Skyrim dev did his “darndest to find a way to fit all 7,000 steps” into the RPG
By (Image credit: Bethesda)
Nearly precisely 15 years after Skyrim, the Bethesda developer accountable for the “notorious” Seven Thousand Steps at the Throat of the World states, “I exerted my utmost to discover a way to incorporate all 7,000 steps into the legendary path,” but unfortunately, it appears that’s simply a significant number of steps.
In recent developer insights shared by Bethesda following The Elder Scrolls 6’s resurgence yesterday, associate art director Dan Lee elaborates on his role in the 2011 RPG, emphasizing that, “While not directly accountable for the rough design of Skyrim’s landscape, I was tasked with fine-tuning the outlines of High Hrothgar.
“I would observe the mountain from various angles and endeavored to maintain the shape intriguing. My efforts on the ‘Throat of the World’ were not confined to the sculpting of the mountain; it also involved embellishing and adorning the mountain with visual effects, flora, and artifacts,” he continues. “This, of course, included the infamous 7,000 steps.”
Clearly, when you designate a location as “The Seven Thousand Steps,” individuals are bound to scrutinize your work, and fans have long realized that Bethesda fell considerably short of making the name accurate. It is estimated that there are between 700 and 800 instead. One daring explorer did the calculations a month following the game’s release in 2011, and I feel compelled to share the findings they posted on Reddit almost 15 years ago, which estimates the total at 748 steps.
That being said, this was not a result of a lack of effort from Lee. “I truly enjoy attempting to be as loyal to lore or reality as feasible, and I did my utmost to identify a method to fit all 7,000 steps into the legendary trail,” the developer states. “Nevertheless, my best endeavor to achieve this involved extending well beyond Ivarstead, encircling the mountain and concluding near Whiterun in the frigid tundra. As it turns out, 7,000 is quite a substantial amount!”
Thus, at least there was an effort made. Lee also has a critical clarification before anyone starts attributing fault to him for a particularly infamous part of the path to High Hrothgar.
