Despite focusing on in-depth role-play, Skyrim players consume the Skooma drug, the series' latest release does not actually let players create their own.
Skooma plays a key role in Khajiit society as a product, and each game gives the dangerous narcotic different in-game effects. In Morrowind consuming the illicit substance grants the player character enhanced speed and strength for 20 seconds, though it also decreases their agility and intelligence for that same time. Oblivion's version of Skooma has similar effects, though intelligence is actually decreased permanently until the player visits an Altar or uses a special spell or potion. These attributes accurately reflect the effects of a real-life drug, with perceived benefits being outweighed by dangerous physical and mental side-effects. In this way Skooma potion effects are useful in Skyrim while remaining balanced and reflecting the lore of Tamriel.
However, Skyrim neuters Skooma by turning it from a dangerous narcotic into a potion that simply restores 25 points of stamina without drawbacks. This new use for Skooma greatly reduces the substance's usefulness, while also taking away the negative elements that made Skooma reflect real-world illicit substances. However, perhaps even more notable is the fact that players are unable to brew their own Skooma in Skyrim. The latest Elder Scrolls installment includes a robust alchemy system, letting players create both helpful potions and deadly poisons. Using the right combination of ingredients and a high Alchemy stat, players can effectively break the game by creating unstoppable concoctions. Alchemy in Skyrim can cause paralysis in characters, for example, but players are strangely unable to create Skooma despite a breadth of other options.
Skyrim Limits Players' Role-Play Potential
While the inability to brew Skooma in Skyrim may seem trivial, the missing feature illustrates a larger issue in the game's design. Despite being billed as a robust role-playing game, the fantasy title prevents players from doing most morally questionable acts. Children and plot-mandatory characters are completely immune to damage, limiting the amount of role-play scenarios. Skyrim's Hearthfire expansion lets the player's son stab them with a dagger, but the player is unable to actually defend themselves. Only tailor-made experiences, like the Dark Brotherhood questline, let players act morally corrupt. Whether players want to gain useful stamina potions or create a magical Breaking Bad adaptation, Skyrim's restriction of moral freedoms means fans are sadly unable to brew their own Skooma.
Creating Skooma sounds like a useful and profitable skill to learn in Skyrim, but Bethesda's game design philosophy does not allow for such radical action. Even Fallout switched from the plainly-stated "morphine" to "Med-X" after Bethesda's acquisition of the IP. Crafting an addictive narcotic is certainly villainous, but Skyrim players are also free to attack innocent civilians with abandon should they choose to do so, creating an odd disparity. For future Elder Scrolls installments after Skyrim, Bethesda will hopefully allow players to make their own choices about digital morality.
