Skyrim SE has all the DLCs as well along with remastered graphics. Plus it depends on which platform u r buying. If it's a PC - then I don't think it matter much as the modding community has added a lot of graphics Update already. But if u r on a console pls do buy the SE version as consoles now hv modding support. If you already own The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and are thinking of trying Skyrim Special Edition, you may have questions about how the improved version of Bethesda's RPG will work in terms of mods.
At the moment of me writing this? The original Skyrim, aka Oldrim. The remastered is just the game with better base graphics, volumetric rays and blah blah. It's also on a 64bit engine so it's more stable and can use more RAM.
Although Skyrim was released many years ago, it is still breaking the charts of the top grossing games and always keeps updated by Bethesda.
Now, there are four editions of Skyrim available: Standard, Legendary, Special, and VR. Terraria minimum specs.
And while it is easy to understand what the Standard and VR version is all about, you might question about the differences between Skyrim Legendary and Special Edition.
Therefore, to answer all of your questions, I have made this comparison of Skyrim Special Edition vs Legendary.
So, after reading this article, you will have no doubts about which edition you should buy.
Skyrim Special Edition vs Legendary. Differences
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is a remastered version of Skyrim Legendary Edition which means that by buying the Special Edition, you will get all the additional content available in Legendary Edition such as Legendary difficulty mode, combat modes, Legendary skills, and all official DLCs with the following upgrades:
1. Improved Graphics
Firstly, Bethesda's developers have enhanced the graphical game components of the Special Edition significantly, so if you are a fan of a quality picture, you will definitely like this one.
Moreover, unlike the Legendary Edition, it supports 4K for both PS4 Pro and PC.
2. PC Optimization
Skyrim Remastered Walkthrough
The second difference between Skyrim Special Edition vs Legendary is that Special Edition supports 64-bit PCs.
Thus, if you are having a modern desktop, you will experience fewer crashes and bugs.
3. Console Mods
Lastly, in Special Edition, you can play user-created mods that had been blocked from PS4 by Sony a long time ago.
Directx trackid sp 006. Also, it is much easier to make them yourself now.
Does Skyrim Special Edition Come With DLC?
Yes, Skyrim Special Edition comes with all official DLCs such as Dawnguard (fight the Vampire Lord or join him), Hearthfire (build your own home), and Dragonborn (tame the dragons).
Skyrim Special Edition vs Legendary. Video
Skyrim Special Edition vs Legendary. System Requirements
Skyrim Special Edition
- Operating System: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit Version)
- Processor: Intel i5-750/AMD Phenom II X4-945
- RAM: 8 GB
- Disk Space: 12 GB
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GTX 470 1GB /AMD HD 7870 2GB
- Sound: DirectX compatible sound card
Skyrim Legendary Edition
- Operating System: Windows 7+/Vista/XP (32 or 64 bit)
- Processor: Dual Core 2.0GHz
- RAM: 2GB
- Disk Space: 6GB
- Graphics Card: Direct X 9.0 video card with 512 MB of RAM
- Sound: DirectX compatible sound card
Skyrim Special Edition vs Legendary. Where to Buy?
Unfortunately, after the release of Special Edition, there is no more Skyrim Legendary Edition on Steam available and you can buy it only from the official Steam key resellers such as Green Man Gaming.
So, if you have a slow PC or you are a fan of a good old version of Skyrim, you can buy it here – https://fuzhy.com/get-steam-skyrim-legendary-edition. Fastest portable ssd.
Otherwise, you should go for a Special Edition which you can buy on Steam – https://store.steampowered.com/app/489830/The_Elder_Scrolls_V_Skyrim_Special_Edition.
Conclusion
I hope my article was useful and now you know the difference between Skyrim Special Edition vs Legendary and you are ready to buy the best option for you.
If it is a Special Edition, you can find it on Steam.
In case you prefer Legendary, there is no way to buy it on Steam anymore, so click on the button below to buy it from the official Steam key reseller.
Did you know you could buy Skyrim LE & SE and other games up to 85% off?
Also bookmark weekly deals.
This question has been asked so many times and yet rarely will you see a comprehensive and thorough explanation between all the different versions of Skyrim that there are today. In the video above I will talk you through the differences, but in case that you prefer to read at your own pace here is a written guide as well.
It's not that there are a dozen Skyrim editions or so, it's just that Bethesda has somehow managed to make it very hard to understand the differences between them, for those who are just now coming into contact with any of them. Players need to know what they're buying and what's the better product.
Let's start in a chronological way, it's the easiest way really.
Contents
In the Beginning
There was ‘just‘ Skyrim. The base game launched on November 11, 2011 and was a buggy mess. Although it is easily one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time, let's not forget just how crash-prone and full of bugs it was.
Shortly after, the first DLC came out – Dawnguard. Then Hearthfire and finally Dragonborn. And that was it.
Skyrim LE (Legendary Edition)
On June 4th 2013 the LE version was released and it was simply a packaged version of the game containing all 3 official DLCs as well as additions such as:
- Mounted combat
- Combat cameras
- Legendary difficulty mode
- Legendary skills (you can master every perk and level up all your skill trees)
So essentially it was a ‘package‘ that included everything up to that point and you could just buy it and have ‘everything‘ installed at once. That's still basically the ‘base‘ game of Skyrim + other goodies that came after it.
This version is what is playable on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Skyrim SE (Special Edition)
During 2016, Bethesda announced a remastered version of Skyrim. Hence the confusion a lot of players had between ‘Skyrim Remastered‘ and ‘Skyrim Special Edition‘ – which is basically the same game with two different names players used interchangeably.
This version of the game was met with a lot of criticism from players who already paid for the game previously and all DLCs in one way or the other. So Bethesda allowed everyone who owned LE to automatically acquire SE at no additional cost up until a certain point, via STEAM.
Skyrim SE is basically a much better version of Skyrim, no matter what someone else tells you. It features everything that LE does, as well as:
Should I Buy Skyrim Remastered Release
- 64bit engine
- Remastered graphics & effects
- Volumetric god rays
- Dynamic depth of field
- Screen-space reflections
- New water and snow shaders
- The ability to play PC mods on consoles (most important for many)
However, this is NOT the reason why Skyrim SE is so important today in 2020. The reason why it's so important is because all the major upcoming mods are developed for it, almost exclusively.
It used to be when it first came out (and a year or two after) that players would not want to buy it BECAUSE all of the major mods were for LE and SE was a mod desert so to speak, but now the reverse is true. Mod authors are embracing a better game engine that provides far more resources and stability for their work.
So before we go into mods (which is pretty much what keeps this game alive today), let's recap quickly.
Who Should Buy LE or SE?
Owners of the previous, or second previous if you count the latest upcoming consoles, should get LE. This means Playstation 3 & Xbox 360.
If you're on Xbox One or PS4, then SE is your game.
Everyone else on PC who never got into modding Skyrim should go with SE since the price difference is less than 10% and there is no question about the performance & stability gains SE brings to the table plus future mod support.
There are also promotions and game marketplaces where you can often get the game for around $10 – $15.
Skyrim Mods (LE & SE)
Bethesda has basically updated its game for the newest consoles at the time (Xbox One & PS4) and given players the ability to finally utilize mods on them. There were certain limitations of course, but things have changed.
On PC is where modding truly shines. However, do not ever pay for mods because all the best mods are hosted outside of Bethesda's Official Creation Kit.
I have never paid a cent for a mod that I've installed, and I've installed hundreds of them.
In fact, modding Skyrim became sort of a hobby of mine.
So where do all the best mods come from?
Nexus Mods
This website is a platform for mod authors to publish their game mods covering hundreds of different games these days.
Nexus Mods is THE place to be. Skyrim LE & SE are the two most popular games on the website and most of the mods are released for those two. New games are added weekly and chances are there might be some super cool mods for some other game(s) you're playing as well.
If you want to get started with modding Skyrim yourself, I suggest you add to your Youtube library my Skyrim SE Playlist and watch all of the videos in there to help you get started.
I always keep in mind that total beginners need a lot of help and hand holding so I answer ALL questions in the comments as well as take requests to make new videos and content to help clarify whatever it is that needs clarifying. So after watching my videos, please do feel free to comment on them and ask about whatever might be unclear to you.
Skyrim SE is basically a much better version of Skyrim, no matter what someone else tells you. It features everything that LE does, as well as:
Should I Buy Skyrim Remastered Release
- 64bit engine
- Remastered graphics & effects
- Volumetric god rays
- Dynamic depth of field
- Screen-space reflections
- New water and snow shaders
- The ability to play PC mods on consoles (most important for many)
However, this is NOT the reason why Skyrim SE is so important today in 2020. The reason why it's so important is because all the major upcoming mods are developed for it, almost exclusively.
It used to be when it first came out (and a year or two after) that players would not want to buy it BECAUSE all of the major mods were for LE and SE was a mod desert so to speak, but now the reverse is true. Mod authors are embracing a better game engine that provides far more resources and stability for their work.
So before we go into mods (which is pretty much what keeps this game alive today), let's recap quickly.
Who Should Buy LE or SE?
Owners of the previous, or second previous if you count the latest upcoming consoles, should get LE. This means Playstation 3 & Xbox 360.
If you're on Xbox One or PS4, then SE is your game.
Everyone else on PC who never got into modding Skyrim should go with SE since the price difference is less than 10% and there is no question about the performance & stability gains SE brings to the table plus future mod support.
There are also promotions and game marketplaces where you can often get the game for around $10 – $15.
Skyrim Mods (LE & SE)
Bethesda has basically updated its game for the newest consoles at the time (Xbox One & PS4) and given players the ability to finally utilize mods on them. There were certain limitations of course, but things have changed.
On PC is where modding truly shines. However, do not ever pay for mods because all the best mods are hosted outside of Bethesda's Official Creation Kit.
I have never paid a cent for a mod that I've installed, and I've installed hundreds of them.
In fact, modding Skyrim became sort of a hobby of mine.
So where do all the best mods come from?
Nexus Mods
This website is a platform for mod authors to publish their game mods covering hundreds of different games these days.
Nexus Mods is THE place to be. Skyrim LE & SE are the two most popular games on the website and most of the mods are released for those two. New games are added weekly and chances are there might be some super cool mods for some other game(s) you're playing as well.
If you want to get started with modding Skyrim yourself, I suggest you add to your Youtube library my Skyrim SE Playlist and watch all of the videos in there to help you get started.
I always keep in mind that total beginners need a lot of help and hand holding so I answer ALL questions in the comments as well as take requests to make new videos and content to help clarify whatever it is that needs clarifying. So after watching my videos, please do feel free to comment on them and ask about whatever might be unclear to you.
Modding Skyrim is so fun, I don't want anyone to miss out on it if they've got the time to acquire the basic skills to do it.
The game is quite unrecognizable after some of the most important mods are added to it. And not to mention how much new content is available, just take a look for example at Beyond Skyrim Bruma (the same authors are working on many new ones right now). And there are so many more!
Final Thoughts & Wrapping Up
Skyrim SE is a fantastic upgrade if you're like me and you never bought any of the previous versions. As I mentioned before, if you want to buy any of these games @ huge discounts (whether PC or console), use a gaming marketplace to save some cash.
You will save a lot of money in the long run.
What's Next?
Want to know more about Skyrim SE (Special Edition) & Mods? Check out my other Skyrim SE Guides & Skyrim SE Playlist on Youtube.
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