Skyrim modders restore cursed mannequins after Bethesda patches them out

Skyrim
(Image credit: Bethesda)

After Bethesda patched one of Skyrim's most notorious bugs, the game's community has restored the weirdly beloved glitch.

If you're unfamiliar, the bug itself sees Skyrim's mannequins come to life and act like real people, which they're obviously not supposed to do. This bug has existed in Skyrim since its launch over a decade ago in late 2011 and has strangely become synonymous with the whole RPG.

Now, though, Bethesda has patched out the moving mannequins. As PCGamesN reports, the Skyrim developer has launched a new patch for Skyrim, including a fix for the moving mannequins, explicitly rendering them immobile. 

But there's hope yet for Skyrim players mourning their beloved wooden companions. Uploaded just earlier this week was the 'Mannequins Move' mod on NexusMods which, according to the mod's own description, makes it so that the "mannequins should no longer not move."

Some smaller aspects of Skyrim have become notorious among its massive fanbase in the years since launch, and you can definitely count the moving mannequins among that number. Take the "arrow to the knee" line for example, which was just recently referenced in the adventure game Stray

If you're looking for others ways to freshen up Bethesda's classic RPG over a decade after launch, we can't recommend the Skyrim Together mod enough. The mod simply enables online co-op throughout Skyrim's vast lands, entirely transforming the RPG with one simple but painstakingly-crafted mechanics. 

You can check out our guide to the best Skyrim quests to see if there's any top-tier missions you missed out on in your time with the huge RPG.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.