The Elder Scrolls: Best Exploits

Summary

• Exploits in Elder Scrolls games allow players to glitch through walls, steal without consequences, and boost attributes infinitely.
• Utilizing everyday objects like paintbrushes, plates, and platters allows players to access hidden areas and manipulate game mechanics.
• Exploiting the restoration loop in Skyrim enables players to create invincible armor and powerful weapons by combining alchemy and enchanting.

The Elder Scrolls series is known for its libertarian design philosophy, letting players do whatever they like, in whichever way they like. Intentionally or not, Bethesda seems happy to cater to players who have a good time by thoroughly breaking games through the various exploits that have persisted throughout all of its games.

These exploits involve using a game mechanic that was never intended to be used in a certain way to make absurd amounts of gold, become unimaginably powerful, or get to places where players were not meant to go. Bugs are usually seen as a negative, but as exploits, they can sometimes be useful to the player. It isn’t technically cheating, but it sure looks that way, given how easy it is to pull off these exploits.

Basket On Head – Skyrim

See No Evil, Witness No Crime

This exploit is perfect for thieves who like to laugh directly in their victim’s face when they steal from them. NPCs in Skyrim rely on line-of-sight to detect crimes, but they don’t seem to mind if someone were to place a basket, bucket, or pot over their head, at least not until a few days later when they might hire some thugs to mete out retribution.

This leaves the player free to pilfer everything in the merchant’s store that isn’t nailed down, so long as the obscuring item doesn’t accidentally fall off their heads. It’s just one of several hilarious glitches Bethesda has let lie over the years despite their widespread infamy. Some receptacles are easier to fit onto NPCs than others, and naturally, the larger-sized objects go on easier.

Paintbrush Platforming – Oblivion

Elevated By Art, In A Manner Of Speaking

In Oblivion, “paint brushes” are scattered around Cyrodiil as random items found in crates and chests. These items were not shipped with physics properties, but for whatever reason, they do have collision boxes. This means that if a player drops a paintbrush, it will remain in the air, unaffected by gravity.

Because the brushes physically push the player, they can be jumped on and used as a platform. By collecting enough paint brushes, the player can construct a floating bridge or ramp to reach places that are supposed to be out of bounds. Paintbrushes are definitely not a replacement for levitation, a spell that simply lets players fly through the open world, as it can be somewhat tedious to drop one paintbrush at a time.

The Limeware Platter & The Warehouse Key – Morrowind

Two Classic Early-Game Exploits

This exploit doesn’t exactly crack the physics engine of Nirn wide open, but it is probably one that every Morrowind player who eschews the delights of roleplaying in favor of the pleasures of money-making will stand by as their first best activity. The limeware platter in the census office proudly proclaims itself to be worth 650 gold, and despite being within the line of sight of multiple members of the Imperial Legion, it can be filched without much effort.

Picking it up prompts the guard to come on over with a stern word, but dropping the platter before he arrives, then picking it up again after he finishes his tut-tutting, leaves the platter open for the taking in the eyes of the law. The same goes for the warehouse key in the final room beyond the courtyard with Fargoth’s ring, which opens the way to more easy loot in the warehouse opposite the census exit.

Plate Clipping – Skyrim

Sprint-Jumping Through Matter

From the deepest caverns to the highest mountaintops, Skyrim‘s beautiful landscape brims with magic. One of the most unorthodox magical tools is the humble plate, found in homesteads, hovels, and inns across the land.

By angling it with the bottom facing the player while holding it in front of the camera with the grab button, players can clip through just about any door or wall by sprinting or performing the Whirlwind Sprint shout. It is helpful to carry multiple plates to get out from the other side after completing whatever nefarious thieving or unnatural exploration activities they set their heart on.

The Power-Crouching Sneak Technique – Oblivion

Passively Rising Through The Ranks Of Stealth

This exploit is so easy that it can be done at level one with the player away from the keyboard or controller, even before the end of the tutorial. The Sneak skill in Oblivion rises whenever the player moves around unseen while crouching in the presence of an enemy. Players can set their character to auto-walk into a wall while crouching around these types of NPCs.

The ideal candidates are the goblins encountered during the tutorial (especially the one by the mortar and pestle) or Rufio, found in the Inn of Ill Omen. Players need to return to “accept” their progress at levels 25, 50, and 75 before attaining master rank at 100. Those who prefer to play with a controller can use a rubber band or duct tape their stick in the direction of the nearest dark corner.

Only Processing The Player’s Previous Crime – Daggerfall

The Long Arm And Short Memory Of The Law

Although it had a very sophisticated crime and punishment system for its time (and still ahead of contemporary RPGs in many respects), justice in Daggerfall has a fatal flaw. When the guards come running (halt!) at the player for committing a crime, the only illegal act they will actually process is the one committed last.

This means that the player can go on a killing spree and, upon being caught, quickly pickpocket a few coins to get, at worst, a sentencing based on petty larceny. Then again, given the immense size of the world in Daggerfall, it might just be easier to flee into the hills.

Ascending To The Heavens By Alchemy – Morrowind

A Permanent Buff To Any Attribute

Savvy players need not master the concept of CHIM to ascend to godhood in Morrowind. Players can exploit the game’s alchemy system to boost their attributes far beyond their natural limits. By crafting potions that fortify Intelligence and drinking them before creating the next batch, players can create progressively stronger potions.

Once Intelligence reaches absurd levels, players can make potions that grant permanent bonuses to Strength, Speed, or any other attribute (although Speed probably shouldn’t be taken too high as it makes Morrowind unplayable) with the effect’s durations in in-game days. This exploit turns the player into an unstoppable force that is easily more powerful than the Tribunal combined, capable of taking millions of fireballs directly in the face or one-shotting the toughest enemies.

The Restoration Loop – Skyrim

Utterly Breaking The Laws Of Physics Via Enchanting And Alchemy

The “Restoration Loop” is one of the most well-known exploits to have survived years of patches and re-releases, allowing players to imbue upon themselves millions of hit points and world-rending physical strength. This involves leveling the Alchemy and Enchanting skills to above 50, gathering ingredients for a “Fortify Enchantment” potion, and learning the “Fortify Alchemy” enchantment.

The two effects loop endlessly, so long as the player takes off their potion-making gear between potion sips, making it possible to enchant invincible armor, god-slaying weapons, and brews with near-everlasting effects.