Skyrim Players Shocked by Bethesda’s ‘Diabolical’ Default Character Setup After 14 Years

Before The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim became a defining title in gaming history and one of the best-selling games ever, it was showcased as a demo at the 2011 E3 event. The 21-minute presentation from Bethesda provided an in-depth look at the game’s mechanics and its evolution from the beloved Elder Scrolls series. A memorable moment from this demo is Bethesda’s executive producer Todd Howard famously stating that players could climb any mountain in sight. Now, 14 years later, fans are revisiting the demo and uncovering some amusing details they initially overlooked.

The demo kicks off with Howard showcasing dual-wielding, Standing Stones, and basic combat. About four minutes and twenty-five seconds in, he quickly navigates through his character’s skill menu. To everyone’s surprise, the default character, set in the game’s open world, is revealed to have an almost maxed-out Destruction skill. It’s not uncommon for game studios to use leveled-up characters in demos to highlight the game’s best features, but this detail is particularly funny to fans, with some even calling it “diabolical.”

Here’s Howard, looking like a broke NPC wielding some of the weakest weapons in the game, yet he’s secretly a master wizard. He takes down initial enemies with a sword, despite melee being one of his weakest skills. Things get even more chaotic when he contracts the Rockjoint disease mid-combat. Meanwhile, he possesses Illusion skills that could make him invisible or pacify wolves, and he could even incite them into a frenzy without ever drawing his sword. To top it off, he’s sporting Elven armor that far outshines the gear his Nord character is actually wearing.

Once Howard enters Bleak Falls Barrow, the real action begins. He casts a spell that obliterates two wolves at once and uses dual Protection Circles against undead foes, who quickly become ragdolls. He unleashes fire spells that engulf the entire room, and while most players wait until they’re at a high level to tackle the dragon priest at the dungeon’s end—one of the game’s toughest enemies—Howard dispatches it in under 30 seconds.

Later, he strolls alongside an enemy mammoth that ignores him until he strikes. This seems odd until you realize Howard has a Sneak skill maxed out at 100. When a dragon appears, he simply watches as it wreaks havoc on an NPC. Once he decides to engage, he takes down the dragon almost instantly. A few moments later, he calls forth a storm to eliminate another dragon without lifting a finger.

Despite all these powerful abilities, Howard’s speech skills suggest that his all-powerful mage has never conversed with anyone before.

While these observations might seem like nitpicks, especially since demos aim to showcase what the game can do, fans are mostly just entertained by the details.

“I love the idea that you’re basically disguised as ‘unnamed bandit #3,'” one Skyrim fan commented in a discussion about Howard’s character build.

“Still deeply funny to me that the iron armor they show so prominently in the marketing is like the worst armor in the game that no player uses since you immediately find something better,” another added.

“At this rate, The Elder Scrolls 6 will be less technically advanced than Skyrim by the time it comes out.”