A new Skyrim mod aims to improve the usually-useless left hand of your created character (or monstrosity) by giving it the power to pummel enemies across Tamriel’s frozen tundras.
While it might not be one of the best Skyrim mods, the ELAF Left Hand Shield Bash allows your unarmed left hand to go to use when it isn’t wielding a shield, dagger or little lightning spell. Instead, you can wield the power of the Iron Fist and punch them into next week or, more realistically, a nearby well, pond, wall or market stall.
Skyrim’s lack of use of the unarmed left hand has always seemed like a weird oversight. While there are plenty of uses for your character’s left hand to hold something useful, it simply does nothing when left unequipped. You can engage in a simple push, a satisfying backhand or even flip the bird at a pesky mudcrab.
Once you install the mod, alongside multiple dependencies, you can use a “bashing attack… a punch that can throw enemies to the ground” without any weapon in your off-hand. It works in both first or third person, but be warned that the “mod only cover[s] animations while bashing with one-handed weapons and free left hand.”
It’s a small addition to Skyrim’s already monumentally sized sandbox, but one that does make sense to have. It’s not essential, but it’s a small win for immersion, especially as modders have strived to make Skyrim more immersive through the use of hardcore mods. It also makes fights quite a bit easier.
As its creator states: "I don't think it's balanced, but it's quite fun."
So far, mod users are loving this quite trivial addition and are excited by the extra amount of punching they can do across the Nordic landscape of Skyrim. Let’s see how you like this, Jarl Ulfric.
“Works perfectly. Now I can punch bandits without my bow. Knuckle sandwiches for everyone,” one fan wrote. “I always wanted to do this! You, my dear, are a genius!” says another.
As Starfield modders leave Bethesda’s latest RPG over a lack of mod tools and a feeling of abandonment, Skyrim is still the go-to game for modders almost 13 years after its initial release. Of course, there’s also the slew of best Fallout mods from most of the same talented modders, but Skyrim still reigns supreme.
Skyrim is currently available in numerous forms on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and even mobile via Xbox Cloud Gaming.