What is Skyrim GOG Anniversary Edition? (The Ultimate Guide) - 33rd Square (2024)

Dear gaming friend,

As a fellow tech geek and avid gamer, I‘m thrilled to provide you with the ultimate guide to the Skyrim GOG Anniversary Edition. I‘ve been analyzing this topic extensively, given my passion for RPGs and expertise in data science.

In this guide, I‘ll give you the full low-down on what the Skyrim Anniversary Edition includes, the key benefits of the GOG version, and plenty of insightful analysis to help you decide if it‘s worth purchasing. Let‘s dive in!

A Decade in the Making

Can you believe it‘s been over 10 years since The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim first launched? This legendary open world fantasy RPG first arrived on November 11, 2011 and has remained insanely popular ever since.

Now, to celebrate Skyrim‘s 10 year anniversary, Bethesda has released the Skyrim Anniversary Edition – the most complete and ultimate version of Skyrim yet!

Here are some key milestones over the past decade leading up to the Anniversary Edition:

• 11/11/2011 – Skyrim originally launches on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.
• 2012-2013 – 3 major DLC expansions released: Dawnguard, Hearthfire, Dragonborn.
• 2016 – Skyrim Special Edition – remastered graphics and effects for newer consoles.
• 2016-2021 – Creation Club adds mini DLC expansions and content.
• 11/11/2021 – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition bundles it all together!

So the Anniversary Edition really represents the culmination of a decade of content and upgrades for one of the most influential RPGs of all time.

What‘s Included in Anniversary Edition?

Okay, so what exactly does the Skyrim Anniversary Edition give you? Here‘s a detailed breakdown:

• 🗺️ The full original base game of Skyrim.
• 🖌️ All visual upgrades from 2016‘s Special Edition.
• 📜 All 3 major DLC expansions: Dawnguard, Hearthfire, Dragonborn.
• ⚔️ Over 500 pieces of Creation Club content.

That‘s a ton of content – especially the over 500 Creation Club additions. Let‘s analyze what you get in more detail:

The Base Game

This gives you the huge open world of Skyrim – spanning icy tundras to mountain peaks. Complete literally hundreds of quests across various factions and guilds, customize your character‘s skills and abilities, and of course…kill dragons!

Key features:

• 🗺️ Over 150 dungeons to explore across a giant map.
• 🎭 13 factions to join, including the Companions, College of Winterhold, Thieves Guild and more.
• 🐉 10 unique dragon boss battles.
• 👪 Over 70 NPC followers you can recruit.
• ⚙️ Customizable skills like one/two-handed combat, archery, magic, crafting and more.
• 🏹 Over 80 unique obtainable weapons.

Special Edition Upgrades

The 2016 remaster provides some major graphical enhancements:

• 🖼️ Higher quality textures/materials.
• 🌇 Volumetric god rays, dynamic depth of field.
• 💎 Enhanced water flow/reflections.
• 🪟 Screen-space reflections for better image quality.

Plus support for mods on consoles and some general engine improvements.

Major DLC Expansions

Skyrim‘s DLC expansions each add 5-15+ hours of additional adventures:

Dawnguard

• Two new faction storylines – join the Dawnguard vampire hunters or the Volkihar vampire clan.
• New transformation powers – become a vampire lord or werewolf.
• 9 new quests, 20 new locations to explore.
• New Dragonbone weapons and armor crafting.

Hearthfire

• Design and build your own customizable homes.
• Adopt children and customize bedrooms for offspring.
• Craft home additions like greenhouses, stables, trophy rooms.
• Over 30 new furnishings and materials to utilize.

Dragonborn

• An entirely new island realm to explore – Solstheim.
• New dragon shout powers and abilities.
• Main questline around 10 hours with new boss enemies.
• New crafting system to create Stahlrim weapons/armor.
• Over 20 new locations and 30 new NPCs to meet.

Creation Club Content

Here‘s where things get really impressive – the Anniversary Edition includes over 500 new Creation Club content pieces!

The Creation Club is essentially mini DLC additions that Bethesda has worked on with external developers and community members.

This content expands nearly every aspect of the game. Here are some highlights:

• 🪄 Over 150 new spells from various magic schools.
• 🗡️ Tons of new weapons like Bow of Shadows, Staff of Hasedoki, Ruin‘s Edge and more.
• 🏹 New Stendarr and Daedric artifact armor sets.
• 🧟‍♂️ New questlines like The Cause, Redguard Elite Armaments, and Dead Man‘s Dread.
• 🏰 25+ new player home options, including Hendhraheim and Autumnwatch Tower.
• 🛠️ Crafting additions like Rare Curios and Bonechill Cavern.
• ❄️ Survival Mode – stay warm, sleep and eat to survive.
• 🎣 Fishing mechanic and new recipes.
• 🐎 New horse armor so you can dress your steed in Daedric or Stalhrim armor.
• 🐕 Over a dozen new creatures like llamas, wild horses and cave bears.
• 📜 Tons of new books expanding the lore.

And much more! There are quest additions as substantial as 15+ hours of new adventures, and smaller tweaks like new food recipes.

Suffice to say, the sheer volume of Creation Club content represents a major expansion of the base game.

Benefits of the GOG Version

Now that you know everything the Anniversary Edition includes, let‘s talk about the GOG version specifically.

GOG, which stands for Good Old Games, is a digital store similar to Steam. But unlike Steam, GOG offers completely DRM-free games.

This means some major benefits for the GOG Anniversary Edition:

📜 DRM-Free Experience

DRM refers to "digital rights management" – restrictions embedded in software by publishers. With the GOG version you get:

• 👍 No online connection required for activation or gameplay. Play anywhere, anytime.
• 🔄 Freedom to re-install on as many PCs as you want forever.
• 🖥️ No limits on making backups – critical for massive open world games prone to bugs/glitches.
• ⚙️ Ability to mod and tweak Skyrim however you want without restrictions.

🚫 Completely Own the Game

On platforms like Steam you only purchase a license – but with GOG you fully own Skyrim outright. This means:

• 🛡️ You have the game forever – it will never be revoked or lose access.
• 🔨 You‘re free to modify the game without worrying about violating terms of service agreements.
• 👮‍♂️ No DRM monitoring your gameplay or limiting what you can do.

🎁 Exclusive Bonus Content

GOG editions tend to come with bonus content you can‘t get anywhere else:

• 🎵 Full official soundtrack in MP3 format – over 4 hours of music!
• 🖼️ High resolution concept art and wallpapers.
• 📘 Digital game guides and manuals – extremely useful for deeper playthroughs.
• 🎞️ Behind the scenes developer videos chronicling the making of Skyrim.

💰 Great Refund Policy

GOG has a famously pro-consumer refund policy:

• 💸 30 day money back guarantee no matter how much you play.
• ⏳ Refunds processed within 3 business days via your original payment method.
• 🚫 No automated refund bot – real GOG team members handle requests.

So in summary, the GOG edition provides a fantastic DRM-free experience, complete ownership of the game, bonus content, and great refund coverage. For the ultimate Skyrim experience, GOG can‘t be beat!

How Does GOG Work?

If you haven‘t used GOG before, here‘s a quick rundown of how it works:

• Account – Create a free GOG account to access their game store and community features.
• Store – Browse and purchase games from their curated DRM-free catalog.
• Downloader – Download your games via their slim GOG Galaxy client, or DRM-free installers.
• Updates – GOG Galaxy provides automatic game updating if you wish.
• Community – Participate in forums, user profiles, achievement tracking and more.
• Support – Get assistance with technical issues, payments, account access and general questions.

Some other awesome GOG features:

• 🎮 Frequent sales up to 90% off games.
• 🪙 Wallet funds to add money to your account.
• 🎁 Frequent giveaways of free games.
• 🖥️ Multi-platform support – Windows, Mac, Linux all supported.
• 🕹️ Rich library beyond just old games – many new AAA titles.
• 🌟 User review system and curators to find great overlooked games.

And like all games, the GOG Anniversary Edition will be completely yours to keep, play, and modify forever!

How Does GOG Compare to Steam?

Steam is the dominant digital platform for PC games, so how does GOG compare? Here‘s a quick rundown of key differences:

To summarize – GOG edges out Steam in areas like DRM-freedom, ownership, and extras. But Steam has a much bigger selection, strong communities, and frequent deep discounts.

For most PC gamers, utilizing both GOG and Steam makes sense. GOG for select DRM-free titles they love, and Steam for breadth of catalog and social features.

Should You Buy Skyrim Anniversary Edition on GOG?

So should you get the Skyrim Anniversary Edition specifically on GOG? Let‘s do a quick pros vs cons breakdown.

Why Buy on GOG?

👍 DRM-free flexibility
👍 Fully own Skyrim forever
👍 Great bonus content
👍 Refund guarantee

Why Not Buy on GOG?

👎 Currently same price as Steam
👎 Lacks some Steam features
👎 Support only via GOG
👎 Potential Creation Club delays

Evaluating these factors, I think GOG is easily the best choice if you highly value the DRM-free experience and complete ownership factor. The flexibility of modding and backing up Skyrim without restrictions is huge.

However, if you mainly want to jump into the game as cheaply as possible, utilize Steam friend integration, and benefit from Steam community guides, the Steam version may have advantages for you.

For me personally – I vastly prefer owning games 100% DRM-free and having full control. So I‘ve already purchased the GOG Skyrim Anniversary Edition!

Is Skyrim Anniversary Edition Worth It?

As a self-proclaimed Skyrim super fan, would I recommend the Anniversary Edition upgrade? Let‘s analyze the key considerations:

For First-Time Players

If you‘ve somehow never played Skyrim before, the Anniversary Edition is absolutely worth purchasing. No question.

You get the complete base game plus a decade‘s worth of additional content. Hundreds upon hundreds of hours of gameplay. This is the definitive edition for new Skyrim players hands down.

For Existing Skyrim Fans

Here the decision is trickier. While the Anniversary Edition bundles a ludicrous amount of new Creation Club content, fundamentally it‘s still the same core Skyrim experience.

For existing fans, I suggest evaluating based on:

• 🔁 How much you still replay and revisit Skyrim. If you play annually or more, the upgrade is likely worthwhile. If you‘ve moved on, less enticing.
• 🖌️ Your enjoyment of the base game visuals and gameplay. If you still love wandering Skyrim, upgrading makes sense.
• 🧙 Your use of mods – heavy modders get less value from official Creation Club stuff.
• 💰 Price considerations – feel free to wait for a sale if cost is a factor.

Bottom Line

The Anniversary Edition is absolutely worth it for first-timers and extremely passionate fans who replay Skyrim annually. More casual fans should weigh the factors above.

For diehard fans like myself, over 500 new Creation Club pieces provide an insane amount of exciting new dungeons, quests, spells, and gear to discover. And being able to experience it DRM-free via GOG makes it a no brainer.

So that covers my in-depth perspective on if the Anniversary Edition upgrade is worthwhile! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some common questions about the Skyrim Anniversary Edition:

Do I need the Special Edition to use the Anniversary Edition?

Yes, you must own the Special Edition of Skyrim to purchase and utilize the Anniversary Edition content.

Is it coming to PS4 and Xbox One?

No, the Anniversary Edition is only releasing on newer consoles – PS5, Xbox Series X/S, as well as PC. The Special Edition remains the latest option for PS4 and Xbox One.

What is the price?

• $49.99 for new buyers
• $19.99 upgrade for Special Edition owners

Can I transfer my saves?

Absolutely! You can transfer existing Skyrim save files from the Special Edition to continue right where you left off.

What is the installation size?

Around 70GB. The original Special Edition was ~15GB to give you a sense of scale.

Will any Creation Club content come to Special Edition?

No, the vast amount of new Creation Club content is exclusive to the paid Anniversary Edition upgrade.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m happy to provide any insight I can as a dedicated Skyrim fan.

So in summary my friend, the Skyrim Anniversary Edition – especially the GOG version – offers the definitive way to experience this legendary RPG. With over a decade of content improvements, it‘s an easy recommendation for new players. And even existing fans like myself will find hundreds of hours of adventures in the new Creation Club expansions.

I hope this guide has provided a detailed overview of what the Anniversary Edition includes, the benefits of GOG, and analysis to help inform your purchasing decision. Let me know if you have any other questions!

Happy exploring,

Terry

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