The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

THE BUZZ: In this video preview of the new 1.5 update for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, we get a look at some of the new features the game has received—such as kill cams, new melee kill moves, and more.

EGM’s TAKE: Update 1.5 is available now as a beta update on Steam, and will be coming soon to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game. Here’s the full list of new features and bug fixes, and then that promised video look at a few of those additions.

New Features
- New cinematic kill cameras for projectile weapons and spells
- New kill moves and animations for melee weapons
- Shadows on grass available (PC)
- Smithing skill increases now factor in the created item’s value
- Improved visual transition when going underwater
- Improved distance LOD transition for snowy landscapes

Bug Fixes
- General crash fixes and memory optimizations
- Fixed issue with Deflect Arrows perk not calculating properly
- In “A Cornered Rat,” the death of certain NPCs no longer blocks progression
- Fixed issue where Farkas would not give Companion’s quests properly
- Fixed crash when loading saves that rely on data that is no longer being loaded
- Followers sneak properly when player is sneaking
- Fixed issue with weapon racks not working properly in Proudspire Manor
- Arrows and other projectiles that were stuck in objects in the world now clean up properly
- Fixed issue where “Rescue Mission” was preventing “Taking Care of Business” from starting properly
- Fixed issue where certain NPCs would fail to become Thieves Guild fences
- Fixed issue in “Diplomatic Immunity” where killing all the guards in the Thalmor Embassy before starting the quest would break progress
- In “Hard Answers,” picking up the dwarven museum key after completing the quest, no longer restarts the quest
- Killing Viola before or after “Blood on the Ice” no longer blocks progression
- Fixed issue where Calixto would fail to die properly in “Blood on the Ice”
- In “Waking Nightmare” fixed occasional issue where Erandur would stop pathing properly
- Fixed issue where letters and notes with random encounters would appear blank
- Fixed rare issue where dialogue and shouts would improperly play
- Lydia will now offer marriage option after player purchases Breezehome in Whiterun
- Fixed issue where if player manually mined ore in Cidhna Mine, jail time would not be served
- Fixed rare issue with skills not increasing properly
- Fixed issue where the Headsman’s Axe did not gain proper buff from Barbarian perk
- In “A Night to Remember” it is no longer possible to kill Ysolda, Ennis or Senna before starting the quest
- Fixed issue with the ebony dagger having a weapon speed that was too slow
- Fixed issue with “The Wolf Queen Awakened” where backing out of a conversation with Styrr too soon would block progress
- The third level of the Limbsplitter perk now properly improves all battle axes
- Fixed a rare issue where Sanguine Rose would not work properly
- In “Tending the Flames” King Olaf’s Verse will no longer disappear from explosions