“I just want to recreate one of those lovely traveling montages”
Becoming a walker and longing for the mountains in Skyrim
Like many Lord Of The Rings fans, I have a winter tradition of rewatching the films. Every year, I hear the call of the mountains. I’m not sure how else to describe it, but I get an unquenchable urge to go hiking through trees and wilderness to see glorious rocky peaks that rise proudly from the earth. Thankfully Skyrim is great at fulfiling this need for peaks and summits without me having to go outside, but I overplayed it years ago so just playing the game won’t cut it. Even mods don’t help, so I’ve found other ways to fully immerse myself in the colder corners of Tamriel.
I turn off the HUD so I don’t have any navigational aids to steer me, and because real hunters don’t have crosshairs. I’m not interested in heroics, I just want to recreate one of those lovely traveling montages full of beautiful scenery. And thus my life as Anrelin Dorngrass, elven walking enthusiast, begins.
With no markers hovering at the top of my screen, bumping into ruins or settlements feels more like a discovery. I can see a village in the distance where something exciting might happen, but I ignore it, opting to stand by a lake and fiddle with the audio settings until I only hear birdsong and rustling leaves.
This is exactly what I wanted. Embracing the sedate, I decide some flower-picking is in order. Though without any crosshairs it’s difficult to pick anything up. I manage to pluck a bee from the air at one point, but what I wanted was the hive behind it.
Giving up on actually touching anything, I decide to do some nature spotting instead. By taking the time to be still and watch my surroundings, I notice just how much is going on. Rabbits hop gently through the grass, while deer bend down to eat it. Off in the distance, I can see an elk behind some bushes, so I creep closer for a better view… but it’s not an elk.
Bear Down
Before I have the time to process what’s happening, a ball of angry brown fur is charging towards me. I hadn’t prepared for a bear attack. I manage to draw my bow, but with no crosshairs I can’t land a hit. My gentle walk is ruined, the bear smacks me around while I try to use up every healing item I have. Finally, a scruffy stranger appears behind me, and steps forward to my defense. For a moment it feels like Aragorn himself has turned up as he makes brief work of my assailant.
I turn to my hero to thank him, but he’s walking off, back on his NPC’s path. His empty eyes look at me as he spouts off something about the Companions, and my immersion breaks. Skyrim’s nature feels real enough, but its people don’t. My Lord Of The Rings urges have passed. I only made it about 500 yards from Helgen, but that’s more than enough time for an adventure here.
MY LIFE AS ANRELIN DORNGRASS, ELVEN WALKING ENTHUSIAST BEGINS