What is Empyrean?

A brief overview of what Empyrean is.
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Empyrean was born form a desire to see the world of Skyrim be both more punishing and rewarding for the player. In Vanilla, you could easily become a God by level 10, laying waste to enemies with ease, and clearing dungeons of undead without breaking a sweat. Vanilla Skyrim has also been rather bland, with NPCs having the same 4 lines of dialogue, no matter how many times you talk to them. The biggest sticking point for me though, was the main quest, and how excited and let down I was by the ending. Here you are, the Prophesied Dragonborn of Legend, given the power of the Dragonsblood to halt the end of the world at the hands of Alduin, the first born of Akatosh. In Vanilla, it was a very bland, and boring dragon fight, with a pretty backdrop. But that was it. You could feasibly complete the main quest by level 15. Empyrean aims to change that.

Survival

Empyrean makes use of survival mechanics that will require you to stay fed, hydrated, rested, and warm. Sleeping is also required to level your character, and skills are level capped based on your character level. Inn room prices have been adjusted, no more grabbing a room at the Winking Skeever in Solitude for 10 septims a night. If you don’t have the coin for a room, you can camp outside the city limits, making use of Campfire, and the Tentapalooza extension. Hunterborn will also aid you in your quest to stay fed, providing you with the ability to skin animals you’ve killed (or come across), as well as providing some nice features for a character who doesn’t enjoy civilization

Combat

MCO, Wildcat, and Valhalla are all included and make up the combat suite for Empyrean. Attack commitment, hit stop, and potential injuries to you and enemies. While there may be a small learning curve, it will be all the more rewarding defeating bandits, dragur, and even dragons.

Enemies

There are a few changes to how enemies work in Empyrean. Most notably, instead of being assigned base Skyrim values while the player makes use of all the Overhauls, enemies now ALSO make use of the overhauls, providing more challenge for the player. Enemies and dungeons have also been de-levelled, meaning Bleak Falls Barrow is no longer a level 1 quest. Enemy numbers have also been increased, to account for the added followers in Empyrean, in an attempt to balance the scales.

Magic

Magic is a dangerous art, and requires patience and dicipline. No longer can you just eat a spell tome and learn the spell. Now you must study it. Spell Tutor provides a new mechanic to learning Spells, which requires you to sit down in a safe place, and spend time learning the spell. THere is a chance of failure, and if you fail to learn the spell, there is a chance for the tome to be consumed, providing a burned or ruined book. The spell tome can also be returned to you, allowing you to try again another day. Spellforge and No Vendor Spell Tomes makes obtaining spell tomes a bit more challenging and rewarding. Vendors will only sell Novice level tomes (As well as the Spell Forge Manual). Spell Tomes can stil be found in loot, but remember Spell Tutor. You will not be able to just learn the spell you recovered from the chest, you will have to leave the dungeon and find a safe place to rest.

Power Fantasy

This is a VERY broad term, and needed its own category. Empyrean aims to take the player from feeble commoner to outright God, giving you the tools and equipment needed to become the Dragonborn of Legend. Enai Siaion’s full suite of mods is included to contribute to this power fantasy, providing unique racial bonuses, standing stone abilities, vampire, and werewolf overhauls. Reliquary of Myth governs the Artifacts, both Daedric and Aedric, and Legacy of the Dragonborn provides even more artifacts for you to discover and utilize.

Final Notes

My goal with Empyrean is to provide a challenging and rewarding experience with a focus on the main quest, and the player becoming the Dragonborn of Legend.

Alduins coming was prophesied in the Elder Scrolls, will you rise to the challenge and embrace your destiny Dovahkiin? Or will you crumble and fail, allowing the world to fall into darkness. The choice is yours.