Fans of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim rarely need a reason to revisit the open-world action RPG. Every playthrough is unique enough to experience all over again, yet those who do return to Skyrim know that modding the game can take an already fun experience and elevate it into something special. One upcoming example is the "Skyrim Species Randomizer" mod that's currently in development, and could spice up Skyrim in an interesting new way.
The Skyrim Species Randomizer is exactly what the name implies, changing the player into random species of creatures and monsters found within the world of Skyrim. The player takes on that species' attacks, strengths, and weaknesses for the duration of the change, which rotates every 150 seconds. Users could turn into a rabbit and die in one hit or change into a giant and struggle to get into buildings, all within the span of five minutes.
The mod was advertised by YouTuber Joob as being put together by a modder named DDM Link in a 12-minute video showcasing Joob's adventures with the Skyrim Species Randomizer mod. He learns that NPCs are perfectly comfortable acknowledging that a Draugr is the Dragonborn, that rats can't climb stairs, and that giants can one-shot large Dragonborn-turned-cats just as easily as anything else.
DDM Link is currently building off of another mod named Playable Monster Mod, which enables Skyrim players to play the game as any creature. Playable Monster Mod creator SirCumference64 has done most of the groundwork, while DDM Link is adding the randomizer element. The Playable Monster Mod hasn't been updated since 2019, however, which may be why DDM Link is expanding it on their own.
The Skyrim Species Randomizer mod is not publicly available yet. DDM Link is said to still be working on the mod, so Joob may have been provided an early and unfinished version. It isn't clear exactly how robust DDM Link wants to make the mod, and they haven't provided a release plan either. Hopefully, news will be on the way soon.
There's a lot of potential in something like the Skyrim Species Randomizer. It offers a unique take on playing Skyrim unlike anything else. If DDM Link can create a seeding system, the Skyrim Species Randomizer could even be used for speedrun races. This likely isn't the last fans have heard of the Skyrim Species Randomizer.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.