11 years later, Skyrim modders add working ladders because Bethesda won't

Skyrim players are enjoying a new mod that allows them to ascend and descend ladders which, although sounds small, actually means a lot to the community. 

As highlighted in the Skyrim subreddit, a series of new mods allow players to ascend ladders in the Bethesda game properly. Technically, 'Everglaid’s animated traversal mod' does more than getting players to climb ladders, it actually adds new animations which allow them to vault over walls, duck under obstacles, squeeze through tight spaces, climb up onto ledges, and more. These actions can also be added in certain locations by modders who use the framework created by Everglaid.

You can see a video of the mod in action below. 

According to the mod's Nexus mod page, once implemented, the mod prompts players with commands such as "climb up" whenever there's an opportunity for further exploration. The thinking is "not to disregard basic platforming, but to help expand on complex level design related to non-linearity." It was apparently inspired by Resident Evil but doesn't add "dynamic terrain climbing systems" like Tomb Raider or Cyberpunk 2077.

Everglaid isn’t the only person working on the project either. Modder 'mfvicli' has also been hard at work developing patches for Everglaid’s mod and implementing the original mod’s animations and prompts into other locations in Skyrim. Before, the fan-made patch could only be experienced in a dedicated demo dungeon in the form of an original quest called 'Flat-Footed'. This quest is described as "a quick, lighthearted lore-friendly quest featuring custom assets and vertical dungeon design."

For now, this is a good solution for Bethesda’s lack of ladders in its games. Who knows, maybe the Skyrim studio will take a leaf out of Everglaid’s book for The Elder Scrolls 6? Which is still in the early stages of production, by the way. 

Wondering about the other ways you can enhance your game? Take a look at our list of best Skyrim mods for inspiration.