The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim has quests and main stories like any other video game set in a fantasy world, but that doesn't mean that the game is predictable. Due to the nature of the living, breathing world, populated by enemies and friendly NPCs alike, a lot can take players by surprise even over 10 years into the game's release.
Recently, a Skyrim player was attempting to take a screenshot of some of the beautiful environments of the game. However, while lining up the shot, they ended up seeing something very odd and funny.
Redditor Mysterion_x shared the odd moment with fellow Skyrim players. The player is standing in a snowy, wooded area of Skyrim, shifting back and forth slightly, trying to get the perfect shot of the world. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, and no one is around, when suddenly the dead body of an NPC falls out of the sky and plops unceremoniously into the middle of Mysterion_x's shot.
It's an odd sight to be sure, with many responses to Mysterion_x's post laughing at the occurrence. While most Skyrim players have probably witnessed a hapless NPC being scooped up by a dive bombing dragon, nothing preceding the appearance of the NPC indicated that there was combat going on. The NPC was presumably dead before they ever hit the ground, as they also can't be heard making any noise prior to landing.
While the likelihood of this happening at that exact moment must be low, Mysterion_x likely isn't the first person to experience something like this. In addition to the risk of random dragon swooping, there are other dangerous enemies in the world of Skyrim, like the game's giants. Skyrim's Giants are known for practically sending enemies into orbit when they hit them, including the player. It's entirely possible that the poor NPC was struck somewhere very far from the player and ended up plummeting to the ground in their vicinity due to the angle of the attack.
Skyrim has been out for over a decade, but players never seem to stop encountering new and memorable moments like these. Bethesda set a high bar for itself with Skyrim's release, and fans looking forward to The Elder Scrolls 6 will have a lot of expectations of the title. With any luck, Bethesda can continue to build upon its Tamriel successes, but even if The Elder Scrolls 6 somehow disappoints players, Skyrim and its predecessors will always be there, offering little surprises even for veterans revisiting the game.
The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.