The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has a new semi-official patch available, and we’ve got all the details.
Before I get into how exactly 1.5 alters the beloved open-world roleplaying title, let me clarify a few things. First, at the moment the patch is only available to PC gamers via Steam, and that’s only a beta release. Bethesda claims that the official patch (as well as Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions) will arrive shortly.
Second, this is the first patch for the game that has fewer tweaks than the one that preceded it. Is Bethesda running out of stuff to fix, or is support being inevitably scaled back as the game ages?
Anyway, have a look at the official list of changes:
NEW FEATURES
– New cinematic kill cameras for projectile weapons and spells
– New kill moves and animations for melee weapons
– Shadows on grass available (PC)
– Smithing skill increases now factor in the created item’s value
– Improved visual transition when going underwater
– Improved distance LOD transition for snowy landscapesBUG FIXES
– General crash fixes and memory optimizations
– Fixed issue with Deflect Arrows perk not calculating properly
– In “A Cornered Rat,” the death of certain NPCs no longer blocks progression
– Fixed issue where Farkas would not give Companion’s quests properly
– Fixed crash when loading saves that rely on data that is no longer being loaded
– Followers sneak properly when player is sneaking
– Fixed issue with weapon racks not working properly in Proudspire Manor
– Arrows and other projectiles that were stuck in objects in the world now clean up properly
– Fixed issue where “Rescue Mission” was preventing “Taking Care of Business” from starting properly
– Fixed issue where certain NPCs would fail to become Thieves Guild fences
– Fixed issue in “Diplomatic Immunity” where killing all the guards in the Thalmor Embassy before starting the quest would break progress
– In “Hard Answers,” picking up the dwarven museum key after completing the quest, no longer restarts the quest
– Killing Viola before or after “Blood on the Ice” no longer blocks progression
– Fixed issue where Calixto would fail to die properly in “Blood on the Ice”
– In “Waking Nightmare” fixed occasional issue where Erandur would stop pathing properly
– Fixed issue where letters and notes with random encounters would appear blank
– Fixed rare issue where dialogue and shouts would improperly play
– Lydia will now offer marriage option after player purchases Breezehome in Whiterun
– Fixed issue where if player manually mined ore in Cidhna Mine, jail time would not be served
– Fixed rare issue with skills not increasing properly
– Fixed issue where the Headsman’s Axe did not gain proper buff from Barbarian perk
– In “A Night to Remember” it is no longer possible to kill Ysolda, Ennis or Senna before starting the quest
– Fixed issue with the ebony dagger having a weapon speed that was too slow
– Fixed issue with “The Wolf Queen Awakened” where backing out of a conversation with Styrr too soon would block progress
– The third level of the Limbsplitter perk now properly improves all battle axes
– Fixed a rare issue where Sanguine Rose would not work properly
– In “Tending the Flames” King Olaf’s Verse will no longer disappear from explosions
Unless one of those bug fixes suddenly makes your broken game save functional, the big news here is the inclusion of new kill cams for both projectiles and melee weapons. Helpfully, Bethesda also released a video to demonstrate the brutal new cinematic moments in action. That would be the thing embedded above.
Granted, it’s a minor tweak, but since years of videogames have made me a murderous sociopath, I dig it. The only thing better than killing some jerk is killing him with slow-motion flair!
