Although almost everyone has playedThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, many don’t bother to complete the main questline and defeat Alduin, which is fair given how drab the story can be at points. Too many quests involve waiting for slow NPCs to make it through dungeons, and the story itself gets convoluted without the intrigue. The time travel elements of the Dragon Break at the Throat of the World are a little odd, and the story doesn’t get its themes across very well, nor is it as fun as the Thieves Guild or Dark Brotherhood quests and stories.
Luckily, modders have been hard at work for over a decade to addressSkyrim’s flaws and add a great deal to help it keep up with new kids on the block.One legendary mod author, Vicn, has been working hard to produce expansion-sized quest mods for some time now,which improve and build on lore given inTheElder Scrollsgames. Although most famous forVigilant, another quest mod helps build on the themes ofSkyrim’s main story andDragonbornDLC. This mod isUnslaad, and it retroactively improvesSkyrim’s main quest to make something truly special.
One Of The Best Quest Mods On Nexus
Vicn’sUnslaadis incredible by any metric and is currently sitting on just under 2 million downloads on its Nexus Mods page. Although it feels like the Painted Worlds of Ariamis and Ariandel fromDark Soulswere ported intoThe Elder Scrollsseries at first,it slowly unveils itself as the perfect ending for the Dragonborn, taking themes thatSkyrim’s main story introduced and expanding on them to make it feel complete.Unslaaddoes this by using the events of the main quest to show the Dragonborn the consequences of their actions, telling its story in a hauntingly beautiful manner.
Vicn is also known for makingVigilant,Glenmoril, andDAc0da,all DLC-sized quest mods.
When returning to High Hrothgar, the Dragonborn notices a doll sitting on the edge of a cliff, just behind the training yard. Upon picking up the doll, they meet an Alfiq (a talking cat), who tells them to leap from the cliff and be carried by the winds. After jumping from the cliff’s edge, the Dragonborn is transported to the lonely castle of Unslaad, home to the half-dragon Ulliss, and from there, their impact on the world is explored, taking them from this lonely castle to a journey across time and even to the continent of Atmora.
It takes the idea that theDragonborn, and the protagonists ofThe Elder Scrollsgames in general, are “doom-driven,“somethingPaarthurnax calls the playerduring the main quest. They search for answers and their version of what’s right irrespective of personal doom or the dooming of others, and this is explored with both the Blades being revived as dragon slayers, rather than the emperor’s personal guard, and the Dragonborn’s pact with Hermaeus Mora to defeat Miraak. Both have a massive impact on the world and the lands of Unslaad, which the mod takes great pains to explore.
It Elaborates On The Dragonborn’s Ties To Hermaeus Mora
WhileSkyrimoften feels like a game without end,Unslaadhas always been the quest I do to mark the end of a playthrough, due to the feeling of finality its true ending gives. It should be noted that the mod doesn’t have the most overt storytelling and requires quite a bit of interpreting, although its existential story does feel like the perfect ending for the Dragonborn. A theme ofSkyrim’s main quest is whether defeating Alduin, who is fated to eat the world to start a new one, is a right thing, possibly damning those in the next world, although it is poorly explored.
Unslaad means unending or ceaseless in Thu’um (the language of dragons).
In the main quest, this comes across as an odd comment by Paarthurnax rather than an entire theme, but withUnslaad, it feels like foreshadowing, especially with elements from theDragonbornDLC and the impact Hermaeus Mora’s deal with the Dragonborn end up having. While trying tosave the world from Alduinand Miraak,Unslaadexplores the idea that the world begins to suffer and degrade,exploring what should have been a major story point inSkyrim’s main quest and making it all link together harmoniously.
It’s difficult to talk about howUnslaadis a perfect ending forSkyrimwithout spoiling it, but the final section of the game does feel like a true ending, with the Dragonborn able to make a choice that will shape the future of Nirn.Unslaad’s somewhat depressing, existential, and haunting story does have some great character moments too, specifically with a magic snowball, who was once a Khajiit, called Fluffy. This sense of whimsy stops the experience from getting too much to bear at times, especially because of how heavy it feels compared to baseSkyrim.
Skyrim Modders Have Made The Game A Modern Masterpiece
Many talk about the graphical and gameplay upgrades that modders have been able to produce, from the incredible lighting ofLuxto thecombat overhaul systems likeMCO, but modders have some truly amazing stories to tell.Unslaadis one of them, andit makes the brave decision to fit itself neatly with a main quest that isn’t well-loved, rather than doing something brand-new altogether. It expands on lore, themes, and makes the main quest, along with theDragonbornDLC, fit into a neat and retroactively beautiful trilogy.
While amazing,Unslaadisn’t the only amazing quest mod around, withSirenrootgiving players one of the best dungeonmods, showing Bethesda the kind of standard it should strive for when makingTheElder Scrolls 6. There’s a reason whySkyrim’s modding community is famous, or in some cases infamous, andamazing mods likeUnslaadkeep the game’s quality up with modern titles. It also raises the bar for what Bethesda has to do withElder Scrolls 6, since most mods are free and made by people in their spare time as a hobby.
There is very rarely an incentive to beatSkyrim’s main questline, butUnslaad, especially with its delayed start mod, can be just that. While you’re able to complete the mod without beating the main story, it doesn’t make a lot of sense, and I advise that both Alduin and Miraak are defeated first to get the full experience.Unslaadrequires some hunting around and exploring too, with a lot of elements not being overt, but this hunting is well worth the effort to experience everything thisSkyrimmod has to offer.
