One player of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim unexpectedly discovered that their in-game horse had some serious dance moves when they captured a clip of it trying to slowly moonwalk away from their character in Bethesda’s action RPG. This may not be the first unusual horse glitch in Skyrim that long-time players will have encountered, but it’s certain to be one of the most well-choreographed.
The latest entry in the long-running franchise that began with the PC RPG The Elder Scrolls: Arena in 1994, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim became an instant success when it was released for PC and consoles in 2006. Building on and refining the open-world formula established by previous Elder Scrolls games, Skyrim’s addictive gameplay and seemingly endless series of adventures to take part in even managed to draw in some gamers who typically shunned RPGs. Multiple remasters and rereleases on successive generations of gaming hardware have helped keep the title relevant for over a decade, while a dedicated modding community continues to enhance the game with free content like the recently released 4k dungeons mod for Skyrim.
In a new post on the r/skyrim subreddit, user rajindernagi shared a hilarious clip of their character speaking to a group of NPCs when their horse suddenly begins shuffling backwards towards the edge of the screen as the NPCs continue pestering the player. Panning the camera around to track the moonwalking mustang, the short clip captures the horse slowly and awkwardly receding into the distance. Referencing a popular Skyrim spell with the ability to transform targets into random creatures or items, rajindernagi’s post title jokes that “Michael Jackson Wabajacked into a Horse.”
Fans of Skyrim responding to the clip were amused by the sure-footed steed, with one commenter quipping “suddenly Billie Jean theme can be heard.” Concocting an amusing explanation for his horse’s newfound dance skills, rajindernagi joked with one user that it must be using an illusion spell. Although the sight of a moonwalking horse is undoubtedly entertaining, the strange clip also highlights the often unusual and occasionally frustrating quirks of Bethesda’s proprietary Creation Engine. The Creation Engine has earned a reputation for being notoriously finicky over the years, which can manifest itself in the form of bizarre NPC behaviors, physics glitches, and broken quests in Skyrim in addition to other problems.
This hilarious clip is a good reminder that, while Skyrim’s often off-the-wall bugs can sometimes be the source of player frustration, they can also help deliver a smile and a laugh. And with the release of The Elder Scrolls 6 still several years away, Skyrim fans are sure to find even more bizarre and amusing bugs as they await the next entry in the franchise.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.