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Saints and Seducers is one of the most popular creations on the Skyrim Creation Club for a variety of reasons. It's a callback to the Shivering Isles expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, featuring the guardians of Mania and Dementia – well, they might not be the actual Daedra from Sheogorath's realm, but the bandits claiming to be Saints and Seducers do don their armor.

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It's an addon that takes place all over Skyrim, eventually taking players to fight a rare kind of Daedric cultist in pursuit of answers. The creation introduces a huge variety of items (including unique armor and weapons), ingredients, materials, lorebooks, and even two new pets – plus, it's one of the easiest creations to start that's included with Skyrim Anniversary Edition.

Updated February 24, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: The Saints and Seducers mod is a fan favorite amongst the options on the Skyrim Creation Club – if you're asking what is Saints and Seducers Skyrim gives you the chance to try it out for free as long as you have Special Edition. Skyrim Anniversary Edition has been out for a little while, meaning that more players have experienced the unique callbacks to the Shivering Isles than ever before, but there's still plenty to keep in mind whether you're heading in for the first time or the hundredth. For example, new ingredients can be found in special locations throughout the creation, and new items like the Soul Tomato might evade you unless you inspect areas more closely. It's an expansive creation, and there's a lot of content for players to check out.

How To Start Saints and Seducers

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Saints and Seducers can theoretically begin as soon as the Dragonborn makes it to Whiterun, though there is some level of chance involved. In Whiterun and Windhelm Khajiit caravans take long rests before the next expedition. Head to either of these cities and look for a Khajiit caravan nestled right outside the city gates. If your real-life luck stat is good, there will be a Khajiit named Ri'saad offering his wares for coin in the caravan.

Talk to Ri'saad and ask him about trouble with his carvan route, to which he will give the player a note to read. Reading this note begins the quest "Balance of Power", which leads into the final Saints and Seducers main quest "Restoring Order". Be aware, though, that to access the Saints and Seducers questline you need to download the Saints and Seducers creation. This used to cost money, but as of the release of Anniversary Edition it has become a permanently free addon for those who only own Special Edition.

Saints, Seducers, and the Shivering Isles

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The Saints and Seducers creation takes its name from the Golden Saints and Dark Seducers that call the Shivering Isles home. The Shivering Isles is the Oblivion plane belonging to Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. The realm is split into two parts: Mania, which is guarded by Golden Saints, and Dementia, which is guarded by Dark Seducers.

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The Golden Saints are anything but angelic, and the Dark Seducers are surprisingly caring (especially towards Beast races). The two Daedra are constantly at war with each other, but in the Saints and Seducers creation, the bandits who don their golden and darkened armor are targeting merchants and caravans along the roads – and they're being funded by a mysterious benefactor.

New Weapons And Armor

Skyrim Anniversary Every Unique Armor Saints and Seducers

There are several new armor sets and unique weapons included with Saints and Seducers. The most notable new armor sets are the heavy Golden set and the light Dark Seducer set, each of which can be looted from dead bandits during the questline or crafted once the player learns how to craft Golden and Dark gear.

There is also an Amber set and a Madness set, each with their own designs that call back to the Shivering Isles. Alongside each new armor set are corresponding weapons, like the Golden Bow or the Dark Greatsword.

Unique Weapons and Armor

When it comes to unique weapons and armor in Saints and Seducers, there are three offerings: Nerveshatter, the Sword of Jyggalag, and Staada's Helmet. Each of these is a callback to the previous Elder Scrolls title Oblivion, which had a DLC that focused on Sheogorath's Shivering Isles (which Saints and Seducers also takes major inspiration from).

  • Nerveshatter is a Two-Handed Warhammer that was also seen in the Shivering Isles DLC for Oblivion. It has a Shock Damage enchantment, dealing 30 points of Shock Damage on hit, and has a base damage of 29 (improbable with Refined Amber and the Daedric Smithing perk). It is found on a side quest in the Saints and Seducers creation.
  • The Sword of Jyggalag is the only Daedric Artifact of the Daedric Prince of Order Jyggalag, who appeared at the end of the Shivering Isles DLC after being "freed" from Sheogorath. The sword is not notable in any real way as it doesn't come with an enchantment and its damage is pretty lackluster. However, it's the only reference to Jyggalag in the game, making it worth collecting at the end of the main questline.
  • Staada's Helmet is found after completing the aptly-named Staada Quest, which requires players to either give over the Sword of Jyggalag or the Sheogorath-Shaped Amber as an exchange. It's a helmet of Heavy Armor type with an Armor Rating of 20 and an enchantment that increases Max Stamina by a huge 70 points.

Other New Items

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  • Ingredients: Bliss Bug Thorax, Flame Stalk, Green/Pueple Butterfly Wings, Rot Scale, Screaming Maw, Thorn Hook
  • Clothing: Blacksmith's Apron, Ring of Disrobing
  • Spell Tomes: Conjure Dark Seducer Archer/Warrior, Conjure Golden Saint Archer/Warrior, Conjure Staada
  • Other Items: Soul Tomato (Soul Gem), Mystic Venom (Poison), Three new Bugs in a Jar and Sheogorath-Shaped Amber (Decorative)

In addition to these new armor sets and weapons, Saints and Seducers adds a variety of clothing, materials, ingredients, scrolls, lorebooks, and other items that make it one of the most well-rounded creations available in Skyrim. Ingredients like Flame Stalks, Green and Purple Butterfly Wings, and Rot Scales are added as well as Madness Ore and Amber for Smithing.

RELATED: Skyrim: The Best Shouts In The Game, RankedThe Arcane Blacksmith's Apron improves the smithing skill when worn, though it provides no defense. The Ring of Disrobing is an... interesting... piece of gear - it just removes your chest armor on equip, that's it. Three new bugs in jars are available to use as decorations, too – the Bliss Bug and Green and Purple Butterflies. The Soul Tomato, Mystic Venom, and a variety of new Spell Tomes and scrolls add up to an expansive creation with plenty for players to discover.

Questlines In Saints And Seducers

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There are eight questlines introduced with Saints and Seducers, two of which are tied to the creation's main quest. The Balance of Power and Restoring Order quests have the player investigate a series of attacks on merchant caravans, while the other six quests are tied to new smithing recipes, pets, and unique items.

The quests Amber and Madness Smithing and Golden and Dark Smithing grant the player new blacksmithing recipes, and the two My Pet Elytra quests give players bug pets tied to the two halves of the Shivering Isles. The quests Nerveshatter and Staada's Quest reward the player with their eponymous sword and headpiece, respectively.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is available on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S​​​​​​​

MORE: The Complete Guide to Skyrim - Items, Quests, Mods, Builds, and Tips