Do I need "Special Edition" ?

[rolypoly]

I confess I haven't really been keeping up. I haven't played Skyrim in a long time and now I come back and the version of the game that I own does not exist in the store anymore and the "Special Edition" is like full on full price of the game if I wanted to buy it! (shouldn't owners of the game get some kind of discountt for this??).

Anyway my question is if I want to get all the mods and stuff, do I need the special edition or can I just keep playing with the version that I already have?

[Vlad 254]

That particular discount was back in 2016ish.

As for Special Edition and purchasing it in 2023 if you wait a few days until the Steam Summer Sale it will be on sale for a huge discount.

[Zee_]

Back in 2016 those of us owned the base game and all DLCs got Skyrim SE for free. When SE was released Oldrim and its dlc were deslisted from the store, however they're still available for purchase, you can visit their store pages if you have an existing link or do a google search. There are links in one of the pinned threads here. Note: Oldrim and its DLC do not go on sale since it was delisted.

Skyrim SE is Skyrim + all dlcs in one 64bit package. As mentioned above, wait for the steam sale, it tends to go on sale for 50% off with every major Steam sale. Anymore it's advisable to get SE, unless your system can't handle the requirements or you have a bunch of old mods you can't live without that haven't been converted to SE.

[psychotron666]

If you owned the original with dlc before 2015 I believe, you got the special edition for free

[rolypoly]

No I didn't have the DLC, just the base game. Why I ask is that I keep seeing sometimes news like "new 4k texture pack for Skyrim SE", which makes me wonder if that means I cannot get those mods if I don't own SE?

[mikk011]

You can't use mods for Skyrim Special Edition (SSE) in original Skyrim (Oldrim). Skyrim SE uses 64-bit programming to Oldrim's 32-bit programming, and SSE uses a more modern script compiler as well.

Since you don't own the DLC and seem to want to do some more ambitious modding, I would suggest buying Special Edition as is comes complete with Hearthfire, Dragonborn, Dawnguard, and some other bonus content, is generally more cost-effective than buying the DLC for Oldrim a-la-carte, and is a more stable program that takes advantage of more modern computers. SSE will likely be on sale next week during the Steam Summer Sale.

[rolypoly]

Oh wow I didn't even realize the original was in 32bit :)

[mikk011]

It's been a while since 2011. :D

edit: SSE has higher system requirements. Make sure sure your system exceeds them if you want to do heavy-duty modding.

[Siddha]

You could also consider getting the Anniversary Edition which comes with all the Creation Club content... either way wait for the sale

[alexander_dougherty]

Originally posted by Siddha:

You could also consider getting the Anniversary Edition which comes with all the Creation Club content... either way wait for the sale

To clarify, Make sure you get the SE+AE pack not just the AE Bundle on it's own, because AE on it's own requires SE to run..... it is just a Bundle of CC mods after all.