethesda Blog]

The post No more file size limit for Skyrim mods on? Steam Workshop appeared first on Destructoid.

Max would date a woman who gets that hype on Taco Bell

In the third part of our ongoing investigative series on what it would be like if heavy metal pioneer Ronnie James Dio was, in fact, a mage in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. In this installment, we forget more lyrics, and Max's gi??rlfriend gets home from work, only to find a very spe??cial surprise waiting for her. Is it tacos? 

(Yes. That's exactly what it is.)

The post Dio in Skyrim: Part 3 – Don’t “Taco” To Strangers appeared first on Destructoid.

We've been down too long in the midnight sea

Max and I decided to start a playthrough of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as the late Ronnie James Dio, the heavy metal legend who had a music video that kinda looks like Skyrim. There's only one pr??????????????????????????oblem; Max can't remember any Dio lyrics c?orrectly. It's okay though; we had good beer and bad tacos.

The post Skyrim can only get better when you pl??ay it ?as Ronnie James Dio appeared first on Destructoid.

You know, aside from the lyrics to the main theme

I don't watch too many YouTube video series, but I quite enjoy some of the facts Did You Know Gaming? serves up. Sometimes I actually walk away having learned a little something. I ended up liking the latest entry to the DYKG series about Skyrim, and I surmise you all might as well. Unless, of?? course, you already know all this stuff. In that case, I will feel stupid. And useless. And I will need a pep talk from all of you in the comment section.

A lot of the facts here seem to basically point back to the fact that, obviously, Skyrim is connected to the rest of the Elder Scrolls games. Well, duh. But there's still some cool little tidbits within the seven-minute video if you want to take the time to watch. I recommend the Pokémon videos as well. They're good stuff.

The post Glean some interesting fact?s about Skyrim from this Did You Know Gaming? vi??deo appeared first on Destructoid.

FUS-RO-DEALS!

Are you in the market for an Xbox 360? Are you that one person that still hasn't played The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim? Well GameStop is going to help you correct that mistake, by offering a free copy of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Legendary Edition with?? every purchase of the recently release Xbox 360 250 GB E model. A disclaimer though, the E model does not support optical out or standard definition AV. Still, the complete edition of what is?? perhaps the best game of this generation is a pretty good giveaway.

The offer only runs until July 23, so get your orders in soon if you're interested. The offer is good in stores, and here on GameStop's website.

The post Buy an Xbox 360, get a free ??copy ??of Skyrim Legendary appeared first on Destructoid.

Can't look away

Bethesda may be done with Skyrim now, but the fans will never be stop. Mods will continue to come, like this latest one by modder Higeyoshi that adds the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Skyrim.

I'm not going to be sleeping ??well after seeing these monstrous creatures. Although, the more I look at it, the more it's growing on me.

T??he turtle shells can also be placed on n??ormal characters too if that's your thing.

The post The horrific Teenag?e Mutant Ninja Turtle mod fo?r Skyrim appeared first on Destructoid.

New projects on the horizon

Bethesda has today announced that its The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is officially done. Its team has wrapped up, and will be moving on to new p??rojects. Although there'll be no major add??itions, minor updates are still promised for the foreseeable future.

"Skyrim has been a labor of love for us since we started designing it in 2006," writes the developer. "We never imagined it would become the phenomenon it has. And that is because of you, the fans. It was all of you who made it a success. We can’t thank you enough for embracing the game, sp??reading the word, and making it your own.

"For the last year and a half we’ve been working on new content for Skyri?m; from the game updates, Creation Kit, Steam Workshop, Kinect support, to DLCs. Parts of our team have also been in pre-production on our next major project, and that game is at the point where it requires the studio’s full attent??ion to make it our biggest and best work yet."

So that's the latest Elder Scrolls done. What's next? Hopefully we're edging ever toward that juicy Fallout 4 news!

The post Bethesda officially done with Skyrim, moving on appeared first on Destructoid.

1/6th scale replica with hand-crafted armor

If your mantel is in need of a protector from pesky dragons, then look no further than artist Alejandro Pereira's 1/6 scale replica statue of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's Dovahkiin, the Dragonborn.

This hand-crafted, hand-painted statue was cast out of high quality poly-stone and stands roughly 16 inches tall, including the base, and was created using Skyrim's official in-game assets to achieve authenticity. The statue al??so features d?etailed hand-tailored fabric and armor.

Only 1,000 Dragonborn statues were created, and cost $299.99 each. Each statue includes "full-color packaging, a hand-numbered base and a certificate of authenticity which allows you to purchase the same model number in future releases in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim collection." An even more limited statue, priced at $329.99 each with only 500 pieces created, is also available, which has the Dragonborn w?ielding a fireball.

Pre-order: Regular, Exclusive [Gaming Heads via Tomopop]

The post Limited Drag?onborn statues are hand-crafted, price??y appeared first on Destructoid.

Adds in new 'Legendary' difficulty

Good news, weary travelers of Skyrim! Bethesda has just updated the PC version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to 1.9 beta for you to test out, if you so wish. It looks like console adventurers will have to wait a little ?while longer, but the company is hoping to push out the patch later this month.

Version 1.9 beta carries a huge number of fixes, from the ability to drop certain quest items after quest completion to more specific issues revolving around certain quests. The biggest addition from this update is ??the new "Legendary" difficulty setting. Players with skills of level 100 now have the option to make that skill Legendary by resetting its level back to 15 and removing the associated perks. This will allow the player to level up the skill and regain their perks again.

Clearly, Bethesda has taken a few tips from the Call of Duty series. From a design perspective, I can understand why adding such a feature to your enormous open-world RPG would make sense: the die-hard fans can continue to enjoy the game and feel as though that they continuing to get stronger through the use of those skills. Personally, I see it as a waste of the time and effort that I had put in to attain those skills in the first place. I'll be downloading this update but leaving the Legendary setting for those made of sterner stuff, and with far more free time on their hands.

The post Bethesda updates Sk?yrim to version 1.9 Beta on Stea??m appeared first on Destructoid.

Skyrim: Dragonborn is alright on the PC

Almost two months after coming out on the Xbox 360, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's latest DLC, Dragonborn, has made its way onto the PC.

The content here is amazing, as Chris already explained in his review back in December. He only encountered a few bugs, but the experience on PC for a lot of people is a little less stable, t?o the point of the game breaking in certain cases.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Dragonborn (PC)
Released: February 5, 2013
MSRP: $19.99
Rig: AMD 9850, with 5GB of RAM, GeForce GTX 480 GPU, 60fps average performance, Windows 7 64-bit

It's not abnor??mal for Bethesda games to have some bugs, and it's to be expected at this point. I had some NPCs walking around with only their heads above ground, spiders that were stuck in walls, and some other oddities floating around that didn't really break the game. The one major issue that I ran into was that I could no longer harvest dragon souls. I did some digging and other users have reported encoun??tering the same issue. 

[UPDATE: This game breaking bug can now be fixed with the Unofficial Dragonborn Patch] 

Bethesda is aware of t??he bug and it's something that will hopefully be fixed in the next patch. This glitch prevents you from completing the main quest, which is a huge let down. I didn't even know I couldn't win until I tried the last boss fight for the third time and I still couldn't get past it even while using console commands.

The dragon flying controls seemed a bit odd to me using the mouse and keyboard. Using spacebar to lock-on to a target and the 1 and 2 keys to alternate targets felt very out of place. It really took me out of the experience, and it didn't seem to mesh very well with the existing game mechanics. I would have much rather just used the same? controls as riding a horse. 

The story, new spells and shouts, and returning to the epic landscape of Morrowind are well worth the $20 price tag for Dragonborn, but it might be worth holding off until at least the first patch is out. Although the dragon-riding controls suck, there will be a mod out soon?? enough to fix it, I'm sure.

Overall, the PC experience is very similar to the rest of Skyrim: very beautiful to look at and at times?? glitchy, with some design choices that seem better for consoles but will soon be fixed by modders. I recommend buying it?? as soon as they get the first patch up.

The post Dragonborn’s amazing content held back by glitches on PC appeared first on Destructoid.

Right on the heels of Dragonborn PC

While it would have been nice to see Dragonborn for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim hit PC earlier than it did, the Steam release is now behind us, and Bethesda has a nice bonus on top of it. For those users who can handle high-resolution textures, the studio has put out an update which offers improved textures for Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and the aforementioned add-on.

"Before you download, make sure your PC has the horsepower to support it," cautions Bethesda. "Make sure your system requirements exceed Skyrim's recommended specs before attempting to install, and that your PC has Windows Vista/7, a minimum of 4GB of system RAM, and a DirectX 9.0c compatible ??NVIDIA or AMD A?TI video card with at least 1 GB of RAM and the latest drivers."

Speaking of Skyrim, I need to get around to reinstalling one of these days -- I'm now physically and mentally ready to spend a weekend screwing around with mods. From the looks of it, there's plenty of catching up? to do.

The post Bethesda puts out im??proved HD textures for S?kyrim DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

Remember Chocolate Rain?

Remember Tay Zonday? The Chocolate Rain guy? Well apparently he's been making music videos ever since and his latest is a cover of the Skyrim them?e. And you know what??? It's actually pretty good. Go figure.

The post The Skyrim theme gets covered by … Tay Zonday? appeared first on Destructoid.

February, folks

Praise Hermaeus Mora!

After a lot of deliberation, a lot of delays, and a lot of doubt, Bethesda has confirmed that all of the current Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim DLC is coming? to the PS3 in the month of February.

Dragonborn will drop on February 12th, Hearthfire will follow suit on the 19th, and Dawnguard is last on the 26th.

All of these add-ons will be 50% off at the time of release. There, you have everything now PS3 owners! It only too nearly eight months to get Dawnguard.

As for my recommendations, get Dragonborn at all costs, and only get Hearthfire and Dawnguard if you're really itching for more Skyrim content. Depending on your state of mind, you may find the latter two to be a tad disappointing??.

Then again, you've waited this long, so they might be worth the 50% in?troductory price if you're keen.

PSN release dates [Beth Blog]

The post Bethesda confirms PS3 release dates f?or Skyrim DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

So good you'd think it's a screenshot from the actual game

deviantART user Chris "Zerios88" Wolvie?? states on his page that he's a "little noob cosplayer." Sir, I beg to differ.

Chris custom made his own Dovahkiin Daedric armor from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and it's just stunning. It's incredibly detaile??d, and I wouldn't blame you if you thought some of the pictures were straight out ??of the game. The armor is so good that he won an award at a convention last year too.

Check out his deviantART page for more pictures of his armor and the building process, and see some of his other cosplay work over on Facebook.

The post Feast your eyes on t?his amazingly detailed Skyrim armor appeared first on Destructoid.

Next week, in defiance of all reasonable expectation, Bethesda will be releasing yet another massive content package for Skyrim. The Hearthfire DLC enables the player to purchase land, build their own house on it and equip that house with all manner of useful rooms and children. Yep, I said children. Your Dragonborn c??an now adopt kids and raise them as if they were their very own.

I ?would make a kitchen sink joke but there probably is a kitchen sink in here. The mind reels. The Hearthfire expansion content arrives on Xbox Live on September 4 and will run you 400 Microsoft Points.

The post Home is where?? the Hearthfire? is in newest Skyrim DLC appeared first on Destructoid.