Skyrim’s Blackreach gets gorgeous Unreal Engine 5 remake

When you give Blackreach from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim an Unreal Engine 5 makeover it almost makes you want to explore it, almost.

Blackreach is Skyrim’s underground cave system that players, more often than not, stumble into on complete accident. There’s several lifts and staircases leading down to the area from the overworld and its dungeons, and for many it’s the worst area in the game, especially with that Nirnroot quest.

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Many travellers have gotten lost in its depths, becoming prey to the various creatures that call it home, but when it’s got some sweet Unreal Engine 5 lighting it isn’t that bad.

The YouTuber Leo Torres recently posted a video of the underground area with a fresh coat of paint thanks to Lumen, an Unreal Engine 5 tool that enhances lighting and reflections in games. While the confusing layout is the worst part of Blackreach the visuals are actually quite colourful and pretty, with the Unreal Engine upgrade making it drop-dead gorgeous in comparison.

The remade area reportedly has sixteen times more detail than Bethesda’s version, and is much bigger giving players a better idea of the sheer size and scale the underground locations boasts. It’s also gloriously illuminated by the glowing flowers and mushrooms, all of which look beautiful with Lumen added over them.

You’ll still want a torch or a light spell if you want to explore the area but it’s a vast improvement over the original and could actually warrant an expedition into the depths.

Unfortunately interested players cannot explore the upgraded area for themselves as Leo Torres hasn’t made the remade map downloadable. Nevertheless if you want to achieve similar improvements on your own version of the game there’s bound to be plenty of mods that’ll get you close.

For those who don’t want to bother with all of that just sit tight, as Bethesda is probably working on yet another Skyrim remaster using Unreal Engine 5 to do it.