You awake at the floor of a dank cave. Echoing around you is the high pitched sound of water dripping into a puddle somewhere, and the fusty scent of mushroom assaults your senses. The wet earth sticks to your skin as you sit up, your balance still uncertain as you use the slick cave wall to pull yourself to a shuddering stand. Your vision blurs and trembles as you peer in the direction of the light. It’s cold, but an even colder wind awaits you outside.

You have no clue where you are, much less how you got here or how long you’ve been out. Even the memory of what you were doing prior to this. At this point, however, what’s more important is what you’ll be doing next. You make your way towards the sounds of wood chopping, just outside the cave. Your adventure awaits…

Welcome to Silent Skyrim, a complete, post-apocalyptic reimagining of the Skyrim you are familiar with. Gone are the bustling cities and their unworried inhabitants; in their place are broken ruins, dilapidated commerce centers, and skeleton ridden roads. The worst has come to pass: Alduin the World Eater won, and not only that, it has shattered Skyrim.

Silent Skyrim is built around Shattered, but introduces a number of new, small settlements from Axis1211 and Schlitzohr.

When you have finished setting up your game through the MCM guide, you will have a few choices. Inside the hut you find yourself in, you’ll find a starter chest with just enough gear to defend yourself. You can take it all, or travel light. Your care-taker also has some personal items lying around if you have sticky fingers.

Be sure to also spend your starting Perk Points. The first mod you should acquaint yourself with is Synergy - Skills and Perks Reimagined. You start off with no knowledge in any skill, nor any ability to gain experience in the skill. You first need to apply a perk point to the “Aspiring” perk of any given tree you wish to gain experience in. You also won’t start off with any spells unless you add a perk, likewise you will not be able to scratch an enemy with a weapon you haven’t added a perk to. Because of this, your starting choices are crucial in shaping your character’s archetype. Use these perks as soon as possible! Once you hit level 2 you will need to have skill books in your inventory in order to learn new skills. If you haven’t spent your perks and you somehow manage to hit level 2, even your starter perks will be locked behind the skill book requirement. Skill books can be found in their normal locations in the world or sometimes rarely at general merchants.

The unrelenting horde of undead is not your only enemy in this sundered land. The very elements drain at your well-being. You will have to bear the harsh colds of the northern climate, hide from rain, and keep yourself well fed and thirst quenched. This list uses Frostfall, Campfire, and Last Seed for its survival suite, supplemented by Hunterborn. Master these, and your character will thrive in the apocalypse.

For your first steps, you are encouraged by the quest and your care-taker to travel to Falkreath for more clues. Do not do this. You will die. Go do other things first, including stopping by the nearby settlement, Oakwood, on the southern shores of Lake Ilinalta. But as a warning, being within city limits doesn’t protect you from the random skeleton attacks you find on the road. The guards will do their best to help if they can. That being said, the constant influx of ancient, rusty weapons they provide can help pay for your initial warm meal at the Inn so make the most of it.

You will find that most of the civilians are not talkative at all. You won’t find many quests in this desolate land. Instead you will want to strike out on your own and explore the various caves, ruins, and catacombs at your own motivation. If you come across content you find yourself unable to overcome at your current power, it’s best to reload an earlier save and try something else. Silent Skyrim is a demanding challenge. You will die over and over! The harsh survival elements and the restrictive skill system are more geared to those looking for a hardcore experience. However, to those who are up to it, you will bear witness to a Skyrim unlike what you’ve ever known. Leave your mark on the North, and wrest the world from the tyranny of The World Eater in Silent Skyrim!

Further Tips and Tricks

• Can’t stress this enough, if you are unable to overcome a particular challenge, don’t rush yourself into it over and over expecting a different result. Backtrack or reload an earlier save and explore around the areas you know are safe.
• Due to the lack of quests in this modlist, you will need to go out on your own and find things to do.
• Through Steady Spell Learning, casting spells unlock more spells.
• The weather seems to be randomly rolled each time you leave a cell… so if you find yourself soft-locked due to cold weather after leaving a dungeon, there is a chance that the weather will subside the next time to load in and leave. That being said, don’t be afraid to load an earlier save and get an axe as soon as possible!

Thanks to Warden for the getting started guide for Silent Skyrim!