That being said, not all mods are created equal - as I discovered through a rather embarrassing stint sifting through what scant mods that Sony allowed through for the PS4 edition. So, after picking up a new copy for twenty bucks, I have managed to enter the world of modding proper. Was it worth it? Let's find out in my new segment - MadCap's Mod Mondays!
...don't worry, Reel Thoughts will still be going just as inconsistently as ever for you movie lovers out there!
...sorry, guys.
But today, I bring you not one, not two, but three in-depth mods! Three mods for the price of fun!
The first being what is new being old again. Are you tired of repeating the same opening scene over and over again in Helgen? Want to skip it entirely or find a new way of entering the world of Skyrim as the Dragonborn? Or maybe you just want to roleplay something entirely different? If so, have I got the mod for you!
Alternate Start - Live Another Life by Arthmoor allows you to completely skip over Helgen if you wish to, and select from a variety of potential starting points in Skyrim such as "I came by ship to Skyrim" or "I am a necromancer in a secret location" or (one of my personal favorites) "I was attacked and left for dead". There are even a few based on race such as being an agent of the Thalmor (if you're a High Elf) or being a dockworker at Windhelm's port (if you're an Argonian). Also, if you want to, you can take the vanilla start option. Regardless of your choices, apart from escaping the cell that you're in (which requires lockpicks), you speak to the statue of Mara and then sleep in the bed available in the room to begin.
Do you want to be a noble warrior? A sneaky thief? A vampire? A noble living in one of Skyrim's populous cities? The possibilities are...some high number that I don't have the time or patience to calculate, but there's a lot of them is the takeaway here. And for those of you worried about Helgen and the events there, don't be! Simply go to either Dragonsreach or any tavern to ask for rumors, and you'll be directed toward Helgen with some non-voiced dialogue.
Hey, it's only one line. Don't hate!
Arthmoor also takes great pains to note it on the Nexus page for the mod, but - DO NOT UNINSTALL THIS WITHOUT HAVING STARTED THE MAIN QUEST! They recommend having "Dragon Rising" at least in your journal, if not completed, before uninstalling this mod due to how Skyrim's scripts work. If you uninstall it before taking on the Main Quest, you lock yourself out of ever being able to finish the Main Quest or the Civil War...at least on Xbox One. I know you PC elitist folks out there have plenty of options. You jerks!
But Alternate Start gives you exactly what it says on the tin, an alternate start. You can build your character up as anything you like, the closest to true freedom you can really get in a video game.
And now, we come to the joyous and completely insane...with...
Crafted from unspeakably powerful metals in order to hold great and terrible power, the Continuum Gauntlet is home to the six Aedric Stones. The stones of Power, Space, Reality, Soul, Time, and Mind were all singularities created when Nirn was formed by the Aedra. Each one was an aspect of the cosmos and, individually, are some of the most powerful magical objects in the world. But when brought together in the Continuum Gauntlet, they would give their wearer mastery over space and time, over the minds of others, over the fabric of reality itself!!!
The Continuum Gauntlet is an attempt by mod author phantomofthesith to, in their words, "insert Marvel's Infinity Gauntlet in Skyrim in as lore-friendly a way as possible". Having played around with it, I do have to say they nailed that. You don't get a journal entry or quest markers for this, but you can go to the College of Winterhold, Stendarr's Beacon, or find a wandering Talsgar to find a book that speaks of what is essentially an Elder Scrolls version of the Infinity Gems put into the context of the lore in a way that actually makes some sense.
You can find them all through the course of normal gameplay, the mod doesn't create new ones for you to find them in. So long as you play through the vanilla game, Dawnguard, and Dragonborn, you will eventually run into all of them at some point. Each stone is a necklace that, when worn, affords the Dragonborn a specific power such as the ability to calm and enrage opponents or a buff to your health, magicka, and stamina regen. To use all of them together, however, you have to put them into the Continuum Gauntlet itself, which you can find in the world (yes, there is at least one to be found) and wear as Heavy Armor. Using a forge will allow you to set all the Stones in it and well...snap happens.
It will only kill non-essential NPC's in a cell you are currently in (not all over Skyrim, sorry folks!) and it does seem to be entirely at random which is fitting. You do get the lovely dust effect as well as they disappear, which is nice. There doesn't seem to be a reset function, but the Gauntlet does allow you to use all the individual powers of the Stones while you wear it, which is pretty cool. It's a fun little mod that's at least somewhat lore-friendly, which is nice.
This next one, however, definitely is not!
Created by Nexus user OminousVoice, this mod gives you the opportunity to become the Strongest Avenger. That's right! You can take up the weapon of the mighty Point Break and wreak havoc across Skyrim! Along with that, you can also forge Thor's armor from the MCU in both light and heavy varieties and, with the Aetherium Forge, create the ultimate weapon of the God of Thunder - Stormbreaker! In both one-handed and two-handed varieties!
But to access this super fun, potentially game-breaking content, you have to first find Mjolnir, the hammer of Thor. There is no quest marker or journal entry as before, but not to worry! To the mountains west of Whiterun, across the plains, you will travel and eventually find a column of light. Within it will be the hammer in question and don't worry, you are worthy. The hammer gives you three unique powers when you wield it and, at base strength is comparable to the Ebony Mace without the enchantment on it, which can really break the game early on.
The best part is that the enchantment never needs recharging, which is handy and a little bit game-breaky...but it's the weapon of a god, so I'm more than willing to let it slide. It is exceptionally handy if you're not a big player of Soul Trapping, but still want to use enchanted weaponry.
Is it lore-friendly? Not really. It doesn't even attempt to integrate into the world of Skyrim, though at the same time it also doesn't really contradict anything we've seen in the games thus far. There's also an argument to be made for the fact that you as the player can use the Enchanting skill and grinding to create all sorts of gamebreaking nonsense.
Also, y'know, there's something to be said for just fun, which this mod most definitely is.
In fact, I'd say all these mods are pretty fun. Whether it's to breathe new life into a game that's approaching eight years old or to spice up your game with a little bit of content that straddles the line between lore-friendly and not-so-lore-friendly, these mods can help you out!
I hope you enjoyed the first rendition of Mod Mondays. If you know a mod you want me to review, feel free to drop me a line on Twitter @MadCapMunchkin with the Nexus link (be sure it's available for XboxOne!) and the hashtag #ModMondays (yes, I'm starting a hashtag for it. Sue me).
No comments:
Post a Comment