There was a time when the vanilla release of Skyrim could have been so much bigger if it weren't for the studio cutting some content before launch, but a recent vampire mod reinstates some of the bloodsucking elements missing from the game. With Bethesda said to be moving forward with The Elder Scrolls 6, many fans are eager to know where the series goes from here. However, seeing as the next game is unlikely to be coming out for a good while, fans continue to get the most out of the fifth installment in the epic fantasy franchise.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. Bethesda's RPG series as a whole is known for its expansive lore and vast worlds of potential exploration. And that's just what made it into the games. The Elder Scrolls titles have had content cut from them in the past for one reason or another. That's not a total surprise, as many developers have to leave some things on the cutting floor, but many would love to know what their favorite games would be like if some of these missing elements were put in.

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For Skyrim fans at least, one thing has been reinstated, thanks to the dedicated modding community. As spotted by PC Gamer, Nexus Mods user ssocialanxiety recently released "Bloodhunt," a mod for TES5 that restores some of the vampire elements that the studio originally cut. It also introduces some fixes to the vanilla experience. The description gives an overview of what players can expect, specifically looking at what the official expansion Dawnguard was going to include before Bethesda removed it. The mod's creator says it was fortunately an "easy restore," reinstating such things as giving vampires back their old clothes, tweaking the time so that 6:00 AM is considered dawn rather than 5 AM when it's still dark, and altering the "hatred mechanic."

Image from Skyrim showing a Gargoyle-looking vampire creature.

Vampirism is well known through the Elder Scrolls series, with players being given the option to become one of these bloodsuckers. As with vampires in other myths and cultures, the ones in Skyrim and other TES entries grant these children of the night the ability to feed on their victims while also being generally more powerful, though weak to sunlight.

Fans like ssocialanxiety are part of the reason the game is still as popular today as it was when it released in 2011. Skyrim has a ton of mods on offer, many of which go to great lengths to improve on the base game or just add even more content. Given all these custom modifications, it's not surprising that gamers are finding themselves still drawn to this snow-covered slice of Tamriel.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim - Anniversary Edition is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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Source: PC Gamer, Nexus Mods