Skyrim Gets Turned Into Dark Souls Thanks To Over 500 Mods

An incredibly dedicated Skyrim fan has embarked on a mission to transform the game into Dark Souls, utilizing approximately 500 mods to achieve their goal. Despite being almost 10 years old, Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim continues to captivate its fans with its open-world gameplay and its dedicated modding community that help keep the game interesting.

The next entry to The Elder Scrolls franchise was teased during E3 in 2018, revealing little but a series of landscapes that sent the gaming world into a frenzy speculating about the game’s location. Three years on since Bethesda’s initial announcement of The Elder Scrolls 6, the title is still far from release, with the developers stating that its focus is firmly on its newest IP, Starfield. Although the studio continues to remain tight-lipped about the highly anticipated next installment to its franchise, Bethesda has decided to re-release Skyrim once again. Slated for release during the game’s 10 year anniversary, Skyrim Anniversary Edition will add a fishing mechanic, along with over 500 Creation Club mods.

Related: Skyrim Anniversary Edition: What 500+ Creation Club Elements Actually Means

Skyrim fan HeavyBurns recently released a trailer teasing their attempt to transform Skyrim into Dark Souls, an undertaking that requires around 500 mods to achieve. Speaking to GamesRadar, HeavyBurns had previously attempted to recreate Dark Souls in Skyrim in 2020 but was inspired to try again thanks to the array of  “revolutionary” animation and combat mods that were released this year. One of the major mods credited by HeavyBurns is The Elder Souls Collection, which overhauls the game’s combat, replacing it with over 120 of Dark Souls’ weapon animations. Of course, the aforementioned mod is just one of approximately 500 mods that are required by the project, which adds in extra assets, effects, lighting, and compatibility fixes.

Although not a modder himself, HeavyBurns has stated that the modding tools available for Skyrim have made combining a large number of mods much less troublesome. Large-scale overhauls of the game are certainly not uncommon, with its dedicated community creating large mods that are essentially another game such as Enderal, and even the ongoing attempt at the recreation of Oblivion in Skyrim. Unfortunately, the full reveal of Skyrim Souls has no release date as of yet, though a playthrough of the completed project will be uploaded to HeavyBurns’ YouTube channel when it’s ready.

HeavyBurns attempt at turning Skyrim into Dark Souls is definitely a project to keep an eye on for those who are fans of both titles. It is unfortunate that the overwhelming amount of mods required for the overhaul will make it difficult for fans who want to try it out for themselves. Fans will have plenty of time to try out the ever-growing plethora of mods available for Skyrim, considering that The Elder Scrolls 6 is still in its design phase.

Next: Another Skyrim Rerelease Isn't Promising For Elder Scrolls 6

Source: GamesRadar, HeavyBurns/Twitter