I've played this game for over a decade between when it first launched on PS3 and I've modded it to hell and back on PC. Never bothered to make a review, but now that I've gotten 100% achievements, Here's my (hot?) take:

Skyrim is a good game. Not modded Skyrim, just Skyrim. I'd say probably around after Dragonborn released I've exclusively played modded, but after going back to vanilla skyrim, I don't really understand how people write it off as just an engine for people to build upon. Don't get me wrong: mods are incredible and work wonders to extend the lifespan of the game and it's ecosystem. That being said, there's a lot of great content to dive into, a lot I've missed from countless playthroughs. You can build your character pretty much however you want, do whatever and go whatever. Sure, it's a bit rough around the edges and you can fix things, but the base game is honestly a masterpiece and I'm not afraid to say it. Sure, the combat kinda sucks, but the love and care Bethesda put into the world is something to behold.

We'll probably never get something like this from Bethesda again unless they took the Starfield complaints to heart, but Skyrim will always be here, beckoning us to return. I highly recommend you give vanilla another shot if you feel burnt out from setting up a load order over the course of 2 weeks only to play for a measly 10-20 hours before you hit a wall, or start crashing over and over. Or instead of finding 300gb worth of space for a Wabbajack modlist. There's so much to find, even if you think you've seen it all. I also think hunting for all the achievements helped motivate me a lot in my newest ~100hr playthrough.

I'll leave it on this: Modded Skyrim isn't "better" Skyrim. It's a different experience entirely, both are worth playing. Also, if you're reading this and on the fence still 13 years later, I'd still recommend the base game in 2024 easily. Just be ready for a bit of jank.

I've played this game for over a decade between when it first launched on PS3 and I've modded it to hell and back on PC. Never bothered to make a review, but now that I've gotten 100% achievements, Here's my (hot?) take: Skyrim is a good game. Not modded Skyrim, just Skyrim. I'd say probably around after Dragonborn released I've exclusively played modded, but after going back to vanilla skyrim, I don't really understand how people write it off as just an engine for people to build upon. Don't get me wrong: mods are incredible and work wonders to extend the lifespan of the game and it's ecosystem. That being said, there's a lot of great content to dive into, a lot I've missed from countless playthroughs. You can build your character pretty much however you want, do whatever and go whatever. Sure, it's a bit rough around the edges and you can fix things, but the base game is honestly a masterpiece and I'm not afraid to say it. Sure, the combat kinda sucks, but the love and care Bethesda put into the world is something to behold. We'll probably never get something like this from Bethesda again unless they took the Starfield complaints to heart, but Skyrim will always be here, beckoning us to return. I highly recommend you give vanilla another shot if you feel burnt out from setting up a load order over the course of 2 weeks only to play for a measly 10-20 hours before you hit a wall, or start crashing over and over. Or instead of finding 300gb worth of space for a Wabbajack modlist. There's so much to find, even if you think you've seen it all. I also think hunting for all the achievements helped motivate me a lot in my newest ~100hr playthrough. I'll leave it on this: Modded Skyrim isn't "better" Skyrim. It's a different experience entirely, both are worth playing. Also, if you're reading this and on the fence still 13 years later, I'd still recommend the base game in 2024 easily. Just be ready for a bit of jank.