The Bee That Broke Skyrim
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Published 2021-11-12
Skyrim's opening cart scene has become iconic since the game's release ten years ago, but it nearly didn't happen due to a bug that derailed the whole thing… quite literally.
In this video, Kurt Indovina chats with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim senior world artist Nate Purkeypile about the bee that broke the game's classic intro. In the decade since its release, Skyrim's opening has become synonymous with the meme which spawned "Hey you, you're finally awake.'' For a lot of players, seeing the intro means a new journey through Northern Tamriel awaits, but for Purkeypile, seeing the intro again is a bit of a touchy subject.
Purkeypile breaks down the story of the mysterious bug that plagued the game's opening cart scene, and the many layers it took to unravel to find the bug and fix it. With Purkeypile, Kurt helps carry the story along, while regaling his own passion for Bethesda's epic fantasy RPG.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition comes out on November 11 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with next-gen upgrades for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Follow Nate Purkeypile on Twitter: twitter.com/NPurkeypile
#Skyrim
All Comments (21)
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Somehow, a fucking bee being the source of one the most infamous bugs in gaming history is fitting.
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I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took collision to the bee
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It wouldnt be a Bethesda game without incredibly complicated and weird bugs😄
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It's been 10 years just to learn that a bug was literally caused ny a bug. See, Bethesda's bugs ARE features
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I've played skyrim for over 1000 hours and i never knew bees had collisions, moreover they can be killed with meele weapons. Wow
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Alduin: I'M THE MOST POWERFUL BEING IN THE GAME, THE FINAL BOSS, THE WORLD EATER Bee: Pathetic.
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I once had a butterfly tried to kidnap my hearthfire son. He was sort of half standing on the stairs, talking to me about his pet mud crab or whatever. When this butterfly came along, flew underneath his foot that was slightly hanging off the stair, then flew up taking my son with him up into the sky. I spent the next 5 minutes or something trying to get my son back! Jumping around trying to swat the butterfly out of the air, trying to pinpoint shoot the butterfly and not my son. It was so ridiculous that it made me love Skyrim even more.
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5:08 the way he says “no this can’t be happening! This isn’t happening!” As the carriage is rocking around is so funny
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This is literally like that invader Zim episode where a bee running into Zim's ship causes it to crash and burn
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The bug never vanished lol, there are still playthroughs where the cart will just explode
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"Like an actual bug" -Referring to a virtual bee "Like an actual bug" -Referring to a software glitch
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Just two days ago on Anniversary I found out at the Farming CC Item I could stand on bees and hover in the air. So I knew exactly what the problem was reading the title.
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Imagine reading the crash/QA report of this: there is a bug on the bug which causes a bug on the bug, which eventually lead to the bug
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that man looks so young considering its been ten years since he was at a veteran position
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"NOO NOT THE BEEEES!" - Nic Cage
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Fun fact I found out by accident...you can shoot the bugs with your bow.
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I had almost the same thing happen; I'd had a mod installed (I think it was "Eerie Encounters") to try and make more of a Halloween/horror atmosphere. Started a fresh game to go along with the new set of mods. THEN, during the opening, a werewolf would appear on the trail (one of the "Eerie Encounters"), attack the riders, and as soon as the riders were out of the way, the wolf would turn around and slap the horse pulling the wagon AND WE HAVE LIFT OFF!
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For anyone that gets an issue at the cart scene with the carts flying around. Usually it's a refresh rate issue. If you decrease the refresh rate of your monitor that you run the game on then it should fix you problem. You can turn it back up after the intro scene. It's because at a higher refresh rate the cart catches up to the horse that has a set velocity, and so the carts go crazy and bump around.
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Will never get tired of dev stories/anecdotes like these. Another great video, Kurt!
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When an unstoppable force meets a bee 😆.
