It’s been a while
since I tried out mods on Skyrim, but one I already had, but hadn’t
tried, was The Great Immersion Overhaul (TGIO). In common with many
other PS4 mods, it’s probably lacking things available on Xbox and
PC due to the platform’s restrictions. But is it worth having?
What’s it like?
Quick
Summary
TGIO alters a lot of
things substantially. Almost all skills are 1 to start with (I think
my Khajiit had two or three that were marginally higher). Races have
their own particular pros and cons (Khajiit can use Silent Paws to be
extra sneaky). The skill trees for the warrior and rogue sections
have been completely rejigged. Combat is radically different, more
damage is both received and given, and you can’t alter direction
when you’re attacking, making it easier to dodge. The weight of
items has been changed and carrying capacity nerfed so unless you
fluke a lot of hauling-enchanted gear (I did) it’s really difficult
deciding what to take. Similarly, the economy has been drastically
altered, with higher prices for most goods and the limiting factor
instead being the weight. Last but not least, fast travel is
disabled.
It’s worth noting
that the mod does not affect DLC. The only time this appeared to be a
problem for me is when I had to steal X amount of stuff from
Solstheim, but even though I was sure I achieved it (I nicked an
emerald, amongst other things) it didn’t register as completed.
That’s a lot of stuff
to consider. I should stress I’ve played for probably a few dozen
hours at this point, with a thieving, bloodthirsty, stealthy chap
called Murdercat. At the time of writing I’ve completed the first
quest or two in the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild lines, and
just received the final part of the Fus Ro Dah shout. The weapons I’m
using are the bow and the dagger.
Combat
Often with stealth
builds I don’t have a companion. In TGIO, I do. Not only does this
slightly ease the carry weight situation, companions are super
valuable in combat, taking the pressure off when facing multiple
opponents and pinning enemies down when you’re just facing one
(especially handy for an archer/stealthy stabber build). On the
downside, combat now rewards skill (I have the combat prowess of a
drunk trapped in a cat flap). Because you can’t shift direction
when attacking, side-stepping is eminently possible. The swifter
dagger attack means you can get in, attack, and get out whilst
Brainless McMuscleboy is still swinging his Compensatingforsomething
Megahammer. I had a great run for about eight stabs against one guy
then buggered it up at the end and had my head smashed in. It’s a
good system, provided you have more martial instinct than a baked
potato.
I didn’t play much
with magic, but a few scrolls proved how useful conjuration in
particular could be. A storm atronach’s ranged damage was very
handy when I was in a tight spot.
Crime and Stealth
Murdercat, as you might
guess, is not a law-abiding citizen. Indeed, his happiest moment was
randomly stealing from a house in Whiterun and discovering Nazeem.
Murdercat: “Nazeem was asleep when I arrived. When I left, he was
dead.” Bounties are rejigged, with murder now carrying a fine of
10,000 gold. That’s a lot. But it does fit the crime.
Stealth has been
reworked to operate more along line of sight. Also, if you alert
someone a little so they start searching, they won’t just stop six
seconds later. This adds to realism, especially when you’ve just
shot them in the chest with an arrow (ahem). It’s very easy, and
satisfying, to sneak up behind someone and slit their throat,
although I had a little Twitter chat with the mod creator and he
mentioned he was going to make that a bit more difficult (it probably
is overpowered, but I like it).
Backstabbing bonuses
come from the weapons trees, not from sneak, I believe. It’ll take
a while to earn them (I have one for daggers and none for bows, after
20-30 hours, probably, of playing). However, because damage is
generally increased, backstabbing is powerful. With Mehrunes’ Razor
and Dark Brotherhood gauntlets, I’m able to one-shot a snow bear by
backstabbing.
Crafting
Crafting in the vanilla
game is easy. And overpowered. It’s much trickier with TGIO (tip:
get yourself a blacksmith’s hammer. You should be able to buy one
from Lucius in Riverwood). Weight of materials is one thing (ingots
weigh about 5 each and leather 4), and you won’t be able to smith
most things off the bat. If you want to power level, the easiest way
is probably to make arrows. As I’m playing an archer (mostly) that
dovetailed nicely.
Side note: the
armour/weapons stats have been rejigged to make more sense (Orcish
gear is pretty good now).
Alchemy ingredients
weigh more. Some, like antlers, weigh a lot more. Potions are also
worth less money so you can’t just spam potions and get your skill
up superfast. One thing that’s a clear improvement on the vanilla
version is that rarer ingredients give better results. When I was
making poisons a couple of slightly rarer ingredients gave me a boost
to either damage per second or longevity. Like smithing, alchemy
takes a while to level.
I haven’t done much
enchanting, excepting dismantling magical goods to learn the effects.
Crafting also includes
cooking bonuses (the original set of recipes has been changed),
though I haven’t experimented with this. Also for instruments and
tailoring (although tailoring hasn’t been implemented at the time
of writing).
Money, Economy,
Travel, and Weight
I’ve bracketed these
together because they’re all related to one another. The absence of
fast travel and altered weight of goods (they make more sense, so
antlers might weigh 6) are obviously connected, and the altered
weight affects what you can sell. However, prices for most things are
higher, and this enables and encourages more trading. For example,
you might not have enough for some swanky armour, but if you’ve got
some gemstones or old armour, you can likely flog that to make up the
difference. Although I think the starting carry capacity is a bit
rough (it’s perhaps 100), the system is well-balance and really
does make trading more dynamic. Travel is aided by the cart system
and by the ferries that link Windhelm, Solitude, and Dawnstar
(especially good for the latter as it doesn’t have a cart). Another
change which helps travel is the improvement in sprinting from
stamina, which now lasts much longer than in the vanilla game
(perhaps about five times as long). An important note, given all
that, is that money remains weightless.
Bugs and Other
Problems
I have had a couple of
crashes whilst playing, but I also have crashes whilst playing the
base game, so I don’t think that can be chalked up to the mod. The
stealing problem in DLC-land outlined at the start is the only real
problem I’ve encountered, and I just cancelled the quest (which can
be done simply by telling Delvin). Not ideal but certainly not a
game-breaker.
On compatibility, the
mod’s description has links indicating load order (essentially,
have the mod and four sub-mods, with the main mod itself at the
bottom) and what kind of other mods work or clash with TGIO. Stuff
that alter combat and economics are likely to clash. Weather and
lighting mods are likely to be fine. The mod doesn’t work with
survival mode, but another modder made one that apparently fixes that
(I haven’t checked as I think having survival mode as well, with
all the other restrictions, might be overdoing things).
All in all, I’ve had
fun with this mod.
Thaddeus
