10 Skyrim Mechanics that Make Roleplaying Feel More Natural than Most RPGs

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim arrived at just the right moment to become one of the biggest games of all time. It offered a massive open-world RPG with the graphics and realism that had barred some from attempting the genre in the years before. It also truly captured the magic of feeling like you had entered a new world and could do anything.

A lot of what makes Skyrim so addictive is how naturally it integrated its RPG mechanics, so roleplaying within the world feels totally natural and doesn't take much thought. You're given a title, but only at a certain point in the main quest. You can avoid that title entirely and just live your life in Skyrim as a normal person.

I've played Skyrim as a normal hunter, saving my way to buying property in Falkreath, getting married, and only "stumbling" across the main quest and her destiny dozens of hours in after creating a backstory. Here are some ways Skyrim lets you be anyone you want.

10 Skill Improvement System

Learn by Doing

Rather than assigning skill points like in many other RPGs, you get better at something in Skyrim by doing it. This is so effective because of how intuitive it is, both for those who have never played an RPG before and for long-time RPG fans.

What's also great about this system is that you're not restricted by class. I made a mage who was also a master blacksmith because I wanted to create her own enchanted jewelry. Conversely, I made a warrior who was a dab hand at lockpicking and speech. Skills then are informed by your character, not the other way round.

9 The Training System

Get Better with a Teacher

Another way to improve your skills in Skyrim is by visiting the different trainers. Trainers are mostly found in the cities and villages, though they can also occasionally be found wandering the countryside. For a fee, you can get a trainer to improve individual skills.

This is a shortcut, but it's also tied to another intuitive mechanic to seek out teachers. Teachers being able to impart their knowledge is a very normal thing, and you can get training in any skill. This is great both as a shortcut for those who are focused on mastering a skill, but also for those who want to improve a skill they've been neglecting.

8 The Crime System

Skyrim's Crime is Dynamic

Committing a crime is inevitable in Skyrim, whether it be trespassing, accidentally taking a merchant's goods off the shelf, or having to commit a tricky murder for your dubious guild. You could pay the fine or go to jail, but running away is also a perfectly valid option.

Running away is my option of choice when my bounty hits eyewatering levels, and I'd rather just not deal with it. Luckily, Skyrim tracks crime by Hold, so you can be wanted in the Reach but be fine in Falkreath right next door. Another reason why this works is because it makes it truly feel like each Hold is its own, distinct place.

Becoming a werewolf or vampire, giving your soul to a Daedric Prince, joining a noble faction, or just helping out well-liked individuals in town are all ways to define yourself, and the guards notice. They don't notice if you save the world by destroying Alduin, but they do take note of the stench of wet dog coming off you if you're a werewolf.

In some ways, having them notice the little things makes it feel more personal. The guards notice and react to how you change their world, and hearing unexpected comments as you walk through the cities makes you feel like you're a real part of the world.

6 Faction System

Join Any Group

The factions all have their own priorities, and most of them clash. The Companions don't believe in doing anything dishonorable and they hate magic, the Thieves Guild don't murder, the College of Winterhold are isolated and also don't murder, and the Dark Brotherhood are murder hobos. And yet, joining one doesn't mean excluding the rest, they just take up different circles of your life.

The Daedric quests are also similar, but the implications are more extreme. Becoming the Champion of a Daedric Prince means they own your soul after you die. Pledging your soul to many Daedric Princes at once is possible, and is a problem for later when it comes to who ultimately gets the Dragonborn's soul. Either way, there's nothing stopping you from joining every group.

5 Home Ownership

Buying a Skyrim Home is Essential

Dropping your stuff in random places is a surefire way to have it vanish forever, which is devastating if it's a unique item. This is why it's important to own property in Skyrim, as the storage in homes you own won't just disappear as they reset after a certain amount of time.

This system can be frustrating, but no one can deny it does make sense. While there are noble people in Skyrim who will tell you that you dropped something, there are others who would just take it. There's a lot of possible storage in Skyrim, and it's just yet another reason to get a house.

4 Sleeping Creates a Schedule

An Underrated Mechanic for Roleplaying

Before you get a house, the easiest way to get a good night's sleep in Skyrim is by renting a room in a tavern. My favorite tavern is the Bannered Mare in Whiterun, and I always spend my first few weeks in Skyrim sleeping there every night.

Being able to sleep in a bed and get bonuses from it goes a long way for roleplaying a character who feels real. Another bonus is you get to really get to know the characters who frequent the inn, which makes the story that much more poignant when you realize the end of the world has come.

3 Skyrim's Books are Real

A Wealth of Information and Stories at Your Fingertips

I love books and reading, so I was delighted when I realized just how detailed the books are in Oblivion, the first Elder Scrolls game that I played. Skyrim has many of the same books with some significant additions, and it's possible to spend real-world hours reading them.

The Elder Scrolls has so much lore, and a lot of Skyrim's lore is only told in its books. Stock up your house's library, and head there to read by the fire on a rainy day in Skyrim. You'll learn a lot about its world and history, alongside some genuinely bizarre lore drops about the world you're inhabiting.

2 Smithing Does a Lot of Heavy Lifting

Telling a Story With Your Gear

Some quests are a bit more personal than others, and the rewards they give can feel like a significant part of your Dragonborn's history. A bow, ring, or piece of armor may be overpowered when you get it, then slowly become redundant as you level out of it. Or, an item may be completely mundane and serve no purpose beyond its sentimental value.

This is where Smithing and Enchantment come in. If I have a weapon I like to hold on to, perhaps I've made it an important part of my Dragonborn's history, I improve it at the forge and give it an enchantment. As I become more powerful, I improve the item even more. Being able to do so means your equipment becomes a part of your character's history, and adds a nice, personal touch to roleplaying.

1 Tell Your Story

Skyrim is Your World to Discover

Very few people actually finish Skyrim's main quest. There are a lot of reasons for this, but it says a lot that there are so many other things to do in Skyrim that you can play it for hundreds of hours and never discover you're the Dragonborn.

This is how immersive Skyrim is at its best. It asks nothing of you; it gives you options, and you can choose what to do and when to do it. There are so many roles that Skyrim offers, and ultimately lets you find your place in it. Chances are you'll find your place of belonging somewhere in Skyrim, and the ease of doing so is one of the truly great and enduring mechanics of it.