Modder gives Skyrim the Nemesis enemy system from Shadow of Mordor

A modder has incorporated the Nemesis enemy system from the Middle-Earth games in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. With the mod, virtually any enemy, when defeated by the player, can become a ‘nemesis’ with a unique name, stats and abilities.

the mod Shadow of Skyrim: Nemesis and Alternative Death System adopts some traits of the renowned Nemesis principle from Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War. When a random enemy defeats the Dragonborn, the creature or person gains new traits within a certain theme. Creator Syclonix cites the example of an Argonian who earns the name Breaks-Many-Shields by beating the player. From that moment on, the player can no longer use shields due to a debuff.

Only when the nemesis is defeated, indicated in Skyrim’s usual quest log, can the negative status effect be resolved. That’s not the only downside to being defeated by an enemy, though. For example, a nemesis can ‘steal’ the player’s equipment or gold, which makes him even stronger for the next battle. The player can have five arch enemies at the same time.

Another feature of the mod is the contextual respawn system. By default, players must load a saved file when they die in Skyrim. With the mod, the player respawns instead, basically relatively close to the most recent death spot.

According to the modder, Shadow of Skyrim: Nemesis and Alternative Death System is a “nod” to the Nemesis system of Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, and not a direct copy. Indeed, the latter games also contain, for example, an internal hierarchy system of orc captains and warchiefs. In the Skyrim mod, the enemies are only related to the player, not to each other. Still, the question is how long the mod can continue to exist. Warner Bros. knew at the end of last year a patent on the Nemesis system.

All ‘normal’ enemies can become a nemesis. This includes gatekeepers, bandits, but also Mudcrabs and dragons. Only essential NPCs and quest-related characters are excluded.