A Look Back at the Goofiest 'Skyrim' Bugs

Skyrim enchanted a good number of folks with its stark northern European-inspired world that offered hundreds of hours of adventure. But, like many Bethesda games, it was also a very flawed one full of bugs that were as funny as they were mystifying. As we prepare for the upcoming Skyrim: Special Edition, let’’s remember some of the sillier ones.

(As a reminder: These are all bugs in the previous incarnation of the game, and there’s no telling if the remastered version’s done anything to assuage things.)

The Giant Glitch

We recommend you avoid bothering the giants that populate Skyrim. While they’re not especially aggressive, they’re much bigger than you and won’t hesitate to squish you with their giant clubs. Or as in this instances, one swing of the giant’s club could send you soaring hundreds of feet through the air in graceful slow motion.

Frozen Dragon Animations

Nothing gets the blood pumping quite like an impending dragon encounter. That is, until you see the dragon scooting around the sky like a creepy frozen bird. There are many dragon-based glitches in Skyrim, but this one was frequently replicated. It definitely lowers the intensity a bit when you don’t have a fully-animated dragon to contend with, but there’s also something just a little bit spooky about its unnatural motion.

Mountainside Ice Form

The Ice Form spell has some odd effects if you happen to cast it on something while standing on the side of a hill. The frozen beastie will slide down the mountain, but once it reaches the bottom, it won’t be able to get out of that falling animation. Instead, the creature spirals and ricochets across the environment in a laugh-worthy spasmodic dance forever.

Flying Horses

For reasons unknown, sometimes you will come across a rider on a flying horse, or, if you are so lucky, your own horse will take flight. Some players have reported their own horse taking off without them, leaving them stranded on the cold earth. Folks have managed to replicate this glitch by riding their horse up a mountain, so by all means, give it a shot!

A Restless Slumber

Not even times of rest are safe from bugs, as evidenced by this video. Occasionally you might walk in on a dozing NPC quietly spinning for no apparent reason. Maybe they’re dreaming about becoming a giant, spinning top. Who knows? It’s quite bizarre. If you’re really looking for some entertainment, try dragon shouting at the snoozing NPC. They’ll wake up twitching and rag-dolling all over the place.

How to Steal All of the Things

Residents of Skyrim will get understandably upset if you try to steal their belongings or shop inventories. They’ll call the guards or even attack you themselves until the whole village is in on the action. But there are ways around this. An NPC’s spatial awareness is not very keen, it turns out. You can use this to your advantage by placing kettles and buckets on their heads before robbing them blind.

Haunted by the Shopkeeper

With that in mind, sometimes you can take things a little far. Maybe, for instance, you accidentally kill the shopkeeper. Oopsies. You sneak out of the shop, hoping no one will notice your little misstep. As you head down the path to your next destination, you chance a glance behind you. It seems the ol’ shopkeep’s body is tailing you, prone facedown on the ground. It’s a bit dark, but it’s also really funny, especially when the NPC still interacts with you and tries to speak.