Skywind skyrim morrowind mod trailer

Skywind – a grand mod project to rebuild Morrowind using Skyrim‘s slightly more contemporary tech – may be shooting for the moon, but those stars feel almost within reach thanks to its latest trailer, released yesterday. Taking us on an ominously (and professionally) narrated tour of House Dagoth’s volcano-side properties, it’s a testament to what a small team can achieve with the right tools, enough time and a lot of dedication. Check out the video below, and its official TES Renewal Project page here.

As someone who blasphemously bounced off Morrowind and didn’t really get into the Elder Scrolls series until Skyrim, I’m hoping that Skywind gets completed, although it’s an enormous undertaking for a team of hobbyists. As much as I appreciate Morrowind’s weird volcanic, marshy environments and oversized mushrooms, the combat always rubbed me the wrong way, especially in its obfuscated to-hit dice rolls. If the TES Renewal Project (the team behind Skywind) can retain the atmosphere while overhauling the moment-to-moment action, I’ll be very happy.

Clearly a huge amount of love has been poured into this project, and the Skywind team have gone above and beyond when it comes to detailing its environments. Skywind’s caves are irregularly structured volcanic formations, and its Dwemer ruins appear beautifully lit. It’s also nice to see some Skyrim-style combat in there, although the shot of the mage running backwards from a zombie feels par for the course. Sadly, there’s no word on when Skywind will launch and the TES Renewal team are still looking for 3D artists, according to the trailer’s description text.

Fortunately, several other Bethesda-adjacent mod projects are on the horizon. Skyrim total conversion Enderal will debut soon on Steam with a new expansion, and Fallout: New California (a New Vegas mod) is due later this month, with the impressive Fallout: The Frontier hopefully not far behind. Even if Fallout 76‘s upcoming multiplayer sandbox isn’t to your taste, first-person sandbox RPG fans are spoilt for choice. Plus, there’s always the upcoming Elder Scrolls Online: Murkmire DLC, taking players to the almost-as-weird Argonian homelands.