New Skyrim add-on makes reading maps feel a lot more immersive

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was one of the most immersive RPGs of its time, with new add-ons from modders further enhancing those features that made it feel so authentic.

Everything from the combat to the way quests are built has seen some kind of overhaul over the last 15 years, to the point where it can no longer resemble the same game if you have enough mods installed.

Similar to the mini-map mod for Skyrim that we covered last month, the game’s map and menu system is one such feature where fans have felt there could be room for more immersion.

This brand new mod called Read The Map does such a thing by making reading maps more realistic. Instead of launching yourself into a menu and opening up a floating map screen, you now have to carry an actual map in your inventory that you can open and physically look at.

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Read The Map for Skyrim makes the game's map system feel more immersive

The mod stops you from simply opening the map; instead, you need to go into your inventory (or access it via a hotkey) and physically pull the map out. If you try to press M without one, you’ll be hit with a message telling you which map you need.

The local map is now disabled after you enter a new interior, and you’ll need to fulfil up to three conditions to unlock it: either spend 300 seconds inside the interior, open up three doors, or clear the area if it’s a dungeon. This can be configured to your liking using the SKSE menu.

As for the larger areas, new map items have been added for purchase in the general stores, with eight of them available, covering the five great cities, Skyrim, Solstheim, and Blackreach.

There are also a bunch of options available to you; for example, maps are covered by keyword, where one rule can cover every location with an assigned keyword. There are optional ways to lock each map, with the outdoor world map unlocked and interiors locked for those who want to leave traversal indoors to the imagination.

Progress in the mod is saved per save file, so starting a new character afresh will reset all progress and allow you to start over.

You can download Read The Map now from the Skyrim page on Nexus Mods.

This new mod for Skyrim comes just days after Bethesda announced the title for The Elder Scrolls VI: Sentinel. Although the title was revealed in a short teaser, very little of the game was also shown off.

However, we do know that the upcoming sequel will be set in Hammerfell around five years after the events of Skyrim. A release window has not been announced either, but reports indicate that the game is still at least two years away from coming out.

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