Skyrim is one of the most popular games launched by Bethesda. Its world-class storyline, amazing visuals, and open-world experience with great activities easily make it a must-buy for gamers.
Skyrim was first launched in 2011 and since then it has risen to heights and now has almost 4 main versions – Standard, Legendary, Special, and VR. The Standard and VR versions are quite straightforward. However, the legendary and special edition can be quite confusing for first-time buyers.
In this article, we will be looking at both of these and will give you a proper understanding of the differences between Skyrim Legendary Edition and Skyrim Special Edition.
What Is Skyrim’s Storyline?
Talking about its storyline, Skyrim features a one-of-a-kind storyline that takes place 200 years after Oblivion, in an anecdotal domain going through a common conflict. Players are given the control of a character named Dragonborn who is associated with mythical beasts but is considered a mere mortal.
Skyrim captures everything with a storyline that focuses on defeating a character named Aludin the World- Eater who’s on the task of destroying the world and we are on the quest to defeat this divine beast.
What Makes Skyrim a Masterpiece?
Skyrim is an open-world role-playing video game, which in my opinion is the best. It includes a ton of actions and adventure sequences making gamers enjoy every little combat. In addition to a good storyline, the game offers multiple side missions, hours of exploration, weapons to find, armor to upgrade, and much more.
Skyrim offers exciting stuff and has room for multiple actions. Because of its side activities and exploration, gamers even forget about the main storyline.
Difference Between Skyrim Legendary Edition and Skyrim Special Edition
Both of these versions have a number of features that set them apart from each other. Following is a breakdown of the major ones I came across:
What Version Does Both Offer?
The Skyrim Legendary Edition is the first one in the franchise and was launched in 2011. It’s a fan favorite for gamers who love vanilla versions meaning they prefer those old and not so good looking graphics and lean toward a good storyline. In addition to that, it comes with a 32-bit version making it very compatible with older mods. However, because of its old engine, it lacks in other areas.
On the contrary, Skyrim Special Edition is powered by a 64-bit edition. One thing the special edition lacks is its mod compatibility as the 64-bit version isn’t compatible with older mods. Although there are some mods for this version they don’t seem as good as the older ones.
Personally, if it was up to me I would go with the Special edition because of its upgraded engine and compatibility freedom, and as a pc gamer compatibility is a significant factor to look into before buying a game.
Graphics Quality Comparison Between the Two Skyrim Editions
The legendary edition comes with vanilla graphics meaning the game looks as it was initially supposed to. This old setting of the environment immensely affects the player’s playthrough as the player indulges more in the beauty of the game.
On the other hand, the Special edition is filled with amazing graphics and god rays, thus making the Special edition perfect for gamers who are looking for a good storyline and top-notch graphics to make their gaming experience amazing.
The improved graphics are a major difference between these two as the special edition is truly visually stunning and captures every slight detail making it a sight to see with an emerging storyline as well
If I was to share my opinion here then I would suggest that the choice between these two in terms of graphics largely depends on your preference.
What’s the Difference in Optimization?
Another factor to look upon is optimization. The legendary edition was launched for an older generation of hardware which includes Xbox 360, PS3, and older PCs, and didn’t meet the expectations of gamers in terms of its optimization.
On the other hand, the Special edition takes a lead in this as it was launched with proper optimization for high-end consoles and even PCs and runs perfectly with no issues on the newer generation gaming hardware.
Moreover, the special edition was later even launched for the Nintendo switch but the legendary edition even after an excessive period didn’t come out for consoles like the Nintendo switch.
In my opinion, the Special edition takes a huge leap in this as proper optimization is a very major factor for gamers and the Special edition lives up to that.
What DLCs Do Both of These Games Have?
To make the game even longer developers, tend to add DLCs. And personally, I love playing games to their fullest. The legendary edition comes with more DLCs and offers a vast variety to choose from.
Whereas the Special edition lacks here as it doesn’t compete with the legendary edition in terms of DLCs and comes with fewer DLC’s thus making it less favorable for gamers who wish to enjoy the game even after its completion
Personally speaking, because I’m a big fan of DLCs I will go with the Legendary edition here as it offers more to mess with and makes up for its other downsides.
What Is the Price Difference Between the Two Skyrim Editions?
| Special Edition | Legendary Edition |
|---|---|
| The special edition comes at a price tag of 39.99$ and even today ranks on steam charts. Available on Steam and other platforms easily | The legendary edition has a price tag of 39.99$ for PC but for Xbox, it comes at a price tag of 26$. You can find the legendary edition on Amazon or Gamestop. |
Is There Support for Console Mods?
A huge step by Bethesda is the addition of mods for consoles. PC gamers always have the luxury of mods which makes console gamers feel left out but the special edition gives console players that luxury and offers the freedom to download, install and even create their mods.
Room for More Difficulty Options
Another thing that the special edition lacks is the choice of difficulty for gamers who are constantly on the grind of improving their skills.
On the other hand, the legendary edition offers legendary difficulty that isn’t for everyone. It requires a good amount of skills to master and truly gives gamers a challenge to conquer.
Skyrim Special Edition vs Legendary: System Requirements
Skyrim Special Edition
• Operating System: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit Version)
• Processor: Intel i5-750/AMD Phenom II X4-945
• RAM: 8 GB
• Disk Space: 12 GB
• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GTX 470 1GB /AMD HD 7870 2GB
• Sound: DirectX compatible sound card
Skyrim Legendary Edition
• Operating System: Windows 7+/Vista/XP (32 or 64 bit)
• Processor: Dual Core 2.0GHz
• RAM: 2GB
• Disk Space: 6GB
• Graphics Card: Direct X 9.0 video card with 512 MB of RAM
• Sound: DirectX compatible sound card
Which One Is Better?
Both of these versions are good with respect to their areas. The choice between the two depends on you.
Both of these offer similar stuff in terms of storyline but are quite different in terms of their graphics, modding, and compatibility.
In my opinion, both of these are suitable for gamers who want to enjoy a good storyline but if you want to choose between the two then this article should have given you an insight into both of these offers, and the final choice comes down to you.
Final Thoughts
It has been 10 years since the launch of Skyrim and even today it is played by millions of gamers around the globe. Bethesda grew because of it and continued to launch amazing titles like fallout and even their newer games like Ghostwire Tokyo and DeathLoop are quite popular among gamers.
Skyrim delivers an ultimate gaming experience and is best at making gamers feel nostalgic and fall in love with the game.
I think that Bethesda did a great job and made a perfect game that had something in store for everyone, and even in this constant race between making newer and better games, gamers still come back to enjoy this true masterpiece.