13 years since Skyrim first arrived, and with Bethesda’s attention currently turned towards Starfield and Shattered Space, the days of official new material for the fantasy RPG are almost certainly behind us. But The Elder Scrolls 5 is eternal. From the maker of superlative Fallout 4 mod Sim Settlements, Bards College, a new, unofficial Skyrim expansion, is so professional, so polished, and so big that it feels like it’s come directly from the House of Howard. The Elder Scrolls 6 may be a while away, but we now have a new quest line, expanded shouts, music and singing mechanics, and, essentially, a fresh full faction to rival the Thieves Guild and the Blades. Oh, and the whole thing is out right now.
To call Bards College a Skyrim mod feels reductive – in all but studio, this is a complete Skyrim DLC, expanding the totemic fantasy RPG in just about every regard. Built by Kinggath Creations, the developer behind Fallout 4’s Sim Settlements spin-off storyline, Bards College is fully voice acted, has its own storyline, adds new quests, and builds out one of the overlooked, sometimes superfluous factions of Tamriel’s coldest region.
As a student of the eponymous college, you can now learn how to sing and play instruments, and perform music in the streets of Skyrim to earn gold from passersby. You can also learn the art of verbal dueling, and cultivate insults and putdowns to embarrass would-be foes in public.
As well as the new missions and NPCs, the shout system is expanded – you can upgrade your individual shouts and chain them together into extremely powerful ‘chants.’ And as an emissary of the Bards College, your mission is to travel across Skyrim using your music to capture hearts and minds and influence political events through the power of art.
Bards College is available right now via the Creation Club for the price of 1,000 Creation Credits, which translates to $9.99 / £8.99 when purchasing them from the Steam store. You can check out Bards College directly right here.
Otherwise, find out all there is to know about the Elder Scrolls 6 release date, or maybe try some of the other best games like Skyrim available on PC.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.