'Beyond Skyrim' Cyrodiil Progress Update

In case we haven't made it clear, we are very passionate about fan projects here. From Fallout, to Skyrim - even DOOM, there are tons of impassioned fans that have poured their heart and soul into mod projects to pay homage to their favourite franchises. One of the more well-known undertakings is the Beyond Skyrim mod, and it's as ambitious as it is visually stunning.

The team behind this incredibly impressive project for the Cyrodiil side just gave their fans a sneak peek at the progress being made with their October update.

According to their latest blog post, "Progress on Cyrodiil continues apace. Quest implementation for the city of Kvatch is very close to complete – we've included a few screenshots to tease the varied quest content in the city, which was heavily informed by feedback from Bruma. We're also preparing to resume regular voice recording after a post-Bruma hiatus – stay tuned for some teases of the upcoming performances from our fantastic voice cast."

They added, "Landscaping work continues apace, bolstered by new tree assets – some created in-house by Disrecord and John, others graciously given to us by the Skyblivion and Enderal teams as part of what we hope will be a long and fruitful asset-sharing collaboration. We've also begun working on the province's exterior lighting to more vividly portray Cyrodiil's unique climates."

Beyond Skyrim is a stunning project that has been so long in the making while continuously making leaps and bounds towards completion. For more about this incredible project:

"Beyond Skyrim: Cyrodiil adds the entirety of the Imperial Province of Cyrodiil to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim as a fully-explorable 'expansion-style' region. Your adventure will see you explore sprawling wilderness, bustling cities and perilous dungeons as you complete epic, all-new quests. An all-new adventure awaits."

• A Broken Land – Explore Cyrodiil as you have never seen it before. Whether you are traversing the snow-covered Jerall Mountains, haggling with the many merchants of the Imperial City, or exploring the lush Gold Coast, you will experience the changes of the 200 years since the events of Oblivion. Cyrodiil is a land scarred by the recent Great War and the tribulations of an Empire in decline. Carve out your legend in this shattered land.
• Adventure Calls – Cyrodiil is a land filled with adventure. Whether you join the Fighters Guild, the College of Whispers or the Thieves Guild, expect a tightly-woven narrative with plenty of player choice and consequence. And, as you explore the world, prepare to partake in a bounty of equally interesting side quests. Cyrodiil is a land just waiting for you to conquer its challenges.
• The Seat of Sundered Kings – As the Empire is in decline and political conflict ensues, wade into the conflict. Pick a side. Crown an Emperor.
• The Knights of the Nine – While the Empire collapses and Tamriel's denizens bicker, an ancient and deadly evil awakens within the depths of the Ayleid ruin of Ninendava. Will you be able to contain this threat before it undoes Cyrodiil itself? Or will Cyrodiil fall once again to ancient masters?
• A Whole Armory of New Gear – Cyrodilic armor, weapons and clothing are vastly different from the Nordic designs of Skyrim. Loot or buy Cyrodilic gear during your adventure. A veritable armory of new gear awaits.
• Professional Voice Acting – With voice actors from such titles as Dust: An Elysian Tail, Wasteland 2 and Heroes of Newerth and incredibly careful writing and narrative design, expect to interact with some of the most colorful, diverse and rich characters ever seen in The Elder Scrolls.
• A Polished, Cohesive Experience – Cyrodiil is brought to life with an entirely new original soundtrack, full voice acting, a whole bestiary of new creatures and a whole library's worth of original, lore-friendly and tirelessly quality-controlled new in-game books.

A project born of a pure love for a series that never quite lived up to its full potential, it's been years in the making and still has quite the journey ahead. The video above is only a small part of their work, but you can learn even more directly from their website.

You can contact the author of this story on Twitter @DirtyEffinHippy.