If the hordes of horror and massive dragons are not yet tough enough for hardcore "Skyrim" players, this might strike their fancy. The upcoming update will be stepping it up a notch as the character's physiology and an unforgiving weather condition will be entering the fray.

'Skyrim' on steroids

Game developer Bethesda recently announced that "Skyrim's" Beta Version of its upcoming Survival Mode is now ready for download over on Steam. The new game segment is part of the highly contested Creation Club and at the time of writing, it is currently offered free of charge for one week.

After that, would-be players will have to shell out $8 from their pockets.

If the patch notes for "Skyrim" update 1.5 are to be based, it may well seem that this could be the most challenging expansion to date. With tons of realism tweaks, Survival mode will definitely make players grind more to stay alive.

Feed me more

Per Bethesda's post, the character at play will now feel hunger over time. If left unattended, players will have the difficulty to wield weapons, not to mention that their stamina decreases.

Eating food replenishes these factors provided that it's adequate and cooked. Otherwise, players might contract food poisoning and this will inhibit players from acquiring health bonuses until its effect disappears.

Heat is your friend

Another factor that will come to play is "Skyrim's" biting cold. Players who'll be traversing the game's snowcapped/rainy areas will increase their cold.

This in return will decrease players' total health that eventually affects their speed and skills. To counteract these, players can sip some hot soup, stand near a fire, stay indoors, hold torches, and go to warmer regions. It is also believed that wearing a thick armor will also help as it is said to have higher warmth attributes.

Survival Mode also disabled "Skyrim's" Fast Travel feature. That being said, players need to utilize the normal modes of transport within the game - walking, horseback, boat, and carriage. These will, of course, decrease players' stamina and are expected to feel tired, cold, and hungry after the journey.

The new content will also usher in other factors like the reduction of carrying weight, health regeneration getting disabled, diseases, and shrines no longer curing diseases for free. Icy rivers can now potentially kill players while leveling up will require them to sleep in a proper bed. Fans might want to check Bethesda's News page for a more detailed look into "Skyrim's" Survival Mode.

Check out a video about this upcoming content here:
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