The summary of ‘I bought Skyrim's NEW Paid Mods so you don't have to’

00:00:00

In this part of the video, the creator shares an honest review of the new paid mods introduced by Bethesda in the latest Skyrim update and highlights some free alternatives. The new mods use a credit system, with the cheapest mod priced at 400 credits. However, the minimum credit purchase is £750, equivalent to £6 or $8. Buying all seven mods would cost about $30. The creator starts by reviewing the cheaper mod, Aldmeri Heritage, which is a new armor set obtainable by killing a Thalmor Mage or crafting it. The creator does not recommend it due to similar free alternatives like Traveling Mage Armor and Zab’s Armor Textures.

Next, the creator discusses the Kya the Thief mod, a follower mod priced at 400 credits, featuring a thief named Kya with 1,200 lines of voiced dialogue. To get Kya as a follower, players must complete a quick quest in Whiterun involving negotiating with guards. Kya, suited for sneak archers, has several unique features, including custom dialogue and special interactions with other followers. Despite its solid content, the creator notes that free mods like Lucien and Inigo offer more content. Finally, the creator mentions the Shade Tree Lodge mod priced at 500 credits, designed by Elianora, known for other popular player homes.

00:03:00

In this segment of the video, the content creator discusses “Shade Tree Lodge,” a new player home located in the Rift, emphasizing its extensive features such as unique storage, numerous weapon and armor displays, a hidden storage area, and every necessary crafting station. The exterior includes a stable, blacksmithing equipment, and a private fishing spot. Despite its features, the creator suggests it might not be worth the credits due to the availability of similar free player homes like Rusa.

The segment also covers “Legendary Dungeons: Dwarven Delves,” a paid content that adds two Dwarven-themed dungeons from The Elder Scrolls Online into Skyrim: Stone Gardens and Stone CPS. Stone Gardens, situated in Pinen Cave, involves battling an alchemist and his disciples who are attempting necromantic rituals. The dungeon is non-linear, offering the powerful Mad Alchemist set and unique poisoning weapons upon thorough exploration.

The second dungeon, Stone CPS, features a major boss fight against three tough Dwarven automatons called King Centurions, which rewards players with the King’s Craft ability and the King’s Guard armor. The dungeon also holds secrets like the bugged Storm Forge AE weapon.

Lastly, the video touches on another dungeon named Frost, centered around High Elven craftsmen attempting to unlock Dwarven power, leading to player tasks involving activation of mechanisms scattered throughout the ruin.

00:06:00

In this segment of the video, the creator recounts their experience with a dungeon exploration mod in Skyrim. They start by navigating through the “storm works” filled with high Elven mages and Dwarven spiders to unlock the first mechanism. To unlock the subsequent mechanisms, they traverse the “snow works” and “scorch works,” dealing with various environmental hazards. After activating all three mechanisms, they face the leader of the elves, whose journal reveals more objectives that require backtracking to previously visited areas, which the creator finds tedious.

Eventually, they delve deeper into another dungeon, the “Drake Engine,” by turning additional valves, and finally reach the “worm works,” the final level that houses the grand boss, an ancient dragon named Mnak Misery. Defeating the dragon grants summoning spells that offer unique buffs. Although the dungeon is extensive, the creator criticizes the excessive backtracking and longer runtime, preferring a shorter dungeon experience found in another mod.

The creator then discusses their favorite mod, the “aquabus,” which starts with exploring a new Dwarven ruin. This quest involves examining the aftermath of a failed Imperial excavation illustrated through journals. The creation of a new enemy archetype, the Dwarven aquasia, and a unique lift that requires players to survive attacks during their descent to the bottom, adds excitement. They eventually find the “aquabus” weapon, a gun-like projectile shooter, next to a dead Imperial, highlighting its uniqueness compared to traditional crossbows.

00:09:00

In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the process of traversing a ruin by activating four valves and redirecting steam flow to reach the Grand Library. There, a puzzle must be solved to unlock a door leading to the Expedition leader and the captain of the soldiers. The leader holds schematics for crafting the aquabus and a control cube, which, when placed in its socket, triggers an attack by Dwarven automatons and culminates in a boss battle with a hulking overseer. Defeating this boss rewards the player with the unique weapon “conamat verdict” and the aquabus, allowing the summoning of Dwarven automatons.

The segment further details a side quest influenced by the game’s Civil War storyline, presenting the choice to either lie to an Imperial contact or provide them with the schematics. This decision affects whether Imperial soldiers will wield guns. Additionally, the speaker compares the aquabus with the free “lore-friendly guns of Skyrim” mod, which offers a broader range of similar weapon types and varied ammunition.

The video also introduces “winter frost plus,” a customizable player home accessible after completing a small quest. This quest involves investigating a manhole used by bandits and leads to a cave system where players can find a powerful dragon bone sword and eventually reach the player home.

00:12:00

In this part of the video, the speaker describes a modded house with various features. The house initially appears neglected, requiring snow to be shoveled from the door and a boat to be built at the dock for travel to Solitude. Upon entering, the house is dark, with interior lighting controlled via chandeliers. The main living area has minimal furnishings, including an oven and cooking pot. The bedroom contains Alchemy and Enchanting tables with custom storage for soul gems and potions. A notable feature is the Book of Alteration, which allows customization of interior materials and wall decorations and provides storage for notes and other items. The house also includes an Armory with mannequins, weapon racks, and stands for various special items.

Outside the house, there are blacksmithing tools and plenty of storage for raw materials. The speaker then transitions to discussing the East Empire expansion mod, priced at 700 credits. This complex mod starts when approached by a Khajiit named Shakar, who offers a service to transport loot from dungeons. The loot is collected and sent to an East Empire Company checkpoint. There is a quest involving negotiations to expand the East Empire Company’s operations into other holds, starting with Winterhold.

00:15:00

In this part of the video, the speaker explains a mod for the game set in Winterhold. When players clear a dungeon, East Empire Company workers extract resources from it, and the player receives a share. The player can choose to have the materials delivered to the nearest outpost or automatically sold for gold. This system can be extended to other areas by convincing eight other leaders to allow the East Empire Company to establish checkpoints and extract resources. The mod is described as unique, with fully voiced NPCs, though the speaker mentions it’s not something they would personally use. The segment concludes with the speaker inviting viewers to share their thoughts on the mods and paid mods in general.