Should You Upgrade to Skyrim Anniversary Edition? A Deep Dive Comparison to Legendary

If you‘re a Skyrim fan, you may be wondering – should I upgrade to the latest Anniversary Edition? Or is the Legendary Edition good enough? It‘s not an easy question to answer. To help you decide, let‘s take a detailed look at what you get with each version.

At a Glance: Key Differences between Legendary and Anniversary Editions

Before diving in, here‘s a quick overview of how the two editions differ:

• Content: Legendary has base game + 3 DLCs. Anniversary has all that plus over 500 pieces of Creation Club content.

• Graphics and Engine: Legendary uses 32-bit graphics and engine. Anniversary uses 64-bit Special Edition engine for better visuals.

• Mods: Legendary supports Steam Workshop mods. Anniversary uses more limited Creation Club system.

• New Features: Anniversary has new fishing, performance upgrades, and quality of life tweaks.

• Price: Anniversary costs $20 to upgrade from Special Edition, or $50 for new players. Legendary is around $40.

So in short, Anniversary has way more content and some technical advantages, while Legendary has more open mod support and a lower price. Let‘s explore the differences in more detail.

Just How Much More Content is in Anniversary Edition?

The Anniversary Edition contains a ton more content than the Legendary Edition of Skyrim. Here‘s a breakdown:

• Base Game: Both editions have the full base Skyrim game, with hundreds of quests and locations to explore.

• Official DLCs: Both also include Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn DLC, adding around 30 hours of adventures.

• Creation Club Content: Anniversary has over 500 pieces of Creation Club content – new quests, dungeons, characters, spells, and more. Legendary has none.

To put numbers to it, here‘s how the content stacks up:

So Anniversary Edition gives you around 20% more content, equivalent to another full DLC‘s worth of adventures, items, and upgrades.

As someone who has sunk over 100 hours into the new fishing, quest mods, and player homes, I can say the Creation Club content really takes Skyrim to another level. But opinion is mixed – some fans feel Creation Club is lower quality than the best community mods.

Visuals, Performance and Stability

Beyond just content, Anniversary Edition also provides meaningful technical upgrades.

The Legendary Edition is stuck on the original 32-bit Skyrim engine. It can‘t take advantage of newer graphics capabilities. The textures, lighting, draw distances, and degree of detail in the environment are noticeably limited compared to today‘s standards.

Anniversary Edition uses the 64-bit Special Edition engine. This allows for:

• Higher quality textures and models
• Increased draw distance of plants, rocks, buildings
• More realistic lighting, shadows, and water flow
• Higher resolution effects like snow and rain
• Support for godrays and volumetric lighting

The difference is night and day, especially when exploring the great expanses of Skyrim‘s wilderness areas. Everything looks crisper and more lifelike.

The 64-bit engine also allows the game to utilize more CPU and memory resources. This translates to higher framerates, faster load times, and greater stability.

In my experience, Anniversary Edition has crashed maybe once or twice in 80+ hours. But the Legendary Edition would crash every few hours like clockwork.

So if you value visual quality and smooth performance, Anniversary Edition is definitely the way to go. It makes the 11-year-old game feel surprisingly fresh in 2022.

Mod Support: Steam Workshop vs Creation Club

Mods help expand Skyrim‘s content even further. But Anniversary and Legendary Editions handle mods quite differently.

The Legendary Edition uses the Steam Workshop ecosystem. This gives you access to tens of thousands of mods made by the Skyrim modding community over the past decade.

You can install overhaul mods like Skyrim Redone to completely change all skills and progression. Or get immersion mods like Frostfall and Campfire for survival mechanics. The variety is endless.

Anniversary Edition, however, only supports Creation Club mods. There are only around 80 of these available, so it‘s far more limited.

The advantage of Creation Club content is that it‘s designed to smoothly work with the base game. Mod conflicts are rare. This makes modding less of a headache – but at the cost of variety.

So Legendary Edition is far better for modding thanks to the thriving Steam Workshop community. Anniversary Edition‘s Creation Club is convenient but leaves you missing out on many incredible mods.

For this reason, I recommend Legendary on PC if you really want to mod extensively. But Anniversary Edition works fine for light mods and on console where Workshop isn‘t an option.

Is Anniversary Edition Worth Upgrading For?

For new players, Anniversary Edition is absolutely the best way to experience Skyrim in 2022. You get the most content and the technical advantages.

But what about upgrading from Legendary or Special Edition? Here‘s my take:

For Skyrim purists and modders, stick with Legendary Edition. The open modding and nostalgia outweigh Anniversary‘s benefits.

For casual players who only want a light modding experience, upgrading isn‘t essential. I‘d only upgrade if you want to replay Skyrim soon anyway.

For committed fans planning a new playthrough, the upgrade is 100% worth it. The graphics overhaul and massive new content additions will make it feel amazingly fresh.

For console players, absolutely upgrade. Anniversary Edition massively expands Skyrim in ways not possible without open modding on PC.

I‘d especially recommend the upgrade for players who haven‘t touched Skyrim in 3+ years. It makes returning to Skyrim exciting in a way it hasn‘t been since 2011. The improved visuals and 500+ hours of new adventures give you so much to explore and appreciate again.

But more casual fans who still play Skyrim occasionally may be totally satisfied with the Special Edition experience still.

Overall, Skyrim Anniversary Edition is the definitive version of Skyrim – but mostly for new players, returning veterans, and console owners. For PC gamers who already mod heavily, Legendary Edition remains a great option as well. Hopefully this detailed comparison helps you decide which edition is right for you!