u/PHATstuFF21

My Gamerscore on Xbox was close to crossing 100,000G. I wanted the game that would push me past that badge of honor for achievement hunters should be a well respected universally praised game. This lead me to playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition for the first time ever in the fall of 2025 and finishing it now in the spring of 2026. After logging over 100 hours into it and getting about 95% of all the achievements, I have some incredibly mixed feelings. I deeply respect the amount of effort Bethesda employees and the community built here, but by the end, I was practically forcing myself across the finish line.

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​First off, I have to give massive credit to the developers. The sheer volume of work poured into this game is staggering. Even over a decade after its original release, new things are being discovered. The amount of content in the game is mind boggling. It is every possible to play the game and miss so many different things. I found myself admiring the landscapes and settings on countless occasions thanks to the impressive graphics and designs. The soundtrack is legendary for a reason, and the world feels lived-in and atmospheric. For the first 20–30 hours, the sense of wonder and discovery was fully alive.

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​Eventually, the magic wore off, and the curtain was pulled back. I realized that almost every single faction, side story, and town favor boiled down to the exact same formula: Go to this dungeon/location, kill the draugrs/bandit inside it, grab the radiant item, then bring it back.​It didn't matter if I was climbing the ranks of The Theives Guild, getting the skyrim equivalent of a college degree from the College of Winterhold, or working for a local Jarl. I felt like Skyrim's most overqualified delivery driver. The narrative context changes, but the mechanical action never does. Just fetch quest after fetch quest which became a chore.

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​What really killed the experience for me was the progression scaling. By the 40-50 hour mark, my character crossed a threshold where all tension completely vanished. ​I became death incarnate. I was practically immortal, strolling into ancient dragon dens and slaying giant beasts or high-level priests in just a few hits. When there is zero threat of failure, a game’s mechanics lose all meaning. Combat turned into a brainless exercise of button mashing until the things in front of me stopped moving. Inventory management and crafting became meaningless. It was simply having enough soul gems to recharged my enchanted gear and magicka to use fast healing.

Overall, Skyrim was an enjoyable experience and a game I'm glad I got to play. It also did push me over the 100,000G mark. I have zero regrets but became less and less excited to pick it up the more I played. I don't understand how anyone can put 200+ hours into the game or play with different builds and be entertained. I'm happy for them if they truly enjoy it and it makes them happy, but it's not for me. Perhaps, I made the mistake of trying to do everything on one playthrough.