Given how much Skyrim has continually evolved and expanded in the years since it was first released thanks to DLCs and modding, it can be easy for players starting fresh playthroughs in 2023 to forget about earning achievements.
After all, if you’ve got overhauled quests to play around with, interesting player homes to move into, or Batman costumes to try on, killing Alduin and going on a pilgrimage to level 81 might not be high on your priority list.
That said, some players on the Skyrim subreddit are currently reacting with surprise to the stats regarding just how low the completion percentages attached to one of the game’s more obscure trophies are.
How many Skyrim playthroughs have you sunk enough hours into to earn this achievement?
The discussion regarding this neglected memento on the Skyrim subreddit was kicked off by a post from user BlackTearDrop. They shared an image of the ‘Legend’ achievement they’d just earned on PC, which is earned by killing one of the legendary dragons that only spawn once you’ve hit level 78, pointing out that only 4% of players were listed as having unlocked it.
Fellow adventurer Middle_Play_4311 was quick to point out that the 4% number only applies to the game’s Special Edition on PC, with OG Skyrim on the same platform sitting at around 6.7% and the VR version of the game being less than one per cent.
They also pointed out a possible reason behind the figures, saying: “A lot of us got the achievement in the beginning and never got it on the newer editions. Many people just don't keep playing that long.”
A number of other users in the thread backed up this assertion by pointing out that the use of mods disables the earning of achievements or citing the effort required to hit the game’s highest levels, with get-tps saying: “I've killed hundreds of them, and never got the achievement.” and saltydaniel32 declaring: “Even if you still have achievements enabled (most don’t) level 80 is a tedious grind with little rewarding content.”
Meanwhile, user Wavvy73 revealed that they’re a part of the 4% that have the achievement, but only because they’ve made sure to keep a couple of their longer playthroughs completely vanilla.
Regardless of whether you’re now checking to see if you’ve managed to nab this rare prize during one of your many sojourns in Skyrim, make sure to follow us for more updates on The Elder Scrolls 6 and the interesting world of Skyrim modding. You can also check out our mods of the month for December 2022.