When's the last time you played Vanilla?

[@%thesock10150alpha49]

Tempers are hot right now and the debates are ragin'. This is not a for/against post related to mods and CC, but a genuine curiosity that has arisen during those discussions.

When is the last time you played the unmodded, "regular" skyrim, and what did you do?

For myself, I have never modded, but I have consistently played this game for it's entire life on numerous platforms. My go-to is trying to run different builds on Legendary difficulty with a perma-death rule. I usually try to have the build online by lvl 21 and there are often clauses about 'no stealth' or 'no crafting'.

My last run was trying my hand as an aspiring necromancer that couldn't summon anything above adept level undead and only had a knack for ice magic. He died. It was pretty fun.

[worm_master]

Apart from CC stuff, I'm vanilla.

[Schlumpsha]

Probably around 2011, a good deal before they released Dawnguard. Didn't took long for me to appreciate the steadily growing modding community back then.

[Rez Elwin]

2012, around September. I had played Skyrim on console since I got it on day one, then a game destroying bug caused me to quit the game for a bit. I bought it on PC in December since I now had one that could run it. I figured out how to Mod the game and never played Vanilla again.

[Rabblevox]

I'm doin' vanilla again (pure vanilla, no DL). With graphics and sound cranked on a modern system, it's pretty damn cool if you can learn to love the jank.

[@%thesock10150alpha49]

Originally posted by Rabblevox:

I'm doin' vanilla again (pure vanilla, no DL). With graphics and sound cranked on a modern system, it's pretty damn cool if you can learn to love the jank.

Amen to that. The jank is part of the build

[Ruenis]

A vast multitude of recent instances, actually. I like reminding myself that this is actually a very robust video game with much to offer.

I'm old enough to remember Skyrim in its most base form. I'm talking no Dawnguard, no Hearthfire, no Dragonborn, and no Creation Club/Creations. Pure "Skyrim.esm." There are already over 150 hostile locations in the "true" "base game" alone, and many more locations besides, without Solstheim and the content from the year 2012 DLCs.

Base Skyrim's areas: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/elderscrolls/images/8/88/Skyrimmap.png/revision/latest?cb=20120124131942

That they added the Dawnguard and Dragonborn DLCs was already a blessing in the skies, and Hearthfire was the cherry on top that truly made you feel like an old warrior coming home from a war after having done so much (Read: I have no military experience. I just like to imagine that an old, "olden times" warrior would have dearly loved to return home to their wife/husband and children after so much adventuring ). That in the year 2021 they had formerly hired third-party modders to provide side-by-side compatible content loads in the form of the Anniversary Upgrade in 74 different mods was so much of a blessing, hoo. There were the complaints that you could get, quote, "the best armor early," but these complaints came from the same jaded, Bethesda-relevant "ex-lover energy" types who stalk the company with unhealthy minds anyway, lol, so that is what it is.

Already bought the seven new creations. My supposition is they're made to work alongside the Creation Club content with full compatibility no matter how many may be further created in the future, but I'm beginning to think I may be wrong since, unlike the original Anniversary Edition mods, they are deletable in-game.

I've still never completed it, for having fallen victim to the enticement of modding freedoms, but I played a healthy 800+ vanilla hours before that delve. I keep telling myself I'll complete the untouched game one day, and by untouched I mean with only company-sanctioned content. That includes the 2012 content, the Anniversary Upgrade, and any new "creations," provided the creations all work in unison compatibility.

Love this game to pieces. I've played several games that led up to my undying love of this particular title, of which not all were even RPGs nor of the medieval fantasy genre, and I'm d*mn proud.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSRtYpNRoN0

[Rabblevox]

Originally posted by @%thesock10150alpha49:

Originally posted by Rabblevox:

I'm doin' vanilla again (pure vanilla, no DL). With graphics and sound cranked on a modern system, it's pretty damn cool if you can learn to love the jank.

Amen to that. The jank is part of the build

:)

[Wandering Mania]

Personally.... I think... Well, 11/11/2011 is the last time I played vanilla Skyrim. Because as soon as mods started rolling out, I started adding them to my game. And never have I intentionally, or unintentionally, gone back to playing vanilla.

Because the base game is overall bland in my opinion. Too much censoring (no option for 'vanilla nude bodies') for an 'M' rated game. Too much BS (worthless under-powered magic). And far, far, too many bugs. And that's not even mentioning the ugly faces, easily broken quests if you don't do things in an exact order (but also included with bugs), and extreme lack of things to do (much like Starfield is suffering with right now). As there's only like, what, 10 or so 'major' quest lines, and all the little things that aren't all that fun.

Things adding (at least) basic mods can easily fix. So yeah, mods make Skyrim great. Not because the base game itself is 'great'; But because the framework that the game released on, is able to support the addition of such great addons like: 'Vigilant', 'Legacy of the Dragonborn', 'Frostfall', 'Realistic Needs & Diseases' or 'iNeed', and so many, many more.

[@%thesock10150alpha49]

Originally posted by Wandering Mania:

Personally.... I think... Well, 11/11/2011 is the last time I played vanilla Skyrim. Because as soon as mods started rolling out, I started adding them to my game. And never have I intentionally, or unintentionally, gone back to playing vanilla.

Because the base game is overall bland in my opinion. Too much censoring (no option for 'vanilla nude bodies') for an 'M' rated game. Too much BS (worthless under-powered magic). And far, far, too many bugs. And that's not even mentioning the ugly faces, easily broken quests if you don't do things in an exact order (but also included with bugs), and extreme lack of things to do (much like Starfield is suffering with right now). As there's only like, what, 10 or so 'major' quests, and all the little things that aren't all that fun.

Things adding (at least) basic mods can easily fix. So yeah, mods make Skyrim great. Not because the base game itself is 'great'; But because the framework that the game released on, is able to support the addition of such great addons like: 'Vigilant', 'Legacy of the Dragonborn', 'Frostfall', 'Realistic Needs & Diseases' or 'iNeed', and so many, many more.

See, there's something magical to me about being given a bag of broken tools and making it work. That's a big part of the game to me. Like, sure, you could just mod the magic to be stronger or fix the companions. But how much better would it be to SUCCEED as a mage with bad spells or play around a terrible follower.

I had a playthrough where I kept having to go and find Lydia cause she kept getting stuck. I was a support mage and my tank kept disappearing. It was so frustrating, but it added this layer of organic roleplay and paid off so well when she actually showed up.

[Mental Clarity]

Not since xbox 360 was my main system lol. I would have to atleast do graphics mods etc.

[SuperJedi]

Originally posted by @%thesock10150alpha49:

Tempers are hot right now and the debates are ragin'. This is not a for/against post related to mods and CC, but a genuine curiosity that has arisen during those discussions.

When is the last time you played the unmodded, "regular" skyrim, and what did you do?

For myself, I have never modded, but I have consistently played this game for it's entire life on numerous platforms. My go-to is trying to run different builds on Legendary difficulty with a perma-death rule. I usually try to have the build online by lvl 21 and there are often clauses about 'no stealth' or 'no crafting'.

My last run was trying my hand as an aspiring necromancer that couldn't summon anything above adept level undead and only had a knack for ice magic. He died. It was pretty fun.

I'm not a fan of mods. I've been playing the game 'vanilla' since it's release. Have never finished it but would like to when I have the time.

[Lemdoran]

Originally posted by @%thesock10150alpha49:

Tempers are hot right now and the debates are ragin'. This is not a for/against post related to mods and CC, but a genuine curiosity that has arisen during those discussions.

When is the last time you played the unmodded, "regular" skyrim, and what did you do?

For myself, I have never modded, but I have consistently played this game for it's entire life on numerous platforms. My go-to is trying to run different builds on Legendary difficulty with a perma-death rule. I usually try to have the build online by lvl 21 and there are often clauses about 'no stealth' or 'no crafting'.

My last run was trying my hand as an aspiring necromancer that couldn't summon anything above adept level undead and only had a knack for ice magic. He died. It was pretty fun.

It was somewhere around 11/11/2011 or 12 / 11 / 2011 then the 1st mods for UI came out and i never turned back lol The base ui is desastrous

Magic was a big drawback, so i moded it as soon as the devkit was released, and so is most aspects.

For me skyrim is a wonderfull base platform but really bland without mods.

[Wandering Mania]

Originally posted by @%thesock10150alpha49:

I had a playthrough where I kept having to go and find Lydia cause she kept getting stuck. I was a support mage and my tank kept disappearing. It was so frustrating, but it added this layer of organic roleplay and paid off so well when she actually showed up.

Well that right there is why I have given AI the name of 'Artificial Idiots'. Things like that have me entirely doubtful that the entire 'Terminator scenario' could even take place, if/when given the tools to pull it off; Because it's entirely too stupid to do so.

I don't trust an AI to watch my back in Skyrim; Let alone think it could even stand a chance at destroying the human race. And even with mods, the 'Artificial Idiots', are still dumb as a wooden post.

[worm_master]

Originally posted by Wandering Mania:

Originally posted by @%thesock10150alpha49:

I had a playthrough where I kept having to go and find Lydia cause she kept getting stuck. I was a support mage and my tank kept disappearing. It was so frustrating, but it added this layer of organic roleplay and paid off so well when she actually showed up.

Well that right there is why I have given AI the name of 'Artificial Idiots'. Things like that have me entirely doubtful that the entire 'Terminator scenario' could even take place, if/when given the tools to pull it off; Because it's entirely too stupid to do so.

I don't trust an AI to watch my back in Skyrim; Let alone think it could even stand a chance at destroying the human race. And even with mods, the 'Artificial Idiots', are still dumb as a wooden post.

Dont confuse game A.I, with actual A.I, game A,I cant think outside of it's programming, and is limited, by that program.

[MoogleMcGee]

My last time playing vanilla was before my Xbox 360 died. I was doing an Illusion Summoner build. But once I picked up the game on Steam I have never played unmodded.