Skyrim is short for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. As stated by its name, it is the fifth installment of The Elder Scrolls series made by Bethesda, which consists of action RPGs set in the fantasy world of Nirn. Like its predecessors, Skyrim boasts an open world in the sense that players can explore the setting at their leisure instead of being forced to rush about from place to place in a railroaded plot, which is one of the reasons behind not just its success but also the success of The Elder Scrolls series as a whole.
For an indication of Skyrim's success, it is important to note that it has sold more than 20 million copies since it came out in 2011. This translates to more than $1.3 billion in sales revenues, which in turn, translates to more than $1.2 billion in profit for Bethesda once its development and marketing budget of $85 million has been factored in. As a result, it is no exaggeration to point out that this makes Skyrim one of the most successful games of all genres on all platforms of all time. (1)
After all, more than 20 million copies is more than enough to make it one of the best-selling games of all genres on all platforms of all time, more so than famous names such as Halo, Gears of War, and even some of the less successful installments in famous franchises such as Mario, Pokemon, and Call of Duty. This is particularly notable because Skyrim's success can be seen as a refutation to a number of common beliefs, which range from single-player games being on their way out to western fantasy RPGs having no appeal for a mainstream audience. (2)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim features three major DLC's that each contain brand new quests and features. To find out more on each DLC, click on the guides below to find everything you need to know. The total cost (including decorations) is 39,000, or 36,000, if one lacks the Hearthfire add-on. Buying this house is one of the things that must be done before becoming a Thane of Haafingar. With the Hearthfire add-on, a children's room may be added for 3,000. The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor. Join over 13 million players in the award-winning online multiplayer RPG. Explore the frozen tundra and snowy mountains of Western Skyrim and stop a powerful Vampire Lord from enslaving Tamriel in The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor, part of The Dark Heart of Skyrim year-long gothic adventure.
What Is Skyrim Worth?
However, it should be noted that Bethesda's profit on Skyrim should not be seen as being the same as Skyrim's value. In part, this is because Skyrim is still being sold, meaning that its number of sales can be expected to continue rising for years and years to come. Although this is something that happens with a lot of games to some extent, this is particularly relevant for Skyrim because of its nature as an open world game as well as the stream of new content that is being pumped out by its active community of fans. As a result, Skyrim's current profit falls short of its eventual profit over the entire course of its existence, meaning that its value should be more though not much more than the numbers that have been presented so far.
Furthermore, it should be noted that Skyrim has created a fair amount of goodwill for Bethesda, which in turn, means an increased chance for players who liked Skyrim to buy other Elder Scrolls games as well as other Bethesda games in the future. Although this potential for future profits is not as good as actual profits, it is nonetheless worth something on its own. However, coming up with a value for this accumulated goodwill is pointless, both because goodwill cannot be valued until a brand has been sold and because Skyrim is not a franchise in its own right but an installment in the Elder Scrolls franchise, meaning that the goodwill generated by it cannot be separated from the goodwill generated by the rest of the games.
What Is the Elder Scrolls Franchise Worth?
In total, the Elder Scrolls franchise consists of multiple installments as well as a number of spin-offs:
1. The first Elder Scrolls game is The Elder Scrolls: Arena in 1994, which was inspired by pen and paper RPGs as well as the Ultima Underworld franchise that was popular at the time. It was never meant to be an action RPG, but over time, it picked up more and more RPG elements until it became recognizable as the earliest predecessor to Skyrim. Initially, it received a distribution of no more than 20,000 copies because of marketing concerns as well as Bethesda's low market power at the time, but its sales increased more and more as awareness spread through word-of-mouth marketing. (3)
2. In 1996, The Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall was released in order to ride on the momentum of Bethesda's initial success. It boasted a number of improvements on its predecessor's RPG elements, while also drawing influence from a wider range of sources that those that had led to Arena. On the whole, Daggerfall had some success, but the franchise as a whole remained relatively low-key at this time. (3)
3. After Daggerfall, Bethesda started on Battlespire and Redguard, which were based in the same setting as the rest of the games but took a different direction in the sense that they cut down on the RPG elements while shrinking the size of the game world. As a result, they met with a poor reception from Bethesda's fans, who were interested in the franchise because of the elements that had been excised. (3)
4. In response to the failures of Battlespire and Redguard, Bethesda released The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind in 2002 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in 2006. Having learned its lesson, Bethesda focused on making these installments bigger and better than their predecessors by using the latest techniques and technologies, thus resulting in more realistic but also more expensive-to-make games. (3)
5. Since Skyrim, Bethesda has released The Elder Scrolls Online, which retain its predecessors' nature as action RPGs but adapted for an online game. Originally, players needed a subscription to play, but poor sales resulted in the cancellation of that requirement as well as a shift in focus to selling DLCs. (3)
Evaluating the Elder Scrolls Franchise
There are few numbers available on sales for the Elder Scrolls franchise, which makes it difficult to evaluate its worth on the whole. However, it is important to note that Skyrim has been responsible for the bulk of its sales, seeing as how Morrowind and Oblivion sold 4 million and 3 million copies respectively while Elder Scrolls Online managed no more than 770,000 users 3 months after its launch. (5) As a result, while the Elder Scrolls franchise still possesses plenty of potential for future profits, it is clear that there is a limit to how much the goodwill of Bethesda's fans can be stretched before they choose to play something else. Bethesda learned its lesson from its previous flops, but it remains to be seen whether it will learn its lesson from its online failure.
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In a game where you can get accumulate countless trinkets, get married and adopt children, it only makes sense you can dabble in home ownership too. Skyrim Houses unlock when you complete certain quests and hand over a sizeable amount of gold, allowing you to have a base in some of the game's biggest cities.
Each house also allows you to upgrade and furnish each domicile for a small fee, and with the advent of the Hearthfire expansion, allows you to own additional plots of land and build your own, too.
Where to buy houses in Skyrim
Breezehome (Whiterun)
Cost: 5000 Gold
Location: From where you enter Whiterun, it's the second building on the right, after Warmaiden's.
How to unlock: To purchase it, talk to Proventus Avenicci in Dragonsreach (we found in him the Living Quarters) after you've completed the Dragons Rising story mission.
Hjerim (Windhelm)
Cost: 12,000 Gold
Location: This is in the North West corner of the city, opposite the House of Cruel-Sea.
How to unlock: Complete the 'Blood on the Ice' quest in Windhelm, which you can trigger by heading to the graveyard past midnight. Part of the quest has you access the house, after of which you can speak to Jorlief in the Palace of Kings, who will sell it to you.
Elder Scrolls Skyrim Costume
Honeyside (Riften)
Cost: 8000 Gold
Location: From where you enter Riften, take a right, and it's the house at the end on the corner.
How to unlock: You have to buy this on the way to becoming Thane in Riften. To do this, you need to impreess Jarl Laila Law-Giver of Riften - you can do this by completing the skooma dealer quest (chat to Wujeeta in the Riften Fishery in the docks area to start the trail), and after that, increasing your reputation of Riften's citizens by running errands (run around and they'll give you tasks to do). After that, report back to the Jarl, then chat to the Steward Anuriel to purchase it.
Proudspire Manor (Solitude)
Cost: 25,000 Gold
Elder Scrolls Skyrim Cost System
Location: You can find this in the centre on the high street, on the right 'branch' of the city, next to Skyrim Faction Bards College.
How to unlock: You can buy this on the way to becoming Solitude's Thane. Visit Falk Firebeard in Solitude who will ask you to clear out an nearby cave. Chat to Jarl Elisif the Fair saying you've placed the horn at the shrine, then chat to Falk Firebeard again to get the chance to purchase the property.
Vlindrel Hall (Markarth)
Cost: 8000 Gold
Location: To locate this, as soon as you enter the city, turn right and take the steep set of stairs in the corner. Take the next set of steep stairs up again, and the house is at the very top.
Elder Scrolls Skyrim Cost Laptop
How to unlock: There are a few ways to get this property, the easiest is by siding with the Stormcloaks in the Civil War and then chatting to Jarl Thongvor Silver-Blood. Otherwise, go to Understone Keep within Markarth and chat to Jarl Igmund. Earn his trust and complete his questline, where Steward Raerek will allow you to buy it.
From visual upgrades, to console mods and levelling skills.
Elder Scrolls Skyrim Cost Build
Want more help with Skyrim? Find out how to join every guild and faction, how to earn Gold fast, learning about XP and levelling to 100, max Crafting skills, max Warrior skills, max Thief skills and max Mage skills, how to get married, where to buy a house, how to start Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn DLC expansions. If you're on PC, we have a list of console commands and cheats, and you can learn about the remastered version and how to install mods with our Skyrim guide. Finally, with Switch owners, we have Skyrim amiibo support explained to help unlock special Zelda-themed items.
Elder Scrolls Skyrim Costumes
How to build houses in Skyrim
If you own the Hearthfire expansion (which comes as part of the Special Edition) you are able to buy three plots across different holds and build houses on them. Here's how to unlock each plot:
Heljarchen Hall (The Pale hold)
In a game where you can get accumulate countless trinkets, get married and adopt children, it only makes sense you can dabble in home ownership too. Skyrim Houses unlock when you complete certain quests and hand over a sizeable amount of gold, allowing you to have a base in some of the game's biggest cities.
Each house also allows you to upgrade and furnish each domicile for a small fee, and with the advent of the Hearthfire expansion, allows you to own additional plots of land and build your own, too.
Where to buy houses in Skyrim
Breezehome (Whiterun)
Cost: 5000 Gold
Location: From where you enter Whiterun, it's the second building on the right, after Warmaiden's.
How to unlock: To purchase it, talk to Proventus Avenicci in Dragonsreach (we found in him the Living Quarters) after you've completed the Dragons Rising story mission.
Hjerim (Windhelm)
Cost: 12,000 Gold
Location: This is in the North West corner of the city, opposite the House of Cruel-Sea.
How to unlock: Complete the 'Blood on the Ice' quest in Windhelm, which you can trigger by heading to the graveyard past midnight. Part of the quest has you access the house, after of which you can speak to Jorlief in the Palace of Kings, who will sell it to you.
Elder Scrolls Skyrim Costume
Honeyside (Riften)
Cost: 8000 Gold
Location: From where you enter Riften, take a right, and it's the house at the end on the corner.
How to unlock: You have to buy this on the way to becoming Thane in Riften. To do this, you need to impreess Jarl Laila Law-Giver of Riften - you can do this by completing the skooma dealer quest (chat to Wujeeta in the Riften Fishery in the docks area to start the trail), and after that, increasing your reputation of Riften's citizens by running errands (run around and they'll give you tasks to do). After that, report back to the Jarl, then chat to the Steward Anuriel to purchase it.
Proudspire Manor (Solitude)
Cost: 25,000 Gold
Elder Scrolls Skyrim Cost System
Location: You can find this in the centre on the high street, on the right 'branch' of the city, next to Skyrim Faction Bards College.
How to unlock: You can buy this on the way to becoming Solitude's Thane. Visit Falk Firebeard in Solitude who will ask you to clear out an nearby cave. Chat to Jarl Elisif the Fair saying you've placed the horn at the shrine, then chat to Falk Firebeard again to get the chance to purchase the property.
Vlindrel Hall (Markarth)
Cost: 8000 Gold
Location: To locate this, as soon as you enter the city, turn right and take the steep set of stairs in the corner. Take the next set of steep stairs up again, and the house is at the very top.
Elder Scrolls Skyrim Cost Laptop
How to unlock: There are a few ways to get this property, the easiest is by siding with the Stormcloaks in the Civil War and then chatting to Jarl Thongvor Silver-Blood. Otherwise, go to Understone Keep within Markarth and chat to Jarl Igmund. Earn his trust and complete his questline, where Steward Raerek will allow you to buy it.
From visual upgrades, to console mods and levelling skills.
Elder Scrolls Skyrim Cost Build
Want more help with Skyrim? Find out how to join every guild and faction, how to earn Gold fast, learning about XP and levelling to 100, max Crafting skills, max Warrior skills, max Thief skills and max Mage skills, how to get married, where to buy a house, how to start Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn DLC expansions. If you're on PC, we have a list of console commands and cheats, and you can learn about the remastered version and how to install mods with our Skyrim guide. Finally, with Switch owners, we have Skyrim amiibo support explained to help unlock special Zelda-themed items.
Elder Scrolls Skyrim Costumes
How to build houses in Skyrim
If you own the Hearthfire expansion (which comes as part of the Special Edition) you are able to buy three plots across different holds and build houses on them. Here's how to unlock each plot:
Heljarchen Hall (The Pale hold)
Cost: 5000 Gold
Location: 'Just follow the road south from Dawnstar, past Fort Dunstad, then head south. The land is near Giants' Gap, right on the board with Whiterun Hold.'
How to unlock: Android para pc 32 bits. Chat to whoever the Jarl is at Dawnstar's The White Hall to get the ball rolling on becoming Thane in the Pale to unlock this. If it's Jarl Skald then prepare to complete the quests 'Waking Nightmare' and a mission to kill a nearby Giant, whereas Jarl Brina (depending on the main story actions) should grant you access immediately. Here is itvd showing its purchase and location:
Lakeview Manor (Falkreath hold)
Cost: 5000 Gold
Location: 'Follow the road east from Falkreath, then north at the crossroads. Turn left just past Pinewatch.'
How to unlock: If you are the Thane of Falkreath, you'll receive a letter from a courier saying the plot is available to buy. If not, then becoming level 9 and above will see the letter come to you. Visit Jarl Siddgeir in the Jarl's Longhouse and complete the quest offered to you and the plot will then become available from the Steward. If you need it, here's Atroization with a complete walkthrough:
Windstad Manor (Hjaalmarch hold)
Cost: 5000 Gold
Location: 'On the coast, across the Karth delta from Solitude.'
How to unlock: Head to Highmoon Hall in Morthal and chat to Jarl Idgrod Ravencrane to start the 'Laid to Rest' quest. Once done, chat to the steward and ask about a house - they won't be one, but instead you'll get offered a plot of land instead. If you need it, here's TheJordanJames with a complete walkthrough:
