Fourteen Years Later, Skyrim Fans Are Just Realizing Todd Howard Ran a Secretly Overpowered Build at E3
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Fans revisiting the 2011 Skyrim E3 demo have noticed that Todd Howard's on-stage character was secretly packing maxed-out magic and stealth stats while dressed in basic starting gear.
When Bethesda first showed off The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim at E3 back in 2011, millions of players were captivated by the promise of climbing distant mountains and exploring a massive open world. As Patricia Hernandez points out over at Polygon, a closer look at that historical 21-minute gameplay demo reveals a hilarious detail that the community is only just appreciating now. While executive producer Todd Howard walked on stage looking like a basic low-level Nord wearing starting gear and swinging weak weapons, his character was secretly packing maxed-out magic stats and high-level abilities.
Beneath the humble exterior, Howard was actually running around with a near-maximum Destruction skill, a 100-level Sneak rating, and high-tier spells capable of turning invisible, pacifying wildlife, or wiping out tough dungeon bosses in seconds. Players are having a great time dissecting the footage, calling the setup diabolical. The character carried impressive Elven armor in his inventory while sporting the starting iron gear, and completely bypassed standard early game struggles by secretly wielding endgame power disguised as a wandering wanderer.
It is common practice for developers to use leveled-up characters during convention demos to showcase the full scope of a game system without forcing a team member to grind on a live stage. Yet watching a character casually delete a fearsome dragon priest and summon massive lightning storms while dressed like a generic bandit still gives the community a brilliant chuckle fourteen years later. It is a fun reminder of how game marketing has always worked, even as we patiently wait for any real news on the horizon for The Elder Scrolls 6.
Tags: Skyrim, Bethesda, RPG, Gaming History
Original article: Polygon