An upcoming mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim adds an iconic element from the popular Lord of the Rings game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.
Modder Syclonix revealed in a Reddit post that they had spent the last few months working on a Skyrim mod to incorporate Shadow of Mordor's famous Nemesis system into the massively popular RPG. Titled "Shadow of Skyrim," the mod incorporates the Nemesis system, which allows certain enemies to improve or change depending on their interactions with the player. If a specific enemy manages to kill you, it gets a name, buffs, and increased stats and recognizes you if you reencounter them. It essentially adds personality to random enemies and gives the player a debuff until they defeat the enemy.
Other features of the mod include the ability for enemies to take the player's gear and use it after defeating them, a quest marker for players to find their enemy after being defeated and the ability to respawn instead of dying and waiting for the loading screen. Other fun aspects include a more dimensional interaction with the nemesis that includes "special flavour text" to create more unique interactions. Syclonix stated they have the majority of the major systems in place, and now it is just a matter of "polishing the framework" before they begin "fleshing out the content," such as nemesis titles and buffs/debuffs.
Syclonix confirmed the Nemesis system works on creatures as well as humanoid enemies, including Skyim's iconic dragons. They also explained some of their failsafe, such as ensuring players aren't stuck with a debuff should someone or something else kill their nemesis before they can reach them. In that case, the player gets a notification that they failed the mission and the debuff is removed automatically.
In responding to fan enthusiasm, Syclonix replied, "I'm glad people are so excited by this mod in development. It's really encouraging after working on it under wraps for months." They also admitted to being nervous about the release, as several fans commented on how the mod could prove to be one of the greatest of all time should it work as hoped. "I'm so nervous about the release, I've been working on it for so long and I hope people like it," they said. Shadow of Mordor is considered by many to be the greatest Lord of the Rings game of all time, and its Nemesis system is a significant reason why.
Given the game's age, Skyrim is the receptor of several mods aimed at keeping the game interesting for new and veteran players. Mods are so commonplace for the game that many consider modders vital to Skyrim's continuation as graphics and gameplay grow increasingly higher in quality. While some mods prove to be intentionally silly, such as one that allows players to glide around Skyrim with a paraglider, others breathe new life into a game that players continue to come back to despite newer RPGs such as Elden Ring and The Witcher 3.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Syclonix mod has a tentative release of sometime in June 2022.
Sources: Reddit, NexusMods