Summary
In a violent playthrough that would even make the Night Mother blush, oneSkyrimplayer managed to rack up an insane amount of kills before showcasing the total count on their statistics page. Though Bethesda recently releasedStarfield, many fans are still enjoying the fifthElder Scrollsinstallment, asSkyrimseemingly has more players thanStarfieldon Steam. For a younger generation of gamers,Starfieldmay well be the gateway drug of the Bethesda sandbox experience, as it’s quite possible thatSkyrimhas seen yet another wave of new players discovering the game for the first time.
Though they have the benefit of enjoying years upon years of mods and development,Skyrim’s insane longevity is also owed to its simple charm and accessibility. A playthrough can be anything: from doing a tried-and-truestealth archer build inSkyrimto not being allowed to use potions or healing spells, or even doing an old-fashioned no “quick travel” run. Installing even a few mods to help enhance a playthrough can easily give fans another reason to immerse themselves in the snowy peaks, windy shores, and vibrant forests of Tamriel’s northernmost province.
A player named amelix34 had something entirely different in mind, however, as theirSkyrimplaythrough only had one purpose: the elimination of every monster or character that wasn’t marked as Essential. While games such asUndertaleallow for true Genocide runs, this playthrough may well be the closest comparable example, at least from a post-MorrowindBethesda game. The results were shared on the mainSkyrimsubreddit, and the numbers are truly impressive.
Over three thousand people were slain, almost seven hundred animals were butchered, and around ninety Dwemer automatons were turned to scrap in amelix34’sSkyrimplaythrough. However, the mass murderer that turnedSkyriminto an empty wasteland of a province also boasts an impressive lifetime bounty of 267,140 gold. ThoughSkyrimis known to track one disturbing statistic(the number of bunnies slaughtered), amelix34’s screenshots sadly don’t feature this particular kill count.
An interesting bit of irony is that the primary enabler of this genocide was the weapon Dawnbreaker, an artifact bestowed by Meridia, who is somewhat loosely considered to be a “Lawful Good” Daedra, and whose portfolio includes life and energy. While thisDaedric Prince from theElder Scrollslorewould very much be impressed by the amount of necromancers and undead purged from existence, she most likely would scowl at the indiscriminate murder that amelix34 fulfilled over the course of the playthrough. While there’s a small chance that Bethesda will ever consider reverting their stance on Essential NPCs, one can’t help but wonder if the community will see a similar run forThe Elder Scrolls 6.
