Modders Unite! Worlds of Creativity
Community mods have been an important part of the Elder Scrolls for years.
Not only do they add amazing new experiences to our games, they are supported by an immensely helpful community of talented mod creators and enthusiastic mod users.
As we look back on 25 years of The Elder Scrolls, we want to thank everyone in the community who has made modding what it is: the creators who make this content, the people designing tools for improved accessibility and design, everyone who spreads the word among friends or in articles and reviews and of course, the fans who support all of this.
We cannot overstate how much we enjoy modding ourselves, but we wanted to hear from the community as well! So, we reached out to several modders to ask them how the Elder Scrolls series, and modding for it, has inspired them. We hope you’ll find their responses as uplifting as we do.
“The Elder Scrolls series and its rich modding community have always blown me away with one simple connection: the possibilities. There are so many different ways to play within the Elder Scrolls universe and then you can multiply that exponentially with mods. It's so inspiring to see what a passionate game studio and its dedicated fans can achieve together.”
“Modding for Skyrim gave me a creative outlet most games restrict or outright don't offer at all. Through it, I've been able to bring things unique, nostalgic, even both to fellow players and some things particularly special to me that I may not have been able to realize otherwise. I look forward to what may come in the future for the series and what it could spark for me.”
“When you modify clothing and weapons, the character becomes more your character. When you add buildings and other changes to the world environment, it becomes your world. I have been modding since Morrowind and there really is nothing like immersing yourself in the Bethesda modding experience.”
“I wasn't an artist or a coder or a project manager, but even I could bring ideas to life with relative ease. The delightful intuitiveness of the tools was matched only by the kindness of the community, and the skills - and relationships - I gained will last a lifetime.”
“Being able to fully customize my character's looks and gear is one the most immersive aspects for me in an RPG. In badly wanting to have my own personal armors & weapons, I was ecstatic to learn of Skyrim's modding community and the tools provided to greatly expand my choices far beyond the game's original content. I found the motivation to learn new skills, programs and even research more about real life historical references that I would've never thought I'd enjoy doing before.”
“I have always enjoyed the freedom that Bethesda games offer the player, but when I finally peaked behind the veil and looked inside their modding tools, I realized that these wonderful games also offered a creative freedom too. Perhaps this is why, all these years later, their games are still played and still be explored and modded, for they offer endless possibilities and the tools to make them real.”
“I was introduced to Morrowind modding by my children. I have met some amazing people and learned a lot of things since then and I'm grateful to everybody I've met and made friends with. I can't imagine life without creating something and TES modding has given me a huge creative outlet.”
“Modding has been a way for me to share my creative imagination with the world. The ability to create the castle or armor of my dreams and for others players to enjoy my own imagination is an extremely rewarding experience. I am always blown away by the love and support of the TES modding community.”
"I can still very clearly remember what started my foray into modding - and that was downloading the Construction Set for Oblivion to try and make a character preset. I had no idea what I was doing, and it didn't end up working. From there, I moved on to mediocre shacks, castles filled with z-fighting and badly written quests… But I had so much fun making them. I'm now a Game Designer in the Industry, while still modding BGS games, and I can hand-on-heart say that if not for those early days fooling around in the Construction Set, I'd not be where I am today.”
“I'm endlessly inspired by the world-building and the art direction in The Elder Scrolls games, and the fact that they so often succeed at both a macro and a micro level. Inigo was in part created to give that inspiration a voice — to share some of the awe I personally feel while playing.”
“I first learned of The Elder Scrolls as a young teenager when I was at my friend’s house and he had to show me this new game called Morrowind. The next day I ran out and got myself the PC version on CD, which happened to come with a second CD containing something called The Construction Kit. It was the fantastical world of Morrowind and the experience of creating my first mod that inspired me to become a game designer myself.”
“The ability to mod for the Elder Scrolls games has given a great many people the opportunity to contribute their ideas, dreams, talents and skills to work that comes to life in many forms. Being allowed the privilege to be a part of something so beautiful and inspiring – and ultimately allowing each individual a unique experience in their game, has encouraged many to perform to heights they never imagined. I would like to thank all those responsible for the Elder Scrolls, for providing us with the opportunity to give voice to our dreams, desires, hopes and fears and helped us to realize our talents and self-worth.”
