A prolificThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimmodder completely revamped a Dark Brotherhood quest to make it feel more like aHitmanmission, and it’s very well executed.Skyrimis one of those rare games that has captured people’s imaginations far longer than most thought it could. Bethesda’s commitment to making it a fun and relatively easy environment for modders to let their imaginations run wild has extendedSkyrim’s relevance well beyond that of almost any other game published in the last 20 years.
Skyrim’sDark Brotherhood quest lineis widely considered one of the bestThe Elder Scrollsseries has to offer. Mechanically, though, it functions similarly to the rest of the game. Sneaking is no more complicated than just crouching. Killing the target requires a basic weapon or even just fists. Options are limited since executing a creative kill isn’t really possible within the base game’s systems without some real outside-the-box thinking. That is unless someone mods a slew of more open-ended gameplay mechanics that lets the player discover a creative new method for themselves.
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That’s exactly what prolificSkyrimmodder JaySerpa has done with his “Innocence Lost – Quest Expansion” mod. A boy in Windhelm named Aventus Arentino is trying to summon the Dark Brotherhood. He wants the shadowy cabal of assassins to murder the cruel matron of his orphanage, the ironically named Grelod the Kind. In the base game, completing the mission is as simple as finding Grelod and killing her. JaySerpa’s mod has added several more options inspired bythe freshly re-brandedHitmanseriesthat can totally change a player’s approach to the mission if they so choose.
With the mod installed, players now have the option of finding evidence of her mistreatment of the orphans and then reporting her crimes to local guards who will arrest her, thus completing the mission.Skyrim players also have the option of poisoningGrelod’s wine as she’s tangled in an argument with an assistant. In another path, the player can convince Grelod that Aventus has escaped the orphanage and was last seen by the docks in Riftin. There, the player can complete the quest by pushing her into the lake.
Thereare tons ofSkyrimmods out there, but JaySerpa’s are a little different. One of their mods adds the ability to lift weights to make the player character stronger, for instance. A handful of them are extensions to individual quests like “Innocence Lost” that add additional dialogue and flexibility. It’s clear JaySerpa is trying to makeSkyrima more open-ended game that gives players the same sense of freedom within the context of its missions as the game already famously provides in its open-world exploration.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
