What is the difference between all the editions?

[Critical Mass]

I bought Skyrim as a physical copy then again with Steam. I don't know which edition I got on steam but it had Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn DLC. The Special Edition is selling for 90% off and it looks like much improved graphics. What is the difference between Anniversary and Special edition? Is there a newer version than those two?

[Doom_Cookies]

Skyrim is just Skyrim without the DLCs. No one really talks about Skyrim without DLCs anymore.

Skyrim Legendary Edition is Skyrim with all the DLCs. This is generally referred to as Skyrim LE or Oldrim.

Skyrim Special Edition is a remaster of Skyrim and all its DLCs. Most notably, it's a 64-bit .exe instead of Skyrim LE's 32-bit, so it can use more of your memory and will run much better for it. In general, graphics are just overall improved - higher res textures, improved shaders and lighting effects, etc. It's also much more stable than LE was. Also, Bethesda introduced the Creation Club with SE, allowing players to purchase paid mods.

This is where things get a little confusing.

Skyrim Anniversary Edition, sometimes referred to as Skyrim AE, is not a new version at all. Skyrim AE is Skyrim SE with the Skyrim Anniversary Upgrade "dlc" included, which gives you all of the Creation Club content that existed before November 11, 2021. It's just a bulk purchase of the Creation Club content before that date alongside Skyrim SE.

But the modding community had to complicate things. The above is how Steam defines the SE and AE in their store. The modding community gives Skyrim AE an entirely different meaning.

For modding, Skyrim SE is any Skyrim SE up to version 1.5.97. Skyrim AE is any Skyrim SE version 1.6.00 or later.

This is confusing because, if you have Skyrim SE but not the Anniversary Upgrade and it's fully up to date, you'll have version 1.6.00+, which modders will consider Skyrim AE. Many mods requiring "Skyrim AE" do not actually require the Creation Club content that the Anniversary Upgrade gives you, and many mods requiring "Skyrim SE" specifically require Skyrim SE version 1.5.97 and won't work properly if you've fully updated the game.

To summarize:

• Skyrim, original base game.
  
• Skyrim Legendary Edition, original base game + DLCs.
  
• Skyrim Special Edition, remastered base game + DLCs + Creation Club access.
  
• Skyrim Anniversary Edition, Skyrim Special Edition + Creation Club content prior to November, 2021.

[Critical Mass]

That was incredibly helpful. Thank you. Does special edition also add more plants eg more types of potion ingredients inside Whiterun?

[Doom_Cookies]

No problem. As far as I know, unless something from the Creation Club adds more alchemy ingredients, then I don't believe there's anything more. I actually haven't gotten around to playing SE, yet, as I've had a long running, modded LE save that I've been slowly crawling through over a few years before I change over, so I don't know for sure.

[Rez Elwin]

Originally posted by Critical Mass:

That was incredibly helpful. Thank you. Does special edition also add more plants eg more types of potion ingredients inside Whiterun?

No, nothing that wasn't added in the original DLC. However, one of the Free Additions to SE in the 1.6 update was Rare Curios, that adds new ingredients to the game. Not really in Whiterun... or any city, the Khajiit Merchants carry them.

[Critical Mass]

The reason I ask is I thought I saw promotional material to show the improved graphics and it had mountain flowers and tundra cotton near houses including Breezehome in Whiterun. Maybe it was a mod?

[TAGma]

Originally posted by Critical Mass:

The reason I ask is I thought I saw promotional material to show the improved graphics and it had mountain flowers and tundra cotton near houses including Breezehome in Whiterun. Maybe it was a mod?

Yes, it has increased.

In Whiterun, Oldrim/Legendary has 71 purple mountain flowers, Special has at least 85 (if I didn't miss any).

Whiterun and Riverwood were the only places I noticed this, the other cities and settlements don't seem to have anything extra/new.

[Eat3n]

Originally posted by Critical Mass:

That was incredibly helpful. Thank you. Does special edition also add more plants eg more types of potion ingredients inside Whiterun?

Not really. There are “new” ingredients BUT they are only connected to one specific quest line…so who cares? Sure the khajit sell them…but again, who cares? They aren’t elsewhere in the game, AND you can’t grow them in gardens or greenhouses…so, who cares?

There are some new weapons and armor…from the same quest line..but you need high smithing to be able to make or upgrade them, and literally no one else uses them after the quest line is over…so who cares? You also need special ores to do stuff with the armor and that stuff is hard to find, you can’t mine it anywhere, buying it is rare…so what’s the point?

The “oooooh, aaaahhh” factor where’s off super quick.

[OZFugazi]

Originally posted by Doom_Cookies:

Skyrim is just Skyrim without the DLCs. No one really talks about Skyrim without DLCs anymore.

Skyrim Legendary Edition is Skyrim with all the DLCs. This is generally referred to as Skyrim LE or Oldrim.

Skyrim Special Edition is a remaster of Skyrim and all its DLCs. Most notably, it's a 64-bit .exe instead of Skyrim LE's 32-bit, so it can use more of your memory and will run much better for it. In general, graphics are just overall improved - higher res textures, improved shaders and lighting effects, etc. It's also much more stable than LE was. Also, Bethesda introduced the Creation Club with SE, allowing players to purchase paid mods.

This is where things get a little confusing.

Skyrim Anniversary Edition, sometimes referred to as Skyrim AE, is not a new version at all. Skyrim AE is Skyrim SE with the Skyrim Anniversary Upgrade "dlc" included, which gives you all of the Creation Club content that existed before November 11, 2021. It's just a bulk purchase of the Creation Club content before that date alongside Skyrim SE.

But the modding community had to complicate things. The above is how Steam defines the SE and AE in their store. The modding community gives Skyrim AE an entirely different meaning.

For modding, Skyrim SE is any Skyrim SE up to version 1.5.97. Skyrim AE is any Skyrim SE version 1.6.00 or later.

This is confusing because, if you have Skyrim SE but not the Anniversary Upgrade and it's fully up to date, you'll have version 1.6.00+, which modders will consider Skyrim AE. Many mods requiring "Skyrim AE" do not actually require the Creation Club content that the Anniversary Upgrade gives you, and many mods requiring "Skyrim SE" specifically require Skyrim SE version 1.5.97 and won't work properly if you've fully updated the game.

To summarize:

• Skyrim, original base game.
  
• Skyrim Legendary Edition, original base game + DLCs.
  
• Skyrim Special Edition, remastered base game + DLCs + Creation Club access.
  
• Skyrim Anniversary Edition, Skyrim Special Edition + Creation Club content prior to November, 2021.

this really should be pinned. gj doom.. well done.

all the best.